Merry Christmas from Charley Reese

Charley Reese, one of my favorite columnists, retired earlier this year because of health issues. One of the best columns Reese wrote was a Christmas message in December 2007. Below is a copy of the column.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

When representatives of a minority religious belief show up at a school board and demand equal display of their religious symbols beside those of Christmas, there is only one proper answer: Go home, have babies, and when your religious believers become a majority of the U.S. population, come back and see us. In the meantime, don't screw around with the traditions of the American majority.

The feeble brains and even more feeble backbones of bureaucrats who swallow the bilge that multiculturalism is a good thing deserve to be exiled. Some of those countries where multiculturalism manifests itself in war and political strife would be a good destination.

Don't confuse diversity and multiculturalism. It's fine to have people come to America from different countries in order to become Americans. It's fine for these newcomers to preserve what they love about their native land in their homes and private relations. That includes their language and religion.

What's not fine is when some recent arrival says, "OK, all you Americans now have to pay attention to and adapt to my culture." No, we don't. You came here presumably to assimilate into our culture. It's you who has to adapt to our culture and traditions. If we wished to adapt to your culture, we would have emigrated to your native land.

Imagine what would happen if someone went to Israel and demanded that Christian crosses be displayed on an equal basis with the Star of David. Imagine what would happen if someone went to Saudi Arabia and demanded that the government observe all Christian holidays. Imagine what would happen if Americans went to Mexico and demanded that the Mexican government conduct its business in English. It every case, it would be boot-in-the-fanny time.

Tolerance does not mean surrendering our own values and traditions. Protecting the rights of minorities does not mean surrendering our own values and traditions. No minority has the right to impose its wishes on the majority.

Americans had better wake up to the fact that what makes a country are the people and their culture, not geography. Don't let lame-brained intellectuals tell you that you have to be ashamed of America's history, its culture and its traditions.
If we allow this country to become riddled with pockets of foreign-born people who have no interest in becoming Americans, then we will have serious political and social problems. Eventually there will be bloodshed.

Assimilation has served this country well. It is a natural process, provided it is left alone. Cheap demagogues love division and will encourage it. We should never fail to rain on their parades. That means teaching newcomers English by immersion. It means conducting public business in English. It means teaching American history.
And as for Christmas, there is nothing harmful about it or its symbols. Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus. That is the religious part of it. The Christmas tree, the Christmas dinner and the exchange of gifts have no religious significance. They are just part of a wonderful, warm tradition that all can participate in if they so wish.

Public schools do not belong to atheists or to religious minorities. As public schools of the United States, they have an obligation to represent the majority of America's traditions and culture. Christmas is part of that tradition and culture.

Finally, we should remind everyone that our open borders work in both directions. Anyone who doesn't desire to assimilate into America can hit the road and live wherever. We will gladly accept new citizens from abroad, but we're not going to change ourselves into some rootless cosmopolitans in the process.