Congressional Absurdity

I'm pretty certain that I would find plenty on which I'd disagree with Representative John Dingell (D-Mich.), but he recently read the following poem to the entire House of Representatives on the occasion of their passing - by a vote of 401-22 - a resolution "expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the symbols and traditions of Christmas should be protected for those who celebrate Christmas." It's nice to see that someone in Congress has managed to maintain both a sense of reality and a sense of humor about the ridiculous "war on Christmas" thing.

"'Twas the week before Christmas and all through the House,
No bills were passed 'bout which Fox News could grouse.
Tax cuts for the wealthy were passed with great cheer,
So vacations in St. Barts soon should be near.

"Katrina kids were all nestled snug in motel beds,
While visions of school and home danced in their heads.
In Iraq, our soldiers need supplies and a plan,
And nuclear weapons are being built in Iran.

"Gas prices shot up, consumer confidence fell.
Americans feared we were in a fast track to ... well.
Wait, we need a distraction, something divisive and wily,
A fabrication straight from the mouth of O'Reilly.

"We will pretend Christmas is under attack,
Hold a vote to save it, then pat ourselves on the back.
Silent Night, First Noel, Away in the Manger,
Wake up Congress, they're in no danger.

"This time of year, we see Christmas everywhere we go,
From churches to homes to schools and, yes, even Costco.
What we have is an attempt to divide and destroy
When this is the season to unite us with joy.

"At Christmastime, we're taught to unite.
We don't need a made-up reason to fight.
So on O'Reilly, on Hannity, on Coulter and those right-wing blogs.
You should sit back and relax, have a few egg nogs.

"'Tis the holiday season; enjoy it a pinch.
With all our real problems, do we really need another Grinch?
So to my friends and my colleagues, I say with delight,
A Merry Christmas to all, and to Bill O'Reilly... 'happy holidays.'

"Ho, ho, ho. Merry Christmas!"