132 thoughts on “The front lines of the War on Christmas”

1. And great point “mraymer”.
   “I especially liked Picard’s line at the end, “There can be no justice so long as laws are absolute. Even life itself is an exercise in exceptions.” ;)”
   TNG always had moral lessons in it and that’s one of the things that keeps me watching the same episodes over and over again. I remember that episode terrifying me when I was little, and it should have. Absolute laws with no thought to individual circumstances are a scary thing.
   Great point. 🙂

2. I’ve thought carefully before I posted.
   Tookie’s first victim, Al Owens, was my wife’s uncle.
   So let me say this, being pretty close to the front lines as an average Joe can be in this.
   My father-in-law is the kindest, sweetest, most gentle soul I have had the privelege to meet in my lifetime. I always considered myself fairly liberal, but he takes the cake. I’ve watched him slog through interview after interview these past few weeks as every news and infotainment outlet contacted him for his story. Many times, each radical faction berating him for not taking “their side”. Now for the record, he’s very much against the death penalty.
   But he wrote to the Governator requesting that clemency not be granted. Why? Well, I don’t claim to know every reason, but it settles partially in California Law. Even if the sentence were commuted to “life in prison without possibility of parole”, that doesn’t discount that Tookie could continue to utilize the legal system to fight the original charges or even the conviction. Plus there were numerous appeals and reviews already which proved beyond reasonable doubt that he was guilty. Plus, he never took responsibility for the deaths. My father-in-law knew there should be no way this person should have a chance to get on the street again because he would continue his ways. he /knew/ that. In his heart. How could I, generally also against the death penalty, disagree with him with that sort of conviction?
   Like you said yourself, Wil: I’ll drop anything to be with my family. And on this, I do have to stand with my family.
   Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Blessed Yule, Grievous Festivus and generally Happy Holidays to all.

3. As a 24 year old Republican myself, I have to hear the same insanity from my father that is spewed on these talk radio shows. I don’t buy most of what they say especially the War on Christmas garbage that has come out. It bothers me so much what they say and that the people just go ahead and listen.

4. Wasn’t Blades of Steel the best hockey game ever? My only objective while playing that game was to get into fights.

5. Wow, I think its so great that you posted here, jslicer!

6. Wil, I was so pleasantly surprised to see “by Wil Wheaton” when I made my morning rounds at Salon.com. I also have loved the site for years.
   My father is what I think of as a “financial” Republican, he is conservative when it comes to taxes and money and whatnot. However, my father was also drafted in the Vietnam War which left him with a healthy distrust and dislike for the military, war and warhawks, especially warhawks that are so eager to start wars when they themselves used their class privilege to get out of serving their our country when so many other young people of my father’s generation gave years of their lives or their lives themselves in service to our country.
   So somehow these last few years have been the first time I have been able to politically agree with my father and it has been a nice bonding experience. However, I have to admit that I look forward to the time when my father and I can agree to disagree because that will mean that the biggest political issue of the day is something about social services and not this awful, awful war and the politicians that brought it upon us.

7. at least you can still find some aspect of enjoyment of the family Christmas experience…
   I cannot. I have avoided spending any holidays with my family for the last 13 years. Just the thought of spending any holidays, occasions or even being on the same continent with them sends me into convultions…
   I’m not interested in being fair or being objective or even being a nice guy… all I care about is preserving my sanity and never subjecting my kids to the true pod people… born-again Evangelical Christians.
   If they start into their Jesus nonsense I swear I could take the turkey carving knife and slit my own throat. I absolutely can’t stand it. Does that make me a bad person…? Probably. I guess I can think long and hard about it during my eternity in hell… well, according to them anyway.
   As I said, it’s not about being tolerant of other people’s religions, or points of view, or any of that BS, at least not for me.
   I grew up believing in the Rapture and believing that anyone who was left behind would have to recieve the mark of the Beast or have their head chopped off. We all believed in the Seven Years Great Tribulation, Armageddon and the Final White Throne Judgement…
   All I ever wanted to do was be an artist. But nothing I ever drew really “glorified God” the way it should. So if THEY found my drawings, I would have to throw them away and repent. Not to do so was to invite the forces of darkness into our house and our lives.
   This is the indoctrination I grew up with. It put me in a neurotic state of obsesive/compulsive behavior. I can control it now, but I have never fully recovered from this. I have bouts of manic depression that leave me almost imobilized with fear and doubt.
   It almost goes without saying that my family are Bush voters. Born-Againism and Republicanism fit so hand in hand I’m starting to believe that Hal Linsey’s “Late Great Planet Earth” was some kind of psy-ops campaign for the minds of the semi-middle class who fill the ranks of the true believers.
   It’s sad because those in my family are basically nice people. But how does one break bread with nice people who are convinced they are going to spend eternity in their exclusive heavenly country club and you will spend eternity buring in an everlasting Lake of Fire simply because you find it impossible to believe in their invisible magic friend who helps them find their car keys…?
   There’s just no reconciliation point that I can see…

