Dear friends from Street Prophets,

If I have learned nothing else over the past year, I can now say without a doubt that the generosity shown by progressive people of faith exceeds anything I could ever have expected or imagined. There are small communities in western Kentucky that have fewer books than I now possess. The only possible downside may have come about because of my extended d stay in the nursing home. Something in the air must have caused my arms to shorten, for I now must increasingly rely on my bifocals to read the wealth of tomes at my fingertips.

And your generosity did not end there. Through your good works, I got the opportunity to get out of the home for a day. To mingle with last-minute Yuletide shoppers as I made the acquaintance of some terrific people. And there’s still more: DVDs, audio CDs and sugar-free treats and cards and letters.  Other holidays like Valentine’s Day and Easter were also accompanied by treats. I actually felt more loved than I had for years before my unfortunate move into this institution for the bewildered. (The Feline-American I shared my home with was never one for observing the holidays.)

Your gifts continue to bring me pleasure as I pass the dreary days. I’m stuck in a place where people shuffle around in a fog, unsure of what day it is, where they are going or where they’ve been.  And that’s just the staff.

It is seriously lonely in a place where Alzheimer’s disease is so rampant. How do you bond with people who can’t remember anything you’ve shared with them? It is part of a collection of daily aggravations that have had the effect of eroding my confidence to resume independent living. When you fight the same battles on a daily basis – carb- and sugar-rich meals that are a no-no for diabetics, haphazard maintenance and indifferent staffers, you stay frustrated and tired. Please pray for me.

And so I have taken refuge in various corners of the Internet. Last year was a tough year for me because events changed so rapidly in the world outside that my postings would have been based on a faulty premise or information that had been superseded. Instead I immersed myself in the community of Yahoo! Answers.

For those who don’t know, Yahoo! Answers may be the ultimate in democratic participation. Users post questions in different categories, and members of the community will come up with several answers.  Other members of the community then vote for the best answer, and the individual whose answer is most popular is awarded points.

Mind you, the winning answer doesn’t necessarily have to be fact-based to win. It only needs to be popular. This is why, in the religion section, someone can ask a question like, “Do Catholics/Jews/Muslims (pick one) know that they are heretics who are going to Hell?”  Reasonable answers need not be posted. Only bigots with a third-rate, sixth-grade understanding of theology should bother.

Sometimes the questions could make a person do a double take. “My sister hasn’t touched it in 15 years,” one question read. “Will it still work?”

You can’t imagine how relieved I was to find that question posted in the automotive section, and not in the section dealing with human relationships.

I had hoped that the worst of the lies told by conservatives about progressives would wither on the vine after Inauguration Day.  Stupidity, however, is just like a Hollywood movie monster. No matter how many times it is killed. It can be resurrected.

These lies have been richly in evidence during proposals for health-care reform. I have watched with astonishment as members of the majority political party have made concession after concession to win the support of conservatives who have proven themselves every bit as trustworthy as Lucy when she holds the football for Charlie Brown.

The heck with birth certificates. From now on, I want to see progressive candidates’ X-rays, so they can prove that they are vertebrates.

Time enough for that after the New Year. For now, I pray that every one of you can find rest in the peace of the season.