There are no plums in plum pudding -- Christmas traditions

In 1819 a certain Scottish lady -- so the story goes -- was preparing Christmas dinner when she had an unexpected visitor -- her local minister.  In haste, fearing for the minister's displeasure at her festive preparations, she hid the meal in its iron pot, fresh from the fire, under her bed.  During the next few minutes of what was probably sober conversation, the red-hot pot set her bed afire.  Fortunately, this event never turned into a Christmas tradition.

The Scottish lady tried to hide the evidence of a Christmas celebration from her minister because by the early 19th century there were still some religious authorities who condemned any festive recognition of Christmas.  Fortunately for our contemporary sensibilities, and also fortunately for our modern national economies, the Scottish minister's disapproval was rooted in a puritanical revulsion for public gaiety that was then in its final throes of fading from Anglo society.

Many centuries' worth of English history had created a wealth of Christmas traditions sufficient to overwhelm mere revolutionary attempts at stifling and subduing enjoyment of those traditions.  The practice of Christmas celebrations was a tradition that was already well-established for over one thousand years when the English Parliament, acting with the authority of the Puritan Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell, outlawed any Christmas holiday observance on Christmas Eve of 1652.

In 1661, less than a decade later, the monarchy and Christmas festivities were restored to England.  Almost two centuries were required to return Christmas celebrations to their pre-Puritan levels of acceptance and indulgence.  Victorian-era England accomplished that -- with some significant changes -- and in doing so bequeathed fourteen centuries' worth of traditions that have become closely associated with modern festivities marking the Christmas holiday time.

Here is a sampling of Christmas traditions, highlighting their history and how they became traditional:

My good friend the Muslim

A presidential candidate advocates precise tracking of American Muslims (Donald Trump); another, the bombing Islamic State terrorists in Syria until the "sand glows" (Ted Cruz; does this sound like using nuclear weapons, and if the result is glowing sand, would he not think that innocents could be harmed, too?); and also banning Muslims from traveling to the United States (Trump again). Bernie Sanders seems a little flummoxed by the whole Islamic thing.

Trump doesn't even have the after-thought and perhaps insincere decency to follow up his remarks, as he did a few months ago when he uttered his opening racist comments about Mexicans, by saying of Muslims in general, or even more particularly of American Muslims, ". . .and some of them are good people."

Public figures are saying things about followers of Islam that are, frankly, stupid, mean, hurtful and unfair.  Would it be surprising if an American Muslim were to say "Gee, I feel as if other people are looking at me like they don't trust me or they just don't like me?" I would be surprised if there were not a lot of that feeling going around right now.

Which makes me wonder something: 

U.S.A. -- "Thank you" to these people for the Thanksgiving meal

The following is written by Guy Heston, who is almost certainly Iowa's Biggest Fan in California.

As we celebrate Thanksgiving in the United States, let's give a shout out to capitalism, government regulations, hard work and the great state of Iowa.

Millions of Americans will sit down on Thanksgiving Thursday to enjoy the traditional turkey feast involving mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, various family recipe casseroles, cranberry sauce, pies, various in-laws and various football games on television.

The centerpiece of these feasts is of course the turkey, and there are thousands of ideas about the best way to roast, barbecue, smoke or even deep fry said bird. But what if the turkey weren't there? What if you couldn't get a turkey to prepare for your family feast?

U.S.A. -- Will we elect an "outsider" as President? (What makes a candidate an "outsider?")

Have Americans ever elected a president who had never before held elective office?

Yes.  Three of them, in fact.

Were they elected as "outsiders?"  That is, as candidates who were outside of the existing political system, and would bring in new ideas to reform and re-energize a government that had become unresponsive to the needs of its citizens?

No.  All three already had first-hand experience with government's inner workings.  By virtue of their experience, they were a part of the existing governing system.

America is deep into its quadrennial quest for national leadership.  One--and likely only one--thing is clear: 

Memo to Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York -- Re: Iran Deal

Dear Senator Schumer,

Your Press Release dated 08.06.15 describes how you have read the recently-negotiated agreement with Iran regarding its nuclear program.  It explains your reasoning behind your decision to vote to disapprove the deal.

Respectfully, I think that your reasoning is self-defeating.

Regarding the negotiated program of inspections and validations, you find that it is better to have the deal over the next ten years than it is to not have it, and yet the opposite is true for the succeeding ten years.  So, on the merits of the agreement, it seems that you are neutral overall.

