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WAL-MART BANS CHRISTMAS: BOYCOTT LAUNCHED
Catholic League ^ | 9 November 2005 | William Donohue

Posted on 11/09/2005 11:50:22 AM PST by big'ol_freeper

WAL-MART BANS CHRISTMAS:

BOYCOTT LAUNCHED

A woman who recently complained to Wal-Mart that the store was replacing “Merry Christmas” with “Happy Holidays” received an e-mail response from Customer Service. It appears below in its exact form:

“Walmart is a world wide organization and must remain conscious of this. The majority of the world still has different practices other than ‘christmas’ which is an ancient tradition that has its roots in Siberian shamanism. The colors associated with ‘christmas’ red and white are actually a representation of of the aminita mascera mushroom. Santa is also borrowed from the Caucuses, mistletoe from the Celts, yule log from the Goths, the time from the Visigoth and the tree from the worship of Baal. It is a wide wide world.”

To which Catholic League president Bill Donohue says: “This statement was signed by someone called Kirby. When I read it, I thought he might be drunk. But I was wrong. We sent Kirby’s response to Wal-Mart’s headquarters only to find that Dan Fogleman, Senior Manager, Public Relations, agrees. After acknowledging that he read Kirby’s response, Fogleman said, in part, the following”:

“As a retailer, we recognize some of our customers may be shopping for Chanukah or Kwanza gifts during this time of year and we certainly want these customers in our stores and to feel welcome, just as we do those buying for Christmas. As an employer, we recognize the significance of the Christmas holiday among our family of associates…and close our stores in observance, the only day during the year that we are closed.”

Bill Donohue says: “It’s nice to know that Wal-Mart is closed on a federal holiday. Now here is why I am asking the leaders of 126 religious organizations that span seven religious communities to boycott Wal-Mart. Go to its website and search for Hanukkah and up come 200 items. Click on Kwanzaa and up come 77. Click on Christmas, and here’s what you get: ‘We’ve brought you to our ‘Holiday’ page based on your search.’ In other words, Wal-Mart is practicing discrimination.”


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 7970forchristmas; antichrsistmas; bigots; brooklynbridge; catholicleague; christianbashing; christianity; christians; christmas; credulity; email; fodderforsnopes; fraud; grinchstolechristmas; hatewalmartbs; hoax; makechinaricherbuywm; religion; religiousintolerance; urbanlegend; urbanmyth; walmart; waronchristmas
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To: Aquinasfan

I pinged the list without reading the thread; now I really don't know. If you find out anything one way or another, let me know?


321 posted on 11/09/2005 2:22:26 PM PST by little jeremiah
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To: SaltyJoe

Maybe Jesus was Chinese?


322 posted on 11/09/2005 2:24:36 PM PST by BurbankKarl (NRA EPL)
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To: antisocial
"I am one of those Christian fundamentalists, maybe you can tell me where in the Bible it tells about celebrating Christmas."

The Bible does not mention celebrating Christmas, but it does not prohibit anyone from commemorating the birth of Jesus, nor does it prohibit people giving gifts to one another. And the U.S Constitution does not mention Thanksgiving or turkeys, but we have the holiday and celebrate it, and no one thinks there's something sinister about that. And the fact that Jesus and his followers drank wine does not prevent some fundamentalists from prohibiting wine. Moreover, the Christian version of the Bible did not even exist during the time of Jesus or for 200-300 years later; in other words, the rules and criteria for compiling the Bible are not themselves found in the Bible, but were decided by - oh my - tradition, as determined by the Catholic bishops long after the deaths of Jesus and the early apostles.
323 posted on 11/09/2005 2:28:15 PM PST by Steve_Seattle
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To: dandelion; little jeremiah
But IF it doesn't matter either way, then it certainly won't hurt for Wal-Mart to simply call the "Holiday" "Christmas" either...

That's the point. They do. Freely and without a hint of modesty about it, they stock, advertise, sell, and promote "Christmas" stuff. It's all over their website, it blinks at you when you walk in their store. And it's not even Thanksgiving yet :~D.