8. If it makes you feel any better, I AM a family member of one of the victims, and Tookie’s death brought me no closure; I knew it wouldn’t. All it did was take another life. Unfortunately, there were many reasons to believe that, if he had not been executed, he would have eventually gotten out on the streets where he could have hurt or killed more people (I don’t believe he changed, too many people who would know were saying he was still involved in the gang). My family, though, kept hoping, up untilthe end, that there would be some magical third option that would appear at the last minute and change it so that he didn’t have to die, but people would be safe from him. Sadly, that was not the case.

9. Wil,
   Your dad and my step-dad could hang. Last year I got trapped alone with my mom and step-dad and it felt like they were trying to do some sort of political intervention on me. It was bizarre and sickening. The more I tried to be polite and rational the more angry and irrational my step-dad became. The weird part for me was that my mom was like your parents – a total liberal back in the day.
   A couple of years ago she tried to pull that, “Honey, you just get more conservative when you get older” theory on me, but I just arched my eyebrow and said, “Explain dad.”
   My dad is the man who called me after the 2000 elections and was already concerned about the 2002 congressional elections. He said, “If those idiots vote in a Republican controlled House and Senate they’ll get what they deserve.” “What’s that, dad?” “McCarthyism,” he whispered darkly. “McCarthyism…”
   I have to say that dad had a point.
   Meanwhile, I found something this week that made quite a bit more sense to me than conservative vs. liberal or republican vs. democrat. John Hibbing’s theories on absolutists vs. contextualists. The scary part being that he thinks there is a biological basis for these pre-dispositions. I don’t think I can put links here so you can probably go google for his theories.
   Good luck with your father, Wil. It’s a scary, scary thing.

10. Wil,
    That was one of the best pieces of writing I have read from you yet. Really moving and excellent.
    I really hope – for you – that your Dad knows how much the WAY he talked to you was hurtful. I hope he reads the article and knows it, or you tell him straight out.

11. Reminds me of my discussions with my pro-death-penalty mom. I just couldn’t let her fall back on the vengence position, esp when living in a Nation of Laws. I’d argue that justice was an infrastructure that needed constant maintenance, and worrying about people’s emotional state was just so much ‘codependency’ (sorry — I hate that word). In the end I had convinced her that if the ultimate punishment was the epitome of our justice system, then we are all in serious trouble as a society — personal notions of morality, just a cruel joke.

12. Before you blast O’Reilly Wil, you need to gather some facts first about him. He isn’t a cram it down your throat idealogue, he does have some good points to make. But he does leave room for disagreement and doesn’t berate you for it. All he is after is trying to get you to question the news media, the goverment, authority, even Bill O’Reilly himself. I think your dad’s stance on the death penalty is coming from some other place and maybe it would be a bonding experience for you to sit down and try and find out where this viciousness is coming from. I highly doubt it comes from talk radio. He’s too smart for that. Merry Xmas Wil!

