Christmas Stories, Part 4: One Christmas, I noticed that the roll of wrapping paper in my parents’ bedroom was the same kind that Santa had used for his presents to us. My sister tried to convince me that Santa was running late this year and wrapped the presents at our house. Game over. Santa was a lie!
Esther Chavez: The outspoken woman who drew attention to the violent crimes of Ciudad Juarez in Mexico has died at the age of 76.
Keep your ass in your seat: Due to the recent attempted terrorist attack aboard a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit, the TSA is imposing new restrictions on air travel.
Israel vs. Hamas: Today marks the one year anniversary of the major Israeli offensive in Gaza.
Christmas Stories, Part 5: One year I asked for Will Smith’s “Willennium” album…and I got it. Enough said.
Awesome (the flight part, that is): Ill and disadvantaged children get to fly to the North Pole to see Santa.
Quick recap: Expected healthcare changes, and when you can expect to see them.
Sky terrorist: The man who tried to blow up a Northwest Airlines flight in Detroit was in the U.S. Database, but not on any “watch list.”
Christmas Stories, Part 6: In 4th grade, everyone got awesome Secret Santa gifts (like Legos and shit) and my Secret Santa forgot, so I got a bag of plain M&Ms.
Meanwhile in Iran: Protesters and security forces clash in the streets of Tehran.
Meanwhile in Pakistan: U.S. drone missile attacks a militant hideout, killing 13 people.
Percy Sutton: The prominent black equal rights advocate has died at the age of 89.
Christmas Stories, Part 7: One Christmas, I got a Ghostbusters proton pack. Okay, I had at least one good Christmas!
My brother and I had that proton pack. It was **awesome**.
Point of fact, Israel’s military action in Gaza was not an offensive, but rather a defensive action that became necessary due to constant bombardment of Israeli civilian targets by Hamas.
XMAS story no. 10
We are all home for Christmas, five kids, age 16 to 22.
“Children your father has something to tell you!”
He tells us he’s moving out.
He moves in with 33 year old blonde.
I wanted to hit him, but I didn’t.
In March, mom told me she tried to commit suicide.
thanks for sharing mommie dearest!
@2
your draft looks a good start for a letter to the editors of Washington Post and Jerusalem Post. Go get em! tell them they screwed up, and to go check their elementary schoolbook definitions of “offensive” and “defensive” …well, if you believe that letters to your congresspersons or news editors make an iota of a difference.
@5, this would also help control the spread of bedbugs.
The north pole is desolate, cold, and devoid of hope… much like those childrens’ futures, not so uplifting.
Christmas Story #11
My (white) sister calls home early on Christmas morning to tell my family that her African/Indian American boyfriend, whose family she is staying with for the holiday, has asked her to marry him. My mother and I try to nervously congratulate her out of range of my father, who finally loses it when my own (white) fiancee refuses to walk on eggshells and loudly wishes her well on the phone.
My father rips the phone from my fiancee’s hand and smashes it against the wall, so that it explodes into a million fragments. He loudly announces that my sister, always his favorite kid, is now dead to him and that none of us is to even speak of her again. He makes good on this threat for the following 17 years (until my sister’s divorce a year ago).
Two hours later, we eat a breakfast rendered tasteless by the tension and sit around pretending to enjoy opening gifts together on The Worst Christmas Morning Ever.
Fuck TSA. They shouldn’t be issuing new restrictions for their fuck ups. They should be on their hands and knees while everyone takes turns kicking them in the nutsacks(respectively). Thanks for nothing yet again worthless government bureaucracies.
in actual news, the hill reports Harkin to introduce bill to end the 60 vote rule.
had we any kind of strategy or structure or movement in place for “change” all progressives would be all over this, demanding Murray and Catnwell sign on, pushing it, etc. etc.
but that would require us to work ‘n’ stuff.
we prefer to fall under the spell of charismatic leaders (2008) then get disillusioned when they work within the system (2009).
n.b.: he introduced the same bill when the dems were in the minority, too.
I gotta ask.
Given the Last King of Scotland, Barack Obama’s new health care initiative, how is “The Stranger” going to pay for all the mandatory health insurance for its employees?
I mean how many ‘sex lines’ and ‘tarty date services’ can one city support…?
Air travel becomes even more miserable = terrorists “win” even when they fail. We are pathetic.
Not 13 people, 13 militants! Our drones know who’s an enemy and who’s not. It’s not like we need God(or Allah) to sort them out!
@13
Yep. I am sick of security theater.
I’m really dreading flying again, it was bad enough already. One of these days we’ll just have to grow up and collectively admit that shit happens, and it’s more important to enjoy the time you have than to try and live forever. I’m going to keep on walking home alone through my sketchy neighborhood at 3am, and I wish they would give people an option to be on a minimal security flight. They could install a remote self destruct feature in case terrorists take over, it’d be worth it to be able to walk straight on with my coffee and my pocketknife. They’ll never be able to prevent every disaster no many how many insane restrictions they put in place, and it seems like most of these close calls have been averted by people thinking quickly and acting bravely, not by the security people, who aren’t really paying attention anyway. Last time I flew, I accidentally brought a full 16 oz bottle of water on board, and no one said anything.