War on Christmas? What war on Christmas?
It鈥檚 that time of year when 鈥淵es, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus鈥� gets reprinted around the country.
鈥淣ot believe in Santa Claus!鈥� the New York Sun exclaimed in answer to young Virginia O鈥橦anlon鈥檚 question back in 1897. 鈥淵ou might as well not believe in fairies!鈥�
Fine. You can鈥檛 have too many sugar plums.
But we won鈥檛 do that here. Being of a more Scrooge-like nature (before old Ebenezer went through that dream-induced conversion and bought out the London shops for Tiny Tim), and because the Vote Blog focuses on politics, we opt instead for a more modern subject.
The War on Christmas!
Yes, as surely as dry leaves before the wild hurricane fly and tiny reindeer hooves clatter on moonlit winter rooftops, you can count on someone, somewhere to declare that godless heathens have 鈥� once again 鈥� declared war on Christmas.
This year is no exception.
In Washington, it began when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told his colleagues they might have to work through the Christmas break to get the nation鈥檚 work done. Things like taxes and arms control, immigration and gay rights in the military 鈥� tough stuff that many lawmakers wanted to kick over into the new year when, not incidentally, Republicans would take over the House and increase their numbers in the Senate.
Talk about a lump of coal in senatorial stockings! You could see the sputtering spray of egg nog all over Capitol Hill.
鈥淚t is impossible to do all of the things that the majority leader laid out without disrespecting the institution and without disrespecting one of the two holiest of holidays for 海角大神s,鈥� complained Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona, the second-ranking Republican in the Senate.
His senatorial sidekick Jim DeMint (R) of South Carolina felt the need to weigh in as well.
Sacrilegious! Disrespectful!
鈥淚t鈥檚 sacrilegious and disrespectful," he told Politico.com. "What's going on here is just wrong. This is the most sacred holiday for 海角大神s."
Reid got all humbug over such comments.
鈥淎s a 海角大神, no one has to remind me of the importance of Christmas for all of the 海角大神 faith, all their families across America,鈥� Reid said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 need to hear the sanctimonious lectures of Senators Kyl and DeMint to remind me of what Christmas means.鈥�
(Let us pause here to note that the Senate did in fact get through taxes, the immigration DREAM Act, and 鈥渄on鈥檛 ask, don鈥檛 tell鈥� a week before Christmas, and it overcame a significant hurdle on the way to approving the START nuclear weapons treaty.)
Neither Kyl nor DeMint, you鈥檒l notice, actually uttered the phrase 鈥淲ar on Christmas.鈥� No, that was left to their party鈥檚 cheerleading section over at the Fox News Channel.
Asked Fox & Friends co-host Steve Doocy, 鈥淎re Democrats waging their own War on Christmas to make sure Santa delivers everything on their wish list?鈥�
鈥淚s Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid a Grinch?鈥� asked America Live Fox host Megyn Kelly. 鈥淚s he trying to Scrooge his colleagues with plans to keep the Senate in session until Christmas Eve and then call everyone back before New Year's?鈥�
'Harry Reid tried to steal Christmas.'
Fox contributor Karl Rove called Reid 鈥渢he guy who tried to steal Christmas.鈥�
If the whole business has a sacred text, it鈥檚 probably Fox News radio host John Gibson鈥檚 2005 book 鈥淭he War on Christmas: How the Liberal Plot to Ban the Sacred 海角大神 Holiday Is Worse Than You Thought.鈥� (The hardcover is now available new on Amazon for as little as 53 cents.)
But while the issue may have faded for most people, skirmishes continue.
Featured on Fox was Marsha Boggs in Annapolis, Md. Inspired by Glenn Beck and the war on Christmas, she鈥檚 marketing a 鈥淐HRIST-mas Tree鈥� featuring a lighted cross in the middle of an artificial tree. For $399.99 they鈥檙e available in red-white-and-blue as well as the traditional green.
鈥淭his is about rescuing our rights as 海角大神s in America and salvaging and enhancing our 海角大神 holiday,鈥� explains Boggs, who admits that she doesn't attend church very regularly herself.
Dallas pastor Robert Jeffress has a 鈥淕rinch Alert鈥� web site listing businesses and organizations that are 鈥渘aughty鈥� or 鈥渘ice,鈥� depending on whether they use 鈥渕isplaced political correctness to halt the celebration of Christmas鈥� or 鈥渒eep Christ in Christmas where He belongs.鈥�
It鈥檚 the updated debate over 鈥淢erry Christmas鈥� versus 鈥淗appy Holidays,鈥� one presumes.
So just to cover all bases, we鈥檒l wish you 鈥� not only 鈥淗appy Holidays,鈥� 鈥淗appy Hanukkah,鈥� and 鈥淗appy Kwanzaa鈥� 鈥� but a very Merry Christmas.
