Evil Santa: Terrorist dressed as St. Nick kills 35 in Istanbul

Ninety minutes into 2017 terror struck Turkey.

From the Daily Mail:

Thirty five people have been killed in an armed attack in an Istanbul nightclub, the city's governor has revealed.

The gunman, believed to have been dressed in a Santa costume, opened fire inside the Reina nightclub in Istanbul's Ortaköy district, where hundreds were celebrating the New Year.

A further 40 people are thought to have been wounded in the attack, which has been captured in CCTV footage. It happened at 1.30am local time.

In three weeks there will be a new sheriff in Washington, Donald J. Trump, who said about the Islamic State in 2015, "I would bomb the SHIT out of 'em!"

Prince: Auld Lang Syne

Watch as one of the sad Class of 2016--Prince--performs a jazzy rendition of "Auld Lang Syne" at a New Year's Eve gig in 1987-88. He stumbles on the lyrics, but to be fair, so do most people, unless they are Scots speakers.

David Bowie: Life on Mars

David Bowie wrote and sang many songs, but perhaps his best was one of his first, "Life On Mars?"

Watch as Bowie, who left us early in 2016, performs his classic.

(Video) Utah congressman says Obama is "terribly arrogant" with land grab

Grand Staircase-Escalante
National Monument.

If you're a Democratic president, you grand land. It's what you do. Just as Bill Clinton did in 1996 with the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

At least Clinton made his move, which was a sneaky one, before an election. Coward Barack Obama, who has been planning his land snatch for over a year, waited until he was a lame duck.

Utah congressman Jason Chaffetz, a Republican, blasted Obama use of an executive order to make Bears Ears in Utah and Gold Butte in Nevada national monuments.

Chaffez explains that the Antiquities Act, which gives the president the power do declare such national monuments, was designed for the creation of small areas, not tracts of land larger than the entire state of Delaware.

There is not a single person that is an elected official that represents that's in favor [of this move]," Chaffetz tells Fox News, "but the president did it anyway.

Chaffetz says Obama is "terribly arrogant."

He sure is.

Chicago cops warn of robbers who victimize drivers stuck in traffic

Near the site of a robbery

Life in Chicago continues to get worse.

From ABC Chicago:

Police are warning residents about thieves working in teams of two to distract drivers in downtown Chicago and then steal their cell phones from inside their cars.

Dashcam video recorded while a driver was stopped at a traffic light near Michigan and Wacker shows a young man appearing in front of the car. In a matter of seconds, he and a partner will have swiped the victim's cell phone.

Professor: Obama admin determined to cripple Trump

Professor Stephen Cohen, a Russia expert, says the administration of lame duck president Barack Obama is determined to cripple Donald J. Trump with such antics as sanctions against Russia for allegedly hacking last month's presidential election.

Can you imagine the howls from the liberals if George W. Bush misbehaved in the same manor as Obama is?

Chicago legalizes plastic bags so they can be taxed

Abandoned store lot, Chicago's
South Side

Some stuff you can't make up.

Unable to control this year's dramatic increase in murders, Chicago's useless City Council--and why are their 50 members?--legalized plastic bags just so they can be taxed.

While of course no one is going to scream, "That's it, I'm outta here, no bag taxes for me," this latest poke in the eye against Chicagoans definitely adds to the misery in America's third largest--for now, that is--city. Residents have to cope with last year's record property tax increase, rampant crime, a high unemployment rate, corrupt and incompetent politicians, pervasive red light cameras, pot-holed pocked streets, and many more insults, outrages, and indignities.

Chicago's population is at its lowest level in nearly 100 years.

From ABC Chicago:

The 7-cent tax was approved last month as part of the city's budget. City officials also repealed a ban on plastic bags starting Jan. 1.

The so-called "check out bag tax" applies to all Chicago retailers, not just large grocery chains. Businesses received letters last week informing them of the changes.

The tax applies to both paper and plastic bags. All shoppers who don't have their own bag will be charged 7 cents for each paper or plastic bag at checkout. Five cents will go to the city, 2 cents will go to the retailer.

More...

The tax is a reversal of a partial ban imposed 16 months ago, which forced large retailers to replace thin plastic bags with thicker bags that can be reused. Consumers were not reusing the new bags and they cost three times as much to make.

The first government solution didn't work--so let's try another failure.

The retailers, who collect two cents on each bag, should hold their heads in shame too.

Two cents here, seven cents there, a record property tax hike here, and it all adds up to one unhappy result.

Krauthammer: "Semi-delusional' Obama inflicted "incalculable' damage on Dem Party

Lame duck Barack Obama thinks he would have beaten Donald J. Trump if he was allowed the chance at running for a third term, which, by the way, is a backhanded insult towards Hillary Clinton.

