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The
The INDEPENDENT, December 21, 2011
INDEPENDENT
Published on the first and third Wednesdays of each month
by The Independent, LLC, 725 Bridge St.,
Vernonia, OR 97064. Phone/Fax: 503-429-9410.
Deadline is noon the Friday before each issue.
Publisher Clark McGaugh, clark@the-independent.net
Editor Rebecca McGaugh, rebecca@the-independent.net
Printed on recycled paper with vegetable based dyes
Opinion
Our Christmas List is done!
One item was crossed off our Christmas list re-
cently – Bring the troops home from Iraq. That’s in
the works. We’ve seen a number of news articles
about why the troops are leaving Iraq, but we are
just happy they are coming home. Now for the rest
of our list;
• Bring home all the troops from Afganistan.
• Release anyone in Guantanamo who is held
on evidence that is insufficient for prosecution in a
civil court of law.
• Close Guantanamo.
• Healthcare for all Americans.
• Education up to the level of interest for all.
• All U.S. manufacturing jobs brought back to
U.S.
• End pay disparity between upper management
and workers.
• End all forms of discrimination.
• End child abuse.
• End domestic abuse.
• End animal abuse.
• End drug and alcohol abuse.
• Make all politicians honest.
• Eliminate greed.
• Get rid of unrelated riders on legislative bills.
• Simplify the tax code.
• Take personhood away from corporations.
• Get rid of lobbyists.
• End homelessness.
• Eliminate poverty, hunger and hatred.
• Let there be peace on Earth and goodwill to-
ward all humankind.
Apparently we have been more naughty than
nice this year, as it does not appear that we’ll wake
up Christmas morning with all of our wish list un-
der the tree.
Merry Christmas
to All and a
Happy New Year!
Out of My Mind…
by Noni Andersen
Christmas is four days
from today; is this the
season of good will to-
ward all? If so, it’s not ob-
vious. During several de-
bates among Republican
candidates for president,
I’ve seen audiences en-
thusiastically clapping for
capital
punishment,
cheering about letting an unemployed, previous-
ly healthy 30 year-old die because he didn’t
have health insurance, and booing a soldier on
active duty in Iraq because he was gay.
Now, many of the same people are decrying
the “War on Christmas” with slogans like “Re-
member the Reason for the Season”, while criti-
cizing others for using the term “holiday” instead
of “Christmas”.
There is no war on Christmas, and the sea-
son doesn’t belong to any specific faith.
Throughout history, mankind has celebrated dur-
ing winter, and many modern Christmas tradi-
tions derive from elements of previous cultures.
Romans held a week-long mid-December cel-
ebration honoring the Roman god Saturn, which
included gift-giving. The Jewish celebration of
Hannukah, also held in mid-winter, includes gift-
giving and also pre-dates Christianity.
Other elements came from the Roman New
Year and the pagan Yule festival, including the
Christmas tree.
The origins of Christmas customs don’t make
Christmas less important, nor do they make
Christmas more important. But trying to make
the season solely about the Christian tradition is
futile, because it encompasses much more.
How about emphasizing something that in-
cludes all religions? Striving to live by the “Gold-
en Rule”, a tenet of all religions, would make us
much better people. Here are some choices:
Brahmanism: This is the sum of duty: Do
naught unto others which would cause you pain
if done to you. — Mahabharata 5:1517
Buddhism: Hurt not others in ways that you
yourself would find hurtful. — Udana Varga 5:18
Christianity: All things whatsoever ye would
that men should do to you, do ye even so to
them. — Matthew 7:12
Confucianism: Surely it is the maxim of lov-
ing-kindness: Do not unto others that you would
not have them do unto you. — Analects 15:23
Islam: No one of you is a believer until he de-
sires for his brother that which he desires for
himself. — Sunnah
Judaism: What is hateful to you, do not to
your fellow men. That is the entire Law; all the
rest is commentary. — Talmud, Shabbat 31:a
Taoism: Regard your neighbor’s gain as your
own gain, and your neighbor’s loss as your own
loss. — T’ai Shag Kan Ying P’ien
Zoroastrianism: That nature alone is good
which refrains from doing unto another whatso-
ever is not good for itself. — Dadistan-i-dinik
94:5
If we embrace our own faith traditions while
respecting the traditions of others, we may truly
achieve peace on earth.