WHAT YOU NEED NOW - CONTENT UPDATED THROUGH THE DAY
Dec. 6, 2005
BAYHAM ON POLITICS: Political Correctness Denies Holiday Reality
By Mike Bayham
South Louisiana (Special to HNN) -- The leaves have fallen. There's a cool
breeze outside. And I can't find a decent parking spot at the mall.
Ah the joys of holiday season!
What holiday in particular? Well there's Hanukkah, a religious celebration
commemorating the uprising by the Maccabees in Judea against their pagan
Assyrian conquerors, but society at large tends to simply recognize it as
the lighting of nine candles for mysterious reasons or worse yet that
Hanukkah is just the "Jewish Christmas." And then there is my favorite,
Kwanzaa, a sham holiday that gives Festivus a sense of legitimacy...after
all the latter was not invented by a convicted felon.
Conduct a nationwide poll about the details of the Kwanzaa and Festivus and
my money is on more people having knowledge of Frank Costanza's celebration
best known for its feats of strength, airing of grievances, and its
centerpiece ornament, the aluminum Festivus pole, than they do about
Kwanzaa, which is only 40 years older than Festivus. The main difference
between Festivus and Kwanzaa is that one was intended to make people laugh
and the other is just a joke.
What bothers me most about Kwanzaa, aside from its artificial nature,
creation by a racial militant who tortured two black women, and the outright
ludicrousness of the whole deal (you can read more about the holiday at its
official website, www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org) is that it is given more
reverence by the media, Hollywood, and politicians than the second holiest
day in the West's predominant faith.
I remember watching Bad Santa, surely not an accurate barometer of modern
society (or is it?) and hearing a background announcement at the mall the
Billy Bob Thornton character was about to rob wishing its patrons a happy
Hanukkah, a joyous Kwanzaa, and a happy holiday season. That they left out
one important proper named holiday in particular offended me more than all
of the profanities and vulgar references in the film, and there were many.
Even more inane is the superfluous reference to Hanukkah since the 8-day
Jewish celebration is observed long before December 25th. It's like bidding
people a Happy St. Patrick's Day on April 1!
It is truly sad that the most recognized holiday in Western Civilization is
now the holiday that none dares speak its name.
Now it appears House Speaker Denny "Go To Hell New Orleans" Hastert, R-IL,
is having a "mad as hell and not going to take it anymore" moment by
demanding that the "holiday tree" outside of the Capitol be officially
referred to as a Chri...well you know...tree.
Even the Democratic mayor of Boston is hopping over the political correcting
of his city's "seasonal tree." The Canadian who donated the tree was so
incensed that his timber was having its name shivered into common noun
status that he publicly stated his regret for cutting it down.
And though we are weeks from December 25th, you can bet your red stockings
that ACLU lawyers are busy applying their war paint as they giddily begin
their assault on public schools from Omaha to Wilmington to save children
from being compelled to sing and/or listen to "Silent Night" or "Santa Claus
Is Coming To Town," since the subject of the song is a reference to Saint
Nicholas, a revered figure in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Of course the ACLU will only be able to spring into action if some pain in
the ass atheist divorcee drops a nickel on the school, thus relegating his
or her child to more school yard taunting than the unfortunate grade
schooler with the surname Slutsky.
Yet despite the success liberals and anti-Christians there is one Gibraltar
of reality they can't crack: turning December 25th into just another day of
the week. Lawyers might rid the educational system of "Joy to the World,"
merchandisers can assign any secular moniker they wish to their turbo sale
time, but they will never get mail delivered or garbage picked up on that
particular day.
That government shuts down and most businesses aren't open on December 25th
is reality's recognition that the day is special even if it isn't observed
by one and all.
And since there seems to be a national, unspoken conspiracy against going to
work that day why can't department stores name their "Holiday Season Sale" a
"Christmas Sale" and government refer to their giant, green needle-bearing
tree a Christmas tree without threat of litigation? And in the likely event
public entities do get sued, they should have the chestnuts to stand up to
such anti-Christian grinches.
Mike Bayham is a former St. Bernard Parish Councilman and can be contacted
at MikeBayham@yahoo.com.
