Re-Gifting

This year I’m re-gifting! That is if you think that any of my blogs are gifts in the first place. Anyway, here is my blog post from last Christmas Eve which perhaps is a bit more fitting this year because Christmas and Hanukkah will be celebrated at just about the same time. Hanukkah begins on the 24th, Christmas Eve, and ends on the 1st of January, New Years Day, so it truly is a happy holidays for one and all…not that it isn’t always but, you know what I mean. This year we blend the Judaeo-Christian traditions simultaneously.

So my question last year was: Who is the Star of Christmas? And my answer is…

Santa Claus! Am I wrong?

If one wants to put the Christ in Christmas shouldn’t one go to mass? Why would I want to see a religious display in front of my local municipal building or at the airport or in a department store or public square? Would we expect to see product commercials in a church? Do we expect to see any other religious symbols representing any of the other many and varied religions of the world on public display in public buildings?

So what’s the big deal? Not even Christ was Christian. While he walked the Earth he never professed to be anything other than a Jew, nor did he profess that anyone else should be otherwise. I do believe that he would be appalled to find out that people were worshiping him these days since he never once instructed people anywhere to do that. (I know that is silly for me to say because he already knows everything)…but did he not once say:

“Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s”…and um, I think that would be where Santa Claus and Christmas belong…in the Caesar category. Have you ever been shopping during the holiday season? Of course you have. So I ask you, would you place that experience among Godly things or Caesarian ones?

But I digress because although the gift giving and the good cheer associated with Santa do blend in well with the basic tenets of peace on Earth, good will to all, why would Jesus be involved with Christmas? Easter is the truly religious holiday of the Christian faith. Christmas is simply supposed to commemorate Jesus’ birth but one can’t celebrate the birth of God can one? Gods aren’t born, are they?

So to celebrate Jesus’ birth is to celebrate his birth as a human being or man and that takes us back to his living his life as a devout Jew who sought to follow the traditions and laws of Judaism and while he may have campaigned for reforms towards a more accessible worship of Judaism he never campaigned for a new religion to replace Judaism based on himself as God and savior.

The apostle Paul did that and he was neither one of the apostles nor named Paul! So that takes us right back to our faith and our belief that what we believe in is the true path to salvation and an afterlife in heaven. But faith is what we have in the absence of factual evidence and who is to say that our faith is any better than anyone elses faith in anything else…since we all lack evidence or proof that what we believe in is true.

When Jesus was asked: “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” His answer was: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.”

So I think that the Christmas tradition of Santa Claus is a great and simple way to remind us all that while we adults worry ourselves with hatred or revenge, religious or racial differences, or trying to accumulate wealth or power, the key is to “do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God”?  And treat others as you would have yourself be treated…And by all means judge not. (now who can say they do that on a regular basis?)

Just have a Merry Christmas and spread some cheer and good will and do your best to make children smile and have hope for a future where our beliefs will someday lead us towards one another and not in opposite directions, on this all too finite of worlds.

Vlad the decider?

Last week, the CIA revealed their most recent, top-secret assessment of the situation to lawmakers in Washington. The CIA, now believes that the Russians tampered with the American presidential election in order to help Trump win the presidency of the United States.

In fact it has even been revealed that this information was released to the presidential candidates back in August during an intelligence briefing. So both Hillary and Donald were aware that our intelligence agencies had targeted Russia as the ones who were responsible for the on going and continued hacking of our political system.

But President elect Donald Trump still doesn’t believe it and has publicly ridiculed our intelligence agencies (soon to be his responsibility) by basically saying, “What do they know?” He says it could have been anyone… like the Chinese or a man in New Jersey.

Of course that is not a denial, it’s an acknowledgement! President Trump agrees that our political system was hacked by someone or some group. He just doesn’t know who or why. And he doesn’t seem in the least bit disturbed by it nor do any of his supporters.

So if we are under cyber attack by the Chinese government…that’s better? That’s OK? Or how about a guy from New Jersey?! That’s better than being hacked by the Russians and Vladimir Putin?

Just some guy in New Jersey, sitting alone in his pajamas, is accessing private emails and tampering with election sites and who knows what all, on his personal computer…and all the king’s horsemen and all the king’s men can’t catch him? And the new king to be isn’t the least bit concerned????

And today it has been announced that  our Intelligence officials believe Russian President Vladimir Putin was personally involved. And they are fairly certain that he did it because he wanted Donal trump to win the United States Presidency and not Hillary Clinton who he personally dislikes. So in effect and for all intents and purposes, Vladimir Putin was a player in deciding the outcome of our National election.

