 The end of the year is always a busy time with holiday preparations, family commitments and year-end deadlines. It is also the time of year that I like to sit back and reflect upon the past 12 months and consider what the new year holds in store. So much has happened at home and around the world this year that it’s good for the spirit just to lounge around the house, catch up on some reading and watch classic Christmas movies. For most of the year I pay close attention to current events in my community, across the country and to a lesser extent around the world. In recent years much of what I read and write about is political in nature. It isn’t because I have a particular interest in politics, but because the politics of the day have invaded the culture in ways not seen for a long time. This holiday season has not escaped the cultural and political influences that have impacted us all, in both good ways and bad. Three scenes come to mind this holiday season which exemplify the collision of culture, religion and politics. These scenes have had a profound impact on many of us. They will become part of the fabric of Christmas 2025 and will follow us into the new year.    Tentative Peace in the Middle East: For the past two years I have written that there will be no peace in the Holy Land this Christmas. Thankfully in October Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of a multi-step peace deal which put a stop to most of the violence. The horrendous two-year Israel-Hamas war destroyed most of Gaza, displaced nearly two million inhabitants and killed tens of thousands of Palestinians. There are a lot of hurdles to overcome to ensure lasting peace. These include the disarming of Hamas, the deployment of an international security force, the establishment of a new government, the withdrawal of Israeli troops, addressing the humanitarian crisis and coordinating the massive rebuilding effort.  In the Middle East peace is never guaranteed, but at least for this December, holiday festivals are coming back to the Holy Land. The atmosphere in Jerusalem and Bethlehem is more festive this year. Public holiday bazaars, concerts and events are underway to celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas. Hanukkah lights decorate the streets of Jerusalem, Christmas markets have returned, and Christmas trees illuminate Manger Square and other public places. Joseph Hazboun, conductor of a Catholic choir in Bethlehem put it best when he said, “We continue to pray for peace. This is the land of peace, it’s the land where the Prince of Peace was born, and we continue to pray and hope that one day we all will enjoy peace”. We can all hope that the tentative ceasefire turns into lasting peace in this troubled region.  Churches Protest ICE Immigration Raids: Nativity scenes have been part of Christian celebrations of Christmas for centuries. They depict the birth of Jesus in a manger and include figures of Mary and Joseph, farm animals, shepherds and sometimes the three wise men. I have two Nativity scenes displayed in my house, and others may be seen inside and outside of churches. This year several Nativity scenes outside of churches have taken on a new look and have become part of the nationwide protests against the mistreatment of immigrants by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Outside a church in Evanston, Illinois a Nativity scene includes figures of Mary and Joseph in gas masks, and the hands of the baby Jesus are bound with zip ties. The display also includes three Roman soldiers wearing ICE vests. Church groups across the country have modified Nativity scenes to protest against what is seen as unchristian treatment of our fellow human beings. The Nativity scene is a powerful reminder that Jesus was born into poverty, was persecuted and often had to live in the shadows. He was born during a Roman imperial occupation, fled to Egypt with his family to escape political violence, and lived the life of a refugee. In November the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a rare Special Message addressing its concerns over the policies impacting immigrants in the United States. The message was a rebuke of the Trump Administration’s inhumane targeting, detention and deportation of immigrants. The message states that the bishops recognize the fundamental dignity of all persons, including immigrants, and that the treatment of immigrants under the Trump Administration is contrary to the Bible and the teachings of Jesus Christ.  Gunmen Kill Jews at Hanukkah Celebration in Australia: On December 14, 2025, two gunmen killed fifteen people and injured several more during a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. Authorities have revealed that the killings were a targeted attack on Jews and are designating it as a terrorist attack inspired by Islamic State. Antisemitism in Australia and in other parts of the world has intensified since the Israeli military campaign started in the Gaza strip in response to the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The fighting has mostly stopped in Gaza, but the hatred between the Israelis and Palestinians will not be so easily quelled. Mass shootings in Australia are rare due to strict gun regulations. Unlike in the United States, the Australian government has acted in the aftermath of gun violence to prevent its recurrence. Assault rifles, semiautomatic weapons, and shot guns have been banned to mitigate the likelihood of mass shootings. In the aftermath of the Bondi Beach killings, the Australian government plans to further restrict access to guns by limiting the number of guns an individual can own. It will soon launch a major buyback program to reduce the number of guns in circulation. New gun restrictions won’t reduce antisemitism or the hate someone carries in their heart. But it can lessen the damage done when someone acts upon their hatred. Expressions of hate towards others should not be tolerated, and we should all be willing to call it out when witnessed. Expressions of hate are on the rise in this country. I attribute this in part to the divisive nature of our politics and the lack of moral authority in our elected leaders. We need to rise above our differences and hold our leaders to a higher standard of acceptance and tolerance of others than currently exists.  I recently attended a production of “All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914” at a local theater. Through songs and spoken words the stage production brought to life the accounts of British, French and Germany soldiers along the Western Front during World War I. Enemy soldiers put down their guns, climbed out of their trenches, and gathered in No Man’s Land during an unofficial truce to celebrate Christmas 1914. Food and drinks were shared, gifts exchanged and songs were sung. Christmas services were jointly celebrated, and the fallen were removed from the battlefield. Even during the horrors of trench warfare, the soldiers who participated in the Christmas Truce of 1914 never lost their humanity or their empathy for those they opposed. It demonstrates that even during the darkest of times people are capable of finding an inner light to rekindle their humanity. Thankfully we are not experiencing the horrors of war, but for some people these are dark and uncertain times. At such times it will be our shared humanity and compassion for others that will see us through.  If you enjoy reading this type of commentary, please subscribe to my blog and tell a friend. You will receive an email notification when new blogs are posted. The email will come from the site’s email: armchairamerican1776 @gmail.com.
