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Why Syria, why now?

All of last week the various news sources have been banging away at President Obama about his failure to intervene in the violent uprising in Syria.  The regime of Syrian president al-Assad has no defense for slaughtering their own people.  This has been going on for quite a while, so the question is why now?

The Egyptian Example

When the Egyptians rose up against tyranny, the world stood by and let the Egyptians sort out their problems.  This has work well, with no foreign interests mucking up the works.  What ever solution they choose, be it a western style democratic republic or a religious autocracy or another tyranny, is will be their choice.  Many political analysts have criticized this lack of intervention.  They each have their own solution to the problem.  Most of these solutions are clothed in the ideal that they are for the good of the Egyptian people, but with little effort, these solutions are exposed as meeting the agenda of the proposer.

The Libyan Example

In Libya, the Europeans and the United States joined in to supply weapons and provide air support including bombing raids.  There was no perceivable reduction in blood shed compared to Egypt.  In fact, based on population, it could be argued that the blood shed was worse with outside intervention.  As the situation in Libya stands now, it appears that the chosen group has prevailed.  As people who are accused of supporting the old Gaddafi regime are executed, the world will have to figure out if they like the group that they supported.

The Syrian Example

Syria is now in the throws of a civil war.  There have been horrible incidents of blood shed and other atrocities.  There have been calls for the Arab League (a body that Syria is a member) to enforce their rules for the protection of civilian populations from attack.  The League has done little except monitor and document the violations of the basic responsibilities of leadership by the Syrian Government.  The United Nations has been called upon to intervene.  Determining the winners and losers in civil wars is not the prerogative of the UN.  And then there is the drum beat for American intervention.

Taken in context of the other uprisings in the Arab world, intervention by any outside entity would be a mistake.  Adding in the conflicts that America is currently engaged in and the reduction of our military readiness as proposed by the Secretary of Defense, American intervention can only be seen as ridiculous.  If the United States is to act as the police force of the world, the defense budget will have to double not be cut in half.

And then there is Iran

Another topic that has filled the airways is the suggestion that Israel may attack the nuclear facilities of Iran.  There have been many reports about how bad that would be and how America should stop the Israelis.  The main reason is because there may be retaliation by Iran within the boarders of the United States.  There are so many interesting spins in that logic.  First of all, if you back away from the bully because of what he might do, then he has already won and you should just give him your lunch money.  Secondly, the press and the experts have apparently forgotten that Israel and Iran are at war.  They have been since 1967 when Iran declared war on Israel.  No peace treaty or even talks have taken place.  If a state of war exists, what right does the United States have to tell Israel how to prosecute that war?  It is on par with the United States telling England not to bomb Berlin during WWII because there were German operatives in America who could do bad things.

For thirty years, Iran has been trying to get a nuclear bomb.  During those years there have been various efforts to prevent that development by the world community.  When they promised to stop, the sanctions were lifted.  When they threw out the UN inspectors, there were loud complaints.  When they let the inspectors back in and claimed they had made great progress, but only for civilian energy use, the world sighed in relief that they had stopped working on a bomb.  Now, the Iranians are building secure, deep bunkers to build bombs.  The Israelis are rightfully concerned since the current Iranian government has stated that their primary goal is the elimination of Israel.  The rest of the world can laugh that off as rhetoric, but the Israelis have to think about there own preservation.

Now that I am officially tired of the political ads, reports, coverage and analysis, I have to find something to do with my spare time.  If you have read some of my previous posts, some of what I am going to right is not necessarily new.  Actually, none of it is new, but it may be presented in a new light.

The NFL Pro Bowl

My annual rant on the NFL Pro Bowl.  It is supposed to be a show case of the best players in the NFL.  Since the league has move the Pro Bowl to the week between the conference championships and the Super Bowl, we do not actually get that show case.  The selected players from the two Super Bowl teams opt out of the Pro Bowl for obvious reasons (practicing for the Super Bowl, avoiding possible injury, losing focus, etc).  Although I am not a New England Patriots or New York Giants fan, I would like to see all of the best players, not just the ones who have nothing else to do.  I will give credit to the league for moving the game back to Hawaii.  This is supposed to be a reward for greatness.  Having the game in the Super Bowl city in the week leading up to the Super Bowl is almost rubbing in the fact that these players are not playing in the really big game.

