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Did you catch a glimpse of that anti Ramadan Billboard in New York City this past July? No? Missed that one huh? Did you hear about the protest to change the name of San Fran’s large “Mama Menorah” to the “Unity Candelabra” last week? Yeah, me neither. Maybe I’m thinking of the American Humanist Association’s large protest about Scientology? What, that didn’t happen?
Feeling alienated yet?
Maybe they were too busy threatening small school districts who have no working capital to defend themselves in protracted legal battles to bother. After all, any program that encourages children to collect toys and other items for the needy threatens the very fabric of our nation, especially if it mentions Christmas, as in “Operation Christmas Child.” They succeeded of course. Faced with the threat of costly litigation, the stunned parents of East Point Academy in South Carolina walked away from what they were trying to establish as a tradition of selflessness and giving (concepts probably foreign to AHA). Kudos however to the folks at SkyView Academy, a charter school in Colorado. Receiving the same threatening letter that East Point did, parents, administrators and the kids recognized it for what it truly was; a bully tactic employed to strip the parents and children of SkyView of their constitutional rights to express their religious beliefs. Period. As in if you like your religion, you can keep it, period. At the end of the day, the children still collected gifts for those in need and not a single atheist or humanist was hurt. Or converted.
A recent Gallup poll puts 9 of 10 Americans believing in God. Neat. What that really says is that, whether they like it or not, Atheists are a minority in a largely religious country. In a country I might add, that does not require one to profess one’s faith over another or any faith at all. It is a country however, that protects one’s right to profess that faith. And whether the AHA like it or not, if a large majority of the public wants to display their solidarity and common belief in their own public square, the government has no right to forbid them to do so. Maybe these folks are more confused than devious; don’t want to go to the lighting of the Menorah? Stay home. The counter argument of course is that it’s their public square too. Okay, go. You’re afforded that right too. How many Christians have kept you out of the square? How many have sued you for expressing your beliefs? The last time an abortion rights rally was held in any large metropolitan square in this country, did you protest that too? Why not? Sorry, but that’s a belief system; like yours, like any other religion is.
In fact, the greatest fear for Atheists isn’t that they’ll be forced to convert; no it’s that people may be guided by their faith on matters of importance in the ballot box. Can’t have people using their personal beliefs to make their own personal decisions now, can we? Oh, the horror. Everyone’s gotta believe in what the all-seeing, all-knowing state tells them is good and right. We elect our gods nowadays.
Judy Saint (no, that’s her real name not a poor attempt at irony,) the president of the “Greater Sacramento Chapter of Freedom from Religion Foundation” said that the 55 billboards the group has paid for around the state are not intended to be anti-god. Uh, okay. Well, she may be right. Maybe they’re actually pro-god, because her belief pretty much has people like her the very center of their existence. Nothing is more important then they are to themselves. All “ID” as Freud might say. Or narcissistic, take your pick. They don’t need to acknowledge any god other than the ones they see in the mirror. She laments the fact that “many non-believers are alienated and some are cut off from family if they do not share their religion.” Funny, that’s a common lament among a lot of families, and most of the time it’s not about religion at all. People often feel alienated and families dissolve; and most of the time it’s due to the same narcissism and self-declared superiority she seems to espouse. The stupid is strong with this one.
Given the crap surrounding what should be a time where we express greetings of joy and unity (Thank you for wishing me a happy Hanukkah even though I’m not Jewish) it makes me happy to see small stories like SkyView where people have had enough. Mayor Andrew Przybylo of the small village of Niles got it right at his town’s first ever “Christmas Tree” lighting; “What all those attending will be doing is joining the spirit of Christmas. What all those attending will be doing is thinking about love and gifting. We will not be playing politics with our Christmas tree. And so all religious-minded, agnostics too, atheists also, and all those who choose to believe in family and community, I hope you are there and spread good cheer,” he said. Where does that alienation thingy come in again?
He’s not alone. Mayor David Fried of Robbinsville New Jersey called it for what it is; “Enough is enough. It’s time to take the politics out and say it like it is,” Fried said during an interview last night. “We tolerate all religions. We tolerate all faiths. For 2,000 years, we’ve been saying, ‘Merry Christmas.’ The more politically correct we become, the more we forget who we really are.” Even Governor Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island finally got the message, although he was simply resigned to the fact that the majority of the folks in his state were sick of the political correctness he prefers. Rhode Island finally has a state “Christmas tree.” And no one had to convert either. I’m sure that Atheists were welcome to the lighting ceremony. Maybe they were home looking in the mirror.
