Merry Christmahanukwanzakah Solstice to All!

As most of you probably know by know, I'm a Catholic, and a serious one at that. I go to church as often as possible, pray numerous times a day, and do what I can to aid others in need. As we are fast approaching Christmas, I feel it's necessary to stand up for my right to say "Merry Christmas", as it is anyone's right to say "Happy Hanukkah", "Happy Kwanzaa", "Happy Winter Sostice" or what ever you feel the need to say. Happy Holidays just doesn't cut it.

Last weekend was my hometown's annual Santa toy run with the Fire Department followed by the annual town Christmas sing. Please note the term "Christmas". The toy run was a great success, and we managed to pull off a huge breakfast for the firemen that morning. All seemed well until my family and I got to the sing. No where in the program was a benediction listed. A town mimister has always said the benediction, and this has been the tradition since the sing's inception some seventy some years ago. Not even so much as a "God Bless You" or "Blessings for a wonderful holiday season". Nothing. The last time I checked, it was okay to mention God and the birth of Christ at "Christmas" time and "Christmas" functions.

So why am I holding a holiday grudge? I'm holding a grudge because this is one of the holiest times of the year. The Christians celebrate the birth of Christ. The Jews celebrate the miracle of of the lights in the temple for eight days. The pagans celebrate end of the harvest, mother nature and the solstice. Everyone has a reason to celebrate this time of the year. Even the African Americans, though not really a religious celebration, take time to remember their cultural roots in Africa by celebrating Kwanzaa. No one should be put down because of what they believe.

Because it is now accepted to simply say "Happy Holidays", people are beginning to forget the real meaning of the season. "Oh who cares. Just lump it all together as one little phrase." Sure, it's polite if you don't know what someone observes, but it's a bit cold overall don't you think? I only use the phrase "Happy Holidays" in my work email because I work with so many people from all over the world, and I can't possible know what they all observe. But when I do, I specify the greeting.

My father said that a benediction was not included at the Christmas sing because of separation of church and state. I told him that couldn't be the reason; we're just a small shore town after all and that's a state and federal issue. But then I got to thinking: the Christmas sing is run by the town mayor and council, all of whom are Christian. Why would they, after all these years, cut out the benediction? Are they truly afraid of offending someone? Well, since it's a "Christmas" sing, I really don't expect that any Jews or Muslims would be there. They don't celebrate Christmas. And if you're an atheist or a Jehovah's Witness, you shouldn't be celebrating Christmas at all. So, then, who is there to offend by mentioning the birth other than the only people who believe? It is mentioned in almost evey hymn. So what's the big deal?

America is supposed to be the great land of freedom. Our first amendment includes the freedom of religion; therefore, that freedom is open to everyone. No one should EVER be shunned because they believe in the birth of Christ or Allah or Mother Nature or some other higher power, and no one should feel put down because of their beliefs. You believe what you want to believe, and if you don't believe in anything, then don't participate. Sure, exchange gifts if you want. Be commercial and participate in the corporatization of America, but don't decorate like you're celebrating the holiday. The holiday, no matter what religious occasion you're celebrating, is there for those who believe. (Remember: Santa Claus is based on a true saint. He wasn't invented by Hallmark!)

New life, great miracles, harvest, love, happiness and faith. Without the combination of these things, we wouldn't have such a great holiday season. Just think of the great food you eat during this time. Does it matter if it came from a Christian or a Jew? No. Think of the great times you'll spend with your family and friends during your time off from work. Does it matter what religion they are? No. Hopefully you love them for who they are, not what they believe.

We all need to take time to step back from the media and the government (and yes, they are run by the same people), the political correctness (or incorrectness as the case may be) and the commercialization. Take time to go to midnight mass or Hanukkah services, burn your fires and light your candles. We are here to celebrate our beliefs and each other, not to beat each other down because we're afraid of being offended. There are far greater things to be concerned about in this world and you're selfishness isn't one of them.

To all of my friends and readers, have a Merry Christmahanukwanzakah Solstice!