Anyway, Charles Krauthammer says Obama is "delusional," and that he brought "incalculable" damage to the Democratic Party.

When you look how few state legislative seats, governorships, and seats in the US House and Senate it holds, the Dems are in their weakest position in nearly 90 years.

(Video) Did Duck Dynasty clinch White House for Trump?

I've watched "Duck Dynasty" a few times. So I guess I'm part of the reason Donald J. Trump is president-elect.

Regions of the country that are more likely to watch the show came in very strong for Trump, according to the New York Times.

Food stamp nation: Usage soared under Obama

Yes, Barack Obama is the Food Stamp President.

From Breitbart:

As President Obama prepares to leave office, his legacy will include an increase in the number of Americans using food stamps.

The number of food stamps recipients went up by 10.7 million people, a 32 percent jump, since President Obama took office in 2009, according to data released by the Department of Agriculture (USDA).

In 2009, 33,490,000 people received food stamp benefits. As of October 2016, the last month reported for FY 2016, 44,219,123 people received food stamp benefits, an increase of about 10,729,000.

The U.S. population as of October 1, 2016 was 324,607,826, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates. Therefore, the 44,219,123 people on food stamps represented 13.6 percent of the population.

It's been the outgoing administration's goal to get even more people on food stamps. Fake news? Nope. In 2012 the Agriculture Department ran radio ads with the goal of increasing food stamp usage. Why? The Democrats are the party of big government. Recipients of federal handouts are more likely to vote Democratic. And there is a bonus--the Dems can point their fingers at the Republicans and say, "Look at them, they're the ones who want to take your food stamps away."

#TrumpSpring: US consumer confidence hits 15 year high

Average Americans are not dopes. They know that when Barack Obama is out of office the perceived need to overregulate everything will be gone. They know that the Department of Energy will stop being the Department of anti-energy.

Consumer confidence is at a 15 year high.

Trump Spring is coming.

(Video) O'Reilly Factor: Violence in Chicago

Subbing for Bill O'Reilly on Fox News' O'Reilly Factor, Chicago native Eric Bolling, joined by former congressman Joe Walsh, who hosts a Chicago-based conservative talk radio show, and a liberal, Matt McGill, who also has a radio talk show, discuss Chicago's rampant violence.

The murder count varies, but Chicago will end the year with nearly 800 murders, most of which will go unsolved.

Only 416 people were murdered in Chicago in 2015.

(Video) Israel suggests USA should cut UN funding

The United Nations is for the most part, an Israel bashing organization, as it spends an inordinate time offering resolutions against Israel while ignoring mass state murder in Syria, which borders the Jewish state.

Israel believes--as I do--that America should cut UN funding.

Delusional Sun-Times columnist writes of Rahm's 2016 comeback

Abandoned home, Englewood,
South Side

Chicago Sun-Times political reporter Fran Spielman must be writing her columns from the International Space Station--without internet access. In her latest piece she claims that Rahm Emanuel made "a political comeback" in 2016 after being "left for dead" after the release of the damaging video of Chicago Police officer Jason Van Dyke repeatedly shooting Laquan McDonald.

"He appears to have succeeded, to the point that the conversation has shifted to whether Emanuel will decide to seek a third term instead of whether he will resign," Spielman writes.

Comeback? That sounds like the well, praise, that Chicago Bears coach John Fox has earned. The Milquetoasts of the Midway are 3-12 this year, but they are even worse than that record.

Last year 416 people were murdered in Chicago, so far there have been 785 homicides in 2016. Does anyone seriously expect a major decline in killings next year? An increase seems more likely to me. Also last year Emanuel, aided by the useless but compliant City Council, enacted the largest property tax hike in Chicago history. But Moody's still rates Chicago's bonds as junk.

While Chicago's population loss began before Emanuel was born, the city continues to hemorrhage residents.The tax hikes, put in place bail out public worker pension funds that were woefully underfunded before Rahm was sworn in five years ago, may exacerbate this exodus. The deadly 1967 riots in Detroit only hastened the departures brought on by the municipal income tax that were enacted four years earlier.

Different tax, same end-result?

And let me drive my point home--that new tax revenue won't improve municipal services in Chicago.

Why stay? Last weekend thousands of ticket-holding Bears fans asked this question, "Why even go to the game?" Many didn't.

Spielman: Please return to Earth. While two years and a couple of months is seemingly as infinite as outer space in politics, I just don't see how your Rahm "comeback" will aid his 2019 reelection effort, if he chooses to run for a third term.

(Video) Netanyahu spokesman: Obama has abandoned Israel

Fox News' Leland Vittert interviewed David Keyes, a spokesman for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where Keyes said that Barack Obama has abandoned Israel.

That's true, but it means little because President-elect Donald Trump is a yuge supporter of Israel. Obama on the other hand is a child, as his lame duck Parthian shot shows. And Obama, the first and hopefully last anti-American president, hates America's friends too.

