StatCounter

Friday, December 26, 2025

Jim Kunstler, "No Fat Ladies Heard Singing... Yet"

Newly-minted multi-millionaires Ruby Freeman
 and daughter Andrea “Shaye” Moss

"No Fat Ladies Heard Singing... Yet"
by Jim Kunstler

"We were so busy saving democracy that we forgot to tally..."
- Joe Rogan on the 2020 election

"While you were busy decking the halls with boughs of holly, chomping spiced nuts and cheese straws, and quaffing the eggnog this Christmas, 2025, the USA was still suffering indigestion from the Nov 3, 2020 election, repeatedly throwing up in its mouth as reports dribbled in about voting irregularities around the country that long-ago dreary night when “Joe Biden” was so thumpingly voted-in as the 46th president.

So far, the state of Georgia only appears to be the worst case because activists on the losing side have persisted in demanding investigations and some of the results are now out. And what the Georgia State Election Board turned up the past two weeks was that 315,000 early in-person ballots were not processed according to legal procedure. More than 130 tabulator tapes - printed “receipts” from ballot-scanning machines - lacked required signatures from poll managers and witnesses. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger downplayed its significance, stating it was a “clerical error.” This is also called a broken chain of custody, meaning officials can’t account for the veracity of the vote, but apparently that’s a minor consideration. It does not amount to fraud per se, but it puts out an odor that tells you fraud might be found if you look a little closer.

Accordingly, on Christmas Eve, as the elves loaded Santa’s magical sleigh, and after a years’ long struggle, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney finally granted the board access to Fulton County’s 2020 presidential election ballots and related records hidden under lock and key. This includes physical paper ballots, ballot stubs, envelopes, and scanned digital ballot images. Now, perhaps you’ll see what that odor of fraud actually indicates.

For instance, it’s alleged that some of these ballots were counterfeits, that is, fakes, based on affidavits from poll managers and audit monitors who reported observing ballots that appeared pristine (lacking creases from mailing), printed on incorrect paper stock, marked identically in down-ballot races without signs of being filled by hand. Estimates from these affidavits suggested the number of such ballots could reach tens of thousands. Some analyses push estimates of duplicate-scanned ballots as high as 200,000 to 375,000. Chain of custody issues were also alleged for drop-box ballots, with improper or missing forms for over 100,000 ballots statewide (including significant numbers in Fulton County). Out of a total 4,935,487 votes cast in Georgia, “Joe Biden” won by 11,779 votes, a margin of 0.23 percent.

A Georgia State Election Board member, Dr. Janice Johnston, said she “apologized profusely” for the clerical errors discovered, explaining how, in a comparably important matter she was familiar with, surgeries, the doctors and nurses must count all the instruments and sponges three times to make sure that nothing is left inside the patient’s body after suturing-up - and that nobody is allowed to leave the operating room if the count is off.

Much so-called “de-bunking” has been going on around the country for years following the 2020 election. It begins to look now as if the “debunking” was actually just another round of bunkery, and you can easily see how that worked. It started with the massive censorship campaign when the FBI colluded with Facebook, Twitter (as it was called then), and other platforms to aggressively censor any discussion of these matters.

Meanwhile, Norm Eisen’s lawfare squad went after any lawyers connected to the Trump campaign who showed an inclination to pursue election fraud. Trump-allied attorney John Eastman got run through a wringer by the California Bar Association alleging he engaged in misconduct involving moral turpitude, dishonesty, and corruption by promoting false claims of widespread election fraud and advancing an unsupported legal strategy to disrupt the electoral vote certification. That was just for drafting memos for actions that Vice-president Mike Pence might theoretically take while presiding over a joint session of Congress to certify the 2020 election - to be held Jan 6, 2021 (yes, that Jan 6). The board recommended disbarment and Eastman’s case remains pending before the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, Eastman is forbidden to practice law.

Rudy Giuliani was crucified for alleging that two temp workers, Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, committed election fraud at the Fulton County State Farm Arena, a central absentee ballot tabulation center. This was the incident where a “broken toilet” was used as an excuse to shut down the facility for several hours, when poll-watchers were sent home. Then, after midnight rolly-bags of ballots were retrieved from under a table covered in draperies, and Freeman and Moss processed the votes in their scanners. Mainstream media claims this has all been debunked, too. Freeman and Moss won a $148-million defamation judgment against Giuliani, who reached a negotiated settlement with the pair in January, 2025. He was also disbarred.

A so-called “fake elector” case was brought against Trump-aligned lawyers Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Jenna Ellis, Christina Bobb, Boris Epshteyn by Arizona AG Kris Mayes in April, 2024. This involved arrangements for an alternate slate of electoral college electors in the event that fraud was discovered prior to certification of the 2020 election. The case is ongoing. Trial is set for Jan, 2026. The defendants argue political motivation.

