I love Frank Rich; if he wasn’t already rather famously married, I’d probably throw myself at his feet. Yes I know what he looks like, but brains, insight and wit count more than almost anything. Here’s the link
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/19/arts/19rich.
Next week I’ll learn how to do it so that just the word “Frank” appears in blue.
It’s a good article partially about how The Passion of the Christ didn’t receive any Golden globe nominations and if it doesn’t receive any Academy Award Nominations will Jews be blamed?
We’re beginning to sound a lot like our parents or grandparents. I’ve never been on blame Jew alert before, but I think it’s something I might have to get used to.
I hadn’t realized that it was Newt Gingrich, somebody I really love to rant on, who said “are we going to abolish the word Christmas.” Then he warned that it could happen.
I’ve always felt that I have the best of Christmas–the lights, other people’s trees, Italian Christmas dinners, some gifts, coquito (Puerto Rican eggnog and a thousand times better) without really straining myself.
I don’t understand why people teach their children that there is a Santa Claus or Easter Bunny. I’m pretty sure I always knew the tooth fairy was a myth. Fave’s Niece’s best friend is of Irish descent and several years ago Fave Niece (around 7 then) told me in reverent tones why we should respect our friends’ beliefs, and never ever tell them that there is no Santa claus.
No parent has ever been able to explain to me why they think this is a good thing. Long before they were parents they would tell me about the exact moment they found out there was no Santa Claus and how and why it scarred them for life. Nothing in life’s really rational so I don’t press them on this; I’m just curious.
My friends don’t blame me for the state of the world or taking Christmas out of the holidays. They don’t usually go to Church so perhaps they don’t really count as Catholic’s though they might believe in God and/or Jesus. Life’s complicated enough without analyzing this.
Frank Rich quotes Bill O’Reilly:
“Remember more than 90 percent of American homes celebrate Christams. But the small minority that is trying to impose its will on the majority is so vicious, so dishonest–it has to be dealt with.”
Rich goes on to talk about how Christians who aren’t into spreading dogma could be construed as anti-Christian. He says a lot more and it’s scary to somebody who believes she was born in a country that was founded upon the principle of freedom of religion.
While the majority of the people in America might be Christian, this isn’t a Christian country. We don’t have a national religion. If we did what would it be? Certainly not Catholic as Catholics are still not the majority of Christians here.
Would it be a mainstream Protestant branch or would an evangelical leader be appointed to a new cabinet post “National Religious Leader?”
I have lived my youth and early middle-age in a country I always felt secure enough to say anything I wanted to in. I harp on this subject because it niggles through the empty vessel I call my brain. I hate living in a country where people are divided over most everything or so it feels.
When I was in grad school I had a teacher from New Mexico (a state that I’m not picking on.) He nevr understood how my class–a rainbow of colors, etc., could debate everything fiercely, and then go out to lunch and laugh about something on TV. That one’s sometimes simple to understand: debate releases the valves and stops the explosion.
My looks are Slavic or Irish; my name could be from many countries. I have heard people speak against Jews and never really took them seriously. It’s different now.
Now we are all about morals and values. I thought that my morals and values were good, not perfect because I’m too opinionated, talk too much and for a few thousand other reasons, but good.
Now I realize that my morals and values will never be good to many people: I believe that people have the right not to believe in doctrines, to have abortions, to get married if they’re gay, to be whoever they’re most comfortable being as long as they don’t hurt other people. When did “moral values” become one phrase?
Now we don’t have to apologize for our mistakes if we confess them. (Something I will never understand; my five loyal readers might remember that the screensaver on my cell reads “I’m sorry,” about fifty times. Now instead of saying it, I just whip out the phone.)
Now we are about good vs evil with evil being anything Mel Gibson doesn’t like.
We’re in a war that makes me less and less sense every day, yet instead of thinking up plans to end this war, we’re expanding it.
Take a minute today to think about Seymour Melman who died on Thursday and was the first person to rebut the big argument that war drives an economy upwards, and showed how it did the reverse.
Sometimes in my most paranoid late-night “achoo, a Jew” state (in Annie Hall Woody Allen kept on confusing sneezes with the phrase a Jew,) I think our ultimate aim in this war is to establish religious dominance. How? Don’t ask me. Why? Don’t ask me.
Today I’m in a totally paranoid Woody Allen state of mind. God it must not be fun to be him.