The Year In Churlishness

      Ladies and gentlemen, we must fight, with all the ardour and passion we can muster, one of the great scourges of our time. Let us take arms against a sea of nonsensical prissiness, and by opposing end it.

      Oddly enough, while I was writing this post, I received this forwarded story from RK.

All I wanted to say was, "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year"

I ran it past my legal department (as per standard operating procedures), and this is what came back!!!

From me ("the wishor") to you ("the wishee") please accept without obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, politically correct, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral, celebration of the summer/winter solstice holiday as the case may be, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all.

I wish you a financially successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2004, but with due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures or sects, and having regard to the race, creed, colour, age, physical ability, religious faith, choice of computer platform or sexual preference of the wishee.

By accepting this greeting you are bound by these terms that:-

This greeting is subject to further clarification or withdrawal.

This greeting is freely transferable provided that no alteration shall be made to the original greeting and that the proprietary rights of the wishor are acknowledged.

This greeting implies no promise by the wishor to actually implement any of the wishes.

This greeting may not be enforceable in certain jurisdictions and/or the restrictions herein may not be binding upon certain wishees in certain jurisdictions and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wishor.

This greeting is warranted to perform as reasonably may be expected within the usual application of good tidings, for a period of one year or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first.

The wishor warrants this greeting only for the limited replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wishor. Any references in this greeting to "The Lord", "Father Christmas", "Our Saviour", "Rudolph the red nosed reindeer" or any other festive figures, whether actual or fictitious, dead or alive, shall not imply any endorsement by or from them in respect of this greeting, and all proprietary rights in any referenced third party names and images are hereby acknowledged.

This greeting is made under Federal Law.

Have a good one anyway!!!

Ah, a wish for all seasons... Oh, and by the way, I'd also posit that people give this article a gander. This blog agrees with assessment that "The real clash of civilizations isn't between West and East, or modernity and barbarity, or Judeo-Christians and militant Islamists. It's between people with a sense of humour and the pompous potentates, cork-stopped zealots, po-faced bureaucrats and self-appointed saviours who infest the world, for whom every smile is suspect and every joke a threat." Methinks we have way too many prickly, humourless people protesting too much. Steel thyself with humour, and walk through life, as much as possible, with tongue firmly in cheek. Please.