"I've been keeping my own naughty and nice list for Washington. So you should keep your eye on who gets K’NEX (brand of toys) this year. There are going to be some members of Congress who get them and some who don’t.” - President Barack Obama, Touring The Rodon Group Manufacturing Facility in Pennsylvania, December 2012.
December 25, 2013
Reprinted From December 12, 2012
By: Linda Case Gibbons
NORTH POLE
I receive so many letters this time of year, but I wanted to take the time to write to you specially.
I noticed last week when I was online (yes, I keep up to date on current affairs) that you were imposing a "Naughty and Nice” measurement on Washington.
Since I’ve had a lot of experience with that one – centuries, in fact – I wanted to make sure you understood how the whole procedure works.
Contrary to popular belief, not everyone is allowed to judge "Naughty and Nice” because the process has some necessary components.
First of all the person who is judging must possess the eye of a doting parent and an attitude of unconditional love to do it correctly. In point of fact, the process is less one of judgment than of support of the person being judged, if you can understand what I mean.
Over the centuries I have seen men and women and children struggle with their decisions. None would have been better with being judged "naughty” or even "nice,” and especially not if there were a personal or political bent to the judgment. That would never do.
I saw George Washington fall to his knees in prayer in the bitter snows at Valley Forge to pray for his army. I saw him confess to cutting down that cherry tree. He exhibited a fine character then that would serve him throughout his life.
I watched as Gen. Robert E. Lee paced the floor through sleepless nights, praying all the while, when forced to choose between his love for his country’s unity and allegiance to his beloved state of Virginia which had played so big a part in his country’s founding. He gave up his citizenship, his many years as a proud U.S. Army officer to lead the Confederate Army because he believed in his decision, whatever the consequences.
Another of your presidents, Abraham Lincoln had a grave burden to bear and paid the price for being courageous and making a decision that cost him his life. I saw a lot of character in the way he walked miles to repay a penny he had accidentally overcharged a customer. I knew he was a man of principle. I knew they would call him Honest Abe.
I also saw former President Richard Nixon have a terrible time during his time as president. While Washington, Lincoln and Lee have gone down in history as revered and admired by their countrymen, Nixon unfortunately made choices that led to his downfall and humiliation. Poor man.
Any one of them at any one time could have been judged, either naughty or nice if the judge did not look into the hearts of these men, another necessary component.
Now you may ask why I bring up America and its history. I’ll tell you.
I have watched over the world for a very long time. I have seen how hatred and greed have destroyed countries and people. I have seen that this country, America, is exceptional and I have seen many, many countries.
Did you ever wonder why there is constant war in the Middle East that is never resolved? Wars of hundreds of years’ duration, wars that never go away are accepted as normal. Have you looked to the philosophy of the peoples involved? There is an emphasis on hatred and destruction. It never works.
The American Revolution was an interesting war because of great determination on the part of a people who wanted something better, always a good thing. And goodness and faith won the day.
I know I am depicted as a "jolly old elf,” a magical, but largely fictitious person that at a certain time is best to stop believing in any more.
But I know for a fact that there is more to life than what we see with our eyes. I know there are miracles, yes, there are. There is magic. I have seen that magic in the world of men, but most particularly in America.
Part of it is that the country is based on a foundation of Judeo-Christian philosophy, a tradition which is open-armed, open-hearted and welcomes all to its shores.
Christmas is a religious holiday. I will not deny that and why should anyone? The man around whom the holiday revolves is a man who chose to create a religion based on a new concept -- love.
Silver bells, the crunch underfoot of newly fallen snow, the smell of wet, woolen mittens, and the baby Jesus, they’re all real and it’s all magic. Except to those who have forgotten what magic can do, what believing can do, or who might never have known. For those people there is only judging and sneering and battling for power and control. But that has never been true in America.
If only these people knew that doing the right thing makes everything come easy. A sure sign that your direction is not True North Pole is that everything is hard, battles are endless, criticism and division are rampant.
