Monday, October 31, 2005
Happy Halloweener
I've never been a huge fan of Halloween. In fact, I commented on this a while back. The idea of dressing up has never appealed to me, I don't enjoy scares, and to be quite honest, the macabre focus gives me the jibblies. I am, however, a huge fan of free candy, so I'm pretty ambivalent on the whole "holiday."
That said, I'm highly disappointed that once again, a number of spineless school administrators have caved to a few activist threats and perceived political correctness and have cancelled school Halloween celebrations, costume parties, and parades. In the spirit of even more ridiculousness, some schools are replacing it with "Fall-o-Ween" or other celebrations. Still others, including my old school district, are mandating that if children wish to dress up at school, they must come dressed as their favorite literary character.
What is particularly galling about the whole situation, aside from the random quashing of decades of tradition, is the shallow reasoning behind the cancellations. Some say it's satanic. Some say it's anti-religious and secularism run amok. Some say it's a Christian imposition. Others object because of the perceived loss of class time. None of these really hold much water, though, when examined more fully. The loss of class time argument might have some claim, but it's specious unless it's expanded to all holidays and childhood celebrations.
The fundamentalist objection to Halloween has always amused me. Growing up in the Bible Belt, I'd occasionally get a Jack Chick "treat" in the old goodie bag. God only knows what I'd have gotten had some of those folks known I was Roman Catholic. These folks attempt to trace modern Halloween from ancient Mesopotamian Baal worship (which was, of course, satanic in nature) to pre-Christian Druid festivals (again, totally satanic) to spiritualism and witchcraft (could it be Satan?) to the Pope (aka AntiChrist), totally ignoring the idea that a harvest festival and heralding of the "death" of winter is a near-universal cultural meme. Coupling these traditions with the celebration of All Saints' and All Souls' Day in the early Catholic Church and voila! We have the modern Halloween, which despite its religious relation, has always been a totally secular celebration, much like Mardis Gras.
That said, I'm highly disappointed that once again, a number of spineless school administrators have caved to a few activist threats and perceived political correctness and have cancelled school Halloween celebrations, costume parties, and parades. In the spirit of even more ridiculousness, some schools are replacing it with "Fall-o-Ween" or other celebrations. Still others, including my old school district, are mandating that if children wish to dress up at school, they must come dressed as their favorite literary character.
What is particularly galling about the whole situation, aside from the random quashing of decades of tradition, is the shallow reasoning behind the cancellations. Some say it's satanic. Some say it's anti-religious and secularism run amok. Some say it's a Christian imposition. Others object because of the perceived loss of class time. None of these really hold much water, though, when examined more fully. The loss of class time argument might have some claim, but it's specious unless it's expanded to all holidays and childhood celebrations.
The fundamentalist objection to Halloween has always amused me. Growing up in the Bible Belt, I'd occasionally get a Jack Chick "treat" in the old goodie bag. God only knows what I'd have gotten had some of those folks known I was Roman Catholic. These folks attempt to trace modern Halloween from ancient Mesopotamian Baal worship (which was, of course, satanic in nature) to pre-Christian Druid festivals (again, totally satanic) to spiritualism and witchcraft (could it be Satan?) to the Pope (aka AntiChrist), totally ignoring the idea that a harvest festival and heralding of the "death" of winter is a near-universal cultural meme. Coupling these traditions with the celebration of All Saints' and All Souls' Day in the early Catholic Church and voila! We have the modern Halloween, which despite its religious relation, has always been a totally secular celebration, much like Mardis Gras.
Alito for SCOTUS
Briefly ... the Alito pick looks like a home run for the conservative / libertarian movement, particularly contrasted with the debacle that was the Miers nomination. I'm quite pleased, particularly after reading some excerpts of his opinions. (No, I'm not a lawyer, but constitutional law is and should be accessible to educated non-attorneys.)
Predictions: Alito will be confirmed by the end of the year. No filibuster will be attempted, though the left will raise one hell of a ruckus, trying to equate Alito to Scalia (the "Scalito" refrain is already playing itself out), and possibly reviving the old Bork tactics. I don't expect the committee hearings to have the Bork/Thomas feel, though it won't be nearly as smooth as it was with Roberts. I'd expect the majority of the fight to take place in the media. Finally, I expect Alito to be confirmed with around 60 votes. Regardless, a showdown is coming, and if it can help focus the debate on what precise role the judiciary should hold in our republic, so much the better.
Predictions: Alito will be confirmed by the end of the year. No filibuster will be attempted, though the left will raise one hell of a ruckus, trying to equate Alito to Scalia (the "Scalito" refrain is already playing itself out), and possibly reviving the old Bork tactics. I don't expect the committee hearings to have the Bork/Thomas feel, though it won't be nearly as smooth as it was with Roberts. I'd expect the majority of the fight to take place in the media. Finally, I expect Alito to be confirmed with around 60 votes. Regardless, a showdown is coming, and if it can help focus the debate on what precise role the judiciary should hold in our republic, so much the better.
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Back
After a very long hiatus, I'm going to be using this bad boy again. More fun stuff to come.
