Can you spare a tear Mr. President?

Dear Mr. President,

A couple of weeks ago I watched, along with the rest of the nation as you addressed the tragedy in Connecticut. I looked on in admiration as you quoted from scripture, paused to compose yourself, and even shed a tear for the victims. Mr president, there are those among us who have questioned your sincerity, but I am not one of them. I believe you. I believe you grieved for those children and teachers and the whole community, along with the rest of our nation. For me, imagining the pain of Christmas morning for those families is almost too much to bare, even not knowing any of them personally. I join you in continuing to pray for them.

The murder of defenseless children alone is enough to make any grown man cry. So while we are crying for the 20 children in Connecticut, Mr. president, will you join me in shedding at least one single tear for the millions of defenseless babies who are aborted in this country every year? This so called "choice" we have made has resulted in the genocide of more innocent children than Hitler's holocaust. I do not blame you, Mr president, for the abortion laws or their consequences, but knowing your concern for our children, I know you will do everything in your power to eliminate these senseless murders.

Mr president, you obviously feel guns are key in eliminating mass murder and, although I do not agree with your position, I will gladly assist you in moving your anti-gun agenda forward under the condition that we also eliminate all medical instruments and/or tools that are or may be used for abortions.

Mr president, in closing, I am sure I am joined by the rest of the citizens of this great nation in expressing our gratitude. Not so much for actually protecting our children, but at least for showing your genuine concern in doing so.

My Alternative to Gun Control

One of the biggest challenges in calculating the statistical advantage of gun ownership is the nearly impossible task of determining the total number of serious incidents that are averted due to the presence of a gun. Who would keep the records and how would they do it? Yet, even without these statistics, the correlation between the presence of guns and shooter deterrence is clearly illustrated in the non-existence of attacks on gun ranges.

When my son was in his early teens, there was a bully who insisted on trying to intimidate him. My initial response of imposing a fighting ban and putting my faith in local authorities did little to deter this bully. The only thing that got his attention was lifting the fighting ban. Presented with the possibility of a royal butt whooping, the bully's attitude changed and the issue was quickly resolved. Bullies, thugs, and shooters of defenseless people are simply cowards in search of victims.

Perhaps instead of trying to rid ourselves of guns and increasing the pool of unarmed victims, we should consider ways we can lift some of the bans and use our existing firearms to our advantage. A well armed, well trained presence in schools would serve as a much better deterrent than a buzzer and a door monitor or any threat posed by an unarmed teacher. If there is no funding for police or security guards, an offer of free tactical training, the right to carry a gun, and the opportunity to defend our children against cowards would surely be enough to attract an adequate number of able bodied, enthusiastic volunteers.

The expense saved in avoiding a costly war on guns could easily exceed the total amount of revenue gained by increasing the tax on millionaires.

Happy Holidays!

Are you offended by the words "Happy Holidays"? Neither am I. I believe most Christians are not. It is a perfectly pleasant salutation and appropriate for this time of the year. Since I was a little boy I remember people saying Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and even Seasons Greetings. I never once remember taking any offense to any of them. So why the big to do? There seems to be this conflict every year over the proper yuletide greeting, but where did it all begin?

There are those who would try to persuade you that it all began with with the beet red faces of angry Christians screaming a defiant MERRY CHRISTMAS at the top of their lungs in the faces of helpless check out girls. I don't remember it that way at all. It did start in the retail stores, at least that much is true. Clerks and cashiers at certain chains were told they could no longer say Merry Christmas to customers. Instead the brain trusts of certain retailers felt Happy Holidays was more appropriate, as Merry Christmas may be offensive, even if the profits from Christmas were not. As a Christian and an American this is what I found offensive.

So what started with retailers infringing on the free speech rights of their workers, has been twisted into a narrative about Christians simply hating the words Happy Holidays. Its is like someone used deception to manipulate the ignorant in order to turn an obviously poor position into a position of advantage in the midst of an otherwise reasonable debate. Sound familiar?

In the end I try not to take any of this very seriously lest I may be distracted from the true meaning of Christmas. Besides, Happy Holidays seems quite appropriate to me. Jesus is the reason for the holiday and that, my friend, makes me very happy!

A Christmas Message to atheist activists Everywhere

Dear Atheist Activist,

It seems during this festive time of year, you feel an increased need to protest everything from nativity scenes on public property, to taking school children to see A Charlie Brown Christmas. I certainly do not dispute your God given right to profess your disbelief in God. And God Bless you for standing up for what you believe in, even if what you believe in is nothing. I must say though, for someone who fights the representation of the birth of Christ in public venues in the name of protecting citizens against fictional doctrines, it seems just a little hypocritical that santa, elves, and Bart Simpson dressed up like santa get a pass.

If the Christ of Christmas were an evil prophet whose decrees called for the honor killings of one's family members or if its doctrine declared a holy war while is warriors strapped on suicide vests to kill masses of infidels, I might understand your opposition. Which brings me to the question: Why is there such a shortage of organized atheism  in the middle east? And why aren't you over there protesting their holidays? I guess you guys are cool with brother muhammad. But, seriously, considering all of the threats to our freedom and personal liberty, the threat of peace on earth and good will towards man doesn't seem so threatening.

Finally, for someone who believes this is all the time you will ever have, spending money on billboards protesting something you do not believe in and devoting so much time on an organized effort to debunk what you see as false seems like a foolish waste of time to me. But if it gives you a sense of purpose, have at it my friend. I am just a little confused as to why you would even need a sense of purpose in such a purposeless existence.

Anyway, I would wish you a Merry Christmas, but since you would likely find that offensive, here is wishing December 25, 2012 is merely an additional day to add to the total and final number of days you have left on this earth. Oh yeah, have fun opening your presents!