Sometimes the intolerance of the tolerant just grates on my nerves. Wish me a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, or whatever good cheer you want to send my way. I’ll take it and raise a glass in your honor. If my wishing you a Merry Christmas offends you that much, I’ll raise a glass in your honor anyway. Maybe out of pity.
But more likely because I’d hate to see a good Christmas martini go to waste.
Here are a couple more posts that might jingle your bells;
https://jeffsmessydesk.wordpress.com/2011/12/21/tis-the-season-to-offend/
Well, we survived 2012. Yay. Survive is probably the right word. Not sure what we accomplished as a society, but we moved through the calendar and here we are, 2013. While the past year is still fresh in our minds, maybe we need to think about how we want 2013 to unfold. As you know, history tends to repeat itself and those who refuse to learn from it are condemned to repeat it. Not sure we can take another 2012. Of course, it’s time for some random musings.
Change requires courage and honesty…
An acquaintance of mine remarked how happy she was that the holiday season was over. She apparently found the complaints of those “defending” Christmas to be quite tedious. The holiday season is just fine until “we” start out bitching about the supposed “War on Christmas.” Cart, horse? Kind of like saying “I hate how you whine when I punch you in the face.” We don’t need to defend Christmas until we’re told we can’t say “Merry Christmas” at work for fear of offending. Or when we can no longer find Christmas trees because they only sell “holiday” trees. Or grade school kids are denied the opportunity to attend a free production of “Merry Christmas Charlie Brown” for fear of….of what? Fear that kids might be impacted by a positive message secretly disguised as a chance to get away from class for one afternoon? Or maybe the over-reaching state finally showing its true colors and establishing a religious preference? Church of Peanuts? I scoured the headlines from last December and found no one who had succumbed to a nefarious Christmas greeting, although the blogs were ripe with many liberals who had come down with a serious case of the vapors over it. If the worst thing in your life is someone wishing you a Merry Christmas I’d say you’ve got it pretty good. Anyway, I hope you had a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Kickin’ Kwanza, Rockin’ Ramadan or just a damned good time.
We managed to avoid the fiscal cliff and we find ourselves right where we belong: The fiscal shit-house. I think we should all just come right out and get some new credit cards, maybe a new Beemer and mortgage for a new home and put them all in our kid’s names. If we’re going to continue to elect idiots who do nothing but borrow against our kids futures, we might as well just go out and screw our kids directly so they can see who’s really responsible. Of course with all that new largesse, our kids would hate us anyway, seeing as how it’s pretty acceptable to hate those who are successful or rich. Acceptable to the point where we legislate how many of their own possessions they are allowed to keep, you know those evil people who already pay most of the taxes in the country but are looked down upon in deference to those 47% who pay nothing at all. Envy as a political philosophy. We should be proud. Problem is, you always run out of other peoples’ money but with the current administration, that’s apparently no problem either. We’ll just borrow more by raising the debt limit and keep increasing our spending. In fact, they’re really serious about raising another trillion dollars in taxes but the conservatives who are trying to keep spending under control are the ones who are vilified. Well, mostly. The voting sheep-dom who put this poseur in office are looking at their paystubs this week, horrified that he considers them evil “one percent-ers” as well, hence the increase in their own taxes. Very few realize or would even admit that since he no longer needs them, as they can’t vote for him again, he’ll gladly raise their taxes too. Once the total burden of Obama-care taxes hits, the wailing will really start. Of course, it can’t be their savior, or the Senator who refuses to pass a budget, so we’ll probably hear some really creative attacks on the “one percent-ers” and of course George Bush. One can only hope that we grow up in 2013 and live within our means. (Sorry, makes me giggle when I say it too…)
We’ll suffer the reverberations from Sandy Hook for years to come, not just through 2013, but what we do as a country and a people in the near future is too important to be decided while blinded by the fog of emotions we still feel. Doing something for the sake of doing something usually results in the worst of outcomes, unfortunately another modus operandi of the cowards we put in office. You know, never let a good crisis etc.. In an effort to bully and intimidate people exercising their constitutional rights, the Journal News published the names and addresses of thousands of gun owners in two counties just north of New York City. Now anyone can peruse the list of legal gun owners, avoid their property and move on to those homes where there is a better chance that the occupants are unarmed. Of course, numbers of the horrible gun nuts listed end up being retired police and corrections officers and their families. Several women with protection orders also found their privacy plastered on the interactive Google map, allowing anyone to zoom in with enough detail to understand the layout of their home and neighborhood. The Journal should have just paid for the damned cab fare.
