Shake the tree and plenty of them will fall out. Beck did.

I've a few things to say, and since it is christmas/the winter solstice...I won't just call you a dumbass for spinning this story.

Anyways...I'm all for people being propagandist and ignorant, because it follows the line of to each their own, which is a principle I stand by strongly. However, you do realize ID (ironic), that the ornaments on the tree were sent out around the US to be decorated, right? Hmm, they must've been sent to those evil communist - oh I'm sorry, evil Socialistic - people in the US, all 800 of them spread out across the U.S. (My God, they've taken Texas!).

...

I get it, you were tired after prepping for the holidays and had nothing better to do and decided to deride Obama and his family again about their tree ornaments. Am I right? In the spirit of a capitilistic, consumer and Christianity controlled holiday - you wanted to bash Obama.

Nevermind that the picture of Mao is in fact from Andy Warhol (Genius he was. / Notice: Lipstick, Mascara, etc.) whose sole intention was to parody the guy. Sorta counter intuitive to your big bad left wing communist-socialist conspiracy theories, dont'cha know.

Yeah, whatever, call me crazy but I'm going to worry about more important, less things...like what he plans on doing about the economy, getting this recent HC bill to fail, etc.

But hey, I'm just a crazy left winger right? Pfft, whatever.

~AJ

Btw, a large part of my comment was sarcasm and tongue in cheek. My point: This is just another knee jerk reaction by a Republican trooper, who failed to stop and say "Really, is it a big deal? How about we keep on his policies and actions." Not tar and feather him for his holiday tree.

~AJ

He hired the people that did, and hired the cabinet members who praised Mao.  It would be honest if he just came out and said he put it there, but liberals only know how to do 2 things.  Lie and feel.  The liberal masses are really not very bright.

So AJ (aka the Liberal Avenger) you think the ornament was appropriate? Mao killed about 20 million more than Hitler BTW. Happy winter solstice to you. Merry Christmas to my friends and the majority of the US.

 But he was a LIBERAL killer, so they were justified!  Liberal thinkspeak at its best!

Okay; but at what point do we finally realize that a lot of little things add up to one (or more) "big thing(s)"?

The problem is, society has let far, far too many "little things" go, without making a stand, and thusly, allowed them to eat away at our traditional ideals and cultural underpinnings, things at which liberals blatantly scoff. For example...

"Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn", shocking and scandalous in 1939, paves the way to horrific language in modern movies, and to  "mild" profanity, and to barely-disguised innuendo-laced discussions of sex acts, on today's prime time television.

Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm just a repressive fogey crushing free speech. Whatever. That's the way it happens; a little at a time.

"First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak out for me."---Martin Niemoller

I don't expect you to understand how that quote applies, AJ...the liberal mind doesn't work that way.

Merry Christmas.

Exactly RW.  We were just speaking about this at the dinner table tonight only it was about the IRS when my son said it wasn't a big deal when it came to requesting the Mexicans in our area learn English.  My husband, a CPA, was telling us how when you call the IRS it's much easier to get thru if you speak Spanish than if you speak English.  When you call the IRS you hear "if you speak Spanish press 1."  Why do the Spanish get the #1 button?  Aren't we an English speaking country?  Then  the Spanish speaking person gets connected right away while the English counterparts have to wait about 30 minutes to get thru. 

My husband's office personnel with about 25 accountants employed there have learned to go to the only Cuban Accountant in their office if they need to make a call to the 'IRS.  She is the designated caller whenever they need to question the IRS for one of their clients.  It works like a charm.  Too bad if you only speak English in the U.S. 

Then get this...the new tax laws change booklet came out with about 9 chapters of changes.  Not unusual but what is unusual is the fact that one chapter is totally designated for Homosexuals.  In that chapter the homosexuals can just go there to that one chapter and find out all the tax laws pertaining just to them.  There isn't one for marrieds or singles. Never has been.  The marrieds and singles have to go thru the whole booklet of changes to find out piecemeal what pertains to them (I guess they can skip the homo chapter).    The accountants couldn't believe it thinking it was quite bizarre. 

