It is official. The holiday season is upon us. All aboard, Holiday Train 2005 is chugging? down the line! Get on or get out of the way, cuz it won’t stop until the last drunk falls into a tipsy slumber on January 1, 2006 — at the time of writing, a cozy 56 days away.
I know this to be true, not because the Detroit Lions served up yet another hot, steaming pile of turkey on a Thursday. Not because it’s cold and snowing outside (60 degrees in November ain’t bad, bubba. Global warming is bad because??). Nor have I spied with my little eye the calendar inscription stating, and I quote: Say good-bye to your savings — spend, spend, spend. The Holidays Are Here!?
Nope.
I know the worm as turned in the seasonal sense of being because WNIC (100.3 on your FM dial) is playing wall-to-wall, 24-7, nonstop (save for commercials) Christmas music. But, whether or not a radio station is making a goodly profit off the birth of Christ is not the direction of today’s effort in Don’trushmedom.
Rather, in the spirit of Christ, I shall delve into the world of politics and the creation of a new cabinet position for the United States presidency. Now, wait a cotton-pickin? minute sports fans, how can politics, Christ and creation all be wrangled into the same sentence?
Quite easily, actually. Seems there’s effort afloat by some sixty-odd Democrats in Washington, D.C. to establish the Department of Peace and Nonviolence — peace and nonviolence being advocated by the man folks called Jesus Christ.
I got wind of said effort from Brandon Township artist-type Pamela Belding, who first discovered the group after reading the bumper sticker on the back of a Subaru she purchased. She sent me the info with this simple message:
‘Hopefully, you will put it into a future column about looking at the brighter side of life.?
So, here I am, putting it into a column as only I, your hero, can. And here’s where things get a little dicey. Here’s where you enter the dichotomous existence that is the tiny world of Don Rush. On one hand, the idea of the peaceniks getting a seat next to our president seems good. On the other, those who sing lets give peace a whirl are usually the ones on the wrong end of something dangerous.
Folks who know me know I’m not a let’s hold hands, sing Kumbyah, while sharing some herbal concoction. I like the idea of trusting — as long as you verify first. Still, how can you argue against peace and nonviolence especially now that tunes and songs of peace, harmony and the like is sounding from my radio?
The promotion of peace is a noble endeavor — and in House Resolution 3760, by Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich, uses these words, ‘appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World,? ‘with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence,? ‘infusing principal into the structure of democratic government,? and ‘the activity of a higher power which moves to guide the Nation’s fortune.?
My BS (Baloney Sniffing) detector always goes off when I hear elected folks ‘appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World? when talking about a national program. Were I a super hero, my spidy-sense would be a-tingling. Alas, I am but a simple scribe.
Still, in Part 10 of Section 2 (Findings), I am drawn to the concept of, ‘new thinking wherein we can conceive of peace as not simply being the absence of violence, but the active presence of the capacity for a higher evolution of the human awareness, of respect, trust and integrity . . . and a commitment to, compassion and love, in order to create a ‘shining city on a hill,? the light of which is the light of nations.?
Yet, it kind of bums me out when a piece of legislation singles out certain groups in favor of others. So, it’s agitated I became after I read Section 102 (Responsibilities and Powers): the new Secretary shall ‘develop policies to address violence against animals; (which is before) develop new programs that relate to ? gangs, racial or ethnic violence, violence against gays and lesbians; and council and advocate on behalf of women victimized by violence.?
If you segregate folks in society, you automatically create animosity, which would seem to go against a peace initiative. Wouldn’t it be a whole lot simpler just to create something that says, ‘Be nice to your neighor and his family, and don’t kick your (or his) dog.?
So, I am torn. I like peace, love and harmony, yet I don’t trust pied-piper types who want to legislate thought. Don’t trust me. Go find info yourself. If you want to read more, go to the following website (you’ll see Michigan has a strong standing in the group): www.thepeacealliance.org
Comments for Mr. Rush can be e-mailed to: dontrushmedon@charter.net