Thursday, December 23, 2004

 

Choice Quotes for the Day

From Mark Steyn:

But every time some sensitive flower pulls off a legal victory over the school board, who really wins? For the answer to that, look no further than last month's election results. Forty years of effort by the American Civil Liberties Union to eliminate God from the public square have led to a resurgent, evangelical and politicised Christianity in America. By "politicised", I don't mean that anyone who feels his kid should be allowed to sing Silent Night if he wants to is perforce a Republican, but only that year in, year out it becomes harder for such folks to support a secular Democratic Party closely allied with the anti-Christmas militants. American liberals need to rethink their priorities: what's more important? Winning a victory over the kindergarten teacher's holiday concert, or winning back Congress and the White House?




...The elevation of the right not to be offended into the bedrock principle of democratic society will, in the end, tear it apart. That goes for atheists threatening suits against New Jersey schools and for Muslim lobby groups threatening fatwas against The Telegraph.

Hat tip to Res Publica Et Cetera


Jonah Goldberg
reminds us to lighten up.



Christmas is a joyous holiday, and joyous people tend not to behave like Torquemada. By my rough calculation, 99.87 percent of Christians who say “Merry Christmas” to people who aren’t Christian do so because they’re trying to be nice. And, by my equally rough calculation, 97.93 percent of people who take real offense when they’re on the receiving end of such Yuletide wishes are trying to be a pain in the — uh, well, they’re trying to be a pain

Jay Ambrose wants us to think about who are the fanatics here. He might be right:

Allowing freedom of religion is more than a formula for avoiding nasty wars. It is a means of allowing religion itself to flourish, of allowing thought to range widely and of allowing individuals to undertake voyages of inner discovery in which they may define their purposes and the meaning of their lives. Deny or disrupt the quest and you risk denying people their humanity. I hold to a faith, but forcing it on someone else is contrary to my understanding of that faith, and it is contrary to the civic principles I embrace.

Common sense surely instructs us, however, that putting up Christmas displays that really are about Christmas is no more an affront to religious freedom than the government's letting employees have a day off on account of Christmas, no matter what their religion. It seems to me that it really does take a fanatic — a true-believing, secular fundamentalist — to be an absolutist on the issue, to say with ironclad determination that we must have no whiff of religion anywhere near a government building lest we lose something of vital import.

It seems to me it requires people so obsessive about their cause that they no longer have that sense of proportionality that tells most of us when a polite nod or quietly voiced disagreement is a more appropriate response than loud protests and lawsuits.

The interesting fact is that, at a time when there is much wringing of hands about religious fundamentalists in America, it is the secular fundamentalists, the secular fanatics who have been winning their way.

Unless we see major change, the secular fanatics will win this fight about nativity scenes, and when we see them coming, we'll just have to whisper "Merry Christmas" to each other, hoping no offense is given if the words reach their ears.


I will close with a final tidbit from R. Emmett Tyrell:

This great controversy brings to mind a favored insight of mine. Society divides between the intelligent and the unintelligent, the gifted and the ungifted, but the most significant divide resides between the agreeable and the disagreeable. The disagreeable are forever out there disturbing the peace and claiming they do it for high moral purpose. Sometimes they do, but not always; and they often make social contact social conflict for no good reason.

Krauthammer is, as I say, on the side of the agreeable. His pronouncement on this vexed holiday is worth quoting at length not only for what he says about the holiday but also for what he says about this good country of ours. "The United States today is the most tolerant and diverse society in history. It celebrates all faiths with an open heart and open-mindedness that, compared to even the most advanced countries in Europe, are unique." He points out that 80% of Americans are Christians and 95% observe Christmas in some way. This does not alarm him. He being Jewish has used the holiday to fill in for Christian co-workers who are not at work. His co-workers have reciprocated for him on Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashana and another of his "major holidays," Opening Day at Fenway.

Krauthammer makes another point that I myself have tried to make over the years. We would hope that non-Christians are strong enough in their faith to feel unthreatened by Christmas carols or other vaguely religious themes. I should think this would be particularly true of agnostics and atheists, who I would think compose a particularly hearty lot.

In Alexandria, Virginia's Old Town I often attend a Roman Catholic Church that might never have been there were it not for that great and good man George Washington. Washington was part of the Protestant majority that in those faraway days was not particularly congenial to Catholics, but he put in his recommendation that the assorted rastaquoueres have their church and they have it. Washington went beyond mere toleration. He encouraged religious minorities. In his 1790 letter to the Newport synagogue he wrote, Krauthammer reminds us, "It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people, that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights." So maybe next year I shall be blurting out "Merry Christmas." But for now let me say God Bless.

And to you, my reader, I say, Merry Christmas, Joyeux Noel, A Merry Yuletide, Happy Solstice, Season's Greetings, have a great New Year's, and above all, as Dickens wished us, through the voice of Tiny Tim, "God bless us, each and every one!"

