A CHRISTMAS HYMN *

* "He Whom Shepherds Once Came Praising," St. 1 & 4, LW #54

"He whom shepherds once came praising, Awed by heav'nly light ablazing, Cheered by angel news amazing:  'King of glory, Christ is born!'

"To our King, God ever reigning, Yet of Mary manhood gaining, Heav'nly gifts for us obtaining, Raise your hymns of homage high!"

GET A FLU SHOT EVERY YEAR

"One of the best way to prevent the flu is to get a flu shot every year. (Some children may need two vaccines in one season.) There are over 200 strains of flu viruses, & they can mutate, which is why a new formula is created every year . . . If you're hesitant because of an egg allergy, there are two egg-free vaccines available--Flucelax & Flublok."  

THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE . . . CALIFORNIA

"In true pop-up art fashion, a nearly 7-foot-tall monolith made of gingerbread mysteriously appeared on a San Francisco hilltop on Christmas Day & collapsed the next day. The three-sided tower, held together by icing & decorated with a few gumdrops, delighted the city on FRI when word spread about its existence . . . People trekked to the park throughout the day, even as light rain fell on the ephemeral, edible art object. In one video posted online, someone took a bite of the gingerbread."  Norfolk Daily News, 12/28

EUGENICS

"It has always been common to hear medical professionals say we need to make difficult ethical choices when seeking to do triage in emergenices. Doctors are often forced to decide which of two equally deserving patients will get life-saving attention, & which will be sacrificed for the greater good. This is nothing new. There is also nothing new in the suggestion that the younger you are, the more worthy you are of treatment. The thought is that the elderly have lived their lives, & it is only fair to provide those on the lower ends of the chronological scale opportunities that their elders have already been given.

"There is also the idea that those who are disabled should be sacrificed in the interest of the able-bodied, because 'quality of life' is more important than 'life' itself. Of course, just who should determine what that 'quality' looks like is up for debate, as is the definition of 'quality.'

"As someone who has opposed abortion ever since she could understand what that was, & what it meant, I am no stranger to the arguments about quality of life. Many of those who believe that pregnant mothers who receive a diagnosis of Downs, or encephalitis, or spina bifida, or Tay Sachs, of any other debilitating conditions for their unborn children should have the right to terminate their pregnancies as an anticipatory form of euthanasia. Others believe that euthanasia on the sick, & the elderly, is compassionate. They have either convinced themselves of their sincerity, or they are blinded by a desire to reject the core principle of eugenics. And that is what Planned Parenthood does, on a regular basis."  Column by Christine Flowers in Norfolk Daily News, 12/23