He Won't Be Home for Christmas

As I'm sure everyone knows by now, a man, Rigoberto Alpizar, was shot dead on Wednesday at Miami Airport after officials claimed he said he had a bomb and ran off of the airplane in a frantic state. This is the first case since September 11, 2001, in which air marshals have had to shoot a passenger because of a possible, and I repeat, possible threat on board an airplane. Despite numerous testimonies from passengers , officials say the air marshals were justified in shooting the man to death. I will admit, they were justified in restraining and detaining the man, even if it were shoot to maim, but certainly not shoot to kill.

Of course, I value our security as much as the next person. I would hate to be in a situation where someone threatened to have a bomb or a gun on a plane, train or subway. However, I value human life as well. Our current government is on such a terrorist witch hunt, that they are willing to take anyone down in the process, and they don't care who.

Reports claim that Alpizar's wife was running after him screaming, "My husband! My husband!" and that she said he did not have his mediation for his bipolar disorder. Did that stop the air marshals? No. People reported that he was anxious before even getting on the plane and that his wife was trying to ease him. Did the air marshals take that into consideration? No. Even worse, passengers are now testifying that he never said "bomb" at all, only that someone said "bomb".

That's right. According to John McAlhany, Alpizar just wanted to get off the plane. Never in the process of trying to leave did Alpizar say the word "bomb". It wasn't until the FBI interviewed McAlhany that he even heard the word mentioned. In fact, the FBI referred to it as the "B-word". Oh no, not the "B-word"! Once in 5th grade, I heard Timmy say the "F-word". Give me a break! Are you professionals or what? McAlhany actually had to ask the FBI agents what they were referring to in order to give them an answer.

And what really gets me is that the air marshals claim (maybe admit) to not be expert marksmen. John Amat, national operations vice president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, was quoted as saying, "Hollywood has this perception that we are such marksmen we can shoot an arm or leg with accuracy. We can't. These guys were in a very tense situation. In their minds they had to believe this person was an imminent threat to themselves or the people on the plane." Are you kidding? Why allow someone to have a gun in such close quarters if they aren't expert qualified. Isn't it possible that you might hit someone else--by accident? My husband attended West Point and was expert qualified. He was able to shoot something with pinpoint accuracy at about 400 yards away. My grandfather competitively shoots American Civil War muskets and carbines. In a single shot, he can demolish a porcelain tile about 4 inches by 4 inches anywhere from 50 to 100 yards away. That's a little bit smaller than an arm or leg. Sorry, but just because you aren't expert qualified is no excuse to shoot someone to death (regardless of whether the person was on or off the plane).

So now a life is lost, a family is shattered and no bomb was found. David Stempler, president of the Air Travelers Association, said he thinks this incident may prove to be more "reassuring than disturbing" and that "this is a reminder [the air marshals] are there and are protecting the passengers and that it is a seriously deadly business." At least a "seriously deadly business" for those on the wrong end of the gun, in the wrong place at the wrong time. The Department of Homeland Security is being questioned on how well their agents are trained to deal with mental illness and people in severe emotional distress. Maybe not well enough after all. Alpizar apparently ignored numerous warnings to drop the bag with the supposed "B-word". The poor guy was already in a state of heightened mania, his judgment was distorted and he had men screaming at him and waving guns in his face. In his mind, it was better to run that to stick around. In the marshals' minds, it was better to kill than to maim.

In this day and age, with our current government running as poorly as it is, it seems that President Bush and his anti-terrorism cronies will stop at nothing to make their point (a.k.a. save their own asses). Of course, I wasn't on the plane and I can't say for sure whether or not Alpizar had a mental illness. I can't say whether or not the air marshals truly acted in an appropriate manner. However, I can offer my opinion and say that more training needs to be done to work in situations that aren't your typical terrorist/hijacker situations, as well as some more target practice to work on the maiming thing. Killing gets you no where. You'll never really know the truth now, will you? Oh, and a little something for all those involved in the shooting: who truly had the distorted judgment?

P.S. This story is quickly dying away from the headlines. Don't let the Feds make us forget what happened. A man was killed, and even though the air marshals are currently on paid leave (yes, paid) and the situation is being reviewed, there is no reason to forget what happened. We certainly don't want it to happen again, do we?

