Xmas Mush

Gratefully we are well beyond the tiresome barrage of Christmas (show) business, and the extreme sentimentalization of Christ's birth. There is a lot of hokus pocus here, especially within the realm of the "historical Jesus." Be that is at may, we desperately need holidays, time to give and unwind, but it seems we are due for an overhaul with this one, not just the continuation of what has developed.

I have a couple of humble suggestions. First of all, seek to recreate this holiday with your own beliefs and needs. Resist those who would program you into a continuation of what has become an outrageous rerun of earlier, unacceptable versions. It may be that the extreme Christianizing of Christ and Santa Klas (and other accoutrement's) can be either dispensed with or minimized.

There is a considerable body of music, literature and lore which can be enjoyed in lieu of the tired old, worn out Rudolphs, hymns, customs and commercial off shoots. For example there are Christmas Concertos (Corelli?) and other beautiful seasonal music (Vivaldi) that could be well employed. The marvelous seasonal tales of Truman Capote and Dylan Thomas give a great uplift as well as mixing in the richness of other cultures.

I do not mean to suggest that we necessarily strip Christmas of Christ, or any of the like. But it would be wise to remember that this poignant time of the year (eg. Solstice and the other historical events which make late December latent with meaning and potential celebration) be respected in a larger sense. After all, it wasn't for no reason that the time of Christ's birth was moved to December (other times elsewhere), yes? Good luck with it this year, you've got some time to put it together.

Year End Review - 2011

1/2/11, a bit late for the review, but here it is anyway, it's been cooking for awhile. First of all, I want to agree with Amy Goodman, "Democracy Now"* and "Time: magazine, that 2011 was the year of the protester. All over the Globe, but especially on Wall Street and in Wisconsin for me/us. Unfortunately the protests are being carried out by less than 1% of the populations, while the power rests solidly within the l% who control the wealth, the military and police, the lobby driven power structure, eg. legislators.

So 2012 and beyond is time to hunker down, build up the number of protesters and activists to turn around what has so long been accumulating at the so-called "top." To be "fed up" is one thing, to act, of course, is another. Especially when actions are seen as possible loss factors for personal jobs, benefits, social services and the like. We have been driven into a defensive position by the forces of the 1%, and this has been reinforced by our conservative natures, our unwillingness to take chances for c h a n g e.

I want to suggest as my candidate for book of the year Sheldon S. Wolin's "Democracy Inc.," a powerfully researched and written work which documents how we have slid into a "Managed Democracy and the Spector of Inverted Totalitarianism" - the subtitle, of course. We need tough documentation and planning rather the reliance 0n well meaning rhetoric about the situation we are in; and we need the requisite tough advice on how to get out of the predicaments we are wallowing around in. It is show and tell time, and Wolin's book is one of those which cuts through the rhetoric and nonsense to let us know how to proceed.

I want to wish everyone a good, strong, activist year ahead. Thinking about the news item this week that 50% of the American population is approaching the poverty levels approximated by our government, and then some sayings I first heard during the depression in the thirties came to mind: "better safe than sorry," "beggars can't be choosers," and "don't kick a gift horse in the mouth" .... * look at Amy Goodman's website for today: Democracy Now.com.