In a similar “fake elector” case in Michigan, charges lodged by Michigan AG Dana Nessel were dismissed in December by a Michigan judge.

December 9, 2025, during a public appearance, President Donald Trump has recently alleged that conclusive information proving widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election would soon become public. “It was a rigged election. It’s gonna come out over the next couple months too, loud and clear. Because we have all the information.” His statements are tied to ongoing efforts by his administration, including the U.S. Department of Justice’s December 2025 lawsuit against Fulton County, GA, to access sealed 2020 election records (ballots, envelopes, stubs, and digital files) that Judge McBurney ordered released just before Christmas. This isn’t over. Those were fake fat ladies you heard singing."

Thursday, December 25, 2025

"Giant Pre-Historic Wall Buried in Texas 20,000 Years Ago"

Full screen recommended.
Universe Inside You, 12/24/25
"Giant Pre-Historic Wall Buried in Texas 20,000 Years Ago"
"Beneath the quiet streets of Rockwall, Texas, lies a buried enigma that has defied explanation for over a century. This vast, orderly wall of stone, stretching beneath the earth, hints at a prehistoric city or ancient structures built by lost civilizations. Its presence fuels speculation, making it one of the world's great unsolved mysteries in ancient history."
Comments here:

"Something Huge Is Coming For Israel And America"

Col. Douglas Macgregor, 12/25/25
"Something Huge Is Coming For Israel And America"
Comments here:

"The Empire Is Collapsing, And This Time There's No Escape"

Col. Larry Wilkerson, 12/25/25
"The Empire Is Collapsing, 
And This Time There's No Escape"
Comments here:
o
Col. Larry Wilkerson, 12/25/25
"This Is Not A Crisis, This Is The End"
Comments here:

"What Christmas Was Like 50 Years Ago in America"

Full screen recommended.
RetroWorld, 12/25/25
"What Christmas Was Like 50 Years Ago in America"
"Journey back to Christmases past! RetroWorld explores the simpler traditions of the 1960s-80s, from the Sears Wish Book to family gatherings. Relive the magic of Christmas morning, church services, and holiday TV specials."
Comments here:

Dan, I Allegedly, "Christmas By the Numbers - Plus, Rosie Joins Us!"

Full screen recommended.
Dan, I Allegedly, 12/25/25
"Christmas By the Numbers - Plus, Rosie Joins Us!"
"Holiday spending reached shocking new heights in 2025, and I’m breaking down what it all means for the future! From record-setting Black Friday and Super Saturday shopping to surprising financial trends, this year has been nothing short of amazing. As we unwrap the numbers, I’ll share insights into what’s ahead for 2026, including changes in retail, inflation concerns, and why fast food costs are out of control. Plus, I’ll talk about personal milestones, including surpassing 320,000 subscribers, traveling, and, of course, Rosie’s adventures. Stay tuned. This is breaking news, and things are moving fast."
Comments here:

Musical Interlude: Peder B. Helland, "Sunny Mornings"

Full screen recommended.
 Soothing Relaxation,
"Sunny Mornings"
"I am a composer from Norway and I started this channel with a simple vision: to create a place that you can visit whenever you want to sit down and relax. I compose music that can be labeled as for example: sleep music, calm music, yoga music, study music, peaceful music, beautiful music and relaxing music. I love to compose music and I put a lot of work into it.

Thank you very much for listening and for leaving feedback. Every single day I am completely astonished by all your warm support and it really inspires me to work even harder on my music. If you enjoy my work, I would be very happy if you decided to subscribe and join our community. Have a wonderful day or evening!"
- Peder B. Helland, composer for Soothing Relaxation

"A Look to the Heavens"

"Have you contemplated your home galaxy lately? If your sky looked like this, perhaps you'd contemplate it more often! The featured picture is actually a composite of two images taken from the same location in south Brazil and with the same camera - but a few hours apart. The person in the image - also the astrophotographer - has much to see in the Milky Way Galaxy above.
The central band of our home Galaxy stretches diagonally up from the lower left. This band is dotted with spectacular sights including dark nebular filaments, bright blue stars, and red nebulas. Millions of fainter and redder stars fill in the deep Galactic background. To the lower right of the Milky Way are the colorful gas and dust clouds of Rho Ophiuchi, featuring the bright orange star Antares. On this night, just above and to the right of Antares was the bright planet Jupiter. The sky is so old and so familiar that humanity has formulated many stories about it, some of which inspired this very picture."

Chet Raymo, "On Saying 'I Don't Know'"

"On Saying 'I Don't Know'"
by Chet Raymo

“Johannes Kepler is best known for figuring out the laws of planetary motion. In 1610, he published a little book called “The Six-Cornered Snowflake” that asked an even more fundamental question: How do visible forms arise? He wrote: "There must be some definite reason why, whenever snow begins to fall, its initial formation is invariably in the shape of a six-pointed starlet. For if it happens by chance, why do they not fall just as well with five corners or with seven?"

