We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
Our dear friend Nathan, a Jewish more-or-less atheist, decided to attend midnight Mass at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem this year. Good on him. His snaps and comments below:
His description of the experience begins:
I spent Midnight Mass with Mahmoud Abbas and a few thousand close -- that is tightly packed -- worshippers in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. The trip to the Church of the Nativity -- up and back from Christ's birthplace -- was too adventurous.
Someone apparently not at risk of ever touching a human female boob has constructed a replica of the 4077 M*A*S*H unit in their backyard, and submitted it to Home and Garden's Rate My Space. I thought all the comic convention types were dressing up as Klingons, not Klinger nowadays, but what do I know? Go Mudhens!
Image of the Nativity from The Book of Kells, c. 800
Matthew 1:18-25
1:18 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.
1:19 Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.
1:20 But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
1:21 She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."
1:22 All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
1:23 "Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel," which means, "God is with us."
1:24 When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife,
1:25 but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.
Psychological "study shows" hypersensitive nuts are affected by Christmas trees. I accept that the themes of peace, joy, love, and giving to others may be tough for the diversity crowd which is drowning in angst and preoccupied with what they can get, but in an 80-90% Christian country, you ought to get used to a tannenbaum here and there. And after all, that tree is pagan anyway. German earth goddess or something.
What is it about Psychologists that they are always agonizing about the hypersensitive? Isn't their job to help people feel stronger, not more pathetic, victimized, and aggrieved?
And hey - where's all the Kwanzaa stuff this year? Perhaps the Kwanzaa cult quit their "ancient and beloved tradition" for diversity reasons, so others might not be "offended." I miss those 12 days of Socialism.
I can handle 12 days of it, but not years of it. If you give me years of it, I will quit working and let the Socialist suckers pay my bills. If they have jobs, that is.
Not sure what "whinning" is, but it's probably an extended version of whining about some perceived deprivation or injustice or whatever. Wives do that and, if I can reach back far enuf into my memory bank, I think I recall dimly that girlfriends do that too. Once they have you on the hook, that is. That's life. It's genetic. We guys, however we are, are never the right White Knight of their 13 year-old dreams. Just dopey guys is what we are, and utterly powerless without this remote control.
The only button missing is the "Be Charming, Cheerful, Optimistic about Life, Deeply Appreciative of Me Despite My Flaws, and Wittily and Flirtatiously Amusing" button. Guess all those words won't fit on a tiny button, so there it is.
Only the terminally envious hate people who inherit money, farms, or shops. The truly rich can afford to avoid it all. Expensive lawyers make it happen. Also, people who buy gold to hand to their kids when they get old and sick. Lots of people do that.
It's not really about a flag. It's about "the Republic for which it stands." It's a way of testifying that you agree to the American social contract. In other words, "I agree to this deal."
Kids cannot know what that deal is. It's quite a serious deal, really, because it can cost you your life, plenty of your property, and some of your freedom. It's freely given, too, if you're old enough to give it. You can always move somewhere else. Tom Friedman can move to China.
I don't care whether Rousseau's social contract theory is valid or not; it's an essential concept anyway because it makes it clear that a conscious choice of citizenship is meaningful and important - even if secular and not sacred.
Assume for a moment that a command-and-control economy or a benevolent dictatorship were necessary for the U.S. to remain the world's pre-eminent economic (and military) power for the next generation. I'd rather have a less rich and and less militarily powerful America that is more free. Luckily, this is pretty much a hypothetical...
Three Italian poets: Petrarch, Boccaccio (both of whom Chaucer may have met on a trip to Italy in 1373) and Dante. Boccaccio’s “Decameron” lent the inspiration and narrative template for “The Canterbury Tales”. More technically, Geoffrey de Vinsauf’s “Poetria Nova”, a passage from which Chaucer lifted for “Troilus and Criseyde”, armed him with rhetorical devices.
We are Chaucer fans here at Maggie's. I prefer to hear it read, rather than to read it. Audio of a modern translation here. When I was in school, we did it in the original and had good fun with it.
It's exempt from Obamacare rules, too: Medi-Share.
Readers know we hate government compulsion, and believe that government one-size-fits-all stuff fits about as well as a Mao jacket. My examples are, for a few, what if you're a Christian Scientist? What if you're wealthy and want to self-insure? What if you only want Major Medical (which I believe is the only thing that makes sense anyway)?
