Merry Christmas!!!

We have several items for your enjoyment as you sip your hot chocolate or coffee this morning:

The Origin of "Silent Night"

The origin of the Christmas carol we know as Silent Night was a poem that was written in 1816 by an Austrian priest called Joseph Mohr.

On Christmas Eve in 1818 in the small alpine village called Oberndorf it is reputed that the organ at St. Nicholas Church had broken.

Joseph Mohr gave the poem of Silent Night (Stille Nacht) to his friend Franz Xavier Gruber and the melody for Silent Night was composed with this in mind.

The music to Silent Night was therefore intended for a guitar and the simple score was finished in time for Midnight Mass.

Silent night, holy nightAll is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Saviour is born
Christ, the Saviour is born

Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth "

To share with us about the true meaning of Christmas, it is our pleasure to welcome our special guest, Linus Van Pelt:


Luke 2:1-20
1And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
2(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
5To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
6And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
7And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
8And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
15And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
16And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.



17And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
18And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
19But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
20And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
21And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.



Merry Christmas to all from The Perspective!!

Did You Hear What They Said...About Christmas?

On this Day before Christmas, I thought it would be a good change-of-pace to offer a holiday version of The Perspective's Signature Series:

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. ~Norman Vincent Peale

Christmas is a time when you get homesick - even when you're home.
~Carol Nelson

He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.
~Roy L. Smith

Christmas, children, is not a date. It is a state of mind. ~Mary Ellen Chase

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other. ~Burton Hillis

There has been only one Christmas - the rest are anniversaries.
~W.J. Cameron

Instead of being a time of unusual behavior, Christmas is perhaps the only time in the year when people can obey their natural impulses and express their true sentiments without feeling self-conscious and, perhaps, foolish. Christmas, in short, is about the only chance a man has to be himself. ~Francis C. Farley

Christmas is a time when kids tell Santa what they want and adults pay for it. Deficits are when adults tell the government what they want and their kids pay for it. ~Richard Lamm

The Supreme Court has ruled that they cannot have a nativity scene in Washington, D.C. This wasn't for any religious reasons. They couldn't find three wise men and a virgin. ~Jay Leno

Be sure to stop by tomorrow when Linus Van Pelt once again shares with us about the true meaning of Christmas.

On the 12th Day of Christmas...

My true love gave to me:

Twelve Drummers Drumming (link)




Eleven Pipers Piping (link)

Ten Lords a'Leaping (link)

Nine Ladies Dancing (link)

Eight Maids a'Milking (link)

Seven Swans a Swimming (link)

Six Geese a'Laying (link)

Five Golden Rings (link)

Four Calling Birds (link)

Three French Hens (link)

Two Turtle Doves (link)

And Liberal in a Pear Tree (link)

On the 11th Day of Christmas...

My true love gave to me:

Eleven Pipers Piping (link)



Ten Lords a'Leaping (link)

Nine Ladies Dancing (link)

Eight Maids a'Milking (link)

Seven Swans a Swimming (link)

Six Geese a'Laying (link)

Five Golden Rings (link)

Four Calling Birds (link)

Three French Hens (link)

Two Turtle Doves (link)

And Liberal in a Pear Tree (link)

On the Tenth Day of Christmas...

My true love gave to me:

Ten Lords a'Leaping (link)






Nine Ladies Dancing (link)

Eight Maids a'Milking (link)

Seven Swans a Swimming (link)

Six Geese a'Laying (link)

Five Golden Rings (link)

Four Calling Birds (link)

Three French Hens (link)

Two Turtle Doves (link)

And Liberal in a Pear Tree (link)

On the Ninth Day of Christmas...

My true love gave to me:



Nine Ladies Dancing (link)

Eight Maids a'Milking (link)

Seven Swans a Swimming (link)

Six Geese a'Laying (link)

Five Golden Rings (link)

Four Calling Birds (link)

Three French Hens (link)

Two Turtle Doves (link)

And Liberal in a Pear Tree (link)

On the 8th Day of Christmas...

My true love gave to me:

WAIT A MINUTE!!!!

Before continuing, let's permit the fine folks at FreeRepublic.com to caption this photo:

"My milkmaid is so udderly fugly, I yank 'em mahself - moo-oo-oo-oo-oo"

"The Nightmare before Christmas... Trick or Teat!"

