RAND SIMBERG: Jeffrey Sachs vs. Victor Davis Hanson. “It’s no contest. In theory, they invented the mercy rule for things like this, but Sachs is undeserving. As a commenter notes, it’s rare to see such a pure, nasty, unadulterated version of ad hominem, but when you do it generally comes from a clueless leftist.”

A LOOK AT Obama Disappointment Syndrome.

DOES NORAD’S SANTA-TRACKING violate the Establishment Clause?

HOW TO KEEP YOUR SHOTGUN safe and handy. Plus, from the comments: “I modified one to hold a chainsaw…for the zombies.” But note the wussy comments from Brits. Pathetic.

THE CAR LUST GUYS review Santa’s Sleigh.

BILL QUICK: What Republicans need to remember about the American Dream.

REASONS NOT TO BUY AN IPAD FOR CHRISTMAS: Including this one:

10. The whole Apple cult is starting to creep me out.

OK, I already knew about the fans. Last summer, three-quarters of the people standing in line so they could buy the new iPhone the moment it went on sale already owned an iPhone. But now it’s the company, too. Look at how it reacted last spring, when a Silicon Valley blogger scooped an early iPhone 4: Next thing he knew he was being handcuffed on his lawn in front of his wife while police ransacked his house. And think of Steve Jobs, complaining that news coverage of the iPhone 4’s troubled aerial had been “blown so out of proportion that it’s incredible.” Hmmm, out-of-proportion media coverage—you sure you want to go there, Steve? This is the guy marketing a new telephone under the slogan “This changes everything. Again.” Maybe this stuff shouldn’t matter to me, but I have to confess it’s turning me off.

Indeed.

SCIENCE: Uncertainty Can Increase Romantic Attraction. Ya think?

“RENT IS TOO DAMN HIGH” PARTY CANDIDATE to run against Obama. We can all use a little levity. . . .

MIRACLE ON 22D STREET: “Two New York City men feel a tremendous responsibility to respond properly when they mysteriously receive hundreds of letters addressed to Santa Claus at their Chelsea apartment.”

THEY TOLD ME IF I VOTED FOR JOHN MCCAIN, the federal government would oppose protecting Polar Bears. And they were right! “Environmentalists who challenged the listing in court had hoped that Obama administration officials would seize the opportunity to ditch the Bush administration’s decision and extend stronger protections to the species.”

UPDATE: Obama Administration Defends Bush Polar Bear Position.

EXPLODING A TAX MYTH: A 2008 OECD study of leading economies found that ‘taxation is most progressively distributed in the United States.’ More so than Sweden or France. The problem in the United States is that too many people vote, but don’t pay income taxes.

MARRIAGE LITE: Straight Couples Choosing Civil Unions.

SERVICES I DON’T USE: Amazon Tote: Sorry, Prime seems better. Amazon Fresh: I’d use this, if it were offered where I live. But it’s not. Sigh.

UPDATE: Yeah, I know Tote’s not in my area either, but I wouldn’t use it if it were. What’s the point, exactly?

ANOTHER UPDATE: A Seattle reader emails:

Prime is better but we do use Amazon Tote occasionally, because:

1) The tote is awesome. It is large, strong, waterproof and it is yours to keep.

2) Waterproof delivery. Living in Seattle means that it rains most days and not only is there not much protection from the weather at our front door, one of the regular UPS delivery drivers tries to be helpful by hiding our packages in the bushes — where the boxes frequently get wet and dirty. We haven’t had an order get damaged but it is a worry.

Sounds like it should be called Amazon Dry!

FASTER, PLEASE: Printable batteries at 400 Watt hours per kilogram and other ARPA-E funded battery projects.

CHANGE? Gates Reminds Troops That “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Is Still In Effect.

MICKEY KAUS: Obama, Hispanic Immigration Activists Rethink Core Strategy. “In the wake of the defeat of the DREAM Act—long considered the immigrant legalization bill that would be easiest to pass—the once-confident ‘immigration reform’ movement has entered an introspective, questioning phase. Activists are openly asking how their leaders, such as Rep. Luis Gutierrez, could have so misjudged the public mood as to lead them to near-total defeat.” But read the whole thing.

TEEN BIRTHRATE HITS RECORD LOW. I credit all the porn and videogames.

UPDATE: Reader Dick Moore emails: “Teen birth rates are going down due to effectiveness of depo-provera shots; check on % of health dept budgets spent on Depo-provera around USA.” This may explain teenage weight gain, to some degree, as well . . . .

A COMPUTER CHIP THAT CAN sequence a genome in minutes?

MEDIA TALKING POINTS SURVEY: Not Journalism, but JournoListism.

SPIRIT OF AMERICA on the ground in Afghanistan. And Rob “N.Z. Bear” Neppell emails to remind that you can donate to ’em here.

CHANGE: Union Visits Private Home To Intimidate: Local Media Calls It Caroling. “Are you kidding me? A caravan of 80 people to sing insults and, according to eyewitnesses, shouting ‘F*CK YOU’ at various houses right before Christmas? This isn’t ‘caroling,’ this is intimidation.”

Have pro-lifers do the same thing at Planned Parenthood folks’ homes, and see how they cover that. Just remember, the political pitchfork is turning, people are paying attention, the media don’t control the narrative any more, and all this stuff is precedent . . . .

GUESS WHO LOVES the enlightened despotism of Chinese-style family planning? Also, strangely, mandatory abortion doesn’t get pro-choice people too upset. Or even intrusive “gynecological surveillance.”

MAKING SENSE of the Chevy Volt’s EPA label.