Merry Christmas, HuffPosters. As has become our tradition (on this our 3rd Christmas!), we've tucked an assortment of holiday-inspired posts -- some funny, some bittersweet, some practical, some political -- under your HuffPost tree. As for me, I'm taking this opportunity to count my blessings and spend more time today on our Living section than our Politics section, following the advice of Stacey Lawson's post, Joy Is The Reason For The Season, and David Allen's Priorities, Priorities, Priorities. Our Huffpost community -- our team, our bloggers, our commenters, our users -- has been both a priority and a gift. Not a return or regift in the bunch! And remember: Every time you click on a post, a blogger gets his wings.
Follow Arianna Huffington on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ariannahuff
To Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, the Huffington Post staff, and the posting community at large;
Merry Christmas
I wrote of this site on its very first Christmas;
"This site stands as a stark reminder of what America was in its first few centuries. It truly is a melting pot of all political flavors. In fact there are so many characteristics that your site shares with what America really is, that it's uncanny. It is open to all, offers unrestricted freedoms of thought and expression, and provides each of us an opportunity to improve or excel using the gifts we each are endowed with. To those who would call upon you for the ability to censor I say this; fight the urge to concede. The exclusion of free speech can only lead to tyranny through the lens of a single viewpoint. There are far too many sites that already exhibit this trait. Please, don't become one of them."
By: RSU on December 31, 2005 at 10:44pm
For the most part, my words still ring true. By allowing commenter's from all walks of life to post their opinions, this site is representative of the great melting pot that makes ours, the most unique nation on Earth.
The late Dr. Martin Luther King once said that;
"Men hate each other because they fear each other. They fear each other because they don't know each other. They don't know each other because they can't communicate with each other. They can't communicate with each other because they are separated from each other."
Many of us have benefited by your effort (gift) to make this site a reality; mostly because it's one of the few places that offer each of us a chance to get to know and communicate with one another in free and open exchange of both opinion and ideas. Whether it was your intention or not, this site directly addresses some of the points that Dr. King made.
Here's something you and your readers might enjoy might enjoy.
A Christmas Card to the World.
http://teocawki.blogspot.com/2006/11/christmas-card-to-world.html
Coming Soon:
The Awakening
Ohg.
http://thefiresidepost.com/2007/12/26/the-prophecy-of-ohg-rea-tone-2008/
All the Best for the Season!
CHRISTMAS MEMOIRS
by JOE LANZA
WHEN I WAS YOUNG, CHRISTMAS WAS FOR ME;
A SWEET MYSTERY OF CRYSTAL SNOW FLAKES;
FLOATING FROM ABOVE, LIKE WET KISES OF LOVE.
WHEN I WAS YOUNG, CHRISTMAS WAS FOR ME;
MOM AND DAD AND FAMILY;
GATHERED AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE.
NOW THAT I AM GROWN, WITH FAMILY OF MY OUN;
CHRISTMAS IS FOR ME;
SILENT NIGHTS AND CHRISTMAS LIGHTS.
TIME MAY PASS ME BY, MEMORIES NEVER DIE;
OF THE MERRY TIMES, OF THE CHURCH BELL CHIMES;
AND THE YULE TIDE SONGS WE SANG ALONG THE WAY.
WHEN I AM OLD AND GRAY, I'LL RECALL THIS LOVELY DAY;
OF CRYSTAL SNOW FLAKES AND CHRISTMAS CAKES;
AND YULE TIDE SONGS WE SANG ALONG THE WAY.
SWEET MEMORIES WHEN I WAS YOUNG;
WHEN I WAS GROWN WITH CHILDREN OF MY OUN;
THAT'S WHAT CHRISTMAS WILL ALWAYS BE FOR ME.
A SWEET MYSTERY, A SWEET MEMORY.
UNCLE JOE
For this, thank you and your staff members at Huffington Post.
Bill Burke
http://www.phoneportals.com
Your Audio, Live Streams, and more... To every phone: On-Demand or Shouted-Out
I feel I know you since logging on in early 2006. I can type your name without checking, "Is it two r's or two n's?".
The site is awesome and I believe is an agent of real change. Talk about an experiment in cyber sociology/psychology. One could easily use this site as the basis for their thesis. The reason is that you let everybody participate as equals.
Thanks for having the courage to show both sides of the issues. By giving a forum to conservative and liberal bloggers you distinguish yourself from the herd of plain old partisan echo chambers.
Don't ever change this site Arianna. That is an order. Sure, tinker around the edges. Confound us momentarily with the latest thread mechanics. But don't censor us. Please. It's important.
In this dark age of corrupt, monopolistic, lying mainstream media your site and others like it are going to play an urgently important role as a substitute for the manipulative, truth hiding, corporate-ruled propaganda machines we call news organizations.
Arianna, you are literally showing us the future of news and blazing the trail towards it each and every day here on Huffington Post and doing a helluva job to boot.
Peace & Love on ya,
Andrew
My New Year's resolution is to keep on doing what I can, in my small way, to try and rescue our nation. So, good luck to us everyone!