Pirate fact: Bilge rat--The bilge is the lowest level of the ship. It's loaded with ballast and slimy, reeking water. A bilge rat, then, is a rat that lives in the worst place on the ship. Example: Our nation's capitol is filled with lying, cheating bilge rats.

Merry F*cking Christmas!

New York City has hit an all new low with me. My parents came up to the city to enjoy some sightseeing, see "Harry Potter" at the IMAX Theatre and just have a plain old good time. I suggested that we meet up when I got out of work, have some dinner and go to the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting, which everyone knows is one of the world's most watched and anticipated tree lightings of the season. Sounds like a good idea, right? WRONG! Thanks to the city of New York, it turned out to be a major pain in the butt and a total bust.

We had dinner at Connolly's on 45th Street, where our friends Black 47 perform regularly. After a cold pint of Magner's and a piping hot shepherds pie, we headed out to Rockefeller Center. According to the three websites I checked, the festivities were to start at 7:00PM, with the actual lighting at 8:50PM, all taking place at Rockefeller Center (5th Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets). Sounds easy enough.

We started out towards 5th Avenue. After a couple of blocks, we notice the crowd is getting pretty dense. Of course, because who wouldn't want to see the tree lighting? So we proceeded a bit further when we came to a police blockade, and they told us we can't proceed any further north on this side of the street. So along with hundreds of other people, we crossed the street where we're told to proceed to Madison Avenue and continue north. We did. At the next block, we turned back towards 5th Avenue, but to no avail because you can't cross the street to the tree lighting. We continued north on 5th Avenue with everyone else and we continued to weave our way between 5th and Madison.

After about three blocks of this in and out nonsense, I stopped a cop (because they were all over) and asked him where we would be able to cross 5th Avenue to see the tree lighting. His response, and I quote, "I'm posted down the street. I don't know." Good job, officer! At the next corner, people were congregating on the steps of St. Patrick's Cathedral in hopes of seeing anything that looked like a Christmas tree. An officer with an electronic bull horn proceeded to tell people, "This is not a spectator area. Continue walking north." I asked this cop where we could cross the street to see the tree lighting and he replied, "I don't know ma'am. Continue walking north." Did I mention they were kicking people off the steps of St. Patrick's? If I yelled, "Sanctuary!" do you think they'd let me stay?

We're get to the top of the next block and we finally see people crossing the street. Great! This was our big chance! "Sorry. Can't get into the tree lighting without a pass." What? Say that again? I need a pass to see a public tree lighting? For the next block or two you needed a pass to cross the street and get into the tree lighting. We were finally able to cross at 52nd Street, 2 blocks away from the tree with no way in because we didn't have a freaking pass! So we made it to 6th Avenue, fought our way through almost the same thing on the way back and ended up at the shops at Bryant Park (which was tons of fun, by the way).

Why am I so upset? 1) Because the citizens of New York and all of those visitors were treated no more highly than cattle or sheep. We were herded through gates, in and out of streets, and crammed together likes sardines. Quite frankly, it was a dangerous situation that could have gone from bad to worse very quickly had something gone wrong. 2) The police were idiots. Let me rephrase that, are idiots. How can you be assigned to such a major event and not know what's going on? Don't your walkie-talkies work? And we're supposed to depend on them for safety? Good luck! 3) And finally, no where on any of the websites I checked (including the official NYC website and the Rockefeller Center website) did it say you needed a pass to get in. So basically, this was the world's largest televised private party. I hope you're happy, Mayor Bloomberg. You were able to have a nice reelection party right at holiday time in front of the whole world.

Overall, Mum and Dad had a great time that day (minus the tree lighting, of course). I was disappointed. I thought this would be so much fun. After all those years of missing the college bus trips to the tree lighting, I was going to actually see it happen, live and in person. Well, that certainly didn't happen. NYC will be lucky if I even watch it on television in the future (sorry WNBC). To Mayor Bloomberg and the NYPD, I hope you have a Merry F*cking Christmas!

Pirate fact: Articles of clothing were acquired from plundering ships. Pirates often wore some very odd costumes because of this. But no pirate would be caught wearing "slops" – the striped shirt worn by British sailors. (Thanks to Beagle Bay books.)