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As one who prefers one traumatic holiday at a time, thank you very much, I usually greet early signs of the Christmas season with a grinchy sneer. Again? So soon? But don't we have to eat, uh, turkey or something before we bust out the fruitcake? Oh dear God, is that Bruce Springsteen on the radio, singing "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town"?
Today, though, my kids and I helped spread a little bit of Christmas cheer by stuffing stockings for troops in Afghanistan. An area woman started this tradition several years ago with just a handful of care packages; this year, there were over 5,000 stockings that needed to be packed full of goodies. I watched my kids pour Hershey Kisses and candies and jerky and powdered drink mixes into stocking after stocking, and I was proud. My son, presented with a buffet of sweets, ate only one or two wrapped pieces (he had dropped them), because he knew that the treats were for other people. He insisted on packing his own stockings; he helped clear empty boxes away; he talked to everybody. At home he can be headstrong and grabby about sweets, but he wasn't either this morning--the job was bigger than he was, and he simply pitched in to get it done.
I live in a conservative area, and I know that those lovely volunteers (retired folks, military parents, veterans, church ladies) would be appalled by my politics, and my participation at Daily Kos. These are my neighbors. In the abstract, they would lump me with the libtards. But when they see me and my kids taking part in a project that's bigger than we are, well, maybe that makes me, and all Democrats, a little less of The Enemy. Bob Altemeyer, in The Authoritarians, reminds us that working together toward a superordinate goal can help open doors between groups of differing political backgrounds, and I believe it. Yes, we should smack down right-wing nonsense. But we should also extend our hands locally, when possible.
It's like the man says:
"Come on up for the rising
Come on up, lay your hands in mine
Come on up for the rising
Come on up for the rising tonight"
Rise above. Rise alongside. Work for understanding.
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Your Picks for Top Comments
From Puffmeister:
"A marvelous trio of comments.
In the newsy update diary by Nurse Kelley on beloved BF Skinner's health, a short, sweet trio of comments, by Arielle, then Mint Julep and then Eileen B - riff off of each other and together create THE best laugh I've had in days...
Here is Arielle's.
From peace voter:
Kogs step up in response to Giuliani's call to use the words "war" and "terror" in the same sentence again:
Addison
wry twinger
from wiscmass
From Thain Bertin:
Username4242 gives an explanation that may as well be a diary in its own right.
My pick:
A diet of all politics can be bad for you. Jonze sets it up... and Inland runs with it.
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Top Mojo is brought to you tonight by the letter "S" and the sublime sardonyx.
Top Mojo (cskendrick/sardonyx-style) excluding search-identifiable tip jars, first diary comments, and Cheers and Jeers:
1) Civilians must be invited onto base. by FishOutofWater — 129
2) Why did anyone ever think "bipartisanship" was a by RFK Lives — 107
3) Esquire's list by Kitty — 98
4) As always you rock, I love your diaries =) by evathia — 94
5) Well Hell, Now They'll Be Accused by CityLightsLover — 92
6) NPR was shockingly right slanted by president raygun — 87
7) Exactly by milkbone — 85
8) As much as I love by gchaucer2 — 85
9) Mara Liasson is well known for her right bias by FishOutofWater — 82
10) I just don't understand your concern, Fish. by RLMiller — 81
11) A Jewish friend of mine by Randomfactor — 81
12) But if you ask them how Acorn stole it, by RustyCannon — 80
13) I want to apologize for a post in your last by RLMiller — 80
14) What is going on here? Did the whackos by dotster — 79
15) The media is not alone on this. by christine20 — 77
16) They Aren't - by Any Definition by JekyllnHyde — 76
17) Oh, brother, people who can't understand the by Malumaureus — 75
18) contact them by Cedwyn — 72
19) I would bet that the 52% by KozmoD — 70
20) this may cost them some money... by Front Toward Enemy — 70
21) Interesting, isn't it? We are getting no by dotster — 70
22) We broke a record a few days ago, by shpilk — 69
23) way to cluelessly miss the point by RabidNation — 66
24) The story from Fayobserver.com by FishOutofWater — 65
25) Medicare for All: the better solution by MD patriot — 64
26) Money is money, even to Cafe Press. by chrississippi — 63
27) It really is quite baffling by tomjones — 62
28) I just wrote an email to them by Auntie Neo Kawn — 62
29) I hope this holds and gets through by kimoconnor — 61
30) NPR = FoxLite by MD patriot — 61
31) Excellent news - thanks by I love OCD — 61
32) put on a happy face by Debbie in ME — 61
33) {{{iriti}}} by triciawyse — 61
Top Mojo with No Exclusions:
1) Tip Jar by MeMeMeMeMe — 523
2) Tip Jar by blackwaterdog — 468
3) Tip Jar by bhlogger — 464
4) Tip Jar by jhawklefty — 422
5) Tip Jar by SantaFeMarie — 409
6) Tip Jar by bacalove — 371
7) Trying to get this diary up before my powef fails by Lefty Coaster — 356
8) Tips for Pres. Obama negotiating with China by FishOutofWater — 306
9) Tip Jar by charcharczar — 275
10) Fox News is a joke. by KingOneEye — 274
11) Tip Jar by Senator Jeff Merkley — 271
12) Tipped for a great diary, but rec'd for that last by RLMiller — 221
13) Tip Jar by Winter Rabbit — 217
14) No deragotory statements about by Colorado is the Shiznit — 184
15) Tip Jar by teacherken — 160
16) Civilians must be invited onto base. by FishOutofWater — 129
17) Tip Jar by slinkerwink — 125
18) Why did anyone ever think "bipartisanship" was a by RFK Lives — 107
19) Tip jar by it really is that important — 99
20) Esquire's list by Kitty — 98
21) Tip Jar by a girl in MI — 94
22) As always you rock, I love your diaries =) by evathia — 94
23) Well Hell, Now They'll Be Accused by CityLightsLover — 92
24) NPR was shockingly right slanted by president raygun — 87
25) Exactly by milkbone — 85
26) As much as I love by gchaucer2 — 85
27) Mara Liasson is well known for her right bias by FishOutofWater — 82
28) I just don't understand your concern, Fish. by RLMiller — 81
29) A Jewish friend of mine by Randomfactor — 81
30) But if you ask them how Acorn stole it, by RustyCannon — 80
31) I want to apologize for a post in your last by RLMiller — 80