Finally, The Cheney 2007 Holiday Card: The Great Lights

Okay, well I finally dug up the 2007 Cheney holiday card.  On most counts, it's about the most generic thing you've ever seen in your life.  But then, I got to thinking about how the words went with the picture.

The inside (above) reads:

GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD OF LORDS;
WHO MADE THE GREAT LIGHTS --
HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER.

PSALM 136: 3,7 (NIV)

The front is below (with my letters and arrows).  Sure, I'd like to know what you extract from this scene.  But, my question is:

In referring to "great lights," are they referring to A ... or (occupants of) B?

(click for larger sizes)

(images: hallmark.com)

Comments

[joe]

Isn't that a cross implied by the diamond of stars and empty space right under your A? Also, I'm no Bible scholar, but checking the bit they cite, it's interesting to read the lines elided by their quote: "to him who alone does great wonders, / His love endures forever. 5 who by his understanding made the heavens, / His love endures forever. 6 who spread out the earth upon the waters / His love endures forever." A slightly more explicit Creation there. Maybe the card is more about what it outlines?

[Darryl Pearce]

Hey, Bag..., check out some of the work of Chip Somodevilla. Watertiger's "Dependable Renegade" had a picture of the president so I did some research on him and he seems to catch a lot of peculiar moments.

Merry Christmas, Joyous Yuletide, and Happy New Year!

[jem]

or is he wryly giving thanks to the Lord for His providential inferno, another sort of "great light"?

[PTate in MN]

What strikes me is the disconnect between the deep scripture of the message and the banal image...the Victorian house with warm lights in the snowy night. The image shares artistic inspiration with Thomas Kinkade. If you waste any time with Kinkade's work, you'll see the same kind of conservative aesthetic, and it is interesting to note that Kinkade specializes in images of paradise (such as "Living Waters") or images of heaven on earth ("The Good Life.")

The text is taken from one of the Psalms of Praise, sung by the community to celebrate the glory of their personal God, Yahweh, the biggest, most powerful God in the desert. It is a way of celebrating themselves, sort of an Old Testament "Star Spangled Banner."

So I don't think this is about celebrating the resident of the VP house. I think this card communicates group membership to the Bushco base. It is an example of the authoritarian mentality: We are blessed, we are protected, we are right. We have the Power to stamp out the rot that threatens our society.

[jtfromBC]

"Principle is OK up to a certain point, but principle doesn't do any good if you lose."

(So I) GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD OF LORDS; WHO MADE THE GREAT LIGHTS (in hope) HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER, should misunderstanding arise over my past principles or present practises. - Dick Cheney, Vice-President of the United States of America.

[Cactus]

Even as an atheist, I get nervous when the devil quotes from a scripture.

Is that mansion supposed to be the official residence or his mansion in Wyoming that he was busily purchasing when NOLA was drowning? Although that portico with the wreath does recall the 2006 card.

The only real question is, will Bill O'Reilly approve the appropriateness of the card to Christmas.

For some reason, I find this card even more offensive than last year's. It says, look at my big giant house with its own turret and portico. Also, I think less Kincadian than Hallmark. Kincade's drawings are very busy with all sorts of hooha stuck in all the corners. But, of course, the great one could not have any other houses or out-buildings near it. The only problem is that it is decidedly on the left of the picture. Unless, or course, you are on the inside looking out.

[jtfromBC]

Cactus, that's the veeps official residence where all that blasting occurred with speculation that a special bunker was being constructed.

[L.S./M.F.T.]

I'm surprised that no-one has yet mentioned that the constellation, (the supposed "Great Lights"), in the upper-right-hand corner of the card is 'Draco', the Dragon. There must be something of portent involved in the choice of that constellation and no other, even though it's situated between the Big and Little Dippers.

Non?

[g]

Just curious, if this is what the veep's residence looks like then what WAS the McMansion Cheney depicted on last year's card? Was it the Halliburton executive residence?

[g]

Just curious, if this is what the veep's residence looks like then what WAS the McMansion Cheney depicted on last year's card? Was it the Halliburton executive residence?