However, it is said that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Clinton’s Blouse Versus Trump’s Blazer—The Sometimes Sad Media Coverage of the Presidential Primaries

(The following article is written by serial contributor Guy Heston, who has a life-long habit of spending vacation time in Iowa.)

We have fifteen months to go until the U.S. presidential election, plenty of time for quotable quotes, debate gaffes and such from the eventually culled list of candidates. We the electorate can endure that long process, but must we also endure the often silly media coverage? I never thought I would agree about anything with Sarah Palin (who has delivered a bonanza of quotable quotes), but her repeated references to “the lame stream media” have recently rung a bell with me, though probably not for the same reason.

U.S.A. and Iran -- questions about the deal

Admittedly, my understanding of the intricacies of the "P5 + 1 and Iran Nuclear Deal" is imperfect -- which puts me in good and plentiful company because my guess is that not more than 1 in 10,000,000 people on the planet have a perfect understanding of this agreement.

After reading overviews of the agreement, doing some research, and absorbing the reasons that some have for opposing the agreement, a few straight-forward "backgrounder" questions came to mind.  Here are those questions (some with answers); they could be directed to anybody, but probably most especially to those in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives who are opposed to the deal or thinking about opposing it:

2016: Last stand of the angry, old, white American voter?

Late July, and mid-summer is in full swing here in California.  It is hot and dry in the American West.  Except where it is hot and muggy.  It's not supposed to be muggy out here; that belongs in the Midwest, and the East, and the South.  Well, it's hot and muggy in those places, too.  And out here, even with the exceptional drought, and water usage restrictions, and a developing El Nino weather pattern that is bringing the unusually high humidity to us -- this is still California, the semi-mythical land that attracts the multitudes.

Including a multitude of 2016 presidential election aspirants.  One multitude in particular:  the Republican hopefuls.

U.S.A. -- How much honor is in a flag?

In the aftermath of the recent tragic killings at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina there has been much attention given to a flag used by the Confederacy during the Civil War.  You know the flag -- a blue "X" containing thirteen white stars displayed on a field of red.

This flag is central to the story of what happened in that church.  It is in that role because of its history. 

Have you noticed that the reports on this flag identify it as a "battle flag" of the Confederacy?  That is correct; it was not the national flag of the Confederacy.  What does this mean?

SCOTUS and the ACA: Entertaining dissent, Justice Scalia, but we deserve a better explanation from you

Today the Supreme Court of the United States -- SCOTUS -- released its decision in the case of King vs. Burwell.  Once again, the Affordable Care Act has been upheld by the nation's highest court.

It wasn't even close.

It was a six-to-three decision.  Typically conservative Chief Justice John Roberts, along with Justice Kennedy, joined the four liberal justices -- Kagan, Breyer, Ginsburg and Sotomayor -- to form the majority.  Roberts wrote for the majority.  Justice Scalia wrote for the minority, which included the reliably-conservative Justices Thomas and Alito.

U.S.A. -- Election 2016: The activist voter and Econ 101

About four months ago Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida and brother to and son of past Presidents of the United States of America, kicked off the contest for the 2016 presidential election by announcing that he was interested in the job.  Mr. Bush is still not an officially declared candidate, but a half-dozen other Republicans are, and also two Democrats -- Hillary Clinton and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.

What does all this activity starting a year-and-a-half or more before the election mean for the typical voter?

Reporting for duty, Captain!

Chief Science Officer on a starship.  That would be my career goal if I were starting my college education now.  If somebody were to ask me about what would be a worthy career goal as a way of selecting courses for college study, that's what I would say:  Aspire to be the Chief Science Officer on board a starship.  That should really stimulate the conversation.  Let the imagination run wild!

So what if science isn't for everybody?  (Not to mention traveling on a starship; more on that later.)  There are some who would say that college isn't for everybody.  Respectfully, I disagree on that last one, and I would restate the proposition in this way:  College has something for everybody.

In front of me is a list of over sixty vocational goals that can benefit from college education.  Here's a sampling:  accounting; advertising; architecture; aviation maintenance; business; child development; construction trades; computer science; culinary arts; creative writing; engineering; geography; health science; horticulture; interior design; journalism; medicine; music; nursing; physical sciences; pre-law; psychology; sociology; teaching; theater.

Conversation with a conservative -- Is there religious war between Islam and Christianity?

