The Wrap at Ask Marion 1.05.14 Thru 1.12.14

Our weekly wrap… Sunday to Sunday… Please share! Ask Marion

Quote of the Week: "If we must have an enemy at the head of Government, let it be one whom we can oppose, and for whom we are not responsible, who will not involve our party in the disgrace of his foolish and bad measures." - Alexander Hamilton

Election 2014 and 2016… All Sewn-Up or the Battle(s) for Americas Life

Alert: Rand Paul Sues Obama… Join Class Action Suit

• Gohmert Breaks Down The ‘War on Poverty’
• Judge Jeanine Pirro – Obamacare lies – How Many More People Will Lose Coverage?
• Sarah Palin Responds to Roger Ailes Quote Explaining Why Fox News Hired Her AND Why She Accepted
• Alfred E. Smith: Betrayal of the Democratic Party
• Judge Jeanine Pirro Opening Statement – Benghazi IRS NSA 1-11-2014
• No Confidence
• The Lynchpins Have Been Pulled
• Rush on Jobs Report
• Website of Top House Republican Drops Opposition to Amnesty and Others Are Waffling… Get Invovled!
• Glenn Beck: Similarities Between Christie & Obama [video]
• The Well-Greased Machine… and the Plan
• The Council Has Spoken!! This Weeks’ Watcher’s Council Results 01.10.14
• What really happened to the German gold housed in the United States?
• FOX News’ Roger Ailes Talks Back – Great Interview!
• ISSA Warns Sebelius That She Could Face Perjury Charges Over Obamacare Testimony – Rep Trey Gowdy
• Gates Book Puts White House in Defense Mode… And Conveniently a Christie Scandal Appears
• Rolling Stone Article Tells Millennials To Push For Communism… Gutfeld Responds
• Watcher’s Council Nominations – Global Warming Edition
• Political Researcher, Trevor Loudon is Speaking to The Clark Co. IN TEA Party Feb 7th — Be There!
• Global Warming Hits Michigan…
• Cruz will headline local GOP fundraiser
• Louie Gohmert: Let’s Blow Up All Iran Nuclear Sites
• Sean Hannity Reacts to WFB Story on Al-Qaeda Being Invited to Briefing on Drone Policy By Congressional Democrats
• Judge Jeanine Pirro – Benghazi 9/11 Whitewash – Rep Trey Gowdy Responds To NY Times Article
• The Chinese High-Tech Dynasty Wrapped in Red 
• Forum: Whom Would You Least Like To See In A Presidential Matchup In 2016? 
• Iraq…is it really over for America 
• The Season and Meaning of Epiphany – WoC 2013/14 
• NYT, Hillary & Obama’s War on a Mom 
• Los Angeles Times Skips the I-Word As California Grants Law License to Illegal Alien 
• Judge Jeanine Pirro Opening Statement – Justice Resolutions – Obama Admin Vs Little Sisters 1-4-2014
• An American Depression: Extreme Haircut Edition
• The Council Has Spoken!! This Weeks’ Watchers’ Council Results Posted 01.03.14
• The Atheist War on Christmas and Religious Freedom – WoC 2013/14
• Iraqi Army Shells Fallujah As Street Fights Rage In Ramadi
• Eleven AGs slam Obama’s healthcare fixes; Greg Abbot says Obama is acting like a king 
• The Wrap at Ask Marion 12.29.13 Thru 1.05.14

Also See:

• The GOP’s Grandfather Weapon 
• Vermont plots course for single-payer health care system 
• Obamacare Is A Disaster & A Train Wreck… Sarah Palin Delivers Passionate Response
• HEALTHCARE REFORM’S FIRST BIG TEST
• If You MUST Vaccinate, Aim for This Body Part 
• Hair Of The Dog… Portraits of People Wearing Clothes Made From Their Pets’ Fur 
• Could an E-collar Help Settle Your Pet’s Stomach on Car Rides? 
• Dog found frozen to floor of doghouse during cold snap in PA 
• Dog Rescued from Trash Pile
• Iditarod Trail Race Headquarters, Palin and Alaskan Tourism

Book of the Week – Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War (Kindle)

Gates Book Puts White House in Defense Mode… And Conveniently a Christie Scandal Appears

Rush Limbaugh slammed the media on Wednesday for its coverage of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, saying “The focus on the bridge controversy only serves to take former defense secretary Robert Gates’ critique of President Barack Obama “off the front page.”

From the former secretary of defense, a strikingly candid, vividly written account of his experience serving Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Before Robert M. Gates received a call from the White House in 2006, he thought he’d left Washington politics behind: after working for six presidents in both the CIA and the National Security Council, he was happy in his role as president of Texas A&M University. But when he was asked to help a nation mired in two wars and to aid the troops doing the fighting, he answered what he felt was the call of duty. Now, in this unsparing memoir, meticulously fair in its assessments, he takes us behind the scenes of his nearly five years as a secretary at war: the battles with Congress, the two presidents he served, the military itself, and the vast Pentagon bureaucracy; his efforts to help Bush turn the tide in Iraq; his role as a guiding, and often dissenting, voice for Obama; the ardent devotion to and love for American soldiers—his “heroes”—he developed on the job.

