Not quite Chanukah yet...

The Bull Moose steps up for Chanukah.

This year, Chanukah, the battle of the Maccabees against the tyrant Antiocus in ancient Greek- ruled Palestine, falls at the same time as Christmas. Chanukah commemorates not just a struggle against a foreign power, but against the Hellenist adulteration of the faith - a culture war.

In the past century, the rather minor holiday of Chanukah has been elevated because the holiday usually occurs at Christmas time. To many Jewish kids, it has become their version of "Christmas". It no longer has the impact of the commemoration of a nationalist rebellion, to say nothing of a culture war. It is about gifts and latkes.

The point that the Moose is making is that the beef that the right has over the "War Against Christmas" (or the War Against Chanukah) is not primarily with secularism, but rather with consumerism. The problem is not the ACLU, but rather capitalism.

In so many areas of the culture, religion and cultural values are not being debased by crazy liberals, but by craven capitalists. It is ironic that some righties are throwing a conniption fit about stores that display happy holiday signs instead of Christmas displays - they overlook, of course, the commercial exploitation of the religious theme. Genuine social conservatives cannot worship at the altar of the free market.

The religious protest is from the left right now. The right should get involved in protesting the moves of Congress as well. If this is a season of giving, then why is Congress TAKING AWAY from the poor and the needy?