Random links of interest, concern or curiosity from the past week or so, that deserve at least a SHORT mention:

 
So after a broken internet connection turned a long weekend into a five day break, it’s time to get back into the blogging groove. Thought I might as well get caught up with last Saturday’s “Shorts.” Lot’s going on, most of it not good. But hey – someone’s gotta document the decline.
 
Methodist Lobby: Divest from Israel, Invest in North Korea, Legalize Prostitution ~ It appears that the Methodists have totally slipped berth and set sail on the surreal sea.
 
Obama: Freed Gitmo Terrorists I Said “Weren’t Terrorists” Are Terrorists After All ~ Yeah. Oops. And ISIS is the JV team. Just more audacity from team BHO ~

You see these Gitmo terrorists were sent to Uruguay. But the house where they live is right near the U.S. Embassy in Montevideo. And so these terrorists have the chutzpah to demonstrate in front of the U.S. Embassy, because after a decade of Gitmo-fare, they are demanding more welfare from the United States.
 
(And of course)… “the close proximity to the embassy, combined with the apparent lack of host country mitigation measures, poses a potential risk to the safety and security of our embassy and its employees, including local hires.”

 
Obama Administration’s Major Regulations Cost More Than $80 Billion Annually ~

The major regulations imposed by the Obama administration now cost Americans more than $80 billion a year—twice as much as the rules issued by the Bush administration at the six-year mark, according to a Heritage Foundation report released today.

Here’s a guy with an exciting proposal to push back against this regulation onslaught ~ The case for conservative civil disobedience

[Hat-tip: Bobo]

 
Baltimore: The Summing Up ~ A pithy photo-commentary on the Freddie Gray riots and racism.
 
Former Abortion Clinic Owner: We Pushed Sex Ed on Kids to Create a Market for Abortion ~ Carol Everett, who operated four abortion clinics in Texas, reveals the evil motivation behind sexualizing our youth. She asserts that what passes for “sexual education” is deliberately stealing away the innate modesty of children and creating a rift between children and their parents.
 
Hawaii’s $205 Million Obamacare Exchange Implodes ~ Gee, no one saw this coming

Since its implementation, the exchange has somehow failed to become financially viable because of lower than expected Obamacare enrollment figures. With the state legislature rejecting a $28 million bailout, the website will now be unable to operate past this year.

Student Sues University after Failing Course Twice ~ Because it shouldn’t hurt to be stupid.
 
U.S. State Dept. Invites Muslim Leaders, Denies Christians ~ This is appalling ~

After inviting a number of foreign religious leaders, mostly Muslim, the U.S. State Department, for the second time in a row, denied the sole Christian representative (an Iraqi nun) a visa — despite (or perhaps because of) the fact that Christians are the ones being persecuted by Muslims […]
 
… discussing the nun’s visa denial, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said: “This is an administration which never seems to find a good enough excuse to help Christians, but always finds an excuse to apologize for terrorists … I hope that as it gets attention that Secretary [of State John] Kerry will reverse it. If he doesn’t, Congress has to investigate, and the person who made this decision ought to be fired.”

Nice try Newt, but this has been going on for years. No one in a position to do anything will give a damn.

Amtrak engineer a homosexual and therefore protected by the American media? ~ Yes, it’s a well-known Leftism; Truth must be subverted when there’s an agenda to protect.

 
Injured sea turtle gets 3D printed jaw ~ This new technology is really amazing ~

A 3D-printed beak has been fitted to a sea turtle injured by a collision with a boat’s propeller.
The beak, made of medical-grade titanium, replaces the loggerhead turtle’s jaws, half of which were sheared off in the accident.