During the season when we hear “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” twice an hour, let’s take a moment to wish a happy 80^th birthday to “Little Miss Dynamite,” Brenda Lee. Brenda’s powerful voice propelled a number of songs to the charts in various genres from country to pop to rockabilly. She’s sold over 100 million records worldwide, and her 1960 hit “I’m Sorry” made her only the second woman to top the Billboard Hot 100 after Connie Francis. Last year, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” hit #1 again, making her the oldest artist ever to top the Billboard charts.

And now, something you won’t find anywhere else. Newsletter reader "opaobie" shares this personal anecdote about Brenda Lee. When his Oklahoma-born wife was a teenager, she saw Brenda at the Grand Ole Opry early in her career and it left a lasting impression:

“They were in the ladies’ restroom, and Brenda Lee accidentally left a (big diamond) ring on the sink after she washed her hands and walked out. My wife picked it up and went out and found her and returned it before she went backstage.

Brenda gave a shout out from the stage as she started her performance to the honest girl who found and returned her ring, proving that all the good things she had heard about ‘Okies’ (were) true...What a thrill for a young teenage girl.”

Just one of many thrills Brenda Lee has given us over the years. Happy Birthday!e

Some liberals have smugly assured the media that Pete Hegseth’s nomination as Defense Secretary is doomed, with one saying he’s like Bruce Willis in “The Sixth Sense” (SPOILER ALERT!): “He’s dead but just doesn’t know it yet.”

Someone forgot to tell that to Hegseth, or to Trump and J.D. Vance, who are doubling down on their support for Hegseth. And after having a second meeting with him – plus getting an earful from constituents – Republican Sen. Joni Ernst now seems to be leaning toward confirming him.

https://redstate.com/smoosieq/2024/12/09/new-ernst-signals-hegseth-vote-following-second-meeting-n2182994

There are a lot of ways in which Trump 2.0 is unlike the Trump who came to DC in 2016 with no experience at dealing with the eels and snakes inhabiting the swamp. He’s wise to their games now, and Democrats need to learn that decades-old sleazy accusations by anonymous sources are no longer a lethal political weapon.