The Washington Times reports on the filing of federal Hate Crimes charges in connection with a “Knock Out Assault” that was videotaped:

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“Suspected crimes of this nature will simply not be tolerated,” said Kenneth Magidson the U.S. attorney for the southern district of Texas. “Evidence of hate crimes will be vigorously investigated and prosecuted with the assistance of all our partners to the fullest extent of the law.”

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Venezuela, in a squeeze for hard currency, devalued its currency for foreigners another 44%, following an initial devaluation of 32% by Chavez in February.  The move is seen as a necessity to keep Venezuela from defaulting on sovereign debt when reliance on excessively high levels of public spending has been the tool of Chavez and his successor, Maduro, to maintain their grip on power.  It is the 6th such major devaluation in a decade.
The move is essentially a bookkeeping sleight-of-hand – it allows the Venezuelan central bank to balance its books by “earning” more Bolivars for its oil export sales, at a time when overall sales volume has decreased dramatically.

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…. A Christmas wish that cannot be purchased and won’t be identified until May of 2014.
So much of what we are dealing in our daily lives is a direct result of the polar opposite of what is reflected in the birth story of Jesus Christ.
In many ways the birth of Jesus challenged the contract between those who ruled and those who are forced by consequence to live under those rulers.   A leader born to serve people instead of demanding service from people.
Politically speaking, until the birth of Jesus Christ all leaders exhibited their will upon the people beneath them.    The Macedonians, the Babylonians, The Persians, the Romans and the Egyptians et al , all led from a power base of top down construct enforcing the will of Kings and Emperors.   Rules made by Rulers.
The birth of a Leader who would change the never negotiated contract to a concept of  service for His people was so extraordinary it became dangerous to even discuss such considerations.
So too do we find ourselves, albeit millennia removed, engaged in this exact same struggle today.   Nations of people ruled by power systems manipulated and constructed by the few against the will of many.  (more…)

Read this article and see if something sticks out so quickly to you around the concept of the headline:  “The only commonality is that basically all the victims were Jewish.”  
New York (Crown Heights) – Police have arrested four children in connection with a string of alleged “knockout game” attacks in Brooklyn, the NYPD said.
A 14-year-old girl and three other children, aged 10 and 11, were arrested in connection with three assaults that took place between October and November.
The victims included an 11-year-old boy who was punched on President Street, a youth who was hit with a rock while walking home from school and a youngster who was “mushed” in the face with a plastic bag, said Deputy Inspector George Fitzgibbon, the 71st Precinct’s new commanding officer. (more…)

For followers of the Libyan fiasco, and we are not talking about Benghazi, the irony behind Dear Leader and Susan Rice’s recent statements on South Sudan is, well, beyond rich.

[…]  In a letter to Congress, Obama said that about 46 U.S. troops were deployed Saturday to help evacuate Americans. That’s in addition to another 45 troops deployed to reinforce the U.S. Embassy in Juba.

[…]  Earlier Sunday, Obama was briefed by advisers on events in South Sudan following a meeting that his national security adviser, Susan Rice, held with national security aides and U.S. personnel still in South Sudan.

[…]  “I may take further action to support the security of U.S. citizens, personnel, and property, including our Embassy, in South Sudan,” Obama wrote. (link)

I’m just going to cut this down to brass tacks.
The latest international storylines seem to be revolving around chaos reigning supreme in South Sudan.    Over the weekend four members of the U.S. military were shot by machine gun fire as they attempted to evacuate the R2P crowd of U.S. do-gooders.

Fair enough.    But why is the media avoiding the brutally obvious?    Oh yeah, wouldn’t want to actually connect dots and seem all conspiracy minded.
Then again, failure to talk about the 20,000+ missing Libyan missiles, and massive stockpiles of missing WMD (gas et al), does not protect you from the reality of it. (more…)

UPDATE: (via TIME) […] The aide added that Obama only signed himself up, and not the rest of the First Family. Obama also did not enroll through the troubled Healthcare.gov or the D.C. exchange’s website.  Aides signed him up in person over the weekend, due to the “complicated nature of the President’s case,” the White House aide said.  “Some of Obama’s personal information is not readily accessible on the government databases used by the website for identity verification”.

The New York Times reports that middle class Obama voters are less than happy with finding out that their private plans are being cancelled, and that the Obamacare plans are much more expensive than their private coverage.
The Times describes them as “frustrated”. (!)
…. “We are just right over that line,” said Ms. Chapman, who is 54 and does administrative work for a small wealth management firm. Because their plan is being canceled, she is looking for new coverage for her family, which includes Mr. Chapman, 55, a retired fireman who works on a friend’s farm, and her two sons. “That’s an insane amount of money,” she said of their new premium. “How are you supposed to pay that?”
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What is “trolling” ?

[…] The Duck Dynasty patriarch led a small Bible study group in his home town church in West Monroe, Louisiana on Sunday, granting MailOnline exclusive access.
And the deeply religious outdoorsman stood by his incendiary statements – which saw him call homosexuality a sin and led to his suspension from the hit reality show by network bosses at A&E.
During Sunday’s speech, he defended himself, saying he was simply quoting from the Bible and even went so far as to say Jesus could save gay people.
‘I love all men and women. I am a lover of humanity, not a hater,’ he added. (more…)