13. I talked to my dad before this essay was published, because I didn’t want him to be blindsided by it.
    I have to make something excruciatingly clear: I don’t only love my dad, I like my dad, and I love being with him and my mom whenever I get the chance.
    This essay is less about a political disagreement with my father than it is about the current state of political discourse in the USA. Also, when you get down to it, has nothing to do with the death penalty.
    I get the sense that most people understand this, but for the few who don’t, (including some idiot who left a comment at Salon where he called my dad all sorts of names) I wanted to be crystal clear.
    My dad knew about this story before it went to press, and he told me that he was proud of me for writing it, and having it published in a prestigious publication like Salon.
    And, despite The Great Eye For An Eye Explosion of 2005, I’m meeting my parents for dinner and games tomorrow night at their house, with my siblings and my wife, and I can’t wait.

14. Hey Wil, I have to agree with your stance on O’Reilly, and furthermore I can’t believe that some posters here have defended him, but of course everyone is entitled to their own opinions, and your article goes into something beyond the original catalyst of the death penalty (which I am against on the grounds that “revenge” is not a penalty that we should support).
    Like your father, I grew up with my “cool” father, who almost always voted Democrat, and while with some conservative values, none of them deled into the social issues that plague society. But has my father aged, living in a small Upstate NY town, he opinions have drastically changed. I love my father to death, but he seems to be glued to the FOX way of things. It’s pretty sad because my father was once a man or reason, once a man who engaged in critical thought. Now I avoid political debate because he is of the mindset that has tainted a lot of people’s thoughts.
    IMO, FOX is an entertainment channel that is the “Bizzaro world” opposite of the Daily Show, just not funny, and they try to pass themselves off as real news. They should force a disclaimer that their “fair and balanced” reporting is far from that.
    I wish there was a solution, and I am glad to see that this blowup between yourself and your father was just temporary.

15. To those of you who are criticizing Wil for not knowing O’Reilly’s stance on the death penalty, GO BACK AND READ HIS ARTICLE AGAIN!!!
    Never once does Wil say that O’Reilly supports the death penalty. Wil is talking about O’Reilly’s style and, as he says above, the current trend of political discourse.
    And to say that O’Reilly doesn’t berate people that disagree with him is just plain wrong.

16. Wil,
    Lesson #1 from this – And this has NOTHING to do with the Death Penalty, pro or con… NEVER discuss politics with family members, especially around the holidays, when emotions and stress run highest. Nothing beneficial or positive can come from it. Keep the talk to Uncle Fred’s hairpiece or the football games or the kids’ school functions. Few things will kill the holiday spirit like a political debate.

17. hey Wil,
    First let me say happy holidays to you and yours! I belive that A highly spirited political discussion in our homes is vital to the continuation of our democracy. As far as the death penalty is concerned, I understand the need for a final penalty for crimes against a civilized society however, the reasons behind the creation of the need for gangs is because certain segments of our free society feel unsafe in their neighborhoods. so maybe the solution is for people to take a more vested intrest in our poorer communities. If people feel safe in their neighborhoods then perhaps the need for vicious gangs would be eliminated. we should start electing officials that have ties to these communities and can maybe enlighten the public at large as to what we might do to help….that’s my opinion for what it’s worth. feliz navidad..et al

18. Wow. In light of all the huge comments, I think I’ll keep this brief. I’ve posted a story of my own over at my blog that draws a parallel to Wil’s article in a basic sense. You can find it here.
    For the HTML-impaired…
    http://blogprophyts.blogspot.com/2005/12/holiday-home-havoc.html
    Despite the chaos, I hope everyone here has a Happy Holiday, Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukkah, or a Joyous whatever you celebrate!

