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| And not the firm, dry stuff either. |
We've got plenty of evidence to back up this proposition, not the least of which is a new article from Newsweek which is hilariously titled "HOW TRUMP AND THE NAZIS STOLE CHRISTMAS TO PROMOTE WHITE NATIONALISM" (hey, if they use all caps, we'll use all caps).
The article, tastefully published on Christmas Eve and likely written under the influence of heavily spiked egg nog, would be impossible for us to paraphrase. No, it needs to be read to be (dis)believed:
"Trump is promoting a version of the holidays which excludes members of other religions, and his crusade to bring back Christmas is part of a larger attempt by the President to define America as a country for white Christians alone.
Wishing people "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays" is thus in line with Trump's decision to ban citizens of Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States, critics say. It fits neatly with his refusal to condemn white supremacists when they march against diversity, and with his condemnation of athletes who protest police brutality against black men."
If you read far enough into the article, which we certainly don't recommend, Newsweek finally gets around to saying that in pre-war Germany the Nazis attempted to nationalize many holidays including Christmas. But they then generously concede that "Trump's rhetoric differs from that of Nazi Germany's, most notably because he has never advocated genocide."
This is not journalism. It isn't even an editorial. It's an ugly, hate-filled, foam-at-the-mouth screed by people whom Trump would unsubtly but accurately describe as "losers."
We'd say more, but this piece of garbage article upset us so much that we need to calm ourselves with some relaxing music. We're thinking Bing Crosby singing "White Christmas."
AND ONE MORE THING...
This is our final post for 2017 (we'll have our annual "year in review" post on Monday) and we want to wish all of you a very happy and safe New Year's celebration, whether it's boisterous or quiet. And remember, if you drink don't drive...and if you don't drink, can we have your glass of champagne?
Happy New Year from the Jarlsberg family!
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| Simple and dry, but we think you'll be amused by its presumption. |
A belated Merry Christmas and hearty Happy New Year, Stilton. Will try to survive without you until next year.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year to the Stilton clan, and his readers.
ReplyDeleteFrom minus -26 below in Alaska.
Take care, be safe.
God Bless.
Griz - Alaska
Ah, the pitiful ideas and propaganda. I rang bells for over 20 hours because I believe the Salvation Army may be the last totally honest totally helpful organisation in the USA and the world.93 cents administration costs from each dollar. If you specify your donation's target, that's where it goes. I have heard so many disgusting stories about the Red Cross to make me want to puke. 30-year Forest Service man who donated told me when an incident happens that the need help for residents, Salvation Army and Red Cross respond. THEN Red Cross sends them a bill. True story.
ReplyDeleteIn the Christmas season, the Red Kettles are the main income for the Army. Think about what every dollar does in good. The kicker: I do this for 9 years because they are so worthwhile. I'm an atheist. I'm disgusted by "professional atheists" who serve no purpose whatsoever.
Looking forward to another new years without booze (just for me, the rest of you enjoy your butts off) and still I do really stupid things ........
ReplyDeleteEnjoy my friends, Wishing y'all the best .....
Every time you think leftist "journalists" can't stoop any lower, they go and prove you wrong. Would not want to challenge any of them to a limbo contest.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Happy New Year to you and yours. Looking forward to another year of hilarity at the expense of the fools. They're such willing targets, we really should thank them more often!
ReplyDeleteHard to believe it is almost the end of 2017. It is even harder to believe here in Flagstaff, AZ as thus far winter has eluded us.
ReplyDeleteWhile much of the country is experiencing record low temps, we are seeing record highs. Although this is historically the 5th snowiest city above 50,000 population in the entire US (including Alaska), and should have already recieved well over 2 feet of the white stuff, this year we have had no measurable precipitation since September and daytime highs are stuck in the upper 50's and low 60's with nary a cloud in the sky.
I shall do my best to persevere.
That article is beyond ridiculous! The name of this particular holiday is CHRISTmas. If that bothers some idiots, so what? Don't participate. Don't decorate, Don't exchange gifts, Don't listen to carols or watch seasonal movies. Just DON"T! But DO get over it!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year to all you nice people.
And Geoff, you can have part of our O degree weather.
