An excerpt:

<a title="Ron Karenga – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Karenga&quot; rel="nofollow">Ron Karenga – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In 1971 Karenga, Louis Smith, and Luz Maria Tamayo were convicted of felony assault and false imprisonment for assaulting and torturing two women from the United Slaves, Deborah Jones & Gail Davis. [5] A May 14, 1971 article in the Los Angeles Times described the testimony of one of the women:….

There are other details but I warn you they are ugly and not fit to reproduce here.

An excerpt:

<a title="Ron Karenga – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Karenga&quot; rel="nofollow">Ron Karenga – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In 1971 Karenga, Louis Smith, and Luz Maria Tamayo were convicted of felony assault and false imprisonment for assaulting and torturing two women from the United Slaves, Deborah Jones & Gail Davis. [5] A May 14, 1971 article in the Los Angeles Times described the testimony of one of the women:….

There are other details but I warn you they are ugly and not fit to reproduce here.

Summary: I have to agree with you about Kwanzaa, but from what I'm told by teacher friends (their required to teach this to 2nd graders); it's not a religious thing, just a cultural festival like Cinco de Mayo, St. Patrick?s Day, or 4th of July. I'm not saying I buy all of it, but they have the whole month of January to teach Black History Month and they start it off with Kwanzaa from the African-American culture. Really, it's the "golden rule" type of stuff from what I've seen. Is Christmas or Chanukah really that intolerant of others? Isn?t this where all of the winter breaks in school came from? Do we really need a nine month school year because it?s centered around harvest time? Too many questions I know so I?ll try to keep on track with Jason?s blog with Kwanzaa and Christmas.

Overall, Christmas versus Happy Holidays I'm not offended either way because my friends are so culturally and religiously diverse I try to know who has what going on when, but it is hard. There are so many religions/ceremonies out there!

What gets me more than anything else is that in our society (USA ? American and western European) it is supposedly taboo to discuss religion and politics. That shouldn?t be, but it is such a big deal. I just got back from a two week trip from Germany to visit and get to know my new mother-in-law better. It didn?t go so well after a couple of days because I was honest about my thoughts on religion and politics. No wonder you can?t say Merry Christmas in public even when you know the person is Christian. I was very surprised when the mother in law cornered me over Sunday breakfast, and said I wasn?t a true American because I didn?t support the president (which I don?t; I support the warriors, not the war) and that I hate cops (I don?t like two of my girlfriends husbands because they are tyrannical, but because they happen to be cops I now hate all cops; it was news to me); I?m a heathen because, my beliefs are close to the Roman Catholic traditions but I don?t blindly follow the pope on every subject. She said I should go live wherever I could find my ideals. But aren?t these questions of authority what the USA is founded on and I believe I am living in the correct country for me to question authority and live with ethical and moral standards of the society I accept? Just because this country was founded on Protestant Christian beliefs does that mean it is the only way to move forward? Didn?t our founding fathers say they didn?t have all of the answers when they created the Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights by saying we can?t get it all down now, and that society is going to change over time? They created a vehicle to be able to change these documents (the three branches of government – but I don?t want to digress too far off track) and that all religions would be welcome. If modern parents aren?t going to be open minded about saying hey, our ?black? friend Jackie is having dinner to celebrate Kwanzaa and/or the white parents don?t have any black, brown, or green friends no wonder the kids don?t have a way to learn about other religions/cultures and then maybe it does become the responsibility of the schools. What a squiggly circle I?ve gone.

If Kwanzaa was created by a man during the Civil Rights movement in the 1960?s to me it?s understandable how it takes so many years to be known and to be somewhat understood. With what our government and parents generations put people of color through to get any equality (I will leave women equality out of this), and if it?s another way to celebrate the golden rule with cultural diversity, ok by me.

Jason, to repeat from my earlier email (with some editing): I appreciate the differences and believe that by our choices in friends we will teach our children tolerance for other religions (and people). I believe that peace may be achieved by appreciation for differences versus religious world domination and not shoving my belief down the throats of my friends. Keep it all out of our schools (Christian or not) and maybe we wouldn?t have the problems of schools shootings and intolerance.