In relating his personal journey as secretary, Gates draws us into the innermost sanctums of government and military power during the height of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, illuminating iconic figures, vital negotiations, and critical situations in revealing, intimate detail. Offering unvarnished appraisals of Dick Cheney, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and Presidents Bush and Obama among other key players, Gates exposes the full spectrum of behind-closed-doors politicking within both the Bush and Obama administrations.

He discusses the great controversies of his tenure—surges in both Iraq and Afghanistan,  how to deal with Iran and Syria, “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” Guantánamo Bay, WikiLeaks—as they played out behind the television cameras. He brings to life the Situation Room during the Bin Laden raid. And, searingly, he shows how congressional debate and action or inaction on everything from equipment budgeting to troop withdrawals was often motivated, to his increasing despair and anger, more by party politics and media impact than by members’ desires to protect our soldiers and ensure their success.

However embroiled he became in the trials of Washington, Gates makes clear that his heart was always in the most important theater of his tenure as secretary: the front lines. We journey with him to both war zones as he meets with active-duty troops and their commanders, awed by their courage, and also witness him greet coffin after flag-draped coffin returned to U.S. soil, heartbreakingly aware that he signed every deployment order. In frank and poignant vignettes, Gates conveys the human cost of war, and his admiration for those brave enough to undertake it when necessary.

Duty tells a powerful and deeply personal story that allows us an unprecedented look at two administrations and the wars that have defined them

Judge Jeanine Pirro Opening Statement – Benghazi IRS NSA 1-11-2014

NYT, Hillary & Obama’s War on a Mom 

We are living in amazing times, good and bad, the kind of times that truly try men’s (and women’s) souls and that make or break countries and shape (or reshape) societies. Please get involved, pray for guidance, prepare for the worst (for yourself and to help others), then educate yourself and share what you learn with as many people as you can. All our futures depend on it!!

Be sure to come visit us here at Ask Marion regularly and subscribe to receive the latest posts first… as well as visit: Just One More Pet, True Health Is True Wealth!!, Knowledge Is Power, and the Daily Thought Pad.

Memorable Photos…

Dogs slaughtered for meat in Vietnam… Stop the Dog Meat Trade 

Stop the Pain… Get-Involved and Speak Up Whenever You Suspect Abuse, Of Any Kind 

True Meaning Of Family – Stray Cat Takes Day-Old Puppy Off The Streets

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Watcher’s Council Nominations – Global Warming Edition

Global Warming Hits Michigan…

Welcome to the Watcher’s Council, a blogging group consisting of some of the most incisive blogs in the ‘sphere, and the longest running group of its kind in existence. Every week, the members nominate two posts each, one written by themselves and one written by someone from outside the group for consideration by the whole Council.Then we vote on the best two posts, with the results appearing on Friday morning.

Council News:

This week, Ask Marion, The Blue Ridge Forum, The Pirate’s Cove and The Independent Sentinel earned honorable mention status with some great articles.

So, let’s see what we have this week….

Council Submissions

• Liberty’s Spirit – New York City: Melting Pot or Plantation
• The Noisy Room – New York Gets The Communist Leader It Deserves
• Rhymes With Right – Archdiocese Of New York Explains What’s Wrong With ObamaCare Birth Control Mandate Intransigence
• Joshuapundit - Al-Qaeda Wins A Major Victory Over The Iraqi Army
• Simply Jews – PressTV, Gordon Duff and Quenelle
• The Political Commentator – An Amsterdam good time is giving beer to alcoholics!
• The Colossus of Rhodey – Merely saying “I’m not gay” isn’t enough
• GrEaT sAtAn”S gIrLfRiEnD – Losing Iraq
• The Right Planet – All Incandescent Light Bulbs Declared ‘Enemies of the State’
• Bookworm Room – Solidarity with the nuns — a tipping point moment?
• Nice Deb – Video: Priests for Life Wins Emergency Relief From HHS mandate
• The Glittering Eye - Chicago’s Public Pension Problem
• VA Right! - Obamacare Targets Women: Pregnant Women Forced to Pay In Full BEFORE Delivery
• The Razor – The Entitlement Mindset
• The Mellow Jihadi – Business ethics & credibility BZ…

Honorable Mentions

• Ask Marion – Election 2014 and 2016… All Sewn-Up or the Battle(s) for Americas Life
• Blue Ridge Forum – Stop The President’s Lawlessness Before It Stops Us
• The Pirate’s Cove – Good Grief: Cold Weather Events More Likely Due To “Climate Change”
• The Independent Sentinel – Obama Administration’s Hostile Takeover of the Little Sisters of the Poor

