It's about time to change the words of the national anthem. How would the "Star Spangled Banner" sound if that flag was being flown "o'er the land of the fickle and the home of the contentious"? Considering today's tempest in a teapot over President Barack Obama's "God-less" Thanksgiving speech, it sounds right on the money to me.
Seems our commander in chief went secular on one of the few holidays celebrated by people of every single blessed faith. He didn't bring up God at all. And if you think that's bad, why, just a few months ago, people were all P-O'd that our president was daring to show up at a National, gasp, PRAYER breakfast! Oh wait ...
On behalf of the right wingnuts currently in a kerfuffle over the president's failure to thank the big JC and his pops for his holiday turkey, let's look at how many times the pres has name dropped a deity!
1. Can we talk about the very moment he became our president? President Obama not only put his hand on a Bible as he took his oath of office, but he followed up a whole lot of promises with "so help me God." That's right, he even used his name!
2. Libya, Libya, Libya. Stressful stuff for a stressed out pres. No wonder he told Diane Sawyer he spent time, ahem, praying to get through it all.
3. Did you hear who Obama trusts to get the economy running again? Oh right! It's God! Said the big cheese earlier this month, "I trust in God, but God wants to see us help ourselves by putting people back to work." OK, so he may have been poking fun at the Republicans for wasting time voting on mottos instead of something more pressing (economy, cough, cough), but he used his name. TWICE!
4. Whoa, do you remember what happened at the 9/11 memorial at Ground Zero a few months ago? The president got up on a dais and started reading from this book called the Bible. And from the psalms, he actually picked number 46, which starts with the words: "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." TRIPPY!
5. Holy moly! Our president actually seems to have read some more of that Bible. Or at least the part about Jesus and the sermon on the mount. He cited the story during a speech at Georgetown University in 2009.
6. Not only did our president show up at a Catholic university -- Notre Dame -- a few years back, but he used the Lord's name in his speech!
Fox News, et. al, you are absolutely right. President Barack Obama does indeed have a God problem. He can't stop talking about him! Quick, somebody set up an intervention!
Or maybe -- and I know this is just completely nutters mcgee -- but MAYBE Americans could stop trying to make a fuss over every single blessed thing the president doesn't say? Save the outrage for when he actually opens his mouth and sounds like an idiot?
If he's said it at least six times, I think it's pretty obvious he believes. If we could stop being so darn fickle, maybe we could all have a Merry Christmas (yeah, I didn't say Happy Holidays). But then, this is the home of the contentious ...
Who did you thank this holiday?
Image via White House Photostream/Flickr