All around him Kepler saw beautiful shapes in nature: six-pointed snowflakes, the elliptical orbits of the planets, the hexagonal honeycombs of bees, the twelve-sided shape of pomegranate seeds. Why? he asks. Why does the stuff of the universe arrange itself into five-petaled flowers, spiral galaxies, double-helix DNA, rhomboid crystals, the rainbow's arc? Why the five-fingered, five-toed, bilaterally symmetric beauty of the newborn child? Why?

Kepler struggles with the problem, and along the way he stumbles onto sphere-packing. Why do pomegranate seeds have twelve flat sides? Because in the growing pomegranate fruit the seeds are squeezed into the smallest possible space. Start with spherical seeds, pack them as efficiently as possible with each sphere touching twelve neighbors. Then squeeze. Voila! And so he goes, convincing us, for example, that the bee's honeycomb has six sides because that's the way to make honey cells with the least amount of wax. His book is a tour-de-force of playful mathematics.

In the end, Kepler admits defeat in understanding the snowflake's six points, but he thinks he knows what's behind all of the beautiful forms of nature: A universal spirit pervading and shaping everything that exists. He calls it nature's "formative capacity." We would be inclined to say that Kepler was just giving a fancy name to something he couldn't explain. To the modern mind, "formative capacity" sounds like empty words. 

We can do somewhat better. For example, we explain the shape of snowflakes by the shape of water molecules, and we explain the shape of water molecules with the mathematical laws of quantum physics. Since Kepler's time, we have made impressive progress towards understanding the visible forms of snowflakes, crystals, rainbows, and newborn babes by probing ever deeper into the heart of matter. But we are probably no closer than Kepler to answering the ultimate questions: What is the reason for the curious connection between nature and mathematics? Why are the mathematical laws of nature one thing rather than another? Why does the universe exist at all? Like Kepler, we can give it a name, but the most forthright answer is simply: I don't know.”

"Life Lessons From George S. Patton, Jr."

Full screen recommended.
"Patton Speech"
Patton speech in Los Angeles 1945 and death.
 Narrated by Ronald Reagan.
"Life Lessons From George S. Patton, Jr."
by John Wilder

"I have been a long-time fan of General George S. Patton, Jr. It started when I was a kid, and my history teacher even ordered a few extra Patton films for the World War II section of U.S. history because he knew I was a Patton fan. Probably the biggest accolade that he could have was from the Germans who he fought, one of whom said simply, “He is your best.”

For whatever reason, though, I had never read "The Patton Papers 1940-1945."  On a whim a week or so ago, I ordered a copy, and I cracked it open at lunch the day it arrived before I headed back to work. I’m not sure I’ve ever enjoyed a book more. I’m not sure The Mrs. feels the same way, since when I’m reading it, about every five minutes I’ll come up with a snippet to read to her. She keeps saying, “Thanks, but no tanks.”

The book itself is a compilation of diary entries, letters Patton wrote, and orders he gave in the period from 1940-1945. To have the ability to read through those are amazing, even when he just writes about the mundane aspects of his life or his son having trouble in math at school. I didn’t start at the beginning, I just picked it up and started reading at a more-or-less random spot, which coincided with his taking command of American troops in North Africa. And then I couldn’t put it down.

While many passages have resonated with me, I decided to write about one in particular today. It consists of his instructions that were provided to his officers prior to launching Operation Husky, where he and Montgomery launched a naval invasion of Sicily. Spoiler alert: he did pretty well. This is one passage I’ll make sure to share with Pugsley and The Boy because there is so much truth not only in a military sense, but in life to what Patton wrote on June 5, 1943. Stuff in italics is Patton’s (from page 261 and page 262). My comments are in plain text.

"Discipline is based on pride in the profession of arms, on meticulous attention to details, and on mutual respect and confidence. Discipline must be a habit so ingrained that it is stronger than the excitement of battle or the fear of death.

Discipline can only be obtained when all officers are imbued with the sense of their lawful obligation to their men and to their country that they cannot tolerate negligence. Officers who fail to correct errors or praise excellence are valueless in peace and dangerous misfits in war."

Discipline starts with a single individual. In my case, it doesn’t come from without, it must come from within. Getting up on time. Paying the bills. Having a sense of purpose in life. It has been my observation that people will do what you want when you’re looking if they fear punishment. If they are being judged, they might do it when others are around. When it becomes a value, however, they do it every time, all the time, even when no one is looking, and even when no one will ever know.

"Officers must assert themselves by example and by voice."

People watch. And people listen. Letting things slide never creates excellence.

"There is no approved solution to any tactical situation."