Non-Council Submissions

• Sandra Stotsky/WSJ – Common Core Doesn’t Add Up to STEM Success submitted by Liberty’s Spirit
• Matthew Vadum/FrontPage Mag – Comrade De Blasio Takes Over submitted by The Noisy Room
• Red State – Why Faith submitted by Rhymes with Right
• Powerline – Rachel Maddow Is Crazy, Too submitted by Joshuapundit
• The Sad Red Earth – Wrong on Both Counts: Academic Boycotts and Israel submitted by Simply Jews
• American Thinker - Leftist Jew-Hatred: From Marx to Dieudonne submitted by The Political Commentator
• National Affairs – The Brooklyn Burkeans submitted by The Colossus of Rhodey
• War On The Rocks – It’s an Anbar Thing submitted by GrEaT sAtAn”S gIrLfRiEnD
• Bleeding Heart Libertarians – Immigration, Eugenics, and the Minimum Wage submitted by The Right Planet
• Andrew McCarthy/NRO - Down the Times’ Benghazi Rabbit Hole submitted by Bookworm Room
• John Sexton, The Conversation - Now It Can Be Told: Obamacare Paves the Way for Single Payer submitted by Nice Deb
• Sean Davis/The Federalist – “Sorry, Comrade, But You Didn’t Just Discover The Secret To Making Communism Work” submitted by The Glittering Eye
• The Other McCain – Al Gore and the Big Climate Lie submitted by VA Right!
• Megan McArdle – Another Problem Obamacare Won’t Solve: Health Costs submitted by The Razor
• JustOneMinute – Obama Quit In Afghanistan submitted by Watcher

Enjoy! And don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us Twitter..’cause we’re cool like that!

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The Council Has Spoken!! This Weeks’ Watcher’s Council Results

‘Duck Dynasty’ Suspension Lifted to Resume Filming With Phil Robertson… No Response from Phil or Family Yet

Alea iacta est…The Council Has Spoken! has spoken, the votes have been cast, and we have the results  for this week’s Watcher’s Council match up.

The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever utters slander is a fool.- Proverbs 10:18

“We do not merely destroy our enemies; we change them.” – George Orwell, 1984

Former US National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, who revealed details of electronic surveillance by American and British spy services, warned of the dangers posed by a loss of privacy in a message broadcast to Britain on Christmas Day.

In a two-minute video recorded in Moscow, where Snowden has been granted temporary asylum, he spoke of concerns over surveillance and appeared to draw comparison with the dystopian tale “1984″ which described a fictional state which operates widespread surveillance of its citizens.

“Great Britain’s George Orwell warned us of the danger of this kind of information. The types of collection in the book – microphones and video cameras, TVs that watch us are nothing compared to what we have available today.” “We have sensors in our pockets that track us everywhere we go. Think about what this means for the privacy of the average person,” he said.

“A child born today will grow up with no conception of privacy at all,” said Snowden. “They’ll never know what it means to have a private moment to themselves, an unrecorded, unanalysed thought. And that’s a problem because privacy matters, privacy

This week’s winner, The Noisy Room’s The Silencing of the Ducks is her sharp, well written examination of the recent A&E/Duck Dynasty controversy and what it reveals about the Angry Left’s attempt at thought control and the war on America’s culture…including traditional Christianity and the right to profess its values. Here’s a slice:

I did not start viewing Duck Dynasty until a few months ago. It has since become our favorite show and we can’t get enough of it. Christian values, real people, guns and hunting – what’s not to love? But it would seem that being a Christian and espousing your beliefs in America is now becoming ever more dangerous. As RedState pointed out, ultimately you will care and you will have to take a stand and take sides.

Phil Robertson, the patriarch of Duck Dynasty, just did a GQ interview where he stated his Christian beliefs, which included those concerning Gays. This whole blowup is not so much about the Gay issue, but far more about the Constitution and the First Amendment. In the interview, Phil was asked if he thought homosexuality was sinful:

“Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men,” he told GQ, before paraphrasing the Bible in Corinthians. “Don’t be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers — they won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Don’t deceive yourself. It’s not right.”

For telling the truth and stating what he personally believed, A&E put him on indefinite hiatus. They fired him. I would be very surprised if the family did not tell A&E to stuff it. They managed to take THE most popular rated show ever and scuttle it. Phil had told A&E earlier that if they insisted he remove God or guns from his show, they were through:

On May 9, Greensboro, NC country station 93.1 The Wolf reported that after receiving complaints over prayers to God and the frequent use of guns on air, Duck Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson said, “God and guns are part of our everyday lives [and] to remove either of them from the show is unacceptable.”

Sarah Palin came to Phil’s defense with the following quote:

Free speech is an endangered species. Those “intolerants” hatin’ and taking on the Duck Dynasty patriarch for voicing his personal opinion are taking on all of us.

She’s right and this will backfire on A&E and all the others out there that are anti-Christian. Phil Robertson just became a warrior for God and the Constitution and I am sure he is up to the task. An attack on one Christian, is an attack on all of us. Time to draw our line in the Marxist sand.

Much more at the link.

In our non-Council category, the winner was Victor Davis Hanson with  Pajama Boy Nation submitted by Joshuapundit. It’s an examination of the metrosexual Pajama Boy used as a shill fro ObamaCare and what it says about the Left and how they see the country.  This opening paragraphs are a nice taste:

Will Kane of High Noon Pajama Boy wasn’t. Somehow we as a nation went from the iconic Marlboro Man to Pajama Boy — from the noble individual with a bad habit to the ignoble without a good habit — without a blink in between.

There are lots of revolting things in the Pajama Boy ad. After all, how can you top all at once a nerdy-looking child-man dressed in infantile pajamas while cradling a cup of hot chocolate with the smug assurance that he is running your life more than you his?

Do read it.

