Christmas Can-Can

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Wizard of Oz – Alternate Ending

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From “MAD TV”





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37 Christmases

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2009 makes the 37th Christmas I’ve celebrated. No, not that young; that Jewish. Our family celebrated Hanukah when we were kids – menorah and gifts. Beyond that not so much, although I may stand corrected by my two brothers. Christmas Eve was usually a Christmas lights tour through town then home to a Christmas-tree-less home. I had serious Christmas envy. Always did. I knew it wasn’t right. I mean, after all, I was Jewish.

My Italian-Irish Catholic good friend and former partner Jack gently introduced me to Christmas. In 1973 we got one another Christmas gifts and opened them Christmas Eve. That continued as our Christmas tradition. In 1978 we moved to an apartment with a space begging for a Christmas tree. I dared not say anything – I mean, after all, I was Jewish and a Christmas tree where I lived was …

Jack mentioned it. Seeing a lifetime of Christmas envy bubbling to the fore with my “yes”, he immediately laid down decorating rules: white lights and red bulbs. Period. We negotiated. (Well, he let me think I was negotiating.) Jack kindly granted me and my Christmas envy permission to hang tinsel and gold bulbs along with red ones.

Our most spectacular tree was in an apartment with 20 foot ceilings. The tree was around 18 feet tall. We bought more lights and bulbs that year; also borrowed a ladder. All 18 feet of that magnificent tree glistened.

Christmas tradition continues for me – trees and gifts. Opening gifts Christmas Eve from Jack I brought to others’ Christmas traditions.

To the purists – Hanukah is no Christmas. Thank you, Jack.

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Franken to GOP: “You’re Not Entitled to Your Own Facts” on Healthcare

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[Senator Al Franken points out the ludicrous basis on which Republicans oppose the healthcare bill.]

WASHINGTON -- In a few moments of heated but controlled anger on the Senate floor Monday evening, Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) slammed Sen. John Thune (R-SD) and the GOP for essentially lying about the nature of the Democratic health care bill, suggesting they haven't read it.

"We are entitled to our own opinions; we're not entitled to our own facts," Franken said. "Benefits kick in right away."

Thune then took the floor and stressed that "tax increases start 18 days from now" while "spending benefits don't start till 2014."

Franken got angrier and reclaimed his time. "Spending benefits start right away," he stammered, also rebuffing Thune's claim that the bill in all pain and no gain in the short-run. It "will prohibit insurance from imposing lifetime limits on benefits starting day one."

"He doesn't want to hear it," Franken said in a heated voice, while pointing to Thune. "We are entitled to our own opinions; we're not entitled to our own facts."

Lifetime benefits kick in on day one, and we shouldn't be standing up here with charts to say the exact opposite," Franken said. He also pointed out that "small business tax credits will kick in right away" and the bill closes the doughnut hole for Medicare Part D.

"Facts are stubborn things," he said, repeating: "We are not entitled to our own facts."

"I stand here day after day and hear my colleagues, my good friends from the other side, say things that are not based on fact," Franken declared. He also accused Republicans of not reading the fill.

During the exchange, Thune tried to interrupt and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) interjected, accusing Republicans of trying "monopolize our 30 minutes." Later, Brown said of the GOP: "Perhaps if you're going to vote against [the bill], you don't have to read it -- is that the way they think about it?"

"I will find that many of my colleagues, who I'm very friendly with, have not read the bill," he said. "And I think that if you're going to get on your feet and debate and make assertions, you should really be familiar with the content of the bill. I've only been here a while, so maybe I'm naive."

From: the raw story: http://rawstory.com/2009/12/franken-slams-gop-senate-floor-youre-entitled-facts/

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President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech

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I Am a New Yorker

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I Am a New Yorker

Written by Vincent Pasquale, Maspeth, NY

[Kindly forwarded by Nathan, a fellow New Yorker]

I am a New Yorker

I do not live in the five boroughs or on the Island or Upstate

I may live hundreds or thousands of miles away

Or I may live just over the GW Bridge

But I am a New Yorker

I am a New Yorker

Whatever took me out of New York:

Business, family or hating the cold did not take New York out of me

My accent may have faded and my pace may have slowed

But I am a New Yorker

I am a New Yorker

I was raised on Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and Rockefeller Plaza,

The Yankees or the Mets (Giants or Dodgers)

Jones Beach, Rye Beach, Orchard Beach or one of the beaches on the sound

I know that 'THE END' means Montauk.

