TOMORROW MAYBE

Tonight starts Hallmark's Watering Down of Christmas, an annual sentimental dilution of a former Christian holy day. There is a momentary nod to Thanksgiving but that's about it. For many, that's quite enough. It also is in keeping with Santa coming at the end of the Macy's parade of very loud bands and uncontrollable balloons. Then on Friday, any thankful thoughts get swallowed up by the Post Turkey Day Festival of 

Shopping and Greed. 

With December being saturated with carols and the banning of carols, cookies, lights, decorations, cards, parties, creches and the banning of creches, bell ringers, trees, season greetings with or without the use of Christmas and of course movies, Advent loses its penitential aspect and the Twelve Days of Christmas seem to be an ad on or an afterthought. .......Yet, if there isn't snow for Christmas, it just doesn't seem the same.

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WHY? WHY? WHY?

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SOMETIMES I THINK 

THAT MY COMPUTER 

IS AS NICE A PLAYTHING 

AS THE ONE 

GOD GAVE ME.

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In three weeks, November 22, 1913, it will be the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President Kennedy. It was chemistry class with Mr. English when the announcement came. Those were extraordinary days. But what I didn't realize until later was that the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade was held as usual. ....I guess I must have watched it.

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The New Yorker has a great cover this week. It seems as if the NSA should be brought in to get Obama Care working right. ...Or maybe, as some have suggested, Edward Snowden.

Doctor, Doctor, gimme the news

I got a bad case of lovin' you

no pill's gonna cure my ill

I got a bad case of lovin' you

John Moon Martin

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NONES and INDEPENDENTS are two trends worth noting and not just because I likely qualify for both. Nones being those who don't identify with an organized faith and Independents being those who do not belong to a political party. I don't know any particulars and I really don't want to as something is lost if you establish specific definitions.

But both trends say that what the establishment or mainstream offers doesn't fit and it doesn't fit in more and more ways. This increase also parallels the more recent exposures of misconduct, hypocrisy, and criminality. It also may be a response to the group think, convenient container or birds of a feather approaches. Membership has its privileges, but it also has its costs. Maybe the tipping point is as little as a change from 51% to 49% sense of belonging. Or maybe you decide that you no longer want to be a part of a headcount, at least not of an organized one. 

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MERRY CHRISTMAS