We've had Jon Kyl (R-AZ) sobbing that working the week after Christmas was "disrespecting" Christians everywhere, Jim DeMint (R-SC) self-righteously declaring that it was "sacrilegious" to vote on bills before Christmas -- while admitting on Fox News that he was simply "running" out the clock" -- and Mitch McConnell (R-KY) sending out an email blast with a speech by the late Sen. Robert Byrd about not working on Sundays.
http://www.dailykos.com/...
On the other side of the equation, we had Brigadere General John Adams and Senator Harry Reid showing what whining hypocrites the Republicans really are.
So you be the judge...whose the most patriotic and/or "Christian" American? Who really cares about our country.
Brig. Gen. John Adams, has this to say about working on Christmas:
We have one-hundred-and-fifty-thousand US warriors doing their job over Christmas and the New Year, the U.S. Senate should do its job –
Echoing Brig. Gen. John Adams, Majority Leader Harry Reid blasted Senators Kyl and DeMint after they suggested working into Christmas week was offensive to Christians.
As Brig. Gen. John Adams said, "We have one-hundred-and-fifty-thousand US warriors doing their job over Christmas and the New Year; the U.S. Senate should do its job - and ratify this treaty." Sen. Reid denounced the duo, saying, "People who are lucky enough to have a job in these trying times need to work extra hours to make ends meet. So it's offensive to me and millions of working Americans across this country for any senator to suggest that working through the Christmas holidays is somehow sack sacrilegious. If they decide to work with us, we can all have a happy holiday. If they don't, we're going to continue until we finish the people's business."
http://www.democracyarsenal.org/...
VS.
Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) called Democrats' push to force through an arms control treaty and an omnibus spending bill right before Christmas "sacrilegious," and warned he'd draw the process out to wage his objections.
“We shouldn’t be jamming a major arms control treaty up against Christmas; it’s sacrilegious and disrespectful," he told POLITICO. "What's going on here is just wrong. This is the most sacred holiday for Christians. They did the same thing last year - they kept everybody here until [Christmas Eve] to force something down everybody's throat. I think Americans are sick of this."
Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's suggestion that the Senate come back the week after Christmas is an attack on people of the Christian faith.
"It is impossible to do all of the things that the majority leader laid out," Kyl said today, "frankly, without disrespecting the institution and without disrespecting one of the two holiest of holidays for Christians and the families of all of the Senate, not just the senators themselves but all of the staff."
Here’s the text from the Congressional Record, as cut-and-paste into e-mail by the office of the Republican leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky:
SEN. ROBERT BYRD (D-WV): “I will be brief. I am not sure I will use 5 minutes. Mr. President, in my office hangs the Ten Commandments. We have heard a lot about the Ten Commandments in recent years. I believe in the Ten Commandments. I believe we ought to respect those commandments, one of which says: Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy. I am not saying I am a good man. My Bible says that no man is good. No man is good. But I think we ought to show some respect to those Christians in the body, and in our country, and many people who are not Christians, our Jewish friends, who believe in the Ten Commandments. As a matter of fact, the Ten Commandments originate, as we know, at the time when Moses went up on Mount Sinai and was given the tablets by God himself, by the Almighty himself. So we believe that. I am a Christian. I may not be the best one around. I don’t claim to be. But I do claim to be a Christian. I believe that way, and I believe that we ought to observe the Ten Commandments. I think that this body, as the greatest legislative body in the world, together with the other body, in particular should set an example of respecting the various religions that make up our Nation. That is why I take the floor today. I think we are setting a bad example. I don’t think we are showing proper respect to Christians in our country, and all over the world, for that matter, by publicly failing to observe that Commandment, that we keep the Sabbath Day holy and remember it. I want to say I am protesting the fact that we are going to have a vote on tomorrow. I told my leadership I had hoped we wouldn’t have votes on tomorrow. I also offered to say, Well, it is fine to have votes after sundown. The old Sabbath ran until sundown. Let’s have any votes after sundown. If we have to have votes, let’s have them after sundown. I asked my leaders to consider that. They did, and for various reasons they decided not to–that we had to have the vote. I have to say as majority leader, when I was majority leader, I could have easily put this vote over to Monday simply by adjourning and not coming in tomorrow–which I would do, in this case. If this were an emergency, if something suddenly came up and it was a dire emergency, of course. You know the Bible says the ox may be in the ditch and we have to get it out of the ditch. But the ox is not in the ditch here. We have wasted a lot of time this year, and recently. We waste a lot of time. We are not in session when we could be in session. Then all of a sudden, here we are going to have this vote on Sunday . There are practicing Christians who like to go to church and want to observe this commandment. So I say of course I will be in to vote. I have cast more rollcall votes than any other Senator in the history of the country. I guess I will not miss this one. But I am protesting. It could have been otherwise. It didn’t have to be. It didn’t have to happen tomorrow. We could have had it earlier. We jam these. We have a way around here in the Senate lately of jamming. The leadership on the other side–I have to say the Republicans are in control of the body–they have a way of jamming us. Maybe we are all at fault a little bit. But there is no reason why we should have to come in on a Sunday, on the Sabbath, and have roll call votes. I protest it today. I hope it won’t be done again after this year. I hope I will still be living and still be serving in the body. I hope leadership will take this into consideration in the future and get our work done before the Sabbath comes and avoid having meetings on the Sabbath Day. It just isn’t necessary. It is not a dire emergency. If it were, as I said, and the ox were in the ditch, I would say let us get it out and let us go in and vote. If it is important to the safety of the Nation, to the safety of the American people, or whatever, dire, we have to do it, of course. I think the Almighty would waive the Commandment as far as that is concerned. I understand we have duties, but I don’t think it has to be done now. I want to complain about the way we have done the business of the Senate–lagged along and dragged along and come in and have voting sessions on late Tuesday or Wednesday or Thursday, and we go out on Friday. We don’t come in until Monday late. There are all kinds of reasons which I will bring up at another time perhaps and talk again about it. I am not thinking at this point that we are going to be able to waive this unless the majority leader will be of a mind to put this vote over until Monday. … Mr. President, I don’t see why we can’t have the vote today, or if not today, move it over until Monday. That could be done. The majority leader can easily do this, no question about it. I could do it when I was majority leader. I respect the majority leader, and I respect his doing whatever he has to do, but I am saying that a stitch in time would save nine. As one Senator, I say that we should uphold the Commandments. I have always felt that side of the aisle and this side of the aisle are highly observant of the 10 Commandments and make a big to-do about religion in this country. Why don’t we have a little religion here today and put this vote over from tomorrow and not come in on Sunday? Can’t we do that?”
Had Mitch the Obstructionist showed the least amount of leadership (with a small l) during the 111th Congress instead of opposing, obstructing, stalling, blocking, and filibustering every conceivable piece of legislation other than tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, there would be no need to be there on Sunday. They should be there until 01-04-2011 without any break whatsoever.
Jim DeMint will have "clerks" besmirch the sabbath by reading the START agreement, which has been available for reading for 8 months...on the sabbath, while he's down in SC basking in the glow of obstructionism .
Do John Kyl, Mitch McConnell and Jim DeMint think all the companies that don't shut down and give all their employees a paid week of vacation between Christmas and New Year's are anti-Christmas and anti-Christian? Is the military and all the brave soldiers anti Christian and anti Christmas for not taking a vacation from battle during the week of Christmas and New Year's eve?
Or does this vacation "perk" just apply to Republican politicians ?