There is only one tactical principle which is not subject to change. It is: “To so use the means at hand to inflict the maximum amount of wounds, death, and destruction on the enemy in the minimum of time.”

Obviously, war isn’t a game, but the lesson for life outside of attacking Sicily in 1943 still exists. And it’s not to use Claymores (FRONT TOWARD ENEMY) and a mortar barrage to open a business meeting. But I have been involved in business and life situations where time was of the essence, and being polite just had to go out the window.

"Never attack [enemy] strength, [but rather his weakness]..."

"You can never be too strong. Get every man and gun you can secure provided it does not delay your attack..."

"Casualties vary directly with the time you are exposed to effective fire... Rapidity of attack shortens the time of exposure..."

"If you cannot see the enemy, and you seldom can, shoot at the place he is most likely to be..."

"Our mortars and our artillery are superb weapons when they are firing. When silent, they are junk – see that they fire!"

One thread that runs through Patton’s writing and actions is his devotion to attacking. Defending wasn’t something that he was interested in. In life, I think that attitude is required. It’s easy to give up, it’s easy to fall into the trap that there’s nothing more to do, nothing more to gain. It’s similar to having all A’s on my eighth-grade report card and deciding to coast on that for the rest of my life.

Potential can only be realized if we push ourselves, and we can only push on the attack. So, attack life like a poodle going after a pork chop, up to the very last breath.

"Never take counsel of your fears. The enemy is more worried than you are. Numerical superiority, while useful, is not vital to successful offensive action. The fact that you are attacking induces the enemy to believe that you are stronger than he is..."

"A good solution applied with vigor now is better than a perfect solution ten minutes later..."

"IN CASE OF DOUBT, ATTACK ..." "Again, attack. But the additional thought is added: don’t listen to your fears. Fear is something that will paralyze even a strong man. And from my experience, the best way to get over fears and avoid the paralysis that comes with them is to take action. What action? Any action that leads you toward your goal. Even the smallest action often sets off a cascade of following actions that lead to...success."

"Mine fields, while dangerous, are not impassable. They are far less of a hazard than artillery concentrations..."

"Speed and ruthless violence on the beaches is vital. There must be no hesitation in debarking. To linger on the beach is fatal."

We are going to run into problems. Some of them huge. Some of them of our own making. The idea is to push through. The Mrs. and I watched a kid on the local wrestling team that was just awful in terms of skills, experience, and well, brains. But, he’d get it in his head that he could win, and he would go out and win some very, very unlikely matches. Why? He didn’t hesitate. He jumped on the chances he made.

I’ll probably have a few more of these as I go through the book. And, as much fun as it is to read, I’m going to take my time to enjoy it. I’d best show a little bit of discipline... Patton might be watching."
Full screen recommended.
"Patton" (1970), 27:32 - 30:21, Reincarnation scene.
Freely download "The Patton Papers 1940-1945" here:

"When The World Goes Mad..."

"When the world goes mad, one must accept madness as sanity;
 since sanity is, in the last analysis, nothing but the
 madness on which the whole world happens to agree."
   - George Bernard Shaw

"2026: Reality Is About To Set In Financially"

Full screen recommended.
Snyder Reports, 12/25/25
"2026: Reality Is About To Set In Financially"
Comments here:

The Daily "Near You?"

Big Sandy, Texas, USA. Thanks for stopping by!

The Poet: James Kavanaugh, “Searchers”

“Searchers”

“Some people do not have to search -
they find their niche early in life and rest there,
seemingly contented and resigned.
They do not seem to ask much of life,
sometimes they do not seem to take it seriously.
At times I envy them,
but usually I do not understand them -
seldom do they understand me.
I am one of the searchers.
There are, I believe, millions of us.
We are not unhappy, but neither are we really content.
We continue to explore life,
hoping to uncover its ultimate secret.
We continue to explore ourselves,
hoping to understand.
We like to walk along the beach -
we are drawn by the ocean,
taken by its power, its unceasing motion,
its mystery and unspeakable beauty.
We like forests and mountains, deserts and hidden rivers,
and the lonely cities as well.
Our sadness is as much a part of our lives as is our laughter.
To share our sadness with the one we love is
perhaps as great a joy as we can know -
unless it is to share our laughter.
We searchers are ambitious only for life itself,
for everything beautiful it can provide.
Most of all we want to love and be loved.
We want to live in a relationship that will not impede
our wandering, nor prevent our search, nor lock us in prison walls.
We do not want to prove ourselves to another or compete for love.
We are wanderers, dreamers and lovers,
lonely souls who dare ask of life everything good and beautiful.”

- James Kavanaugh

"The Truth?"