Sux to be you, eh Geoff?
ReplyDeleteWhat a WONDERFUL year of MAGA!
"...this may well have been the worst year ever for American journalism..."
ReplyDeleteBoy, isn't that the case? What little semblance of credibility the MSM had left after the transparent shilling for Shrillary in 2016 was completely flushed with the anti-Trump "fake news" tidal wave after the election.
I never cared much for Newsweak when it was in its prime 20+ years ago. Today, it's little more legitimate than The National Enquirer or its ilk. That they'd publish something so over-the-top as this is just more proof that TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome) is far more intoxicating and reason-debilitating than spiked egg nog.
As for this fake "Trump's White Nationalist Christmas" nonsense: As a Christian, let me explain something that most non-Christians and even many who think they are Christians don't get.
Christmas is mostly a secular holiday.
It has very little to do with Christianity. Nobody knows the real date Christ was born, and December 25th was most likely chosen by the early Roman Catholic Church to coincide with the winter solstice to get the buy-in of the pagans. Christmas itself wasn't really considered a significant religious holiday worth celebrating until relatively recently, around two-hundred years ago. For (real) Christians, Easter is the big deal.
Since the 19th century, Christmas has mostly evolved into a totally secular affair. I've read several translations of The Bible end-to-end more than once, and no where in those pages is there any mention of decorated trees, exchanging gifts, or a white-bearded guy in a bright red suit who dispenses free stuff from a sled pulled by flying reindeer. All that is a popular culture creation that just uses December 25th as a pretext. Partaking in all that stuff doesn't make you a Christian.
I know there are a lot of Christians who have a big problem with all that; the religiously-irrelevant fluff and commercialization and all. I am not one of them. On the contrary, I believe that if it weren't for the secular celebration aspect, Christianity would be more marginalized and culturally irrelevant than it's already become. It's now the secular celebration and good vibe that keeps Christmas as a somewhat religious holiday alive. That's not a bad thing, IMHO.
So the whole notion that "Trump is promoting a version of the holidays which excludes members of other religions, and his crusade to bring back Christmas is part of a larger attempt by the President to define America as a country for white Christians alone" is simply absurd. The vast majority of people who celebrate Christmas are not Christians.
An aside: If the Islamofascists that Newsweak is so afraid of offending were smart, they'd co-opt Christmas the same way that that the early Christians co-opted the pagan rituals. The problem is that they're just such a joyless bunch that it would never occur to them. They're more into conquering than co-opting.
As for "Trump the Nazi": Just before Newsweak published its screed, Trump the fascist white nationalist Christian declared that the US will formally recognize Jerusalem as the capitol of Israel, just like Hitler would have. Oh, wait. Never mind.
Bravo! Love your explanation. I dont care if muslims are excluded with Christmas, they dont celebrate. They have their holiday celebrations. I certainly dont cry because Im excluded from them;I dont want to join in as I am Catholic.
DeleteIf there is one thing I would like to see in 2018, is for the label that describes the media Greek chorus who can't accept the still in denial, avaricious, pathological serial liar and venal grifter is not POTUS, who would like to see us saddled with nationalized health care, Section 8 housing in every neighborhood and who surrender our national sovereignty to globalists, changed.
ReplyDeleteLabels such as Mainstream Media, Legacy Media, etc., are wrong as it imparts IMHO, a mantle of credibility/legitimacy to them, which I believe has been lost long ago.
What would I/do I call them? How about the black rotary dial phone media? While its a bit of a mouthful, believe that is a better descriptor as it really shows what time period they are stuck in and how they view the world.
and you are reading 'Newsweek", why? Keep up the good work, Stilt. From a good friend of Magoo's...
ReplyDeleteA most Happy New Year to all who read and support this wunnerful blog. And also to those unfortunate folks who don't read Stilt either. Wow, 2018 is coming. 2017 makes 7 years in a row that I didn't go to the gym. Maybe I can lose 75 pounds in 2018. As soon as the temperature goes above 20 degrees that is.
ReplyDeleteWho reads Newsfreak any longer?
ReplyDeleteOr TIME?