Thanks, Armchair American
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 In my first blog post of 2025 I wrote that the start of Trump’s second term was a blitzkrieg of executive orders, policy pronouncements and personnel purges. With a neutered Congress and compliant Supreme Court, Trump’s campaign of “shock and awe” continued unabated. For the average American it has been difficult to keep up with, much less understand all the implications of Trump’s actions this year. That’s where Santa comes in. Santa has been keeping an extensive list of the president’s words and deeds to determine if he makes his “naughty’ or “nice” list this year. I put together a partial list of Trump’s actions so that you would have an opportunity to determine which list you would put the president on. We will leave it up to Santa to compile the complete list and render a final judgement. There are still a few weeks left in the year, so there’s no telling what mischief our commander in chief will get up to.  Words and Deeds of Donald Trump Granted pardons or clemency to everyone charged in Naughty □ Nice □ connection with the Capitol attack on January 6, 2021. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Terminated diversity, equity and inclusion programs Naughty □ Nice □ across the federal government. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to “Gulf of America”. Naughty □ Nice □ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Antagonized Canada by calling for it to become the 51st Naughty □ Nice □ state of U.S. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement. Naughty □ Nice □ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Halted approvals for new wind farms. Naughty □ Nice □ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Ordered the expansion of the mining and burning of coal. Naughty □ Nice □ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Ended the subsidies for electric vehicles. Naughty □ Nice □ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Ordered the E.P.A. to unwind more than two dozen Naughty □ Nice □ protections against air and water pollution. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Pressured law firms he opposed to provide a total of Naughty □ Nice □ $600 million in free legal services to causes he supports. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Pressured major news outlets to pay multi-million-dollar Naughty □ Nice □ fines for broadcasting segments he disapproved of. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Threatened major colleges and universities with funding Naughty □ Nice □ cuts if they didn’t implement his policy changes and accept monetary fines. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Declared a national emergency at the border with Mexico. Naughty □ Nice □ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Sent 1,500 additional troops to secure U.S. border with Naughty □ Nice □ Mexico. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Withdrew the U.S. from the World Health Organization. Naughty □ Nice □ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Triggered a trade war by imposing import tariffs on nearly Naughty □ Nice □ every country in the world. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Ordered the treasury to stop producing pennies. Naughty □ Nice □ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Accepted a $400 million luxury jet from Qatar. Naughty □ Nice □ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Gave federal recognition to the Lumbee Tribe of Naughty □ Nice □ North Carolina. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Instituted changes to support the growth of the Naughty □ Nice □ cryptocurrency industry. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Called for the annexation of Greenland. Naughty □ Nice □ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Offered a private dinner and White House tour to the top Naughty □ Nice □ buyers of his Trump meme coin. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Eliminated most foreign aid spending. Naughty □ Nice □ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development Naughty □ Nice □ (USAID). ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Eliminated most funding for the broadcaster Voice of America. Naughty □ Nice □ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Eliminated funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting Naughty □ Nice □ which finances NPR and PBS. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Pushed to ban petroleum-based food coloring. Naughty □ Nice □ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Fired nearly 10,000 employees from the Department of Health Naughty □ Nice □ and Human Services. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Cancelled funding for dozens of studies on new vaccines and Naughty □ Nice □ treatments for Covid-19 and other infectious diseases. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Canceled flights for refugees already approved to travel to Naughty □ Nice □ the U.S. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Imposed a moratorium on immigration from Africa and other Naughty □ Nice □ 3rd world countries except for white Afrikaners from South Africa. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport immigrants to Naughty □ Nice □ El Salvador. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Sent thousands of I.C.E. agents to American cities to roundup, Naughty □ Nice □ detain and deport suspected illegal immigrants, denying them due process of law. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Deployed the National Guard to Democratic led cities to Naughty □ Nice □ support I.C.E.’s immigration enforcement. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Denigrated Somali immigrants living legally in this country by Naughty □ Nice □ calling them “garbage”. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Fired most staff of the Department of Education and called Naughty □ Nice □ for its elimination. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Extended tax cuts to the wealthy while cutting federal food and Naughty □ Nice □ medical assistance programs for the poor. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Authorized the military to target and kill suspected drug Naughty □ Nice □ traffickers on boats in the Caribbean. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Demeaned female reporters by calling some “stupid”, “ugly”, Naughty □ Nice □ “piggy” and “terrible reporters”. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Demolished the East Wing of the White House to build a Naughty □ Nice □ $300 million ballroom. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________  By now you are probably rolling your eyes and would rather be thinking about the upcoming holidays. Just know that Santa is on the job and will continue to monitor our dear leader and keep his “naughty” or “nice” list up to date.
I am looking forward to 2026 for the many opportunities it will provide to get things “right”, as individuals and as a country. No one man, faction or party define who we are as Americans. I still believe in the basic decency of the American people and the notion that we can rise above the politics that divide us. The new year will provide us the opportunity to celebrate our 250th anniversary as a country and remind us of the foundational principles which we can all agree on. The mid-term elections will provide Americans a real chance to participate in our democracy, let our voices be heard and help to forge a more perfect union.  If you enjoy reading this type of commentary, please subscribe to my blog and tell a friend. You will receive an email notification when new blogs are posted. The email will come from the site’s email: armchairamerican1776 @gmail.com. Thanks, Armchair American |
AuthorThe Armchair American. 
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