Bible Reading:
Advent Stories, the birth of JC

What I'm pondering:
What variation of red nail polish should I paint my fingers and toes for the Holidays.

What I'm remembering:
Bad combos of nail polish and clothes.

Fun with Political Labels

So apparently there exists all these political labels that you can put on yourself.

First groups that really fit anywhere:

Single issue voters - gun control, a women's right to choose.

Flavour of the month voters - I'm going to vote for the candidate because he or she is cute, all my friends are voting for him or her.

Next, the right and left and variations thereof:

I'm not sure if I understand all of them, but here they are and from one extreme to the next.

Liberterians - No government.

The Far Right - the extremists, they tell you what's right and wrong and how to live your life, and make you feel guilty. If you don't believe in JC, you will go to hell. Us vs. Them.

Paleoconservative - characterized by Pat Buchanan, isolationist foreign policy, social programs are bad and bankrupt the government.

Conservative - vanilla conservatives

Neoconservative - The Project for the New American Century, neoconservative strategy of coercive democratization. "Neocons believe that the United States must use a high-pressure approach to compel Arab regimes to change, by force if necessary." (Wash Post) What's a little debt if you're defending the country and spreading American Democracy.

Urban Crunchy Conservative - National Review twist on Bobos (bourgeois bohemians), lives in cities, votes republican.

Everyone else, some vote, some don't.

Blue Blazer liberals - another twist on Bobos (bourgeois bohemian), votes democrat, lives in cities but mostly found in the suburbs because the schools are better

Neoliberals - Ellen Tauscher, Joe Lieberman, Zel Miller, fiscal discipline, don't bankrupt the government for social programs or foreign policy. "Neoliberals believe in political preemption first and military preemption only as a last resort. We supported the wars on Afghanistan and Iraq because we concluded that force was the only way to lance these boils." (Wash Post)

Liberals - vanilla liberals

Paleoliberals - Dennis Kucinch, Ted Kennedy, Barbara Boxer, big government, class warware, what's a little government debt if it means more social programs.

The Far Left - the extremists, progressives, greens, they tell you how to live your life, and make you feel guilty. Forget class warfare. If have money, you are the enemy. Us vs. Them.

Socialists/Communist - all government, all the time.

Is Europe becoming increasingly anti-semitic? If you read this article, Ritual Murders of Jews in Paris, it does make you wonder.

I have to honestly admit, that what turns me off the most about the left wing progressive platform, is its views on Israel and what I see as an increasingly anti-semitic tone in their rhetoric.

I support the legitimacy of the State of Israel in the middle east, and I'm proud to say it. I don't necessarily agree with everything that Israel does, but I certainly do not consider Israel as the greatest threat to world peace.

We light a candle during each service as part of a four candle wreath during advent at my presbyterian church, but I had no idea that it's kind of a catholic custom.

"The four weeks prior to Christmas, observed in the Catholic liturgical year, is called the season of Advent (Latin: an approach, Second Coming, appearance, something's coming). On tables in Catholic homes around the world stands a wreath holding four candles, three violet (royalty) and one pink (love). Each week one more candle is lit. By Christmas all four candles are alight. Representing the light to come in the midst of increasing darkness, Advent reflects ancient times when, with no electric light on our planet, darkness was feared. The candles gave the people hope. Celebrating Advent, especially with an Advent wreath, revivifies ancient ceremonies and feasts of light."

More on the lighting of the four candle wreath; The Advent Wreath.