(Video) Hillary camp's blame game

The Hillary Clinton camp, Howard Kurtz reports, is still blaming everyone but themselves for losing last month.

Chiraq Christmas: 11 dead, at least 43 shot over weekend

Chicago Christmas tree a few years back

Death did not take a holiday over the Christmas weekend in Chicago. Eleven people were shot to death and at least 43 others were wounded.

By far the worst incident of carnage happened the Chatham neighborhood on Christmas night when seven people were shot, two fatally. The assailant, who, witnesses says was wearing a grey hoodie, remains at large. Most Chicago homicides go unsolved.

There were also two shooting homicides in the adjacent South Shore neighborhood. The other murders occurred either elsewhere on the South Side or the West Side, save for one South West Side killing in Brighton Park on the Southwest Side.

Last year, when Christmas was on a Friday and the weekend was counted as a three-day period, only six people were murdered while thirty were wounded.

Donna Reed's daughter, Bloomberg columnist, compare Trump to Mr. Potter

I'm shocked that there haven't been more comparisons of President-elect Donald Trump to the Mr. Potter villain so brilliantly portrayed by Lionel Barrymore in Frank Capra's Christmas classic in It's A Wonderful Life.

Mary Owen, the youngest daughter of Donna Reed, who played George Bailey's wife in the 1946 film, told an audience at a recent Manhattan screening of It's A Wonderful Life that it is "a good corrective to the campaign we just went through."

Afterwards she spoke with Barry, a Bloomberg columnist.

From Bloomberg:

George is the film's hero, who is saved by selflessness: his own, through an epiphany about what his life has meant to others, and his community’s, whose generosity rescues him from arrest. Their selflessness is all the more powerful because it comes in response to the extreme selfishness they encounter in the world, personified by the rich, greedy, heartless and vainglorious old codger Mr. Potter.

"The thing that always irks me about Potter," Mary says, "is that he got away with keeping that $8,000" -- money that belonged to the Bailey Brothers Building and Loan. Potter's fraud, she says with a laugh, "almost feels like Trump not having to show his taxes!"

It's hard not see a little of Potter in Trump. In 2007, Trump rooted for a collapse in the real estate market "because then people like me would go in and buy." Potter tries the same strategy, only to be blocked by George. When George turns to him for a loan to cover the missing $8,000, Potter's attack -- at 137 characters -- is almost Trumpian: "What are you but a warped, frustrated young man? A miserable little clerk, crawling in here on your hands and knees and begging for help." Sad!

At the end of that scene, Potter calls the police to swear out an arrest warrant for George. It had a familiar ring to Mary: "When Potter says, 'See you in jail!', it reminds me of Trump all of his threats to put Hillary in jail."

Later Barry adds, "Many Americans are worried that Trump's victory will usher in a dark, mean, intolerant mood reminiscent of Pottersville."

Good gawd!

One can easily compared the scheming Hillary Clinton to Mr. Potter. Do you want examples? Here we go: Clinton lied to keep and expand her power with Travelgate, she offered blatant falsehoods about the Benghazi murders, she used the Clinton Foundation as a slush fund, and she mishandled classified information when she used a private email server while serving as secretary of state.

Would George Bailey do that?

Back to Owen: She's more proof that liberals ruin and politicize everything.

Left out of Barry's column is this shining nugget of truth: Frank Capra, you remember, he directed the movie, was a conservative Republican.

From Da Tech Guy: A Trump Christmas

"Christmas comes this time each year," the Beach Boys famously sang in "Little St. Nick." But in 2016 it's a lot different, as I write at Da Tech Guy: A Trump Christmas.

Merry Christmas 2016

"And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."
Luke 2, 9-12.

Merry Christmas, everyone. Remember whose birthday we are celebrating every December 25.

Johnny Cash: Little Drummer Boy

"With all the talk of Christmas, the singing of Christmas, and the celebrating of Christmas, we mustn't lose the fact of what Christmas is," Johnny Cash said on his ABC TV show in 1970. "This is the birthday of a man called Jesus."

Watch as the Man in White sings "Little Drummer Boy."

Bobby Lloyd and The Skeletons: Do You Hear What I Hear/You Really Got Me

What's better than a classic Christmas song, "Do You Hear What I Hear," and a classic Kinks song,"You Really Got Me?"

Both of them together, of course!

Watch and dance along to Bobby Lloyd and the Skeletons perform both of them.

Blago asks fellow Chicago Democrat Obama to commute his sentence

Crooked former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, is requesting that his fellow Chicago Democrat, Barack Obama, commute his 14 year corruption sentence.

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich is seeking a presidential commutation, according to a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Justice.

