One Way to Read It

Jack Bauer interrogates Santa: And the rich are deprived of the true meaning of Christmas: Report: Nation’s Wealthy Cruelly Deprived Of True Meaning Of Christmas And a common man discusses the true meaning of Christmas .

I listened to This American Life Yesterday, and the host, Ira Glass, said (paraphrased) "My evangelical friends have told me that no matter what good I do in this life, no matter how just or kind I am, that I, and my entire race, will burn in hell for eternity." Because he's a Jew. I'm glad to belong to a church that takes a more kindly view of Jews: " But thus saith the Lord God: O fools, they shall have a Bible; and it shall proceed forth from the Jews, mine ancient covenant people. And what thank they the Jews for the Bible which they receive from them? Yea, what do the Gentiles mean? Do they remember the travails, and the labors, and the pains of the Jews, and their diligence unto me , in bringing forth salvation unto the Gentiles? O ye Gentiles, have ye remembered the Jews, mine ancient covenant people? Nay; but ye have cursed them, and have hated them, and have not sought to recover them. But behold, I will return all these things upon your own heads...

A rare parrot shags the head of a nature show photographer. "Ladies and gentlemen, you've seen a television first." From the BBC, via Cute Overload .

In contrast to my last post about crazy mobs, here's a couple guys who speak rationally about the health care debate. And Bill Moyers, who is always eloquent, also talks about the powerful lobbyists who have taken control of the health care debate. He also talks about the political pundits who have become so powerful. It is interesting that people like Beck and Limbaugh, who are unelected officials, whose very jobs rely on controversy, and who are able to sell books and gain viewership the more antagonistic they can be, should yield so much influence over the American people.