OK, so here are this week’s full results. Both the Mellow Jihadi and VA Right were unable to vote this week,but neither was subject to the usual 2/3 vote penalty:

Council Winners

• *First place with 2 1/3 votes! - The Noisy Room – The Silencing of the Ducks
• Second place with 2  votes – Bookworm Room – The Obama Christmas card reveals the zero at the center of our government
• Third place *t* with 1 2/3 votes – The Right Planet – U.S. Army Tells Soldiers Not to Say ‘Christmas’
• Third place *t* with 1 2/3 votes – Joshuapundit - Crash And Burn – Obama Waives Individual Mandate On ObamaCare
• Third place *t* with 1 2/3 votes – Liberty’s Spirit – Fat-Shaming, Body Image and a Culture of Dehumanization
• Fourth place  with 1 vote – Simply Jews – Sweden’s conflictual relationship with issues of tolerance
• Fifth place *t* with 2/3 vote – Nice Deb – Young Invincibles Insulted By ObamaCare Ads (Video)
• Fifth place *t* with 2/3 vote – The Mellow Jihadi – Israel & Iran. Good against Evil…
• Fifth place *t* with 2/3 vote – The Political Commentator – US Navy and cancer: Fukushima has been extremely hazardous to their health!
• Sixth place *t* with 2/3 vote – GrEaT sAtAn”S gIrLfRiEnD – Killing Our Enemies On Christmas Day Since 1776
• Sixth place *t* with 1/3 vote – The Razor – Would a Different Software Methodology Have Saved Obamacare?
• Sixth place *t* with 1/3 vote – Rhymes With Right – May I Point Out That Phil Robertson Was Indisputably Right About One Thing?

Non-Council Winners

• First place with 2 2/3 votes! – Victor Davis Hanson - Pajama Boy Nation submitted by Joshuapundit
• Second place *t* with 2 2/3 votes – Pressure Points – The Un-American Studies Association submitted by GrEaT sAtAn”S gIrLfRiEnD
• Second place *t* with 2 2/3 votes – Bret Stephens/WSJ – Of Jane Fonda and Pope Francis submitted by Liberty’s Spirit
• Second place *t* with 2 2/3 votes – Larry Correia/Monster Hunter Nation – Angsty Emo Outrage and Ducks submitted by The Noisy Room
• Third place with 1 vote – John O’Sullivan/NRO -  The New Blacklist submitted by Bookworm Room
• Fourth place with 2/3 vote-Nick Nipclose – Cyber-libertarians for Child Pornography submitted by Simply Jews
• Fourth place *t* with 2/3 votes -Washington Free Beacon - A Year of Inspiring Democratic Quotes submitted by Nice Deb
• Fourth place *t* with 2/3 vote - Big Jolly Politics – Christopher Busby, HCRP Precinct Chair submitted by Rhymes with Right
• Fifth place *t* with 2/3 vote - Buckhorn Road – Freedom Died On This Day 100 Years Ago submitted by The Colossus of Rhodey
• Fifth place *t* with 2/3 vote - The People’s Cube – Duck Dynasty’s Robertson Angers Alcoholics, Philanderers submitted by The Razor
• Fifth place *t* with 1/3 vote - Arnold Kling – Obama Repeals Obamacare submitted by The Glittering Eye
• Sixth place *t* with 1/3 vote - Cato@Liberty – It’s a Very Merry Christmas for Washington Insiders submitted by The Watcher

Honorable Mentions

• Ask Marion – Simpler Times, A Groetzmeier Christmas – WoC 2013
• The Independent Sentinel – Wow! Susan Rice Doesn’t Have Time For Benghazi, The False Controversy
• Right Truth – Lesbian Supervisor Allegedly Fired Male Gym Teacher Because He Was Heterosexual And Married
• The Pirate’s Cove – Here’s A Handy Dandy Warmist Survival Guide For Christmas Climate Change Discussions

See you next week! Don’t forget to tune in on Monday AM for this week’s Watcher’s Forum, as the Council and their invited special guests take apart one of the provocative issues of the day with short takes and weigh in…don’t you dare miss it. And don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter…..’cause we’re cool like that!

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Watcher’s Council Nominations – Christmas Day Edition

Ah, Christmas…a time for warmth and family, as the Dropkick Murphys remind us:

Video: Dropkick Murphys - "The Season's Upon Us"

No worries Ken..we know you’re just funnin’…

But also, on more serous note, a time for faith:

At this time, our thoughts and prayers need to go out for Christians under siege in the Middle East and elsewhere, where, with the exception of Israel, the one country in the Middle East where the Christian population is actually growing, they are systematically being ethnically cleansed by Muslims.

This shares something with the Holocaust, because once again there is an obscene conspiracy of silence and cowardice by the West to avoid confronting the perpetrators and protecting or at least providing a haven to the victims.For instance, President Obama, who likes to remind us that he is a Christian just sent troops to the new country of South Sudan because of tribal unrest there between the government and a rival tribal faction. He never saw fit to do anything like that to protect these people from assault by the Arab Islamist government of the Sudan and the orgy of rape, torture and murder perpetrated on Black Christians by the Muslim Janjiweed militias in South Sudan and Darfur. Nothing.

At this time of year, I urge all of us to pray for these beleaguered Christians and to raise holy you-know-what to demand that our respective governments to put these Christians’ lives and well being ahead of appeasing Islam. I run a serious risk of operating outside my pay grade here, as our president would say, but I flatter myself in thinking that I think it’s what Jesus would expect… not only of Christians but of all of us.

OK, rant over. Sorry about that.

