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St. Valentines Rant

So Saint Valentine’s day will soon be upon us and millions of people will feel obligated by tradition and social pressure to make an annual proclamation of love and affection. This annual event brings out the florist, the chocolatiers, the jewelry vendors and greeting card makers like cockroaches. All are trying to pressure you into out-doing the other guy so your mate will be impressed and shower you with affection. (and they can pocket a lot of money)
Who was this Valentine guy anyway?

Valentine was a priest in Rome, who, with Marius and his family, assisted the martyrs in the persecution under Claudius II. Since he was caught marrying Christian couples and aiding any Christians who were being persecuted, Valentine was arrested and imprisoned. He was sent by the emperor to the prefect of Rome, who ordered him beaten with clubs and beheaded. He was executed on February 14th in the year 270 AD. In 496 AD Pope Gelasius declared February 14 to be a celebration day in honor of his martyrdom.

So, how does the beating and beheading of a man almost 2000 years ago put us in a romantic mood and cause this annual competition to impress? Valentine is considered by the Catholic church to be the patron saint of lovers and young couples. He is also considered by the florist, the chocolatiers, the jewelry vendors and greeting card makers to be a gold mine. Many others try to get in on the act as well. Competitive advertising can be fierce. A teddy bear is cuter than chocolates, a luxury car with a big bow on top is more impressive than jewelry, a day at a theme park is more fun than flowers, but whatever you do you MUST have a card!

I have always thought that the greeting card companies are the ones who have blown every imagined “special” day way out of proportion. They make cards for everything! Every holiday, birthday, anniversary, Groundhog day, national pickle week or swine festival. So the poultry farmers clean up around Thanksgiving, Candy manufacturers get rich at Halloween, Easter and Valentines Day, toy factories are rolling it in at Christmas, fireworks makers are really hot around July 4th and New Years eve and even breweries make more at Saint Patrick’s Day. Greeting card makers are raking it in all year ’round and could possibly be more influential and powerful than the Illuminati, Skull and Bones or the New World Order. They could be the greatest evil known today…

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