A third option changes the negotiation  —  The conventional wisdom on the fiscal cliff is that there are two options: (1) an Obama-Boehner deal; or (2) no deal, in which case there is no legislation before the end of the year and we “go off the fiscal cliff.”

Do We Really Have to Condemn the Union Protestor Who Punched Fox News Comedian Steven Crowder?  —  Good, serious progressives are supposed to condemn violence as a political tactic, because it's wrong and in many cases counterproductive.  But do we really need to condemn the union protestor …

Lie of the Year: the Romney campaign's ad on Jeeps made in China  —  It was a lie told in the critical state of Ohio in the final days of a close campaign — that Jeep was moving its U.S. production to China.  It originated with a conservative blogger, who twisted an accurate news story into a falsehood.

Union Thugs Demolish Clint Tarver's Iconic Lansing,Michigan Hot Dog Cart [Photo-Donation Link] Update: Thugs Yelled “N*gger Uncle Tom”  —  I support Clint: … Beyond the Cart: The Story of Clint Tarver: … DONATE HERE  —  Update: Racist, violent, destructive monsters.

You have the right to not pay union dues  —  Labor groups should have to convince members that their goods and services are worth the price demanded — and not just take the money and run … The battle between unions and state governments continued this week — just as it has for the last two years …

NORAD acknowledges missile launch  —  PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. - North American Aerospace Defense Command officials acknowledged today that U.S. missile warning systems detected and tracked the launch of a North Korean missile at 7:49 p.m. EST. The missile was tracked on a southerly azimuth.

Scientists May Have Finally Unlocked Puzzle of Why People Are Gay  —  Lesbians get it from fathers, gay men from mothers?  —  Scientists may have finally solved the puzzle of what makes a person gay, and how it is passed from parents to their children.  —  A group of scientists suggested Tuesday …

Obama Wins Almost 50% Republicans on Tax Mandate in Poll  —  President Barack Obama won the public argument over taxes so decisively that almost half of Republicans now say he has an election mandate to raise rates on the rich.  —  Majorities of about 2-to-1 also read the election results …

Jimmy Hoffa's Personal and Hypocritical Class War  —  Yesterday Teamsters Union President Jimmy Hoffa called for a civil war in Michigan over new right-to-work legislation that allows workers to decide whether or not they want to join a labor union.  The Teamsters' official Twitter account …

Time and Punishment: Mandatory Sentences Face Growing Skepticism  —  TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Stephanie George and Judge Roger Vinson had quite different opinions about the lockbox seized by the police from her home in Pensacola.  She insisted she had no idea that a former boyfriend had hidden it in her attic.

Eric Holder: Time To Consider National Voting Standards  —  Attorney General Eric Holder said during a speech on Tuesday night at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library that it's time to consider setting national standards for how elections should be handled.

Obama Suggests Raising Medicare Eligibility Age Is On The Table In Fiscal Cliff Talks  —  President Obama didn't rule out raising the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 67 as part of a comprehensive package to avert the so-called “fiscal cliff,” during an interview with ABC News on Tuesday.

Ravi Shankar obituary  —  Indian virtuoso who took the sitar to the world  —  Ravi Shankar, who has died aged 92 in San Diego, was the Indian maestro who put the sitar on the musical map.  George Harrison called him “the godfather of world music” and it was Shankar's vision that brought …

Top Executives End Opposition to Higher Taxes  —  A broad swath of the nation's leading chief executives dropped its opposition to tax increases on the wealthiest Americans on Tuesday, while the White House quietly pressed Wall Street titans for their support as well.  —  Multimedia

The RNC's Fix-It Committee  —  Reince Priebus, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, spoke to NRO yesterday morning about the committee's new Growth and Opportunity Project, which is led by a five-member panel that will review the operations and strategies of the RNC and Republican party as a whole.

Social Networking Popular Across Globe  —  SURVEY REPORT  —  Social networking has spread around the world with remarkable speed.  In countries such as Britain, the United States, Russia, the Czech Republic and Spain, about half of all adults now use Facebook and similar websites.