A re-post of one of last year's articles might have been
as appropriate for this Christmas article, but too many Americans need to have
things current, up-to-date ... and in-your-face. Last year there was a series
called Transcending Christmas and the first part ,Transcending
Christmas: Will The Christian Right Kill The Christmas Spirit? The Christmas
Truce of 1914 Shows Why. pointed
out that during the Christmas Truce of 1914, men actually laid down their guns,
walked across enemy lines and allowed peace to reign for one day during the
most devastating war man had ever seen.
When those men laid down their guns, however, what they were actually setting
aside was their fear, their paranoia that they would be killed by their fellow
man.
The Real Reason Behind The Sandy Hook Slaughter?
One of the easiest emotions to pass on to a son or daughter is ... fear: fear
of everything and everyone. Sometimes overprotective parents can relay fear,
and overprotective parents who are themselves fearful may be double doses of
paranoia. Newtown's Nancy Lanza was fearful of her former husband, of Adam's
school and even of Adam himself. And while she may have had an
"interest" in guns, the presence of an assault rifle indicates the
possibility of a survivalist mentality. She even tutored Adam in use of the
assault rifle, triggering a paranoia that would eventually be out of control.
The possibility that Adam would use the gun for lethal purposes was, in Nancy's
mind, a risk she had to take to protect herself from the outside world's intent
on doing her and her son harm.
"Nancy Lanza, the mother of the Sandy Hook shooter, was
in the process of having her son committed to a
psychiatric facility when he went on the mass shooting spree,a
lifelong family acquaintance told Fox News.
A senior law enforcement official also confirmed that 20-year-old Lanza's anger
over his mother's plan is being investigated as a possible motive for the
Newtown shooting."
Fear. Fear and anger. The two can be mutually inclusive.
Paranoia Begetting Paranoia
"The only thing that stops a bad
guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun."
... Earlier
this week, WorldNetDaily columnist and regular Fox News guest Erik Rush tweeted a video arguing that President Obama
orchestrated the Sandy Hook and Aurora, Colorado shootings in order to cover-up
a massive government scandal, forcibly disarm Americans, put people in
concentration camps and start a civil war.
Driving The Second Amendment ... Into The Ground
Fear of England and fear of any totalitarian government like England's were
certainly at the heart of the Constitution's Second Amendment. The common use
of firearms (for hunting as well as protection) inculcated responsibility,
however, with firearms that were nowhere near as deadly (or dependable) as a
today's semi-automatic rifle. The vision of one man mowing down dozens of
people within minutes could not have entered into the minds of the Founding
Fathers. To be sure, frontiersmen had occasional run-ins with Indians, but the
Founding Fathers were not concerned with them and any form of domestic
terrorism was not in their nomenclature.
To put it simply: Patriot Movement and survivalist zealots armed with AK-47s
and assault rifles were not what the Founding Fathers envisioned and they would
have been ashamed that their own fears could reach such levels.
Wars and Enemies Everywhere
From foreign wars to the supposed "War on Christmas", the American
psyche has been imbued with an "us vs them" mentality. Military
terminology even invades our religious makeup (Cindy
"Japan-is-shaped-like-a-dragon" Jacobs' organization is named
Generals International - a point which seems to have no relevance whatsoever
other than to instill a military air). The ability to stop paranoia seems, at
times, futile: like the above insipid conspiracy theory, paranoia seems
inevitable after a tragedy such as Sandy Hook. Calls for more guns and for
greater school security with more guns (e.g. concealed weapons by teachers and
administrators) are on the rise. Instances of children carrying guns to school
are commonplace. Instead of being tamped down, paranoia is on the rise.
One of the reasons for the rise in paranoia is the false notion that Christians are being persecuted in this country. In a country where the smallest hamlets have three church spires, the idea of persecution seems ludicrous, but for decades, "social conservatives" (the Christian Right's preferred label) have fostered an "us vs them" ideology that has not been seen since the days of the Roman Empire. For example, what is the "War On Christmas," except an attempt to take back the Christmas Spirit and brand it exclusively for Christians.
What the Christian Right has never realized is that the Christmas Spirit itself transcended the holiday of Christmas long ago and any attempt to contain it, to make it exclusively Christian is futile. Instead of bemoaning the fate of Christmas, we should all be alarmed at the lack of Christmas Spirit brought on by our national paranoia. After all, the Christmas Spirit of "Peace On Earth Good Will Towards Men" depends upon something conspicuously pushed aside by our all-consuming paranoia: belief in your fellow man.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
