Hi everyone, and welcome to the Boxing Day edition of Laura's Links. I hope you had a very merry Christmas and that Santa figured out exactly who was naughty and nice (ho ho ho ha ha ha love this gal) in your homes. Your In-House Jewish Mother has had a lovely and festive Chanukah thus far and there's still a few more nights, and therefore a few more warm, bright lights to add into the universe but we'll talk more about Chanukah down below.
As is customary, Mark has also been a busy bee, and there is lots of glorious stuff to feast upon right here at SteynOnline! Don't miss The Mark Steyn Christmas Show, his definitive take on Baby It's Cold Outside and pondering what happens If An Impeach Tree Falls in the Forest.
For those of you smart enough to stay in your Christmas PJs and ugly sweaters and not venture anywhere near a mall or store today, I have a great selection of links for you. So grab a cup or glass of your favourite holiday libation and come with me for a short sleigh ride through some news highlights from the past week.
Enjoy yourselves but don't overdo it!
Let's begin!
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North America:
Doing the right thing is non-partisan.
PM Minstrel Hairdo, and Blackface Aficionado Extraordinaire wants very strict punishments for "hate speech".
This is totally insane: illegals to get drivers' licenses in NY state. What could possibly go wrong?
Canadian "justice". Model immigrant BEST and BRIGHTEST from Afghanistan, Tooba Yayha to get day parole. She's apparently not a danger to the public anymore and the likelihood of recidivism is very low. Well, duh! Her chance of recidivism is low because she doesn't have anymore daughters to murder.
This is truly an evil decision.
Oh joy, oh bliss! Canada has a secret visa program that grants visas to war criminals, terrorists and other assorted security threats.
One of the last surviving Navajo Code Talkers talks about his service, and how a "beautiful blue uniform" led him to enlist at age 15. Read the whole thing! G-d bless and keep him.
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Jews and Israel:
Things that make Jew-haters sad. Jerusalem ranked world's fastest growing tourist destination.
From the very talented Liel Leibovitz at Tablet Magazine: The Real Danger to Jews.
Jews dance with Torah scroll on German street that had been named for Hitler.
History Geek Out! Biblical home of the Ark of the Covenant discovered in Beit Shemesh?
President Worst Hitler Ever and the lovely, elegant First Lady send exceptionally beautiful and meaningful Chanukah greetings to the Jewish people.
The great Daniel Greenfield on The Light of Chanukah (must read). Mr. Greenfield is a magnificent writer and his Jewish soul really touches the Jewish core of my heart. What a gift he has. This is a remarkable essay.
As I remarked earlier this week on Twitter, the best part of Chanukah Twitter was seeing Chanukah greetings from legendary anti-Semites who didn't have a clue that with their "Happy Chanukah", they were literally saluting Jewish military might and superiority along with the Jews liberating Jerusalem for the Jews. It has been glorious to watch.
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Europe:
Evil, disgusting Sweden continues to re-invent itself as a Third World sh&thole.
I know I'm just your In House Jewish Mother, but this really doesn't seem very Pope-ish to me. Catholic peeps! Help me out here. There's plenty of people around the world that need Jesus (says me, the Big Jew).
French Jewish school principals urge their students to leave France. Absolutely, leave with suitcases and not in coffins.
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Jihad:
Has anyone actually read anything about this in the American media? An American Airlines mechanic pleaded guilty to sabotaging an airplane. Also, if he was in America for 30 year ("model employee") why did he need an Arabic translator. But what do I know?
Say a prayer for the remnants of the Christian community where Christianity was born.
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Random:
Celebrate diversity! All cultures are equal! KIDDING. Barbarians.
Iranian barbarians ordered unrest put down at all costs.
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The Formerly Great Britain:
Melanie Philips: The British working class saves British Jews. Personally, I think they hit the pause button, but the Jewish community really has no future in the U.K.
Katie Hopkins: Boris' win is a seismic moment in our history.
U.K hospitals introduce disposable hijabs for surgical theatre.
Rape jihad in Britain-who is watching the watchmen? West Yorkshire PC Amjad Ditta, also known as Amjad Hussain, 35, has been charged with sexual touching.
Lastly, a heart wrenching personal essay from Roger Scruton reflecting on the year 2019: A Year In Which Much Was Lost But More Gained.
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Kook Left, Wokestapo and Trans:
Your betters in government in America: a taxpayer funded confab on homelessness featured a transgendered stripper.
As per the great Douglas Murray, we have moved beyond men and women being equal, and now must agree that women are better (or else).
Sicko, nutcases at Teen Vogue offer "top gifts for transgenders".
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Human (and Canine) Grace:
Buddies write letter to neighbours asking if they can walk and play with their dog, dog responds.
Christmas miracle! Teen who spent 500 days in hospital, beats cancer and will be home for Christmas.
Michigan couple married for 70 years dies minutes apart. Rest in peace.