Productive Activities

As I have written before, I have taken up crochet again.  It has been a productive year already.  I have finished two single bed blankets, one for each of my college age children, and a shawl (see photo) that I will be donating to a local elderly care center (this is part of a church group activity where I am younger than all of the other members by at least 20 years).  I am currently working on another blanket, this one for my niece.  I have found that this hobby is cheaper than most of my other entertainment options such as going to movies and it results in something others can use.

Motion Pictures

Since I mentioned movies as entertainment, I have to comment that “The Iron Lady” is a great movie.  It is not the typical Hollywood production, so some people do not like it.  The story is compelling even if you did not live through the events as I have.  The acting is also very good.  I plan on going to see both “Red Tails” and “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”.

Writing

You would think that with my refocus on more productive use of my time, that I would be more productive in my writing attempts.  Sadly that is not the case.  My writing has languished since before Christmas, except the short story that I published last week.  I certainly hope that the rest of you are progressing in your writing.
 

 

The following is a work of fiction.  This story is not based on any events, it is purely the imagination of the author inspired by the weather conditions expected at his home at the time of writing.

William awoke at 3:59 in the morning.  He stared at the clock until it changed to 4:00 and the radio turned on.  He left the radio playing as he took a quick shower and went to the bathroom.  He listened as he brushed his teeth.  Every morning for the past five years had been the same.  He worked six day a week, but had the same routine on his one day off a week, either Wednesday or Thursday.  He heard all of the national, local and political news, but paid little heed.  The sports report was also just background noise.  He did not participate in any of those things.

William’s life was simple.  He worked hard to make enough money so that he could live independently.  His teachers had thought that he would never amount to much.  He put forth a good effort for every task they had given him, but it was all very hard for him.  He never took drugs or drank.  When he lived with his mother, he had gone to church all day every Sunday.  A really nice lady from the state, Alicia McMichaels, had gotten him the job.  He had to check in with her every month.  He always remembered to send her a Christmas card every year.

So in the morning, William did not care about who was running for what office or who had won the big game, no, all he was interested in was the weather.  He had to walk the ten blocks to the donut shop.  He had one very important job, open the front door and turn on all the lights.  He had to be there at exactly 5:00 each morning.  He didn’t have keys, he had to go in through the back where Donald was making the donuts.  Donald today and tomorrow, then Samuel the next day.  William liked Samuel, he was always nice to William.  Both Donald and Samuel were very large men, but other than size, they were not the same.  Samuel would greet William on his way to the front, but Donald would stare at him like he had a lizard’s tail or something like that.

The weather was all that concerned William.  He needed to know if he should wear a coat, or take an umbrella.  He had a uniform, so he did not have to think about anything else.  The weatherman said that it had gotten colder over night and the rain had changed to freezing rain.  He said that travel was not advised.  “I am glad I am not travelling anywhere”, William said aloud.  When the weatherman told his daily joke to the news reporter is when William usually turned off the radio, but today there was no joke.  Instead, both men started talking about how bad it was out and how many accidents had occurred on the roads overnight.  In fact, they were saying that even pedestrians should stay indoors.

William knew that he would be considered a pedestrian.  After all he walked to work every day.  He was worried.  He had never called in sick or missed a day he was schedule to work.  On several occasions he had gone in to work by accident on his day off.  He had even filled in for a nice young lady named Victoria until she was “let go”.  William liked Victoria, too.  She would always smile at him when they worked together, and she would kiss him on the cheek when he agreed to fill in for her on his day off.

William turned off the radio and walked over to the table with the telephone.  There was a laminated card with several phone numbers.  Next to one was the label “work” with a note “Call this number when you are sick or will miss work”.  It took him a while to make up his mind.  If it was a Samuel day, he would not have hesitated, but with Donald answering the phone, William was scared.  He thought about calling Alicia, but it was too early in the morning.  He thought about calling his mother, but Alicia had told him that he had to be independent.  Finally, he picked up the phone and called the number.

“A.M. Donuts” boomed Donald’s voice.  “Donald, this is William.”  “Who?”  “William, the clean up man.”  “Oh, yeah, what do you want?”  “The radio said that I should not go out.”  “What?  Are you saying you aren’t coming to work?”  “Yes, sir.  The radio said so.”  “Look Billy, it is your choice, but if you don’t show up, I will have to tell Mr. Jensen.”  Mr. Jensen was the owner of the shop.  William had never met him, but he had heard Donald say the Mr. Jensen had taken a big gamble giving William a job.  “If you are missing work just because the radio said something, I don’t think Mr. Jensen will like it.”  “Oh.”  “I’m just saying.  It’s your choice.”  “Please don’t call Mr. Jensen.  I’m coming in.  I will be on time.”