But still says President-elect Trump: Why does it have to be Putin? It could be anybody. I dunno? I’m like a smart person and the CIA and FBI don’t know crap. Now excuse me, I’ve got to get to a rally to celebrate my victory…which I assure you is completely legitimate. (even though I lost by 3 million votes…but who is counting?)

Maybe by tomorrow when pork roll is mysteriously named our national bird we’ll know for sure that it was the guy from Joisey… But until then folks our president elect apparently couldn’t care less…and doesn’t that make you suspect that he’s known all along? Because isn’t the possibility that he doesn’t really care… completely and utterly frightening?!

Says Vladamir Putin: “Take the (smoking) gun. Leave the cannolis….”

 

Hey! He’s, Like, Smart!

President-elect Donald Trump said that he is not concerned about his not participating in the traditional daily intelligence and national security briefings that he is supposed to receive every day…and apparently neither should the American people, because…

“I get it when I need it. I’m, like a smart person.” He told a Sunday TV news host. And he added, “I don’t have to be told the same thing in the same words every single day. I don’t need that. But I do say, ‘If something should change, let us know.'”

Just imagine how Trump supporters would react if words like that came out of President Obama’s mouth or Hillary Clinton’s mouth? If they declared themselves too smart for daily briefings Republicans heads would explode! Oh the elitism! Oh the vacation time! Oh the lack of time on task! For goodness sake are they sick or lazy? Maybe both?!

And when it was reported by the CIA and members of Congress that the intelligence community has reached a “consensus” that Russia definitely intervened in the presidential election to help Trump win the Presidency…of The United States!?

Well, the president-elect’s transition team responded by mocking the spy agency with “they’re same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.”  And PE Trump added in an interview with Time Magazine: “It could be Russia. And it could be China. And it could be some guy in his home in New Jersey.”

Not only doesn’t our President-elect believe in taking regular intelligence and security briefings. He doesn’t even believe them when he gets them! Because he’s more intelligent than our intelligence agencies!

How lucky are we to finally have an intelligent president? And we know he’s intelligent because of the way he uses words like “like” and “New Jersey” in such appropriate ways. As in: “I’m… like… smart!” And “Some guy in New Jersey did it!” Hey! Only we New Jersians can blame things on New Jersey! And use like like that, like, you know???

But on the bright side,  Mr.Trump emphasized that Vice President-elect Mike Pence was receiving daily briefings.

So at least someone, like… wants to be President!

 

 

 

It’s Academic!

Donald Trump ran for President on a very simple message that he repeated over and over again at every campaign stop on his way to victory: “Buy American! Hire American!” Don’t take my word for it just check it out and see how many videos pop up in your browser.

He also said that he would fight for American jobs and secure better wages, better working conditions and better jobs just like Americans used to have. He was the one man who could “Make America Great Again!”

Now President Elect Donald Trump is hiring foreign workers to staff his Mar-a-Lago Mansion in Palm Beach, Fla., again this winter.

According to the Palm Beach Post (and other news outlets) President Elect Trump won approval to hire 64 foreign workers through the federal government’s H-2B visa program. He hired 69 workers through the same program last year. And although most will get a whopping 1% raise many will be taking a pay cut from last years salaries.

If you’d like a job there as a cook you can make $12.74 cents an hour…but of course you would apparently have to prove that you are not an American citizen.

The Mar-A-Lago club will hire 30 waiters and waitresses at $11.13 an hour,  and 15 housekeepers at $10.17 an hour. So pass that on to any illegals who happen to be already working in your neck of the woods. Perhaps they would like a change of venue? After all, winter is coming…

And this is a real story! It’s actually true! It’s Not one of those crazy, made up, conspiracy theory, We hate Hillary, stories that, you know, President Elect Trump likes to tweet and spread around.

How do we know this? Well, Mr. trump was actually asked about why he hires foreign workers and he said:

“Because during the season, Mar-A-Lago, it’s a seasonal job, which is very hard to get people in Florida for seasonal jobs. And during the season in Palm Beach, Palm Beach is probably maybe the hottest real estate, maybe in the world. And during the season in Palm Beach, it’s very, very hard to get help. You can’t, we’re talking about Mar-A-Lago, the club is closed for the summer. You know the expression, ‘Rich people don’t like heat.’ And we close Mar-A-Lago, and we open October — like October 1st. And from that, for about a five-month period, during what they call the Palm Beach season, which is a big deal, you can’t get help. So we tend to get help from different places, including Europe, and we’ve been doing that. And by the way, these are all legal visas, you understand that, Mike. These are all legal visas. But they — we have to bring people in, which tells you, I mean, you can have jobs out there, in certain communities that are doing well. But in Palm Beach, getting help in Palm Beach during the season is almost impossible. So we go through a very legal process, and we bring people in through legal visas.”