I've always believed you can handle the truth, given the chance...It may not be
 what you want to hear, but it is the truth to the best of my ability to determine. 
What you do with it is of course up to you... - CP

Travelling With Russell, "I Travelled on Russia's Brand-New Electric Tram"

Full screen recommended.
Travelling With Russell, 12/25/25
"I Travelled on Russia's Brand-New Electric Tram"
Comments here:

"How It Really Would Be..."

How the treacherously lying money-whore 
main stream media would report it today...

Adventures With Danno, "Merry Christmas! Join Me, Shall You?"

Full screen recommended.
Adventures With Danno, 12/25/25
"Merry Christmas! Join Me, Shall You?"
Comments here:

"This Day In History: Christ Is Born"

"This Day In History: Christ Is Born"
by History.com

"Although most Christians celebrate December 25 as the birthday of Jesus Christ, few in the first two Christian centuries claimed any knowledge of the exact day or year in which he was born. The oldest existing record of a Christmas celebration is found in a Roman almanac that tells of Christ’s Nativity festival led by the church of Rome in 336 A.D. The precise reason why Christmas came to be celebrated on December 25 remains obscure, but most researchers believe that Christmas originated as a Christian substitute for pagan celebrations of the winter solstice.

To early Christians (and to many Christians today), the most important holiday on the Christian calendar was Easter, which commemorates the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. However, as Christianity began to take hold in the Roman world, in the early fourth century, church leaders had to contend with a popular Roman pagan holiday commemorating the “birthday of the unconquered sun” (natalis solis invicti) - the Roman name for the winter solstice.

Every winter, Romans honored the pagan god Saturn, the god of agriculture, with Saturnalia, a festival that began on December 17 and usually ended on or around December 25 with a winter solstice celebration in honor of the beginning of the new solar cycle. This festival was a time of merrymaking, and families and friends would exchange gifts. At the same time, Mithraism - worship of the ancient Persian god of light - was popular in the Roman army, and the cult held some of its most important rituals on the winter solstice.

After the Roman Emperor Constantine I converted to Christianity in 312 and sanctioned Christianity, church leaders made efforts to appropriate the winter solstice holidays and thereby achieve a more seamless conversion to Christianity for the emperor’s subjects. In rationalizing the celebration of Jesus’ birthday in late December, church leaders may have argued that since the world was allegedly created on the spring equinox (late March), so too would Jesus have been conceived by God on that date. The Virgin Mary, pregnant with the son of God, would hence have given birth to Jesus nine months later on the winter solstice.

From Rome, the Christ’s Nativity celebration spread to other Christian churches to the west and east, and soon most Christians were celebrating Christ’s birth on December 25. To the Roman celebration was later added other winter solstice rituals observed by various pagan groups, such as the lighting of the Yule log and decorations with evergreens by Germanic tribes.

The word Christmas entered the English language originally as Christes maesse, meaning “Christ’s mass” or “festival of Christ” in Old English. A popular medieval feast was that of St. Nicholas of Myra, a saint said to visit children with gifts and admonitions just before Christmas. This story evolved into the modern practice of leaving gifts for children said to be brought by “Santa Claus,” a derivative of the Dutch name for St. Nicholas - Sinterklaas."

"A Saturday Night In Starbucks"

"A Saturday Night In Starbucks"
by Paul Rosenberg

"Several years ago, an unusual set of events found me at Starbucks on a Saturday night. It had been a reasonably decent day, but somehow the pressures of the world – its parade of negativity – had had its effect on me. Sitting in the Starbucks cured me.

What I Saw: It was a very average Starbucks in a very average location. And the very average people sitting with me were a nearly perfect cross-section of the American demographic. To my left was a middle-aged black man, doing something on his laptop. Just past him was a middle-aged white woman doing the same. Past her, in the corner, were three teenage girls – one black, one white, one Latin – studying together. Behind me was another black man with a laptop and piles of papers, and past him a young couple falling in love over lattes.

At the big, center table was a 25ish woman, with multiple piles of paper upon which she was working very hard. After a while, her boyfriend showed up. She hugged him, laid her head on his shoulder, and they kissed. It was sweet. Then he got to work with her. There were also people coming and going. They were more of the same: A cross-sectional American parade of people behaving quietly and well. Watching these people, I decided that it would be far better to spend time helping them than to obsess over all the threats in the world. These are the people who deserve our efforts.

What Would Help the Bright Side of Humanity? My observations brought me to the question of how to help the bright side of humanity, and I decided that a great start would be to assure them that their way is right… that they have every right to live their way. That concept should be utterly obvious, but the fact is that productive people have been assiduously taught to abandon their ways whenever authority speaks.

This is the great error of the bright side people, and those of us who recognize it must make this point repeatedly: The narratives of the power-seekers service primate models of organization. They do not serve human advancement.

