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I am not writing this to put a damper on anyone’s Holiday
(Christmas) Spirit at all, but I think most people who read my articles will
already be on board with this essay.
First of all, the big phony debate about the “war on Christmas”
is another “shiny key” of the ruling class to distract us from its support of
such things as real wars that murder people and demolish infrastructure.
Low-liars like Bill O’Reilly of Fox Noise don’t mind these real wars, but just
say, “Happy Holidays” and you are evil!
Secondly, and selfishly, on my part, the last time I saw my
son Casey alive was 10 years ago at Christmas. In March he deployed overseas
and on 04 April of 2004, he was killed. I remember the first Christmas that we
endured without him, I was in a department store buying gifts for my other
children, and I had to run out of the store because I had a powerful urge to
close up on myself and scream by lungs out. After 10 years and four
grandbabies, this time of year is a little easier, but I have learned to live
without Casey as I imagine that I would learn to live without an arm or a leg. Millions of people have experienced similar Imperial-loss since 9/11/2001 and my sorrow extends that many times.
We know that this Season is a lonely and painful season for
many, not just me, but I have a growing concern about the growing homelessness
rate. One article says that 20,000 people PER NIGHT are homeless in Los Angeles
and another article tells us that in three weeks in one of the wealthiest communities in the country, San Francisco, seven
homeless people have frozen to death. Here in the states, and my state, there are
five empty housing units for every homeless person, but the systemic concern is
for the banks and not the person. This is a trend that can be reversed, but only when we force the change.
“Santa Claus” is not a socialist, because from the youngest
of ages, we who are not born of the parasitic one-percent recognize that he
must love rich kids more than us. Furthermore, we are subliminally conditioned to accept this
lot as the way things are and that rebellion is disordered. Under-advantaged children in the Oakland area are writing to Santa for necessities, and as sad as this is, the
even sadder thing is, many of them won’t even have those wishes fulfilled:
Especially the heartbreaking requests that Mom/Dad gets a job this year.
Besides the unemployed and underemployed, Grammy and Poppa are losing the
pensions they slaved away for decades so the Capitalist class can support their addiction to immoral excess. I wish the stories I have quoted were isolated incidents, but the problem of poverty and want is widespread.
Many people will debate all day long if our economy is
“Capitalist,” “Corporatist,” "Socialist (LOL)," or “Fascist,” but at this time of year especially,
I am convinced we live in an era of modern day “Scrooge-onomics.” The gap
between the “haves and have-nots” is widening at an alarming rate, but there is
also a “compassion” gap that only we can close.
It is said, the older one gets, the less he/she wants, but
the things we do want can’t be bought. This is my holiday list: I want Peace on
Earth, for real, not just a Hallmark card. I want everyone in a warm home. I
want everyone’s bellies to be satisfied with healthy and plentiful food. I want
everyone to have a good job, or a basic guaranteed income. I want our prisons
emptied of non-violent offenders and aggressive rehabilitation for the rest. I
want healthcare and education as rights, not privileges. I want more resources devoted to mental-healthcare. I want families to stop being divided by the crimes of the government. All of my dreams could easily become realities if the US ended its devotion to the over-bloated military budget and started investing in helping people, not killing them.
I am not greedy; I want greed to end as basic human needs
are fulfilled.
In my honest opinion, it doesn't matter if you say, "Merry Christmas," or "Happy Holidays." Words are cheap and hypocrisy is costly; don't look away from those less fortunate than you, and there's always someone less fortunate that you, unfortunately.
Merry/Happy, the best we can, wherever we are.
Possibly, our economy is colonial, or more fashionably, neocolonial?
ReplyDeleteWhat time is it? the time is now!
ReplyDeleteFirst, let me wish you a happy holiday season, and specifically, a Merry Christmas. It does not matter whether you ascribe to the religious or the secular, the important thing is the spirit of the season. It would be wonderful if the good will was not limited to these few weeks.
ReplyDeleteBut, it does not. To keep a little perspective, it should be noted that there are places in the world where one can be executed for celebrating the birth of Jesus.