19. Groucho said it best:
    “Home is where you hang your head”
    If someone claims to be a Christian, how can they possibly support execution? The fifth Commandment is:
    “Thou Shalt Not Kill”
    “An eye for an eye” is Leviticus – you’d best read all the rules you’re signing up for… like stoning people for infidelity.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leviticus
    Yes, Tookie killed four people. He’s spent all his time in prison ATONING for his crime and PREVENTING more deaths. That has to count for something.
    I thought the purpose of prison was, ostensibly, REHABILITATION – not warehousing for subsequent eradication.
    One last note:
    “Vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord”
    -it’s not our place.
    Love to you all this season – all let’s try and make it last all year.
    Doog

20. Hey Wil, I hope you make it down here past all the comments that seem to have missed the point. This isn’t about the death penalty, or Tookie Williams or Bill O’Reilley. You just bared his soul in front of everyone, and decided to deal with the way your parents were breaking heart rather than ignoring it. Some might accuse you of being cowardly for writing about it online rather than dealing directly with you parents, but I think writing that article was not only admirable, but gutsy as hell.
    I come from an extremely ‘normal’ family. Mom, Dad, Sis and me. We were always happily middle class, and I was never abused or neglected. But there is so much stuff that we just all blissfully ignore rather than deal with, and as I approach my first third of a century, I wonder if we should deal with it. Dunno if your article will give me the courage to do so, but at the very least it got me thinking about it.

21. I’m not going to say one way or the other about the death penalty, but I will point out one thing. One of the other commenters posted something about “REHABILITATION” and I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you can’t rehabilitate people against their will. You especially can’t rehabilitate serial killers. (I’m not saying Tookie is one, I’m just stating something research has shown.)
    A lot of people think that these criminals are poor souls that were never treated right and all it will take is a program and they’ll be all right. It’s only partially true. The human psyche develops in stages and if those stages are disrupted, it takes a lot to fix that and sometimes you can’t reclaim it at all. Also, you can’t change someone who doesn’t want to change – you can only force them to behave for fear of punishment.
    That’s not to say that some don’t change. They do and I for one don’t believe in holding it against someone if they’ve done their time in prison. But it was a choice THEY made. Thinking it is possible or even likely that most will make the same choice isn’t supported by the research done on programs that actively try to rehabilitate.

22. Wil, great piece in Salon. I hope it doesn’t cause more problems between you and your Dad.
    About the death penalty; whether one think some criminals deserve to die or not, the fact that innocent people can be, and have been executed should be foremost in the debate. The execution of an innocent person is a double crime by the State: murder, and almost certain freedom for the perpetrator (bureaucracies HATE admitting they screwed up).
    Get civilized, America.

23. There seem to be a lot of replies regarding the death penalty, but I just didn’t see that as the real subject of the essay. It’s kind of ironic that there’s so many posts on the “hotbutton” issue and few on the real subject of your essay. The death penality, like abortion is a topic most people seem to have an opinion on, so it’s easy to reply to.
    What I find a lot more interesting is your parents change from what sounds like hippie left wing boomers to O’Reilly watching conservatives. I’m really not trying to be insulting, but anti-nuke activism and O’Reilly watching conservatism has a striking similarity in both being pop culture politics of the time and being based on fear.
    I obviously don’t know your parents other than the simple two page character study you’ve written. But is it possible that your parents are prone to adopting the “fashion of the day” politics? You blame Rush Limbaugh and Bill O’Reilly for creating the atmosphere, but what is it about your parents that makes them watch this garbage? That’s not to say that conservativism is all garbage, only that the techniques and style of these guys is just.. well criminal. I could go on, but I’m more interested in your thoughts on the matter. How is it that someone can be transformed into someone who can “objectively look at the facts and draw his own conclusions” into a political reactionary driven by talk radio guys?
    One book I’d mention is passing is “The Culture Of Fear”. There’s a few things in it I don’t totally agree with, but the general ideas of the book are spot on. It’s one of my pet theories on what’s really driving much of the mentality in the US.

