"Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor, Your Huddled Masses..."

Once in a while, I rant about rants. Tell me... have you seen this one? Have you shared it?

Besides the obvious fact that the natives of this land welcomed freely the Europeans who barged in here and crowded them onto little pieces of their own land while setting up laws which kept them from getting it back,  people seem to forget that, at the Statue of Liberty, there is a plaque. The last bit of that plaque reads,

"Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

I have provided a link to the full inscription at the end of this blog post.

Shouldn't we offer freedom with the open arms of hope and charity? Wasn't that how we began the American Dream? Weren't we saying, "Gee... we're sorry that you had to flee, but since you had to then, by all means, flee here." 

Of course, if you really believe everything in this little rant that you shared, you must fully agree with how the governments of North Korea, Afghanistan, and Iran are running the show. Are you really endorsing their policies when you share this? Are you saying that, as a country, we should be more like them?

Y'know it's funny, really. I run with a crowd that has a tradition of not turning anyone away. I have often thought that our principles and traditions would be a nice thing for all people to embrace, and not just us. But then, it is not up to me to tell everyone else how to live.

I mean, I can only tell people that my method of economic recovery is not shopping at dollar stores and Wal-Mart, so that fewer dollars go to China and more back into my own community... and that my method of staying positive is not sharing angry rants via my social networking media... I can't tell anyone else what to do, so I just tell them what I do.

However, when I am angry I ask myself... what am I scared of?

Here's the link to the poem by Emma Lazarus which is inscribed on a tablet within the pedestal upon which the Statue of Liberty stands: http://www.libertystatepark.com/emma.htm

Only 4 More Days Until Beethoven's Birthday!

Thank goodness for Charles M. Schulz (affectionately known as "Sparky" to friends and colleagues). If it weren't for him, I never would have known that Ludwig Von Beethoven was born on the sixteenth of December. 

When I was a kid, back in the sixties, one of the greatest things in the world was getting to read the latest Peanuts comic strip anthology. We were big fans of good ol' Charlie Brown in our old house on Wayburn ( as well as Walt Kelly's Pogo and Johnny Hart's B.C. ). 

Back then, I just thought it was funny to see Schroeder proudly carrying a sign which read, "Only 41 more days until Beethoven's Birthday!", followed by Snoopy who was holding his own sign that said, "Or did you already know that?" 

Three weeks worth of strips later, Schroeder's sign reads, "Only 20 more days until Beethoven's Birthday". Three panels after that, Snoopy holds up the one that says, "If you'd keep track yourself, we wouldn't have to do this!" 

But, as with much of the Peanuts strip humor, there is a message embedded not too deeply below the surface. Sparky tips his hand in a strip that has Lucy talk to the boy standing next to her: "Beethoven's Birthday is Dec. 16th, Shermy..." she says sweetly. "Have you decided what you're going to get me?" 

"Yes!" Shermy responds, curtly. "I'm not going to get you anything!" 

At that point, he marches off stage left, frowning, as Lucy and Patty (who appears suddenly from stage right) watch expressionlessly. 

Lucy then turns to Patty and asks, "What kind of a holiday is it where you don't give girls presents?" 

Just in case some of the audience is oblivious to wry subtleties and clever hints, Schulz has Schroeder walk by a couple of weeks later with another sign. This one is emblazoned with the declaration: "Only 5 more shopping days 'til Beethoven's Birthday". For a change of pace, it is Lucy who carries the equally bold follow-up sign which warns: "Stores open until nine o'clock". 

Schulz often offered various reactions to social and cultural currents through the mouths of his many different characters in, more often than not, a very humorous fashion. Being a newspaper strip cartoonist ( and a very successful one, at that! ) he was all too familiar with the workings of the commercial world. I tend to believe that this was one of his satirical jabs at our habit of attempting to generate bucks out of commemorative dates and holidays. 

Not that Schulz made any attempt to avoid commercialism and merchandising himself. But, surprisingly enough... I really don't mind too much, simply because that stuff had some real substance to it. It was charming, clever, thought-provoking, deep, delightful... and just plain fun. 

So, sometime in the next few days, I'm going to slip Vince Guaraldi's score to "A Charlie Brown Christmas" in the CD player of my Jeep, and drive down to Paperback Writer Books to see if maybe I can find a Peanuts book.

I Fear No Friendly Greeting!

Okay, I see it is already starting... it's the Happy Holiday Party versus the Merry Christmas Party. Look... isn't there enough fighting in the world?
Me? I say, "Merry Christmas." I've never, ever, Ever, EVER had anyone quibble with me about it. I think that's just urban legend. I think it is just axe grinding. It is flinching before one is struck.
Think about that... in over half-a-century, no one has ever argued with me if I told them to have a Merry Christmas. Ever. 
Now, If someone... anyone... goes out of their way to wish me a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, a Happy Holiday, Season's Greetings, Lovely Kwanzaa, Cool Yule, Swingin' Solstice, or whatever, then I just thank them and wish them the same. If I am truly humble, it means I accept good will in whatever form it is offered... and I return it with a smile. 
I cannot imagine what I would be like if I were to feel threatened by the kind wish from another human being, regardless of its wording. 
So, Let other people wish others well in their own fashion, and you may wish them well in your fashion. I mean... who wants to start a fight over what kind of glad tidings one has been given freely? Sheesh!