By Mark | December 21, 2006
Linette and I haven’t decided yet what we’re going to tell Clementine about Santa Claus. Right now, if we had to make a decision, I’d say that we’d probably err of the side of honesty and tell her that he doesn’t exist (except in peoples’ hearts). We haven’t been any hurry to tell her though. We’ve kind of just been waiting to see how things evolve naturally. So far, she knows what Santa looks like, and that he has something to do with Christmas, but that’s about it.
A few nights ago, we were all watching a documentary on Warhol together, and when Billy Name came up on the screen, taking responsibility for introducing silver foil and amphetamines to the Factory, Clementine ran up to the television and said, “Santa Claus!” Linette thinks that we were clear with her that he wasn’t Santa, but I’m not so sure. I know we told her that his name was Billy Name, but I’m pretty sure we did so in the way one would say, “His real name is Kris Kringle,” just substituting in “Billy Name” for “Kris Kringle.” (Linette thinks that we were really clear that he was not Santa, by any name.) Anyway, the idea of raising her to think that Santa, instead of living at the North Pole surrounded by elves, was an artist and photographer who worked in the bathroom of an art space known as the Factory, surrounded by junkies, drag queens and the members of the Velvet Underground, kind of appeals to me. I doubt I’ll pursue it, but it’s an interesting idea.
By Mark | December 20, 2006
The right apparently already has their sights set on the junior Senator from Illinois. Here’s a clip from the Media Matters newsletter:
Swift-Boating Obama: Right-Wing Pundit Questions Senator’s “Loyalty” to America
Debbie Schlussel Argues Obama is Muslim with Questionable Loyalties; Latest in a Long String of Smears by Pundits, Media
Taking the current media focus on Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-IL) middle name a step further, right-wing pundit and regular MSNBC guest, Debbie Schlussel argued that because Obama’s middle name is Hussein and the fact that his late father was of Muslim descent, Obama’s “loyalties” must be called into question. In her December 18 column headlined “Barack Hussein Obama: Once a Muslim, Always A Muslim,” Schlussel asked: Is this “a man we want as President when we are fighting the war of our lives against Islam? Where will his loyalties be?” She ended her column by asking if Obama becoming vice president instead would be acceptable. Answering her own question, she wrote: “NO WAY, JOSE … Or, is that, HUSSEIN?”
“Schlussel’s article is the latest example of the bigoted conservative attacks against Senator Obama,” said Karl Frisch, spokesman for Media Matters for America. “While Schlussel’s comments are among the worst, she certainly isn’t alone. The public discourse surrounding Senator Obama has devolved into a petty game of who can say his middle name more often or insult his character and ancestry with the most zeal. It’s time for this bigotry to stop. News outlets like MSNBC can make the first move. They shouldn’t give people like Schlussel airtime to spew their hate-filled conspiracy theories because when they do, they undermine their own reputations as legitimate news organizations”…
Schlussel, by the way, is from Detroit.
By Mark | December 20, 2006
Apparently the public school teacher I mentioned in Tuesday’s post isn’t the only one that feels as though the candy cane has its origins in the story of Christ. Our friend Ole’ E Cross just found a site making the same case. Here’s a clip:
A Candy maker in Indiana wanted to make a candy that would be a witness for his Savior, so he made the Christmas Candy Cane. He incorporated several symbols for the birth, ministry, and death of Jesus Christ. He began with a stick of pure white, hard candy. The white symbolizes the Virgin Birth (Is. 7:14; Luke 1:26-35) and the sinless nature of Jesus (1 John 3:5) The hardness of the candy symbolizes the Solid Rock (1 Cor. 10:4), the foundation of the Church (Mt. 16:18), and the firmness of the promises of God (Ps. 18:30-32). The candy maker made the candy into the form of a ”J” to represent the precious name of Jesus, who came to earth as our Savior (1 John 3:16-17), and a symbol to represent the staff of the Good Shepherd (John 10:14). Thinking that the candy was somewhat plain, the candy maker decided to stain it with red stripes, representing the stripes of the scourging Jesus received prior to his crucifixion (Mark 15:15-20) for our healing (Is. 53:5). The large red stripe represents the shedding of His blood on the cross for our salvation (Rom. 5:9: Eph. 1:7). Unfortunately, the Candy Cane has lost its traditional meaning and become just a decoration only seen at Christmas time. But we at Guiding Light and Scripture Candy, pray that this traditional symbol will again be used as a witness for the glory and honor of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
Sadly, it’s apparently a crock of shit.
By Mark | December 20, 2006
I convinced a number of people today that the body of the mountain climber found dead in Oregon yesterday showed signs of having been partially devoured by the other two, as yet unfound, members of the climbing party. It troubles me that so many of my friends would accept, without question, that people would resort to cannibalism after just a few days without food.
(Yes, I feel bad for lying to my friends (again), especially as it involved this poor fellow who died so tragicly, but I think the information gained may prove useful in the future.)
By Mark | December 20, 2006
It doesn’t seem as though there’s any evidence to support it, but the “Ann Arbor News” is suggesting that Laura Dickinson, the student found dead a few days ago in an EMU dorm, may have died as the result of some kind of violent act… Stay tuned for further developments.