Many people disagree with me about many things.  Sometimes you should hear from one of them first, before you read my ideas on the subject.  This is one of those times.

Are we currently experiencing a religious conflict between Islam and Christianity?  Do the followers of the world's two largest religions have such different sets of social, political, economic and faith-based beliefs that they cannot coexist peacefully until the time comes when one is unequivocally predominant?  Are we asking ourselves these questions because of a rising force in the world that should be labeled "radical Islamic terrorism?"  Should the President of the United States clearly state that these things are so, and that America is in a battle with radical Islamic terrorism?

U.S.A. -- Has religion forgotten how to accept others?

Creating a law that would ensure that people can follow their religious beliefs without being "substantially burdened" by government would seem to be a worthy use of the time and efforts of a government's elected representatives.

In fact, Congress did just such a thing, and President Bill Clinton signed the legislation into law, back in 1993.  It was called the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.  It states that the Federal government may not "substantially burden" a person's religious pursuits, with certain exceptions which, after two decades, have stood the test of time as not being burdensome.

So what's all the fuss about over the similarly-named laws being legislated in Indiana and Arkansas?

Strange things today -- Congress and the Prime Minister of Israel, the Supreme Court, a Republican presidential candidate, and a Chevrolet

There are days when the strange and odd seem to be begging for attention.  Today is one of those days.

That it is a day for strangeness was impressed upon me when my path was crossed by an oddly named Chevrolet early in the afternoon.  In fact, though, the strangeness began much earlier with a morning read of the newspaper.

Front-page news was the story about yesterday's speaking appearance in front of the U.S. Congress made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  There were many strange aspects to that event, but the strangest to me was his statement regarding Iran's nuclear program that "nuclear know-how without nuclear infrastructure doesn't get you very much."  (Could that be interpreted as a sly threat to attack Iranian territory?  Some might think so.)

The pitiful remaining husk of Rudi Giuliani -- is this tomorrow's GOP?

“I do not believe, and I know this is a horrible thing to say, but I do not believe that the president loves America. He doesn’t love you. And he doesn’t love me. He wasn’t brought up the way you were brought up and I was brought up through love of this country.”

So said ex-New York mayor and former Republican presidential wannabe Rudi Giuliani, in what he probably intended to be the highlight of his remarks at an event promoting Wisconsin governor Scott Walker, a potential Republican presidential contender for 2016, on February 18.

There was a time, not all that long ago, when Mr. Giuliani was respected--and deserving of respect--for his public service.  A friend of mine worked closely with Giuliani and his team in the recovery and emergency work in the wake of the tragic attack on Manhattan on September 11, 2001.  My friend--whom I know to be a reasonably liberal Democrat--had high praise for Mr. Giuliani's leadership during many dreadful and challenging days. Giuliani has my respect for what he accomplished at that time.

Presidential election quotes: Here we go again!

(The following is written and submitted for publication on LeftWingCapitalist by Guy Heston.) 

Whether we like it or not, and many of us don’t, the presidential election season is already upon us. Roughly 21 months before the election, the good people of Iowa, home of the ridiculously early presidential caucuses, are being heavily courted. To paraphrase Ronald Reagan during his debate with President Jimmy Carter in 1980, here we go again.

But let’s look on the bright side.

What Do California and Kansas Have In Common?

(The following is written and submitted for publication on LeftWingCapitalist by Guy Heston.)

The governor is proposing to triple the tax on cigarettes! To add salt to the wound of those with certain vices he wants to raise the tax on most booze by 50%! That’s just the beginning! He wants to raise income taxes and spend more on teacher pensions and less on highways! This in a state that has a huge deficit! Good grief, can’t elected officials balance a budget?!! Forgive all those exclamation points, it’s just that as a taxpayer I get riled about taxing and spending and highway potholes.

I am not writing about California,

Government Waste or Smart Investment: You Decide

(The following is written and submitted for publication on LeftWingCapitalist by Guy Heston.)

My friends on the right often argue that liberals such as myself are hopelessly misguided taxers and spenders who will brazenly throw around public money like a drunken sailor. For examples of this argument, please see the Howard Jarvis TaxpayersAssociation website (http://hjta.org/) on which so many postings seem to rant and rave apoplectically about needless expenses from the public purse and overall government waste.

I suggest that in our eagerness to get all lathered up about waste we often don’t recognize the difference between an expense and an investment, and here are a couple of examples.

Let’s start with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS),