Show Notes 12-24-15

Thursday show 12-24-15

A Visit from St. Nicholas
Clement Clarke Moore wrote his immortal poem, A Visit from St. Nicholas, also known as The Night Before Christmas, for his family on Christmas Eve 1822. He never intended that it be published, but a family friend, Miss Harriet Butler, learned of the poem sometime later from Moore's children.
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The Night Before Christmas
'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds;
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A time when no one was afraid to say Merry Christmas
When the first World War began, British women suffragists sent an open Christmas letter “To the Women of Germany and Austria” as the first Christmas of the war approached. Pope Benedict XV, Dec. 7, 1914, begged for a truce, asking: “that the guns may fall silent at least upon the night the angels sang.”
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Rep. Fincher Introduces Bill to Combat Radicalization in Federal Prisons
U.S. Rep. Stephen Fincher (R-TN) introduced legislation last week to combat the ongoing radicalization of inmates in federal prisons. “Over the years, our Federal prisons have become a breeding ground for radicalization.
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Heavily redacted Benghazi emails released on Christmas Eve
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) released a handful of sensitive documents Thursday morning dealing with terrorism suspect Anwar al-Awlaki and the terrorist attacks in Benghazi, Libya.
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Christmas Eve danger: Troops attacked as tourists flock to Bethlehem
Four Palestinians were killed on Thursday, among them three who Israel said were carrying out attacks on soldiers in the West Bank, as tourists and Christian faithful were gathering in Bethlehem for Christmas celebrations.
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Official: VA Changes Policy on Declaring Veterans Dead
The federal government has acknowledged that it wrongly declared more than 100 veterans dead and suspended their benefit payments, and says it is changing its policy of confirming deaths.
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Obama: ‘Bisexual Men and Women in Uniform Make Our Country Stronger’
President Barack Obama, who is vacationing in Hawaii, released a pre-Christmas statement yesterday, celebrating the fifth anniversary of his having signed legislation that allows openly homosexual, lesbian and bisexual individuals to serve in the U.S. military.
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SEAL: How a Failed Mission to Rescue Bergdahl Caused Irreparable Loss
The juxtaposition of two American military men who could stand in the same courtroom in the coming months couldn't be set in more stark relief. Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl faces a general court-martial for walking off of his base in eastern Afghanistan in 2009.
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Washington’s Christmas Poem: ‘Assist Me to Sing the Morn, On Which the Savior of Mankind Was Born’
George Washington, the first president of the United States and a Founding Father of our nation, was a devout Christian baptized shortly after his birth by his parents, who were members of the Church of England.
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