Christmas thoughts

Today while you're sitting around with the family enjoying the holiday (whichever you choose to celebrate), give a thought or two to a few folks:

Think about the 20 children and their teachers who were killed in a(nother) senseless act of gun violence.

Think about the thousands of innocent men, women and children who have been killed in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Yemen in a murderous war carried out by our government.

Think about the men and women who were strapped down and murdered by their own government across this country.

Think about the men who were kidnapped and tortured in secret prison around the world at the behest of our government.

Think about the men and women serving inordinate prison sentences as a result of our government's war on drugs and our simplistic "three strikes" laws.

Think about the families that have been torn asunder as a result of our courts' daily assault on our Constitutional rights and a judge's desire to be seen as "tough on crime."

Think about those men and women who were exonerated after spending years in prison and having their lives stolen from them by the state and its agents.

Think about that young man or young women who's spending today in a jail cell because they couldn't afford to post a bond for a low-level misdemeanor case and a judge wouldn't grant them a personal bond.

Think about the families who have been torn apart because of an immoral immigration policy defended and enforced by our government.

No, these aren't cheery thoughts for a holiday, but they are a dose of reality. And, if enough people think long and hard enough about each of them, there is a chance, small as it may be, that something will change. But, so long as we sit back and ignore these matters, nothing will happen and many more will suffer needlessly.

Enough of the serious stuff for now. Here's a little Robert Earl Keen to put you in the holiday mood...