Welcome to the Watcher’s Council, a blogging group consisting of some of the most incisive blogs in the ‘sphere, and in our second decade the longest running group of its kind in existence. Every week, the members nominate two posts each, one written by themselves and one written by someone from outside the group for consideration by the whole Council.Then we vote on the best two posts, with the results appearing on Friday morning.

Council News:

Today is not only Christmas Day, but additionally special in that it is the birthday of our friend and colleague Dave Schuler, of The Glittering Eye.

Ordinarily, I pick out a cake and some liquid libation for these celebrations, and this is no exception.

German chocolate, I think:

And perhaps chilled Veuve Cliquot to drink…brut, of course.

Dave and I have known each other for some time now. In fact, he predates me on the Council. When I first got the nod from the original Watcher, I replaced a blog called New Sisyphus, if memory serves me, and I remember he wrote something to the effect that he had enjoyed New Sisyphus but was going to wait and see on this Joshuapundit fella. I hope I’ve lived up to his expectations…certainly he’s lived up to mine. I have never ceased to appreciate his wide range of interests, his clarity of thought, his dry sense of humor or the friendship and collegiality we’ve shared.

Many, many happy returns Dave.

This week, Ask Marion , Right Truth, The Independent Sentinel, and The Pirate’s Cove earned honorable mention status.

So, let’s take a look at what we have this week….and our heartfelt wishes to all of you for a joyous and blessed Christmas from the Watcher’s Council:

Council Submissions

• The Noisy Room – The Silencing of the Ducks
• Liberty’s Spirit – Fat-Shaming, Body Image and a Culture of Dehumanization
• The Political Commentator – US Navy and cancer: Fukushima has been extremely hazardous to their health!
• Joshuapundit  -Crash And Burn – Obama Waives Individual Mandate On ObamaCare
• Simply Jews – Sweden’s conflictual relationship with issues of tolerance
• GrEaT sAtAn”S gIrLfRiEnD – Killing Our Enemies On Christmas Day Since 1776
• The Right Planet – U.S. Army Tells Soldiers Not to Say ‘Christmas’
• Bookworm Room – The Obama Christmas card reveals the zero at the center of our government
• Nice Deb – Young Invincibles Insulted By ObamaCare Ads (Video)
• Rhymes With Right – May I Point Out That Phil Robertson Was Indisputably Right About One Thing?
• The Colossus of Rhodey – Comics & Sci-fi Friday
• The Razor – Would a Different Software Methodology Have Saved Obamacare?
• VA Right! - ‘It’s Christmas in Richmond Tonight’ – New Christmas Song by Tom White
• The Glittering Eye - The Too-Long-Deferred Topic of Controlling Healthcare Spending
• The Mellow Jihadi – Israel & Iran. Good against Evil…

Honorable Mentions

• Ask Marion – Simpler Times, A Groetzmeier Christmas – WoC 2013
• The Independent Sentinel – Wow! Susan Rice Doesn’t Have Time For Benghazi, The False Controversy
• Right Truth – Lesbian Supervisor Allegedly Fired Male Gym Teacher Because He Was Heterosexual And Married
• The Pirate’s Cove – Here’s A Handy Dandy Warmist Survival Guide For Christmas Climate Change Discussions

Non-Council Submissions

• Larry Correia/Monster Hunter Nation – Angsty Emo Outrage and Ducks submitted by The Noisy Room
• Bret Stephens/WSJ – Of Jane Fonda and Pope Francis submitted by Liberty’s Spirit
• Dollar Vigilante - Death, The New retirement For U.S. Citizens submitted by The Political Commentator
• Victor Davis Hanson – Pajama Boy Nation submitted by Joshuapundit
• Nick Nipclose – Cyber-libertarians for Child Pornography submitted by Simply Jews
• Pressure Points – The Un-American Studies Association submitted by GrEaT sAtAn”S gIrLfRiEnD
• David J. Shestokas – Courageous NSA Ruling by Judge Leon Respects Privacy and Fourth Amendment submitted by The Right Planet
• John O’Sullivan/NRO-The New Blacklist submitted by Bookworm Room
• Washington Free Beacon - A Year of Inspiring Democratic Quotes submitted by Nice Deb
• Big Jolly Politics – Christopher Busby, HCRP Precinct Chair submitted by Rhymes with Right
• Buckhorn Road – Freedom Died On This Day 100 Years Ago submitted by The Colossus of Rhodey
• The People’s Cube – Duck Dynasty’s Robertson Angers Alcoholics, Philanderers submitted by The Razor
• Arnold Kling – Obama Repeals Obamacare submitted by The Glittering Eye
• Cato@Liberty – It’s a Very Merry Christmas for Washington Insiders submitted by The Watcher
• John Kass/ Chicago Tribune – A Very Kass Christmas Greeting submitted by The Watcher
• Adrienne Royer/The Federalist – Why Duck Dynasty Threatens The Left submitted by Watcher

Enjoy! And don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us Twitter..’cause we’re cool like that!

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The Wrap at Ask Marion 12.01.13 Thru 12.08.13

Our weekly wrap… Sunday to Sunday… Please share! Ask Marion

Quote of the Day:  “There are three stages of a man’s life: He believes in Santa Claus or St Nickolas, he doesn’t believe in Santa Claus, he is Santa Claus.” …Unknown

One of the best things we can do as parents, grandparents, members of the religious community and patriots is to share the values and traditions we hold dear as individuals, families, churches and concerned citizens by teaching the histories and details of each to the next generation as well as standing up against those who would try to steal them from us and from future generations.

