because it's been a while since I waxed wroth on politics...

[lagilman]

from one of my mailing lists:

This Thursday afternoon, 26 House Republicans -- together with the GOP leadership -- brought to a vote before the full House whether House members support the "symbols and traditions" of Christmas, and whether they disapprove of "attempts to ban references to Christmas."

Today's roll call vote comes on the heels of a House floor debate held last night regarding H. Res. 579, a resolution "Expressing the sense of the
House of Representatives that the symbols and traditions of Christmas should be protected."

During the debate, Democratic members asked the Republican author of the resolution, Rep. Jo Ann Davis (R-VA), if she would permit the symbols of
Chanukah and other holidays to be included in the protection of the resolution -- and she refused.

The resolution passed 401 to 22.

The text can be found at: http://thomas.loc.gov/ with a search on "Christmas, protection"

Um. Riiiight. To the respected bozos of the House, and especially Jo Ann Davis -- bite my unprotected Jewish ass, 'k?

ETA: I actually just called Davis' district office and left a message on her voice mail. Go on, join the club...
in DC -- 202-225-4261
district offices -- 757-874-6687, 540-548-1086, and (804) 443-0668


and Rep. John Dingell (D-MI) says it even better:


'Twas the week before Christmas and all through the House,
no bills were passed `bout which Fox News could grouse.
Tax cuts for the wealthy were passed with great cheer,
so vacations in St. Barts soon should be near.

Katrina kids were all nestled snug in motel beds,
while visions of school and home danced in their heads.
In Iraq, our soldiers need supplies and a plan,
and nuclear weapons are being built in Iran.

Gas prices shot up, consumer confidence fell.
Americans feared we were in a fast track to ..... well.
Wait, we need a distraction, something divisive and wily,
a fabrication straight from the mouth of O'Reilly.

We will pretend Christmas is under attack,
hold a vote to save it, then pat ourselves on the back.
Silent Night, First Noel, Away in the Manger,
Wake up Congress, they're in no danger.

This time of year, we see Christmas everywhere we go,
From churches to homes to schools and, yes, even Costco.
What we have is an attempt to divide and destroy
when this is the season to unite us with joy.

At Christmastime, we're taught to unite.
We don't need a made-up reason to fight.
So on O'Reilly, on Hannity, on Coulter and those right-wing blogs.
You should sit back and relax, have a few egg nogs.

'Tis the holiday season; enjoy it a pinch.
With all our real problems, do we really need another Grinch?
So to my friends and my colleagues, I say with delight,
a Merry Christmas to all, and to Bill O'Reilly, happy holidays.
Ho, ho, ho. Merry Christmas.



I saw we all marchdown to DC on the evening of the 25th and light a big ole menorah in front of Congress. Cry government-mandated discrimination when they try to take it down. Who's with me?

Comments

[debg.livejournal.com]

Man, if I was anywhere near DC, they'd have a wicker man in the damned Rose Garden. We could light the Big Ole Menorah with that.

War on Christmas. Yeah, right. Because Christians are so very very persecuted in America right now, especially with all those Christian-hating people in power.

Oh. wait. That would be in an alternate frellin' universe.

[seachanges.livejournal.com]

Man, if I was anywhere near DC, they'd have a wicker man in the damned Rose Garden.

Right there with ya.

Freedom of religion. Separation of church and state. When did these become BAD things?

[debg.livejournal.com]

>When did these become BAD things?

I suspect right around the time that a bunch of theocratic fundie whackjobs decided the Four Horsemen were being slow about it, and decided to take over democracy with Diebold voting machines, and give that noisy little Revelations apocalypse deal a wee bit of a push.

There are simply no words for how much I abominate these people.

[seachanges.livejournal.com]

There are simply no words for how much I abominate these people.

I dunno, sounds like you're doing just fine.

And again, right there with ya.

[debg.livejournal.com]

sounds like you're doing just fine

Nope. Not really fine - I just meant, the words are inadequate unless put together in long eloquent streams of invective, which I mustn't do in suri's journal, because she'll thump me. I've been known to do it in my own, though...

Persecution

[(Anonymous)]

The thing you have to remember is that, to *some* Christians, the very ideas of religious freedom, tolerance and seperation of church and state, *are* persecution.

To them, for someone to acknowledge that there might be other conceptions of Divinity that might be just as valid as their own, is an attack on Christ Himself and something they cannot let slide. Hence the amount of noise they make about 'Happy Holidays', 'Holiday Trees', 'Winter lights' and so on. I won't even get into the ID vs evolution debate (although it's so much *fun*).

And that feeling of persecution puts them in the virtuous position of being the underdog and fighting to defend something rather than attacking where there is little cause.

I'm not saying that there isn't real persecution out there (against Christians or followers of any other faith), just that this isn't it.
~~
U&A
http://uncertainandanxious.blogspot.com/

[debg.livejournal.com]

Oh, agreed. There is no belief system on earth that isn't going to be feared and therefore hunted somewhere. But it aint Christianity in the US of A, not right now.