Delete@Fish: BRDPM (BirdPum) is a good acronym. It also explains the source of all their "stories". The "reporters" just listen in on the party lines.
ReplyDeleteNutritionally, there isn't much I like about McDonald's but every year in my neck of the woods there is a Nativity display somewhere on their grounds. I'm not sure if it is company policy or franchisee policy, but I like it.
Re: Salvation Army. We have been getting a lot of news stories around here about how the SA is way below their average for their bell ringer campaign. I have often thought that while bills folded and dropped into the kettles are great, there is nothing like the sound of coins hitting other coins to draw attention to the donation. Not for the benefit of the giver, but to encourage others to give as well. The SA needs to mint tokens and sell them in $10 rolls at kiosks inside the mall/store. That way the money is already received even if the tokens are not used. The donor has ten tokens to give to the kids, which are then dropped in the kettles. AND, less actual money is in the kettle, thus discouraging theft. (Yes, we have had a couple of those.) The tokens can be recycled every time the kettle is emptied. BTW, I would buy at a kiosk where I could use a card or a check but I don't always have cash on hand to drop in the kettle (yes, I do send in donations).
Wishing Stilty and all his readers a Happy and Prosperous New Year in which you get to keep a little more of your money out of the grasping government paws. ;-)
Happy New Year everyone!
ReplyDeleteComing up on 1 full year of a great President and Liberals just absolutely loosing their minds. I would be so sick at this point with the stress they are under.
Again, Happy New Year to the Stilt Family and everyone in the Stilton's Place family.
The "Merrier" Christmas is and The "Happier" New Year's is, the more miserable and depressing it will be for leftists. So "Let's Party!"
ReplyDeleteThe Bible is our guide into the mind of God. A core principle covered in multiple books is that Jesus took EVERYBODY'S sin by his death and subsequent ressurection... Everybody. How much more inclusive can it be?
ReplyDelete"...you'll be amused by its presumption." Thank you James Thurber!
ReplyDelete@G. King. Many decades ago one of my aunt/uncle units moved to Flagstaff. Not too long after their arrival it snowed, if memory serves, 11 FEET in one event! My mind still boggles in horror! How on earth did they cope? I used to scoff at "old folks" who moved to warmer climes, but I'm beginning to see their point.
ReplyDeleteOf course no one knows the real date of Jesus' birth. Dec. 25th was picked to celebrate the Holy Birth, by the early church, in the 4th century....hundreds of years ago. It was picked because of the Winter Solstice and the Roman Saturnalia to draw in the pagans and was a holy, religious feast celebrated as such. It has only been made secular in modern times. So, the pagans should be honest and celebrate "Merry Solstice or Saturnalia" instead of pretending CHRISTmas and all it encompasses, such as traditions, means something to them.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas, again, just because I love saying it.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the Newsweek lefties need to look at the Federal government calendar. Christian holidays have been 'nationalized' for decades, long before President Trump ... I bet they would really be crying in their hot buttered rum if they had to work Dec 24th and 25th. Speaking of which, cheers and Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteSeason's Greetings ! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours. My Christmas has been the best ever. My bro gave me a Remington 1911R1 with a brick of .45cal ACP. Greater love hath no man. Now, about all those 'tards that have issues with life here in the Home of the Free and the Land of the Brave... Step right up as I'll accommodate you with an appropriate double tap...
ReplyDelete@Readers- Rather than go one by one, I'll thank everyone at the same time for the Christmas and/or New Year wishes! They're appreciated - and I wish the same to you!
ReplyDelete@S. B. Sweeney- My Dad, who looked a lot like Santa when wearing red (as I do, now) was a bell ringer for Salvation Army, despite having no religious affiliation. Sadly, this year I didn't encounter any bell ringers in my area - because I never, and I mean never, fail to put something in the pot. It sounds like you and I are of the same religious persuasion and, like you, I'm appalled by the "professional atheists" who sneer at religion and religious charities.
@REM1875- Good for you for sticking to the no booze lifestyle. I'm flirting with the idea of a dry spell myself as I kick off a serious diet. It's not the cheap scotch that's bad for my weight...it's the stupid stuff I eat after the scotch makes it seem like a good idea (grin).