Seven-year old girl saves her mom's life after having watched CPR videos on You Tube.
Oregon coffee shop owner temporarily closes her own store to work for her terminally ill competition.
Hundreds light up children's hospital to celebrate with kids who can't be at home.
Doctor's perform historic surgery with the aid of virtual reality, derived from Israeli military technology.
Five-year old boy can finally hug his brother with his new Hulk prosthetic arm.
Jewish group to repair earthquake struck home of Albanian Muslim whose father saved Jews.
Young boy, now cancer-free, breaks down after taking his last chemotherapy pill.
Newborns dressed as Baby Yoda at hospital photo shoot.
Seven-year old stem transplant recipient doing amazingly well!
New physiotherapy research can open a world of mobility for kids with disabilities.
Cancer patient and his nurse go viral singing Christmas song.
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Bonus first-person Human Grace and good vibes two-fer:
~ In one of my special needs parent groups, a parent wrote about her son's refusal to wear socks for various sensory reasons. His feet became blistered but despite buying every kind of sock she could think of, her son refused to wear socks. Last week he came home with hand-knitted socks from his teacher, made with the softest wool she could find. She said she got his size from his shoes and made them herself because she's not giving up on him and wanted to find a solution. Her mom said "so now I'm that mom, crying happy tears because of socks". Wouldn't you?
~ Chanukah miracle: I had the pleasure of lighting Chanukah candle number two with my family and a friend of my son's who beat leukemia. Need I say more?
Please feel free to share your holiday good vibes, along with miracles big and small in the comments.
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24 Member Comments
If, at anytime concerns arise over the decline of the male or perplexed by gender un certainty, I urge one
to invest a bit over 2 minutes to listen to The Royal Regiment of Wales sing 'Men Of Harlech' as recorded
at the Chapel at Rork's Drift Natal on the 120 th anniversary of the Battle of Rork's Drift.
You Tube
https:m.youtube.com/watch?v=DRtnWVvDX6k.
During the Mass, there is always a prayer offered for the Pope - I always wince inwardly and outwardly, simultaneously enduring a wave of nausea. Just as Donald Trump (and Mark Steyn) make me feel glad to be living in these times, Francis honestly causes me despair. Which is exactly what the Devil wants for us - hopeless and helpless, totally giving up. Has the Catholic Church survived bad Popes? Yes, but they cause immense wreckage. A special burden is how enthused a lot of people are about this unspeakable charlatan. He is so ignorant and disrespectful about Church dogma, history, aspirations. Of course, Christians are supposed to evangelize! How does he think Christianity became a worldwide religion in the first place? Francis needs to read a Bible now and then, specifically the Acts of the Apostles.
So much wreckage. It really is painful to watch.
Barbara - Absolutely correct. Christianity is about evangelizing. Not by force or militarily, but by example and discussion. That is too subtle a notion for people who need to bring up the Crusades or Galileo every time Christianity is mentioned, like this sad disgrace of a Pope.
This message of the Pope's seems a pretty poopy one especially now when the number of churchgoers is falling like a rock. You can't build a church on a falling rock, Pope Francis. What's wrong with proselytizing if your heart is in Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ is the bedrock of the Catholic Church?
Does he actually wear the socks, Laura, or was it just the thought that counts? I knew a special ed occupational therapist who used to reward kids with Oreos for trying something (food, clothing, etc.) they hated. A lot of young men and women today owe their enhanced diets, wardrobes, etc. to Nabisco (now Mondelez, I guess).
Hi Josh, I'd have to put a note back into the group to find out. Maybe I will!
Apparently he did wear them for 5 minutes-a good start!
Thanks for the story about Peter MacDonald, last surviving member of the Navaho Code Talkers. I always found their story fascinating and I hope this man lives to see the museum dedicated the them built and open to visitors. Tse Bonito, New Mexico is not the easiest place to reach but it's on Navajo land so it does make perfect sense for the building. It certainly will be worth a drive from anywhere, USA.
Also, in the vicinity of that town is Canyon De Chelly (pronounced de shay) also worth an overnight stay to tour on one of the hay rides one needs to reserve ahead of time. The hay ride takes you through the dry sandy canyon and one can see petroglyphs from the touring vehicle. This area while not as large as the Grand Canyon will most definitely take one's breath away by the sheer quiet and beauty. It too, lies within Navajo lands.
Coming back to these great links, Laura. As always, thanks for the informative, depressing, uplifting etc etc stories. Happy Chanukah!
Thanks Kate. I hope you had a lovely Christmas and I wish you all the best in the New Year.
