The Song Not on Al Franken's iPod  Dear Jolter, Welcome to the final day of a wild week, one of the highlights of which was the resignation of Senator Al Franken (D, Minnegroper). His so-long-suckers statement from the Senate floor found no inspiration in Brenda Lee's hit tune. And while there is little in Stuart Smalley to remind one of Arthur Fonzarelli, there is plenty of the Franken arrogance to be found in the Fonz's inability to say "sorry" (as well as "wrong"). Editorials 1. Your Friendly Neighborhood Conservative Editors produced but one this week past, on The Donald's big announcement to formally relocate the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. From our editorial praising this decision: Moving the embassy will take time to carry out, and Trump's recognition is mostly a symbolic decision. Nonetheless, it is an important one. We applaud President Trump for following through on this promise, recognizing Israel's rights as a sovereign state, and bringing American practice in line with the American consensus. Glorious and Wonderful Podcasts 1. God is good. About two years ago I fell in with James Rosen, of Fox News, on a project to publish a collection of Bill Buckley-written obituaries. It all worked out, hitch-free, and A Torch Kept Lit: Great Lives of the Twentieth Century became a best seller. All of this is a prelude to encourage you to listen to the new episode of The Jamie Weinstein Show, whose host interviews James about Watergate, the Beatles, boxing, Bill Buckley, President Trump, Fox News critics, books that shaped him, and much more. 2. It's a busy week for The Liberty Files as David French and Alexandra DeSanctis break down the Masterpiece Cakeshop oral arguments, contemplate Justice Kennedy's "anti-bully" jurisprudence, discuss the most surprising moment of the argument, and make their optimistic and pessimistic predictions. 3. In just the second episode of their new podcast, Projections, movie critics extraordinaire Kyle Smith and Ross Douthat discuss Lady Bird, the award-winning coming-of-age comedy about a Catholic high school student, the dark revenge comedy Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and why it's impossible to turn away from The Godfather when you're flipping through the channels. Terrific stuff. 4. The Editors tries to make sense of a crazed week. In the new episode Rich, Charlie, Reihan, and MBD discuss the Franken Exit, the Michael Flynn charge, the GOP's proposed move to entitlement reform, and President Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. 5. Kevin and Charlie found themselves in NR's new headquarters, and there was a room with microphones in it, so what else could happen but a new face-to-face episode of Mad Dogs and Englishmen? Huzzah. Our dynamic duo discuss the new digs, conservatives and The Donald, and whether it's "iPhone X" or "iPhone 10." The program features an unplanned guest appearance by Rich Lowry (someone forgot to lock the studio door obviously). 6. In the new Behind Enemy Lines episode of The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, our intrepid host and his guest, Steve Hayward, currently a visiting professor at University of California, Berkeley, focus on what conservatives can do to make more inroads into higher education, and why elite schools should welcome the effort. 7. Jay goes Jaywalking about Tolstoy and limited government and much more. 8. Then, on the new episode of QandA, Jay interviews former Obama Defense secretary Ash Carter about nuclear proliferation, North Korea, Iran, and the size of the U.S. military. 9. Cheer up! Over at The Great Books, John J. Miller and Hillsdale professor Justin Jackson get their Dostoyevsky on and discuss his classic, The Brothers Karamazov. 10. Johnny then turns in his chair, hangs up The Bookmonger sign, and yaps it up with Arthur Herman about his new book, 1917: Lenin, Wilson, and the Birth of the New World Disorder. 11. Have you ever seen the rain? Well, you'll hear about it when you tune in to the new episode of Political Beats, in which Scotty and The Jeffster talk with the Washington Examiner's Philip Wegmann about Creedence Clearwater Revival. 12. Last but oh-so-not-least, the David and Will combo that makes up Radio Free California has produced yet another episode, looking at Governor Jerry Brown's surprise state supreme court filing on government unions, the threat to California posed by North Korean nukes, a giant sphinx's head buried in the dunes of north Santa Barbara County, an update on the GOP tax plan's implications for the Golden State, and more. A Dozen National Review Pieces that Will Tickle Your Fancy if You Grant Permission 1. Was a truer thing ever written than what Kyle Smith said earlier this week in his terrific essay? In the decades since its release, many a television channel-flipper has discovered that, once landed upon, The Godfather is more or less impossible to switch off. 2. George Will finds himself on the wrong side of David French, and the facts, and free speech, in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case. 3. So the tax reform bill now goes to conference. Ramesh Ponnuru takes to The Corner to explain the real problem with the politics of eliminating the state income-tax deduction. 4. And if that wasn't enough wisdom, Andrew Stuttaford chimes in to say the "reform" may have little upside on the GOP base but plenty of political downside for Democrat voters. 5. There's a big threat coming at public unions, and its name is Janus: Jason Hart explains the drastic implications this high-profile case portends for unions and its members who are tired of bankrolling leftist insanity. From his piece: Public-employee unions negotiate over government services, government employees, and government budgets, so it was never practical to draw a line between which of their activities could and could not be funded with compelled fees. If the mounting evidence persuades the Supreme Court to recognize that fact, Mark Janus and millions of other public employees will finally be able to opt out of funding unions' political activism without losing their jobs. 6. Is this the end of Theresa? John O'Sullivan checks out the ramifications of the Brexit negotiations for Britain's prime minister. From his piece: But will Theresa May fall? Not if she can find her inner Boadicea, reshuffle her Cabinet to get one more representative of post-referendum Tory opinion, and lay out a personal vision of Brexit that is optimistic, inspiring, and bold. If that risks rows with Brussels and her own civil service, that should be seen as a plus. But she has to do that very quickly indeed — in fact, today will be her first test. She has promised the Irish prime minister to deliver a new proposal to restart (I almost wrote "reset") the negotiations on a more favorable course. Let's see how she does. 7. The federal land-grab practice under the guise of national "monuments" -- a favorite stunt under the Obama Administration -- is getting Trump Administration comeuppance. Utah congressman Rob Bishop cheers the reversal. 