A number of commercial establishments in the empire have removed the word Christmas from their greetings in an effort to comply with some absurd application of political correctness.



Imagine the collective surprise of an eager-to- buy public when they are faced by a store-engineered campaign aimed at eliminating the word Christmas from its greetings, wrapping paper, decorations and all the other enticements to celebrate this important holiday by buying and buying and buying.

Christmas has been traditionally a holiday of family festivities, where the exchange of gifts, originated by three traveling Magi some two thousand years ago, celebrated the most important event in Christianity.

So, it is odd that those who would benefit the most

from the celebration of Christmas, oppose its very mention by relying on the doubtful premise that non-Christians might find such celebration objectionable.

What do you think about this? asked my wife, who seldom misses those incidents that attempt against decency and common sense. Before I could answer she added:

What makes people adopt such extreme, if not ridiculous attitudes?

Idiocy, I answered knowing that she would not be satisfied with that reply. Actually, I was not either. Carrying an idiotic notion such as that adopted by the commercial firms demands a bit more than a simple label.

Our society seems to produce an endless collection of inanities, absurdities and just plain idiocies. Have you stopped to think about those improvised regulations that affect pets, cross eyed people, bald people, stutterers, airline pilots, one way moving stairways and just about anything that can be opposed, contradicted or maligned? If you have, it will not hurt to be reminded that it is too bad that stupidity isn't painful, as Szandor La Vey wrote.

Coming back to the elimination of the word Christmas by those merchants, it will be well to remember that the American people are generous and will forgive almost any weakness, with the possible exception of idiocy and stupidity.

Idiocy is a peculiar characteristic, state of mind or genetic quality that according to reliable statistics never fails to affect a part of the population of any community. Here I do not refer to mentally handicapped people who are cruelly called idiots by callous and insensitive people.

I refer as idiots those persons who disdain or reject established conventions and, like many others, half-heartedly believe in their own righteousness. This type of idiocy is everywhere. It is contagious. It is annoying and appears when least expected. Fortunately it is not fatal and can be, with the proper precautions, be ignored or denied. It can not be cured.

The idiots target this time is Christmas. Its intention exceeds the idiocy level and enters the selected circle of those affected by crass stupidity. We shall offer no additional comment on this. The worrisome part is that this kind of protest is likely to extend to other dates and events.

Next they will think up something objectionable about the New Year (our Gregorian calendar is not the only one) and we are liable to offend those who celebrate the 7,633th year of the Blue Flea calendar.

They will not miss our cherished national anthem. Why vilify those British cannonries making whoopee above Chesapeake Bay? How about Martin Luther King the Third Birthday? And forget about Governor Wallace? Or in the same trend of stupidity how about Washington's Birthday ? What would King George descendants say?

We can go on anticipating the displays of idiocy until hell freezes over. Or better yet, and in order to avoid more idiocy to flourish when hell is mentioned, we better say until a serious temperature drop will cause an indiscriminate slow down of molecular activity at or around minus 273 degrees Centigrade and turn a warm place of punishment into an uncomfortable slab of ice. Not that there is anything wrong with that!