The Uncomfortable Truth

Forty-two years ago, in his Christmas Address, Pope Paul VI said, “We consider Christmas as the encounter, the great encounter, the historical encounter, the decisive encounter, between God and mankind. He who has faith knows this truly; let him rejoice."
I couldn’t agree more.
There are people who will use today as an excuse to gripe. They will say that today’s celebrations are descended from ancient Roman festivals that have nothing to do with the birth of the Lord. They are correct. Others will say that there is nothing in the Bible that directs us to celebrate the date of the arrival of the world’s savior. They too, are correct.
Unfortunately, these people just don’t get it.
For sure, there is no way Jesus could have been born in December. The shepherds would not be out in the middle of winter “keeping watch o’er their flocks by night.” Lambs are born in the spring, so most likely; Christ was born then or in early summer. Personally, I mark the 29th of June as His birthday.
However, it just doesn’t matter when it happened; what matters is that it happened.
As Pope Paul said, this was it. The birth of Jesus changed the fundamental relationship between man and God.
Whereas the God of the Old Testament can easily be seen as vengeful—wrathful, if you will, Jesus came to establish once and for all what was essentially true from the beginning: God is our Father—a God of love.
And if we, who are essentially evil, know how to be good, loving parents, how much better a parent must our Father be?
Now, if God is my Father, and God is your Father, we are brothers and sisters, are we not? And if we are brethren, then what harm can we do each other?
What a gift!
We just have to accept it.
I only have one wish for Christmas.
That today, and everyday, people would forget the details. Instead, focus on the message.
That’s what Christmas is all about.

Posted by Quentin Colgan at 07:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

December 21st, 2012 is a mere five years off.
In case you live in a vacuum, that is the last date on the current Mayan calendar. Or, as some might say, the last day of planet Earth.
Google 12/21/2012 and you get 38,000 hits. You find that not only the Mayan calendar, but also the I Ching and some computer program known as web bot have also given that date as “the end of the world.” Other sites are predicting how it will come about, nuclear, biological, chemical, whatever stokes their fire.
Will the world end five years from today?
Many people think not, saying that the Mayans were merely delineating between “ages.”
Other people—mostly of a fundamentalist stripe—are HOPING the world ends then!
I am not sure either way, frankly.
In case you don’t know, what happens on that date is that the Earth will cross the “Equator” of the Milky Way. This could have a very unpleasant side effect.
The Earth, as you know, is a giant magnet. The Earth’s magnetic field diverts deadly radiation from the sun around us. This field has reversed itself countless times throughout history. A weaker magnet can have its polarity intensified or even reversed by the action of stronger field near it. Probably every kid in America has learned that you can magnetize a nail by stroking it with a magnet, or even getting a magnet close. A strong electrical field will do the same thing.
On 21 December, 2012, the Earth will pass closest to the strongest part of the galaxy’s much-stronger electrical field.
Life wouldn’t be too hard if my compass started pointing the wrong way, but that isn’t the problem.
It seems that, should the magnetic poles reverse, there would be no magnetic field during the time of reversal, however long that might take.
No magnetic field means no protection from the sun’s deadly radiation.
That could be a problem.
I think the bigger problem will be putting up with all the hucksters trying to cash in on the inevitable “End of the world” hysteria.
That reminds me.
Wanna buy an “End Times Radiation Shield” to protect you and your loved ones in the coming tribulation?

Posted by Quentin Colgan at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

In my local alternative weekly, The Chico Beat, I found an interesting interview with author Naomi Wolf. To view the article in its entirety, go here: http://www.alternet.org/story/68399.
I was glad to see I am not the only one who fears for the future of America.
Seriously, though, many people worry about the future of democracy, but Ms. Wolf, in this interview, explains without hyperbole what our future holds, with credible evidence.
Ms. Wolf brings up some excellent points: Just why would Congress need to pass a law that makes it easier for the President to declare martial law? Are they planning something?
Why would Congress bow to the wishes of this administration and pass a law wherein you or I could be declared an “enemy combatant,” and held without trial?—in Guantanamo Bay, presumably.
Did you ever wonder how the Patriot Act, a 324-page law, could be written in just a few days? Of course it was written beforehand! Duh!
First, scare the people, second, take their rights away. It is a scam as old as history.
Now, it is America’s turn.
Ms. Wolf correctly points out that history and civics are not taught well enough in this country. The last two generations have no clue how this country should be run. We are rushing headlong to the end.
But, how will that end come?
How will George and his band of merry men impose fascism on America?
The only possible way the Republicans can win next year is if the Democrats are stupid enough to nominate Hillary. That woman is polarizing enough, that when a third party is entered into the mix, the Republicans will win in a walk.
True, the Democrats are stupid enough to nominate Hillary, and the Republicans are working mighty hard to see that they do.
But what if they don’t?
What might the Neocons do?
How about a suitcase nuke?
Crazy?
If I had told you in the spring of ’01 that people were going to fly airplanes into tall buildings you would have used just that word to describe me.
Bush and his buddies have a [strong desire] for Iran. They are beating the drums of war, but only the brain-dead are buying it this time, and that is not enough people. What better way to convince Americans that we need to expand the war on terror?
This time the Neocons will get two for the price of one. They will blame the nuke on Iran, get their war, and have their empire expanded. They will also have the bonus of a terrified citizenry—too terrified to stop them.
It has happened before.

Posted by Quentin Colgan at 08:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)