Stuffed Full of It Already

You know, people, I'm really trying to get other stuff done here –

1. Job placement

2. College registration

3. Pluck a turkey

4. Finish constructing a multimedia CD-ROM (~360+ text pages, several dozen music tracks, dozens of images and MHT/HTML freestanders, etc.)

5. And plenty more

 – and you go and send me something that gets my soapbox-feet to itchin'; sigh

Fine.

Lovely former coworker (and wry Brit-wit) HeyJude passed me a making-the-rounds email (right on the heels of the same one, from fellow former coworker Electra… but HeyJude's got a cuter accent). The spelling is poor, punctuation ditto, the rhyme is lousy, meter shaky, and it's got unseemly neocon splotches all over it. Nonetheless, here it is, unretouched by your Aging Child:

T’was the month before Christmas
When all through our land
Not a Christian was praying
Nor taking a stand.
See the PC Police had taken away,
The reason for Christmas - no one could say.
The children were told by their schools not to sing,
About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.
It might hurt people's feelings the teachers would say
December 25th is just a 'Holiday'.
Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit
Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!
CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod
Some thing was changing, something quite odd!
Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa
In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda
As Targets were hanging their trees upside down
At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.
At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears
You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears
Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty
Are words that were used to intimidate me.
Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen
On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton!
At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter
To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.
And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith
Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace
The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded
The reason for the season, stopped before it started.
So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'
Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.
Choose your words carefully, choose what you say
Shout “MERRY CHRISTMAS”, NOT Happy Holiday!

I responded, copying Electra:

Brother; ain't that the truth! (And you've just sent me a blog-seed… thanks!)

I'm anything but conservative: left of center on a bunch of key issues (e.g., anti- death penalty, pro- increase of spending on health care, education, etc.), but I'm certainly solidly traditional (not "conservative"!) on some issues: family/moral values, no longer pro-abortion, etc.

So whenever a grumbling email comes my way with the names "Clinton" and "Boxer" in it, it sets my teeth on edge, because I can guess that the author is conservative (e.g., pro-gun, pro-Bush, etc.).

Nonetheless, sometimes I do find myself with "strange bedfellows", and at times will concur (not "agree", okay? shudder!) with their stances. This happens to be one.

Putting up a "Merry Christmas" sign is not the same thing as posting a picture of Torquemada under a banner of "Accept Jesus or die!" Puh-lease, people! It really is okay to say "Merry Christmas".

E.g., I've been to two Jewish services (one a seder, the other a wedding), and out of courtesy wore a yarmulke (kept it, too – they're cool!) both times… and didn't walk away afterward with the impression that someone was about to force-convert me into abandoning ham sandwiches and going grocery-shopping on Saturdays.

Likewise, should I have the delight of joining some Buddhists in temple, Hindus in an ashram, Muslims in a mosque, and/or animists around a roaring fire, I'll follow conventions and take my shoes off, squat on the rug, burn incense, chant, rub blue mud on my belly, and so on. That is respect for their beliefs. I'll bone up on my Arabic, Hebrew, Hindi, Tibetan, Farsi, Japanese, Tlingit, and so on, to accommodate my ability to participate as a welcome guest.

"Equal rights for all" I embrace, and will fight and die for. All are free to worship in my neighborhood, so long as the other neighbors are not greatly inconvenienced or threatened. Please do not hurt anyone out of worship, do not tear up the streets or park on my lawn, and try to keep the noise down a bit between, oh, let's say 11 PM and 7 AM. Beyond that, have at it – and say a prayer for me, too, okay? I'm doing the same for you, folks.

What I will not do is bend over backwards (nowadays it's hard enough forwards) to avoid the remotest possibility of leaving my sister/brother non-Christian (or even non-Catholic) feeling less than respected and honored. This country was founded as a majority-Christian nation, and ought still to be so. Non-Christians are a minority here – though only in faith.

As fellow-citizens (or visitors… legally, too, please), they have all the rights and protections and duties that I benefit from as well. I am committed to seeing to that through all legal means, and do so heartily. That is equality. I will shed my O-neg blood to protect them and their children. To cite just one particular faith's writings: the Koran says, "If you mingle your affairs with them, they are your brothers" (and sisters, of course!); see Surat 2 (al-Baqarah) 220.

Now, get this: EQUALITY DOES NOT MEAN EQUAL BILLING.

"Equality" in this regard is equal protection under the law, equal rights (life, liberty, pursuit of happiness; voting, employment/pay, non-discrimination, and so on.) It is not "equal" in the sense of one-to-one equal, follow? Or I'd be obligated to build one – uh, let's say "temple to Ra, the sun-god" as a catch-all, okay? – build one Ra-temple for every church I build, one Ra-school for every Christian school, set aside one Ra-holiday in the governmental schedule for every Christian holiday set aside.

I will not post a billboard to the almighty Ra to offset the small pile of Christmas cards I plan to begin sending out after this weekend. Ra will understand, I'm sure. I want my knee-jerk, fellow-left brothers and sisters to understand that, too. I'm really with you guys.

Now, let's celebrate Thanksgiving… turkeys!