CSNbbs

Don’t mess with Texas… particularly the Attorney General when it comes to Christmas and free speech.

Quote:Christmas in the Lone Star state has no greater defender than Attorney General Ken Paxton. So when he read my column about a middle school in Killeen that tried to censor the true meaning of Christmas, he decided it was time to jingle somebody’s bells.

A staffer at Patterson Middle School was told she had to remove a poster depicting a scene from the cherished holiday classic, “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

The door-length poster featured Linus, a scrawny tree and that beautiful recitation of the true meaning of Christmas.

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a savior which is Christ the Lord. That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown,” Linus said.

Dedra Shannon’s poster was well-received among the staff and students – but a few days later she was told by the principal that she should either have to remove the religious references or remove the entire poster.

Linus could stay but the Baby Jesus had to go.

“She said my poster is an issue of separation of church and state,” Ms. Shannon told me. “She said the poster had to come down because it might offend kids from other religions or those who do not have a religion.”

Ms. Shannon refused to compromise her religious beliefs and ultimately removed the poster.

“I wasn’t going to leave Linus and the Christmas tree without having the dialogue. That’s the whole point of why it was put up.”

The incident proves that public school tolerance can only be achieved by being intolerant towards Christians.

But it turns out the principal may have inadvertently broken the 2013 “Merry Christmas” law. That law stipulates no school official in Texas can silence a Biblical reference to Christmas.

I am proud to have voted for the Merry Christmas law in 2013, when I was a member of the legislature,” Paxton said. “We passed that law precisely because of this type of discrimination against people of faith.”

Paxton minced no words in describing what happened in that hallway at Patterson Middle School.

“This is an attack on religious liberty and a violation of the First Amendment and state law,” he said. “I am calling on the school board of the Killeen ISD to immediately reverse their unlawful decision.”

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2016/12/0...trict.html

This is an area of the law that is, and has been, shifting agains the left for some time.

(12-12-2016 01:00 PM)usmbacker Wrote: [ -> ]The incident proves that public school tolerance can only be achieved by being intolerant towards Christians.

As a disclaimer, this whole thing is idiotic. Having said that, I can only imagine the outrage that would come about if teachers during the course of the year decorated their doors with Islamic or Jewish symbols/passages.

(12-12-2016 01:03 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote: [ -> ]This is an area of the law that is, and has been, shifting agains the left for some time.

either way, it's small and petty from both sides....both sides display an unwillingness to fully understand the scope of being....

even she acknowledges why she put it up.... #agenda

humanity is a long ways from being civil in culture or agenda based law....

(12-12-2016 01:06 PM)Gakusei Wrote: [ -> ]

(12-12-2016 01:00 PM)usmbacker Wrote: [ -> ]The incident proves that public school tolerance can only be achieved by being intolerant towards Christians.

As a disclaimer, this whole thing is idiotic. Having said that, I can only imagine the outrage that would come about if teachers during the course of the year decorated their doors with Islamic or Jewish symbols/passages.

Why/evidence?
If you're talking about putting up a religious message around a holiday that celebrates that message, even if you don't, that's one thing. Sort of like honoring 12/7/41 even if it insults some more recent Japanese Immigrants.

If you're talking about putting up a message about your religion vs another with no connection, that is different.

Evidence? Haven't seen anything yet. I'd say the reaction to the black Santa at the Mall of America is a sample. People tend to be fine with things so long as they line up with their perception of the world. Once something 'out of the ordinary' happens, people tend to go nuts.

(12-12-2016 03:06 PM)Gakusei Wrote: [ -> ]Evidence? Haven't seen anything yet. I'd say the reaction to the black Santa at the Mall of America is a sample. People tend to be fine with things so long as they line up with their perception of the world. Once something 'out of the ordinary' happens, people tend to go nuts.

It's not racist Gakusei, it's just that typically Santa's have been white, after all, the concept did arise in Europe. We all know that the real Santa's come in all colors and ethnicities but the public one is lily white. No biggie.

As a non-religious person, I don't understand the outrage. Displays of Christmas and religion don't bother me.