Irony of ironies, once the outrage grew the Journal News hires armed guards for their protection. Odd, they usually dismiss the argument that the best way to protect one’s self is to be armed. Dismiss it to the point that they hardly report instances where an armed citizen used his weapon to stop crime, such as the off-duty deputies in San Antonio who prevented another mass shooting in a theater, and the young mother who shot a home invader in the face after he found her and her nine year-old twins hiding in an upstairs closet. The only question that remains is will he file suit for the injuries she inflicted?
A friend of mine commented on how disgusting he found it that his kids can get a gun license far easier than they can a license to drive a car. Interesting how liberals like to link totally unconnected items in an effort to make a point. Of course, when I told him that I found it a great deal more disturbing that his teenage daughters can get an abortion without his knowledge far easier than they can obtain either license, well he became quite apoplectic. Oh not about the abortion of course, but about the fact that I had the temerity to touch the most sacred of rights on the left and link it to an argument about a tool made exclusively for killing. Yeesh. That pretty much made me the asshat in the conversation. I guess the fact that we just murdered well over another three hundred thousand children in 2012, and funded it with taxpayer dollars as well, means absolutely nothing and it’s crass to link it in any way with a horrible genocide like the Newtown Massacre. When arguing with a liberal, it’s against the rules to argue like one. How the heck could I expect him to defend a state funded, democrat sanctioned massacre if I link it to that most evil of constitutional rights supported by the second amendment? Silly me, didn’t I know that there are some massacres you just don’t make light of? Go ahead, you pick the right one. Maybe I really ticked him off by answering his question of “why would anyone need an assault rifle” by asking him to finish the sentence “A child in the womb should be torn to pieces because…” Mea Culpa.
From this early vantage point it looks as though we’re in for a rocky 2013. We seem to be heading towards limiting if not outright attacking the second amendment, expanding our entitlement society and running our deficits through the roof all while screaming inanities and non-sequiturs at each other in an effort to avoid the painful truth that we really don’t want to do anything positive which may require some heavy lifting. Imagine what 2014 will look like from here.
Happy New Year anyway.
I noticed that they lit the Menorah in Portland this week. Fantastic. I wish those of the Jewish faith a wonderful Hanukkah this year, and thank you for all the reciprocal wishes of good tidings. I also noticed that Santa will now be allowed to visit school children in Saugus Massachusetts after the school superintendent rescinded his ban on the local firefighters who annually visit the elementary schools dressed as Santa, bringing coloring books to almost 500 preschool and kindergarten children as they have done for close to 50 years. At their own expense.
Somewhere, someone is being oppressed, I just know it....
I’m not going to get into a long tirade about the attacks on religion or Christmas. Sorry, I’m too happy celebrating this time of year to let that nonsense ruin my Christmas spirit. It does make me wonder however, why celebrating one’s faith openly and in the public square is so terrifying to certain groups of people that they run yearly campaigns to destroy faith-based messages of good will, oftentimes in ways that are at best mean spirited and at other times, openly hostile and inflammatory. The good firefighters of Saugus have been giving coloring books to children for 50 years and I don’t believe they have ever excluded any child based on his faith. Nor has the school system of Saugus instituted a Christian only policy. Portland Maine has never declared Judaism the official religion of the city, unless I missed that in the paper somewhere. Quite sure I would have caught that.
For those who adamantly claim there is no such thing as Santa, or God for that matter, to so fear the expression of these beliefs by others boggles my mind. How can something that you do not believe exists cause you such fear? Or pain? Or inflict harm on you in anyway? You pay a great deal of attention to something that isn’t there. And for all of the arguments about separation of church and state, two questions come to mind. What town or state for that matter has declared an official religion? Why does recognition of faith expressed by a rather large majority of citizens exclude anyone from anything? You have the right to not believe. Or the right to dis-believe. Just smile at us small minded dolts and walk away.
