Merry Christmas, readers. No, that's not my dog. But he looks like my dog, and Getty takes a far better picture than I would.
On to the show:
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Virginia Postrel has some tough but on-target seasonal advice:
"Merry
Christmas. Don't Be Stupid." On people taking offense at the
wording of an honest cheerful greeting:
Whether you say “Merry Christmas” or “Happy holidays,” I’ll happily accept your good wishes. Because interpreting the more inclusive “Happy holidays” as a “war on Christmas” is both stupid and rude.
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Obama's on his way out the door, but took time to deliver a final
petulant slap to Israel, with the US's abstention at the UN on an
Israel-condemning resolution, reversing decades of policy.
Instapundit
has a roundup of reactions.
So does Ann
Althouse (some overlapping).
I'm on board with
Charles
Krauthammer:
In 2012, running for re-election, Obama spoke at the meeting of AIPAC, the big Jewish lobby. He said, “Is there any doubt that I have Israel’s back?” That’s why he didn’t want do it while he was in office. That’s why he didn’t want to do it in 2016 so it would injure Hillary and show to particularly American Jews, who tend to be Democratic, that it was all a farce. He does it on the way out, and that’s part of why it’s so disgraceful. He didn’t even — he hid it until there would be no consequence. Now he is out the door and the damage is done for years. That resolution cannot be undone.
So: not only petulant, but also qualifying for Profiles in Cowardice. A book someone should write.
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But the Israel thing wasn't the only craven thing the Obama Administration was
up to.
David
Harsanyi notes the legerdemain involved in the "permanent" ban
on oil drilling that they somehow just noticed was a vital thing
that had to be done right now:
[…] Obama's latest executive move, banning offshore drilling in large areas of the Atlantic and Arctic waters, folds neatly into six years of executive control. The ban hinges on a provision of the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, a law designed to protect marine sanctuaries. "The seldom used measure" explains NBC News, "allows the executive to permanently freeze offshore drilling in specified regions.
And unlike the First, Second, Fifth or Tenth Amendments of the Constitution, which Democrats have treated as mere suggestions over the past eight years, a provision from 1953 is eternal and nonnegotiable according to the administration—like a commandment transmitted from the heavens. Well, that is unless Republicans pass another law or amend the existing one, right?
We're about to endure (probably) years of Democrat griping about Trump's arrogant and dangerous use of executive power. And (also probably) they will have a valid point. But those complaints will be easy to dismiss when they've been silent about stuff like this.
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If you've been wondering what Rick Perry, Trump's cabinet pick for
the Energy Department could do to prevent future Solyndras, you
might want to check out
"What
Rick Perry Could Do to Prevent Future Solyndras" from Nicolas
Loris at the Daily Signal. At issue is the department's "loan
guarantee program.
The Department of Energy’s loan program is a double-edged sword for the American economy. Either the government subsidizes likely-to-fail projects, thus throwing away taxpayer dollars, or they provide corporate welfare, keeping politically favored activities alive while diminishing the innovative role of the entrepreneur and private investment. It’s a lose-lose proposition.
Or there's always Plan A, as Senator Rand Paul implies in one of his Festivus Airing of Grievances:
My favorite Cabinet pick is what's his name, umm it's that guy who wanted to eliminate the Dept. of @ENERGY. Hang on I'll think of it...
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) December 23, 2016(Check the link for more of Senator Paul's grievances.)
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OK, so it's probably too late for you to go shopping for the
libertarian in your life, but enjoy this hilarity from ReasonTV
anyway: The Libertarian Holiday Gift Guide!
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And finally, from the great Michael Ramirez:
From the Archives:
— Michael Ramirez (@Ramireztoons) December 24, 2016
WISE MEN WANTED #tcothttps://t.co/qTmHZWBQTL
Like @ Facebook:https://t.co/WeX1G9jwDl
Book:https://t.co/eqyzRdz8nS pic.twitter.com/0v2N844Z7P