The Freedom Bulletin

The Freedom Bulletin wishes you a wonderful Christmas, Hanukkah, or whatever holiday you may celebrate!

Thanks to these lovely pictures from Newsweek, the world can see how Julian Assange spent his Christmas while awaiting his extradition hearing at Vaughan Smith’s country mansion. You can see him roaming the grounds of Ellingham Hall in a cute hat, reading his numerous Christmas cards, posing in a Santa suit, dining with the Smith family, gathering firewood, taking care of chickens, and relaxing by the fireplace.

The Daily Mail has a couple of additional pictures.

I personally think that these photos are pure win. No matter what you think of WikiLeaks or the rape allegations, you’ve got to admit that Julian is kinda adorable in these pics. Enjoy!

I hope everyone enjoys themselves, despite the evil present the Dems gave us this morning!

Merry Christmas and thank you to all readers of this blog!

Did you hear about the 8-year-old boy who was ordered by his school to go to a psychologist because he drew a picture of Jesus on the cross?

While there are many facts in dispute between the boy’s parents and school officials, there is no doubt in my mind that the school is in the wrong. The boy’s father said that he drew the cross when asked to draw something that reminded him of Christmas; the school denies that. It’s unclear whether the boy meant to draw himself or Jesus on the cross. The school says they didn’t actually suspend the boy but just forced him to have a psychological evaluation before he could return – seems like the same thing to me. They even disagree on whether the drawing the boy’s father has been showing to the media is the one the boy drew.

But even if you interpret the evidence in the way that is the most favorable to the school, what happened to this boy is unjust. It’s just like what I posted about last time – people need to let other people be. A school’s job is to teach kids facts about math, writing, grammar, history, science, computers, and other subjects. It shouldn’t be a school’s job to meddle in students’ lives or to push value judgments on them. Kids should be able to draw whatever they want, and teachers and superintendents shouldn’t psychoanalyze their drawings and send them to shrinks for anything different or unusual.

The father in this case has been criticized for being too willing to speak to the media and for demanding that the school reimburse his son for his suffering and pay for tuition to a private school since the boy is too traumatized to go back to the same school. But I agree with him! The school officials violated the boy’s rights and should compensate him for his suffering. I don’t blame him for wanting to go to a different school. Being singled out and sent to a psychiatrist would be traumatic, and drawing a picture, even if it is of yourself on the cross, does not merit that.

As Pink Floyd said, teachers need to leave kids alone! Schools should teach facts and skills, not psychoanalyze kids’ drawings and single them out for psychotherapy for every little thing. Kids should be able to express themselves without being labeled as mentally ill.

Yes! Economist Joel Waldfogel wrote an article in the Globe yesterday saying exactly what I’ve been saying for years: the custom of exchanging gifts decreases people’s utility.

“When you spend $50 on me, you’re operating at significant disadvantage. You don’t know what I like. I might not have been willing to pay anything for the item you purchase for me with $50. While $50 in spending normally produces at least $50 worth of satisfaction, there’s no guarantee that $50 in gift spending will produce nearly as much satisfaction for the recipient. And if you buy me something worth nothing to me, you have destroyed at least $50 worth of value.”

Check it out!

And now for something a little different: the Enchanted Village, one of Boston’s oldest Christmas attractions, has a new home. The colonial Christmas scene, which has been displayed in Jordan Marsh at Downtown Crossing from the 1940s until 2006, was bought at an auction by another Jordan: Jordan’s Furniture. It consists of 75 animated child figures and 75 bears, plus some adults, other animals, buildings, and props. It will be displayed in Jordan’s Avon store around Christmas time.

I remember going to the Enchanted Village when I was a little kid, and I’m happy that it has a new home and will be on display to the public again :)

Read more: Boston Globe & Boston Business Journal