I'd have a different opinion if this principal was forcing kids accept the story of Christmas as truth and declare Jesus their savior, but that's not happening and I think it would be a leap to think a picture of Linus and a line about Christ is a step towards that.

(12-12-2016 03:27 PM)Niner National Wrote: [ -> ]As a non-religious person, I don't understand the outrage. Displays of Christmas and religion don't bother me.

I'd have a different opinion if this principal was forcing kids accept the story of Christmas as truth and declare Jesus their savior, but that's not happening and I think it would be a leap to think a picture of Linus and a line about Christ is a step towards that.

being an atheist, that's my take....

it just doesn't matter in scope....

trying to 'define to the nth' will never work out long term regardless of law or culture within the masses....

(12-12-2016 03:27 PM)Niner National Wrote: [ -> ]As a non-religious person, I don't understand the outrage. Displays of Christmas and religion don't bother me.

I'd have a different opinion if this principal was forcing kids accept the story of Christmas as truth and declare Jesus their savior, but that's not happening and I think it would be a leap to think a picture of Linus and a line about Christ is a step towards that.

Unfortunately not everyone feels the way you do. Sad, really. There's a menorah in one of our parks and I don't see/hear any outrage by Christians. They could have a Festivus display as far as I'm concerned, it wouldn't change my opinion on the real Christmas. Isn't Santa a secular invention? So what's the big deal? Us Christians enjoy the secular part too but know "Jesus is the reason for the season."

Even in the Bible we're told to not put down others cultural customs.

(12-12-2016 03:41 PM)olliebaba Wrote: [ -> ]

(12-12-2016 03:27 PM)Niner National Wrote: [ -> ]As a non-religious person, I don't understand the outrage. Displays of Christmas and religion don't bother me.

I'd have a different opinion if this principal was forcing kids accept the story of Christmas as truth and declare Jesus their savior, but that's not happening and I think it would be a leap to think a picture of Linus and a line about Christ is a step towards that.

Unfortunately not everyone feels the way you do. Sad, really. There's a menorah in one of our parks and I don't see/hear any outrage by Christians. They could have a Festivus display as far as I'm concerned, it wouldn't change my opinion on the real Christmas. Isn't Santa a secular invention? So what's the big deal? Us Christians enjoy the secular part too but know "Jesus is the reason for the season."

Even in the Bible we're told to not put down others cultural customs.

I think a lot of people, of all faiths/non-faiths and political leanings just feel incomplete if they're not outraged about something. In absence of things worthy of true outrage, faux outrage is created.

(12-12-2016 03:06 PM)Gakusei Wrote: [ -> ]Evidence? Haven't seen anything yet. I'd say the reaction to the black Santa at the Mall of America is a sample. People tend to be fine with things so long as they line up with their perception of the world. Once something 'out of the ordinary' happens, people tend to go nuts.

Note that the 'reaction' you're talking about was online... and not in person. Probably a bunch of race baiters and 13 year olds, and only a very small number of people who actually give a rats ass about the 'race' of a mall Santa 99% of us will never see. HALF the 'Santa's' out there wear fake hair and beards. Do you REALLY Think there are meaningful numbers of actual people really upset about this? He's been doing it for 20 years, and he isn't the only one.

(12-12-2016 01:06 PM)Gakusei Wrote: [ -> ]

(12-12-2016 01:00 PM)usmbacker Wrote: [ -> ]The incident proves that public school tolerance can only be achieved by being intolerant towards Christians.

As a disclaimer, this whole thing is idiotic. Having said that, I can only imagine the outrage that would come about if teachers during the course of the year decorated their doors with Islamic or Jewish symbols/passages.

One of the English teachers in my high school in semi-rural SC was a practicing Jew and did decorate for Jewish holidays. Weird thing is.....I don't recall the first instance of outrage and this was in the late 1980's before worrying about anybody's feelings was the national pastime for leftists.

That's the thing, Kap... a NUMBER of the people complaining about 'Christian' or 'white' issues are only doing so because we keep giving in to people who complain about stupid stuff.