8. Andy McCarthy cautions that folks should take a breath before turning Trump-hating FBI Agent Peter Strzok into a piñata. OK Andy, but I got my stick ready! 9. Eat organic apples, get fertile. Or, not. Julie Kelly squashes the latest line of lefty bilge. 10. Protectionism hurts. Daniel Griswold crunches centuries of numbers. A nugget: The Civil War upended U.S. trade policy, as it did so much else, and ushered in a second era marked by high tariffs to protect certain U.S. industries. One sad fact that comes through clearly from Irwin's meticulous scholarship is that the protectionism of this era did a lot more to build the lobbyist swamp than it did to build the U.S. economy. Every trade bill that moved through Congress invited a feeding frenzy of special interests seeking protection. Hundreds of pages of the Congressional Record were filled with speeches justifying higher tariffs on sugar, wool, glass, pig iron, and hundreds of other domestically made products. 11. Our Fearless Leader, one Rich Lowry, watched the Franken resignation speech and ruled it farcical. 12. He makes an excellent argument about changing regulations concerning restaurant tipping, but that said, I'd pass on dining with Robert VerBruggen for the next couple of weeks. BONUS: Consider these two smart assessments of legislators of yore who changed history's course. Jay Nordlinger writes on Michigan Republican senator Arthur Vandenberg, and Victor Davis Hanson remembers Georgia Democrat congressman Carl Vinson. Seven Pieces by Friends and Others that We Encourage You to Read 1. Good Ol' Mark Hemingway writing for The Federalist, looks into the warped social-media attacks on porn actress August Ames which drove her to suicide. From his commentary: For a while now, the joke has been that political correctness is moving so swiftly that not only will you have to approve of gay sex, it will become mandatory. I don't mean this as an unfortunately literal bit of gallows humor, but Ames' death does raise eyebrows because it speaks to a frightening dystopia where any traditional deference to female vulnerability becomes subservient to liberal pieties about sexuality. 2. Bet you didn't know that philanthropy has an original sin. It does. William Schambra explains in The New Atlantis. From his piece: And yet, in all this deafening clamor of self-approbation, we rarely hear from these foundations about another undertaking that bears all the strategic hallmarks of American philanthropy's much-touted successes, with far more significant results: that the first American foundations were deeply immersed in eugenics -- the effort to promote the reproduction of the "fit" and to suppress the reproduction of the "unfit." 3. At Law and Liberty, Brian Smith reflects on Walker Percy and how his writings provide guidance for our current deranged times. 4. With no war afoot, with fertility rates plunging, writing in First Things, George Weigel asks and answers the question, What's Changed since Humane Vitae? 5. Attention all Commie short-shrifters and excuse-mongers. In the 100 years since Lenin launched the Russian Revolution, the students of Marx and Engel have killed or caused the deaths of 100 million people. Writing for The Harvard Crimson, Laura Nicolae takes it all personally. Here's a slice of her reflection: Many in my generation have blurred the reality of communism with the illusion of utopia. I never had that luxury. Growing up, my understanding of communism was personalized; I could see its lasting impact in the faces of my family members telling stories of their past. My perspective toward the ideology is radically different because I know the people who survived it; my relatives continue to wonder about their friends who did not. 6. Looks like Turkey may be laundering billions for Iran. Burak Bekdil files this report for Gatestone Institute. 7. A group of Rhodes Scholars are accusing the program of having a distinct leftward bias. Nathan Rubbelke of The College Fix reports. The DeVoe Kiss-up Project Big Phil edits this mess every week. It ain't easy working for a heartless dope: Once I made him miss his own wedding because I was late with some copy about baseball arcania. At least that's how he explained his tears one Saturday. Guilt getting the better part of me, I figured I owe Phil a little attention. Seriously though, I want you folks to see what this terrific young journalist is up to once a keyboard gets underneath his flying fingers. Fregsample: In "Socialism by Any Other Name," Phil looks at Seattle elections and discovers an ideological nitwit. And do check out his Corner post collecting pearl-clutching reactions to the Senate's passage of the tax bill. Now get back to work you lazy lump! Follow, follow, follow Deep in December it's nice to remember: Philip Wegmann, Philip DeVoe, Richard Brookhiser, Hank Aaron, James Rosen, Susan Konig, Anne Bayefsky, Cam Edwards, John R. Lott Jr, Quin Hillyer, Jibran Khan, David Limbaugh. Baseballery Think about it. If Hank Aaron had begun his Major League career two years earlier, in 1952 (he was playing in the minors that year, in Wisconsin for the Braves' C League team, the Eau Claire Bears), surely he'd have been one of the first 3,000 names in the Boston telephone directory. A dios It's supposed to snow in these here parts (Milford, CT) today. As you read this I may be out on the driveway, armed with a shovel and an ample gut, huffin' and puffin' and daring The Widow Maker. If I am not back next week, do remember to be kindly to the wee ones, and widows and orphans. Find some strays and invite them for Christmas, and related, it comes on the 12th, so Happy Hanukkah early. Buy lots and lots of National Review gift subscriptions. God's blessings on you and yours, and if you are visiting NYC for any reason, come and see us at 19 West 44th Street (give me a heads up at jfowler@nationalreview.com). Tis the season, Jack Falalalala (Fowler) | 
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