Small children still fear to look under their beds or into the dark closet late at night, afraid of the boogeyman that isn’t real. There are quite a few adults that need to make the same transition that children eventually do, stop fearing what you claim does not exist. Heck, if Christmas frightens you so badly, you may want to dress up as Santa for Halloween. Of course, that’s only if you celebrate that kind of thing.
Whatever you believe or do not believe, I wish you a Merry Christmas anyway. It requires no commitment on your part, no conversion or change in your beliefs. Just an acceptance of others who believe differently than you. Isn’t that what your message is supposed to be all about?
Merry Christmas.
Sometimes the answer is right in front of us. The most important things are often overlooked. However, sometimes the answer isn’t wrong; Sometimes the question is.
Several nights ago, my eldest daughter asked me what I wanted for Christmas. Being practical and still somewhat short of money, I probably mentioned new books, socks, slacks or a hat, some such answer a child would surely find boring at Christmas. I didn’t have to wait long before she let me know what she thought of that answer. “Well, if you had all the money in the world, what would you give yourself, something fun just for you?” Hmm, different question, different scenario altogether. Certainly not an “I wish for whirled-peas” type of response. I could use a new piano; I’m tired of tripping over dead keys. And of course, Taylor makes a very nice 12-string. “Not sure hon, I’d have to think about it.” Yup, that was the best I could come up with at the time. It didn’t hit me until later that night that I knew the answer all along. I want some macaroni artwork.
Dear Santa...
On the night she asked me the question, I picked up the Ovation as I usually do before bedtime, and started to drift into a mindless musical wandering just to get 15 minutes or so of bliss. Lost in the moment, I realized I was staring at the small, hand-made, guitar-shaped pillow resting on the love seat. It was one of the reminders of being unemployed, a reminder of love, support and hope. It’s not the only hand-made gift I got for Christmas that year; I have some hand-made clay hippos (yes, I love hippos…) and a wonderful tray, also made of clay, for my watch and glasses. It was made with love to answer daddy’s nagging question, “where the heck did I put my glasses?” It even has a little post that sticks up to hold my wedding ring. And on my bed lies a small hand-sewn pillow, square in shape with only a “plus” sign hand embroidered on the front. My eldest wanted to make sure that when I went to bed, I had positive thoughts before I closed my eyes and that I was positive when I woke up every day.
I often peek into my “Dad’s Memories box” every so often and my eyes will well-up to the point where I can’t read the notes, scribbles and hand prints meant to say Happy Birthday, Happy Father’s day and such. I have treasures made of sticks and pipe cleaners, hand folded paper and buttons smeared with glue, all holding deep meaning and immeasurable value. All made by the chubby little fingers I’d press to my lips, all the while wishing they would stay that way forever.
Time won’t stop or back up for Christmas, no matter how hard one wishes. I am quickly running out of opportunities for the handmade love; something that means so much more coming from their hands, hearts and minds, instead of being lifted off some dime-store shelf.
The correct question is “what do you want me to make you for Christmas this year dad?”
I’m not sure what the answer will be, but I know I’ll cherish it forever.
jeff's messy desk 
A little too early?…
November 22, 2013 in commentary, family, government, religion | Tags: Bing Crosby, Christmas, Christmas lights, holiday, holidays, Santa, Thanksgiving | 3 comments
Was talking with a co-worker about the upcoming holiday. She’s already tired of the season and we haven’t even hit Thanksgiving yet. It dawned on me while I was shopping the other day that we’re over-loaded with early holiday advertising, and it’s not just Christmas. It was pretty weird to have my youngest tell me how lame it was seeing Halloween fare in August. Yeesh. From the mouths of babes.
Sad part? This offends someone, somewhere…
Well, I’m pretty mixed on the subject. I’m a die-hard Thanksgiving-Christmas fan, looking forward to the season as soon as I take the ice covered lights off the porch in January. Yup, I’m that guy. I have to have my house decorated for Christmas no later than Thanksgiving Day. By Christmas day my ever- green is over-brown. This year I found a Christmas channel on the radio starting November 4th. I haven’t changed the channel since.