So there you have it America. American workers are simply too impossible to find! There aren’t enough of them to go around. How is a super rich President Elect supposed to trickle down on American workers when he’s been looking everywhere for them and they’re just nowhere to be found? The only solution is legal visas for foreign workers and tax cuts for the wealthy!…everybody knows that!

Now Aren’t you glad that Middle-Americans across the USA decided to back “The Donald” to show America’s academics that they were tired of all of their Congressional smart-assery?

Hooray for the US electorate!

Down with Academics! Up with Schmucks!

 

The War is Over!

And Christmas has won!

According to the Donald Trump camp the election of Donald trump has made it OK to say ‘Christmas’ again and apparently  saying “Merry Christmas…Is not a pejorative word anymore.” Pejorative (for you non-elites) means expressing contempt or disapproval.

Really? Has anyone noticed a particular disdain or contempt from anyone that you might have said merry Christmas to over the last few years? Rumor has it (Fox News) that President Obama ushered in a war on America’s most celebrated holiday some 8 years ago because of the liberal left’s mad desire for political correctness…and of course because President Obama, well you know, is not from around here. (Sean Hannity, Donald Trump)

But those days are over now because way back in August Mr. Trump said that he always makes a particular effort to say ‘Christmas’ in  acknowledgement of the nation’s “persecuted” Christians…and he vowed that, if elected, he would right wrongs by making sure that the words ‘Merry Christmas’ be featured in department stores all across the land…

because they haven’t been?

Anyway, the war is over! And the 83% of Americans who identify themselves as Christians, (that’s 270 million!) won’t have to take crap from the 13% of Americans who say they have no religion at all.(only 44 million)

Imagine that! 13% pushing the other 83% around and not letting us Christians say Merry Christmas to each other without having to feel persecuted and bad about our beliefs. How did they ever get away with it?! It certainly wasn’t the Muslims, Jews and Buddhists and other non-Christian religious folks pushing us around and stomping on our Christmas rights because there are only about 13 million of them in America…combined!

How does 83% of a country find themselves in the minority in the first place? And losing a war with the other 17% too? But it was happening dammit! And we couldn’t win no matter how hard we tried! Until finally a savior appeared at just the right time, from a Trump tower on high, to turn the tide in Christmas’s favor.

Hallelujah! It was a Christmas miracle! And we can now all, Thank Trump for that!

So…Merry Christmas everyone! (now don’t you all feel better?)

 

 

Let the Healing Begin…

President elect Trump is still on the rally circuit…even though he has already won the election. I am guessing that this is the beginning of the “Let Us All Heal Together and Begin Working As One United Nation” tour.

But today his message was that we Democrats are all poor losers and he wanted to ram that message home and rub it in…to the delight of all of his fellow ralliers…so much for the healing process. I guess it’s not time yet?

But who stages a gloating rally after winning? And who goes?

Anyway, The President Elect just wanted to take some time out of his busy schedule to let everyone know that he won the election by a landslide. Because as everyone in America knows winning the electoral vote and losing the popular vote by over 2 million voters is the definition of a landslide.

He also wanted to remind us losers that we cheated by rounding up over 3 million illegal aliens to vote unfairly (and invisibly) against him…and that’s why his “landslide” was not bigger.

It was of course the press’s fault because they (the press) are all “very dishonest bad people and losers”. Especially the New York Times which he singled out as a failing newspaper run by “really bad and really sick” people. (and not the kind of sick that requires a doctor or medicine)

He also added “We condemn bigotry and prejudice in all its forms. We denounce all of the hatred and forcefully reject the language of exclusion.”…so there is that…I guess?

The Red, White and Blue crowd responded happily with chants of “Lock her up! Lock her up!”

So I’m not sure if they got the message.

Or did they?

Who stages a rally like that one month after winning the election to become our next President of the United States? And why? Aren’t there better things to do? Aren’t there more important things to do?…As in… Anything?

Apparently, at least for our next president of these United States, winning isn’t everything…

It’s the only thing!