The Twelve Days of Christmas: Meaning behind Politically Correct code of Catholic Faith

Back in 16th century, Catholics were persecuted to the point of death just for practicing their religion.  The traditional carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas" originated as a secret, politically correct teaching mnemonic that could be sung publicly to remind Catholics of the doctrinal elements of their Faith.

Here are the catechetical meanings behind "The Twelve Days of Christmas": 

12 Lords A-leaping = Twelve basic tenets of Catholic Faith outlined in the Apostles' Creed;

11 Pipers Piping = the eleven faithful Apostles remaining after Judas the Betrayer left;

10 Ladies Dancing = the Ten Commandments;

9 Drummers Drumming = the nine heavenly choirs of angels or the Nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit;

8 Maids A-Milking = the Eight Beatitudes;

7 Swans A-Swimming = the Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Faith;

6 Geese A-Laying = Six Commandments of the Church or the six days of Creation;

5 Golden Rings = the first Five Books of Old Testament, the Pentateuch, also known as the Torah, telling of man's fall from grace;

4 Calling Birds = the Four New Testament Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John

3 French Hens = the Three Persons of the Trinity, God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit; alternatively, the Three Theological Virtues of Faith Hope and Charity, or the gifts borne by the Magi to the Christ Child of Gold (indicating royalty), Frankincense (indicating divinity) and Myrrh (a costly burial perfume prefiguring Jesus' death);

2 Turtle Doves = the dual natures of Jesus -- His Divinity and His Humanity, or alternatively the two parts comprising the Bible, the Old and New Testaments; 

and A Partridge in a Pear Tree = Jesus Himself on the tree, the symbol of the Cross.  

Finally, “My true love”  = God and “me” is the individual singing the song.

Merry Christmas!

Sources:  here, here and here.

Where to Retire -- Humor

Got this via email from my favorite liberal.  Don't know the original author, but it made me laugh out loud!

You can retire to Phoenix, Arizona where...

1. You are willing to park 3 blocks away because you found shade.

2. You've experienced condensation on your hiney from the hot water in the toilet bowl.

3. You can drive for 4 hours in one direction and never leave town.

4. You have over 100 recipes for Mexican food.

5. You know that "dry heat" is comparable to what hits you in the face when you open your oven door.

6. The 4 seasons are: tolerable, hot, really hot, and ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!!

OR

You can retire to California where...

1.. You make over $250,000 and you still can't afford to buy a house.

2. The fastest part of your commute is going down your driveway.

3. You know how to eat an artichoke.

4. You drive your rented Mercedes to your neighborhood block party.

5. When someone asks you how far something is, you tell them how long it will take to get there rather than how many miles away it is.

6. The 4 seasons are: Fire, Flood, Mud, and Drought.

OR

You can retire to New York City where...

1. You say "the city" and expect everyone to know you mean Manhattan .

2. You can get into a four-hour argument about how to get from Columbus Circle to Battery Park, but can't find Wisconsin on a map.

3. You think Central Park is "nature."

4. You believe that being able to swear at people in their own language makes you multi-lingual.

5. You've worn out a car horn. (Ed. Note if you have a car).

6. You think eye contact is an act of aggression.

OR

You can retire to Minnesota where...

1. You only have four spices: salt, pepper, ketchup, and Tabasco .

2. Halloween costumes fit over parkas.

3. You have more than one recipe for casserole.

4. Sexy lingerie is anything flannel with less than eight buttons.

5. The four seasons are: winter, still winter, almost winter, and construction.

OR

You can retire to the South where...

1. You can rent a movie and buy bait in the same store.

2. "Y'all" is singular and "all y'all" is plural.

3. "He needed killin" is a valid defense.

4. Everyone has 2 first names: Billy Bob, Jimmy Bob, Mary Ellen , Betty Jean, Mary Beth, etc.

5. Everything is either "in yonder," "over yonder" or "out yonder." It's important to know the difference, too.

OR

You can retire to Colorado where...

1. You carry your $3,000 mountain bike atop your $500 car.

2. You tell your husband to pick up Granola on his way home and so he stops at the day care center.

3. A pass does not involve a football or dating.

4. The top of your head is bald, but you still have a pony tail.

OR

You can retire to the Midwest where....

1. You've never met any celebrities, but the mayor knows your name.

2. Your idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor.

3. You have had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" on the same day.

4. You end sentences with a preposition: "Where's my coat at?"

5. When asked how your trip was to any exotic place, you say, "It was different!"

OR

FINALLY You can retire to Florida where.

1. You eat dinner at 4:15 in the afternoon.

2.. All purchases include a coupon of some kind -- even houses and cars..

