Well, here we are, the year 2008 A.D., and hoping for the best.

When I was in college, I learned one semester that "A.D." means "anno domini" in the Latin, time beginning at the conception and/or birth of Jesus Christ.

The next semester, I learned that the date was 1995 C.E., and something or another in history had happened in 200 B.C.E. These meant "common era" and "before the common era" with the only real difference being that the latter didn’t really refer to Jesus, making all the scientists who control such terminology just plain giddy with delight.

You know, I’ve cautioned you before that my religious convictions might be considered controversial at best, but I honestly wish folks would catch a dadgum grip.

Because of a bunch of whiners and complainers with nothing better to do, a system began to change after thousands of years only because it had a religious origin point for it’s measurement of the passing of years?

Well, here’s my way to start off 2008. I guess you could say this is my resolution:

I’m sick and tired of whining, sniveling and crybaby people complaining about the way we do things like B.C. and A.D.

Maybe there’d be serious strains on the superstructure of a church if I walked in one Sunday and maybe I got a coin’s flip of a chance of getting past St. Peter one day – or maybe I’m better off than my so-called spiritual betters believe –but if we in America and the western culture group in general want to measure time based on the pivotal point of the birth of Jesus Christ, then everybody else just needs to catch a grip and shut their yap.

I’m tired of the squeaky wheels getting the grease. All this business about what you can say and what you can’t. What you can display and what you can’t. Santa can’t say "ho ho ho" in Australia at some department store Christmas function because it might offend some women.

Granted, tolerance is a wonderful thing, but you know, it works both ways. You turkeys who don’t want to acknowledge the Ten Commandments in public buildings, or prayer in schools or Christ in measurements of time are simple fooling yourself into believing your being "fair." You’re being intolerant, and you’re inflicting your will on others in exactly the same way you claim it’s being forced on you.

Political correctness, my eye. Political correctness is thinly veiled, badly disguised censorship and oppression. It’s an effort to change the way we think and make us all the same, so we can be controlled.

Just like us indigenous people. Sherman Alexie said it best: We’re Indians. "Native Americans" is a term made up by some guilty white guy.

I am not becoming "follicularly challenged," people, I’m going bald, ya folla?

Therefore I am going to wish you Merry Christmas, not "happy holidays."

Sorry. We are an English-speaking country. I am not going to begin using "hir" to speaking of "him and her" in what they call "gender neutral correctness." You’re wasting my oxygen spouting this kind of nonsense at me.

My goal for 2008, then, is to battle political correctness wherever I find it. I’m not talking racism, sexism or class bias. I’m talking pressing 1 for English or the worst dadgum thing of all, pressing 2 for English!

It’s "B.C." and "A.D." for me. Like it or not, and those that don’t ought to be thankful they’re not burning heretics anymore. How’s that for politically correct?

There’s only one rule in political correctness as far as I’m concerned and it goes like this:

Live and let live.

Any questions?

Happy New Year. And anybody that has a problem with that phrase can take a long walk off a short pier.