Blog Heap of Links for the day 2 January 2016

Broken Arrow, Oklahoma - A [36yo] masked, costumed man with a swastika tattoo on his forehead was arrested shortly before 8 a.m. local time Wednesday after refusing to leave a Kum and Go store and locking himself in the bathroom. …was wearing a red costume, including a mask… became abusive to officers… eventually arrested for obstruction. …had previously been seen in other businesses including a Whataburger…

When two-year-old Scarlette Tipton first met her new 3-month-old friend in December, she noticed right away what made Holly special.

“Owie?” Scarlette said, pointing to the kitten’s amputated right front leg.

“Yes,” Simone Tipton told her daughter, who also had an amputated limb. Scarlette lost her left arm due to a rare form of cancer when she was only 10 months old.

“Yes, an owie. Just like you,” her mother said. “But she’s okay – just like you are too.”…

…the family was trying to make it home to Tennessee to attend their father’s funeral. …the family watched as their plane slowly made its way towards the runway. The airline worker told them there was nothing they could do. …Rick, standing in the window, caught the pilot’s attention — he was screaming, crying and waving his hands. But the pilot tells Fox 10 that he didn’t need an explanation, “he saw the tears, the sadness, the desperation on their faces.”…

… Trump said, “I don’t like [what Obama’s] doing. I don’t like anything having to do with changing our Second Amendment.”

Trump said the the US already has “plenty of rules and regulations” and there are “plenty of things that [the Obama administration] can do right now that are already there.” But he pointed out that Obama is not doing those things–i.e., he is not enforcing the laws that are already on the books. Instead, he is seeking more and more regulations.…

As we begin a fresh new year which hasn't yet stunk up the calendar, it's time to look back on 2015 and reflect on the ups, the downs, and the freaking miracle that we somehow got through it without all ending up in drug rehab.…

Back after a two week holiday hiatus, the Saturday Movie Matinee is back. …

At least three terror attacks occurred in the West on New Year’s Day. That’s not counting the Amish terrorists who set fire to the skyscraper in Dubai; technically speaking, that happened on New Year’s Eve. Besides, it’s not in the West.

The first attack was at a street café in Tel Aviv, where a man opened fire on patrons with an automatic weapon, killing two people and wounding seven others. The perpetrator is still at large. Police are mystified as to his motive, although a Koran was reportedly found in his backpack.

The second attack also occurred in Tel Aviv, when a kinetic activist with a knife stabbed two people to death outside a synagogue. The perpetrator was restrained by passersby and is now in custody.

The third attack was at a mosque in France. A North African man drove his car into a group of soldiers guarding the mosque, lightly injuring one of them. The driver was shot by one of the soldiers, but not killed, and is now in custody. His motive remains unknown, but according to at least one report, he shouted “Allahu akhbar” as he drove his car into the soldiers. …