Jason, in your email you state: ?My son can't share any stories about moral right and wrong and good character traits from his "My First Bible" in school, but it's okay for his classmates to come in and tell stories about their parents big Christmas or New Year's Even parties, or the crap they watched on TV or in the movies, etc.? Part of me doesn?t know how to respond to that after what I?ve written in this response. I don?t know the social situation of an elementary aged child and the school, but if it?s what my parents did over the ?Winter Break? versus the crap on TV (I?ll try not to go too far off topic) I?d rather my child discuss going to church on Christmas Eve and dinner with Noni & Papa, and taking that to the principles office versus the kids discussing the crap other parents allow their kids to watch on TV, maybe it is a chance to learn cultural/religious differences. (Oh I?m in for a lot of trouble when our little one starts school!) I don?t know the answer.

In the end, ?Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you.? Be and let be. Peace, L

Summary: I have to agree with you about Kwanzaa, but from what I’m told by teacher friends (their required to teach this to 2nd graders); it’s not a religious thing, just a cultural festival like Cinco de Mayo, St. Patrick?s Day, or 4th of July. I’m not saying I buy all of it, but they have the whole month of January to teach Black History Month and they start it off with Kwanzaa from the African-American culture. Really, it’s the “golden rule” type of stuff from what I’ve seen. Is Christmas or Chanukah really that intolerant of others? Isn?t this where all of the winter breaks in school came from? Do we really need a nine month school year because it?s centered around harvest time? Too many questions I know so I?ll try to keep on track with Jason?s blog with Kwanzaa and Christmas.

Overall, Christmas versus Happy Holidays I’m not offended either way because my friends are so culturally and religiously diverse I try to know who has what going on when, but it is hard. There are so many religions/ceremonies out there!

What gets me more than anything else is that in our society (USA ? American and western European) it is supposedly taboo to discuss religion and politics. That shouldn?t be, but it is such a big deal. I just got back from a two week trip from Germany to visit and get to know my new mother-in-law better. It didn?t go so well after a couple of days because I was honest about my thoughts on religion and politics. No wonder you can?t say Merry Christmas in public even when you know the person is Christian. I was very surprised when the mother in law cornered me over Sunday breakfast, and said I wasn?t a true American because I didn?t support the president (which I don?t; I support the warriors, not the war) and that I hate cops (I don?t like two of my girlfriends husbands because they are tyrannical, but because they happen to be cops I now hate all cops; it was news to me); I?m a heathen because, my beliefs are close to the Roman Catholic traditions but I don?t blindly follow the pope on every subject. She said I should go live wherever I could find my ideals. But aren?t these questions of authority what the USA is founded on and I believe I am living in the correct country for me to question authority and live with ethical and moral standards of the society I accept? Just because this country was founded on Protestant Christian beliefs does that mean it is the only way to move forward? Didn?t our founding fathers say they didn?t have all of the answers when they created the Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights by saying we can?t get it all down now, and that society is going to change over time? They created a vehicle to be able to change these documents (the three branches of government – but I don?t want to digress too far off track) and that all religions would be welcome. If modern parents aren?t going to be open minded about saying hey, our ?black? friend Jackie is having dinner to celebrate Kwanzaa and/or the white parents don?t have any black, brown, or green friends no wonder the kids don?t have a way to learn about other religions/cultures and then maybe it does become the responsibility of the schools. What a squiggly circle I?ve gone.

If Kwanzaa was created by a man during the Civil Rights movement in the 1960?s to me it?s understandable how it takes so many years to be known and to be somewhat understood. With what our government and parents generations put people of color through to get any equality (I will leave women equality out of this), and if it?s another way to celebrate the golden rule with cultural diversity, ok by me.

Jason, to repeat from my earlier email (with some editing): I appreciate the differences and believe that by our choices in friends we will teach our children tolerance for other religions (and people). I believe that peace may be achieved by appreciation for differences versus religious world domination and not shoving my belief down the throats of my friends. Keep it all out of our schools (Christian or not) and maybe we wouldn?t have the problems of schools shootings and intolerance.

Jason, in your email you state: ?My son can’t share any stories about moral right and wrong and good character traits from his “My First Bible” in school, but it’s okay for his classmates to come in and tell stories about their parents big Christmas or New Year’s Even parties, or the crap they watched on TV or in the movies, etc.? Part of me doesn?t know how to respond to that after what I?ve written in this response. I don?t know the social situation of an elementary aged child and the school, but if it?s what my parents did over the ?Winter Break? versus the crap on TV (I?ll try not to go too far off topic) I?d rather my child discuss going to church on Christmas Eve and dinner with Noni & Papa, and taking that to the principles office versus the kids discussing the crap other parents allow their kids to watch on TV, maybe it is a chance to learn cultural/religious differences. (Oh I?m in for a lot of trouble when our little one starts school!) I don?t know the answer.

In the end, ?Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you.? Be and let be. Peace, L