The Dish

America's top fake news source reports:

"In accordance with my activist agenda to secularize the nation, this court finds Christmas to be unlawful," Judge Reinhardt said. "The celebration of the birth of the philosopher Jesus—be it in the form of gift-giving, the singing of carols, fanciful decorations, or general good cheer and warm feelings amongst families—is in violation of the First Amendment principles upon which this great nation was founded."

Brent Bozell complained a few years ago that gays are featured in comic strips, or in Bozell's words, that comics have become "a red-light neighborhood where sexually perverted superheroes…[are] packaged to elicit from children fascination and sympathy". John Haffner Jeet Heer responds by posting old homophobic comics:

There are enough of these gay characters that one could easily do an anthology called “The Gay Image In Comics before Stonewall.” The general point to make about these characters is that they are all homophobic stereotypes, although the tone of the representation varies greatly. Sometimes the cartoonists were mildly satirical (as swishy she-men), sometimes melodramatically hostile (as vile seducers of children).

One last point needs to be made: conservatives like Bozell never objected to these gay stereotypes when they flourished in the comics. So what people of this ilk are upset about is not the representation of homosexual per se, but about the fact that gays are increasingly shown in a neutral or favourable light. As long as gays are represented in a homophobic way, Bozell and his political allies would never raise a voice of objection. For the Bozells of the world, it is okay to show gays, as long as you don’t show them as human beings.

(Hat tip: Hit & Run)

Nate Silver puts the spike in context:

The bottom line is that, by the stock market's estimation, the private health care industry appears as though it will benefit if the Senate enacts its plan. But the benefit — about $16 billion in discounted cashflows — is small as compared to the total magnitude of the program, and likely reflects an increase in the size of their customer base rather than any anticipation of higher profit margins.

But the deeper point is: why is so much hostility to the bill wrapped up in the horror that private insurance companies might actually make some money off this? That's what private companies are supposed to do. They're constrained from many of their worst and cruelest tactics in this reform, but remain the primary vehicle for it, as was well advertized from the very beginning. It seems to me that many on the left so loathe these companies they'd rather leave people uninsured than allow the insurance industry to benefit. That strikes me as ideology speaking.

A reader writes:

You gotta check out Robert Earl Keen’s "Merry Christmas from the Family." It’s not so much depressing as a hyper-realistic depiction of what most people’s Christmases are probably like: the anti-Norman Rockwell holiday. Plus I’m willing to lay money that it’s the only Christmas song with the word “tampons” in it.

Another writes:

It's not exactly depressing as it is celebratory of a decidedly different (and distinctly southern, or at least Texan) observance of Christmas. 

Just this past Monday, I was part of a group of musicians that went down to the local homeless shelter to provide a backdrop for a local church's holiday festival.  While I'm probably the least talented musician in the group, for the second year in a row, my stint at the microphone with this four chord two-stepper beat out the intricately finger-picked Joy to the World and an amazingly soulful O Mary Don't You Weep for the loudest and longest applause.  Last year, I was concerned that it would be too southern caucasian for the African-American folks in the audience, but they laughed and clapped as loud as anyone.  This year, I was a bit more concerned about singing about the controversial Mexican boyfriend with a handful of Latinos in the crowd, but two of them specifically came up afterwards and told me they really liked it.

I take no credit for any of this — it's Robert Earl Keen's Christmas masterpiece that carries it.  People not from the South may misunderstand this as a sneering parody, but it's not at all.  It's a song of intense love and acceptance of what is outwardly hilarious dysfunction but is really a picture of adaptation to modernity.

Enduring America’s Scott Lucas:

Even by the standards of the outstanding footage we received yesterday — too much in the end for us to do more than give a snapshot of the events — this video is, well, incredible

He later adds:

[T]o raise a smile, set this foootage against the claim in the pro-regime newspaper Kayhan, noted in yesterday’s updates, that “a maximum of 5000 people” turned out.

Today on the Dish we monitored the public mourning of Montazeri. Robert Worth explained the significance of his death, Mousavi could have been killed, and we watched some stirring footage here, here, here, and here. The Times of London helped us look ahead.

In healthcare commentary, Jon Cohn and Maggie Mahar dove into the details, Krugman talked cost, Adam Ozimek tackled pork, Ambinder dispensed wisdom, and Ezra predicted a quick fade of public debate. Andrew recognized Obama keeping his "universal" pledge and Douthat called out the AWOL of the GOP.  We also noted some predictable partisanship, ugly rhetoric, and really ugly rhetoric.

In assorted commentary, Andrew examined the 1990s in depth and Fareed put a spotlight on Iraq. Sarah Palin became the liar of the year (even without the latest doozy over "threats" to her daughters). Human Events lionized Cheney while Newt did his best imitation. Julian Sanchez took on Dish readers over free will, Jerry Coyne revisited theodicy, and readers discussed the atheist "ban." Patrick elucidated the workings of the Dish and elicited some feedback from James Joyner. This was a great quote.

We continued to compile Christmas songs here, here, and here, with some cynical smack-down here. The Dish began a retrospective on this year's Recession Views. And be sure to check out our annual contest if you missed it.

— C.B.

The death of Montazeri has paved the way for Ashura to be quite a day:

The Green Movement appears to be emboldened and gaining momentum, and this is a week of great opportunity. The sacred month of Muharram culminates on Sunday in the emotionally charged holiday of Ashura, when Shia Muslims mourn the 7th century martyrdom of Prophet Muhammad’s grandson and the talk is of sacrifice.

The opposition is planning nationwide protests that day, and the fact that Ashura coincides with the seventh day since Montazeri’s death, an important date in the Shia mourning ritual, will give them greater impetus.

“Montazeri’s death could not have come at a worse time for the regime and it will rachet up the tensions considerably,” Dr Ansari said. “This has made an extremely fragile situation even worse for the Government and it will be scrambling to find a way to deal with it.”

Know hope.

Human Events gives the award to war criminal and deficit-lover Dick Cheney. John Bolton wrote the editorial, natch:

Cheney knows that the personal attacks on him, as offensive as they are, in reality constitute stark evidence that Obama and his supporters are simply unable to match him in the substantive policy debate. An old lawyers’ cliché says: “If the law is against you, pound on the facts; if the facts are against you, pound on the law; if the law and the facts are against you, pound on the table.” Obama and his supporters are doing the political equivalent of continuous table-pounding, because that’s basically all they have to offer. Cheney’s unwillingness to be deterred by the media assaults on his character, his judgment and his performance in office are therefore his most impressive force multiplier with the general public. Outside-the-Beltway Americans see him for exactly what he is: a very experienced, very dedicated patriot, giving his fellow citizens his best analysis on how to keep them and their country safe.

Adam Serwer sighs. I find the whole nyah-nyah tone absurd; and the refusal to face up to the fundamental breach of the rule of law and the legacy of importing torture and abuse of prisoners directly into the American system of government to be as depressing as it is familiar.

(Hat tip: Weigel)