3. Everyone can recommend an excellent dermatologist.

4. Road construction never ends anywhere in the state.

5. Cars in front of you often appear to be driven by headless people.

 

Susan's Voter's Guide Nov. 2012 -- CALIF CANDIDATES

Here's who I'm voting for this November.  The list is short and sweet and conservative, like me:

President and Vice President:  Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan
United States Senator:  Elizabeth Emken
U.S. Representative:  Phil Jennerjahn
State Senator:  Gilbert V. Gonzales
Member State Assembly:  Greg Krikorian
County District Attorney:  Alan Jackson

UPDATED Susan's Voters Guide Nov. 2012 - CALIF State Propositions

As a resident of Jerry Brown's Democrat utopia, here's how I'm voting on the plethora of state ballot propositions -- Follow along carefully.  It can get confusing this year:

Thumbnail list here with detailed reasons below: 
Prop 30 = NO NO NO NO!        
Prop 31 = NO NO NO NO!
Prop 32 = YES YES YES YES
Prop 33 = YES
Prop 34 = NO
Prop 35 = YES
Prop 36 = YES
Prop 37 = NO NO NO NO NO!
Prop 38 = NO. ABSOLUTELY NO!
Prop 39 = NO
Prop 40 = YES

Los Angeles County Measures
A = NO  -- keep County Assessor an elected position, not appointed.
B = YES -- burdens porn producers with more regulations, and that's a good thing.
J = NO -- extends earlier tax hike FOR 30 YEARS to build trains, bridges, fix potholes and paint rainbows.


NO on Prop 30 - temporarily jacks up personal income AND state sales taxes to fund more government. 
Why NO? First, it's yet another tax hike on people who already pay one of the highest rates in the country.  California's high tax rates are already driving millions out of the state.  Second, I doubt the tax will truly be "temporary."  This one goes through 2019, but by then we'll hear how we have to make it permanent because we (the government) have come to rely on the money.  Third, it's a bureaucratic shell game using your money.  Although Jerry Brown and the Dems tell us the money will "fund education," the fine print in the bill makes it clear that the money goes into the State's "General Fund."  And as the Legislative Analyst clearly explains
"[f]uture actions of the Legislature and the Governor would determine the use of these funds." So in the end the money will actually go into the governmental black hole of debt already created by the insolvent teachers' pension fund.  And they call this "helping to balance the state budget."  That's why the teachers' union supports it -- so they can retire in style.  Why should I pay higher taxes for the teachers' pensions when the teachers don't pay for their own pensions and I cannot afford to even save for my own?

NO on Prop 31 - creates a two year fiscal state budget cycle; gives control of property and state sales tax revenues to local governments, and prevents future tax hikes without public knowledge. Why NO?  Initially this one fooled me and I was planning on voting "yes" because it sounds like local control of local taxation; however, those at the legislative sausage factory know better.  Quoting from Stanley Kurtz at National Review:

"How does Prop. 31 work? It allows local governments to join together to form “Strategic Action Plans.” Supposedly, this pooling of local municipal services into a kind of de facto collective regional super-government would be voluntary. In fact, Prop. 31 deploys powerful incentives to effectively force the creation of these regional super-governments. To begin with, municipalities that join regional collectives–and only those municipalities–can effectively waive onerous state laws and regulations by creating their own more lax versions of those rules. Next, Prop. 31 channels a portion of state sales tax revenue to municipalities that join regional governing collectives–and only those municipalities. Finally, Prop. 31 authorizes local governments participating in the regional collectives to pool their property-tax receipts."

YES on Prop 32 - stops unions, corporations and government contractors from using employees' payroll deductions (a.k.a. "dues") for political purpose.  Please note the deceptive title: "Political Contributions by Payroll Deduction. Contributions to Candidates."

Why YES? This law bans the use of payroll deductions to finance union spending for political purposes against an individual member's will.  Prop 32 will cripple the Democrat money laundering scheme by restricting how unions like SAG and the teachers' union spend their members' money.   Each year employees can VOLUNTARY authorize their union to use such dues towards political goals.  Prop 32 only restricts the unions, not the individuals' rights to contribute to a political activity, and that's a very good thing.  Puts individuals back in control of their money and restricts the corporate palm greasing in Sacramento.

YES on Prop 33 - allows insurance companies more flexibility in setting prices for driving insurance, allowing discounts for continuous coverage to follow the driver.  WHY YES?  The state already requires you to carry drivers' insurance.  If an insurance company wants to compete for your business by matching your current insurance rate discount for prior continuous coverage, why should a law stop that discount?  Right now, the current law does just that, hurting individuals seeking lower rates by taking away their discount if they switch, thereby destroying true free market competition. Prop 33 will permit drivers to take their good driver discounts with them when they choose to transfer to another insurance company.  Military personnel are protected from losing their discount due to service lapses.

NO on Prop 34 - repeals the death penalty and replaces it with life imprisonment.  Applies retroactively converting all current death sentences to life without the possibility of parole.
WHY NO? It's part of the ACLU's leftist political agenda to undermine public safety laws by claiming that the death penalty costs too much to enforce.  Yet, for years it has been the ACLU filing endless death row appeals, increasing the cost to the state to enforce the death penalty.  Now, ironically, the ACLU advances Prop 34 to win all those death rows appeal by legislative fiat, and charging the taxpayers $100 MILLION dollars in grants ($25 million over the next four years) to make the change!!  Don't let the ACLU's Prop 34 give a reprieve to Polly Klaas' killer, Richard "Night Stalker" Ramirez, vicious child rapists and murderous gang members.  Prop 34 is cruel and unusual punishment to the families of the victims.

