Lost In Translation

Bill of Argghhh!!! pushes the "groan" envelope:

From one of my reactionary buddies who insists on calling Holiday carols *Christmas* carols...

I was passing through a small Southern town and saw a Nativity Scene in the town square. I was delighted to see that great skill and talent had gone into creating it.

One small feature bothered me.

The three wise men were wearing firemen's helmets.

I was completely at a loss to explain it, so I left. But I found a "Quick Stop" on the edge of town, so I asked the lady behind the counter about the helmets.

She exploded, "You damnYankees never do read the Bible!"

I assured her that I did, but it had been a while since I'd perused the Gospels and simply couldn't recall anything about firemen in Matthew, Mark, Luke or John.

She sniffed and jerked her Bible from behind the counter, ruffled through the pages and finally jabbed her finger at a passage.

She stuck the passage under my nose and said, "See? Plain as day, it says right here, 'The three wise man came from afar.' "

A comment posted by Fred adds the following:

Fred briefed on December 20, 2005 11:35 PM

"A pun does not commonly justify a blow in return. But if a blow were given for such cause, and death ensued, the jury would be judges both of the facts and of the pun, and might, if the latter were of an aggravated character, return a verdict of justifiable homicide." ~Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table, 1858

Indeed.