The Pendragon's Hall

The irreverent Pendragon had a thought when I was in, let's say a rather delicate position. Fearing he would have to reach under the neighboring stall for a roll of toilet paper, it occurred to me that perhaps this is all the poor Larry Craig was doing when he was busted for solicitation. It could so easily have happened that way. The guy is out of toilet paper and he sees one on the floor of the next stall so he reaches in to grab it, not knowing that the guy next door was a homophobe who sees gays behind every tree. Well, hopefully he learned his lesson.

Merry Christmas, everyone! Remember to think of the men and women who put their lives on the line for us to enjoy this holiday in freedom and peace.


T'was the night before Christmas,
He lived all alone,
In a one bedroom house, made of plaster and stone.
I had come down the chimney, with presents to give,
And to see just who, in this home, did live.
I looked all about, a strange sight I did see,
No tinsel, no presents, not even a tree.
No stocking by mantle, just boots filled with sand,
On the wall hung some pictures of far distant lands.
With medals and badges, awards of all kinds,
A sober thought, came through my mind.
For this house was different, it was dark and dreary,
I found the home of a soldier, once I could see clearly.
The soldier lay sleeping, silent, alone,
Curled up on the floor, in this one bedroom home.
The face was so gentle, the room in such disorder,
Not how I had pictured an American soldier.
Was this the hero, of whom I'd just read?
Curled up on a poncho, the floor for a bed?
I realized the families, that I saw this night,
Owed their lives to these soldiers,
Who were willing to fight.
Soon round the world, the children would play,
And grownups would celebrate, a bright Christmas day.
They all enjoyed freedom, each month of the year,
Because of the soldiers, like the one lying here.
I couldn't help wonder, how many lay alone,
In a cold Christmas eve, in a land far from home.
The very thought brought, a tear to my eye,
I dropped to my knees, and started to cry.
The soldier awakened, and i heard a rough voice,
"Santa don't cry, this life is my choice;
I fight for freedom, i don't ask for more,
My life is my god, my country, my corps."
The soldier rolled over, and drifted to sleep,
I couldn't control it, i continued to weep.
I kept watch for hours, so silent and still,
And we both shivered, from the cold night's chill.
I didn't want to leave, on that cold, dark, night,
This guardian of honour, so willing to fight.
When the soldier rolled over, with a voice soft and pure,
Whispered, "Carry on Santa, it's Christmas Day & all is secure."
One look at my watch, and I knew he was right.
Merry Christmas my friend, and to all a good night.

This primary season is getting frustrating. Mike Huckabee joins a swelling list of candidates the Pendragon can simply not stomach. While claiming to be the perfect Christian conservative, Huckabee is simply not consistent. He is perfectly willing to open the borders to everyone (which makes him weak on two important issues: immigration and national security). Huckabee also represents the resurgence of selfish isolationist republicanism best embodied by the 1920s not the 1980s. He has accused Bush of "arrogant bunker mentality," certainly not a conservative position. Despite his anti-sodomy rhetoric, he publicly declared as governor of Arkansas that he agreed with a decision in which the Supreme Court struck down anti-sodomy laws enacted by the states because he thought each state should make their own decision. How very Stephen Douglas of him. And guess what? Douglas was a Democrat. So why does this blend of Bill Clinton's slick salesmanship and Jimmy Carter's preachy blandness deserve to carry the standard of Lincoln's party? The Pendragon sincerely hopes Americans won't be taken in again by a trickster from Hope, Arkansas.

And if anyone is keeping track, this is the current list of not-until-Hell-freezes-over candidates: Hillary Clinton, Rudy Giuliani, Barack Obama, John Edwards, Mike Huckabee, Ron Paul, Fred Thompson, Tom Tancredo and Dennis Kucinich. The possibilities are only: Mitt Romney, John McCain, Bill Richardson, Joe Biden and Alan Keyes (who apparently is running).

Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney delivered an inspiring speech on the importance of freedom of religion at the George Bush Presidential Library this evening. He struck the absolute right note--he gamely admitted the role his Mormon faith plays in his life but denied that he would be "a Mormon president." He promised to be the president of all Americans, which was a given for anyone who knows anything about American politicians. He noted that his father, a devout Mormon, led volunteer organizations and marched with Martin Luther King. He implied the question that has been burning in my mind since the announcement: Why in the name of all that is holy can't a Mormon be President? What is it that disqualifies him? If Catholics can't be disqualified on the belief that they actually eat the body and drink the blood of Christ at communion, there is little that should count against a candidate of faith. Romney drew blood when he declared unequivocally and with no obvious stammering, that Jesus Christ is "the Son of God, and savior of mankind." He has referred to Christ as his "personal savior" several times on the campaign trail. I'm not an expert theologian but isn't a belief in the divinity of Jesus Christ pretty much all that makes a Christian? Am I (gasp!) suggesting that Mormonism be included in the religion? Not at all. Even Romney admitted that different Mormons have different views on Christ. But is it possible that someone could worship in a Mormon church and believe in Jesus Christ the way ordinary Christians do and go to Heaven when they die? I don't know for sure, but why not? But the fact of the matter is, it shouldn't matter. What is being debated this year is Mitt Romney's fitness for the presidency, not the state of his eternal soul. He is, if anything, overqualified, for the job. Romney confidently declared that the American people would not vote for a President based on his religion, but said that if he was wrong, "so be it." He would not back away from the faith of his fathers. He should not have to.

The Pendragon has less faith than Romney in this regard. Even on something as stupid as "Dancing with the Stars" Americans tend to rate likability higher than competence. Marie Osmond went to the finals of the show despite having less dancing ability than most couples who exited in the first couple weeks. The reason? Fans liked her. This does explain why Rudy Giuliani and Barack Obama are doing so well in the polls but it is hardly reassuring.

This is rich. Hillary apparently is concerned at keeping Iowa for the Iowans. Too bad she wasn't so ethically particular when she decided to run for senate in a state she never lived in. If Obama hits her back with that, he can destroy what little credibility she has left.

Every now and then a TV show comes along that makes you think. CW's "Supernatural" is just such a show. The series follows two brothers and their father who have dedicated their lives to hunting down the demon that killed their mother. As could be expected from such a premise, the show is dark and contains horrors neither for children or the faint of heart. It would be tempting for many Christians to dismiss the series as occultic and probably do another pointless boycott. The Pendragon sincerely hopes they won't--"Supernatural" has become my favorite TV show, and it's not because of gory death scenes featuring ghosts and spirits. It's because of the worldview it promotes. A curious viewer asked series producer Eric Kripke if he intended to give angels and saints the same extensive treatment he gives demons, ghosts, spirits, and the like. His response was that he wants to communicate that evil is real and tangible while angels are "more elusive." Following up this interesting statement, he suggested that God doesn't work through angels the way the devil uses demons. "God works through humans," Kripke says, "sweaty, flawed humans." The worldview promoted by this show is that evil is real but that God is equally real and using fallible human beings to fight it. The Pendragon is about to report a very rare disagreement with his mentor C.S. Lewis: focus on the supernatural is not "an equal and opposite error" on par with ignoring the supernatural altogether. TV shows that deal at all with the subject try to trivialize it. Another new show, "Reaper," tells how the rascally old devil uses a couple 21-year-olds to hunt down escaped souls and return them to Hell. There is no God, but equally there is no sense of evil. The devil is just a good ol' boy who is actually doing the human race a favor by keeping evil people in hell. There is no sense that he is trying to drag the whole human race there, he even gamely admits, "I've seen how this all plays out. God wins in the end." But the area of the supernatural is not an area for comedy. It is a serious thing, an epic battle for the souls of mankind. "Supernatural" captures the truth in a way few TV shows have ever done. Let's hope people are really listening.

Now I've heard it all. The thugs arrested in the death of Washington Redskins star Sean Taylor are actually mounting a defense based on the fact that they "didn't know" Taylor would be home and only intended to rob him, not kill him. When the courageous football player intervened not only to protect his possessions, but also his fiancee, they shot him and left him to die. Well that makes it all better. We weren't going to kill, we were only going to rob him. The rotten pig deserved to die, didn't he? Officer, I swear: the gun went off. The idiot shouldn't have tried to stop me. The fact that this lousy excuse for a defense is actually being seriously mounted in court is further testament to the deterioration of America's justice system. It is now up to the state of Florida to prove us all wrong by seating these four examples of the scum of the earth on a hotter seat than any they've had before. But I won't be holding my breath. In the meantime, a man is cut down in his prime merely for attempting to protect someone important to him. But all we're worried about is the stinking perps.