Merry Christmas… Happy Hannukah… whatever. Just celebrate, be with your loved ones… and eat too much of stuff that’s bad for you.

But don’t forget to spend a moment thinking of those who can’t be with their loved ones today… those who are fighting a war on foreign soil that seems more and more questionable every single day. Think of those who will die before it is over… and those who may never walk again.

And while the Western world is awash with the feelings of Christmas, take a moment to think of how you are going to behave next year. Think of how you’re going to cope with the political rhetoric, the platitudes and the ideals of those in power. Think of how your perceptions might change next year given that Bush has now admitted to spying on the American public in the name of terrorism.

And my quote of the day? I love this quote…

“Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind. And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader and gladly so. How do I know? For this is what I have done, and I am Caesar.”

-Julius Caesar

Keep an open mind… but be wary of those who claim to be your friend.