Wednesday, December 22, 2004

 

Thoughts on Newborns, Unborns, and the Season

One of the almost scandalous things to me about the Bobbie Joe Stinnett story is the fact that well after the time that Victoria Jo, Bobbie's kidnapped daughter was found and returned to her father, the press continued to refer to her as a fetus, as that unhuman tissue people like to imagine is not exactly a real human.

We humans like to give labels and categorize things that are hard to deal with, simplifying complex situations and impersonalizing the painful. At times of crisis, perhaps, it is easy to do, but the reality is still the reality, no matter what we name it.

At this time of year, where many of us contemplate one of the most famous crisis pregnancies in history, it is worth considering some of the reality we hide behind labels. Terrence Jeffrey tells us:


As the Feast of the Nativity approached, it may have been a providential hand that parted the dark cloud enveloping the death of Bobbie Joe Stinnett and let through a ray of light: The survival of Bobbie Jo's baby, Victoria Jo, focused national attention on the undeniable humanity of what abortion advocates would prefer to call the "fetus."

Pondering the tragedy, Sen. Sam Brownback, Republican of Kansas, sees cause for hope. "I look at this case that happened in Skidmore, Missouri, and Melvern, Kansas, and I am just aghast at it," Browback told me. "Scott and Lacy Peterson, that trial. You really are seeing a confluence of things confronting the public to deal with the issue of the humanity of the child."

In the new Congress, Brownback will reintroduce a bill he began working on this year to drive the unborn child's humanity deeper into the national heart and mind.

The Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act would require a doctor who wants to perform an abortion on a mother pregnant for 20 weeks or more to inform her that Congress has determined that a child at that stage of development is likely to feel pain while being aborted. The doctor would also be required to offer her a brochure detailing the scientific evidence for this determination and ask her if she would like anesthesia administered to the baby to lessen his or her pain during the abortion.

"My hope," said Brownback, "is that a number of women getting in that circumstance will say, 'Gosh, if that child is likely to experience pain, I don't want to do this to that child." He also hopes to enlighten the national debate. Citing an observation of Abraham Lincoln, he says, "You move America by establishing a common thought, and I want the people in America to see the humanity of the child in the womb."

Brownback's bill had 22 co-sponsors this year. Rep. Chris Smith sponsored the House version, which had more than 100 co-sponsors. Brownback believes it will be one of the top pro-life bills moved in the next Congress.

On the first Christmas, a poor young mother and adoptive father, forced into a manger in Bethlehem, joyfully welcomed an unexpected Child into their family and their hearts. In a nation so blessed by God as our own, does any child deserve less?

 

Thoughts on Newborns, Unborns, and the Season

One of the almost scandalous things to me about the Bobbie Joe Stinnett story is the fact that well after the time that Victoria Jo, Bobbie's kidnapped daughter was found and returned to her father, the press continued to refer to her as a fetus, as that unhuman tissue people like to imagine is not exactly a real human.

We humans like to give labels and categorize things that are hard to deal with, simplifying complex situations and impersonalizing the painful. At times of crisis, perhaps, it is easy to do, but the reality is still the reality, no matter what we name it.

At this time of year, where many of us contemplate one of the most famous crisis pregnancies in history, it is worth considering some of the reality we hide behind labels. Terrence Jeffrey tells us:


As the Feast of the Nativity approached, it may have been a providential hand that parted the dark cloud enveloping the death of Bobbie Joe Stinnett and let through a ray of light: The survival of Bobbie Jo's baby, Victoria Jo, focused national attention on the undeniable humanity of what abortion advocates would prefer to call the "fetus."

Pondering the tragedy, Sen. Sam Brownback, Republican of Kansas, sees cause for hope. "I look at this case that happened in Skidmore, Missouri, and Melvern, Kansas, and I am just aghast at it," Browback told me. "Scott and Lacy Peterson, that trial. You really are seeing a confluence of things confronting the public to deal with the issue of the humanity of the child."

In the new Congress, Brownback will reintroduce a bill he began working on this year to drive the unborn child's humanity deeper into the national heart and mind.

The Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act would require a doctor who wants to perform an abortion on a mother pregnant for 20 weeks or more to inform her that Congress has determined that a child at that stage of development is likely to feel pain while being aborted. The doctor would also be required to offer her a brochure detailing the scientific evidence for this determination and ask her if she would like anesthesia administered to the baby to lessen his or her pain during the abortion.

"My hope," said Brownback, "is that a number of women getting in that circumstance will say, 'Gosh, if that child is likely to experience pain, I don't want to do this to that child." He also hopes to enlighten the national debate. Citing an observation of Abraham Lincoln, he says, "You move America by establishing a common thought, and I want the people in America to see the humanity of the child in the womb."

Brownback's bill had 22 co-sponsors this year. Rep. Chris Smith sponsored the House version, which had more than 100 co-sponsors. Brownback believes it will be one of the top pro-life bills moved in the next Congress.