Now that doesn’t mean I have a wreath on my door on the 4th of July. Hell, I’m lucky if I even start shopping before the end of November. I love the season but I at least try to confine it to a season. However, a little early cheer for no dammed good reason other than early cheer just has to be good for my hypertension.
For me, the holiday has always been about family, memories made, and memories to make. I usually think of my siblings gathered around an old black and white TV when I hear Bing Crosby or Burl Ives. Yup, me with misty eyes. Paul Mccartney’s Christmas song still makes my skin crawl. I have the Nutcracker suite on my iPod. Geez, I think I have seen every version of “A Christmas Carol”, with the 1951 version, Alastarir Sim as Scrooge, probably my favorite, followed by the 1938 version with Reginald Owens in the lead role. I usually watch each one 4-5 times during the season (albeit, late at night or I drive the wife and kids nuts..) I actually sit through the entire showing of “White Christmas”, though I normally hate musicals. And I’ve seen “It’s a wonderful life” so many times, I find myself mouthing the dammed dialogue. Yeah, weird. I’ve actually gotten into heated, wassail-fueled discussions about how “A Christmas Story” is the best holiday movie ever. Um, no, it’s not. Stuff that in your stocking.
My heart goes out to those folks who have to work on the holidays. And I don’t mean those essential life-saving services either, although they certainly deserve our gratitude. I don’t get why we as consumers just have to have our Chia-pets, Ginsu’s or Nikes at 7:00 pm on Thanksgiving eve. Ah, but there I go, imposing my beliefs and my religion on those who worship at the altar of “anything but Christ” as their religion. The religion that meets regularly at the big-box discounters or copy-exact malls, places that will never have the personality of a small New Hampshire main street, covered in snow and twinkling with Christmas lights. Hey feel free to exclude yourself from the holiday cheer, but that’s your choice, not mine.
Funny, as I write this, I realize that it’s almost time for the usual stories with the usual suspects gearing up to boot Santa from the town square. I’m willing to bet, unfortunately, that the purveyors of all that is right, just and tolerant will eventually succeed in removing Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter from the calendar before my life ends. Only the right type of hate will be tolerated, state approved, tax-payer funded. Of course, hate is the wrong word. Hey, let’s get Orwellian and call it diversity. Or Inclusiveness. Whatever you call it, I hope that my grandchildren will still be able to exchange handmade Christmas cards in art class, or bring home hand-tracing Turkeys for mom and dad to put on the refrigerator. In a country where people are agitating to throw out the Pledge of Allegiance or the National Anthem, I don’t hold out much hope. We’re progressive don’t you know. Can’t be progressive without destroying institutions, beliefs or traditions, because they may not be universally shared you see. The sound of bells near the red kettle in the town square is a debilitating, self-esteem destroying annoyance that must be silenced for the collective good. Jingle all the way to the nut house…
Whatever. I’ll still be listening, probably early, to the sounds of joy and reveling in contraband wishes of Holiday cheer every year until I take my last breath. And as we head into the Thanksgiving week, my beautiful wife will plan a huge meal, hopefully with in-laws and cousins, friends and soon to be friends. I’ll put carols on the old beat up FM radio I use when doing outdoors chores while I swear at the one set of lights that refuses to stay lit on the porch, going out only after I get off the ladder. You can drive slowly by bitching all you want. Cause, sorry fella, it ain’t about you. It’s about me and those I love. Go somewhere else and be tolerant. I can’t hear you over “Dominik the Donkey.”
Let’s keep an eye on the Holiday. Yeah, it gets tedious for some, probably goes on way to long for others. Let’s remember those we used to celebrate with and reach out to those who have no one left to hold under the mistletoe. Be kind to those who spew unkindness and always, always, tell those you love just how much you do.
Please feel free to send me links to stories where the Holiday traditions are under attack. I’d like to see some. And while you have the time, check out these holiday related posts.
Happy Thanksgiving…
https://jeffsmessydesk.wordpress.com/2011/12/21/tis-the-season-to-offend/
https://jeffsmessydesk.wordpress.com/2011/12/11/rudolph-the-red-nosed-plaintiff/?relatedposts_exclude=777
https://jeffsmessydesk.wordpress.com/2013/01/14/happy-new-yearmaybe/?relatedposts_exclude=733
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