The people I saw in the Starbucks held a different and better set of ideals. They believed that everyone should be treated with respect; that coercion and fraud are wrong; that everyone should be left alone to do as they please, so long as they don’t intrude upon others. This decent side of humanity needs to know that their ideals should never be abandoned, no matter how earth-shatteringly urgent a reason may seem. The people I saw in the Starbucks, to be blunt about it, were morally superior to the powerful and the fear-peddlers. Their ways should be held above.

And Once They Do? Once the people I saw at Starbucks start believing in themselves, the world will change, and massively. These people – and there are untold millions of them – are productive and cooperative. Their problem is that they’ve been laying their virtues at the feet of fear-peddlers. Once the Starbucks People decide that fear and subservience are contrary to life itself, they will move into a better age. Such transitions are difficult, of course, but once these people truly believe in their own ways, the ways of the fear-peddlers and sacrifice-collectors will pass away. May it be soon."

"Heavy Snowfall In Moscow"

Full screen recommended.
Window To Moscow, 12/25/25
"Heavy Snowfall In Moscow"
"Experience a festive Christmas night walk through the heart of Moscow during a heavy snowfall. Red Square Christmas Market, the ice skating rink, glowing holiday lights, and the magical atmosphere of Nikolskaya Street create a true celebration of winter in Russia before Christmas and New Year 2026."
Comments here:

"Islam versus Judaism… How is Jesus Viewed?"

Iran’s Armenian Christians Celebrate Christmas
"Islam versus Judaism… How is Jesus Viewed?"
By Larry C. Johnson

"I found the photo above as an interesting place to start a discussion about the birth of Jesus and how he is viewed in Islam and in Judaism. Anti-Muslim propaganda in the West, especially in the United States, paints a picture of Muslims as intolerant fanatics who threaten Christians with death if they don’t convert. But then there is the photo above… The fact is that in Muslim Iran, Christians are able to celebrate Christmas openly and without interference. I also note that Tehran is still home to one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world. The supposedly intolerant Islamists ain’t killing them either.

The situation for Palestinian Christians in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank, is quite different from that of their Armenian cousins in Iran. For example, according to the Times of Israel, Israeli Police harassed and arrested Palestinian Christians who were celebrating Christmas in Haifa on Sunday, December 21, 2025. The Israeli police raided a Christmas celebration in Wadi Nisnas (a predominantly Palestinian Arab neighborhood in Haifa), dispersing the event, confiscating equipment, beating participants, and arresting at least three people - including a man dressed as Santa Claus.

There also are reports of isolated incidents today in the West Bank: Earlier today, Israeli settlers set fire to a Christmas tree in the West Bank, and IDF soldiers beat up an elderly man in Bethlehem who carried a cross pendant around his neck. The good news is that the Palestinian Christian community, accompanied by a few foreigners, gathered in Bethlehem without incident to commemorate the birth of Jesus.

While Christian Zionists enthusiastically embrace the term, Judeo-Christian values, I believe a case can be made that Islam is far more tolerant of Christians than are the Jewish Zionists. Consider the following:

With respect to the identity of Jesus, Islam views Jesus (aka Isa) is a major prophet and messenger of God. Jesus is venerated as one of the five greatest prophets (alongside Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Muhammad). He is the Messiah (al-Masih) but in a non-divine sense, sent to confirm the Torah and guide the Israelites. Within Judaism, Jesus is not recognized as a prophet, Messiah, or divine figure. He is viewed as an ordinary Jewish man, possibly a teacher or false messiah claimant who did not fulfill biblical prophecies (e.g., world peace, ingathering of exiles).

Then there is the debate surrounding the Talmud. The Talmud (primarily the Babylonian Talmud, compiled around 300–500 CE) contains a small number of scattered passages that many scholars identify as references to Jesus of Nazareth (referred to as “Yeshu” or “Yeshu ha-Notzri”). These are highly polemical and negative, portraying him as a sorcerer, heretic, and false teacher who was justly executed. Scholarly consensus, as articulated by Peter Schäfer in his seminal book Jesus in the Talmud (2007), views these as deliberate counter-narratives to Christian claims, likely composed in Babylonia (3rd–4th centuries CE) in response to the growing dominance of Christianity. They parody New Testament stories to assert Judaism’s superiority.

However, some scholars (e.g., Johann Maier, Jacob Neusner) argue many or most references are not to the historical Jesus but to other figures with similar names (Yeshu/Yeshua was common), or are legendary/late additions. Due to medieval Christian censorship, some passages were altered, erased, or omitted in printed editions, making reconstruction reliant on manuscripts.

Whether you side with Peter Schäfer’s view or believe that Johann Maier has the right interpretation, there is no dispute that Islam holds a view of Jesus that is more in harmony with the beliefs of Christians. While both Islam and Judaism reject the claim that Jesus is the Divine Son of God, Islam accepts the Christian claims regarding the Vigin birth and the miracles. performed by Jesus, Judaism strongly rejects those claims.

