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What They've Thought
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What They Thought November 27, 2005 Alan
Caruba Click here for columnist bios |
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Pass it on. “Merry Christmas.” Don’t say it too loud because you might upset someone within earshot. And don’t say it in school. Or the city hall. Or, if the American Civil Liberties Union has anything to say about it, anywhere. And, while you’re at it, pal, get rid of those you-know-what trees and decorations. And that crèche with the Baby Jesus. Pardon me, but I am really angry with those folks who want to exorcize Christmas from the way we have been celebrating this — yes — Christian holiday for a very long time. Christmas is so much fun, they even put up decorations in Tokyo and, the last time I checked, those folks are Shinto Buddhists! Not content with banning Christmas, the same ACLU types also, of course, want to rid the courthouse plaza of the Hanukah menorahs, symbols of a victory over paganism by Jews who restored a synagogue long ago. Last year, in the same schools where I grew up, the superintendent of schools banned the playing or singing of any Christmas carols. The outcry was national in scope when the word got out and one wonders if he will go this route again. A group called the Alliance Defense Fund has been doing battle with the ACLU and, last year, in conjunction with the New Jersey Family Policy Council, informed the local superintendent that his decision was legally unfounded. Last year the ADF contacted more than 6,700 school districts nationwide to deliver the same message. What makes this war on Christmas even more interesting is the fact that it is a national holiday! The good news is that the ACLU has backed down and has lost some of its legal cases to eliminate “Christmas” from our vocabulary. In August of this year, the Bossier Parish School District in Louisiana shut down an ACLU attack and in July a panel of the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit unanimously ruled that a woman who brought a suit against Christmas displays in Cranston, Rhode Island, had no standing to bring her claim. There are a score of other victories that the ADF has had throughout the nation. Some folks just don’t seem to “get it” when it comes to celebrating Christmas, a holiday that evokes the theme of “Peace on earth, good will to all men.” There could hardly be a more ecumenical expression of the universal desire of all people of good will. However, it seems to offend some folks who are hell-bent on making sure that no one is offended by a holiday celebrating the birth of the central figure of Christianity, a religion shared by well over a billion people. We know what’s going on here. It’s not about Christmas. It’s about the public celebration of any religion. That’s the bottom line for the ACLU which is always wailing about “separation of church and state.” The cliché is true. In America, you are guaranteed freedom of religion, not freedom from religion. If that were the case, every church, synagogue and mosque would have to be hidden from view. How you choose to express your spiritual beliefs is your business and, yes, you are free to put up Christmas decorations if you want and so is your school district, your town fathers can decorate the square, local businesses can display wreaths, and if someone doesn’t like it, too bad. No school child of any faith will be harmed because a few Christmas carols are sung. No city, suburb or little town is going to experience riots as the result of some festive Christmas decorations. And everyone benefits from being reminded that “Peace on earth, good will toward men” is a very good idea. |
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There are quite a few people who think that our world is far more dangerous now than it ever was. They are wrong, but fifth column thinking makes it seem so and tends to perpetuate the foolishness that makes the world dangerous. We no longer see things clearly or deal with them directly. I always liked the way Einstein said it: “In my opinion, only two things are infinite. The universe and human stupidity, but I’m not sure about the first.” On November 1, the Russians tested a new re-entry vehicle that is designed to dodge one of our ABMs. I would like to add as a side note that it was Bill Clinton that decided our ABM system had to be a bullet hitting a bullet. That made it easier for the enemy to get around our system once it was created. We’ll be able to fix that little problem without too much trouble, however. Many see this new re-entry vehicle as a return to the cold war. I’m not one of them; I never did buy into the mantra about the peace dividend, and the only thing that really happened is that the enemy put a smiley face on their dark empire. One of the problems with tyranny is that it’s a lot like getting a rash. It takes a long time to get rid of it. The Soviet Union had a lot to do with creating Hitler and they also helped to create Red China. Don’t forget that Hitler turned on Russia and the Red Chinese will eventually turn on Russia too. Now. Was the world ever more