By The Cranky Housewife -
I do understand your doubt while you stare out the window upon that wind torn, subarctic prairie scene which unfolds around you. It may not feel like it will ever be warm again, but spring is most certainly about to be sprung. I'm certain of it. The groundhog was quite specific on this point and he has never steered us wrong before.
I can almost see the crocuses…crocuses? Crocusi?...bursting from their winter slumber as nature thrums with the warmth and beauty of a world reborn. A glorious time of the year to be sure, we look forward to the reawakening of nature while we roll along to that most glorious season of Earth Month; we prepare ourselves for the promise of governmental overreach as we partake in the sacrament of Tax Day; we ready ourselves for a few thousand Working People's protests…you know that winter is over when the first OWS protester returns to his urine stained tent.
Oh, yes. And for those of you who are still in that kind of delusory mindset, there's that little Easter tradition, but worry not. That quaint ceremony has been most effectively stripped of any ecumenical meaning for the vast majority of Americans and has been repurposed as a candy deployment service. Still, Easter has its usefulness. Using Christ as a weapon…it's rather the Left's favorite pastime.
Christians are now moving through the season of Lent in preparation for the celebration of Easter, and we all are called to service and sacrifice as we await the resurrection of Christ within our various denominations. We are asked to pray, fast, reflect on our sins and perform acts of charity. This is the preparation that leads us to Good Friday. It is meant to remind us of Jesus's trials in the desert and his sacrifice for our salvation.
Too religious for you? Sorry, I'll try to tone it down. Perhaps we can all recite the UN's Pledge for Peace to get us back on our secular track.
But to my point. It is around this time of the year that our liberal brethren usually find religion as a means to their ends by whipping out their favorite verses from the bible to underscore the need for a strong centralized government and free contraception. Always discerning in their quote selections, they seek out the one or two passages in the Bible which help bolster their collectivist narrative and ultimately reveal the divinity of socialism, and so we bow our heads and hope that the Left's annual Sermon on the Hill will at least be short and sweet so that we can get back to the business of paying our taxes, thereby bringing meaning to our squalid and primitive lives.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'In truth I tell you, it is hard for someone rich to enter the kingdom of Heaven. Yes, I tell you again, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for someone rich to enter the kingdom of Heaven.'
Proof positive that Jesus advocated single payer health care as a means of redistributive penance for those who had the audacity to succeed and profit. Shared sacrifice – was this not the true message that Christ was revealing to us during his ministry here on Earth? Easter, Christmas – aren't these the liturgical seasons when we remember that Christ asked us to all become socialists? Wasn't that his message? If you want to go to Heaven you must hand over anywhere from 50 to 75 percent of your annual income so that Nancy Pelosi can give it to others in as inefficient a fashion as possible so that she will run a deficit and return next year asking for more? That was the meaning of Christ's suffering, right?
And now a man came to him and asked, 'Master, what good deed must I do to possess eternal life?' Jesus said to him, 'Why do you ask me about what is good? There is one alone who is good. But if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.' He said, 'Which ones?' Jesus replied, 'These: You shall not kill. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false witness. Honor your father and your mother. You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' The young man said to him, 'I have kept all these. What more do I need to do?' Jesus said, 'If you wish to be perfect, go and sell your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.' But when the young man heard these words he went away sad, for he was a man of great wealth. Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'In truth I tell you, it is hard for someone rich to enter the kingdom of Heaven. Yes, I tell you again, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for someone rich to enter the kingdom of Heaven.'
That's the full biblical passage. The Left doesn't prefer that version because it actually has nothing to do with wealth. It has nothing to do with shared sacrifice. It is about having everything and walking away from those creature comforts when God calls you to do so. It is about putting God before all earthly possessions and doing what is right. This is a task that is difficult for all men…the difficulty increases as the possessions or wealth increase. That is the point of these verses. It has nothing to do with socialism.
And now this is the portion of the article where I shall give you all literary whiplash by completely changing directions without previous warning to point out that the President of the United States has spent one million dollars this weekend… playing golf with Tiger Woods. The press was shut out of covering the golf outing because the White House was concerned about the image that would be created by a president wasting time, money and resources on a scrumptious spring break respite while the nation is facing $5 a gallon gasoline, higher taxes, food shortages, repressive legislation, et al. It might seem insensitive.
The press was reportedly extremely frustrated that they weren't invited to attend the weekend getaway – so frustrated that the only question they could think to ask President Obama upon his return was, "Did you beat Tiger Woods?" Now there's a good press corps. Obedient and loyal – roll over and maybe the king – I mean president – will scratch your bellies and throw you some table scraps.
Shared sacrifice. The stuff that French Revolutions are made of, my friends. Please notice what we mean by the term "shared" because President Obama sacrifices nothing. He doesn't have to because his position as leader of the free world allows for expensive weekend getaways and that's what he intends to do. It's a perk that he earns for attending inaugural balls and reading the State of the Union Address. Nancy Pelosi sacrifices nothing. Sacrifice would be undignified for a person of her position and authority. John Boehner sacrifices nothing...unless you include self-respect and conscience. But what's self-respect and conscience when playing surrender-monkey to a progressivist agenda pays better.
You see what I mean. The eye of the needle. It is about having everything and walking away from those creature comforts when God calls you to do so. It is about putting God before all earthly possessions and doing what is right. This is a task that is difficult for all men…the difficulty increases as the possessions increase.
I just wanted to add this one closing thought which too has nothing to do with my original point, but I'm expressing my free-verse poetic side today so what the heck.
French Revolutions are never as romantic as Les Miserable would lead you to believe. French Revolutions are where Marxists get most of their work done. If you had, for instance, a president who holds Marxist sympathies then he probably wouldn't care if you got angry with his waste because that would lead him closer to his goal. He would have no incentive to share in the "shared sacrifice" that is being legislatively imposed upon you. He would be incentivized to bring on as much pain as possible and would revel as you became incensed over his extreme opulence.
Who won the round of golf with Tiger Woods? Methinks that President Obama did.