Couple points...

1. My point though is: Is it really something to be concerned about? A christmas ornament (those evil socialist-communists!) is not equitable to giving a pass to, say, hitler taking Chzechoslovakia. There's a time and place to stop and say "Woah, hold on, this is not acceptable," but really...is a christmas ornament designed by some american citizen the place and time?

I'm not saying to not hold them accountable, because we all know how most politicians work - but really - do we criticize EVERY single thing that he does? How about when goes and shits in the john? Pick and choose, pick and choose.

This hysteria over one ornament seems like both people looking for a way to criticize Obama for their agenda (As liberals did with Bush), and/or someone needs to take a vicadin or two.

2. The problem with your comment though is that our culture (our "American" culture) is the collision of cultures and ideas. -OR- To use
a definition I put in a class paper last term:

"What is American culture but the or collision of diverse foreign cultures, sub-cultures, and beliefs, coupled with consumerism and capitalism - sat on the soft pillow of our founding ideals: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

As such, our principle dictate that our nation not have an official culture, per se. I'm not saying it means that we cannot have various traditions, but your insisting that everyone conforms - ironically - goes against the idea that people can (in their pursuit of their happiness) decide to not follow some or all traditions that are "american." (Which oddly enough, few are uniquely american)

Example: Our culture isn't christian. We may have a large portion of christians, but nowhere does it say that to be american you have to be a christian or believe that our nation was designed to be.

Naturally, because of the various ethnic groups, and so on - everyone has their own idea of what is "American." White, middle class, protestants not-with-standing, lol.

Do you get what I'm trying to say? It's pretty late right now, so I might not be making any sense. (Hey, shush it)

~AJ

I separate the ornament with the person.

Someone, somewhere in this diverse and wonderful nation - wanted to express themselves by putting a picture of Mao on a christmas ornament; fine, so be it. In fact, in this very PC nation, I say kudos to them.

Why? Because they did something that is considered by many people (namely conservatives/republicans it seems) to not be Politically Correct. Fact is, being politically correct goes both ways. It doesn't matter if you are being forced by modern liberals to be PC by not saying what you want about a black man, or if you are forced to be PC by not criticizing Christianity, our "traditions", America, and so on. It also work with culture.

Maybe you don't believe in people (even those you consider "Un-american") to express themselves in such "bad" ways, or that people should believe in whatever they want - but I do. It's in our founding principles, and no one can take that away.

As for language and sex and so on.

You may not like it, but y'all really need to deal with the fact that it is going to be there. Ironically, by censuring it, you would be violating the freedom of expression (among other things). That said, you, obviously, have the right to decide what you and your (under 18 y.o. ) children want to watch, but that is where your right extends. I personally would not want my children watching some of these shows, but, again, that is my decision and my life. That is ultimately what my point was toward Nitro in either this or another thread.

Our cultur is a product of our principlese and values, as such, by suppressing what we think is immoral, we tead on someone else's right to live their life (via our principles).

To each their own, to the extent of their nose. <-- Great saying.

~AJ

Sorry, but I guess I'm just too much of a liberal. I actually believe in people living their lives however they see fit, and as such, living with the consequences of their actions.

Silly me, following our founding principles...

~A

Then you are not a liberal, because they seem bent on making sure government lives their lives for them.

Your posts are just hillarious.....a "Christian controlled" holiday.....WELL DUH, do you know what Christmas is?  I swear, liberals are so naive.

If you read the post, I said Obama didn't decorate the tree, but once AGAIN, they find associations with people like this, just like their czars and cabinent members looking up to Mao.

I'm not being intentionally silly or mean here, this is honestly how I see it---liberalism seems to have trouble with the concept of "cumulative effect". It seems they can only perceive what's right in front of them; peering around behind that, for another perspective, or deeper understanding of the issue, or turning and looking down the road at the likely consequences, are difficult for them to do. they only see that THIS--whatever that may be--needs to be done, and we have to do it NOW!

 Let me start with this one:

But see, AJ, they don't live their lives as THEY see fit; they live their lives as their GOVERNMENT sees fit, something which the designers of "our founding principles" sought desperately to avoid.

Cumulative effect.

Churchill started calling for a stand against Hitler in the early days of his (Hitler's) Chancellorship, and was watching his rise, even earlier than that. But everyone chose to listen to the Barack Obama of the day, Neville Chamberlain, who saw Hitler as reasonable, and thought he could negotiate with an ambitious bully. "Peace in Our Time" resulted, for very nearly a year, during which time Hitler concentrated on preparing his military and political machines for the war. In case you're missing it, I'm making an Ahmedinejhad analogy here.

"I'm not saying to not hold them accountable, because we all know how most politicians work - but really - do we criticize EVERY single thing that he does? How about when goes and shits in the john? Pick and choose, pick and choose."--AJ

No, we don't have to criticize everything he does; but he does, indeed, often seem to purposely do things which will draw criticism. Someone from Obama's staff decoated the tree. Are we to believe he had no say in what went on the tree? Of course he did. He could have said, "Let's leave Mao off, huh?" but he didn't.

It's a window into Obama's core political beliefs...just as the ornament with images of the American flag, eagle and Declaration of Independence is, on my tree, and this simply confirms to me that we have indeed elected a Communist in Democrat's clothing to the nation's highest office.

"The problem with your comment though is that or culture (our "American" culture) is the collision of cultures and ideas. -OR- To use
a definition I put in a class paper last term:

"What is American culture but the or collision of diverse foreign cultures, sub-cultures, and beliefs, coupled with consumerism and capitalism - sat on the soft pillow of our founding ideals: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

As such, our principle dictate that our nation not have an official culture, per se. I'm not saying it means that we cannot have various traditions, but your insisting that everyone conforms - ironically - goes against the idea that people can (in their pursuit of their happiness) decide to not follow some or all traditions that are "american." (Which oddly enough, few are uniquely american)."---AJ

I agree with this entirely, and I don't have a problem with people celebrating traditions of their own, as long as they aren't traditions which unermine our own beliefs and traditions. However, celebrating a Communist tyrant by putting his image on awhat is intended to be a traditional celebration of the birth of Christ, is wrong, on so very many levels. What he puts on his own tree in Chicago is up to him, but such an ornament is not acceptable on the Christmas tree of an American president, in the White House, simply because Mao is a symbol of everything America is supposed to find abhorrent: oppression, tyranny, political and social repression and violence.  Mao was an atheist to begin with, and Communist governments like his tend to kill people who celebrate Christmas, anyway.

"Example: Our culture isn't christian."--AJ

This a matter of opinion, and a debate for a later time. 

"We may have a large portion of christians, but nowhere does it say that to be american you have to be a christian or believe that our nation was designed to be."--AJ

Well, see, before the ideas of "cultural diversity", group politics and situaltional ethics came into play, there used to be a little thing called "majority rule".

The vast, vast majority of people in this country were/are Christians, and thusly, everyone just kind of went with that. However, in the last 30 years or so, groups like the ACLU, GLAAD and ACORN, and such, have purposely stirred the pot, and convinced the smaller groups that they don't have to be subjected to the tyranny of hearing Christmas carols for one month of the year, or suffer the harrowing experience of having to view the sickening image of a Nativity in a public place.

"Naturally, because of the various ethnic groups, and so on - everyone has their own idea of what is "American." White, middle class, protestants not-with-standing, lol."---AJ

See above.

"Do you get what I'm trying to say? It's pretty late right now, so I might not be making any sense. (Hey, shush it)"--AJ

You made your case very well, as always. I, personally, just don't have to agree with it, and so far, I'm part of the majority, and that used to mean something..+LOL+

And that says it all....Christmas is not political, yet folks like yourself insist on either turning it into a political statement or worse yet looking the other way. Quite self serving.

Double post