NOT A CULT: Greta Thunberg Prayer Candles Are Now Available for $18 Plus Shipping.

Earlier: Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI): We Should Believe in Climate Change as If It’s a Religion, Not a Science.

While Nietzsche assured the Jurassic “woke” class of the late 19th century that “God is dead,” most of the branches of the “Progressivism” that followed are forms of a substitute religion to fill the void, including both radical environmentalism, and even socialist health care. As the late Tom Wolfe wrote in his epochal 1976 article, “The ‘Me’ Decade and the Third Great Awakening,” “It is entirely possible that in the long run historians will regard the entire New Left experience as not so much a political as a religious episode wrapped in semi military gear and guerrilla talk.” (That line was written with early ‘70s radical chic in mind, but reverberates quite nicely today, given Antifa’s current love of paramilitary cosplay.)

REP. DUNCAN HUNTER RESIGNS FROM CONGRESS: “The California Republican pleaded guilty last month to misusing campaign funds. He was barred from voting in the House soon after. His resignation will take effect Jan. 13.”

CLIMATE CHANGE OR ARSON? 24 Australians Charged With Intentionally Setting Bushfires.

JIM TREACHER ON CNN’S SETTLEMENT WITH ‘MAGA HAT KID’ NICK SANDMANN: “The next time some journo lectures you about falling for fake news or being mean to a child like Greta Thunberg, Google them and see what they said about Nick Sandmann. That kid is still owed a lot of apologies from a lot of media types.”

MY THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ARE WITH DON LEMON: As The Good Professor blogged here, CNN coughed up a settlement in the libel claim brought by Nick Sandman, one of the horrible, terrible, vicious and very very racist Covington Kids. In digging through the case file, I found this little gem argued by CNN:

“Courts treat statements characterizing people as “racist” as nonactionable opinion because they cannot be proved true or false… Sandmann cannot as a matter of law base a defamation claim on this statement as it offers an expression of opinion so subjective as to be unprovable.”

So, now CNN is saying it’s not possible to prove someone a racist? Did anyone run this by Don LeMons, who would call a dog “racist” if it pooped in his yard?

SHOTGUN OF THE YEAR: Citadel RSS1.

THE PAST FEW DAYS HAVE PROVED HIGHLY INSTRUCTIVE: The Democratic media hate Trump more than they love Iran — or America.

BECAUSE BLACK PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY DEMOCRAT POLS, GET A PASS FOR ANTISEMITISM? Why the Jersey City official who called local Jews ‘brutes’ has not resigned. “Since expressing sympathy for shooters in attack, Board of Education member Joan Terrell-Paige has received support from local leaders and residents.”

FIGHT THE POWER: Covington teen Nick Sandmann bags CNN settlement in $250 million lawsuit; CNN falsely broadcast into ‘millions of homes’ the ‘idea that [Sandmann] was part of a mob…yelling racist slurs.’

My favorite reaction: “‘We just want this to go away so we can get back to mourning the death of Qassem Soleimani,’ one senior CNN executive was heard to say.”

UPDATE: More here: CNN Settles Lawsuit Brought by Covington Catholic Student Nicholas Sandmann.

YOUR OTHER PEOPLE’S MONEY: Solyndra 2: Boondoggle Boogaloo.

Remember Solyndra, the solar energy company with Democratic Party connections that sucked up some half a billion dollars worth of green energy loans before going belly up?

If you liked Solyndra, you’re gonna love the Crescent Dunes solar plant near Tonopah, Nevada. Thanks to the efforts of Obama energy secretary Steven Chu and then-majority leader Harry Reid, it sucked up $737 million in federal loan guarantees.

Tiny problem: It was obsolete before it ever came online.

It’s nice to be the nomenklatura.

WE SHOULD PROBABLY PASS A LAW AGAINST IT, JUST TO BE SURE: Joaquin Phoenix Urges Celebrities Not to ‘Take Private Jets’ to Award Shows.

Taking private jets to climate panic conferences would still be cool though, right?

THAT SOUNDS HANDY: Engineers design on-skin electronic device providing a personal air conditioner without needing electricity.

WHAT HAVE WE BEEN REWARDING? What BF Skinner and Richard Feynman Can Tell Us About Iran.

PUNCHING BACK TWICE AS HARD: Covington Catholic Student Nick Sandmann Gets Settlement From CNN After $275 Million Lawsuit.

As the Babylon Bee “joked:” CNN Attacks Babylon Bee: ‘The Internet Is Only Big Enough For One Fake News Site.’

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OH: Hot Mic Catches Two Virginia Democrats Scheming to Ignore Speeches by ‘Mixed Up Little Kid’ ‘Gun Guys.’

SUPER GAFFE-O-MATIC ‘76: “‘Iran’s parliament, Iran’s parliament voted to eject all Americans and coalition forces from the country,’ said Biden at a campaign stop in New York City.”

OH, THE HUMANITY: Stampede kills 56 at funeral for Iranian general slain by US.

Related: Time magazine has put together a handy guide to ‘talking with the children in your life about’ Qasem Suleimani’s death (spoiler: Trump’s the bad guy).

TIME FOR SOME CLEANUP: Five States Face Federal Lawsuit Over Inaccurate Voter Registrations. “In 378 U.S. counties, voter registration rates exceed 100% of the adult population, meaning there are more voter registrations on file than the total voting-age population, according to a new analysis by the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch. Based on data the federal Electoral Assistance Commission released last year, the new analysis indicates that a minimum of 2.5 million voter registrations are wrongly listed as valid. It suggests widespread lack of compliance with the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), which requires states to remove people who have died, moved, or are otherwise ineligible to vote from the rolls. While having excess registrations isn’t proof of voter fraud, voter integrity advocates note that it does create opportunities for deception, such as allowing people to vote twice in different precincts or submit invalid absentee ballots.”

I HAD BEEN ASSURED THAT BLOCKCHAIN MADE THIS KIND OF THING IMPOSSIBLE: Almost $300 Million Stolen From Crypto-Exchanges In 2019.

I’M NOT SAYING THAT IT’S ALIENS, BUT IT’S ALIENS: In a nearby galaxy, a fast radio burst unravels more questions than answers.

GREEN NUDE EEL ALREADY PAYING DIVIDENDS: Federal government to close over 1 inch of expected snow.

IT’S GOOD TO BE THE NOMENKLATURA: As Mayor, Pete Buttigieg Saw His Own Street Repaved. “Though his street was not initially slated for repavement by the city in the summer of 2017, emails obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request show that Buttigieg’s then-chief of staff Angela Kouters expressed concern that Buttigieg’s home would not benefit from road maintenance.”

HEH: CNN Attacks Babylon Bee: ‘The Internet Is Only Big Enough For One Fake News Site.’