24. I’m very sorry you had to have such a quarrel with your father over that subject. Sadly that isn’t too far from what happens when I bring up something vaguely social and political with my parents. They aren’t extremely liberal nor are they annoyingly conservative. I’ve learned now to just keep quiet because if I express my views to them my parents suddenly transform into people I cannot recognize. It’s very, very hard for my boyfriend and I have civil conversation when all I hear from my parents are “Those damn Mexicans and Asians, blah blah blah”. I remind them that people of all races, ages, and genders are capable of being jerks just as much as being genuinely awesome folk. The rifts growing between this generation and those before us are shaped by both what we were taught in contrast to what we observe in reality. I wish my parents would see they did a fabulous job of raising me to be an open-minded, understanding thinker that can see the whole forest and not just the trees.
    Unfortunately they continue to descend into anachronistic cynicism as the world is changing around them in ways they can’t quite grasp or do not want to accept. At least that is what I believe.
    I hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday and a prosperous new year, Wil.
    -Denise

25. Disagreeing with people you love is so much harder than disagreeing with strangers. And when they really disagree with you, it’s scary, like, did I ever know this person? I’m glad you and your dad aren’t letting this keep you from loving each other.

26. My dad and I realized we had this sort of discrepancy in world view years ago. There are any number of topics on which we just agree to disagree. He’s still my dad; I’m still his daughter; we just don’t discuss things like: Which is an impeachable offense, spying on Americans without a warrant and going to war under false pretenses, or having an intern give you a blow job?
    Personally, as to the fate of Tookie Williams, I thought it was a miracle that Tookie was still alive after all these years, so he was already on borrowed time, but in general, there are better options available.

27. Merry Christmas or Happy Holiday?

    The Christmas bloggers are the rampage with this one. However, I didnt take much notice of the War on Christmas debate until today when one colleague replied to the Happy Christmas greeting of another colleague with…

28. I’m kind of on the fence about the death penalty myself…while as a Christian, I only believe that God is the one to judge on who lives or who dies, but I also have to admit that there are people in this world that would do everyone a great favor just by snuffing it. I will also admit to having the occasional rage tantrums where I actually envisioned killing someone over what I considered to be a vile act. People are entitled to their opinions…family even moreso. If we didn’t have anything to argue about, there’d never be a reason to come to terms and realize just how much we love our families and they love us despite our differences of opinion.
    In any case, hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year…along with blessing from the Poker gods for ya! 🙂

29. When ever my Grandfather comes to visit me I have to remove the bumper stickers on the car so that we can actually enjoy our time together. He too spends his afternoons glued to Fox News.

30. I go through the same sort of crap day in and day out when trying to discuss, well, pretty much anything with my brother and sister-in-law. Though I can’t explicitly speak for my sister-in-law, my brother used to be able to think for himself. He used to be able to critically evaluate evidence and information. For lack of a better way to put it, he used to be able to think for himself.
    It’s to the point where, sadly, I’ve just short of given up on him as a lost cause.
    Sidenote: Nice to see you’re still floating around, oh Spudnuttiest of them all.

31. I go back-and-forth on this issue – and being in the UK it’s not a subject I often need to think about.
    I think the bottom line is that he knew the death penalty existed when he did the crime; There is no way he did not know the consequences of his actions when he commited them, and although it’s not RIGHT for him to be killed (two wrong turns don’t make a right, as the doorknob says in Alice in Wonderland,) it is important that the justice system remains consistent.

32. Though I’m not one to start spouting scripture (being an agnostic, for one), seeing the hypocrisy of christians claiming that the Bible allows for / encourages the idea of “an eye for an eye” reminds me how poorly many people understand the foundations of their faith.
    So, for the record, it’s in Matthew 5, verses 38-42 that it’s made clear that the idea of “an eye for an eye” is an old testament concept, and is not to be applied by true followers of Christ. The exact text is as follows:
    38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ 39 But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

33. There’s a lot of anger out there in the world today. Sometimes, I wonder: does talk radio (and that kind of thing) influence people to angry, shouting discourse, or is it, rather, a reflection of what an angry, shouting society expects? Same sort of question as whether or not videogames cause violence, or whether they simply reflect a violence that exists in society already.
    Either way, the society has some issues.
    And some of those issues I just don’t discuss with some members of my family.
    Especially around Christmas.
    Oh yeah.

34. >> Nice to see you’re still floating around, oh Spudnuttiest of them all.
    JSc, MrsVet, what is the word, my peeps?

