The War on Christmas

Sorry I haven't been posting-- December can be quite a busy month, with getting ready for the holidays and also at work (I have co-workers trying to fit in the rest of their vacation hours, so I've been taking on some more hours).  If you read my other blog, yes I just copied and pasted this from it.

I am sure you have heard of the war on Christmas.  The news media reports on it, the fake news media does skits/"stories" on it...

I believe that there is a war on Christmas, but that it is different from the one we talk about, or make fun of... the war on Christmas is one that each and everyone one of us (at least in the U.S.) has taken part, and it wasn't on the side of Christmas.  It is consumerism.

I am not the only one who thinks this.  The folks at the Advent Conspiracy propose moving ones focus away from buying and buying to the real meaning of Christmas, and consequently to giving gifts that are thoughtful, that take time, and are based on the relationship one has with the receiver of the gift.  They also argue, in their first video on the dvd, that getting mad at stores who say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" is missing the point-- it is not the stores' job to tell the story of Christmas.  It is the church's job, and christians' job.  I would take this a step further, and argue that as a christian myself, I have seen first hand how christians have been as guilty of allowing, and even encouraging, consumerism to hijack Christmas.  I am as guilty of it as anyone else.  I would also argue that not only is it hypocritical of us, it is a way for us to feel as though we are standing up for Christmas-- to feel as though we are doing something-- while we continue to buy into consumerism as much as ever.

So, I encourage you, whether christian or not, to give time, or make gifts, or give to charity for those you still need gifts for this year.  I encourage you to consider celebrating Christmas differently next year.  (To be smart about giving to charity, check charities out on GiveWell, Charity Navigator, and CharityWatch.)

Blagojevich surprises me

Rod Blagojevich will be spending 14 years in prison.  I have to confess to some surprise-- I wasn't expecting them to be so hard on him.  For that matter, I was surprised when charges were brought against him.  It had seemed to me, at least, like what he was accused of were things politicians did all the time, and never got into trouble.  As I have said before, I am very cynical about politicians.

Maybe in Blagojevich's case, they had enough evidence this time around.  Or maybe everyone was just so tired of corruption that they had had enough.

It is not as though politicians have never gotten prosecuted before... it just happens so infrequently, like CEOs getting prosecuted.  Many of them haven't done anything illegal, but some of them have and get away with it routinely.  Didn't the banks only get yelled at for giving the bail out money (money that was supposed to help bail out their customers) to their CEOs as bonuses?

So, as I said, I'm a bit surprised.  I feel a bit bad that the state taxpayers will be supporting his existence, but something tells me they are not going to mind paying for him staying in jail.  I think that something is that if it were in my state, I wouldn't mind.

Just so you know, politicians lie

I was reading an editorial (originally appearing in the Chicago Tribune) that was debating whether adultery or dishonesty was worse in our political leaders.  The line "They understand that from time to time, politicians lie" threw me for a bit of a loop.  Maybe I am too cynical about politicians, but I expect them to lie pretty much all the time.  I figure any truth or facts that might come out of their mouths are firmly wrapped up in a bunch of lies they are hoping we will swallow since they pushed a bit of truth into the middle.  They exaggerate.  They misquote.  All you have to do is read Politifact or Factcheck.org to see that.  Yes, sometimes politicians are correct, which you can also see by reading those sites, but I feel that has more to do with needing to tell the truth sometimes so that people will have a reason to believe them when they are telling lies.

Like I said, I am very cynical about politicians.