William hung up the phone, threw on his coat and shoes and headed out the door.  He slipped on the ice at the entrance to the apartment building, but did not fall.  He moved gingerly from tree to tree, then a mail box, then a lamp post.  He had forgotten his gloves.  His hands were getting very cold.  It was still raining, sort of.  There was snow in the air too.  He kept moving at a slow pace, following the same path he always followed.  He only had to cross 7^th avenue once.  All of the other streets that he crossed were not travelled very much, but getting across them was hard with nothing to grab hold of.  When he finally got to 33^rd street, he had to cross 7^th avenue.  This was the main road.  Five lanes plus parked cars on both sides.  He held onto the lamp post as he waited for the pedestrian signal to change.

When the walk symbol came on, he started across.  It was like skating.  He found a couple of dry patches to regain his balance, but he was only half way across when the light started flashing.  His heart rate went up and he tried not to panic.  When he tried to move faster, his feet slipped and he almost went down.  He was concentrating so hard on just walking that he never saw the city bus sliding on the ice.  The bus was sliding sideways, the driver too scared to even honk the horn much less notice William in the crosswalk.  The sound of the impact was sickening.  William felt the side of the bus hit him.  He flailed his arms wildly as he slid on the ice then ran into a parked car.  That same car save him as it stopped the bus.

The bus driver may not have seen William, but the driver of the city plow saw the entire event.  It all happened in slow motion.  The bus sliding, the young man bouncing off then sliding like a puck until he hit the car.  He was on the radio calling for help before William rolled off of the car and onto the ground.  The city plow driver circled the area several time dropping sand and salt so that the emergency vehicles could get there.

William woke up in the hospital.  Alicia was holding his hand and smiling.  “Good morning.  What on earth were you doing out on the streets on a morning like this?  Didn’t you listen to the weather report?  They said stay home.”  “I did listen.  I was going to work.”  “Why?”  “I have never missed a day.  I did not want Mr. Jensen to be disappointed.”  Alicia laughed.  “Don’t you worry about Mr. Jensen.  He has always reported that you are a good worker.  Now you just rest here.  I will come and visit, and when you are ready to go home, I will come and get you.”  “Am I going to miss work?”  Alicia laughed again.  “Yes you are.  Think of this as a vacation.  You will have your job when you can get around again.”  “Thank you Miss McMichaels.”  “I have told you William, call me Alicia.”  She patted his hand again, then brushing his forehead with her hand she told him, “I am very proud of you William.  Now rest.”

Things I have stopped doing

I want to start this with a disclaimer that I am not suggesting that there is anything wrong with the activities I am avoiding or the products and services that I am no longer using.  The first area of life that I am resetting is the use of my spare time.  I have cleared my friends list to just actual friends and family.  I have stopped using the time consuming on line games that kept me going through my period of heavy travel.  I am limiting my television watching to planned program viewing.  All of this is to realign the use of my time with what I have claimed (and really want) I want to do.

Next, I am no longer consuming carbonated beverages (colas, beer, etc.).  These beverages are liquid candy and except for the beer, have no nutrition value.  I am reducing the amount of sweets (candy, pie, cake, cookies, ice cream) to actually be treats.  I am forgoing the second helpings of my favorite meals (pasta, pizza, turkey, stuffing).  These actions are to reduce my caloric intake to address the fact that I am significantly over weight.

Things I am starting

I am spending more time writing.  I have taken up crocheting again.  I have already completed two single bed afghans for my college age kids.  This is something I learned as a child at the feet of my grandmother.  I have even gotten books from the library to help me understand the secret language of the crocheting patterns.  I am doing this with my wife (she actually is knitting and taking classes).  It is something we do together while watching television programs.  Having something to do with you hands really cuts done on the snacking or even the channel surfing.  These activities help to calm me especially during high stress with work, kids or life in general.

I am going to the gym more.  I am trying for at least three trips a week.  This in combination with my eating adjustments should work towards my weight loss goals.  My doctor has told me to try for at most one pound per week.  This is the sustainable loss rate the will result in a weight that can be maintained.  If I success, I will lose 50 pounds by next Christmas.  So far I have lost five pounds in the first three weeks of 2012.  I know that there will be plateaus, but I am encouraged.

