Happy New Year 2006 and Merry Christmas 2006

As the year comes to a close, there has been one recent issue that bothers me as a Christian Catholic and bothers even my husband as a Jew - the eradication of Christmas. Christmas Trees are now Holiday Trees, and all across the US, efforts are being spearheaded by the ACLU (who else?) to declare Christmas unconstitutional. This Christmas season I decided to boycott "happy holidays" and wished everyone a Merry Christmas - got no complaints. My husband cannot understand why someone would get offended by a well wisher. Liberals don't seem to grasp that constraining what I say, such as Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas, violates my right of free speech, freedom of expression, and the liberty to practice my religion. In the name of diversity and political correctness, we are being bound and gagged, with our civil rights being violated, while ironically this push is being led by the American Civil Liberties Union - what a joke! All in all I am glad someone took notice and did something about it - Rep. Jo Ann Davis and her Christmas Resolution. And in reading comment in favor and against her resolution I have found the best argument against this silliness of taking Christmas out of our vocabulary from dailypress.com. I leave you with the rational comments of someone who realizes, that our very constitution is being violated.

"I share Rep. Jo Ann Davis' discord with efforts to abolish God from America's vocabulary, in the name of freedom "from" religion" (no longer "of" religion and speech). If a person desires to wish someone a generic holiday, that's fine. But there are an increasing number of public displays curbing speech and seasonal nomenclature for fear of violating the Constitution or retaliation from the ACLU. Conforming our freedom of expression and religion to be "politically safe" continually sanitizes our history, customs and way of life. Actions such as renaming Christmas trees "holiday" trees and school children learning and singing "The Twelve Days of Winter" effectively substitute sterile alternatives for a Christmas celebration. Wishing me Happy Hanukkah when I am a Christian is not offensive; renaming a Christmas tree to a holiday tree or changing a menorah to a holiday stick is offensive. Hearing traditional songs is not offensive; coldly sanitizing those displays in the name of political correctness is offensive. We are celebrating faith, religion and customs, and trying to do it freely. Without those symbols and traditions intact, we lose those visual, audible and spiritual aids that help get us into that holiday spirit and remind us of Christmas and days long ago. Legislation to recognize our freedom to express Christmas customs may not be the answer, but I am glad Davis wants to raise awareness that we should not fear expressing them.
Carl Brakman Newport News"