Posted on 12/07/2005 7:18:46 AM PST by indcons
What's missing from the White House Christmas card? Christmas.
This month, as in every December since he took office, President Bush sent out cards with a generic end-of-the-year message, wishing 1.4 million of his close friends and supporters a happy "holiday season."
Many people are thrilled to get a White House Christmas card, no matter what the greeting inside. But some conservative Christians are reacting as if Bush stuck coal in their stockings.
"This clearly demonstrates that the Bush administration has suffered a loss of will and that they have capitulated to the worst elements in our culture," said William A. Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.
Bush "claims to be a born-again, evangelical Christian. But he sure doesn't act like one," said Joseph Farah, editor of the conservative Web site WorldNetDaily.com. "I threw out my White House card as soon as I got it."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Say what you will, but sending a Merry Christmas card to a Jew would be kind of tacky. So instead of having to divide his list into different religions, he sent out a generic greeting. I don't see what the big deal is.
So when do the calls to boycott the Bush administration begin?
"Say what you will, but sending a Merry Christmas card to a Jew would be kind of tacky."
How about, "Happy Birthday to the most famous rabbi in the world!" ??
That should cover all bases. . .
HAPPY HOLIDAYS IS FINE WITH ME-- THERE IS MORE THAN ONE HOLIDAY GOING ON RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Geez people................
Now does anyone know where I can find a good Festivus pole? all they have around here are the cheap plastic ones.
Heard blowhard Bill O'Reilly is going to call for a boycott of the WH starting from today /sarc
Agreed.
I wonder if anybody knows the terminology used by previous presidents.
I suspect that "Happy Holidays" rather than "Merry Christmas" has been used for decades.
Yeah, because having a Bible verse inside the cards just screams "secular".
Impeachment?
There is a HUGE difference between banning the use of the word Christmas and trying to be inclusive of those of other faiths.
"Bush "claims to be a born-again, evangelical Christian"
When did Bush claim this?
President Bush is not the President of just the Christians in the United States of America. He is the President of all citizens in this country.
Here, we have Christians, Jews, Muslims, Jains, Buddhists, Hindus, Wiccans, and followers of every religion on this planet.
Some of these religions also have holidays in December, and everyone celebrates New Years here in the USA.
I just love when religious conservatives set about to destroy a President who is on their side. Very clever of them.
My advice on this issue to these folks: STFU.
Some folks around here act like they think he should acknowledge only Christians and screw everyone else.
I think for the White House it makes sense. I suspect there are recepients of the card who are either jewish or muslim and I doubt as the white house knows that much info about each recipient. (Though it might avoid scandal in the futre if to find out).
"I wonder if anybody knows the terminology used by previous presidents.
"
Bush the Elder sent out a "Merry Christmas" card at least one year. Beyond that I don't know.
The White House announced they sent out 1.4 million Christmas cards this year. When Bill Clinton was president, he sent out twice that number of cards. Of course, that was for Valentine’s Day. - Jay Leno
Look at the people WaPo quotes in the first paragraph: Joe Farrah and Bill Donahue. The first is a liar and the second is a buffoon who sees anti-Catholic bias in a phone ring tone.
I'll bet nobody on this forum ever votes for him for president ever again. See? Boycotts do work.
According to the article the last president to mention Christmas was George H. W. in 1992.
It is no secret that Christmas is under attack.
He could have made a stand for religious freedom.
I am disappointed. He should have come up with a creative solution. He didn't do that.
If he sought advice from someone on a creative soulition- they didn't earn their keep.
There are a hundred ways to wish people their respective holiday wishes and NOT be pansies for the PC folks.
"Impeachment?"
Now that would do the Christian right a lot of good, wouldn't it? Sometimes, those folks just don't get it. Their zeal can be counter-productive.
Oh BS, I am looking at the card right now. It has Psalm 28.7 "The Lord is my Strength and my shield..."
This holiday vs Christmas thing is getting on my nerves, lighten up people.
Like what?
