The Grass is Not Greener . . . Not Even in Hollywood

Americans treat celebrities like royalty, imagining their lives as modern-day fairy tales. The glitz and glamour, fame and fortune blind us to the sadness that marks the lives of many public figures. Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson’s recent horrific tragedy is just the latest example.

· In 1992 current Vice-Presidential nominee Joe Biden lost his wife and his baby daughter in a car accident.

· In 1995 Carroll O’ Connor’s son Hugh committed suicide by gun shot. Hugh called his father moments earlier to warn O’ Connor that he could not handle his drug problem any longer.

· In 1997 Bill Cosby’s son Ennis was murdered while changing a tire. A robber pulled up alongside of Ennis, demanded money, and then shot him when the money wasn’t produced quickly enough.

· Last month Tampa Bay Buccaneers place-kicker Matt Bryant and his wife entered their three-month-old son’s bedroom only to discover that he had died in his sleep.

Suffering is not limited to us peasants. Pain does not distinguish between bank accounts, nor does it care about entourage sizes or red-carpet invites. Pain is an equal opportunity provider. We refuse to believe this because envy is among the most tempting of human emotions. It is not a coincidence that envy is one of the seven deadly sins, nor is it an accident that two of the 10 commandments address coveting.

During difficult periods in our life (economic hardship, illness, etc . . .) it is only natural to respond reflexively with anxiety, hopelessness, and resentment. But maybe next time after our initial emotional release we will remember that “there is always someone out there worse off than you”.

And they may even be a celebrity.

Donald Tremblay

You Didn’t Hear This From Me, But . . . Merry Christmas

Well, it’s that time of the year again: time for Christ-phobes to complain about Christmas celebrations in public places. Once again we must endure weeks of whining about how seeing a Nativity scene and hearing the words “Merry Christmas” creates an exclusionary, hostile environment that leaves non-Christians feeling threatened. 2008’s first incidence of Christ-phobia takes place in Long Island, NY in the town of Patchogue.

On Nov 23 the town will hold its 15^th annual boat parade along the Patchogue River. Last year the name of the parade was the Patchogue Christmas Boat Parade. This year the name has been changed to the Patchogue Holiday Boat Parade because of “complaints that the use of ‘Christmas’ seemed to make the parade less inclusive.” (http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gfA-XFWFSZjLAt-oIzxwehAhx4xgD9409U000) Organizers tried to justify the change by arguing that “the parade has had several names over its roughly 15-year existence”, but one group who rejected that explanation is the Grucci fireworks company. Last year Grucci donated $5,000 of fireworks to the parade. This year the parade will get zilch:

“The company's vice president, Philip Butler, who has criticized the secularization of Christmas in the past, said parade organizers were ‘using all the themes of Christmas and plagiarizing all those themes.’"

Bravo to Grucci. Not only should Patchogue Christians boycott the parade, but they should spend that evening decorating their property with as many Nativity displays and “Merry Christmas” signs as they can fit.

Merry Christmas . . . and get ready for a ridiculous two months.

Donald Tremblay