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December 2016

Hanan Ashwari has for decades been the most recognizable face of the Palestinian government in the American media. As was clear this morning, she is also the face of Palestinian rejectionism of the very basis of the existence of the State of Israel. Ashwari appeared on CNN after David Keyes, Netanyahu's spokesman, said that the real barrier to peace is Palestinian rejection of Israel as a Jewish state. Ashwari expressed that rejection in clear terms: "we cannot a accept religion for any state." Emphasizing her point, she twice mockingly described Israel as wanting Palestinians "to become Zionists suddenly."

Legal Insurrection fans probably despair of California, given the inanity of our politicians and the desire of some of our citizens to leave the Union. However, I would like to share a touching story of patriotism that may redeem our state, slightly. Videographer Tom Baldwin reports that Amador Varsity Football, from a small California town outside Sacramento called Sutter Creek, had a game against Lincoln High in San Francisco. However, the friends and family of the visiting team noticed something was amiss prior to kickoff.

As Kemberlee Kaye so eloquently demonstrated in her post, This Christmas, few relationships are as defining as one between a mother a child. Apparently the loss of her child yesterday was more than legendary actress Debbie Reynolds could bear. She passed away of a stroke, less than 48 hours after her daughter Carrie Fisher died from a heart attack.
Debbie Reynolds -- who rose to stardom in "Singin' in the Rain" and quickly became a staple among Hollywood royalty -- died Wednesday as a result of a stroke, TMZ has learned ... just one day after her daughter Carrie Fisher passed away ... this according to her son Todd.

In all the fury over the anti-Israel UN Resolution 2334 the Obama administration marshalled through the Security Council, with an "abstain" vote providing cover for the perfidy, few people have focused on a particularly pernicious and dangerous provision. I'm not talking about the provisions effectively declaring it illegal for Jews to live in Jewish Quarter of the Old City or to worship at the Western Wall. Here is the provision I'm talking about in Resolution 2334 (pdf.):

The lawsuit probing Hillary's use of a homebrewed server while serving as Secretary of State was revived Tuesday. The District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals found error with a lower court's judgement which tossed out complaints targeting Hillary's emails. Politico reported:
A three-judge panel of the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously Tuesday that a lower court judge erred when he threw out the cases as moot after the State Department received tens of thousands of emails from Clinton and more from the FBI following the criminal investigation it conducted.

We've covered the back and forth today, from John Kerry's angry policy speech putting most of the blame on Israel for failure to reach an agreement on the final status of the dispute, to Bibi Netanyahu's equally blistering rebuttal. The rallying around Israel and Netanyahu by politicians on both sides of the aisle is a reflection of both ideological support for Israel and the fact that Israel remains hugely popular among the American public. The maligned "Israel Lobby" consists of a substantial majority of Americans who not only support Israel, but support Israel over the Palestinians. The American people are the Israel Lobby. But that can't explain the reaction against Obama's U.N. move.

U.S. senators have traveled to NATO nations to perform their typical lip service, promising America stands behind the organization and the nations involved. NATO nations have grown concerned over America's role since Donald Trump won the election in November:
“I am convinced and certain that our relations, and the American relationship with NATO, will remain the same,” Mr. [John] McCain said at a news conference with Estonia’s new prime minister, Juri Ratas.

The Trump rooster has arrived to help ring in Chinese New Year. The city of Taiyuan is hoping the statue will bring tourists in by the bus loads. According to People's Daily China:
A giant rooster figure, sporting a Donald Trump hairstyle, has popped up outside a shopping mall in downtown Taiyuan, north China's Shanxi Province. The designer said the sculpture - heralding the upcoming Chinese Year of the Rooster - was inspired by the American president-elect, by both his iconic hairstyle and gestures.

Okay, now we've heard everything:
Sex therapist Kimberly Resnick Anderson claims Trump winning the presidency has led to a widespread loss of libido in the bedroom among her clients. Dubbing it 'The Trump Bedroom Backlash' Resnick Anderson says she has seen it time and again in her office... The certified sex expert told DailyMail.com: 'Since Trump won a common complaint in my office is that women get more easily annoyed when their husbands or boyfriends initiate sex.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responds to John Kerry's speech earlier today. Perhaps the biggest bombshell was the repeated accusation that the U.S. was behind the resolution.

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision to offer asylum to 1.1 million migrants will cost German taxpayers up to €1.5 trillion [$1.6 trillion], German newspaper Die Welt reports. The projection -- based on the research by Berlin-based think-tank Stiftung Marktwirtschaft -- only take into account the refugee intake of 2015. This moderate figure does not factor in the additional burden to the exchequer due to family reunions, as many of these young migrant men will also bring in large families from their native countries. Merkel’s 'Refugee Welcome' policy will be leaving a huge burden on Germany’s aging and shirking working population. If the trend persists; Germany will apparently go broke before it gets islamised.