Mary Did You Know?

This is what I really want to think about during this Christmas season. It is, after all, what it's all about. It is about hope and promise, and peace that transcends everything.

An Old Fashioned Christmas

Dear readers, I was going to post something nice and cheery to leave up for the rest of the year, but the more I tried to think of something to write, the harder it became, without sounding phoney.

It is true that I wish you all a very blessed and happy holiday, whether you call it Christmas, or Chanukah, or anything else. I really do wish you peace and happiness, and prosperity. I, really and truly, am so very thankful for all the blessings in my own life. For these blessings I give thanks to God, because I am a woman of faith, and in my own heart, I believe that all my blessings flow from Him. However, even as I say these words, I know that some will think that I am saying that He blesses some, and not others, but that is not true.

The truth is that we sometimes make bad choices, causing ourselves, and others to suffer the consequences. The Bible says that times and circumstances happen to all men.

The truth is that this is not a perfect world.

So, since I could think of nothing cheery to say, I decided to look at my old posts to see if there was something there, worthy of re-posting. Ironically, I found the following one, which I posted on this same date, so I wasn't feeling all that cheerful then, either. Also, ironically, in light of the recent financial fiasco, and all the other things currently in the news, the post seems even more apropos.

I guess, in spite of all I hoped for, things haven't changed all that much, so I present to you, again:

An Old Fashioned Christmas

I know that I have, recently, written about a wonderful memory of Christmas past, and I'm sure that most of us do have those fond memories. We long for things to be that way again, and wish that we could see through the eyes of a child again, where everything is good, and right with the world. We all long for just an old fashioned Christmas.

I have my precious memories, but now, as I write this, I just cannot get into the "spirit of Christmas" that everyone speaks of, and longs for, because try as I may, I can't get into that state of "willing suspension of disbelief"-- a semi-conscious decision in which you put aside your disbelief and accept the premise as being real for the duration of the movie you're watching, or the story you're reading--because this is real life, with real people, with real emotions, and I am acutely aware of the pain which exists all around me.

This is the time of year when people try to achieve a level of perfection, which in most cases, just does not exist. They long for the perfect life, the perfect family, perfect kids. They think of peace on earth, and good will toward all men--that does not exist, either, and I can't pretend it does, because I can't forget that there are children going to bed hungry, that there are old people who are sick, and alone, and cold because they can't pay a heating bill and a prescription bill, too.

I am aware that there are young mothers, struggling to make a living for their children, yearning for some kind of normalcy in their lives, but knowing that it is pretty much a lost cause. I am aware that there are whole families who are next to being homeless, through no fault of their own, with no way out of their hopelessness.

I am aware that people are fighting, and killing each other, for no reason other than self-gratification, and I can't forget that there are wars where people are killing and being killed for the sake of peace.

I can't pretend that all of that is not happening. I can't close my eyes to reality and pretend that this is a season when everyone is happy and satisfied, and loving his fellow man. That's how I wish it could be, but it isn't.

I am so thankful for what I have, and for anything that I am able to do to make things better for others, and I will never, ever, take that for granted.
My heartfelt wish is that all of you will have peace of mind, love in your hearts, and peace in your homes during this Christmas and Holiday Season. May it continue long after the season is past.

His Highness

The Return of the Imperial Presidency

By William Warren

As Christmas nears and millions of Americans across the country prepare to celebrate the birth of a child in a lowly manger, Barack Obama is gearing up for a celebration of his own—his imperial Inauguration. And, like all of his celebrations, his inaugural plans are rife with forced symbolism and unprecedented grandeur.

With regards to his journey to Washington, D.C. for the Inauguration, it seems the President-elect has taken note of the brouhaha the Big Three endured by deciding to forgo a jet trip on Obama Air. Rather, the junior Senator turned President will ride by train.

Before you chuckle at Mr. Obama’s meager travel selection, understand that there is always an underlying methodology in his mania for the meretricious. As expected, this is no ordinary train trip.