Other adjustments

I was wrong in my prediction that Green Bay would make it back to the Super Bowl, but I still stand by my prediction that Baltimore will win it all this year.  I did not win the lottery – again- so I will just have to keep working and earn a retirement.  The History Channel and National Geographic Channel have become my favorite stations, mostly because they are not reporting on the primaries.  And finally, I really have to get my first book into the Hyrax store.

Professional football – Wild Card Weekend

This weekend, all of the home teams in the NFL playoffs won.  One game went to overtime with the new rules, but a quick touchdown made those new rules mute.  What did we learn from these games?  Well actually a lot.  First, apparently Tim Tebow can throw the ball.  The best defense in the league was not that good suggesting that offense is trumping defense this year.  The Houston Texans are for real, the Detroit Lions were not.  There will not be a rematch in the Super Bowl.  The Atlanta Falcons cannot buy a forth down conversion, and the Cincinnati Bengals cannot get a challenge in their favor.

Professional football – Divisional Weekend

In the end, the New York Giants move on to play the Green Bay Packers while the New Orleans Saints go to San Francisco to play the 49ers in the National Football Conference.  The Denver Broncos visit the New England Patriots while the Houston Texas will challenge the Baltimore Ravens in the American Football Conference.  Since I was wrong in three of my four predictions this week, I will reassess my predictions for the Super Bowl.  I now believe that we will have a Green Bay Packers – Baltimore Ravens match up with the Ravens winning it all.  Go ahead, make comments.

College Football – the Bowl Games

It looks like the Big XII did the best in the bowls with a 6-2 record.  That is pretty good for a conference with only 10 teams.  Next year they will be down to 8 of the original teams, 5 from the Big 8 and 3 from the Southwest Conference.  We will have to see what additional realignments come about.  The Mid-America Conference (MAC), Conference USA (CUSA),  and the Big East have the same winning percentage with a 3-1 record.  The SEC could have done better, but since tonight’s game is a win and a loss, they will be 6-3 in bowls.  All of the other conferences had losing records with the Big 10 having the most teams with 10 but only a 4-6 record.

You could say that there are way too many bowl games.  At this point more than half of the teams in the BCS conferences get to go to bowls.  We have to remember that this is part of the college experience and one last opportunity for some of these players to audition for jobs in the pros.  I like seeing people put on their college colors and cheer on the team.  I for one had a great bowl season since my school won.  I am hoping for a complete analysis of the BCS championship from Johnny since he is the ”sports guy” for the Soap Boxers.

I was travelling to visit relatives most of the last week.  This article is a hodge-podge of topics I discussed with my college age children during a combined 24 hours of car travel.

Politics

I live in Iowa and will be participating in the Caucus.  All of the voting age people in my house will be going participating as well.  Our participation is more to understand what the positions of the candidates are and what the major issues that will be championed by the party will be.  Yes we get to be part of the first in the nation guidance for the primary season, but that is secondary to learning as much as possible.  My father lives in Texas and will call shortly after the caucus to tell me if Iowa chose correctly or not.  Last time he was correct for both parties, as far as who the final nominees were.  Crunchy’s article about the caucuses matches my experience, except she left out the part about the cookies that are provided.  Ok, I guess that is not really important

Sports – College Bowl Games

The college football bowl season is moving along nicely.  We only have about thirty bowls to go (just kidding).  I have watched several of the bowls.  Most of them have been competitive.  Most of them have also had what appears to be low attendance.  This may be because of the venues (Yankee Stadium is not the best for football viewing and using professional stadiums that hold 100,000 people for a bowl that traditionally has 50,000 spectators will make it appear empty).  The best games are still to come, although my personal opinion is that the championship game is sort of a waste.  Why would you ever have a bowl with two teams from the same conference?  If Alabama wins, will they really be the champions or will it be shared with LSU since they would each have beaten the other once?

Sports – Professional Football

The playoffs are set.  I think it was great that the final week of the season actually meant something this year.  There was positioning as well as qualifying at stake, even in the last game late Sunday night.  The match-ups look good with some rematches.  Tim Tebow will be there, at least the first round, to keep the story line of the religious quarterback going.  Just a note, most football players have a strong and public faith life.  This comes from the fact that on any play, they can be injured and could be prevented from playing the game they love (and their livelihood).