When they talk about medical insurance, they sneakily speak as if it were equivalent to medical care. It is not.
A reminder to readers on Medicare:
Give your doc a nice Christmas gift. He or she is losing money each time you see him in the office. A little - or a lot - of appreciation is in order, because you are the recipient of their charity and good will. They don't have to do it. Something special like this often goes over well:
Heck, I always give my docs a Christmas something even though I am not on Medicare yet.
One of the grim comedies of the twentieth century was the fate of miserable victims of communist regimes who climbed walls, swam rivers, dodged bullets, and found other desperate ways to achieve liberty in the West at the same time as intellectuals in the West sentimentally proclaimed that these very regimes were the wave of the future. A similar tragicomedy is being played out in our century: as the victims of despotism and backwardness from third world nations pour into Western states, the same ivory tower intellectuals assert that Western life is a nightmare of inequality and oppression.
In The Servile Mind: How Democracy Erodes the Moral Life, Kenneth Minogue explores the intelligentsia’s love affair with social perfection and reveals how that idealistic dream is destroying exactly what has made the inventive Western world irresistible to the peoples of foreign lands. The Servile Mind looks at how Western morality has evolved into mere “politico-moral” posturing about admired ethical causes—from solving world poverty and creating peace to curing climate change. Today, merely making the correct noises and parading one’s essential decency by having the correct opinions has became a substitute for individual moral actions.
That is well-said. Conspicuous virtuous posturing is no substitute for private morality. But, I know - private morailty isn't hip. It isn't even groovy.
There is no escaping the mysterious allure of liberal fascism. It's a cult.
"I believe that the primary engine of America's economic success is not government, it's the dynamism of our markets. And for me, the most important question about an economic idea is... whether it will help spur businesses, jobs and growth."
Basically, it goes like this. As a scientist you have to decide at some point that enough is enough. You have to put your scientific commitment to the discipline of doubt aside and “blow past” your boundaries. Say what you feel, not what you can prove.
I am informed by someone who knows about these things that this is what I want for Christmas: the Lumix LX -5. I guess it's a clone of the Leica D-Lux 5. This guys says to chose the Leica.
I'm not sure I need one, but it seems like a nice thing. I think I could take lousy snaps with any camera, though.
On second thought, maybe I'd rather have the Leica. Heck, I don't know. I'll take the Lumix, Santa.
I hesitate to file this under 'Politics', but since we don't have a 'Goofy Road Trip Adventures' category, into 'Politics' I suppose it must go.
I hadn't seen an old friend who lives in D.C. for a fair while, and since Jon Stewart's highly-anticipated "Let's Save America From The Racist Homophobic Teabaggers" rally and the election were just a few days apart, I decided to throw the ol' snow tires on my hot Firebird Formula...
...and hoof it up to D.C. for the festivities. Ever the impulsive one, I.
Below the fold I'll detail the highlights of my adventure, including my take on the rally, how I ended up scaring the hell out of scores of innocent passers-by at an energy expo, and how I got abducted by a busload of Tea Party revelers on election eve.
"two-thirds of Americans believe that success is not outside their control. In Germany, 68% answered the exact opposite way.... By more than six to one, Americans believe failure is the result of the individual, not society… 71% of Americans believe people can escape from poverty. Only 40% of Europeans believe the same....Asked why people are wealthy, 64 percent of Americans say [it is] because of personal drive, willingness to take risks, and hard work and initiative." And why do others fail? When asked that question, 64 percent of Americans cited a lack of thrift, 53 percent ascribed the failure (at least in part) to a lack of effort, and a like percentage said that failure was due to lack of ability. ..... but “in Europe, a majority in every country – with the exception of the U.K., Czech Republic, and Slovakia – ‘believe that forces outside of an individual’s personal control determine success.'"
These really are different views of the world and of the human being.
Psychological "study shows" 
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Investing in lawsuits
The first time I was exposed to the Pledge was in kindergarten. I had no idea what the words meant. 
Chaucer claimed to be no more than a "lewd compilator" of other voices. All creators steal. From 
Pic of frightening pedophile psycho creep came in 
Pic via 
