Demagogue

Last night Congressman John Dingell (D-Michigan) recited the following original poem on the floor of congress in objection to House Resolution 579: "Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the symbols and traditions of Christmas should be protected." A roll call vote is scheduled for this afternoon to "protect Christmas" from an invisible, imaginary war.

Yes, this is truly beyond ridiculous. But at least some Dems are treating it as it should be treated-- as a joke.

'Twas the week before Christmas and all through the House,
no bills were passed `bout which Fox News could grouse.
Tax cuts for the wealthy were passed with great cheer,
so vacations in St. Barts soon should be near.

Katrina kids were all nestled snug in motel beds,
while visions of school and home danced in their heads.
In Iraq, our soldiers need supplies and a plan,
and nuclear weapons are being built in Iran.

Gas prices shot up, consumer confidence fell.
Americans feared we were in a fast track to ..... well.
Wait, we need a distraction, something divisive and wily,
a fabrication straight from the mouth of O'Reilly.

We will pretend Christmas is under attack,
hold a vote to save it, then pat ourselves on the back.
Silent Night, First Noel, Away in the Manger,
Wake up Congress, they're in no danger.

This time of year, we see Christmas everywhere we go,
From churches to homes to schools and, yes, even Costco.
What we have is an attempt to divide and destroy
when this is the season to unite us with joy.

At Christmastime, we're taught to unite.
We don't need a made-up reason to fight.
So on O'Reilly, on Hannity, on Coulter and those right-wing blogs.
You should sit back and relax, have a few egg nogs.

'Tis the holiday season; enjoy it a pinch.
With all our real problems, do we really need another Grinch?
So to my friends and my colleagues, I say with delight,
a Merry Christmas to all, and to Bill O'Reilly, happy holidays.
Ho, ho, ho. Merry Christmas."

When someone suggested amending the resolution to include protecting Chanukah too GOP House leaders said no way. Go figure. "Judeo-Christian values" my ass.

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Addendum:Welcome friends of Shakes & Atrios! Thank you for shopping, please come again.

If you want to contact the person responsible for bringing the so-called "War on Christmas" to the floor of congress for a vote, please write to Rep. Jo Ann Davis of Virginia and let her know how much you support her invaluable contribution to the protection of poor persecuted Santas everywhere. (Do you think she knows that "Christmas" is actually 4000 years old? You know, as in it started 2000 years BC. I think she needs to be enlightened, don't you?)