Blog Heap of Links for the day 22 January 2016

Members of a Christian group have taken up arms in a bid to stop the Philippines becoming the new breeding ground for ISIS. …call themselves Red God's Defenders, formed in the mountains in the restive south of the country where the terror group is taking a stranglehold. …

After Islamic extremists took control in 2012 of several major cities in Mali, a majority-Muslim nation in West Africa, it was soon clear that a millennium’s worth of classic Islamic manuscripts was in grave danger.

As half a million Malians fled the violence, secret plans were put in motion to spirit away the treasure trove of writings to safety. Fearing that the jihadists would destroy the scrolls, because they were bombing and burning other historical artifacts, a librarian organized something of a manuscript underground railroad: Reams of delicate parchment were transported on donkeys and skiffs on the Niger River, across the country to sanctuary. …The manuscripts chronicle the evolution of a moderate, tolerant and peaceful Muslim religious practice. …

The wreck of a World War One German U-boat has been found… lying about 55 miles (90km) east of Caister-on-Sea. U-31 went missing in January 1915, struck a mine in the North Sea and sank. All 35 men on board died. …As an official military maritime grave, the wreck of U-31 will remain in its final resting place.…

EDMOND, Okla. - A cat trapped for three weeks in a storage unit was found Thursday. …doing remarkably well. …

…Hialeah, Florida…mother pumping gas when an armed carjacker jumped into the driver's seat of her convertible and another banged on the windows with his gun. The mother, who had two children in the backseat, flung into action by pulling the masked man out of the vehicle and pushing him away from the car. The other carjacker can be seen fleeing the scene.… Three suspects - two male and one female - were stopped by police after a short chase. No one was injured and three handguns were taken…

…Rep. Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) warned evangelicals against accepting Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s comments on his faith at face value. …Trump could be saying what he needs to say to win and that he could go back on those remarks and disappoint. …

I suppose
Old Man Trump knows
Just how much
Racial Hate
he stirred up
In the bloodpot of human hearts
When he drawed
That color line
Here at his
Eighteen hundred family project…

…Levin said, “Here’s my concern, if he [Trump] becomes the nominee, a lot of people, who otherwise would unite under that tent may not. Because when you run a campaign of personal attacks, an Alinsky-ite campaign, wittingly or unwittingly, you turn people off.” … Levin also turned to Trump saying that Washington’s problem is that “they don’t make deals, it’s all gridlock,” Levin countered that “Washington makes a lot of deals.” The problem is those deals are bad. Levin then wondered who Trump planned on making these deals with.… Levin further accused Trump of engaging in “dirty, lowdown politics.” And asked, “Is that Reaganesque, or more Nixonesque? Is that more Nixon or Reagan?”…