The longshot request comes more than four months after U.S. District Judge James Zagel reinstated the 14-year prison sentence Blagojevich, 60, is serving for a series of schemes that included his attempt to sell then-President-elect Barack Obama’s U.S. Senate seat.

The news of Blagojevich's commutation request also comes days after Blagojevich's lawyer, Leonard Goodman, filed a brief with the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals asking for yet another sentencing hearing.

The 7th Circuit in July 2015 tossed five of Blagojevich's 18 convictions, but it found "it is not possible to call 168 months unlawfully high for Blagojevich's crimes."

If there is any hope of turning back the decades long tide of corruption in Illinois, it rests in having judges impose more of these long sentences for dishonest elected officials.

Let Blago rot in prison.

(Video) Gutfield: Time to declare war on hoaxters

A few hours after I scolded the establishment media for ignoring the rise of hate crime hoaxes, Greg Gutfield weighed in on Fox News.

Related post:

Mainstream media ignoring spike in hate crime hoaxes

Berlin terrorist shot dead by rookie Italian cop

While German police--who first arrested the wrong man for Berlin Christmas market bombing--believed that the assailint, Tunisian refugee Anis Amri, was still in or near the German capital, the killer crossed into France and then Italy.

Open borders have their downside.

In Milan, while shouting "Allahu akbar," the murderer was shot to death by a rookie cop. Another officer was wounded, it appears he'll make a full recovery.

However, Germany's prime minister, Angela Merkel, has blood on her hands.

The Islamic State has taken responsibilty for the twelve murders in Berlin and the terror group confirmed that Amri was one of its killers.

Related post:

(Video) German refugee policy has been a 'complete disaster'

(Video) German refugee policy has been a 'complete disaster'

Steve Hilton, who was an advisor to former British prime minister David Cameron, correctly says that Angela Merkel's refugee policy has been a "complete disaster" for Germany.

Loony lawyer berates Ivanka on plane as his anti-Trump activist hubby chases her

Oh, the president-elect's daughter, her children, and his son-in-law were flying coach.

From TMZ:

Ivanka Trump just had a bumpy start to her Xmas holiday ... an out-of-control passenger on her flight began verbally berating her and "jeering" at her 3 kids.

Ivanka was on a JetBlue flight leaving JFK Thursday morning with her family when a passenger started screaming, "Your father is ruining the country." The guy went on, "Why is she on our flight? She should be flying private." The guy had his kid in his arms as he went on the tirade.

A passenger on the flight tells TMZ Ivanka ignored the guy and tried distracting her kids with crayons.

JetBlue personnel escorted the unruly passenger off the flight. As he was removed he screamed, "You're kicking me off for expressing my opinion?!!"

The unruly passenger was Dan Golstein, a Brooklyn lawyer.

His husband, Matthew Lasner, Tweeted, "Ivanka and Jared at JFK T5, flying commercial. My husband chasing them down to harass them. #banalityofevil." Lasner's Twitter account was quickly deleted. Lasner is an anti-Trump activist, and, wait for it, a college professor.

Mainstream media ignoring spike in hate crime hoaxes

One of the many ways the mainstream media is dishonest is that while they'll report on stories that upset their leftist narrative, reluctantly perhaps, they'll ignore overall themes.

That's not the case with storylines that will advance their narrative, such as unfounded reports of Russian "influence" in last month's presidential election.

Influence? What exactly is that?

One theme that I am not overlooking is the recent plethora of hate crime hoaxes.

Let's focus on two hoax stories that broke in the last few days, as well as a possible third incident.

A few days before Election Day in Jackson, Mississippi a church with a black congregation was intentionally set on fire and "Vote Trump" was spraypainted on its wall "A black church burned in the name of Trump" was the headline that the left-wing magazine Atlantic used. The Gannett-owned Clarion-Ledger quoted Jackson's mayor, Errick D. Simmons, as saying at the time, "This act is a direct assault on people's right to freely worship," adding, "We will not rest until the culprit is found and fully prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

Perhaps Simmons doesn't know about the rage of hate hoaxes in recent years. If he consumes only mainstream media sources for his information, no one can fault him. The story linked in this paragraph comes from Breitbart, which the establishment media labels as a fake news site.

But a member of that Jackson church, Andrew McClinton, who is black, was arrested this week for allegedly torching it. He's been charged with arson.

Did you hear the story about the University of Michigan student who was told that if she didn't remove her hijab, that is, her Muslim head scarf, that she would be set on fire? The accuser in that story may face felony charges for filing a false police report. The assault never happened. Police found holes in her story, possibly one of them is that Ann Arbor is one of the most liberal small cities in America. Hillary Clinton collected 67 percent of the vote in Washtenaw County--Ann Arbor is the county seat.

