Merry Christmas vs Happy Holiday

I've been reading news articles about the heated debates and legal maneuvers attendant with efforts to eliminate "Christmas" and to replace it with "Happy Holidays." I would be the first to support and defend a person's right to free speech, to live as they prefer, to worship or not worship whomever or whatever they deem appropriate and/or necessary. Unfortunately, the opponents to Christmas do not share my "live and let live" attitude and approach to life. The opponents are either not Christians or have a skewed understanding of America's freedom of religion paradigm. One of the founding tenets of American democracy is the inalienable right and freedom of each citizen of the USA to worship, and to express their religious beliefs, freely, without hindrance from, or intervention by, federal, state, and municipal government. Evidently opponents have forgotten, perhaps intentional memory loss, that America's founding fathers (and mothers) left England in order to escape religious persecution and prohibitions. Were it not for their foresight in wording America's Constitution and Bill of Rights such that free men and women could not be restricted by government fiat regarding citizen acts of worship, citizen expressions of worship - those same opponents would be unable to voice their opposition to "Christmas" because either it would not exist as a religious holiday or it would be mandatory that Christmas or some other government-mandated paradigm be named and honored. Maybe none of this makes sense to anyone but me. So be it. Only look around the world at other countries to see if any of them allow Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, even Satan worshippers to co-exist in their country - and to publicly worship whatever, including sending greeting cards with their special slogans, advertising their religious events in public media, having a place of worship, assembling in that place of worship whenever they see fit. The opponents are very short sighted, indeed, because if they succeed in getting rid of Christmas, well, it won't be long before some special interest group will try and get rid of the opponents' religious holidays and slogans and advertising and greeting cards, etc., etc. Just watch what happens if they succeed. Are Jewish holidays the opponents next targets? How about the special interest events and activities of the ACLU? Where does it end?

What color is your parachute?

I'm not talking about sky diving or military paratrooper stuff. I am one of those rebels (sort of) who years ago cut the corporate ball and chain from around my ankle. That's when I discovered my parachute - inside - colored with faith, sweat, luck, and perseverance. Risky stuff, this letting go the golden handcuffs I voluntarily wore. So simple after it's done. Scary. Time for prayers, and I believe they were answered. Gotta know how to listen when you pray - only way it works. Why am I rambling? Not really. Trying to say something relevant while learning about this blogger stuff. Enough said. Chou!