December 16, 2006


IMPEACH BUSH


IMPEACH CHENEY

NOT "ALL THAT BAD"

If you want to journey into the surreal, just read the letters page of The Fresno Bee. Today's wingnut classic tells us that Sean Hannity, that journalist in the class of Edward R. Murrow, journeyed to Iraq and talked to soldiers there. The soldiers "to a man" said things weren't as bad as the media have been saying. I would trust something put out by Sean Hannity about as much as I would something by Joseph Goebbels. Our Pollyanna didn't mention the daily documented reports of bombings, torture, and murders occurring in Iraq, or that U. S. deaths are approaching 3,000. He didn't mention that even several former generals have very pessimistic views of Iraq. It's a little like putting your hands over your eyes so the monster won't get you.

CHRISTMAS TREES AND CHRISTMAS

The latest tempest in a teapot controversy over the "war on Christmas" occurred when officials in Seattle wanted to take down Christmas trees because a rabbi wanted equal time with the placement of a menorah. Then the officials decided to put back up the trees. It's ironic that Christmas trees aren't even Christian. They're a part of pagan tradition that has been melded into the Christmas celebration. This article by Geov Parrish is at www.smirkingchimp.com:

And the Hell of it is (there's that word again), the Christmas tree is not a Christian symbol. It predates the birth of Christ by a couple thousand years. As does the yule log, mistletoe, gift giving, the works. That whole just-after-the-longest-night rebirth of life thing. I'm even betting the fat guy with the reindeer and sleigh didn't come from old Judea, either.

Most of what we know as Christmas, in other words, originated with the pagans (and, in some cases, the Romans), and was appropriated by Christians to celebrate the birth of Christ at the one time of year He couldn't possibly have been born. The Bible is imprecise on this point, but we do know the shepherds were out tending their flocks -- which doesn't happen in the dead of winter. Desert winter nights are cc-c-o-l-d.

So, speaking on behalf of all Neo-Pagan and Wiccan types out there, perhaps I should threaten to sue Sea-Tac to include our religion, too –- but that's no good, because they're already using our symbol! Christians attacked us! (And isn't that the way of the world?) More precisely, Christians attacked Christmas. But they were just the first of a long list.