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Mine was not a War on Christmas, but it was a war on values. Like the author, I'm a liberal and in my mid 30s. I was raised Catholic and was taught that the way to heaven was through forgiving transgressions and attoning for our own sins. I was taught "Thou Shall Not Kill". At the time, I didn't know there were exceptions to this rule.
Then came the Iraq War. When Bush was up for reelection I found out that my mother and two sisters were going to support Bush. They supported the war. I drummed up all the quotes and facts from various people (Powell, Rice, etc.) prior to the war that indicated Iraq was not an imminent threat. After going through all the material with them I would ask, "is the Iraq War justified?". They would answer "yes". I was blown away. I had known my family to be a forgiving, nonviolent group of people and in the span of one conversation I realized how disillusioned I was.
I read your article, and I felt your pain. It bothers me that anyone supports the Iraq War, but it destroys me to learn that the folks who taught me about peace and forgiveness only believe in that stuff on Sunday mornings at mass.
I love my family, but I am so disappointed with them that just writing this letter hurts. So, I'm going to go play with my two boys and my New Year's Resolution is if I'm ever able to teach them anything, I will make sure to be consistent and practice what I preach.
Merry Christmas.
