Absolutely 100% politically incorrect deliciousness...

gleefully stolen from the incomparable Woodsterman.



And now a whole bunch of other happy stuff.

CNN is settling with high school Nicholas Sandmann for an undisclosed amount for slandering him.

According to Newsbusters:

The news brings to an end a dispute nearly a year after CNN decided to falsely tar and feather Sandmann and his fellow students as racist rascals following a January 18, 2019 confrontation with the less-than-truthful Native American activist Nathan Phillips on the National Mall. Read the rest

Also at Newsbusters: The Horror: WashPost Turns to SPLC, CAIR Over Trump Jr. AR-15 Cross Pic

Jr. posted a pic of an AR15 with a cross indicative of the crusades that also had a pic of Hillary behind bars.  You just can't get anymore triggering than that, can you?

A Trump Jr. spokesman said the post was “strictly about” using the Hillary jail “meme to mock Hillary Clinton, as he and many others have done on numerous occasions and will surely do again in the future, so long as it continues triggering humorless liberals.” (Mission accomplished!) Read the rest

Heads Up Virginia

Defending Gun Rights Seminar
January 18 and 19
Hilton Garden Inn, Richmond Airport

From Tom DeWeese at Renew America:

As I'm sure you know, the governor and Democrat leadership in the Virginia legislature are planning a major assault on gun rights, among other things. If successful in Virginia, gun confiscation legislation will race across the nation. 

What do we do about it?! 

The American Policy Center is joining up with several leading activists to sponsor a training seminar to teach new tactics for fighting back. You know that I have been promising that APC is going to announce a major new tool for activists that will change how we fight by making arrogant officials personally responsible for damaging our rights.

Read all the details and speakers list at Renew America

A Note About Posting

With the Christmas holidays behind us, life for most of us is returning to normal.  I'm pretty sure we'll now be able to keep track of what day it is.

I'm an unrepentant self-help type always looking for a way to improve, be more productive, and live a better life.

One of my aspirations for the year is to improve my morning routine, stick to an evening routine by getting to bed earlier, and limit my online time.

So far the morning routine starts with chugging a minimum of 10 oz of water before having coffee, writing in my journal, prayer time, and dressing (including makeup) -  all before I'm allowed near my computer.  Needless to say if I've slept in past my desired 5 am wake-up time it's time to start on my "most important tasks" for the day which includes a trip to the gym at least three days per week. That leaves almost no time for posting - hence the rather erratic posting, but I'm working on a solution.

The morning routine is spurred on by Benjamin Hardy, PhD and overall it's working well.  He also recommends a cold shower and my answer to that is not "no", but "hell no."

Another person I follow is Patrik Edblad. His recent article, How to Make 2020 Your Best Year Ever, is quite good.

In particular this pull from his article resonated with me since I consider us conservatives as warriors for truth:

The thinkers of early Greek philosophy weren’t interested in just understanding how to live well — they were committed to actually living well. 

In his book, The Philosophy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, psychotherapist Donald Robertson writes:

The ancients conceived of the ideal philosopher as a veritable warrior of the mind, a spiritual hero akin to Hercules himself, but since the demise of the Hellenistic schools, the philosopher has become something more bookish, not a warrior, but a mere librarian of the mind.

The warrior vs. librarian metaphor is very useful because it highlights a common problem. 

Many people read tons of material like this, but they don’t implement what they learn. They are librarians of the mind, merely cataloging ideas in their head. 

And then there are a few people who not only read, but take action on what they learn. They are the warriors of the mind, actively bringing the ideas into the battlefield of life.

If you've been hanging around here awhile you know that my go-to book on habits is Atomic Habits, An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones, by James Clear.

I just received Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything, by B.J. Fogg Ph.D, which is also very good.

 If you've made new year's resolutions (again, and, again, and again) only to have them fall by the wayside within a week or two, you need to know that relying on will power or motivation won't work. What works is your system and building habits that support your aspirations, a word Fogg prefers to "goal", and now I do too.

More:

Virtual Mirage: Justification LL clears up some issues about the middle east.

Mustang over at Bunkerville: Iran/Iraq: The Cost of Meddling and the Price of Appeasement  Excellent!!

 William L. Gensert at American Thinker: Iran Is Weak and Soleimani Is Still Dead

Political Clown Parade:  Hell Yeah! 52 Fully-Armed F-35A Lightning II Stealth Fighters Ready To Strike  a beautiful sight!

Charlie Maritn at PJ Media:  What BF Skinner and Richard Feynman Can Tell Us about Iran I'm a big fan of the Feynman technique for learning

The New World 12 Days of Christmas...

we laugh to keep from crying.

Don't permit your misery or defeats to depress you. Rather let them be steps by which you descend the deep mine where we find the precious gem of holy humility.
-- St. Paola Frassinetti

I bumped into this quote yesterday quite by accident, and it made me stop what I was doing and ponder the meaning. During the Christmas season, we see so much depression, due in part to setting such high standards for what we expect to happen. Craving a picture perfect “Brady Bunch” holiday, we often get “The Munster’s Wreck Christmas.” We are tired from all the running around, and Christmas day itself becomes a let down.

We alcoholics know this well and always plan round-the-clock AA meetings during the major holidays. It is a chance for people of like mind to gather together and share the spirit of Christmas.

Barring a medical problem, for which one needs to see a good physician, what we call “depression” is really dissatisfaction and disappointment, which is a submersion into self. When we turn inward, without intending to seek improvement, or when we want to blame others for our disappointment, we are practicing a perfect prescription for unhappiness.

Take time to examine the areas of your life that could use some improvement. Also, take time to recognize when God has been working overtime to bless and keep you safe. Recognize the struggles for what they really are – a time of growth in holiness

The Twelve Days

For many people, Christmas is over. They “shopped till they dropped”, ate a huge meal, and some even made their yearly pilgrimage to some church. For Catholics, however, the Christmas season is just beginning. The twelve days between December 25 and the feast of the Epiphany on January 6 is our Christmas season – or at least it should be.

When I was growing up, the day after Christmas was always a quiet day. It was a day to play with our new toys, eat leftovers, and just relax after the hustle and bustle of the days leading up to Christmas day. Unfortunately, this is not a possibility for most people, as they must return to their jobs, or to other responsibilities.

On Christmas day, we welcomed our Savior into our hearts and we began a new period of spiritual growth. A wonderful way to keep this Christmas season would be to spend the days leading up to the Epiphany as a time of renewal – a type of mini-retreat.

Make an effort to slow down and think about the wondrous things God has done for us. Try out a new spiritual practice or start a new family ritual of prayer. Journey with the wise men as they follow the star. Our faith must be rooted in our daily life. If our life has no “room in the inn”, we will miss the opportunity to grow in knowledge of Our Lord.

“Heaven is not a geographical place in space, it is a geographical place in our hearts.” Pope Benedict XVI