Excerpts
The Case of the Pantyhose Caper, January 1995
Thomas Jefferson: Front and Center, February 1995 |
The Case of the Pantyhose Caper, January 2005
It was not intended, deliberate, nor premeditated. But the pantyhose caper became a very deceitful, yet useful manipulation of circumstances to make them look as I wanted them to. Here’s the facts, just the facts.
Turn the clock back twenty-some years. My mom was in a nursing home and Dad was having physical problems that created the need to move to a nursing home, too. Therefore, it was necessary to go through his many boxes of papers he had collected over the years in order to separate the important papers from the non-important. His physical condition did not allow him to do this task himself. His instructions were to be very careful to not throw away anything that had official content, especially one particular box. However, upon close investigation, the box contained only a few outdated newspaper advertisements, and under them were twelve packets of coupons offering free pantyhose.
I announced to Dad: “When did you send in your last order for pantyhose?” To which in response an irritated Dad answered, “Why in the world would I order pantyhose?” To wit, I answered, “Well, you have saved twelve pantyhose coupon packets in this box.” Response (in German): “Throw them away!”
Ah, but the temptation was too great. The coupons were saved and safely hidden behind a chair, and whenever a box had been thoroughly inspected and reviewed, a packet of pantyhose coupons or two was dropped into the box, and the announcement was made: “Dad, here is another packet of pantyhose coupons in this box.” The response was always the same: “Throw it out!”
In this way, I was able to dispose of eighty-five large garbage bags of totally useless, yellowed and smelly papers, while all papers pertaining to Dad’s existence were saved, collated, and filed for future reference.
What brought this caper to mind is the present political practice of “labeling” what does not seem to fit the political philosophy of this or that special interest group as “politically incorrect.” Who determines this allocation of labeling has never been made clear, at least not to this writer, and furthermore, who invented the term and the philosophy? Somehow it seems that the idea of political correctness is like the pantyhose coupon caper: When this lobby or that special interest group sees its pet political philosophy spurned, churned, or in some way ignored, they drop the “coupon” of political correctness in order to make it clear that something doesn’t jibe with the prevailing political philosophy, and is, therefore, non gratis in political circles.
Examples include reports that a little girl prayed silently over her lunch in a public school and is taken to the principal’s office. A teacher had a Bible on his desk—it was ordered removed. Another teacher cannot read from the Bible, but can teach children about Navajo Indian religion and read from a book about Buddha.
Anything Judeo-Christian, however, is not allowed. In June 1994, a ruling by the Supreme Court required that a plaque reported to have hung in its place for at least 50 years, displaying the Ten Commandments, be torn down. The irony of this is that the Ten Commandments are chiseled in granite on the walls of the Supreme Court!
Time and space forbid further examples. It remains for you and me to read books like Politically Incorrect, by Ralph Reed; When Nations Die, by Jim Nelson Black, to mention two books. But beyond the reading, urge such reputable books to be included in the town libraries and public school libraries of your communities. Your faith and mine is being marginalized, i.e. pushed to the outer limits of our society. But the historical picture is this: Edmund Burke said, “Religion is the basis of civil society, and the source of all good and all comfort.” Thomas Jefferson: “And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure, when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God?”
There is not reasonable cause to think that 218 years after the birth of this nation that religion is our worst enemy when in fact it is—and always has been—our only genuine defense against the death of our unalienable rights.
In 1995—Stand Up! Speak Up! Speak Out!
‘Till we meet again, go with God and God go with you. |