dangerous? Were there ever weapon systems that created earth-shattering shifts? Yes, there were. The building of fortresses was one such change. The making of armor for the knights to ride around in during a battle smashing heads with impunity was one of those little changes. But the invention of the cross bow and the addition of a little bees wax on the end of the arrow point ended the knight’s safety net. That little ball of wax allowed the arrow to stick just long enough to begin to bite into the armor rather than glance off. It also brought cries of foul from the people who ordered those knights to attack in the first place. The invention of real artillery brought about another change. Siege engines were okay, but a cannon could flat blow a wall right out from under you. That made fortresses obsolete. But all of those things cost money. Right now we’re supplying the money for the new weapons systems China is buying. If you don’t believe me go look at the made in China labels on about everything for sale, and read up on what China is both saying and building. Russia is being kept alive by this spending because among the things they are still manufacturing are weapons systems. China is their biggest buyer. So as you may or may not see, things really haven’t changed all that much. They have shiny new labels on them and they look prettier, but they’re still the same. Only the weapon systems have improved. Speaking of weapons systems, what about the disinformation the left-wing loves so dearly? Now we have another fifth column in our country. We have the terrorists who no one seems to be keeping a very good eye on because it just isn’t Politically Correct to do so. Political Correctness was spawned by the other fifth column in our country, the left-wing fourth estate. Even today they say the same stupid things they used to say. They are more concerned with whether a person’s feelings are hurt than whether they’re a threat to us or not. It was the same during Vietnam. They did their gesture based group hugs for the Khmer Rouge and then were surprised when the executions started. They even had love-ins in favor of not using military force to stop people who don’t care about anything but gain. They still tend to feel that the voices that don’t agree with them are censorship. The point is this: Nothing has really changed, only our capacity for destruction. If our ability is better than theirs, they won’t attack. The mere fact that Russia has developed this weapon system shows they still want to have a go at us. Russia has gone back to being what they used to be more openly, except they’re wearing that smiley face. Have you noticed how quiet the liberals are regarding human rights in China? They haven’t learned a thing and they haven’t been right on anything yet. Below you will find a link to an interesting article on a Russian who was arrested for defrauding our government. As soon as he was arrested the Russians filed their own charges so they can try to have him extradited back to them. It seems this guy knows a lot of things they don’t want us to know. I hope he sings like a canary. If the big media touches this, it will be to back the Russians. I suspect they’ll quietly try to ignore it. Reference Link: R.A. Hawkins Web Site Contact Back to Top |
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Ah, late November, that special time of year when Americans of all ages come together to celebrate victory over the Indians in the Battle of Thanksgiving. I don’t know about you, but this is one of my favorite times of the year. This is when the leaves turn colors and fresh fires burn from chimneys. America is at its best during Thanksgiving. At no other time is America more American. The original Thanksgiving is reported to have been a three-day feast. Today, though it’s largely regarded as a one-day holiday, Thanksgiving remains a three-day affair. Each of its days represent one of America’s all-time favorite pastimes: mindless drinking (Wednesday night, when people drink because, hey, there’s no work tomorrow); reckless eating (all day Thursday, when people eat because, hey, it was there); and shopping for the sake of shopping (Friday morning, when people run through the aisles of Best Buy at 6 AM because, hey, it was open). No other American holiday comes so close to defining the American way of life. Halloween perhaps comes the closest, since it consists of an evening of breaking stuff followed by an evening of hiding our faces while we beg for free food. And I suppose Black History Month is another good indicator of this thing called Americana, since it somehow manages to overcompensate and undercompensate for past racial injustices. But still, none of these holidays are as distinctly American as Thanksgiving. There’s no traditional Flag Day Detroit Lions game. There’s no such thing as the Macy’s Secretary’s Day Parade (though that would be interesting). People like to talk about exporting American values such as democracy and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Those are great things, and I agree they ought to be exported. Maybe Cracker Barrel, too, if we have enough time. But if you ask me, the best American export would be Thanksgiving. If other countries would simply partake in this holiday, all would be well (bird flu scares notwithstanding). For example, Thanksgiving is a bringer of peace. Granted, the question of “Where to spend Thanksgiving?” often tears us apart, even as it tries to bring us together. But that’s small potatoes. More importantly, no two countries that celebrate Thanksgiving have ever attacked each other. Ever. Except for the War of 1812, which doesn’t really count. Thanksgiving also quells human beings’ more superficial tendencies. Finally, a holiday that respects who you are on the inside. Nobody cares if you’re fat on Thanksgiving. In fact, getting fat is the whole idea behind the holiday. You’re not supposed to be able to go to bed with your belt still buckled. Thanksgiving is the only holiday where you’re actually expected to overflow from your clothes. (I feel weird writing this paragraph. I’m not the kind of person who naturally cares about losing and gaining weight. That just happens to be one of the prevailing themes of the holiday. And I’m just trying to make a point.) (By the way, am I the only one who finds it somewhat ironic — or maybe oxymoronic — that Americans are considered both fat and obsessed with their image? There seems to be a disconnect here. Someone should choose what we are already. Are we a nation of Patrick Swayzes, or a nation of Chris Farleys?) Finally, Thanksgiving is nice because it gives people an excuse to stop bitching for one day and actually be thankful for something. What that something is, of course, I’m not entirely sure. It’s up to interpretation. The “Thanks” in Thanksgiving can mean whatever you want it to mean. Just like the “Labor” in Labor Day, or the “Christ” in Christmas. It can mean you’re thankful for living in a country that celebrates Thanksgiving. It can mean that you’re thankful for democracy, Lynyrd Skynyrd, or Cracker Barrel. It can even mean that you’re thankful to be thankful for nothing. Whatever your heart’s desire. The world would be a better place if, for just one day, people pledged to stop killing people and start killing turkeys. Think about it. Unless you’re a turkey, everybody wins. So there you have it. Thanksgiving is basically the best holiday around. Jonathan David Morris Web Site Contact Back to Top |
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Congressman
Ron Paul (R-TX) Only in Washington DC can a spending increase be called a spending cut — but that’s exactly what happened last week. Congress passed a budget bill that merely slows the rate at which some federal spending grows by a tiny percentage, and both parties acted as though a revolution had taken place. Republicans trumpeted the measure as a huge victory for fiscal conservatism, while Democrats were enraged by the supposed "slashing” of government programs. The uproar shows just how entrenched the spending culture has become on Capitol Hill — even insignificant reductions in the rate of growth in federal spending are seen as earth-shattering. But if we’re really serious about cutting federal spending, why not simply cut 10% from the 2006 budget? Remember, the same Republicans claiming victory for slowing spending next year also passed the Medicare prescription drug bill, which will add over $50 billion to the federal budget in 2006 alone! In just one year the Medicare bill adds ten times in new spending what the budget bill purportedly cuts. So nobody who voted for the Medicare drug bill has any business talking about government spending. Neither do those who refuse to consider cutting one penny from the military and foreign aid budgets. You cannot conduct a foreign policy based on remaking whole nations using military force and pretend to operate a frugal government. The Democrats, by contrast, never want to cut spending on anything, no matter how much the federal budget grows — and it’s doubled in 15 years. A $2.4 trillion federal budget is woefully inadequate in their eyes, and ten years from now they’ll say the same thing about a $5 trillion budget. No amount of spending will ever satisfy those who believe government should address every human problem and involve itself in every aspect of our lives. The budget bill fails to address the root of the spending problem — this belief that Congress continually must create new federal programs and agencies. However, with the federal government’s unfunded liabilities — Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid — projected to reach as much as $50 trillion by the end of this year, Congress no longer can avoid serious efforts to rein in spending. Instead of a smoke-and-mirrors approach, Congress should begin the journey toward fiscal responsibility by declaring a ten percent reduction in real spending, followed by a renewed commitment to fund only those government functions that are consistent with the Constitution. Rep. Ron Paul Web Site Back to Top |
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No column this week. Nancy Salvato Web Site Contact Back to Top |
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©2004-2005 by their respective authors. Reprinted by permission. |
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