One person's prankster could be another person's hoaxter. Adam Saleh is described as a YouTube prankster. He says he was removed from a Delta flight in New York because he was speaking to his mother in Arabic on a cell phone. Passengers on that flight are disputing the prankster's version of events.

Here's a list of slightly older post-Donald Trump victory hate crime hoaxes.

Yes, there are hate crimes. Dylann Roof's murder of nine black worshippers at a South Carolina church was definitely one.

But are there more hate crime hoaxes than hate crimes?

Yuge! Boeing will charge less for new Air Force One

Boeing HQ in Chicago

Before Barack Obama became president the most complicated thing he ever negotiated was a car loan.

But we have a new sheriff coming to town who is among other things, a professional negotiator.

From liberal reporter Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times:

After meeting with Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg on Wednesday, President-elect Donald Trump said he persuaded the Chicago company to cut the price tag for the pending Air Force One order by "a tremendous amount."

On Dec. 6, Trump threatened to cancel or renegotiate Boeing's Air Force One deal and accused Boeing, with no evidence [My note, this is media bias in action], of "doing a little bit of a number" over costs.

"Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control, more than $4 billion. Cancel order!" Trump said on Twitter.

According to the General Accounting Office, delivery for two new presidential planes is planned for fiscal year 2024. In a March report, the GAO pegged research, development and actual procurement for the aircraft at about $3.5 billion. Any plane a president is on is called Air Force One.

Christmas is days away, use Marathon Pundit when shopping on Amazon

Amazon delivery truck

Christmas Eve is in just a few days.

Are you ready? If you are, not this post is for you.

Do you enjoy what you read on Marathon Pundit? A great way to say thank you is to click on an Amazon ad on this blog. You pay nothing extra and I receive a small commission that will help in offsetting some of the costs of operating this site.

Newt: Obama's legacy will disappear within a year

There's much to be thankful for as 2016 winds down. Newt Gingrich says the Barack Obama legacy will disappear with in a year.

Madiganstan: Tribune says dump Boss Madigan

Illinois statehouse speaker Mike Madigan has been at his post for 33 of the last 35 years. The Gerrymander King is the pallbearer for what was once a great state. He's caused far more damage to ILL-inois than his fellow Chicago Democrat, Rod Blagojevich.

The Chicago Tribune reports the nascent move by House Democrats to fire Boss Madigan, one that the Trib supports.

Under Madigan's reign, the state has been circling the drain for years. Madigan, and Senate President John Cullerton for that matter, refuse to compromise with Gov. Bruce Rauner — on anything. They would rather behold the suffering of social service agencies, look on as the state's finances grow bleaker, pile debt on the middle class and ignore data proving taxpayers are disgusted. U.S. census numbers released Tuesday show Illinois with the highest population loss of any state in 2016. It's not just the weather.

Rauner, a Republican reformer, was sent to Spingfield to rebuild Illinois--only Madigan stands in the way.

Related post:

Madiganstan: ILL-inois loses more people than any other state for third straight year

Germans seeking Tunisian refugee after Berlin Christmas attack

There's a murderer on the loose in Germany.

From the Sydney Morning Herald:

German police are staging a manhunt for a Tunisian man after the deadly assault on a Berlin Christmas market on Monday, which left 12 dead and dozens wounded.

The man was in contact with Islamist militants in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and was known to German security agencies, the state's Interior Minister said on Wednesday.

"Security agencies exchanged their findings and information about this person with the Joint Counter-Terrorism Centre in November 2016," NRW Interior Minister Ralf Jaeger told a news conference.

He said the suspect had applied for asylum in Germany and his application was rejected in July. Attempts to deport the man to Tunisia failed as he did not have identification papers, and the Tunisian authorities disputed whether he was their national.

(Video) Krauthammer: "Poetic justice" that Hillary sets faithless elector record

Charles Krauthmmer, who barely, if that, supported Donald Trump's presidential campaign, said it's "poetic justice" that Hillary Clinton sets a record for most faithless electors. Yes, there were many more in 1872, but the Democratic/Liberal Republican nominee, Horace Greeley, died after losing to GOP incumbent Ulysses S. Grant but before the Electoral College met.

We had an election last month. The Democrats lost but they tried to sway Republican electors to abandon Trump. But Hillary, with five faithless electors, is the record holder.

Madiganstan: ILL-inois loses more people than any other state for third straight year

Abandoned house, Dixmoor, IL

One party rule by Democratic Party boss Mike Madigan is destroying Illinois. Voters chose a Republican reformer, Bruce Rauner, to stop the bleeding two years ago but Madigan, the Gerrymander King and speaker of the state House, is blocking him at every opportunity.

But Illinoisans are voting with their feet, including the Obama family. Yep, they are staying in Washington. Perhaps their Kenwood mansion can be converted into Section 8 housing.