35. >> encourages the idea of “an eye for an eye” reminds me how poorly many people understand the foundations of their faith.
    I think it’s even a deeper misunderstanding than that. As I understand it, the old testement “eye for an eye” was a LIMIT placed upon revenge. It’s ONLY and eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. The take-home was supposed to be you don’t visit more punishment on someone than they inflicted on others. It wasn’t meant to be a justification for vengence.

36. You know, no matter how hard you try, no matter if you’re looking for it or not, if you spend time with family, you will always find that ONE thing that you will never agree on.
    (Full disclosure: My dad, life-long professional scientist has just admitted to me that he’s now a creationist. Yeah.)
    I have my opinions on the death penalty (mainly that it’s an interesting idea, but it’s just not practical on a moral or economical level), and I also have changed my opinion on whether or not rehabilitation works.
    I used to have more of the attitude that people don’t change.
    I respect the point of view from the victim’s family’s standpoint, of “why should this guy be allowed to better himself, when the person I loved is gone.”
    It makes a kind of logic, but it’s all based in revenge.
    Justice is about what’s right. Revenge, let’s face it, is all about YOU.
    Was Williams doing any good in prison? Was he really trying to make things right? Was he actually remorseful, if not for the four murders (which, in all fairness, he’s never admitted to, nor cooperated with the investigation) but for his role in creating the Crips?
    Or, to put it this way, is one second’s worth of relief (to be followed by a lifetime of guilt for cheering the death of another human being) worth destroying the possibility of answering these questions? To undo any good that he might have done?
    And if he didn’t redeem himself, or even try, is it worth it to kill him, to look at yourself a year from now and say, “Wow. I wanted a man to die. What does that make me?”
    Oh, and Hi-diddily-ho, Spudnuts.

37. Bobby!

38. D00D!
    (I just found a disk with a a bunch of the Spud mp3s, BTW)

39. Why is Tookie put to death, and Charles Manson allowed to live? The uneven application of the punishment is just one part of my problem with it. The other being the lack of remedy when it is applied in error. You can free someone who has been exonerated of the crime… but you can’t unkill them.

40. My father would react the same way Wil. But he has never been very passive or understanding. But I agree with you about being against the death penalt. I do believe in forgivness and extended time in jail is also cruel. I also believe that the man in question might do some good things if let out on parole. He was very young when he did those things and is old now. With the time he has spent in jail I feel that he has done his time.As to closure, It is really only vengance. Which I dont like. Thanks for your time.

41. >> (I just found a disk with a a bunch of the Spud mp3s, BTW)
    Send them here, Kringle.
    [email protected]
    I been good this year.
    Mostly.

42. Incredible article Wil. We are all so polarized now and it’s coming from somewhere. I agree with you on it’s origins…talk radio and talk tv. I’m afraid people will not wake up. I am fearful for our country.
    As always, you rock!

43. Wil you are definitely the nicest guy on the net.
    My mom certainly does not yell or blurt out talking points, but otherwise it’s the same story. The diff is, she’s sure she doesn’t get it from the RW media (Fox, et al.).
    I thought of sending your essay to her but she’d think i was saying she freaks out vs. what you said otherwise, that we aren’t actually going on the attack or anything and there’s something really going wrong. But the first thing that goes is the ability to tell that something’s changed.
    I have recommended your forum (the one not working) to other people as an example of really, really good and sincere moderation.

44. O’Reilly is NOT opposed to the death penalty whatsoever. That’s one of the 2 or 3 fake liberal points he pretends to care about to pretend not to be a far-right partisan hack.
    Examine who he’s supported and opposed. He has never supported a death penalty opponent. He has never opposed a death penalty supporter. Ditto on abortion. Almost never supported a pro-choice candidate – I would say Wilson/Enron puppet Schwarzenegger was the first – and has almost never opposed a pro-life candidate. He pretends to be almost libertarian, but his jihad against the ACLU is proof positive of his real agenda.
    The man’s a professional liar, and his alleged liberal status (which the pathological liar Bernard Goldberg also claims, as does Tammy Bruce) is simply one more chore in his “To Lie” list.
    Oh, and the bleeding heart liberal has been lying for about 5 years about being a registered independent. He was called on it last year and probably finally changed from registered GOP.
    Sorry, but anyone as vicious and dishonest as O’Reilly (there is nothing in the war on xmas that is true, basically, it’s a hitlerian big lie) shouldn’t get a pass on anything.

