Tis the season to have a persecution complex. The holy rollers are gathering up a head of steam over another no-issue. Seasonal sensitivity in a more religiously diverse country (along with the bowel-shaking fear of lawsuits,) have driven some again this year to be more vague, and call things "holiday" instead of "Christmas" again. Jerry Falwell and the League of Most Sacred Ignoramus are shouting from the church steeples how the secularists are trying to steal Christmas. You can't fucking sneeze in this country this time of year, and hit something blaring Christmas, and Baby Jesus, and of course, the godless are ruling over us all. I guess the good thing of growing up Jewish is you really learn the use of a good persecution complex, with oppression, real or not, put to use to justify digging deeper into the power structure. Hey, it won the conservatives the White House, didn't it? And nobody fucks with the Jews. Even I'm scared of the ADL. I guess what gets me so pissed here is that you watch the media and all that, and somehow they have managed to "forget" that we are one of the most religious first world states. Europe thinks we're totally fucking nuts because this country is actually having a culture war over Evolution, which is a given over there. It's odd that my personal animal, the platypus is being used to argue that there is a Intelligent Designer (shh.. okay, its the JudeoChristian God, but nobody say it.) I've often had to argue that this whole social backslide is a good thing, since history has shown me that reactionary fervor usually is the clearest sign of undeniable cultural change. Americans seem to believe in the Sledgehammer and Crowbar model of paradigm change, par excellence.

The social event I will regret missing the most, is the First Thursday dinner with the Secular Humanists of Seattle. I could really use some time among the happily godless, even if we have our own problems with a solid persecution complex. I still wonder what will get me put against the wall first when the revolution comes: Being a faggot, or being an atheist. My luck, it will be a Leftist coup, and I'll get lead-poisoning for not being plebian enough. Damn me for my intellectual with bourgeoisie roots. I shall never know the sweet taste of overturning Management.

"There are two visions of America. One precedes our founding fathers and finds its roots in the harshness of our puritan past. It is very suspicious of freedom, uncomfortable with diversity, hostile to science, unfriendly to reason, contemptuous of personal autonomy. It sees America as a religious nation. It views patriotism as allegiance to God. It secretly adores coercion and conformity. Despite our constitution, despite the legacy of the Enlightenment, it appeals to millions of Americans and threatens our freedom.

The other vision finds its roots in the spirit of our founding revolution and in the leaders of this nation who embraced the age of reason. It loves freedom, encourages diversity, embraces science and affirms the dignity and rights of every individual. It sees America as a moral nation, neither completely religious nor completely secular. It defines patriotism as love of country and of the people who make it strong. It defends all citizens against unjust coercion and irrational conformity.

This second vision is our vision. It is the vision of a free society. We must be bold enough to proclaim it and strong enough to defend it against all its enemies."

- Rabbi Sherwin Wine