Posted on 12/16/2011 12:59:19 PM PST by SeekAndFind
What next? The folks in charge of franking congressional mail refuse to allow our elected representatives to wish us a merry Christmas. Lest you vainly hope, as I did at first, that this is a noble attempt to demonstrate fiscal restraint, let me disabuse you of that idea. At first glance, the rules appear merely to ban holiday greetings when those greetings are “the primary purpose of the communication.” That makes sense. I don’t want my Congressman to use my tax dollars to send out his family’s Christmas letter. But, as it turns out, not even incidental use of the phrase “Merry Christmas” is permissible. “Happy Holidays,” however, is. The Washington Examiner’s Mark Tapscott summarizes nicely:
A franking commission spokesman confirmed to The Washington Examiner that Members of Congress indeed cannot wish constituents “Merry Christmas” in any official mailing.
“Currently, incidental use of the phrase Happy Holidays is permissible but Merry Christmas is not,” said Salley Wood.
So it’s true, the elected representatives of the nation that puts “In God We Trust” on its currency are not permitted to use the greeting that has likely been uttered by every living adult American at least once in their lifetimes.
Just another demonstration that political correctness and freedom of speech, faith and thought are utterly incompatible.
An unrelated by related thought for both the PC police and that particular brand of atheist who finds public Nativity displays offensive: Freedom from religion isn’t really possible. Why? Let’s think about it for a moment. What is religion, really, but an attempt to grapple with certain inescapable, inevitable, unavoidable, pesky, problematic questions that plague all of us at one time or another? Questions like: Who am I? Why am I here? What is the meaning of life? And, above all: What happens when we die? Adults sometimes like to toss these questions aside as adolescent incoherence, but they’re not adolescent, even if they are elementary. Not everybody accepts divine revelation, but everybody has a suspicion of an answer to these questions. Let’s work with the last one, as that’s inexplicably the simplest. What happens when we die? Few of us can speak from experience. But, in general, people believe one of two things about it. Either we enter a different kind of existence or we simply cease to exist. Either of those beliefs is the foundation for an eschatology of sorts. Which eschatology you choose, in turn, informs your soteriology. If you believe in existence after death, you will likely seek some kind of eternal salvation — a happy otherworldly existence, in other words — and that will likely require some kind of savior. If you don’t, you’ll look for some kind of salvation here on earth (progress, perhaps, or utopia). Your eschatology and soteriology will inform your morality … and so on and so forth until you have adopted for yourself some kind of rudimentary religion. It might not be the right one — it might not be true — but it’s a religion, nevertheless. It’s no good to seek to avoid every reminder of the questions you don’t want to ask yourself. They’re inside of you, waiting to ambush when a loved one dies or when a child is born or when you lose a job or gain one. The only mature way to grapple with them is to embrace them, to follow where they lead. Those people seeking freedom from religion would be surprised at the freedom they’d find if they would.
God bless and Happy Hanukkah to you FRiend:)
I believe this may be an old joke - but my ex told me it happened to him. Back in the 60s he had a Jewish employer who never worked on Jewish holy days.
Phone rang and the caller asked to speak to the boss. Husband said “Dan’s not here - this is Yom Kippur. Caller said ‘Well Mr. Kippur can you tell me if...........”
LOL! That sounds like an old joke - but a good one. Merry Christmas, peace and joy to you and yours!
What federal holiday is coming up anyway? SuperBowl Sunday?
I propose that people who issue these proclamations work on December 25, the day whose name may not be spoken.
I'm an Agnostic and I favor "Merry Christmas." And, what's probably far worse, I continue to say and to write just that.
May Gaia have mercy on my sole soul (if any).
Insofar as I may be heard by anything, which may or may not care what I say, I ask, if it matters, that you be forgiven for anything you may have done or failed to do which requires forgiveness. Conversely, if not forgiveness but something else may be required to insure any possible benefit for which you may be eligible after the destruction of your body, I ask that this, whatever it may be, be granted or withheld, as the case may be, in such a manner as to insure your receiving said benefit. I ask this in my capacity as your elected intermediary between yourself and that which may not be yourself, but which may have an interest in the matter of your receiving as much as it is possible for you to receive of this thing, and which may in some way be influenced by this ceremony. Amen.
I wonder if the 'Franking' office would pass this 'prayer'?
For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. 27“But I say to you truthfully, there are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”
Luke 9:26
For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. 27“But I say to you truthfully, there are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”
Luke 9:26 and 27
Great one Bob!
I’ll be re-posting if you don’t mind
Merry Christmas!
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