In some ways it is the same teams in the playoffs again; New England, Baltimore, Pittsburg, Green Bay, New Orleans and New York have all been to the Super Bowl or at least conference championships over the last few years.  The notable new comers are the Houston Texas – congratulations on you first playoff appearance.  The notable missing team are the Indianapolis Colts – what a difference a quarterback makes.

Writing

I have been writing while I have been off for the holidays, but not nearly enough.  I am challenging myself to actually get my first book into the various electronic formats and out for the world to consider.  I am also challenging myself to actually complete my second book.  Then I have to actually work on my third effort, the one I failed to even get 50,000 words written for NaNoWriMo this year.  For Christmas, I received a short book on how to write and publish by an English Professor.  Although it was interesting to read his ideas, I would recommend Kosmo’s guide.  The main difference is that Kosmo provides actual advice, the professional drops of names and brags about his own publishing record, but provides little concrete help.

Productive Hobbies

A couple of articles ago, I commented that I was crocheting in my spare time.  I am happy to report that I have (almost) completed a afghan for my daughter to take back to college with her.  My next effort will have to be a little more complex to help me grow in my capabilities.  I have found that crocheting while watching TV has actually helped me in my quest to lose weight.  My hands are occupied and the urge to grab a snack or even sip a soft drink is really reduced.  So to sum up, Politics, Football, Football, Writing and keeping busy.

Seasons greetings and happy holidays to all of the Soap Boxers community! I hope that each of you has had a wonderful time celebrating whatever and however. For those of you who have exchanged gifts, I hope that you received what you desired or needed and I hope that what you gave was accepted with joy. For those who have taken this time of year to volunteer for the less fortunate, thank you. For those who volunteer regardless of the season, thank you as well.

Now I will launch into a critical commentary on the holidays in general. If you do not know the custom of a holiday, please do not wing it. Two weeks ago, the President of the United States offered a heart felt recognition of Chanukah and the Jewish community by lighting all of the candles of a menorah. This was wrong in two ways. First, it was several days prior to the beginning of the celebration. Second, one does not light all of the candles on the first day, it is a progressive event spanning eight days. This faux pas lays squarely on the shoulders of the president’s protocol office. One person cannot know all of the traditions of every religion. When he announced his intention to recognize the event, the protocol office should have made all of the preparations to avoid any embarrassment; they failed.

Then there are the twelve days of Christmas. I am really tired of people calling the twelve days leading up to Christmas by this name. The Twelve Days are the days between Christmas day and Epiphany. That would be the days traditionally recognized as the birth of Christ and the arrival of the wise men to offer their gifts (western or Roman tradition). In many Christian traditions, gifts are not given until Epiphany in remembrance of this event. The days leading up to Christmas are called Advent. This is a time of waiting, comprised of the weeks including the four Sundays before Christmas. The basic idea is to build up the excitement of the arrival of the infant, similar to the excitement most children have as the big gift giving day approaches.

On a happier note, I noticed that most of the news coverage this year was on the various celebrations. There were few stories of someone not being allowed to do something, such as a nativity or menorah on public property. To me this is inclusion. Keep adding to the displays to include as many groups and beliefs as possible, do not exclude just because it is not what you believe or like. We hear a lot about diversity, but that is of no benefit if it is not coupled with inclusion. You do not have to believe or agree with everything someone else espouses, but if you include them and accept them as people with valid points of view, you can only benefit from their acquaintance. Inclusion breeds diversity and true diversity breeds inclusion. By the tally of reports I have watched over the last few weeks, I am excited that inclusion seems to be the spirit this year. I truly hope that this spirit grows and becomes the predominant attitude in the future.

How do you use your spare time? I have a great opportunity over the next few weeks to really relax and get some stuff done at home. Between vacation and a plant winter shut down, I will not be going back to work until the New Year. So what to do with all of that time? First and foremost, I will be writing. I will be working on my science fiction novel that I started over a year ago and I will be putting my first book into the proper formats to allow people to download from the Hyrax store.

Next I will be making cookies, lots of cookies. My daughter came home from College this weekend and the first 10 dozen are made with the dough for an additional 20 dozen in the refrigerator waiting for morning. That represents 30 dozen cookies of 5 types so far. We still need to make 3 more types. We will not be making all of Martin’s favorite cookies this year, partially due to lake of time, and partially since I will not be able to take many into work.