The President-elect’s train journey—which will take him from Philadelphia to Washington with stops in Wilmington and Baltimore in between—is meant to mirror a similar train journey made by Abraham Lincoln to his Inaugural in 1861. In a shameless effort to paint the incoming president not only as the next Lincoln, but also as the living embodiment of his legacy, Obama’s inaugural planners are pulling out all the stops. As the following USA Today excerpt reiterates:

“Philadelphia is a logical starting point, said presidential historian Richard Norton Smith, especially for the nation's first African-American president. The framers of the Constitution — all white males — ‘set in motion something that is still a work in progress,’ he said.”

And, as Emmett S. Beliveau, executive director of the 2009 Presidential Inaugural Committee, said regarding the overtly symbolic, multi-city trip:

"As part of the most open and accessible Inauguration in history, we hope to include as many Americans as possible who wish to participate, but can't be in Washington…These events will allow us to do that while honoring the rich history and tradition of previous inaugural journeys."

It seems Barack Obama has quite an affinity for honoring rich history—especially, of course, if it honors him in the process. For instance, Mr. Obama honored the “rich history” of the Roman emperors by addressing the masses beneath the pearly white Greek temple at the coliseum known as INVESCO field. And although his followers may have trouble recalling the specifics of that particular speech, one thing is for certain—“All Hail Obama” was a spectacle to behold.

Speaking of imperial-like ostentation, the President-elect made quite a spectacle at a recent press conference. When a particular reporter, John McCormick of the Chicago Tribune, asked Mr. Obama a reasonable question regarding the now-infamous Rod Blagojevich and the situation in Chicago, the imperial Mr. Obama became indignant and refused to allow the reporter to finish his question:

“John, let me just cut you off…because I don’t want you to waste your question. As I indicated yesterday, we’ve done a full review of this…the facts are going to be released next week, it would be inappropriate for me to comment…because, the story for example that you just talked about in your own paper, I haven’t confirmed that it was accurate and I don’t want to get into the details at this point. So, do you have another question?”

When the bold reporter refused to sit down and continued to probe the President-elect—as he dutifully should as a respectable journalist—Mr. Obama again silenced him while visibly displaying his agitation. After all, if the President-elect doesn’t want to answer a question he finds displeasing, why should he?

How very regal of you, Mr. Obama.

Unfortunately, it appears America may be in store for a return of the imperial presidency, the likes of which the nation hasn’t seen since the days of Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon.

President Nixon, who apparently saw himself as more than a just a president, saw trifling things like laws and rules as below him. As the new Frost/Nixon movie poignantly reminds us, Tricky Dick once said:

“When the president does it that means that it is not illegal.”

In the case of President Johnson, a leader who exploited unchecked power from a grieving populace, imperial presidential administrations can even lead to war.

And now Barack Obama, with his symbolic self-honoring, silencing of the press, and narcissistic overkill, is heading on a train ride to not merely an inauguration, but a coronation. You might even call it a triumphal entry.

However, as CNN’s Campbell Brown pitches a bit of royal fit regarding Mr. Obama’s demeanor at his recent press conference, she ought to take a step back and realize how the President-elect got to where he is today. The media, including Campbell Brown, helped cultivate Mr. Obama’s Emperor-like demeanor. In her monologue, Mrs. Brown claims the media’s role is “not to support President-elect Obama, but to challenge him…to do their best to hold him accountable.”

Yet, Mrs. Brown, why shouldn’t Barack Obama be offended by a slightly pointed question? He’s simply not used to them!

At virtually no time during the campaign did the mainstream media challenge Barack Obama or hold him accountable in any way. Rather, the media enthusiastically protected the former Democratic presidential nominee, giving him a get-out-of-scrutiny-free card and a whole lot of adoration. After all, who could forget:

• MSNBC’s Chris Matthews enthusing about the “thrill” running up his leg when he hears Barack Obama speak?

• Or Clair Simpson of Good Morning America gushing over Barack Obama’s “fluid poetry” and “overnight political rock star” status?

• Or PBS’s Gwen Ifill and her glowing literary tribute: “Breakthrough: Politics in the Age of Obama”

Naturally, Mr. Obama would interpret this latest journalistic negligence as a sign to reign royally. And although we should be thankful the President-elect isn’t cutting off the heads of dissidents in the style of emperors of old, his cutting off of reporters ought to be seriously worrisome for those who believe the President is to be of—not above—the people.

William Warren is a contributing editor of ALG News Bureau.