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‘Tis the Season

“What, already?!” I hear you ask, a note of panic in your voice. Today marks two months until Christmas, which means that Christmassy stuff is already showing up in advertizing, and it is probably only a matter of time before they start playing Christmas (or should that be Xmas?) music in the shops.

In fact, I have heard that in the Philippines they have been playing Christmas music for at least a month now. But before we rush to judge, let us remember that they are living under a Marcos/Duterte government, and therefore are in need of all the jollity they can muster.

It has to be said, though, that generally speaking, Christmas shopping music is not an evoker of jollity. Particularly for those poor souls working in retail who spend their days hearing the same Xmassy album or two over and over and over again – something which should probably be covered by the Geneva Convention.

Which leads one to wonder: how much of the usual stuff done at this time of the year is actually being enjoyed by those who do it?

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The Tale of Jael

It always strikes me as strange when people interpret the Bible to say that women shouldn’t hold positions of authority (except possibly over children and other women). Have they not heard about Deborah?

Ethiopia (2357037964)

Not me – the much much earlier Deborah. She lived in a very low-government era, when the people of Israel were governed by a) the Law of Moses (which was short and straightforward enough that ordinary people could actually know the whole thing) and b) a judge.

This simple system had the frequent addition of an oppressive foreign overlord who made the conquered people pay tribute and generally ground them beneath his heel. Because there’s nothing like getting ground under the heel of the oppressor to make you realize (and regret) you’ve been oppressing others yourself: failing to protect the rights of widows and orphans, taking advantage of the poor, or failing to give the land its statutory holidays. (Yes, the actual land.)

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I Object!

I object (as previously stated), to the New Zealand government’s refusal to allow families separated by the border to reunite. They have chosen instead to allocate Managed Isolation places to sports teams, film people, yachties, and the Wiggles.

Not that I have anything against cricketers and the Wiggles, but it seems to me that “children have not seen parent in person in over a year” is a much more serious issue to address than “children have not seen Wiggles in person in over a year”.

Mom and Child at Airport

So this Tuesday, the 6th of April, I will be trundling off to Parliament to make my objections plain by joining the Reunite Families NZ Peaceful Protest. If you’re in the Wellington region and you agree that the government seriously needs to sort out their priorities, meet at the corner of Bowen St and the Terrace at midday.

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