Because I am a New Yorker

I am a New Yorker

When I go on vacation, I never look up

Skyscrapers are something I take for granted

The Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty are part of me

Taxis and noise and subways and 'get outa heah' don't rattle me

Because I am a New Yorker

I am a New Yorker

I was raised on cultural diversity before it was politically correct

I eat Greek food and Italian food,

Jewish and Middle Eastern food and Chinese food

Because they are all American food to me.

I don't get mad when people s pea k other languages in my presence

Because my relatives got to this country via Ellis Island and chose to stay

They were New Yorkers

People who have never been to New York have misunderstood me

My friends and family work in the industries, professions and businesses that benefit all Americans

My firefighters died trying to save New Yorkers and non-New Yorkers

They died trying to save Americans and non-Americans

Because they were New Yorkers.

I am a New Yorker

I feel the pain of my fellow New Yorkers

I mourn the loss in my beautiful city

I feel and dread that New York will never be the same

But then I remember:

I am a New Yorker

And New Yorkers have:

Tenacity, strength and courage way above the norm

Compassion and caring for our fellow citizens

Love and pride in our city, in our state, in our country

Intelligence, experience and education par excellence

Ability, dedication and energy above and beyond

Faith--no matter what religion we practice

Terrorists hit America in its heart

But America's heart still beats strong

Demolish the steel in our buildings, but it doesn't touch the steel in our souls

Hit us in the pocketbook; but we'll parlay what we have left into a fortune

End innocent lives leaving widows and orphans, but we'll take care of them

Because they are New Yorkers

Wherever we live, whatever we do, whoever we are

There are New Yorkers in every state and every city of this nation

We will not abandon our city

We will not abandon our brothers and sisters

We will not abandon the beauty, creativity and diversity that New York represents

Because we are New Yorkers

And we are proud to be New Yorkers

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Uganda to Jail, Execute Gays

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In one of the most outrageous examples of state-sponsored hate laws the Uganda legislature is on the verge of passing a bill imposing heavy criminal penalties ranging from prison terms to life imprisonment to death on its gay citizens.

How serious is this? One example from the Washington Post:

“As Episcopalians in America were electing their second gay bishop, their Anglican cousins in Uganda were embroiled in controversial legislation that would put those bishops in prison for life, or condemn them to death.”

[newsweek.washingtonpost.com]

While writing this article, another blog updated the story stating that the death penalty was removed from the legislation. If true, a lucky sop to threatened multinational trade sanctions. Debate on the bill continues and reports on its provisions change daily if not hourly.

A compendium of its measures as summarized by several news organizations:

> Anyone convicted of a homosexual act faces life imprisonment.

> Death sentence for active homosexuals living with HIV or in cases of same-sex rape. "Serial offenders" also could face capital punishment.

[12/8/09 AP]

> Gays and lesbians convicted of having gay sex would be sentenced, at minimum, to life in prison.

> People who test positive for HIV may be executed.

> Homosexuals who have sex with a minor, or engage in homosexual > sex more than once, may also receive the death penalty.

> The bill forbids the "promotion of homosexuality," which in effect bans organizations working in HIV and AIDS prevention.

> Anyone who knows of homosexual activity taking place but does not report it would risk up to three years in prison.

[12/8/09 CNN]

> … [A] death sentence for active homosexuals living with HIV or in cases of same-sex rape. "Serial offenders" also could face capital punishment, but the legislation does not define the term. Anyone convicted of a homosexual act faces life imprisonment.

> Anyone who "aids, abets, counsels or procures another to engage of acts of homosexuality" faces seven years in prison if convicted. Landlords who rent rooms or homes to homosexuals also could get seven years and anyone with "religious, political, economic or social authority" who fails to report anyone violating the act faces three years.

[12/8/09 MSNBC]

> "In addition to outlawing 'any form of sexual relations between persons of the same sex' with penalties up to life imprisonment, the proposed bill criminalizes attempted homosexuality, the aiding and abetting of homosexuality, and promotion of homosexuality -- each carrying a possible prison sentence of seven years.

> Failure to disclose an offense is also punishable by a fine and three years in prison. And anyone with knowledge of crimes committed is obligated to report them to the authorities within 24 hours.

> The legislation also creates a new category of offense, 'aggravated homosexuality,' which is punishable with death. The latter crime would include having homosexual sex with a minor or someone with a disability or having homosexual sex while HIV positive (the bill makes no distinction about whether offenders must be knowingly infected to qualify)."

