Wes Clark, Christmas Warrior

Wes Clark sent out a holiday email to his WesPAC list today, subject line Happy holidays! (Take that, right-wing fanatics!) But the body of the letter showed what the theocrats are missing in this whole trumped-up "war"...

Consider how the letter opens:

Dear David,

I'm just wrapping up some last minute work here in Little Rock before Gert and I catch a flight to Los Angeles. But before heading out, we wanted to take a moment to send you our best holiday wishes.

Gert and I are really looking forward to spending a few days in Los Angeles with our son, Wes, our daughter-in-law, Astrid, and our two grandsons, Wes and Dashiell, to celebrate Christmas. It's a very special time of the year for our family, as it is for millions of Americans.

I hope that in the midst of this very busy time of year, with everything we all have going on in our personal and professional lives -- as well as the many challenges facing our nation -- that you are able to take some time to appreciate the joy and peace of this special holiday season.

If you analyze the language a bit, you see just how it manages to affirm the Clark family's own celebration of Christmas while avoiding any assumptions about whether the recipient celebrates it as well. "Holidays" is in fact the inclusive term for what everyone in our culture observes at this time of year: days that are sacred within both a religious and a secular frame of reference.

Wes Clark is, of course, an inclusive kind of guy. Bill O'Reilly and his ilk are not. Wes Clark, unlike Bill O'Reilly, has been in a real war and therefore knows that the word "war" is not one to throw around loosely to smear anyone who disagrees with you.

"Christmas", in the American context, used to be defined widely enough to include both theological Christians and cultural Christians. Just as nonbelieving Jews generally celebrate the Jewish holidays because they are central to Jewish self-definition, millions of nonbelieving Americans of Christian descent have felt comfortable celebrating Christmas as a cultural holiday. The religious and political right is actually trying to put a stop to that, it would appear, by twisting "Merry Christmas" into an implicit doctrinal statement. But it's part and parcel with their unyielding Calvinism.

Maybe we should all go on a couple days of "by the book" social action to make a point. Let's not say "Happy Holidays". Let's not say "Merry Christmas". Let's say, to everyone at every cash register, bank teller's window, restaurant counter: "Happy Birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ of Nazareth". In those precise words. If they look puzzled, say "We're not supposed to say 'Happy Holidays' any more, are we?" Y'all want religion, y'all are gonna get religion.

A couple years of that would be enough to quiet down the nonsense.

•  I got that email

  I thought it was good, I think this war on christmas is overblown. To me, a non christian, Merry Christmas is a sign of goodwill, but I understand why some prefer Happy holidays.

  by SensibleDemocrat on Thu Dec 22, 2005 at 11:07:27 AM PDT

•  Tomorrow

  is Wes's 61st birthday.  The 11th was Gert's birthday.  And grandson number 1 was born on Christmas day in 2003.  That is another reason these are special days for them.  I happened to be at the Clark Headquarters in Little Rock shortly after the birth of their first grandchild in 2003.  Gert had pictures that she was sharing with everyone and Wes had a bigger smile on his face than usual.  They really do enjoy this time of year a lot and even more so now that they have grandchildren.

  by mikepridmore on Thu Dec 22, 2005 at 11:35:53 AM PDT

•  With the Clarks

  we are extended family.  That's the way they treat everybody. Everyone should take time to celebrate something, even if it is to celebrate being here another year.  We are all connected and a part of an extended family.

  by ljm on Thu Dec 22, 2005 at 11:46:29 AM PDT

  •  Absolutely. n/t

    by mikepridmore on Thu Dec 22, 2005 at 12:03:12 PM PDT

•  Clark

  will do just fine as the nominee in 08.

  by eastvan on Thu Dec 22, 2005 at 11:58:30 AM PDT

•  I met Clark at a Patty Murray event

  in Vancouver, WA, after Kerry had the nomination last year. He and his wife were both very warm. There is another diary right now about a veteran in Arizona running for Kolbe's seat that is very enthusiastic. Several other "fighting Dems" are aiming for seats in'06. When Dems embrace ex military persons, many of them progressive, we will go a long way to dispelling the "weak on defense" label that has hung around our necks for many years.

  by gsp on Thu Dec 22, 2005 at 12:05:43 PM PDT

•  War

   The War of Christmas

  by Hegman on Thu Dec 22, 2005 at 01:47:31 PM PDT

  •  Rik Hertzberg on WOC

    Came home to find the latest New Yorker containing a great piece by Hendrik Hertzberg on the so-called War.  

    by DavidSewell on Thu Dec 22, 2005 at 05:01:24 PM PDT

•  wes, you de man!

  by stodghie on Thu Dec 22, 2005 at 08:15:50 PM PDT