From the Chicago Tribune:

For the third consecutive year, Illinois has lost more residents than any other state, losing 37,508 people in 2016, which puts its population at the lowest it has been in nearly a decade, according to U.S. census data released Tuesday.

Illinois is among just eight states to lose residents, putting its population at 12,801,539 people, its lowest since about 2009. Illinois' population first began to drop in 2014, when the state lost 11,961 people. That number more than doubled in 2015, with a loss of 28,497 people, and further multiplied in 2016.

"Illinois is a part of the country where, in general, during the recession, it held on to (people) who wanted to move to Sun Belt states. Now, it's losing them," said William Frey, a demographer with the Brookings Institution who analyzes census data.

"When you have a big state like Illinois, to lose population for three years in a row? That's cause for alarm," he added.

(Video) A Kennedy family member might run for governor of ILL-inois

Illinois is functionally bankrupt. It is losing population. It has unsustainable pension debt.

Two years ago Illinoisans chose Republican reformer Bruce Rauner to right the ship after twelve years or Rod Blagojevich/Pat Quinn Democratic failure. But Rauner has been stymied by the man who more than any other person has destroyed Illinois--state House Speaker Michael Madigan. He has been the speaker for 33 of the last 35 years. Madigan is the chairman of the state Democratic Party. His daughter is the attorney general of Illinois.

Another businessman, Chris Kennedy--yeah, he's a member of the Kennedy family--is considering a run for governor. Who did he recently meet with? Why Boss Madigan.

And Kennedy, the scion of a family a great talkers, wasn't very eloquent when he was asked about that meeting with the ruler of Madiganstan.

What did Kennedy and Madigan talk about? How to finish the job of shoving Illinois into the ditch?

Refugee behind deadly Berlin terror attack at Christmas market

A terror attack at Christmas bazaar in Germany, the nation that has take in over one million refugees from the Middle East and Central took place last night.

Sadly, this is not surprising news.

From the BBC:

German police are investigating a "probable terrorist attack" after a man ploughed a lorry [British for bus] into a Christmas market in the heart of Berlin, killing 12 people and injuring 48.

The driver is an Afghan or Pakistani asylum seeker, according to security sources cited by DPA news agency.

He reportedly arrived in Germany in February as a refugee.

The daily Tagesspiegel said the man was known to the police for minor crimes, but not terror links.

The suspect described in the BBC article has been released. German authorities are now looking for a Tunisian refugee in regards to this barbarity.

Yuge! Hollywood phonies' coup attempt fails

Four Washington electors
ditched Hillary

As he was six weeks ago, Donald J. Trump is president-elect. A coup d'état encouraged by B, C, and Z-list Hollywood celebrities and other leftists has failed. Members of the Electoral College met in the 50 state capitals and the District of Columbia and the yuge majority of them voted for Trump.

The Hollywood phonies, led by Martin Sheen, who played a president in a 1990s TV show, asked in a video that the Republican electors choose someone other than Trump. Two did, both from Texas, but four Washington State electors dumped Hillary Clinton, three of them went with Colin Powell, nominally a Republican--but certainly no conservative--and one voted for Faith Spotted Eagle, a Native American activist.

In many of the state capitals left-wing rabble protested Trump--with the usual empty insults that the president-elect is a fascist or a racist.

(Video) Farage: US looks weaker than it's been in a long time

UK Independence Party leader and Brexit mastermind Nigel Farage speaks of the latest leftist hysteria here--claims of Russian hacking and do-over maneuvers such as the attempts at an Electoral College coup, declaring, "It's same miserable list of excuses from people who've had it their own way for far too long."

He also believes that the United State looks weaker than it's been in a long time, contradicting Barack Obama's fatuous claim he made at Friday's press conference. Farage calls it "self-delusion."

Chiraq: 10 dead at least 28 wounded over weekend

Abandoned home, Roseland

Despite snowfall and bitter cold--which usually dampens violence--this past weekend was a nasty one in Chicago. Ten people were murdered and at least 28 others were wounded. Half of those homicides occurred in a shooting in Roseland on the South Side in what police theorize may have been a home invasion. There was also a double murder in Brighton Park on the Southwest Side.

So far there have been 770 murders in Chicago according to Hey Jackass. There were only 468 in Chiraq last year.

From Da Tech Guy: Television review, Longmire so far

I've been doing more binge-watching of late, and my most recent journey was among the cowboys and Indians of contemporary Wyoming, as I write in Da Tech Guy: Television review, Longmire so far.

(Video) Gutfeld: Celebrity has-beens' Trump hysteria backfires

Does anyone care what Moby think about politics? Or Loretta Swit? Or Michael Urie?

Oh, who is Michael Urie? Apparently he's someone famous. As is Dominic Fumusa.