And then there is the diametrically oppsed beliefs separating Islam from Judaism with respect Mary, the mother of Jesus. Islam highly exalts Mary as one of the four greatest women in history (alongside Asiya, Khadija, and Fatima). She is sinless, pious, and devoted; the Quran dedicates Surah 19 (Maryam) to her, detailing her life and virginity. She is a model of faith but not divine or an intercessor. Judaism, on the other hand, does not mentioned in Jewish scriptures (Torah or Talmud) and holds no religious significance. She is viewed simply as a Jewish woman and mother in Christian stories, which Judaism does not accept.

As is the case with Jesus, there are passages in the Talmud (primarily the Babylonian Talmud) that scholars interpret as containing lurid or sensational references to Mary (referred to as Miriam), the mother of Jesus. These are polemical in nature, often implying adultery, infidelity, or promiscuity to counter Christian narratives of the virgin birth, portraying Jesus as illegitimate rather than divinely conceived. Such references are found in scattered discussions on sorcery, heresy, and execution, and they have been historically controversial, leading to censorship in medieval printed editions due to Christian accusations of blasphemy. However, interpretations vary: Some scholars argue these refer to different historical or legendary figures (not the biblical Mary), while others see them as deliberate anti-Christian parodies from the 3rd–4th centuries CE, with no historical reliability.

Without delving into a deep theological discussion, I simply say that I celebrate the birth of Jesus as a divine event with the ultimate purpose of uniting all humans — regardless of their sex, race or ethnicity — with their Creator. In other words, you don’t have to be a member of a particular tribe or speak a particular language or have a particular skin color, to be embraced as a genuine offspring of God. In that vein, I wish all who are reading this a Merry Christmas… That does not mean you have to accept Jesus, just understand that I am wishing for you the best things that life can offer to you and your family. Thanks for reading."

Wednesday, December 24, 2025

"Medieval Carols"

"Medieval Carols"
1 Ave Maria (English, 15th century) - 00:00 
2 What tidings bringest thou? (English, 15th century) - 2:53
3 O viridissima virga (Hildegard of Bingen) - 7:01 
4 Alma redemptoris mater (English, 15th century) - 11:47 
5 Deo gracias Anglia (English, 15th century) - 18:13 
6 Be merry be merry (English, 15th century) - 22:11 
7 Riu riu chiu (Spanish traditional) - 24:45 
8 There is no rose (English, 15th century) - 27:08
9 Planctus Guillelmus (Anonymous French, ca. 1090) - 31:44 
10 Eya mater Stephane (English, 15th century) - 38:32 
11 Gaudete Christus est natus (English traditional) - 41:09 
12 Hail Mary full of grace (English, 15th century) - 42:52 
13 Now may we singen (English, 15th century) - 46:36 
14 Nowell sing we (English, 15th century) - 50:59 
15 Planctus David (Abelard) - 54:20

Merry Christmas, 2025

Merry Christmas folks, thanks for stopping by!
May peace and joy be yours this Christmas 
and throughout the coming New Year.

"A Christmas Interlude With Placido Domingo"

Placido Domingo, "La Virgen Lava Pañales"
Plácido Domingo, Wiener Sängerknaben, 
"Ave Maria" (Franz Schubert)

"Angels We Have Heard On High"

Full screen recommended.
"Angels We Have Heard On High"
The Piano Guys, Peter Hollens, David Archuleta, and the 
Mormon Tabernacle Choir get together to sing "Angels We Have Heard On High."

Christmas Musical Interlude: Frank Sinatra, "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas"

Full screen recommended.
Frank Sinatra, 
"Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas"

"I think it’s my favorite Christmas song. My reasons are kind of personal. As a kid the only Christmas album we owned was a giveaway Christmas record from the Pure Oil Company, my grandfather’s employer. Frank Sinatra got the title cut, and there were other Christmas songs covered by Jo Stafford (O Little Town of Bethlehem) the Hi-Los (Deck the Halls) and so on. To me, the artists on this album seemed impossibly old at the time (they were recording before I was born!) and the Pure Oil connection made me feel like it was something special.

"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" is associated with Sinatra, but it comes from "Meet Me in St. Louis," and it’s not really a cheerful song as written. The version we had had the 1947 Sinatra version, with the line “until then we’ll have to muddle through somehow,” which in the later remake was revised by songwriter Hugh Martin to “hang a shining star upon the highest bough.” Both are great lines, though these days I’m more in the muddling-through mood.

Well, the song was originally written in 1943, when there was a lot of muddling through to do. Even in 1947, with the World War just receding in the rear view mirror and with the Cold War beginning to loom in the windshield, there was plenty of muddling room. By the 1959 Hugh Martin revision, it was easier to be cheerful. But, you know, we did muddle through somehow. So let your heart be light. Perhaps by next year, our troubles will be out of sight. Say a little prayer, and hang a shining star upon the highest bough. And have yourself a merry little Christmas, now."