In that spirit we began our part in the War on the War on Christmas with our ‘War on Christmas verses the Spirit of Christmas Series 2013’ at AskMarion on December 1st with an article on Advent and will post part 9 tonight after mid-night.  Please come check in daily for our Christmas, Hanukkah and related daily posts between December 1st and January 6th. 

And today… December 8th, I took a moment to recognize my Dad on what would have been his 101st birthday…

• Happy 101st Birthday, Daddy
• Judge Jeanine Pirro Slashes Obama for Incompetence and Indifference, Dec 7, 2013
• Nativity Scenes and Glories – The Reason For the Season – WoC 2013
• Texas Lt. Governor: We Shut Down the Border Ourselves – Breitbart Exclusive
• NROL – Nothing Is Beyond Our Reach
• Pearl Harbor Day
• Rule of lawlessness – DHS hires dozens of pro-amnesty attorneys
• A Great Reckoning in a Little Room
• European Markets or Christkindlmarkts Capture the Christmas Spirit – WoC 2013
• Saul, Herod, Obama
• URGENT: Gun Control Coming to the Senate Floor on Monday
• The Council Has Spoken!! This Weeks’ Watcher’s Council Results 12.06.13
• St. Nickolas Day – WoC 2013
• Citizenship and Church Membership 
• Nelson Mandela, Giant Among Men, Dies – 1918-2013 – Updated
• Bill de Blasio Pushes Forward with a Leftist Revolution
• Blacks and Obama
• Hanukkah… The Jewish Festival of Lights – WoC 2013
• New Obamacare Bombshell – Rpt: No System Yet For Exchange Payment – The Kelly File
• Martin Bashir Finally Resigns From MSNBC After His Inexcusable Comment
• Mark Levin: If People Aren’t Able To Get A Photo ID To Vote, How Are They Going To Get ObamaCare?
• Millennials Abandon Obama and Obamacare
• Watcher’s Council Nominations – Lawless Edition
• God Rest Ye Merry Merchants – Christmas: An American Holiday and Tradition to Love and Preserve – WoC 2013
• Congressman Steve King — President’s Constitutional Duty to Faithfully Execute the Laws
• About One of My Articles and Allen West at the NoisyRoom – Worth the Read!
• Why Good People Should Be Armed
• Where Does the War on Christmas Come From? A Worthwhile Read – WoC 2013
• Hearings On Presidential Power – Allegation Obama Disregarding Constitution – The Kelly File
• Will the "Death Panel" Meet Its Own Death Panel?
• David Horowitz on “The Black Book of the American Left” — on The Glazov Gang
• Cancer and Obamacare Survivor, plus His Hero Audited – Interview
• Fast Food Marxism Supersized
• The War on Christmas verses the Spirit of Christmas Series 2013 at AskMarion – WoC 2013
• The Twelve Days of ObamaCare
• ANOTHER FAILED IDEA: Woman gets laughed at after bringing up Obamacare at Thanksgiving…
• Advent – The Season of Anticipation and Hope – WoC 2013 
• U.S. General: Let’s Make Obama Resign 
• Presidential Term Limits Questioned… Whoa Here It Comes, Another Move Closer to Dictatorship by Starting to End Term Limits for US Presidency
• The Wrap at Ask Marion 11.24.13 Thru 12.01.13

Also See:

• Harry Reid: Obamacare 'Costs Me About $4,500 More' 
• James Carville: Don’t Blame Republicans; Blame Obama 
• New Obamacare Bombshell - Rpt: No System Yet For Exchange Payment - The Kelly File 
• Millennials Abandon Obama and Obamacare 
• Will the "Death Panel" Meet Its Own Death Panel? 
• Cancer and Obamacare Survivor, plus His Hero Audited – Interview 
• ANOTHER FAILED IDEA: Woman gets laughed at after bringing up Obamacare at Thanksgiving…
• The Twelve Days of ObamaCare
• Healthy Holiday Eating Tips for Thanksgiving… and Christmas
• Dog Befriends Boy with Down Syndrome 
• Rescued Pit Bull Saves Adoptive Mom from Javelina Attack 
• Obama Admin Gives Green Energy Firms A Pass On Killing Bald Eagles 
• Sledding Shelties 
• Hernias in Dogs 
• Tippy the Fainting Squirrel Has Internet Dying To Find Diagnosis 
• Meowsa! Do our pets go to Heaven? 
• At the Dog Park: Red Alert Behavior Series: Tail Tucked Plus Risks to Small Dogs 
• Pip’s Monday Poem
• Elwood, Crowned World’s Ugliest Dog in 2007, Has Died
• Advent Advent Christmas Dog 

Book of the Week - Republican Punk (Kindle)

“I received a copy of Jason Price’s Republican Punk a short while ago. With the holidays, it took a bit to get to it, but once I started reading it, I couldn’t put it down. Frankly, the book is a great escape from everything that is going on out there. Well written, with a great plot and characters — I heartily recommend the book.”  …Terresa Monroe Hamilton 

Overview of the book:

Jack Turner lives a content life as a devoted family man and small-business owner. That is, until the day he confronts a politician at a staged rally. When footage of the encounter goes viral, the self-described “everyday, hard-workin’ American” becomes an unlikely celebrity.

