Happy Holidays, DAMIT!

Happy Holidays, DAMIT!

I have to start this off with a joke:

God and the devil meet at the fence that separates their two ‘areas.’ God looks at the devil and says ‘Your fence is looking quite shabby and you need to repair it.’ To which the devil replies, ‘What do you mean my fence, this is your fence, it is mostly on your side of the line, and so you must repair it.’ God says, ‘But it is leaning into your property, and the heat from your side is destroying it quickly, I insist you fix it.’ The devil says, ‘Well then, I am getting my lawyer.’ So God says, ‘OK, then I will get a lawyer too!’ The devil just laughs, ‘Where are you going to get a lawyer?’

An old joke, but it seems that everyone thinks it’™s the model these days. Could we get just a bit crazier?

In an attempt to be sure not to offend anyone, it seems WalMart and Target has done just the opposite to many of their shoppers. ‘Happy Holiday’ is the ‘PC’ (politically correct) way of including everyone’™s holidays and celebrations in a greeting, and frankly, should offend no one. But NO! A group of conservative Christians say that they ‘Have had enough!’ They now say that they will boycott both stores if the stores will not start saying Merry Christmas instead. Amongst their feelings is that Christmas is ‘something everyone celebrates’ and acknowledging Christmas is not being religious. Now 1500 lawyers are going to sue companies all over the US on the fact that ‘Merry Christmas’ SHOULD be used at this time. The headline reads:

‘An increasingly vocal number of Christians are attacking what they say is a “war on Christmas” by those determined to enforce a rigorously neutral holiday season reflecting America’s constitutional separation of church and state.’

The president, in trying to do the proper thing, sent a ‘Holiday Card’ that did not mention specifically the word Christmas. Seems like the right thing to do to me, do not offend anyone as the office represents everyone and not just Christians. But many Christians and Republicans (is that redundant?) are all up in arms over this issue.

“The Bush administration has suffered a loss of will and… they have capitulated to the worst elements in our culture,” fumed William Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.’

Civil Rights indeed? This person is angry that the white house did not violate civil rights by mentioning Christmas? I do not get it! Just who’s civil and religious rights does he represent? What would happen if the President had said Happy Hanukkah in his card? Seems that falls under religious and civl rights too.

And then John Gibson, a popular anchor on the Fox News Channel puts out a book called ‘˜The War on Christmas: How the Liberal Plot to Ban the Sacred Christian Holiday is Worse Than You Thought’™

Excuse me? Where have these people parked their common sense and intelligence? No one says you cannot celebrate Christmas, or even personally say Merry Christmas. They simply ask that government, commercial, or public organization recognize that this time is not JUST about Christmas. Damn what a bunch of paranoid, inconsiderate people.

But I have problems on both sides of this issue. For those not taking notes, the ‘Christ’ in Christmas is for Jesus Christ, and somehow, that seems to be religious. On the other hand, just because someone says ‘Merry Christmas’ is no need for someone who is not religious or Christian to get bent all out of shape because they said it. Christmas has become a social holiday as well as a religious one, and I’™ll bet even those most ‘PC’ people celebrate it in some ways. There is nothing wrong with saying Merry Christmas. And while I agree that public, government, and commercial institutions have a duty to honor and recognize all faiths and beliefs, so long as they do not exclusively say Merry Christmas, what is the harm in saying it, or any other holiday occasionally? I note that not one of these people “defending our rights” has said one word about other holidays that take place at this time. How odd is that?

And while I fully understand the issue behind all the lawsuits over God these days, come on people, saying the word, or even hearing it said will not cause you to burst into flames or turn into a pillar of salt. Does it need to still be in the Pledge of Allegiance? Recall (or Google) why it was added in the first place. According to a recent court ruling:
‘¦the 1954 insertion of “under God” was made “to recognize a Supreme Being” and advance religion at a time “when the government was publicly inveighing against atheistic communism” — a fact, the court said, the federal government did not dispute.

Anyone with some good common sense can see why it was added, and anyone who understand that EVERYONE in the US is entitled to freedom of religion, which also included freedom FROM religion should be able to understand why removing it is the politically correct thing to do, even if many believe it is not right FOR THEM, as it represents ALL of the US, not just those who believe in God. But be honest with yourself: if removing it truly weakens your faith in God somehow (whichever and however you believe), then you have much more serious issues with your religion than the need to have this line in the pledge to remind you that God must be remembered.

But a group of Christians is now fighting back with their own lawyers! Sometimes I think it is time for Jesus to come back to earth, because so many seem to have forgotten what it is he stood for. Compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, love, understanding, helping, etc., etc. are all the teachings of this person, yet I see less and less of all this every day. Personally, I think Christ would be embarrassed by some of you who call yourself Christian and claim to be doing things in his name, because hate, intolerance, and bigotry were NEVER part of this person’™s teachings. Time for some inward review people.

And where is that compassion? Where is that tolerance for others, people? Why is it so hard for so many of you to believe, in what ever it may be, that not everyone thinks like you do, and not only is that OK, but it is their right to do so. I am impressed at WalMart and Target and the White House for trying not to offend anyone by saying Happy Holidays rather than Merry Christmas. After all, if I say Happy Holidays to a Christian, I am damn well sure they can figure out which holiday it is I am speaking of, as can someone who is Jewish for example, and I do not see how this will make thier own faith worse. If it does, God help them!

So chill out people on both sides. The PC people need to loosen up a little and not be so damn sensitive, and the Christians, well, join the rest of the world and realize that you are not alone, and we all do not think and believe in what you tell us we must. Guess what, that is not only OK, but also our right in this country. While you are in Google, look up compassion and tolerance please, and I believe MUCH more of this is needed.

To everyone: Merry Christmahanakwanzaka!

To those offend by this, I am sorry, it is not my intention to offend. I simply think this idea of PC has gone too far on both sides, and understanding we live in a country where EVERYONE needs to be accepted and represented should be job one. If you cannot do that, then maybe you are in the wrong country.