See ya soon, y'all!

I'll be leaving for Austin, Texas on Saturday so I wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!! I'm excited to be traveling and I'm sure I'll have a great time, but I'm also a little sad because I've NEVER spent Christmas away from my mom and dad.

Since we often get caught up in the commercial aspect of the season (myself included), I thought I would print the lyrics to a song that reminds me why we are celebrating in the first place.

O Holy Night!

O Holy night, the stars are brightly shining.
It is the night of our dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh hear the angel voices!
Oh night divine! Oh night when Christ was born!
Oh night divine! Oh night! Oh night divine!

Chains shall he break for the slave is our brother,
and in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we;
Let all within us praise his holy name.
Christ is the lord, that ever, ever praise we.
Noel! Noel! Oh night;oh night divine!
Noel! Noel! Oh night; oh night divine!
Noel! Noel! Oh night; oh night divine!

You'll Shoot Your Eye Out, Kid!

In other words, "Hell, No!"

Kim Jong Il is evil and the U.S. has lost its marbles if we give this guy an inch. Aside from the nuclear weapons issue, the way his people live is atrocious. They have no clue what is going on in the rest of the world except for what their government tells them which means they HATE America. No satellite TV, no outside radio, no internet, no international magazines, no cell phones....total isolation. Kim Jong Il is also responsible for starving millions of his own people to death.

I saw a show on Oprah (yes, I watch Oprah sometimes) where a journalist was able to experience life in North Korea under the guise of a medical administrator. She was working with an opthamologist who traveled to North Korea to perform cataract surgery on over a thousand people (some of whom had been blind for years). This life changing work was, of course, not financed by the government. However, the North Koreans are so brain washed that they actually thanked the "great" leaders for their new found vision. I'm not sure, but is this totally ironic?

Via Cox and Forkum

Remembering Our Heroes At Christmastime

ARLINGTON, Virginia - What is now a yearly tradition in which Mainers leave thousands of Christmas wreaths on the cold, hard headstones of Arlington National Cemetery might never have come to pass if it weren't for a young boy's paper route.

Back when Morrill Worcester was 12 and a paperboy for the Bangor Daily News, he learned the paper was awarding a trip to Washington, D.C., to carriers who signed up the most new subscribers. He was determined to win and, eventually, he did.

During that trip to the nation's capital, Worcester made an emotional connection with the military resting place. "It just stuck with me," he said. "This is a national shrine."

Thirty years later, when Worcester, owner of the Worcester Wreath Co. in Harrington, had more than 4,500 extra Christmas wreaths, he decided to donate them to the cemetery that began 135 years ago as a burial ground for Civil War casualties but now includes casualties from every military conflict.

Since that first winter in 1992, the annual wreath-laying event has grown from about 10 people participating to 200, said Worcester, and it now takes a fraction of the time to lay the 4,500 wreaths that are donated by his company.

"It's just a thing that we do and we always will, as long as we can," Worcester said Monday.

Read whole article here.

(Hat tip: Roxanne Olson)

'Tis the season for a lawsuit?

I'm sure you've heard about the story involving the removal of Christmas trees at the Seattle- Tacoma airport. A rabbi's request to display a menorah alongside the tree led to the removal of all Christmas trees at the airport (9-15 trees depending on the report you read) when Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky's lawyer threatened a lawsuit. When I first heard this story, I was angry and appalled that the PC police was back again. I thought it was another case of "if I can't have mine, then they can't have their's". But then I read this post by radio talk show host Michael Medved who lives in Seattle and is Jewish. Medved spoke with the rabbi and discovered that he was very upset that the Christmas trees were removed. Bogomilsky never asked for or wanted the trees to be taken down. He also regretted that the word lawsuit ever came up and admitted it was a "mistake". He would prefer the trees be replaced even if the menorah was not included in the display. Members of the Jewish community are even initiating a petition to insist the Christmas trees be brought back.

I think Bogomilsky should take responsibility for threatening the Port with a federal lawsuit, even though it probably was a result of frustration due to the indecision of the Port (the request was made two months ago). However, I also think the Port should acknowledge that their delay in making a timely decision was also a source of the problem. The Port should have said "yes" or "no" and then crossed the lawsuit bridge if it was ever broached. Instead, they waited until the last second to act and made everyone look ridiculous.

Where is our resolve?

Diplomacy is not going to work with a man like Ahmadinejad. The nut has expressed his desire to wipe Israel off the map and is now holding a conference in Tehran to discuss the Holocaust "myth". He is also continuing a nuclear program despite demands made by the U.S. and the UN to stop. Every day, the U.S. is appearing weaker and now we are going to waste time talking to Syria and Iran? If we fail in Iraq, our national security will undoubtedly be at increased risk, not to mention the hit we'll take in terms of world influence. Bush needs to grab the reins and forget any consideration of withdrawal. If we leave without a victory, you can count on a big, fat Thank You from Iran, Syria and all the other terrorists in the region. We'll be hearing laughter and celebration from around the world.

More Holiday Treats

I was in the baking mood yesterday and just happened to have access to an excellent kitchen and fully stocked pantry (thanks Mom and Dad), so I made a couple goodies. The recipes were new to me, so I was pleasantly surprised when both turned out rather well (if I do say so myself). I made gingersnaps first (thanks to Jim for the ginger contribution) followed by a sour cream coffee cake. Both were relatively simple to make. Give them a try! FYI- The recipe for gingersnaps calls for light brown sugar, but I used dark. Whatever floats your boat!

Gingersnaps

Sour Cream Coffee Cake