Loree, obviously a deep thinker, complained in a letter to the Chicago Tribune that the big bad liberals are picking on Christmas. How could they do such a terrible thing? [First in the interest of full disclosure, be advised that I celebrate Christmas and, aside from crowded malls and commercial overkill, love the holiday]
Loree, using remarkably bad grammar, describes a frightening scene in which "recent malicious attempts by various anti-Christian or so-called civil liberties groups are proposing Christmas as offensive, and want all mention of it removed." I didn't realize that "recent malicious attempts" are capable of "proposing Christmas," but that is neither here nor there. But I do have just one quick question, Loree. Who are these "anti-Christian or so-called civil liberties groups?" When have they described Christmas as "offensive" and how do they propose to have "all mention of it removed?"
This great scholar goes on to describe how, "with pressure from these organizations, some businesses have given in to these demands and are now refusing to mention Christmas, and have replaced it with other titles and references to a seasonal holiday."
Oh the humanity......oh wait. One quick thing, Loree. The operative word here is BUSINESSES. These are presumably rational, competitive, profit-driven entities. They can't be "pressured" into saying "Happy Holidays," "Joyous Quaanza" or "Geez, Loree, that is the stupidest letter I've ever read" unless it BENEFITS THE BOTTOM LINE. If you don't like how you are greeted or how the store is decorated, SHOP SOMEWHERE ELSE.
She adds "why would any business want to mindfully neglect this large population, which is the major purchaser at this time of year, and, in effect, be intolerant of their customers’ celebration, which has led them to their stores?" See above. If it was hurting their sales, THEY WOULDN'T DO IT.
Oliver Wendell Loree continues with "These organizations with such agendas have a truly twisted idea of the Constitution when they want to hurt many who only wish to worship their religious beliefs. Isn’t this what our Constitution protects us against?"
I didn't realize one worshipped "religious beliefs," I thought you worshipped God, but that is another story for another time. The real question is how are you or anyone else "hurt" by any of this? And no, Loree, the constitution prevents the GOVERNMENT from interfering with or establishing a religion, not with what the kid behind the counter at Burger Barn says to you.
"How can Americans allow a few groups with a twisted sense of righteousness eliminate our freedom of religious worship with the audacity to claim it on constitutional grounds?"
I have a tasty Scooby Snack for you, Loree, if you can cite ONE WAY in which your "freedom of religious worship" has been infringed.
"Those who don’t believe in Christmas are not forced to do so, just as Christians or those of other faiths are not forced to acknowledge the atheistic winter solstice as a celebration."
So?
"Christians should not be punished and nullified due to their numbers any more than any other group should be discriminated against."
Oh please, how are we "punished" or "nullified?"
"Businesses should not be pressured by groups that, in effect, want a religious day of celebration removed due to their intolerance."
Businesses are "pressured" every day to do this or that and the market presumes rational responses to these pressures. That is good old fashioned capitalism.
The first Americans came here so they could worship freely,
Actually, no, the first Americans came here in search of food and land from Asia thousands of years ago. If you are talking about the first EUROPEANS, the Spanish and in Florida and the English at Jamestown didn't care a whit about religious freedom. Our New England forebears certainly had an odd notion of religious freedom, where THEY were free to worship as THEY chose and others were free to be hanged.
"I find this entire attack on the Christmas holiday sinister in its intent—what meaningful effects could even be considered worthy of such an act of intolerance?"
Again, such beautiful writing, but how is there any "intolerance?"
And besides, even if you do celebrate Christmas, what is wrong with "Happy Holidays?" besides being inclusive, this is a festive SEASON. The bosses look the other way while we come in a little later and leave a little earlier, we meet family and friends, watch bad college football teams in meaningless bowl games. Bing Crosby said it, and wished that may the merry bells be ringin' HAPPY HOLIDAYS to you, so Loree,
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!
3 comments:
DAMN YOU PETER ----
I spent most of the morning writing a deconstruction of that assinine letter to the editor. I was torn as to trying to decide which party was more at fault - Loree Kowalis for being such an uninformed twit or the Tribune letters editor for giving that tripe its featured space.
It seems that there's a subset of Christianity (of all major religions, I suppose) that thinks that freedom of religion means that they're free to have whatever religion they want, and no one is allowed to infringe on their thinking that it's the only religion anywhere. So when you say "Happy Holidays", you're making them think about all those poor souls who will burn in hell because they're not of the right religion, and that makes them sad. And you're interfering with their right to never think about anything they don't want to think about. Maybe they'd be happier if the clerk at Burger King would ask them what their religion was so they could tailor an individual greeting to them.
Run a Google search for our friend Loree. You will find that she writes this crap all the time--and papers print it!
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