Here is another note. When this nation was founded this nation was 99% Christian and 1% other. Now I think this nation is roughly 90% Christian and 10% other. What people need to realize is the Bush represents everyone not just the Christians here.. Much ado about nothing imho..
Indeed. Farah et al view the world as a giant "FIND A GRIEVANCE" puzzle.
Some folks around here need tranquilizers to get thru the "HOLIDAY" season.
What utter crap this article is. The president quotes a biblical verse within the card and it's quite lovely and appropriate.
"I am disappointed. He should have come up with a creative solution. He didn't do that."
Gosh. He did come up with a creative solution. I got the White House card this year. I'm an atheist. I celebrate holidays at this time of year, too. Perhaps my vote is also important. Ya think?
Not every American citizen is a Christian. President Bush realizes that. A pity you seem not to.
More than that...O'Reilly, Gibson, and Fox have a lot of explaining to do about their hypocricy. They berated retailers the whole of last week for "Happy Holiday" signs when they were using "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" on their own online shop. The signs were changed as soon as MSNBC ran a story exposing Fox News' double standards.
Now he knows how warm and fuzzy it wasnt't to get a card from Bill and Hillary.
I disagree. I'm Jewish and prefer Christmas cards from Christian friends, it's their holiday, why should they cater to me? I like well made cards and the words written on them
"This holiday vs Christmas thing is getting on my nerves, lighten up people."
Personally, I agree with your thoughts.
instead of having to divide his list into different religions, he sent out a generic greeting.
My college art teacher did the 2001 WH Christmas card.
That's interesting.....is there some kind of competition?
The WH choose to offend a much larger group of people with this move than if they had sent traditional Christmas greetings. (But don't stop reading - I'm not saying what you think I'm saying.)
They did this in a calculated manner, after concluding that this would terminally offend far fewer people than a traditional Christmas greeting would offend.
So, if I were Jewish or atheist or Muslim, I should feel more offended that the WH concluded that I'm so petty and small-minded that I would be terminally offended by mere words on a card.
See, the WH knows that the Christian faith has forgiveness and a commitment to not holding onto grudges and offenses built into its core. Sure, there will be a number of "Christians who will take offense, and pledge to never support this administration again. But that number will be much smaller than the number of people who will take that same position after receiving a Merry Christmas greeting from the WH.
Then again, ther are plenty of people who decide to vote for a politician simply because he kisses babies and pets puppies, so go figure.
"My college art teacher did the 2001 WH Christmas card."
I'll bet it said Happy Holidays, too.
Since Hanukah falls on the same day as Christmas this year (for the
first time since 1959), Happy Holidays is especially appropriate right now.
Let's cut'm some slack he's got bigger fish to fry. And also how is FR get co-opted into becoming an extension of the MSM disinformation apparatus. Like a demon from Buffy. America's enemies can taste and thrive on any break in our ranks.
I received the Whitehouse Christmas card yesterday and it has a wonderful biblical verse ont he inside.
And had he sent out "Christmas cards" we would be hearing the screeching of the mortally offended lib loons, each claiming their separation clause had been violated.
My card led off with a Bible Verse from Psalm 28
The psalm is an Old Testament admonition that the Lord is my strength and my shield.
The card depicting the two Scotties and an escaping cat on the snowy White House lawn was acceptable to me.
I believe there *is* a Bible verse in the White House Christmas card.
The holiday season, after all, extends from Thanksgiving to New Years, and there are a lot of holidays during that period of time. There are non-Christian holidays, there are made-up holidays, and there is one day during this period that is very special to Christians, as well.
Having said that, there should be no official or quasi-official policy showing disrespect to the beliefs of any religion, and that is going on a lot lately, and it only seems to be happening to Christian symbols. We are right to object loudly to that.
But don't think every "happy holidays" is an intentional slight against Christmas or you'll drive yourself crazy.
I don't know the religion of every person I work with, because its' a big company. If they're Christians and I know it, they get a "Merry Christmas" from me. Otherwise, a more generic greeting is OK too. (see my tag line for further clarification, if necessary)
After all, it's eating into news coverage of Natalee Holloway........
I received this year's card the other day and the next day my husband got one.
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