Under the Fedora: Christmas, Christians and China

It is Christmas day as I type this and most of my family traditions have gone by the wayside.

• For the first over a half a century my 87 year old mother did not host the family at her home
• My wife worked both Christmas eve and Day for the first time so the majority of the gifts remain unopened under the tree
• Due to work conflicts we didn’t go to mass as a family.

Nevertheless as our pastor pointed out in his sermons yesterday and today Christ’s birth is the merge of the eternal and time. Yes our time together this year is different but we enjoyed dinner last night, laughed as we opened our single gift early and enjoyed each other’s company for Chinese food after my wife got home.

If the spirit of Christmas is in your heart the details won’t matter.

In case you wonder what a guy so into politics would want for Christmas, it was this:

The geek in a Doctor Who fan never really dies.

I’ve just finished watching The Doctor Who Christmas special. All day BBC America is showed a marathon but interrupted it for the Queen’s annual Christmas message. Not being a British subject I’d never heard one before today .

I have a soft spot for Queen Elizabeth, she is a stalwart friend of the United States, and the last link to the days when Britain was truly great. I have a horrible feeling that when she dies the best part of England will die with her.

She is a class act, Jazz Shaw points to some people who are not

In Santa Monica, California, there is apparently one particular stretch of road alongside a park which has traditionally been set aside for Christmas displays. The nativity scenes on display have been popular with residents and tourists.

But what’s that compared to the cause of atheism in America?

“I’m part of a growing movement in America of atheists standing up for their rights. It’s a very exciting time for us that we’re having more of an impact in our society,” said Damon Vix, the organizer of the atheist group.

Shaw is having none of it

Yes, you’re having a big “impact” on the local society, alright. You’re getting everyone angry at you and ruining their holiday season to no apparent purpose. In the interview, Mr. Vix makes it clear that he has no interest in seeing other people’s views being represented – he just doesn’t want the Christians to use it.

That reminds me of a line from Fr. Bob’s sermon. “God is with us, whether we like it or not.” I often think the militant atheist movement isn’t so much about convincing others of the non-existence of Christ as God but is more about trying to convince themselves.

Damion Thompson gives us a story of public school that has embraced Islam to such a degree that a teacher says “the is basically a faith school a Muslim one.” He asks the obvious question:

Would conservative Christians be allowed to extol the beauty of the Gospel in secular primary schools and hospitals? Don’t be silly. The public sector knows which stereotypes it’s happy to challenge and those it would rather leave undisturbed.
The IDC is a “non-judgmental place”, according to its advertisements. No doubt that’s true – so long as you don’t count the stuff on its website about the unrighteous burning forever in “the fire of hell”. But somehow I doubt that the subject crops up in diversity workshops.

Speaking of subject the left is “non-judgmental” about

one of the great unreported stories throughout what we used to call Christendom is the persecution of Christians around the world. In Egypt, the “Arab Spring” is going so swimmingly that Copts are already fleeing Egypt and, for those Christians that remain, Midnight Mass has to be held in the daylight for security reasons. In Iraq, midnight services have been canceled entirely for fear of bloodshed, part of the remorseless de-Christianizing that has been going on, quite shamefully,

I’ve been writing about this all year, today a new story was added to the list:

Terror attacks across Nigeria by a radical Muslim sect killed at least 39 people Sunday, with the majority dying on the steps of a Catholic church after celebrating Christmas Mass as blood pooled in dust from a massive explosion.

I suspect that as long as those being murdered are those oppressive and judgmental Christians our friends in the tolerant left will tolerate it.
One story that is finally breaking into the press is Wukan and I was pleasantly surprised with the result

Chinese officials appear to have at least temporarily calmed protests in a southern fishing village on Wednesday by offering an unusual set of concessions that include extending recognition to protest leaders.

It appears that the compromise might have come a little too late for the ruling one party state

Residents of Haimen, a 130,000-strong town in the province of Guangdong, are demanding a coal-fired plant be moved, claiming it is damaging their health.
Web photos show a large gathering of people and riot police in a public square, and it is reported about 30,000 people in the town have gone on strike

Now that the protests have spread we’re seeing a bit more force

Footage from Hong Kong’s Cable TV showed police firing several rounds of teargas in Haimen town, in the southern boom province of Guangdong, sending hundreds of people scuttling away.

I’m it’s pure coincidence that the papers are now covering the new protest when it is being held over a coal plant’s polution, but whatever the reason, it this keeps spreading it will be world shaking.

If you want to see a great example of the free market at work you can’t do better than the Netflix level stupidity of GoDaddy’s decision to first endorse SOPA (the stop online Piracy act) that cost them tens of thousands of domains including Wikipedia , before they reversed themselves:

Although Go Daddy reversed their stance on SOPA, it wasn’t before 37,000 domains were transfer off of its service, according to information reported by The Domains. The report indicates that over 15,000 domains were transferred off Thursday and another 21,054 domains on Friday. If you factor in the $6.99 to $10.99 fees associated with each of those domain registrations, Go Daddy is losing a significant amount of money.

I suspect it will take more than pg-13 ads to stem the flow of fleeing domains. They should have taken the advice of the Hot Dog man from Inherit the Wind who said: “Got no opinions sir, they’re bad for business.”

Virginia may be for lovers but not for GOP candidates. Bachmann, Santorum, and Huntsman failed to submit enough signatures to get on the ballot and enough of Gingrich and Rick Perry’s were disqualified to keep them out.

Perry’s exclusion was especially surprising considering his bankroll, it just goes to show what a difference organization makes. Romney has it because the establishment backs him, Ron Paul has it because he’s Ron Paul built it over a decade.

A little football, with 1 week to go in the football season there are still 4 playoff spots up for grabs. The Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos, New York Giants and Dallas cowboys all control their own destinies.

Remember once you are in all you need is a 3 or 4 game winning streak to win it all. It’s anybody’s game

Christmas also brought the beginning of the NBA season today, and that’s a story that I haven’t heard a single person express interest in.

Well by the time you read this it will be the 2nd day of Christmas, or Boxing Day, either way a Merry 2nd Day of Christmas to you all and if you don’t celebrate all 12 days, have a nice week.