Sunday, December 29, 2013

Putting the Scrooge back in Christmas (the pre-reformed Scrooge, that is)

Before the holiday season goes by, I wanted to take note of some of the more notable "Bah, humbug!" stories around Christmas of 2013.

After years of FOX News and the Republican echo-sphere pushing the anti-Semitic canard of a "War on Christmas," some Republicans are starting to see Christmas as a partisan Republican-fundamentalist event and "Merry Christmas!" as a battle cry. For instance:

Ryan Cummings, Woman hits Salvation Army kettle bell-ringer who said 'Happy Holidays' instead of 'Merry Christmas' ABC 15 12/13/2013.

And nothing says, "Merry Christmas!" like firing a few rounds at your neighbor's house: Eric Miller, Suspect identified in armed standoff Tennessean 12/19/2013.

Or the Lieutenant-Governor proposing to have the state of Tennessee start systematically killing people again: Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, It's time for Tennessee to resume executions Tennessean 12/17/2013.

And, on the "Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?" front:
Jim Newell, Republican unveils worst school idea ever: Make poor kids clean floors Salon 12/19/2013; Amanda Terkel,

Rep. Jack Kingston Proposes That Poor Students Sweep Floors In Exchange For Lunch 12/18/2013.

But President Obama made it bipartisan. He launched a drone strike in Pakistan on Christmas Day that killed four people: Jim White, The Hellfires of Christmas Emptywheel 12/26/2013; Kevin Gosztola, Drone Strike in Pakistan Was First to Be Launched by Obama Administration on Christmas Day FDL 12/26/2013.

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