A year ago, I would have talked about playing video games, but not this year. Video games are a great escape mechanism, but in the end, they only have entertainment value. This year I am taking up crocheting again. I learned to crochet at the feet of my grandmother when I was very young. It was a way of staying up late and a way to hear stories of the past. It is a comfort to crochet now that I am older. Remembering back to those days, usually at Christmas time when my grandparents would visit. Now I sit by the fire watching football and crocheting.

This year, I am working on an afghan for my daughter to take back to college with her. It is a simple design, cream-colored variegated yarn for the top and dark green for the border. No special patterns, just a simple double stitch in a rectangle. It is just as time-consuming as computer games with the benefit of producing something useful, eventually.

My wife knits, something I do not have the skill or training to try yet. She is even taking classes at a local weaving and yarn shop. She will eventually make some really complex articles from hats and sweaters to socks and mittens. You can make similar items with crocheting, but I am sticking to the easy stuff for now, blankets and throws.

I hope you fill your spare time with whatever is enjoyable to you. I also hope that you actually get some spare time, if not during this holiday season, then sometime in the near future. I am a Catholic, so I will wish everyone an early Merry Christmas (we are still in Advent after all). I have many friends and relatives who are Jewish and I wish them a happy Chanukah. My hope is that every person around the world has a chance to prosper, experiencing joy and happiness, during this holiday season and every day.

It is the time of the year for office parties. Whether celebrating a religious holiday or just the culmination of another year of work, the cold weather and the shorter days, this is the time when most offices have parties. Most of the groups I have worked with set up some kind of order for the food, some people bring appetizers, other vegetable dishes, others sides and some deserts. For some reason, almost every group I have been associated with has cornered the managers to provide any meat to be served or at least the main dishes. This year, no limitations have been put on me, so I will double down on what I bring.

As many of you know, I really enjoy making and eating cookies. This holiday season just gives me license to indulge. I have a set of favorites that I bake. Last year I provided my favorite dozen recipes as a free down load. This year I have added two recipes; Date-Nut Pinwheels (a favorite of my Father in Law) and traditional chocolate chip cookies. Here is a downloadable pamphlet of the 2011 updated version of Martin’s cookies. (attach here). I will be making way too many cookies for my office party. Some of the extras will go to the factory area of the company I work for. The rest will be for me and my family.

Just to have some appearance of a healthy attitude, I will also provide a side of pasta salad. When I make pasta salad, the pasta is sort of an after thought. I put in lots of vegetables including; corn, peas, green beans, lima beans, broccoli, carrots, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, onion, and black olives. All of this with the pasta (tri-color fun shapes), and diced cheese tossed with standard Italian dressing. Easy to make and filling. Now I am hungry. I guess the message today is, if you are not writing, start cooking!

Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday; have you participated to the fullest?  We have been told to spend, and from the news reports we have.  The reports have not directly stated that the season is looking good for retailers, but since there are no stories on the collapse of the American economy, then by deduction, things are good.  Now if the Europeans would just start spending like Americans, the world economy will recover.  That was sarcasm for readers who missed it.

The news has been concentrating on the apparent melt down of the European economy that was “saved” by the United States Federal Reserve making it easier for European banks to convert U.S. Dollars and borrow more money.  I guess I need to go back to college to understand how borrowing more money will get people out of debt.  It has never worked for me, but then I am just a fool who tries to live within the salary I am earning.

I have heard several reports on various media claiming that the states that have implemented spending cuts over the last two years are either recovering dramatically from the economic slow down or collapsing even faster.  Since none of these reports include any source data, it is difficult to sort through the political posturing to figure out what is actually happening.  I am waiting form NPR or Front Line to put out a comprehensive report.  Those outlets usually include detailed references, but you have to wait until the noise has died down before they can complete the task.

I have always suggested living within your means, both at a personal level and through our representative governments.  I do hope that each of you did participate in the holiday push for retail sales, if you could afford it that is.  Spending, actually exchanging money for goods and services is how the economies of the world work and will recover.  We can each do our parts as long as we act responsibly.  This is true every day of the year, not just at Christmas, this is just when it is advertised most.

There is a second part to the holiday season, not just Christmas, but all of the major religious events of this season, and that is charity.  Charity is giving to the needy out of your perceived duty based on your code of morals, most often instilled through your family and church.  Charity, but definition, cannot come from government where the money is taken from citizens and then redistributed.  That is aid and is also necessary.  Charity is individual, both for the giver and the receiver.  Give what you can, support your favorite charities, but please, in the spirit of the season, do not tell people what the “have” to do.