Happy Oestre!

Okay, all you pagans:

Easter Origins
More about Easter
Easter's Pagan Origins
Pagan Easter

Time to celebrate Spring Solstice, Fertility, Jesus, Rabbits, or whatever... to me the whole thing seems like a celebration of the marketing of hideous crap, and maybe even some diabolical hideous crap.

But, I do have fond memories, however dim, from my early childhood, of baskets of candy. Now I am fat and loathe pastels.

Of course, it's coincidental that in the middle of all this is the ongoing Schialvo debacle, wherein the republicans, ever-vigilant guardians of morality, are using a brain-damaged woman who is kept alive by medical science as a vessel for their hideous political expoitation. In fact, they said:

"The pro-life base will be excited that the Senate is debating this important issue. ... This is a great political issue"

Republican point man Tom Delay, under investigation and heading for indictment, takes the opportunity that God has stricken this woman and her family with misfortune so that the world could see how difficult life is for him:

Speaking last Friday to a group of conservative Christians, DeLay proclaimed, "One thing that God has brought to us is Terri Schiavo, to help elevate the visibility of what is going on in America. ... This is exactly the issue that is going on in America, of attacks against the conservative movement, against me and against many others."

Poor Tom Delay. Poor "conservative" movement, whatever that is. They control all three branches of government in the world's last remaining superpower, along with puppet governments elsewhere, most of the planet's wealth and resources, but gosh darn it, the criticism really hurts their feelings! Oh, sob!

Thank God that, well, God, is on their side, and will inflict His wrath on anyone who says something bad about His chosen party. But wait - what about what these guys said:

"The United States is in no sense founded upon the Christian doctrine." - George Washington

"As the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion ..." - Treaty of Tripoli, 1797

"Neither a state nor the Federal Government can, openly or secretly, participate in the affairs of any religious organizations or groups and vice versa." - The U.S. Supreme Court, 1947

"The national government ... will offer strong protection to Christianity as the very basis of our collective morality.” - Adolf Hitler

So, happy easter, everyone... another ancient ritual celebrating the natural order of things. Seasons change. New life appears, while other passes away. Amazing, isn't it?