"That's Udderly Ridiculous! "

"The Treason Twins."

"Now wait a minute. I thought you guys said that the democratic party was milking Cindy Sheeman. Now I'm just confused."

Thanks, everyone!

Eight Maids a'Milking (link)

Seven Swans a Swimming (link)

Six Geese a'Laying (link)

Five Golden Rings (link)

Four Calling Birds (link)

Three French Hens (link)

Two Turtle Doves (link)

And Liberal in a Pear Tree (link)

On the Seventh Day of Christmas...

My true love gave to me:



http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=47532

Six Geese a'Laying (link)

Five Golden Rings (link)

Four Calling Birds (link)

Three French Hens (link)

Two Turtle Doves (link)

And Liberal in a Pear Tree (link)

On the Sixth Day of Christmas...

My true love gave to me:



http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-rumors27sep27,0,5492806,full.story?coll=la-home-headlines

Five Golden Rings (link)

Four Calling Birds (link)

Three French Hens (link)

Two Turtle Doves (link)

And Liberal in a Pear Tree (link)

On the Fifth Day of Christmas...

Five Golden Rings (link)



Four Calling Birds (link)

Three French Hens (link)

Two Turtle Doves (link)

And Liberal in a Pear Tree (link)

On the Fourth Day of Christmas...

http://www.azcentral.com/news/election/articles/sidebyside-military.html

Three French Hens (link)

Two Turtle Doves (link)

And Liberal in a Pear Tree (link)

Let Freedom Ring, The Sequel

The Editorial staff of The Perspective salutes the brave citizens of Iraq as they show the world, once again, that Liberty and Democracy triumph over tyranny and oppression.

The road ahead will be tough, and the challenges will seem insurmountable.

As long as the fire of Freedom burns in your soul, you will NEVER be defeated.

On the Third Day of Christmas...

My true love gave to me:

Three French Hens (link)



Two Turtle Doves (link)

And a Liberal in a Pear Tree! (link)

On the Second Day of Christmas...

My true love gave to me:



And a liberal in a pear tree.

On the First Day of Christmas...

My true love gave to me:



Here's the link and some excerpts:

http://www.insidebayarea.com/trivalleyherald/localnews/ci_3297424

MELVILLE, N.Y. — When the Rev. Nick Zientarski uttered the name of Jesus Christ during his traditional blessing of the official Christmas tree lighting in Manhasset last week, he had no idea he had signed on as a soldier in the Christmas wars.

Even as he spoke, the Roman Catholic priest said, he could hear North Hempstead Supervisor Jon Kaiman angrily objecting behind him, "this is inappropriate."

Then, Kaiman got up and told the crowd, "I just want to make it clear that this is no way a religious ceremony."

A collective gasp was heard from the 200 adults and children gathered around the gazebo across from Town Hall.

----

"Manhasset is a predominantly Christian town, and it's a conservative town," said John Kiggins, owner of Manhasset Sporting Goods and a parishioner at St. Mary's, where Zientarski is a priest. "There's a certain number of us who believe that if we're celebrating Christmas, then call it Christmas and recognize that we're celebrating the birth of Christ. "

Did You Hear What They Said?

Welcome back, True Believers!

That's right, it's time for another rousing edition of:




Remember, it's not a smear tactic.....they actually said it!

LIBERTY
"Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect every one who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are inevitably ruined."
—Patrick Henry


"A free people claim their rights as derived from the laws of
nature, and not as the gift of their chief magistrate."

-- Thomas Jefferson (Rights of British America, 1774)


IRAQ
"Aren't the Democrats, though, trying to have it both ways? They voted for the war—Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, John Edwards—and now, it's not going well. So they're saying, well, the president misled us. They had access to the National Intelligence Estimate, and in that National Intelligence Estimate, there were
caveats from the State Department particularly, about the quality of the intelligence. But they still voted for the war." —Tim Russert

"I say that the fight against Americans began with Abu Ghraib. It began with the invasion of Iraq. That's when terrorism started."--Rep. John Murtha (D) Pennsylvania

(And what was 9/11??)


"I wonder whether the Senate chamber itself should not be renamed the Abu Musab al-Zarqawi United States Senate. With increasingly rare exceptions, just about everything that emerges from the chamber tends to support
the Zarqawi view of Iraq -- that this is a psychological war in which the Great Satan is an effete wimp who can be worn down and chased back to his La-Z-Boy recliner in Florida."-Mark Steyn

"Democrats like to make antiwar noises for their moonbat base, but were unwilling to cast a vote that could hurt them with swing voters. They were too cowardly to be forthright cowards."--Jack Kelly

"President Clinton kept us out of war and recognized that one cannot attack a foreign dictator simply because the West's intelligence agencies say he has weapons of mass destruction. What if he does not? What if his thwarting of United Nations resolutions and his tauntings are simply empty macho boasts? Mr. Clinton's policy was to wait and see what the French do." —Emmett Tyrrell


POLITICS

"If you think that Uncle Sam feeds you while Big Business is trying to milk you dry, you're a Democrat. If you think that God feeds you, with a little help from a job through Big Business, while Uncle Sam is milking you dry, you're a Republican." —Jay Homnick

FAITH IN GOD

"It is the duty of all men in society, publicly, and at stated
seasons, to worship the SUPREME BEING, the great Creator
and Preserver of the universe. And no subject shall be hurt,
molested, or restrained, in his person, liberty, or estate, for
worshipping GOD in the manner most agreeable to the dictates of
his own conscience; or for his religious profession or sentiments;
provided he doth not disturb the public peace, or obstruct others
in their religious worship."

-- John Adams (Thoughts on Government, 1776)


"It is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of
Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits,
and humbly to implore his protection and favors."

-- George Washington (Thanksgiving Proclamation, 3 October 1789)

Reference: George Washington: A Collection, W.B. Allen, ed. (543)


"Before any man can be considered as a member of Civil Society, he must be considered as a subject of the Governor of the Universe."

-- James Madison (A Memorial and Remonstrance, 1785)


SOCIETY
"Work, not welfare, is the key to social integration. Making excuses for violence begets more violence." —Jack Kelly


"Government subsidization and protection of irresponsible behavior has gotten blacks into the social black hole in which they now find themselves. Black kids are not suffering because they need more rights. They are suffering because they are not learning, from an early age, about responsibilities and consequences." —Star Parker


"A consortium of colleges is suing the federal government right now because they object only to the requirement that military recruiters be admitted to their campuses as a condition of receiving federal aid. Already these colleges are abiding thousands of pages of regulation. They object to this specific one. Perhaps they have forgotten that Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution—which enumerates the powers of Congress—mentions defense eight times. Education is not mentioned at all." —Larry Arnn


"The law must hold at least some people responsible for their decisions—otherwise, how can fast-food or tobacco companies be blamed for selling their products? Why is a big corporation responsible for its decisions but an individual not responsible for his?"--John Stossel


"France always thought it had one last resort, one ready strategy for fending off the rage of its Arab street: beyond avoidance lay appeasement. No country in the West has done more to cultivate world Arab opinion, to appease Arab terrorists, to ostentatiously oppose American Middle East policy (Iraq above all), to champion the signal Arab cause of Palestine. It was no accident that Yasser Arafat chose Paris as his place to die—Paris, after Jerusalem, his second holiest city. Paris burns anyway. As the French seem to learn every 70 years, appeasement does not work. It merely whets the appetite."
—Charles Krauthammer

"Liberals stoutly maintain that a woman has a privacy right to kill her unborn child, that pornographers have a right to broadcast the most nauseating filth, that scummy traitors have a right to spit on the flag, that adults have a right to have sex with adolescents, and that two men or two women have a right
to marry—but two individuals who gave a child life, who fed, clothed, sheltered and nurtured that child, have no right (constitutional or historical, explicit or implied) to control when, where and in what way they will be exposed to sex. And they wonder why, for normal people, 'liberalism' has become a dirty word."
—Don Feder

MULTIPLE CHOICE

Who said the following?

"We do not need more intellectual power, we need more moral power. We do not need more knowledge, we need more character. We do not need more government, we need more culture. We do not need more law, we need more religion. We do not need more of the things that are seen, we need more of the things that are unseen. If the foundation be firm, the foundation will stand." —


A) John Kennedy
B) Calvin Coolidge
C) Jesse Helms
D) Ronald Reagan


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B) Calvin Coolidge

Have a great day!

A Response to the Left

Due to the overwhelming responses to the November 26 posting:

http://therobb7.blogspot.com/2005/11/but-can-you-prove-it.html

I decided that since the subject matter was quite important, and since the volume of information that I have in my reply is considerable, it would be better to create a new post to continue the discussion.