Anyway, this pathetic gathering, along with Martin Sheen, who played a president on a television show, are urging Republican electors not to vote for Donald J. Trump.

Fox News' Greg Gutfield skewered these hacks last night.

And if they follow through--"I'm not asking you to vote for Hillary Clinton," Moby says.

"And you have my respect," says Mike Farrell.

I don't want B.J. Honeycutt's respect.

On this day in 1916: Battle of Verdun ends

The overall theme of World War I is senseless killing and maiming over a few square miles of mud. Such was the case with the ten month-long Battle of Verdun between France and Germany. Casualty totals vary but 600,000 or so seems to be a generally agreed upon figure.

Tragic and senseless.

Related post:

GoFundMe page for Morton Grove's Doughboy Monument

4 dead and 1 critically wounded in Chiraq home shooting

Abandoned Fernwood home

Four people are dead and another person is critically wounded in a shooting spree that at this hour appears to be a domestic dispute gone terribly wrong. The bodies and the shooting survivor were discovered early this afternoon in the Fernwood section of violent Roseland neighborhood on Chicago's Far South Side. A toddler was found at the scene and was unharmed, at least physically.

Yes, this is old Marathon Pundit neighborhood from many years ago. It was much more peaceful back then.

Counts vary, but these killings put Chicago's murder total at 750 for the year according to the Chicago Tribune. Despite its irreverant name Hey Jackass, a quite credible chronicler of Chiraq mayhem, puts the 2016 total at 769. There were only 468 killings in Chicago last year and just 412 the year prior.

Life gets much worse each year under Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Even though New York and Los Angeles have far more residents, Chicago this year has seen more murders than both of these cities--combined.

UPDATE 11:40pm: There are now five fatalities, the wounded victim died.

Related posts:

(Photos) Abandoned homes of Chicago's violent Roseland neighborhood and my look back

(Photos) The abandoned homes of Chicago's violent West Pullman neighborhood (or Roseland part two)

Christmas Eve is next Saturday: Use Marathon Pundit when shopping on Amazon

Amazon delivery truck near
Marathon Pundit world HQ

Christmas Eve is a week away!

Are you ready?

And  do you enjoy what you read on Marathon Pundit? A great way to say thank you is to click on an Amazon ad on this blog. You pay nothing extra and I earn a very modest commission.

(Video) Johnny Cash: Christmas Time's a-Comin'

Last Saturday I posted a video of Johnny Cash and his wife, June Carter, performing a Christmas song, which went over well.

Well, why mess with success? Watch the Man in Black sing "Christmas Time's a-Comin'."

Related post:

Johnny Cash and June Carter: I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

(Video) Meijer Santa Claus commercial

Now that Michigan is back in the Red State column now is the perfect time to celebrate the Great Lakes State. A good place to start is the regional grocer Meijer, which is based in Michigan. Besides Michigan, Meijer stores are found in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky. There's one in Niles, Illinois, just a few miles away from Marathon Pundit world headquarters.

Meijer's is airing this touching Santa Claus ad in the market areas it serves.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you from me--and the Meijer chain.

Obama blames everyone but Hillary and himself for Clinton's defeat

In a rambling press conference--one that was so bad a reporter fainted--Barack Obama blamed talk radio, so-called fake news, "domestic propaganists," and of course alleged Russian hacking for Hillary Clinton's defeat.

Yesterday President-elect Donald Trump on Twitter remarked, "If Russia, or some other entity, was hacking, why did the White House wait so long to act? Why did they only complain after Hillary lost?"

Trump surely knows the answer. Because the Democrats are crybabies. Oh, did you ever work with a person who constantly screwed up and always blamed someone else for their mistakes? Unless you've never had a job, of course you have. The inept office fingerpointer, that's what the Democratic Party is.

Let me go over the reasons Clinton lost. She's unlikable, she has next to no charisma, and she couldn't point to any minor accomplishments--forget major ones--in her nearly forty years in public life.

Do you want more? She's a liar. She blamed the Benghazi murders on a Z-list YouTube video when she told her daughter it was a planned terror attack. She's corrupt. How corrupt? She's an enabler for her rapist husband, but also let's not overlook Travelgate, Whitewater, the Clinton Foundation, and her private email server. In regards to the last one, she clearly mishandled classified information while serving as Obama's secretary of state and afterwards--which is a crime.

But there's more! Let's take a look at Obama. His signature achievement, ObamaCare, is deeply unpopular, and the news of Affordable Healthcare Act rate hikes just before Election Day aided Trump, who promises to repeal it. The economy has been in the doldrums for the last eight years. Racial tension hasn't been this bad since the 1960s, our first post-racial president turned out to be a race-baiter. America is clearly weaker abroad than it was in 2009, Russia and Iran are ascendant--the botched Iran nuclear deal is also a millstone around the necks of the Dems. The Islamic State didn't exist when George W. Bush was in office. And after Syrian thug Bashar al-Assad crossed Obama's chemical weapons red line, Dear Leader did nothing.