45. Great article – very thoughtful. It must have been tough to write.

46. Marion, I would say Wil and Kelly Sedinger at http://byzantiumshores.blogspot.com are tied for “nicest guy on the internet(s)”.
    The difficulty with trying to reason with True Believers (they exist on right and left) is that their beliefs are governed by the reptilian brain (that’s not an insult, BTW). Can’t argue with that part of the brain.

47. My father and I probably disagree about more things than we agree on. Whether it be politics, religion, lifestyle, profession, whatever, he and I don’t agree on very much. But, he’s my Dad. How ever he managed it, he took part in the raising of an intelligent, caring, sensitive, hard-working, honest and loving human being. Yes, he can be a fuck, but… he’s my Dad. Nothing I can do, but be as supportive and loving as I can, even if we argue about just about everything. We are sons of our fathers. What else can we do?
    Merry Christmas, btw… 🙂

48. Last Thanksgiving my stepfather got drunk and started screaming Republican talking points at me and my brother and his partner while we were all trying to sleep. None of us had even metioned politics at that point.
    We ended up leaving the house and going to a motel. It was unfortunate because it ruined Thangsgiving for my mom and step-sister. It opened old wounds with my stepfather that we thought had long healed and it caused my brother’s partner to refuse to ever be in the same roon with my stepfather again.
    Not all families can disagree and still be civil the next day. If you can, that is truely something to be thankful for.

49. The media is dangerous. It can, for lack of a better word, ‘brainwash’ even the most thoughful and intelligent of people. It takes great effort to sort through the drivel we are bombarded with daily. To separate the fact from the fiction, the opinions from the facts. With the amount of ‘information’ that comes our way daily it is a wonder that we can think independently at all.
    How many times Bush mentions Saddam Hussain in connection with 9/11 has cemented the person and the event firmly together and I strongly suspect that a great number of people now believe that he was behind the attacks — all because of the word association ‘games’ the powers that be play with our minds. The media is telling us what to think, what to believe, what is ‘correct’, what is ‘wrong’, what ‘good citizens’ should stand behind, etc. Independent thought and opinion is lost somewhere along the way. If some independent thought does manage to squeeze by and is thoughtfully voiced by someone, then that person is ostracized by the majority of ‘sheep’.
    I read your article Wil and, without sounding too sappy and putting you up on too high a pedastle, you are a wonderful writer. I do not say that lightly. You have a passion and a talent and I look forward to your eloquence. I don’t always agree with what you say, but I respect the thoughtful manner that you express yourself. Keep it up. You’re still young in your writing craft and I suspect we will all be reading great things from you in the future.
    Merry Christmas to you and your family.
    (I didn’t mean any offence to your family — Father, sister, etc., or mean to imply that they are not independent thinkers. I just wanted to point out how easy it is for intelligent people to get drawn into ‘herd mentality’).
    Take care.

50. Wow, this post certainly struck home for me. I’ve had this conversation dozens of times with my father. My Dad is a sweet, mild-mannered man who taught me to be kind and gentle and to empathize with others…qualities that led me to become a liberal. I honestly don’t know how his opinions and the product of his parenting ended up in opposition, but they did.
    In any case, I don’t believe in the death penalty. I don’t believe in it because it is most certainly not evenly and fairly applied. However, I’m not really thinking of the criminal when I object to the death penalty. I’m thinking about everyone else involved. The victims’ families. The family of the criminal. Even the correctional officers. I just don’t think killing is a salve for wounded souls, not even in the name of justice. It has the potential of making a tragic situation all the more tragic, of breaking more hearts than it mends. Killing changes people. It can haunt you, even if it is just. Does a murderer deserve to die? Probably. I just don’t think that everyone else deserves the experience of killing him.

Comments are closed.