The reader would be well-served to read the "comments" at the above link first before continuing here.

A reader named "s9" commented "We always knew the Army were a bunch of pansies who like to dress up in kinky boots and tight pants"

My response was "I wonder if s9 has ever called a current Army soldier a "pansy" to his face....."

It was a legitimate query to see if s9 had ever actually done something so bold. I'd be willing to pay good money to see the out come.

In fact, my nephew (Army) should be stateside around the first of next year. I could arrange a meeting ......

The next response by s9 puzzled me, however:

"Let's just say I'm a firm believer in the practical value of allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military."

How did THAT enter the conversation?
Anyway, I digress.

When I asked for "irrefutable evidence, the kind of evidence that would stand up in a court of law, that pre-war intel was manipulated" was that too much to ask for????

The response from s9 was quite telling:

"While you're at it, why not ask Santa Claus for a pony?"

Apparently, no such evidence exists.

However, to their credit, s9 stated that any hard evidence "will require an investigation."

OK, fine.....but atleast wait unitl you have the actual evidence IN HAND before making accusations.


Now let us move on to what appears to be the larger bone of contention with s9.
On November 26, 2005 I made the following statement:

"I don't mind dissent, but something must be made clear:

Dissent that is used as propaganda by the enemy is sedition in the hands of the enemy."

The aforementioned reader, s9, took that to mean that I was calling " for the summary field execution of a decorated veteran and sitting member of Congress for treason."

s9 went on to say the following:

"You're the one who called the military ineffectual when you called out a decorated veteran and sitting member of Congress for sedition— or was it treason?— and left hanging in the wind whether the U.S. Armed Forces should now be preparing to perform a battlefield execution of an openly declared domestic enemy of the Constitution. "

First of all, let's dial down the rhetoric here.

I am NOT advocating a battlefield execution of a sitting member of Congress.

Critical speech, political organizing, or suspicious association between individuals may be considered as "sedition."

Though such behaviours may be common in a free society, in societies where sedition laws exist the acts and behaviours which qualify as sedition are highly subjective.

By "subjective" I mean that it is my opinion that Rep. Murtha's comments do not need to be aired publicly, but rather privately, in closed-door meetings with those who make the decisions (the President, Joint Chiefs, SecDef, etc.)

Let's consider my original statement in it's proper context.

Speech that endangers American lives can be restricted in wartime, censorship in wartime is standard for all countries, including all democracies, and speech has led to trials – and convictions – for treason, Tokyo Rose and Axis Sally being two obvious examples.

The subversive left and its liberal allies are far stronger and more dangerous to our security now than they were in the 1960's.

I do not think the Bush Administration could politically enforce censorship now. This means we are that much more vulnerable to our enemies both at home and abroad.

The WWII era slogan “Loose Lips Sink Ships” was designed to encourage American civilians to be discreet, that is to censor themselves lest they endanger the brave men and women defending them on the field of battle.

In other words, even if the government does not have the political strength to impose wartime censorship, citizens should exercise reasonable restraint in the way they conduct their criticisms of war policy.

Those who denounce their own democracy as a “fascist” and “terrorist” and maliciously “lying” and an “outlaw state,” are inviting others to hate us and attack us, and they must accept responsibility for their acts.

This confusion is more than dangerous. It is undermining the morale of our troops and encouraging our terrorist enemies to think that they can win this war if they kill enough Americans and Iraqis in the Middle East.

If Rep. Murtha and the left are successful in their seditious effort to force an American surrender to the terrorists in Iraq, we will be forced to fight them in our own country.

In that case tens of thousands of Americans may die, and the Cut-and-Run Caucus will be in serious need of soap and water.

I have no problem with critics of the war.

My complaint is with those in elected leaders squabling in public, where their comments can be used as propaganda by the enemy.

Bottom line: Our elected leaders need to show a united front in public, and save the disagreements for the boardroom...away from the cameras.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: For those of you that are late to the party, this post has been edited to clarify my OPINION.)

It is in the crucible of debate that ideas are forged that can stand the test of time.

I do not and have not ever claimed that my opinions are superior to anyone else's.

If I have conveyed that impression to any visitor, I honestly apologize.

I welcome comments to The Perspective because debating the issues keeps me sharp.