"I wrote the above a year ago [now two years ago!], and it’s wonderful how far we’ve come from those comparatively dark days. Muddling through sometimes gets you there. As I look back on the events of recent times, I keep reflecting on how many times things that seemed dark turned out to be for the best, and how often those whom I am tempted to regard as the forces of darkness are confounded - and how often they are the agents of their own confounding. Well, as they say, God looks after fools, drunkards, and the United States of America. Thank God for that."
- Glenn Harlan Reynollds

"Relaxing Fireplace & The Best Instrumental Christmas Music"

Full screen recommended.
"Relaxing Fireplace & 
The Best Instrumental Christmas Music"

Christmas Musical Interlude: Peder B. Helland, "O Holy Night"

Full screen recommended.
Peder B. Helland, "O Holy Night"

"Traditional Christmas Classics"

Full screen recommended.
"Traditional Christmas Classics🎄 
Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bing Crosby"

"A Charlie Brown Christmas - True Meaning"

Full screen recommended.
"A Charlie Brown Christmas - True Meaning"

Christmas Musical Interlude: David Lanz and Kristin Amarie, "O Holy Night"

Full screen recommended.
David Lanz and Kristin Amarie, "O Holy Night"

Christmas Musical Interlude: "White Christmas"

Full screen recommended.
"White Christmas"

"It's A Wonderful Life - The Ending"

Full screen recommended.
"It's A Wonderful Life - The Ending"

Christmas Musical Interlude: Il Divo, "O Holy Night"

Full screen recommended.
Il Divo, "O Holy Night"

The Daily "Near You?"

Lawton, Oklahoma, USA. Thanks for stopping by!

The Poet: David Whyte, "The Winter of Listening"

"The Winter of Listening"

"No one but me by the fire,
my hands burning red in the palms while
the night wind carries everything away outside.
All this petty worry while the great cloak
of the sky grows dark and intense
round every living thing.

What is precious inside us does not
care to be known by the mind
in ways that diminish its presence.
What we strive for in perfection
is not what turns us into the lit angel we desire,
what disturbs and then nourishes
has everything we need.

What we hate in ourselves
is what we cannot know in ourselves but
what is true to the pattern does not need
to be explained.

Inside everyone is a great shout of joy
waiting to be born.
Even with the summer so far off
I feel it grown in me now and ready
to arrive in the world.

All those years listening to those
who had nothing to say.
All those years forgetting how everything
has its own voice to make itself heard.
All those years forgetting how easily
you can belong to everything
simply by listening.

And the slow difficulty
of remembering how everything
is born from an opposite
and miraculous otherness.
Silence and winter
has led me to that otherness.
So let this winter of listening
be enough for the new life
I must call my own."

- David Whyte,
"The House of Belonging"

Bill Bonner, "A Visit from St. Nicholas"

"A Visit from St. Nicholas"
A special recorded message from Bill Bonner.

"It’s Christmas Eve…We recorded ‘A Visit from St. Nicholas’ to send to our grandchildren a few years ago. It’s become a tradition to pass it along to you, too, in case you can use it. Just click on the arrow to listen. We’ll be taking a break until the New Year. But we’ll be back soon. In the meantime, we wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year."
Regards,
Bill Bonner
Listen to message here:
https://www.bonnerprivateresearch.com/

"How It Really Is"

"Disney World Visitors Revealed Their Debt and It's Worse Than You Think"

Full screen recommended.
Michael Bordenaro, 12/24/25
"Disney World Visitors Revealed Their 
Debt and It's Worse Than You Think"
"People are going into massive amounts of debt just to be able to spend a few days at Disney World and the crazy part is they're already carrying big debts on their car loans on their student loans on their credit cards and still continuing to spend with no clear plan of ever being able to pay it off."
Comments here:
o
o
"When people pile up debts they will find difficult and perhaps even impossible to repay, they are saying several things at once. They are obviously saying that they want more than they can immediately afford. They are saying, less obviously, that their present wants are so important that, to satisfy them, it is worth some future difficulty. But in making that bargain they are implying that when the future difficulty arrives, they'll figure it out. They don't always do that."
- Michael Lewis, "Boomerang"

Dan, I Allegedly, "$12 Gasoline and a National Security Warning"

Full screen recommended.
Dan, I Allegedly, 12/24/25
"$12 Gasoline and a National Security Warning"
"California could see $12 a gallon gasoline and it’s not social media hype. You could actually be a national security emergency. There’s a formal report that actually states at the shutting down of the refineries and the increase taxes are a threat to the United States. Stay tuned. This is breaking news, and things are moving fast."
Comments here: