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thedrifter
11-26-05, 06:56 AM
Pssst! Merry Christmas!
Written by Alan Caruba
Saturday, November 26, 2005

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 (www.saychristmas.org) 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.

About the Writer: Alan Caruba writes "Warning Signs," a weekly commentary posted on www.anxietycenter.com, the website of The National Anxiety Center.

Ellie

thedrifter
11-26-05, 07:25 AM
Merry (Deleted)
November 25, 2005
by Tom Purcell

"Wow, can you believe Thanksgiving is over and we'll soon be celebrating a very Merry –"

"Don't say it."

"Don't say what?"

"The 'C' word. Don't say it. You might offend somebody. I'm offended it didn't even cross your mind that you might offend me."

"But that's what it's called. It's a day that Christians around the world celebrate the birth of Jesus. It's also a federal holiday. And since the vast majority of Americans are Christian, why can't we call it what it is?"

"You heartless thug. Did it occur to you that some people don't believe in God? Or that some prefer to celebrate Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or something else?"

"So go celebrate. I have no desire to prevent folks from celebrating whatever they wish to celebrate. What troubles me is the way we are white-washing Christmas.

"You're a Republican, aren't you?"

"WorldNetDaily.com published a recent feature about Wal-Mart that pinpointed the problem. A woman contacted Wal-Mart and wanted to know why the company replaced any references to 'Merry Christmas' with 'Happy Holidays.' She got an e-mail response that was a doozy."

"Go on."

"The Wal-Mart representative wrote that the company is a world wide organization and must remain conscious of this. That the majority of the world still has different practices other than 'Christmas,' which is an ancient tradition that has its roots in Siberian shamanism."

"Sounds good to me."

"He said that the colors associated with 'Christmas' red and white are actually a representation of the aminita mascera mushroom. That Santa is borrowed from the Caucuses, mistletoe from the Celts, yule log from the Goths, the time from the Visigoth and the tree from the worship of Baal. He said it is a wide wide world."

"Well, it is a wide wide world. That's why we need to be sensitive to other people's cultures, religions and beliefs."

"Sure, let's be sensitive but can't we also call a thing what it is? According to WorldNetDaily.com, the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights conducted a search on Wal-Mart's Web site. The word 'Hanukkah' pulled up 200 items for sale. The term 'Kwanzaa' pulled up 77. But the word 'Christmas' prompted a message that said, "We've brought you to our 'Holiday' page based on your search."

"So what's your point?"

"Why is it OK to be clear about what some folks may wish to celebrate, such as Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, but elusive and vague about Christmas, which is celebrated by the vast majority of Americans?"

"Well, buddy, WorldNetDaily.com also points out that the celebration of Christmas has long been a cultural battleground in America, a battle dating back to colonial times. Did you know that Christians in New England outlawed Christmas because they felt it was based more on ancient pagan traditions than instruction from the Bible?"

"That is true and very interesting. It's also true that Christmas today is just as much a secular celebration as it is a religious one. But that isn't the point. The point is, in our efforts not to offend any particular group of folks, we're generating larger offenses that affect all of us."

"Such as?"

"Such as the Orwellian use of language we are spawning. Saying happy holidays is one thing, but some nuts are now refusing to call a Christmas tree a Christmas tree. They're calling it a winter celebration tree. Others are forbidding the use of Santa Claus at public places because Santa evolved from a European folk tale based on Saint Nicholas."

"Hey, it's a free country."

"Yes, and free countries thrive when their citizens think clearly, when words are clear and concise and things mean what they really mean. When language gets murky and clouded, thinking does, too. Murky thinking doesn't bode well for any Democracy."

"Look, I'm busy and need to do some winter solstice season celebration shopping. You got anything else to say?"

"Just one. Merry Christmas."

Tom Purcell

Tom Purcell is a nationally syndicated columnist. Visit his website here. Other articles by Tom Purcell can be found in the MensNewsDaily.com™ archive.

Ellie

thedrifter
11-27-05, 08:05 AM
Look Out! The Christians Are Coming!
Written by Jack Engelhard
Sunday, November 27, 2005

Originally, I wanted to title this, “Yes, We Have No Pope,” but couldn’t get it to rhyme. Well, Thanksgiving is done and so, judging from the traffic and stampeding in the malls, the Christmas season is officially upon us--whoops. Did someone say Christmas? Anyhow, this is for my Christian friends, because some explaining needs to be done.

Listen, or rather, don’t listen to the Abe Foxmans we’ve got out there flapdoodling. Foxman, as you’ve no doubt read, is horrified that America is becoming too Christian. As I said, we have no pope. Foxman speaks for Foxman and maybe a few others around the office. I assure you that 99 percent of all American Jews do not belong to Foxman’s ADL, and that 85 percent of all American Jews are affiliated with nothing more than being good citizens, working hard, and bringing home the bacon. (Whoops, again!)

I use the word “affiliated” for a reason. Some time ago a synagogue lady approached me, I don’t remember where, and asked if I was affiliated. Huh? I had no idea what she was talking about. Affiliated to what, to whom? Well, she explained, what synagogue do I attend and to what organizations do I belong?

Well, I attend whatever synagogue is closest to my home, and where the rabbi gives sermons that support the USA and Israel. (Of the USA, rabbis are 100 percent. When it comes to Israel--let’s not get into that.) As for organizations, zero. Trust me on this. I am the majority. We are not affiliated.

How do I know this? I just know this, that’s all. I know this the same way you know that the vast majority of American Christians--even church-going--are not “affiliated” with those church leaders who are obsessed with, or rather against, Israel, and are so gung-ho about boycotting the Jewish state. You may go to that church, but are paying your dues to God, not to the fanatical European-style anti-Semitism that’s been afflicting and prevailing atop certain U.S denominations.

My concern is that some of my Christian buddies may actually believe that someone out there, like a Foxman, speaks for the Jews. I keep telling you, we have no pope.

This rant (you’ve already guessed?) is about those organizations on the left. Recently (and habitually), a bunch of them lobbied AGAINST Israel. Incredible, but true.

These pompous self-hating lunatics do not speak for me, and be assured they speak for only a handful of other pompous self-hating lunatics. Even more recently, a “rabbi” who adheres to the dogmatic, extremist and fundamentalist left, well, he opened his mouth long enough to accuse conservative Jews of being Nazis. Yes, this counts as “dialogue” from our friends on the Left. (You’ve got them, and so do we.)

The true righteousness and sanity comes from our organizations that dwell within the great middle and the right.

This we do have--many organizations. We love to organize and give ourselves titles. In other words, we are all presidents. (This does keep us busy and off the streets.) A certain Israeli prime minister remarked (half-jokingly) that he rules not just plain citizens, but a nation of prime ministers.

The reason we love to organize so much is because it brings chaos, and we are big on chaos. Ben Hecht tells this story in his autobiography: There he was, in New York, and he finally got all the “affiliated” presidents together to raise the alarm, and raise money, for the Jews dying in Hitler’s concentration camps.

The meeting broke up within minutes when one president said of another president, something like--“If Stern is in on this, I’m out!”

But Elie Wiesel tells another story. This goes back two centuries ago in Eastern Europe. A great rabbi was walking along with his pupil and as they passed a church they noticed a Gentile walking by. “Never do business with that man,” said the rabbi. “He walked past his own church and didn’t cross himself.”

That’s the point. We love it when Christians are true to their Christianity. This makes us safe. As long as you go on being truly Christian we can go on being Jewish, or whatever we want. Isn’t that the deal we’ve got going from both ends? Love thy neighbor, right? Yes, that is the deal.

Merry Christmas to you, Happy Hanukkah to me. We’ve done it like this for some 200 years and it works.

Special note: Bestselling author Robert Spencer calls it “courageous, a rousing thriller” and the raves keep coming in for Jack Engelhard’s latest novel that’s got all the news that is not fit to print. Catch “The Bathsheba Deadline,” Engelhard’s explosive newsroom thriller that’s running as a serial on Amazon.com. Parts 1 and 2 are available now for digital download by visiting Amazon.com and writing in “The Bathsheba Deadline” in the Search bar, or by clicking these here, for Part 1 or here, for part 2. The novel will run exclusively on Amazon.com with a new installment each month until completion.

About the Writer: Jack Engelhard is the author of the bestseller "Indecent Proposal," the award-winning "Escape from Mount Moriah," and the novel "The Days of the Bitter End," which is being prepared for movie production. Jack receives e-mail at viewopinion@aol.com.

Ellie

MOUNTAINWILLIAM
11-29-05, 09:26 PM
TWO WORDS FOR THOSE WHO CONTINUE TO ASSAULT OUR AMERICAN TRADITIONS. BAH!!...........HUMBUG!!!!

junker316
11-30-05, 07:25 AM
I am tired of this ACLU. At some point maybe they should read the Constitution and other items where freedom is concerned. We fight for freedom...they fight against any freedom that doesn't conform to thier ideas. We die for freedom...ACLU would rather have us die that be given the freedoms that our fore-fathers died for. And then there is the 15 minutes of fame and the Monetary values of winning a court case or having somehting changed that should have been left alone. The ideas of our fore-fathers were freedom and equality. Not some freedoms and only those with the same ideas are equal. The ACLU is working against America not for the good of America or it's people. To me it is just another occult trying to gain ground and make an everlasting statement. It is something that needs to be shunned and disguarded in the trash. It is a sickness, a virus in American society that needs to be dealt with by totally lettign them know that they are NOT the majority and that they are NOT going to push America around and have everything changed to their veiws.

thedrifter
11-30-05, 02:28 PM
The Ghosts of Christmas Presence
By Lisa Fabrizio
Published 11/30/2005 12:06:47 AM

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas; that is, the mercury is dropping while temperatures are rising due to the war on Christmas waged annually by the secular left and others. The "Happy Holidays" crowd does all it can to erase from sight and mind the very reason for all the December hubbub; the birth of the one that 80% of Americans call their Lord.

While many decry the battle waged by the ACLU against religious displays in schools and public squares across America, the truth is, the campaign against Jesus Christ and the celebration of His birth has been prosecuted far more successfully in the entertainment media than anywhere else. In theaters and on TV, all but a mere trace of the religious aspect of Christmas has been removed, excepting the occasional "documentary" questioning the same.

In Hollywood, the quaint term "Christmas movie" has, of course, morphed into "Holiday release" and is more of a programming note rather than any indication that the movies being released have anything to do with the holiday itself, let alone its namesake.

This year's crop does not disappoint. While we've already had the unleashing of the latest installment of the Harry Potter series -- whose treatment of the mystical has raised the hackles of those on the "religious right" -- most of the other entries do little to inspire joy at the coming of the Prince of Peace.

Along with the perennial remake of King Kong, we have Rent, an adaptation of the Broadway play which is based on Puccini's La Boheme but is actually populated with drug addicts and drag queens; The Producers, Mel Brooks's antic romp featuring con artists and drag queens; and Brokeback Mountain, which is already being referred to as "that gay cowboy movie." Heady stuff all, and undoubtedly Hollywood's idea of promoting "good will toward men."

The sole exception appears to be The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. This movie is based on the classic children's books of noted Christian writer C.S. Lewis, which naturally have long been criticized "for sexism, racism, and cultural intolerance" and likely will be again.

On television, the dearth of real Christmas programming is no less distressing. Since the arrival of the cute yet commercial "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," nearly all references to the Christ child have been eliminated. A few years ago, a study was conducted to determine how often the birth of Jesus and other spiritual aspects of the season made their way onto our TV sets. The results were predictable:

What was once celebrated as one of the most sacred holy days of the year in American society has now become represented on television as nothing more than a fantasy day where dreams come true. Of the 1,156 hours of television devoted to the theme of Christmas during the month of December (2002), 90% of the shows did not include a major spiritual theme and only 3% of the Christmas programming was devoted to Jesus.

But it wasn't always that way. Consider that, in 1951, NBC commissioned composer Gian Carlo Menotti to write an original Christmas opera. The result, Amahl and the Night Visitors, is a beautiful work that tells of a poor, crippled, shepherd boy who is visited by the Magi on their way to Bethlehem. Replayed on NBC every year until the original video recording was lost, it continues to be reproduced on stages across the country but not, sadly, on network television.

Also popular was a charming Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation of an adaptation of The Littlest Angel, a book by Robert Tazewell. The story concerns Michael, a young boy who dies and goes to heaven and is an unruly angel, but becomes joyful when his poor gift to the coming Christ child is transformed into the shining star of Bethlehem. Such was the Christmas fare of early TV.

Today however, the closest way to get to the true spirit of the day is to wade through the Santa Clausian mush and look for a faithful rendition of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. Though Dickens is unfairly credited with spawning the "modern" way we celebrate the season, it's hard to feel too far away from its redemptive qualities when reading his "ghostly little book."

Recently, many ghastly attempts at filming his tale have haunted the airwaves, poisoning the minds of children whose parents grew up with the sublime Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge. In 2000 for example, VH-1 aired "A Diva's Christmas Carol," starring Vanessa Williams with the tagline, "Christmas can be such a *****!" God Bless us every one, indeed.

But Dickens always had the right idea. Perhaps the adults in Hollywood today should take to heart this line from his immortal classic: "It is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child himself."

Lisa Fabrizio is a columnist who hails from Connecticut. You may write her here.

Ellie

thedrifter
12-01-05, 07:03 AM
The Ghost of Christmas Presence
Written by Lisa Fabrizio
Thursday, December 01, 2005

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas; that is, the mercury is dropping while temperatures are rising due to the war on Christmas waged annually by the secular left and others. The ''Happy Holidays'' crowd does all that it can to erase from sight and mind the very reason for all the December hubbub, the birth of the one that 80% of Americans call their lord.

While many decry the battle waged by the ACLU against religious displays in schools and public squares across America, the truth is, the campaign against Jesus Christ and the celebration of His birth has been prosecuted far more successfully in the entertainment media than anywhere else. In theaters and on television, all but a mere trace of the religious aspect of Christmas has been removed, excepting the occasional ''documentary,'' which always questions same.

In Hollywood, the quaint term, ''Christmas movie'' has, of course, morphed into ''Holiday release'' and is more of a programming note rather than any indication that the movies being released have anything to do with the holiday itself, let alone its namesake.

This year’s crop does not disappoint. While we’ve already had the unleashing of the latest installment of the Harry Potter series--whose treatment of the mystical has raised the hackles of those on the ''religious right''--most of the other entries do little to inspire joy at the coming of the Prince of Peace.

Along with the perennial remake of “King Kong,” there are; “Rent,” an adaptation of the Broadway play which is based on Puccini’s La Boheme but which is actually populated with drug addicts and drag queens; “The Producers,” Mel Brooks’ antic romp featuring con artists and drag queens; and “Brokeback Mountain,” which is already being referred to as “that gay cowboy movie.” Heady stuff all, and undoubtedly Hollywood’s idea of promoting ''good will toward [ahem] men.''

The sole exception appears to be “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.” This movie is based on the classic children’s books of noted Christian writer C.S. Lewis, which naturally have long been criticized “for sexism, racism, and cultural intolerance” and likely will be again.

On television, the dearth of real Christmas programming is no less distressing. Since the arrival of the cute yet commercial “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” nearly all references to the Christ child have been eliminated. A few years ago, a study was conducted to determine how often the birth of Jesus and other spiritual aspects of the season made their way onto our television sets. The results were predictable:

What was once celebrated as one of the most sacred holy days of the year in American society has now become represented on television as nothing more than a fantasy day where dreams come true. Of the 1,156 hours of television devoted to the theme of Christmas during the month of December (2002), 90% of the shows did not include a major spiritual theme and only 3% of the Christmas programming was devoted to Jesus.

But it wasn’t always that way. Consider that, in 1951, NBC commissioned composer Gian Carlo Menotti to write an original Christmas opera. The result, Amahl and the Night Visitors, is a beautiful work that tells of a poor, crippled, shepherd boy who is visited by the Magi on their way to Bethlehem. Replayed on NBC every year until the original video recording was lost, it continues to be reproduced on stages across the country but not, sadly, on network television.

Also popular was a charming Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation of an adaptation of The Littlest Angel, a book by Robert Tazewell. The story concerns Michael, a young boy who dies and goes to heaven and is an unruly angel, but becomes joyful when his poor gift to the coming Christ child is transformed into the shining star of Bethlehem. Such was the Christmas fare of early television.

Today however, the closest way to get to the true spirit of the day is to wade through the Santa Clausian mush and look for a faithful rendition of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” Though Dickens is unfairly credited with spawning the ''modern'' way we celebrate the season, it’s hard to feel too far away from its redemptive qualities when reading his “ghostly little book.”

Recently, many ghastly attempts at filming his tale have haunted the airwaves, poisoning the minds of children whose parents grew up with the sublime Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge. In 2000 for example, VH-1 aired “A Diva’s Christmas Carol,” starring Vanessa Williams with the tagline, “Christmas can be such a *****!” God Bless us every one, indeed.

But Dickens always had the right idea. Perhaps the adults in Hollywood today should take to heart this line from his immortal classic: “It is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child himself.”

About the Writer: Lisa Fabrizio is a freelance writer from Stamford, Connecticut. Lisa receives e-mail at mailbox@lisafab.com.

Ellie