YES on Prop 35 - increases prison time and fines for human trafficking.
WHY YES?    Increase the penalties to discourage the crime and to keep those who commit them off the streets for longer.  Duh.  Unless you're Maxine Doogan, an "erotic service provider" concerned about giving money to your son, you should support this one.

YES on Prop 36 - revises California's "Three Strikes" law to allow certain third strikers to apply for resentencing.
WHY YES?  I'm on the fence with this because "Three Strikes" is working and I am loathe to fix what ain't broke; however, that said, I'll trust Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley (R) and Los Angeles Chief of Police Charlie Beck, both of whom have endorsed this proposition as a means of restoring the true intent of the Three Strikes law while saving the state money and resources.  Read argument to Vote NO here and the argument to Vote Yes here.

NO on Prop 37 - requires brand new, specific labeling unique to California on all food sold in California  and changes how manufacturers can market foods.
WHY NO? More bureaucratic red tape to burden actual producers while spurring crippling lawsuits.  Prop 37 is a litigator's dream -- it creates brand new state regulations which will hurt the little food growers by forcing them to use more costly operations or switch to higher priced ingredients, creating a hidden food tax for all of us.  From opponents: "Prop 37 was written by a trial lawyer to benefit trial lawyers. Its primary sponsor is a trial lawyer whose firm and organization have made more than $3 million suing under the terms of another proposition he helped write."  

NO on Prop 38 - another tax on personal income rates ostensibly to fund education.
WHY NO?  Prop 38 is being marketed as a smart alternative to Prop 30.  Proponents claim Prop 38 will do a better job at funding education than Prop 30.  But Californians cannot afford any more new taxes no matter the wrapping.  Prop 38 confiscates $120 BILLION in taxes from individuals and small businesses making as little as $30,000 a year until 2024!  And one third of the taxes raised wouldn't even go to schools, but to back filling the state's debt, just like Prop 30.  Prop 38 has no requirements to improve school performance by getting rid of bad teachers because it's just all about the money, not how kids learn.  We are already paying one of the highest state income tax rates now and have been for decades.  Prop 38 will just take more money away from parents trying to make ends meet so bureaucrats can keep on spending.

NO on Prop 39 - forces state businesses to use new calculations to recompute their tax liability and denies multi-state businesses the right to shop friendly tax rates in other states.
WHY NO?  This new tax hike on businesses will drive employers out of California.  Prop 39 raises taxes on California businesses to the tune of $1 BILLION dollars, creating a new bureaucracy to fund "green energies" -- can anyone say "Solyndra"? And Prop 39 won't stop contractors from giving kick back campaign donations to those politicians who award them their contracts.  So if you're a business with operations in several states, leave California now because if you stay you have to pay our rate and pay off our legislators.

YES on Prop 40 - approves the new State Senate districts drawn by citizen volunteers.
WHY YES?  Looks like there is no opposition to this one.  Without a YES vote, the state senate boundary lines will be redrawn by unaccountable officials picked by the California Supreme Court and would cost us more money for the duplicate paperwork necessary.  Last cycle we created this citizen's redistricting board to redrawn these lines.  Time to try their recommendations.

Top Ten Suggestion to Help the Dems

Thanks to Mr. Scott Mc Afee for submitting this humorous post following the first Romney/Obama debate:

Ok, so we all know the Dems took a shellacking at the first presidential debate.  Well, it's not too late for them to take back the elections and here are some suggestions to help them make it happen.

1. Invite Big Bird to join Obama on the campaign trail.  As a bonus, have Ernie and Bert come out of the closet and explain to the kids that if Romney is elected the wedding is off.
2. Have Ellen DeGeneres channel the dead guy whose head Mitt supposedly shaved in high school.  She can explain why years of therapy still have not helped relieve the hair cutting trauma.
3. Employ Steven Spielberg to CGI newly discovered footage of Mitt Romney's dog reliving the terror on top of the family station wagon.  Rosy O'Donnell can dub the dog's wailing voice.
4. Replace Joe Biden with vagina activist Sandra Fluke.  Change the narrative from the economy to Lady Parts and condoms.
5. Reach out even further to the Muslim extremist community by appointing Mahfouz Ahmadinejad as head of homeland security or NASA.
6. Keep the DNC's resources focused on the remaining 7 states of the 57 states that Obama is visiting.
7. Ask Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to survey the DNC as to the inclusion of "Allah" in the party platform.  This will eliminate the "nay" vote completely, uniting the party.
8. Reemphasize Romney's vacation jet ski rental as an obvious “rich man's extravagance” while ignoring Michelle Obama's multiple trips to Europe with her entourage.
9. To rally the base at the next campaign stop, ask Reverend Jeremiah Wright to belt out James Brown's “Living in America” only substitute “G.D. America” instead.
10. If the polls look really bad after the next debate, run Bill Clinton instead with promises that Monica Lewinsky will reprise her role in the new administration as his Chief of Staff.