Traveling in a used Winnebago with his family and close friends, Jack leads a national movement to save America from the fat cats and bureaucrats-one city at a time. His overnight fame attracts the attention of wealthy Republican Party financiers; and his popular cross-country tour soon explodes into a full-fledged campaign for the Party’s nomination.

But Jack’s resolve is tested when rumors surface of an internal coup. As tensions rise, and his poll numbers fall, he realizes his greatest threat isn’t a single candidate but the Party itself-a powerful enemy who will stop at nothing to ensure his defeat.

Ah, life imitates art, but with a twist. Whereas Jack Turner is a good guy, John Boehner is not. And an internal coup of the Republican Party is coming, with the Tea Party leading the charge into the fray. If you look at the story from the Tea Party’s point of view in the House, the Republican party is indeed a powerful enemy. So, you can see why I am enamored with the storyline.

Jack Turner could be any one of us… he certainly could be Joe the Plumber. In fact, aside from being a great read, this book should be a clarion call for those who can, to step into the battle and fight now as never before. Either in the political arena, at protests or at a key board… we are all Jack Turner now. The Tea Party is viral and is the basis for a return to Constitutional foundations. This is a book for our times and cheaper than therapy. Seriously.

Buy Jason Price’s Republican Punk today (Kindle). It will make an awesome Christmas gift or a holiday release valve. Think of it as survival enhancement.

We are living in amazing times, good and bad, the kind of times that truly try men’s (and women’s) souls and that make or break countries and shape (or reshape) societies. Please get involved, pray for guidance, prepare for the worst (for yourself and to help others), then educate yourself and share what you learn with as many people as you can. All our futures depend on it!!

Be sure to come visit us here at Ask Marion regularly and subscribe to receive the latest posts first… as well as visit: Just One More Pet, True Health Is True Wealth!!, Knowledge Is Power, and the Daily Thought Pad.

Obama Thanksgiving Disgrace

By Marion Algier - AskMarion

Thanksgiving is a time for family, for remembering those who founded this country… long before it was a nation, and to give thanks.

President Obama wants a seat at your table to propagandize during the Holidays… Thanksgiving and Christmas to promote his agenda, especially ObamaCare.

Daily Caller: America’s families will soon get their turkey, potatoes and cranberries at Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners — but some will also get a tableside political pitch for the Obamacare insurance network.

President Barack Obama’s deputies at Organizing for Action are urging supporters to give an Obamacare pitch to their relatives during the most iconic of American family and religious events.

“Take advantage of downtime after meals or between holiday activities to start your talk,” says OFA’s marketing script, titled “Health Care for the Holidays.”

At Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, “people will be under the “misconception that the government-designed health-payment plans are too expensive,” says the presidential pitch, which was emailed out on Nov. 23.

“Tell them: There are a variety of plans available in the new health insurance marketplace, so you can pick one that fits your budget. There’s also financial assistance available based on how much you make,” says OFA’s script.

Obama’s effort to push his political priorities into Americans’ private family and religious events reflects his determination to take over the nation’s health-care sector.

Obama and his progressives allies believe that average Americans need their professional, university-learned and well-paid skills to manage their lives.  That’s very different from Americans’ evolved popular culture, which declares that families are best able to help young people develop good character.

The progressives’ determination to gatecrash iconic family events reflects self-confidence in their own expertise, their long-held pity and contempt for ordinary Americans and for the institution of family, plus their ability to attract young people to their cause.

But it also shows how Obama and his deputies are worried that their trouble-plagued Obamacare network is in peril.

The online script tries to build up the confidence of young people nervous about making the dinner-table pitch. “If you have family members who are uninsured, you can play a big part in helping them find coverage that works for them. It might not always seem like it, but your family listens to you. So have the talk,” isays the pitch.

The pitch was previewed Nov. 18 by Sara El-Amine, OFA’s national training director at Organizing for Action. “We all have that uncle or that cousin who needs to be convinced or who needs health-insurance… so [OFA volunteers have begun to] practice those sometime-hard conversations,” she said in a phone call to OFA’s volunteers.

“If every person on this call committed to something small, like talking to your uninsured cousin or nephew at the Thanksgiving table, think about the impact we could have,” she said.

“We’re not going to be able to fight this fight without you,” she told the volunteers, who had gathered to hear a statement from their leader, Obama.

The online script glosses over the many problems with the Obamacare website. But it urges supporters to ask relatives to bring personal information, such as Social Security Numbers, to the dinner so they can use the family computer to join Obamacare after dessert.

The OFA script includes a short video, in which two drab parents urge their friendless young son to buy health-insurance, while they eat Obamacare-compliant small portions of drab food.

The script downplays the cost of Obamacare premiums and deductibles, which are especially high for young, healthy people.

The Obamacare system depends on the monthly Obamcare tax payments from young and healthy people, many of whom are already struggling to save money, get married, pay off student loans or even get a full-time job in stalled economy.

Young peoples’ Obamacare taxes are used to offset the huge cost of providing very expensive insurance to Democrat-leaning groups of immigrants, unskilled, unmarried or sick people.

Other regimes have used children to help government penetrate private family and religious events.

