The following was posted Jan. 15: 

top me if you’ve heard this ... the pope and some reporters are on a plane. The reporters ask for his reaction to the slayings of 12 French satirists by Islamist radicals.

He replies:

“One cannot provoke, one cannot insult other people’s faith, one cannot make fun of faith. There is a limit. Every religion has its dignity ... in freedom of expression, there are limits. If my friend says a curse word against my mother, he can expect a punch. It’s normal. You cannot provoke. You cannot insult the faith of others. You cannot make fun of the faith of others.”

This actually occurred on the plane to the Philippines.

So, for the record... the pope rejects the “turn the other cheek” thing AND endorses some sort of “speech code” (and enforcement)  to protect religions from criticism and mockery.

I’m sure the Satanists will be pretty happy to hear that the pope shall no longer be talking smack about Lucifer.

The following was posted Jan. 16:

Folk those jihadists, man!

As if it weren’t a big enough embarrassment that the Obama Administration blew off the historic unity rally in France the other day, but now Secretary of State John Kerry was sent over to make amends and he brought along James Taylor.

Seriously.

Sorry your citizens got slaughtered by Salafist jihadists and we couldn’t tear ourselves away from watching the NFL playoffs to stand with you... but... here’s an old folk singer.

It’s like we’re living in a slowly-developing, equally-unfunny Saturday Night Live skit.

The following was posted Jan. 20:

‘American Sniper’ a huge hit

 The movie of America’s deadliest sniper in the Iraq War, Chris Kyle, had the largest opening weekend for a drama or R-rate film — raking in $105.3 million over the holiday weekend.

According to the Wall Street Journal:

“Its success was driven in large part by moviegoers like Mr. Smith who live in smaller cities and don’t regularly go to the multiplex....

“Its success is the strongest evidence yet that audiences including veterans and cultural conservatives who are more concentrated in the South and Midwest feel underserved by Hollywood and will turn out in droves for movies that are inspiring, patriotic and sincere.” 

 The report goes on to say that 8 of the top 10 markets for the movie were in traditionally conservative areas - like San Antonio, Oklahoma City and Nashville. Usually, the top markets for blockbuster movies are major U.S. cities where there are a lot more residents and the prices of movies are higher.

I know, I know! It’s utterly shocking!

It’s almost as if there’s an entire audience of Americans that movie makers seem to be ignoring. I wonder why....

The following was posted Jan. 21:

If you’re of the mind that politics (and our culture) has become consumed with petty snark, last night’s State of the Union is not going to help.

You can literally see how the president goes from condescending smirker to Trash-Talker in Chief. God, this man has thin skin! Of course, we knew that already.

What’s particularly hilarious is how this exchange occurred immediately after President Obama issued a call for bipartisanship, for unity, and an appeal to “better politics.”

Obama said, “So the question for those of us here tonight is how we, all of us, can better reflect America’s hopes.  I’ve served in Congress with many of you.  I know many of you well.  There are a lot of good people here, on both sides of the aisle.

“And many of you have told me that this isn’t what you signed up for – arguing past each other on cable shows, the constant fundraising, always looking over your shoulder at how the base will react to every decision.

“Imagine if we broke out of these tired old patterns.  Imagine if we did something different.

“Understand – a better politics isn’t one where Democrats abandon their agenda or Republicans simply embrace mine. 

“A better politics is one where we appeal to each other’s basic decency instead of our basest fears. 

“A better politics is one where we debate without demonizing each other; where we talk issues, and values, and principles, and facts, rather than “gotcha” moments, or trivial gaffes, or fake controversies that have nothing to do with people’s daily lives. 

“A better politics is one where we spend less time drowning in dark money for ads that pull us into the gutter, and spend more time lifting young people up, with a sense of purpose and possibility, and asking them to join in the great mission of building America.

“If we’re going to have arguments, let’s have arguments – but let’s make them debates worthy of this body and worthy of this country,” Obama said.

At the very moment the guy is paying lip service to rising above petty politics, he can’t help but engage in it.

But, it’s what the left loves.

Progressives, liberals, Democrats, and the media (but I repeat myself) are ecstatic about this exchange.

After all, they shall not be mocked.

Mockery is only for conservatives, libertarians, and Republicans.

Maybe this “epic burn” by Obama would be a bit more epic if his Democratic Party colleagues hadn’t just suffered an epic defeat in the November election.

The following was posted Jan. 8:

Maybe focusing on wooing the “creative class” isn’t such a great model after all.

The guy who came up with the term (prompting progressive elected officials, planners, and bureaucrats all over the nation to cater to these childless, young hipsters) wrote a piece in the NY Times:

For a middle-class person , the American dream of a big house with a backyard and a couple of cars is much more achievable in low-tax Arizona than in deep-blue Massachusetts. As Jed Kolko, chief economist of Trulia, recently noted, housing costs almost twice as much in deep-blue markets ($227 per square foot) than in red markets ($119).

Perhaps our local leaders might take note, particularly given the constant complaint that Asheville has a two-tier economic class system of rich retirees/refugees from high-tax states and the service industry workers that make poverty wages.

Perhaps our local progressive leaders will start wondering whether making an area more “Blue” might also be creating a population with greater income and economic disparity.

Or perhaps not.