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Thursday, December 15, 2005

The left declares war on Christmas

I warned you a year ago that the secular left would not rest until it abolishes all public celebration of Christmas. Some didn’t believe me. Others knew the war was on, but didn’t know how to fight back.

If you haven’t heard about the secular left’s assault on Christmas by now, you must be living in a cave. From John Gibson’s best-selling book, "The War on Christmas" to nightly updates on Bill O’Reilly’s top-rated news show to front-page articles in newspapers, Americans are starting to realize how sinister the secular left is as its hidden agenda is exposed.

Three groups — the American Civil Liberties Union, American Atheists Inc. and Americans United for Separation of Church and State — are the Grinches behind the attacks on Christmas.

Isn’t it ironic that all three have the word "American" in their names, as if they represent a large segment of Americans? That couldn’t be further from the truth. The largest member of the anti-Christmas Axis of Evil — the ACLU — boasts 400,000 members, but they’ve been caught in the past exaggerating their membership rolls. The other two groups don’t like to say how many members they have, which is a sign that they can have their annual conventions in a broom closet.

At least 85 percent of Americans are Christians, making the United States the largest Christian nation on Earth. Many Jews observe Christmas. Polls say that 95 percent of Americans celebrate Christmas. So where does that leave the secular left?

If Michael Newdow, America’s most famous atheist, wants to lock himself in his room on Christmas and eat a bowl of gruel while rooting for Ebenezer Scrooge, let him. But don’t deny the rights of 255 million Americans to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

And speaking of holidays, I’m sure Newdow, who has sued the government to remove the words "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance and the motto "In God We Trust" from U.S. currency is working on his next lawsuit, forcing the government to stop designating Christmas as a federal holiday.

That’s what we’ve come to in this country. A few atheists able to deny the Judeo-Christian heritage of the United States.

Who is fighting on behalf of the majority of Americans who treasure Christmas and look forward to celebrating this special day? Until recently, there was no organized opposition to the anti-Christmas brigade. But thanks to the Alliance Defense Fund and to the Rev. Jerry Fallwell, there is a wealth of information available on the topic. Go to www.saychristmas.org or to American Defense Fund’s Web site at www.alliancedefensefund.org or to The Liberty Alliance Web site at www.fallwell.com to learn more about joining the battle to save Christmas.

Even political leaders are developing a backbone when it comes to defending Christmas. Republican Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert presided over the lighting of the Capitol Christmas Tree last week in Washington, D.C. It had been known as a holiday tree since the start of Clinton administration.

Republican Congresswoman Jo Ann Davis of Virginia recently introduced House Resolution 579, urging that the symbols and traditions of Christmas be protected, and that references to Christmas supported.

"Who would have thought that we would live in a society where the display of Santa Claus and the mentioning of a Christmas tree would bring out the speech police?" Davis asked in a press release announcing her resolution. Davis said retail chains have banned workers from wishing people "Merry Christmas" and the Christmas tree has become a "holiday tree. "This is political correctness run amok," Davis said.

But it’s more than just political correctness or not wanting to offend anyone. I’ve never been one to believe in conspiracy theories, but when columnists and editorial writers at large newspapers across the country simultaneously defend the ACLU’s attempts to suppress public celebrations of Christmas, I’m beginning to sense a vast left-wing conspiracy at work.

The Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, the Baltimore Sun, the Orlando Sentinel and the Richmond Times-Dispatch, to name a few, ran almost identical opinion pieces in the past two weeks defending the radical left’s assault on Christmas.

If you are one of the 255 million Americans who believe Christmas should be celebrated in its full glory — and not just as a retail season — then it’s time to go on the offensive. Religious free speech is protected just like political free speech. It is your constitution right to celebrate Christmas as the religious holiday that it is. Start wishing everyone a "Merry Christmas." Tell store managers that you’ll take your business elsewhere if they keep up the "Happy Holidays" drivel or refuse to display a Christmas tree in favor of Frosty the Snowman or Rudoph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

"Efforts to morph Christmas into this generic 'winter celebration' go beyond the secularization of the day," Rep. Davis said. "Santa effectively took the Christ out of Christmas years ago, but this new effort looks to replace Christmas and even its secular symbols with the celebration of nothing. Christmas symbols symbolize Christmas, and Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ. Therefore, the purge of Christmas is the goal."

Will we allow it happen? I’m willing to fight for Christmas. Are you? Allow me to be among the first to wish you a Merry Christmas. God bless us, every one.

E-mail Tony Phyrillas at tphyrillas@pottsmerc.com

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