One extreme example is provided by the violent rulers of the Soviet Union, who urged the nation’s children to follow the fabricated example of 14 year-old Pavel Morozov. The boy, according to the official Soviet investigation of his death in 1932, was killed by relatives after he called the secret police to arrest his father for illegal activities. The father was shot after a trial, according to the fabricated story.

Four of his Morozov’s relatives were reputedly shot by the Soviet government to help boost the story, which was used to persuade millions of kids to be loyal to government rather than to their families.

Obama’s determination to pitch his Obamacare program is now tinged with desperation, following the public’s recognition that Obama’s university-trained aides spectacularly failed to manage a staged rollout of the Obamacare network, despite three years of planning.

In recent weeks, Obama’s ratings have plunged down to roughly 40 percent, following the public’s recognition that he lied when he said in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2103 that Americans would be able to keep their insurance plans and doctors after the Obamcare networks is established.

Many Americans’ access to their healthcare is being reduced by Obamacare’s crippled malfunctioning website, by large price spikes, by shrinking access to doctors and reduced marketplace choices.

GOP legislators are trying to develop a replacement system, that would provide large tax-breaks to help people to buy health-insurance from any qualified company in the nation. The GOP alternative would provide federal money to help sick people offset the cost of debilitating medical conditions, and allow them to keep their insurance when they lose or change jobs.

This holiday season, getting a lump of coal in your stocking might actually be preferable, considering the alternative gift from the folks at Organizing for Action is Obamacare. Their newest cult campaign is called "Health Care for the Holidays." How festive. "This holiday season, make sure to talk to your loved ones about getting covered," the group's newest ad campaign says. "These conversations don't have to be tough — OFA can help." Because your family holiday gathering should actually be an opportunity for you to register them for Obamacare, or something. OFA even provides you with these handy talking points to sell your loved ones on signing up. Follow these easy steps and you're sure to be the life of any holiday get-together:

Start by asking: "Have you thought about signing up for health insurance on the new marketplace?"

Offer to walk them through it: "Would you like to take some time with me to sign up right now?"

Ask them to make a plan, and commit to it: "When do you plan on signing up?"

Don't forget to follow up: "Have you signed up yet?"

"It might not always seem like it, but your family listens to you," OFA says. "So have the talk."

See their creepy cult video ad...

Video: HAPPY THANKSGIVING AND MERRY CHRISTMAS: OBAMA CAMPAIGN WANTS YOU TO GIVE 'HEALTH CARE FOR THE HOLIDAYS' … REALLY?

I come from a family that talks politics at the dinner table and at holiday gatherings.  We also talk religion, history and about pretty much everything.  But there are people at the table from both parties as well as independents.  There are Christians, Jews and Atheists represented.  And there are recent immigrants, immigrants from 60+ years ago and Americans who don’t know when their ancestors got here or even where from.  There are Veterans from WWII, Korea,  Vietnam, Somalia, and Iraq and even some who fought on the German side in WWII and everyone speaks their mind. And there are friends from a large variety of ethnic groups and every race.  It gets pretty lively at times! But we don’t do propaganda or promoting agendas for anyone especially for Obama’s failed and power-grabbing policies. 

In a country where 85% of the people say they believe in God, regardless of their religious affiliation, President Obama has left God our of his Thanksgiving message the past 4-years; guess we will see about this year.  And this Thanksgiving many Americans are finding themselves without medical insurance because it was cancelled due to ObamaCare… some with serious illnesses, and many that used to have healthcare insurance can no longer afford it.  And now President Obama wants you to convince your friends and family to step-up and save his flawed policy on Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Since when is that a holiday activity or even American??  The President’s request is disgraceful!!

What we do talk about is how grateful we are to live in America and we talk a bit about Thanksgiving and the history that surrounds it. We also talk about trivia surrounding Thanksgiving. We say a prayer, honor the troops and veterans and thank God for all our blessings.  We watch football, eat too much and we also have It’s a Wonderful Life playing on (a non-football designated) TV.  It seems to capture the feeling of Thanksgiving as well as kick us off into the Christmas Season. 

We also exchange recipes, talk about years past and try to involve our children in our traditions as well as inform them about our past, family and country, like both Sarah Palin and Ann Romney talk about in their new books: ‘Good Tidings and Great Joy: Protecting the Heart of Christmas’ (Kindle) and The Romney Family Table: Sharing Home-Cooked Recipes & Favorite Traditions (Kindle).  We serve the same menu whether it is only immediate family or we are seating 50, our largest celebration, but extra dishes are always welcome!

During dessert we have added a grateful bowl tradition to our Thanksgiving Celebration. It is a great addition to your festivities! This year as everyone arrives for Thanksgiving Dinner, have each of them fill out a grateful note, to be deposited in a bowl, basket or container.  After dessert has been served, (with the TV temporarily turned off if possible) have everyone gather within earshot and have someone draw out the slips of paper one by one and have a designated person read them aloud.  It will give your Thanksgiving a very different feeling.

The Thanksgiving Bowl

May all of you have the happiest and most blessed of Thanksgivings that brings you and yours closer and fills all with joy!!

Forum: How does your family traditionally celebrate Thanksgiving? 

Keeping Pets Safe for Thanksgiving: The “Not So Safe” or No-No Pet Food List 

How to keep your dog safe during the Thanksgiving holidays