And don't even get *me* started on the whole "Jesus is the reason for season" thing. Um, no, guys. In the American gestalt, the reason for the season is retail.

[rantmaster.livejournal.com]

Dude, I'm not even Jewish, but teach me some Jewish hymns and I'll be right there with you, singing.

A congressman came up with that, hmm? Pretty impressive.

[debg.livejournal.com]

(tangent)

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! A flashing icon with Eddie Izzard quotes!

You made my night.

[rantmaster.livejournal.com]

I wish I could take credit for it too. I borrowed it long ago from someone I don't remember. I'd even forgot I'd had it because I hadn't changed my avatar in like, forever.

It does rock, though. ;)

[kefiraahava.livejournal.com]

Sounds good to me.

And she includes so much useful contact information on her Web page, too...

[caryabend.livejournal.com]

I saw we all marchdown to DC on the evening of the 25th and light a big ole menorah in front of Congress. Cry government-mandated discrimination when they try to take it down. Who's with me?

Sounds just merry to me! (Sorry!) I'm all for having a politically themed party at the house. It wouldn't even be the first time! Sadly, we'll be away.

[jenniferechols.livejournal.com]

LOL! Classic! Rep. Dingell should write for The Daily Show.

[shsilver.livejournal.com]

And yet, Dingell voted in favor of the damned resolution.

[lagilman]

I suspect a lot of politicos decided that this was a haymaker -- vote in support of this silliness and maybe the GOP would pay back the favor ona more important issue. Stll pisses me off, though, and I intend to comment on it -- first with letters of support to the 22 who said "what drugs are you on, dude? No way!"

I'd suggest we all do the same. It's often more effective to praise and support the good kids than it is to lambast the idiots.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

I suspect a lot of politicos decided that this was a haymaker

More like a strawman maker - if they didn't vote for that nonsense, next election they'd be getting attack ads like "So and So doesn't even support Christmas! Do you trust him to support you?"

It would be nice to think that this would shut O'Reilly up, but betcha donuts to latkes that he's going to be howling next year about the same damned nonexistant "war."

[david-chunn.livejournal.com]

That's exactly what happened. Anyone who didn't vote for it in my neck of the woods would be doomed next election.

To my Jewish friends: Don't feel too bad. At least you had a shot of getting in on the bill. No one ever does anything for us heathen Daoists & Buddhists.

[lagilman]

That's exactly what happened. Anyone who didn't vote for it in my neck of the woods would be doomed next election.


Except, backlash happens. You bend over backwards to appease one small if vocal group, and all the other small groups have a target to rally against -- you. Pagans, Jews, agnostics, atheists, Buddhists, Scientologists, random devout Catholics offended at their faith being used as a whapping stick...

And as was pointed out elsewhere, these idiots can't even get their theology right -- Christians should all be deeply offended at the claim that Christmas is the 'holiest of days,' since even this Jew knows that's supposed to be Easter.

[shsilver.livejournal.com]

Perhaps of note is that the very next piece of business was a vote "Urging the President to issue a proclamation for the observance of an American Jewish History Month." It passed 423-0 with 10 not voting.

[lagilman]

Actually, I don't think it's of note at all, except as a sop. "We'll protect the rights of this one religion, and oh, you can run PSA ads in another month about this one other religion."

Where's the protection/PSAs for the other faiths represented within this country's rather diverse population?

The point here is that that little line about "Congress shall make no law..." has just been breached like the New Orleans walls three seconds before Katrina came visiting. And just like then, nobody in power seems to feel any shame or responsibility over it.

[shsilver.livejournal.com]

But it isn't a law, simply a resolution which is not binding and has no teeth. A tremendously misguided and scary resolution, but a resolution. That said, I have contacted my Congresscritter t ocomplain about that, lumping it in with his inane comments about it being okay to discriminate against foreign Arab men and pointing out that as the child of a Holocaust survivor this type of resolution makes me very skittish.

[lagilman]

But it isn't a law, simply a resolution which is not binding and has no teeth.

It's an indication of where winds are blowing. I'm not going to sit around waiting for someone to inch his/her way to proposing a bill -- better to whap them with cluesticks now, and remind them that the separation of Church (yes, even Theirs) and State wasn't just a vague suggestion by some guy on the street....

[debg.livejournal.com]

Exactly. I mean, Christmas is already a federal holiday. Persecution, my arse.

[kalligraphy.livejournal.com]

I'll do it. Of course we will probably be shot by snipers on the roof of the White House protecting America from terrorists.

[tak61.livejournal.com]

I run a monthly salon in Milwaukee. Would you mind if I quote your poem, when I bring up this issue to the people in the group? I would, of course, credit you.

[lagilman]

Oh, it's not mine! I'm just reposting it. See the original entry again for the proper crediting...