On the first Christmas, a poor young mother and adoptive father, forced into a manger in Bethlehem, joyfully welcomed an unexpected Child into their family and their hearts. In a nation so blessed by God as our own, does any child deserve less?

Monday, December 20, 2004

 

An American tradition: When pushed to the point it hurts, push back

It's been happening all over the country: people fighting against those who want to pretend the feelings of the majority don't count, and the majority are becoming proactive. The marriage amendments across the nation were one case in point. Christmas is becoming another. An example of this:


MILFORD -- Hundreds of counter protesters who say they want to "keep Christ in Christmas," dwarfed ahandful of atheists who gathered on the Green Sunday to protest a Nativity display.

A few times when it looked as if would get ugly, police stepped in to calm both sides as they engaged in face-to-face debates on free speech and the separation of church and state.

The display is a wooden structure with a glass case showing a Nativity scene. At its base is a baby Jesus in a cradle. Next to the cradle is a sign: "This display is provided by the Hyatt family and not erected, maintained or sponsored by the city of Milford."

The counter-protesters sang Christmas carols and "God Bless America," then recited "The Pledge of Allegiance." Their signs ranged from "Keep Christ in Christmas" to "This is a Christian nation -- majority rules."

The Rev. Jim Loomer, pastor of the Berean Christian Center, tried to make peace.

"Would anybody care to hear what they have to say?" Loomer asked the crowd.

The response was a chorus of "No!" and "Go home!"

"They should let these guys speak," Loomer said. "It’s America. Free speech."

When Dennis Paul Himes, Connecticut state director of American Atheists tried to read a statement explaining his position, he was drowned out by the shouting opposition. Himes later said he was surprised by the size of the crowd. Six atheists and about 250 others showed up.

Himes said the Nativity display, set up by the Hyatt family, "belongs on a church lawn, not on public property."

Toward the end of the event, atheist Janos Palotai of New Britain engaged in verbal jousting with Shane Lewis of Milford. Lewis, whose sweatshirt read "I am Satan’s worst nightmare," held his pro-Christian sign in front of Palotai’s sign protesting the Nativity display.

"If you’re trying to cover up my sign," Palotai said, "you must have nothing to say."

"I don’t think it’s right for you to display that sign at this time of year," Lewis replied.


Historically, Americans are very accomodating - up to a certain point. But this year, perhaps, marked a watershed. Starting with all ruckus over the Passion of the Christ, certain veils of "official" toleration fell away, and groups began to clearly take sides. Our culture does honor diversity - but when you do it in a way that says that the values and ideas held by many are worthless compared to the few, you will get repercussions. Expect more to come.

 

PC Freedom of Speech

Kathleen Antrim discusses the new paradigm of the new approach to PC and public speech in her essay, Silencing America.

The First Amendment is being redefined. Freedom of speech and tolerance for diversity of thought and ideas now include lists of dos and don’ts. The official list of don’ts includes not saying “God” in public, certainly not on government property like a school.

In Cupertino, California, a fifth-grade teacher has been banned from using the Declaration of Independence as an educational supplement because God is mentioned in the document. This, folks, is the thought police in action, under the guise of separation of church and state. And they are silencing America.

Don't use any symbol that suggests religion, with the exception of Islam, which is part of the California seventh-grade curriculum.

My daughter’s cheerleading squad planned to put up a Christmas tree in the high school courtyard that said “All I want for Christmas is the NCS Football Championship.” This idea was quickly squashed by administrators because not everyone celebrates Christmas. So, instead of being welcome to express themselves, and welcoming others to do the same, they were silenced.

The list of don’ts includes listening to or verbalizing diverse ideas, or concepts with which the "group" doesn’t agree. Doing so will provoke the thought police.


In many ways, this is the lessening of America. And that is sad.

Sunday, December 19, 2004

 

Interesting News Bits

Time Magazine names President Bush as man of the Year


In a story that I thought could get no stranger, it seems like the woman who is suspected of killing Bobbie Jo Stinnett and taking her baby not only tried to pass the baby off as one she had to her husband, and also showing the baby off at a restaurant and to her pastor. She had evidently been telling people she was pregnant.

There is a major slump in world coffee prices. As usual, this seems to affect the farmer, who we empathize with, much more than it does the grocery store prices. I remember an old comedy skit about "Juan Valdez" growing his coffee beans while his neighbors got rich off of growing coca and marijuana...I wonder how some of these farmers handle the pressure not to do something else to make a living.

Kris asks this question: How can campus liberals be so focused on showing tolerance and promoting diversity and then turn around and be so intolerant of people who add to the diversity of ideas on campus? Are they really so shallow that diversity only means the color of someone's skin? I don't have the answer to that one.

Senior Al Quada figure
is talking about how Bin Laden was trying to make a dirty bomb.

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