Re "Barbarians": As Oscar Wilde was wont to say, to suffer one clitoridectomy may be regarded as a misfortune; to suffer two clitoridectomies looks like carelessness. Mohammed may have slept with nine-year-old Aisha (forbearing sex for three years after their marriage), but is every Sudanese bride to be surgically altered to resemble a fourth-grader? I've heard of "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth-Grader", but...well, you get my drift. Puzzled by this obsession with suturing one's sweetie, I consulted Islamic scholarship online for elucidation (perhaps a mistake). I can't say I stayed with the subject long enough to learn the definitive answer, but I did ascertain that in Paradise, to Mohammed's reckoning, the lucky fellow will be serviced by lovely-eyed houris--not the brown-eyed girls of Van Morrison's acquaintance, but close enough to give you the picture--who are virgins, and remain so after intercourse. Maybe that's the celestial model the terrestrial midwives follow. But then, some citations also describe the houri hotties as all looking alike, and resembling Adam. Even James Bond (the closest mortal comp to Mohammed I could think of) ventured beyond Ursula Andress (though I can't imagine why). And I don't care how delicious Adam looks on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, he's no Pussy Galore. Maybe I should stick with Human Grace. I'm sure not smarter than a fifth-grader.
The Catholic Church has a similar problem as the United States of America. What is taken for granted in the foundational documents is denied at the very top by enemies who have infiltrated the inner sanctum. The pope is an enemy of Jesus. The elected Democrats in Washington, DC are enemies of the United States.
Can you really sit by silently while the integrity of your church and country erode with your acquiescence?
"Jesus' life - humanly speaking - ended in failure: the failure of the Cross." (Pope Francis, September 24th, 2015 - St Patrick's Cathedral.)
Bergoglio is very much "an enemy of Jesus".
He opposes Christians spreading the Word, but supports Mohammedans spreading-by-the-Sword: "It's normal. You cannot provoke. You cannot insult the faith of others."
Yes, it's "normal" to murder the blasphemers of Islam, according to Pope Francis.
Truly evil.
Yes, indeed.
I won't hold my breath waiting for the back-story to come to light of the very unusual early retirement of Pope Benedict - or the setting alight of the Notre Dame de Paris.
Well, I tried to share a photo of a infant onesie I printed for the very same hospital that Laura shared the baby Yoda photo from, relating that who would have thought that UPMC Magee would be riding the zeitgeist wave, but apparently the webmaster must have felt it was promoting my work, as it wasn't posted. Apologies for not reading the fine print, I didn't do it for promotional purposes, I did it because it was the same hospital used in the photo above. Oh well, cynicism reigns in some circles.
Man, a lot of those links are depressing. Whoops, I guess you can't use "Man" as an interjection anymore, I should have said "Woman"......
Have a happy new year, everyone!
Also in Sweden: a school compels a whole class to kneel on prayer mats, facing Mecca, and to recite Arabic prayers. The pupils were also segregated by sex. The teacher read in Arabic from the koran.
Luckily, there is no conceivable way to read any particular symbolism into that and the headmaster dismissed parents' objections, saying the pupils were "role-playing." Some of them, however, did take the role-playing seriously enough to bring their personal prayer mats into school for the occasion. Stroke of luck that that Swedish schoolteacher could read Arabic, by the way.
Trump, of course, was right about Sweden-total mess. Mark has frequently mentioned that ethnic Swedes will soon be a minority in their own country. It's impossible for me to feel sorry for Sweden. This is clearly the future they wanted. The decline of Malmo and the generally permissive and accepting attitude of the Swedes to rabid antisemitism really was the portent for the future there.
Laura,
Sadly, the phrase "More Catholic than the Pope" has applied to many of us since March 2013! Unlike his predecessors, Pope Francis hasn't done much at all to defend traditional Catholic doctrine, and his words and actions in recent years have done nothing but disappoint. I started off defending him as he was being misunderstood, but over the past few years it's clear he's pushing another agenda, made obvious with that rubbish encyclical Laudato Si. This latest statement about not seeking to convert non-Catholics is a slap in the face, as Christ call us to preach to all the nations. Even his namesake, St Francis of Assisi, travelled to Egypt to attempt to convert the Sultan! Pray for us!
I feel bad saying it but he's a kook. A socialist kook (are there any other kinds). Prayers, of course!
An "agenda" is putting it mildly! It turns out the only people who misunderstand Pope Francis are his defenders. As usual, Mark Steyn was way ahead of the curve, from the appalling comments in the wake of the jihadist slaughter at Charlie Hebdo to the open borders falsehood about the "homeless" "refugee", Infant Jesus.
Who knew that to "Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel..." is unchristian?! Bergoglio has shown himself to be an expert at lying about the Koran, so it's no surprise that he's lying about the Bible, too, whilst putting the boot in to Christian missionaries, past and present. (And doubling-down on his dishonesty by quoting fictional works to support his assertions, as the article notes.) #IsThePopeMuslim?
PS. He "forgot" to mention Hong Kong in his Christmas message - perhaps something to do with his direct role in the repression of the Church in the PRC.
No but we did make a motherlode of latkes last night!
Do you guys do the Chinese food thing?
Whoops, my comment was meant for you, Draidlebaum. Lotsa latkes, no Chinese.