Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
The spirit of giving was never really what you would call my strong suit. I was always more of a taker. My agenda could be readily summed up as a matter of what’s in it for me. But that recently changed.
Responding to constituents To the editor: You may have noticed lately that I have submitted a number of letters to the editor calling out Rep. Pat Proctor for his creative truths, outright lies and refusal to respond to constituents whose views are counter to his own.
It’s not ideas that currently divide the nation; it’s emotions, attitudes, paranoia and tribal loyalties. Rather than focused arguments over clashing values, Americans express a generalized sense of resentment aggrievement and grudge. That makes the chances of compromise increasingly remote and the prospects for resolution all but unthinkable.
On Saturday, the largest telescope ever built will begin a million mile journey on an Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana. While it’s a testament to NASA’s unmatched ingenuity, it holds unthinkable promise for humanity.
Before they scurry off to bed this Christmas Eve, many kids will set out a plate of cookies, a glass of milk and perhaps even a carrot stick for Santa Claus and his reindeer to thank them for stopping by and to help fuel the rest of their whirlwind trip around the globe. The ritual is one of many harmless little traditions that families repeat with a wink year after year to nurture a sense of holiday magic and wonder – and it’s one of the Christmas traditions my family didn’t indulge when I was young.
Two years ago, at age 52, nurse Amy Rosenberg had her first panic attack. She works full time on a COVID-19 unit but this day, she was sitting behind the wheel in a car wash and she felt trapped.
Every year about this time, my schoolmates and I would make sure we didn’t miss the classic Christmas tale by Charles Schultz and his hapless cast of childlike characters: Charlie Brown, Lucy, Pigpen, etc., and of course that adorable dog, Snoopy.
She was nervous about the birth of the baby and to make matters worse, they had to travel 90 miles for a census and pay their taxes. It was going to be a long and difficult journey, as she would probably need to stop and rest often for her swollen ankles and fatigue. Her husband was being so kind and reassured her once they got into town he’d get a room at the inn so she could rest.
Editor’s note: “Is There a Santa Claus?” is reprinted from the Sept. 21, 1897, edition of The New York Sun.