@jpb252- I marvel at how inept and biased "reporting" is these days. And you're right - there seems to be no bottom to this barrel they're scraping.
@Geoff King- We're suffering in North Texas, too. Why, some days I need to wear a sweatshirt!
@Judi King- I'm not religious, but I celebrate Christmas including the story and meaning of the Nativity. To deny the cultural significance, or to identify "Merry Christmas" with Nazis and white nationalists, is simply insane.
@John the Econ- Thanks for the very complete analysis of both Newsweek and the secular roots of Christmas as it is currently observed in our country. And I think "Newsweek" is overdue to change its name to "AngryOpinionsWeek."
@Fish Out of Water- We live in interesting times, as the Chinese curse says. I am a fierce supporter of the First Amendment, but I'm frankly scared at the way social media and news bias has flooded our country with harmful nonsense. I don't want to regulate speech, but I also don't want to see our country collapse under the weight of so many lies. I don't have any answers. I hope like Hell someone comes up with one.
@gtviet- Any friend of Magoo's is a friend of mine!
@Fred Ciampi- Yeah, 75 pounds is a nice round number for me, too. Although I still haven't decided if I should diet and exercise or just have a leg amputated.
@AmyH- All religions have their own special holidays. Celebrating them does NOT mean they want everyone else thrown out of the country. This isn't complicated stuff.
@Boiligat- (Isn't it usually Boligat, or is that just my senility?) I LOVE the idea of the tokens and giving them to kids to put in the kettles. How much better is it for kids to learn the importance - and joy - of giving, rather than raising them to believe that someone else should always pay, or that taxation is the best way to get money to the people who really need it (instead of bankrolling an inefficient bureaucracy).
@AmyH- Trump is a rollercoaster ride, but I'm sure as heck enjoying it a lot more than the previous 8 years. The misery of those on the Left is just a bonus!
@Don in Oregon- Yay! Another James Thurber fan!
@Velveeta Processed Cheese Food- I used to laugh at old folks moving to warmer spots too. Then I got used to the mild winters in Texas AND got old enough that a good fall on a patch of ice could be a life-changing event. No thanks!
@Judi King- I guess I might be one of those pagans (and for some reason, that makes me think I should be prancing around on goat legs and playing a pan flute) but Christmas - or CHRISTmas, as you put it - most certainly means something important to me.
@David A. Fox- Ha! I'll bet even the author of that article enjoyed taking Christmas day off from work - and felt that they deserved to!
@Regnad Kcin- And after you double tap them on the shoulder to get their attention, you'll give them a Pocket Constitution - right?
@Stilty. Yes iit usually iis Boligat, but the letters are so small that a little 'i' got stuck iin there thanks to my fat fiingers and I diidn't see iit... No, wait, I was just checkiing to see iif you were paying attentiion... Yeah! That's iit!
ReplyDelete@Stilty: The thing with the tokens is that they could issue them with different images on them and make them collectible. They still get the money and people who are compulsive hoarders will have an additional reason to buy them (and donate at the same time). They could be the Beanie Babies of the token world. The SA kiosks could be the center for trading and collecting so they get a commission off their own tokens A whole new revenue stream. :-)
ReplyDeleteYou know, you can look up the contact page for Newsweek, reference that idiotic article, and tell em to stick it. I did, and it was fun!
ReplyDelete@Boligat: that idea of collectible tokens is a really good one. Have you pitched it to the SA yet? If not, you should. Maybe @Stilton can help by passing it on to his SA contacts, too?
ReplyDelete@Dan
ReplyDeleteThanks. I did mention this to my local SA and even sweetened the pot with a $100 donation, but they never even said anything about it other than putting me on the automatic mail list. But I still like them and I still contribute.
@Dan, just sent of an email outlining the idea to the international headquarters. We shall see.
ReplyDeleteStilton: Happy New Year to you and your family.
ReplyDeleteRe the Year in Review: I was considering being a good samaritan by sending it to my grandaughter's Middle School History teacher, but the kid already bears the burden of living in the heart of ultra-mega-Leftist Silicon Valley in California, where being an adult conservative can trigger job termination and where being a conservative kid can result in some "unpleasantness" during and even after school.