Happy Christmas
John Lennon and Yoko Ono

So this is Christmas and what have you done,
Another year over, a new one just begun.

And so this is Christmas, I hope you have fun,
The near and the dear ones, the old and the young.

A very merry Christmas and a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one without any fears.

And so this is Christmas for weak and for strong,
The rich and the poor ones, the road is so long.

And so happy Christmas for black and for white
For the yellow and red ones let's stop all the fights.

A very merry Christmas and a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one without any fear.

And so this is Christmas and what have we done
Another year over, a new one just begun.

And so happy Christmas we hope you have fun
The near and the dear ones, the old and the young.

A very merry Christmas and a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one without any fear.

War is over if you want it, war is over now.

More properly the involvement of the American government, including our military, in the security of Iraq has been greatly reduced.

I am glad President Barack Obama continued the withdraw of troops from Iraq. Ending wars is difficult and I wasn't sure he would accomplish this promise.

It is good that Saddam Hussein is no longer a leader. But the war wasn't justified. Iraq did not have WMD's. Saddam Hussein was contained and not a direct threat to his neighbors. The argument that we saved Iraqi lives is compelling but we could have accomplished more elsewhere for the high price we paid. The war did not increase our security.

I am glad the war for us is over.

Members of Congress attempted to use taxpayer dollars to send out Christmas cards to voters. I like how Fox News tried to add it to their annual "War on Christmas" coverage with this headline:

There is no prohibition on Members of Congress using their own money from sending voters Christmas cards. But they cannot use taxpayer dollars as they do not serve a government interest such as informing voters what is happening in Congress.

I am not a fan of the franking privilege. The mailers I get from Rep. Elton Gallegly are basically campaign literature, except they were produced and mailed with our money! It doesn't include upcoming events like townhall forums because he is the only Member of Congress, of either party, from this region that doesn't hold townhall forums. There might be a public use from these newletters but they are often just used to help incumbents get elected again.

I very much enjoy the holidays. My faith is strong enough I don't need corporations trying to earn my money or politicians trying to get my vote to say Merry Christmas. Heartfelt cheers from friends and family are enough.

Note: During the month of Advent I am mostly taking a break from partisan blogging.

Did you know Martin Luther King had an impact on Star Trek by convincing an African-American actress it was important for America for her to stay on the show?

Our technologies change but the story remains the same:

Here is the top viral Christmas video of this season so far:

Merry Christmas!

This Advent season I am going to be calling on my readers to share their favorite Ventura County Christmas traditions.

Christmas is among my favorite holidays now that I am a father. In Simi Valley a long tradition has been the Becker Christmas House on Sycamore Avenue. I have written about it here and here in the past.

A young fan of theirs created a Facebook page to thank them for the joy they have brought to generations of young people. Our goal is to get 5,000 fans for their page by Christmas.

If you would like to write a guest blog entry on your favorite Ventura County Christmas traditions let me know. You can also post a comment on this entry. Merry Christmas!

http://thebeckers.homeip.net/index.htm

For Advent I am mostly focusing on subjects that should unite us. A way I have done that is to promote the causes and places that makes this place our home. The Christmas House on Sycamore is one of those places.

This is my entry from last year since I don't have much to add:

A long running tradition in Simi Valley is the Christmas House on Sycamore. My Mom brought me there as a kid and now it is my turn to bring young people there. We went the other night and I plan on going back to get better pictures. The same family has been decorating the house since the 1960's and it has become a Simi Valley tradition.

If you live in Simi Valley you know what house I am referring to when I say the Christmas House on Sycamore. If you don't, please move to Thousand Oaks or something.

If you want to check out their website click here.

If you know of other cool places in Simi Valley or Ventura County to go check out Christmas lights leave a recommendation with directions. I know there is the house with the model trains and there is another house in East Simi Valley a friend of mine told me to go check out.

A top favorite tradition of mine is Christmas lights. I really like coming home with my lights on. They seem to capture the idea of the season by making our homes welcoming.

What is your favorite local Holiday tradition?

Merry Christmas!

Check out their website:

http://thebeckers.homeip.net/index.htm

A young fan of theirs was moved enough to create a fanpage dedicated to this Simi Valley treasure. Please consider showing your support by becoming a fan on Facebook:

For Advent I have been focusing mostly on topics that should unite us.

The Simi Valley Samaritan Center helps homeless and near homeless people with a variety of services. I am interested in helping by issuing my readers a challenge:

For every person that posts something they will donate to a local provider of services for homeless people by the end of the year I will bring needed supplies to the Samaritan Center.

Post a comment with what you are going to do to help. The Samaritan Center always can use toiletries and socks.

Where we end up in life is a mixture of choices and luck. When I sometimes become proud of the choices I have made I try to remember all the good fortune I have been blessed with in life. I know I can do a better job knowing that the difference between myself and the people that need services from places like the Samaritan Center often are factors we don't have control over.

I don't want to leave an impression that I have made any major contributions to helping local homeless people. My contributions are minimal, especially compared to the many volunteers that have given so much to help out. While I am at it thanks to Kari Lev and her team for doing an awesome job with the canned food drive this year at Royal High School.

Check out their new website design:

http://www.thesamaritancenterofsimivalley.org/

Look at what my readers did last year to inspire me.

I created a fanpage on Facebook to honor their work. When it grows to a respectable size I will give control over to the center to get their message out. Let's make helping the homeless more popular than any local politician. Please become a fan:

This came in from a family member:

A friend's car had stalled when the police stopped and Steve Sojaka was in the car. They then gave her a $50 gift card from the Simi Valley Police Foundation for wearing her seat belt!

That's going to shock a few people!

Please become a fan of my blog:

For Advent I am focusing most of my blog towards issues and causes that unite us. In that spirit I took the suggestion to create a fan page on Facebook for the Simi Valley Veterans Plaza. Please become a fan and share it with others.

Next time I have a camera with me at the park I will post a picture of my grandfather's name that is posted there. He died many years before I was born but because of the sacrifices of many like him we are free.

Christmas traditions vary from country to country. In America many people complain that it has become too commercial. Advent Conspiracy is trying to change that perception. Their video above was brought my attention to this video by Kurt Fredrickson.

What traditions do you think we should promote this time of year, besides getting your Christmas lights put away before spring?

Click here to purchase Texas No Limit Dreidel.

For Advent I am moving away from covering local politics and instead I am focusing on things that unite us.

Games have a way of bringing people together. It is actually how I met my sometimes guest blogger and Republican campaign worker Owen Paun.

I like Settlers of Catan, Trivial Pursuit, and Pictionary. What are your favorite games that bring people together over the holidays?

The illusion above takes less than a minute and there is a high probability you will be telling other people to check it out.

Click on the image to see the website I found it on.

New things will be coming to this blog in the month of December.