One of the most fascinating developments for news junkies in recent years has been the rise of Google News. This service, accessed from the main Google site by clicking on "News" says it collects stories from 4,500 news sources which it then sorts by reader traffic. (Michael Kinsley has complained it is going to automate away editors!) The good news is the War on Christmas has passed the test. Much of the time in the last couple of days, a collection of stories on the subject has had a slot on the main page, and invariably one in the full US section. VDARE.com readers should make a point of glancing at these pages. Not only is it very efficient, but THE COMPUTER COUNTS YOUR VOTE! As I write, the top story is the Washington Post's What 'War on Christmas' ? - Ruth Marcus [Saturday December 10 2005] This is a dialectically more sophisticated essay than the venemous piece on Salon.com with which Michelle Goldberg opened the barrage this season [ How the secular grinch didn't steal Christmas - November 21 2005] That was notable for alleging that concern over Christmas suppression was a John Birch Society trait. But it is devastatingly revealing:

This is the time of year, though, when those of us who aren't Christian, or who don't celebrate Christmas, most feel our minority status. I've experienced this especially acutely since my children started to look longingly at shopping mall Santas (Santa's a nice guy, honey, but he's not for us) and ask why there are so few menorahs or dreidels among the reindeer and Christmas trees. (How to break this gently? Their team has a lot more players.)

Hostility. Jealousy. Resentment. Because the Ruth Marcuses harbor these feelings, the beloved 2000 year-old traditions of the majority have to be suppressed. As I've said before this year, this is a war.