I remember during World War II there was a delightful little song that summed up the United States. It was called "Over There.” "Send the word, send the word, over there. That the Yanks are coming, the Yanks are coming…And we won’t be back ‘til it’s over Over There.”
The Yanks. There is the magic that is America and its people. I’ve seen it for I’ve travelled far and wide. And I have seen the pluck and determination that its people possess, the traits that are the foundation of magic and belief.
You hear it in their words. Americans have always been straight shooters. They never have brushed over or distorted important issues with trite phrases such as we are hearing today, "political football,” "fiscal cliff,” "kicking the can down the road,” "blame game,” "gotcha journalism,” "tax loopholes.” And they defend Christmas, other religions and people all over the world.
Now back to the reason I began penning this letter to you.
If I may say so, I find your judgment has not quite jelled. I don’t think you are ready to judge "Naughty and Nice.”
I do not want to presume, but you have some pretty big boots to fill if you take on Christmas, Santa and America, because you seem totally unaware of some of the more obvious problems, ones that would engage your ability to judge who and what is naughty and what is nice. So far, not so good, I’m afraid.
First of all, there are some folks around you that are naughty in ways that hurt others. In your own country there is that comedian, Jamie Foxx, I think his name is. His recent comedic comments were dismissed by many as tongue-in-cheek, but there is nothing funny about his words. You should speak out about the naughtiness of this.
Now that Seinfeld. He’s funny because he’s clever, but never malicious.
Right to work in Michigan – not your business. It’s a states’ rights issue, if I remember my history, and your attention would be better if focused on helping the survivors of Hurricane Sandy as you promised. Nice visit to the site of the devastation, by the way.
And also that fellow who is chairman of your Council on Jobs and CEO of General Electric, there you could exert some naughty-and-nice rhetoric.
It is your business to tell Jeffrey Immelt that his words about China: "one thing that actually works, state-run communism… may not be your cup of tea, but their government works,” are wrong. He can say what he wants, but you must not let his words go unchallenged because they are dangerous. I assure you, I have heard these words before.
I’ve seen with my own eyes 50 million Chinese citizens starve to death under Chairman Mao Tse-Tung from government-created famine, the result of totalitarian power and ruthless political dogma, enpowered by centralized control.
That’s Mao’s record, and by the way, I saw you included a likeness of him on a Christmas ball on your 2009 Christmas tree. That’s the people’s tree. The White House is the people’s house. Mao does not deserve to be there.
I have seen Chinese workers commit suicide because of poor conditions in factories manufacturing Apple products in China. Steve Jobs liked the efficiency and the low cost of doing business in China, where workers sleep in dorms so they could be available to work 24 hours a day and suicide-catcher nets were installed because workers were so despondent at the futility of their lives.
No nice American citizen should ever admire work ethics of this sort in countries of this sort. This is your balliwick, Mr. Obama, so I’ll leave it there for you to handle.
And I will leave to you the multitude of other things that need to be handled by a man of character. When you can sort them out, then maybe you will be in a position to talk about who is and who is not naughty and nice. It has nothing to do with who gets toys.
For instance, there is a war on Christmas! Can you believe that? My position on Christmas is already well known and I have heard you defend the Muslim religion with great vigor on many occasions, so I can only urge you to speak out now for Christmas and Christmas trees and Christmas carols and me.
Make it a national tradition to say Merry Christmas, not Happy Holiday. Decorate a Christmas tree, not a holiday tree. And while you’re at it, when you issue presidential edicts at holidays like Thanksgiving, include God. He likes that. I’m glad you put him back in your party’s platform, but I’m puzzled why he was taken out in the first place.
For me, I can only do so much, especially at this time of year, but I’ll continue to do what I do – spread the magic, the beauty, the joy and good cheer. And I know in my heart that Americans will continue to believe because they have never let me down.
Oh, by the way, I’m not a Democrat although I read that in today’s newspaper that I am. No, I’m apolitical. When it comes to important issues, any man worth his salt is always apolitical when it comes to his country.
Merry Christmas to all!
Hold the line, America.