To comment on your essay, let me remind you that homelessness, like homosexual behavior, is a choice. If you make poor choices in life, like destroying yourself with drugs, alcohol or just plain stupidity, you may wind up living on the streets.
Our government has taken up the care and feeding of waifs, even though the religious community had been providing care to the poor. And as it goes with Nanny State nonsense, the poor are badly underserviced.
It is not for lack of compassion or effort that housing space goes empty. Those left in the cold(incidentally, it is not possible to freeze to death in San Francisco...death from exposure, maybe)are there for one of two reasons: either the people are mentally ill, or they refuse to behave according to the rules of the shelter/facility. They either can not, or will not avail themselves of the more than adequate services to help with their addiction or illness.
Some years back this state decided that people with serious mental illness are able to make choices regarding their own care, even though the very nature of their psychoses precludes rational decision making ability. Unfortunately, many who should be hospitalized are allowed to opt out of mental health care.
I share most of your dreams for Christmas, right up to where you go off the rails. But greed will never die. Socialism could only contain it by force. Force is the only weapon socialists have in the war against self determination. To my knowledge, no socialist revolution has ever been voluntary. They always start with lip service to some real or imagined slight or injustice. Then they go right to the bloody insurrection, the death squads, the illegal confiscation of private property, the muzzling of dissent, and the expulsion or 'reeducation' of those malcontents that dare to point out the hypocrisy of forced 'freedom'. Then come the lies, the subjugation and all the other lovely horrors that flawed ideology spawns.
And there are places all over this world where the US bombs because the people believe in Allah. Kevin, you sound like you are exposing the evils of Capitalist-Empire right there in your (as usual) Fox-noise informed screed.
DeleteI wish some of what you read here would seep thru the fog of the crap-aganda that you obviously watch. That's one of my wishes for 2014.
Merry Festivus.
Cindy
Kevin McAvoy if you are wet and in 40 degree weather you can die of hypothermia. Your snug warm house doesn't let you in in this little face you are very removed from reality. Also the shelters are full. Period. All the time. And yes there are many mentally ill on the streets thanks to Resgan and prop 13 but does that meant that they're deserve to die ? And no one makes a 'choice' to be homeless. There are not enough viable shelters and affordable housing --housing costs are ASTRONOMICAL. Or you think it's just a coincidence that the homeless population has skyrocketed as the gap between the rich and the poor increased?
DeleteThank you Cindy for this post. I have distributed a couple of sleeping bags bottles of water and food. I went to the market street area and could not believe how much more severe the problem has become. The food was gone very quickly. The need for any kind of help was crazy. I have been finding cheap sleeping bags at the goodwill and giving them away but this is a drop of water in a sea of need. There is a need for outreach of any kind and understanding compassion and concern. There is a gap of connection that has caused a painful rift between homeless and housed people . Until we heal this rift I believe we are doomed. We must become good friends to all people and each other that is the challenge and that means stretching ourselves to understand and accept each other as best as we can.
I believe the antidote to capitalism is compassion. I intend to use it liberally .
on a personal note I am sorry you are being forced to endure yet another holiday without your beloved Casey. This is my first Christmas without Glenn Patrick. It fucking blows
Au contraire, Mon Ami , I have indeed read and absorbed what you have written, in addition to the usual commie suspects, the great philosophers, historians and thinkers far beyond FOX news...or you. Believe me, sister, you don' measure up. You just pick and choose your realities and regurgitate the obvious. You think you understand, but I doubt you do. Your mind is clouded with fuzzy daydreams of your simplistic view of humankind.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas
Oh! I forgot the punchline! SERENITY NOW!!!
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how you don't even get how moronic your comments are.
DeleteBut, I guess since you are a few noodles short of that old casserole, it's to be expected.
Kevin, your comments are just attacks and don't add anything coherent to the discussions, so I will not be posting them anymore. You can waste your time writing them, but I will not waste anymore time reading them or posting them--they will go straight to the garbage.
I gave you a chance, you blew it BIG TIME!
Tata.