[12/7 The Washington Post]

Uganda is the latest country joining the backlash bandwagon against gay people in Africa as spreaders of AIDS while African gays become more vocal in protest. Nigeria already has similar laws in place punishing homosexuality with imprisonment or death. Thanks mostly to Rachel Maddow of MSNBC, the Ugandan hate laws have received mainstream media publicity before becoming law.

Maddow has also exposed direct involvement in this travesty by the American right wing – religious and political.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/34337416#34337247

The religious right’s ravings on homosexuality are so trite as to be briefly summarized: Leviticus 18:22.

In addition to the religious right is the political right. Allegedly among those involved with Ugandans pushing for this legislation is Oklahoma Republican Senator James Inhofe. Inhofe, along with other Republican lawmakers, is a member of “The Family”, a sort of spooky 70 year old Christian group running a C Street home for local politicos the likes of Governor Mark Sanford (SC) and Senators John Ensign (NV) and Tom Coburn (OK). The Family has direct ties to its Ugandan sister group behind the legislation.

Joining the religious and political right in supporting the Ugandan bill is the homophobic, cure gayness, lunatic fringe. Maddow’s interview with sexual reorientation advocate Richard Cohen:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/34337416#34337416

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There are an estimated 500,000 gay people in Uganda. Imagine a half million people subject to imprisonment or death every hour of their lives solely for living their lives.

While the Ugandan hate crime legislation is debated, also being debated is New Jersey’s gay marriage bill. There are reasons why the Third World is the Third World.

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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34331632/ns/world_news-africa/

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/12/08/uganda.anti.gay.bill/index.html

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gNOsUTPIL6zoTWAGRTzPqmx3__IgD9CFBHJ00 (AP)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rev-kapya-kaoma/the-us-christian-right-an_b_387642.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8406602.stm

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2009/10/28/ugandas_do_ask_do_tell?page=0,0

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2009/12/ugandas_anti-gay_law_rile_us.html

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Switzerland (?!) Leads Muslim Backlash

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Taking a page from the annals of blatant religious intolerance, Swiss voters banned the building of minarets on mosques. Minarets are the iconic towers rising from mosques from which muezzins call the faithful to prayer. Approved by 57% of the voters and 26 of 30 cantons, the ban enjoys the status of a constitutional amendment. There are four minarets in Switzerland, a country of 7.5 million, of which 450,000 are Muslim and of whom 45,000 practice their religion. Under existing law those four minarets are not permitted to broadcast the call to prayer outside the mosque itself, and are exempt from the ban (grandfathered in).

Swiss Minaret

Switzerland making religious intolerance a constitutional mandate? How could this happen in such a proper, neutral democracy as Switzerland? The right wing. No, not our right wing but the Swiss right wing. The nationalist Swiss People's Party labeled minarets as symbols of rising Muslim political power that could one day transform Switzerland into an Islamic nation. [AP Nov. 29, 2009] That idiotic hypothesis is all it took to get the sophisticated Swiss riled up enough to institutionalize religious intolerance. After all, nothing messes with neutrality like the possibility of being taken over by fanatical Muslims.

Anti-Minarets Poster

As our right wing is called the Christian right, should American Muslims fear their minarets and muezzins despite the First Amendment? Maybe not under an Obama administration but nothing’s to stop a future president (like the last one) to pay little mind to the Constitution. And, if history is any guide here, once religious fear mongering gets on a roll the Jews are next.

Is this so implausible? Don’t think so. Religious preaching and the religious right’s tentacles are already slithering into our society. Not a day passes without the Catholic Church and, to be fair, other religious institutions taking stands on social issues and putting political pressure on public officials to tow the religious line. Patrick Kennedy being denied communion in the State of Rhode Island is but one glaring example. The Archbishop of Providence, a well spoken man who stood up well to Chris Matthews, defended his position calmly and (in his world) logically as one does when convinced of its righteousness.

Today our office received a call from a local minister inquiring about insurance. “But first”, he said, “What do you stand for?” The underwriter who fielded the call, himself born-again, was dumbfounded at such an inappropriate, qualifying question from a religious figure. Our office is a mile from Manhattan in New Jersey.

So congratulations to Switzerland for safeguarding its neutrality by banning construction of minarets, thus staving off impending takeover by Muslim extremists. Catholics beware the Swiss feeling threatened by the Vatican – church steeples will be next.

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