Democrats: Please grow up and take responsibility for your failures.

(Video) Forbes most powerful list: Putin #1, Trump #2, and Obama #48

Forbes' Most Powerful People list came out. Vladimir Putin is tops, again, but look who's second, Donald J. Trump. All the way at number 48 is Barack Obama.

Trump isn't even president yet!

Has-been celebrities and never-was wannabes appear in video in attempt to sway GOP electors

A bunch of has-been celebrities, including Loretta Swit, and never-was wannabes--who is Richard Schiff?--attempt to change the minds of 306 Republican electors in this goofy video produced by something called Unite for America.

If they really wanted us to unite for America, then they'd be urging Americans to line up behind President-elect Trump to Make America Great Again.

Raging lunatic Newsweek reporter refuses to answer Tucker Carlson's questions

Kurt Eichenwald, who far now is employed as a senior writer at alt-left Newsweek appeared on Tucker Carlon's Fox News show. This loon claimed a few months ago that Donald J. Trump was treated in a mental hospital in 1990.

Carlson repeated asked Eichenwald if his accusation was true, "Was [Trump] in a mental hospital in 1990, as you allege, or was he not?" And the whack job refused to answer.

Once again, this is not some basketcase that Carlson found on Huffington Post--this is a guy from Newsweek.

My friends, this is the mainstream media.

(Video) NY Post's Goodwin: Get ready for the disruptor-in-chief

Donald J. Trump was elected to Make America Great Again and to Drain the Swamp.

The New York Post's Michael Goodwin lays out how will be disrupting the old order.

Pro-growth Montanan nominated as Interior secretary

This choice is a great one.

From AP:

What has been expected for several days was made official Thursday morning as President-elect Donald J. Trump officially tabbed Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke for the Secretary of the Interior cabinet position.

President-elect Trump announced Zinke's selection early Thursday.

"I am pleased to nominate Congressman Ryan Zinke as our Secretary of the Interior. He has built one of the strongest track records on championing regulatory relief, forest management, responsible energy development and public land issues," Trump said. "As a former Navy SEAL, he has incredible leadership skills and an attitude of doing whatever it takes to win. America is the most beautiful country in the world and he is going to help keep it that way with smart management of our federal lands. At the same time, my administration's goal is to repeal bad regulations and use our natural resources to create jobs and wealth for the American people, and Ryan will explore every possibility for how we can safely and responsibly do that."

Trump's comments were included in a release issued by his transition team. Zinke's response was also included. The congressman did not comment beyond the statements in the release.

Global warming: Single digits in Chicago area

It's six degrees outdoors. There's a foot of snow on the ground. How is that global warming working out?

A proud Chicago tradition: Another alderman indicted

"We're Getting Things Done,
Willie B. Cochran"

Just two months after former Alderman Sandi Jackson (7th) was released from prison a current member of the shameful Chicago City Council has been indicted.

From CBS Chicago:

Ald. Willie Cochran (20th) has been indicted on federal charges, for allegedly shaking down businessmen in his ward for bribes, and for allegedly looting money from a charity he ran.

The 15-count indictment made public on Wednesday charges Cochran with 11 counts of wire fraud, two counts of federal program bribery, and two counts of extortion.

The indictment accuses Cochran of soliciting donations to the 20th Ward Activities Fund, claiming the money would be used for various charitable causes; but then using money from the fund to pay for his daughter’s college tuition, to gamble at casinos, and to purchase items for his home.

According to the indictment, Cochran told donors the fund would be used to help families in the 20th Ward, including school supplies and clothing for a back-to-school picnic, a Valentine's Day event for seniors, and food and clothing for annual Thanksgiving and Christmas-related events.

Cochran's ward covers some of the most impoverished areas of Chicago's South Side, including the notorious Englewood neighborhood.

Roughly every 18 months a current for former Chicago alderman is convicted of a crime. Last month former Ald. Ed Vrdolyak of the 10th Ward was indicted. "Fast Eddie," the former chairman of the Cook County Regular Democratic Organization, better known as The Machine, later became a Republican.

Of Cochran's indictment, embattled Mayor Rahm Emanuel said, "You cannot use public service for your own personal gain." Thanks for letting us know, Rahm. Please pass that advice on to the other 49 members of the City Council.

Cochran's predecessor, Arenda Troutman, checked into the House-with-Many-Doors-and-Locks in 2008. Another 20th Ward alderman, Clifford Kelley, booked his stay at the Orange Jump Suit Junction in 1987.

"Most aldermen, most politicians are hos," Troutman was caught on tape by the FBI.

Chicago's population hasn't been as low as it is now in 100 years.