I just think it's funny that so many replies on this thread express outrage, and even ping their outrage lists, without checking it out! :~D

And I hate WalMart, it's too big. :~D

Happy Holidays!*

*Happy Holidays in no way wishes to insult anyone's holiday. I't merely an expression I use to give greetings to those who I may not talk to again during the holiday season, that I hope they have a happy Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hannukah, New Years, and whatever other holiday they celebrate this winter.

324 posted on 11/09/2005 2:31:32 PM PST by HairOfTheDog (Join the Hobbit Hole Troop Support - http://freeper.the-hobbit-hole.net/ 1,000 knives and counting!)
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To: sandbar
Walmart is NOT discriminating against Christmas. They are not excluding Christmas.

So why does a search of Christmas on their site give almost nothing compared to Kwanzaa (77) and Hanukkah (200) and Ramadan (20). A tree and a few ornaments. No books or CDs listed under Christmas. You have to search for 'holiday' to find Christmas but you can search the other religions directly by name. Sounds like exclusion to me. A few years ago, there probably would have been hundreds of Christmas hits.

325 posted on 11/09/2005 2:32:46 PM PST by Right Wing Assault ("..this administration is planning a 'Right Wing Assault' on values and ideals.." - John Kerry)
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To: Right Wing Assault
You're nuts.... you think they aren't pushing Christmas?

Search results for Christmas - Wal-mart

326 posted on 11/09/2005 2:35:22 PM PST by HairOfTheDog (Join the Hobbit Hole Troop Support - http://freeper.the-hobbit-hole.net/ 1,000 knives and counting!)
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To: HairOfTheDog
*Happy Holidays in no way wishes to insult anyone's holiday. It's merely an expression I use to give greetings to those who I may not talk to again during the holiday season, that I hope they have a happy Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hannukah, New Years, Ramadan, Festivus, Winter Solstice, Kwanzaa, Candlemas and whatever other holiday they celebrate this winter.

Too bad that's too long to fit in a tagline. (I made a few additions.)

327 posted on 11/09/2005 2:38:17 PM PST by ecurbh (Join the Hobbit Hole Troop Support - http://freeper.the-hobbit-hole.net/)
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To: armymarinedad
On the holiday page is a link saying "not what you are looking for click on the link to match your word Christmas.

Sure, Wal-Marts have a lot of Christmas stuff. The point is, why doesn't their website take you where you asked to go in the first place?? Why DON'T Kwanzaa and Ramadan and Hanukkah take you to 'holiday'? The are trying to equate Christmas with Holiday rather than just leaving it Christmas. If that's OK with you, great, but I think it is stupid.

328 posted on 11/09/2005 2:39:09 PM PST by Right Wing Assault ("..this administration is planning a 'Right Wing Assault' on values and ideals.." - John Kerry)
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To: big'ol_freeper

Bravo Sierra


329 posted on 11/09/2005 2:40:27 PM PST by muir_redwoods (Free Sirhan Sirhan, after all, the bastard who killed Mary Jo Kopechne is walking around free)
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To: Clay+Iron_Times

Plus, for the real story of Santa, go to:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0393685/

Santa's Slay

Where you will see that Santa is really the devil's son who has had to be nice for 1000 years because he lost a curling bet to an angel.

The best part about this campy movie is that Santa is played by Goldberg, the wrestler, who happens to be Jewish.


330 posted on 11/09/2005 2:40:55 PM PST by Sensei Ern (Now, IB4Z! http://trss.blogspot.com/)
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To: HairOfTheDog

See my post 328. It's not that they don't have Christmas stuff. Everyone knows they do. The point is why do they try to push it off as 'holiday'? What is it, something like 87% of Americans celbrate Christmas in some way?


331 posted on 11/09/2005 2:42:00 PM PST by Right Wing Assault ("..this administration is planning a 'Right Wing Assault' on values and ideals.." - John Kerry)
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To: ecurbh

I'm so glad you included those honey... I was inconsiderate to have not included them :~D


332 posted on 11/09/2005 2:42:28 PM PST by HairOfTheDog (Join the Hobbit Hole Troop Support - http://freeper.the-hobbit-hole.net/ 1,000 knives and counting!)
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To: HairOfTheDog

You... you... hater!! ;~D


333 posted on 11/09/2005 2:43:42 PM PST by ecurbh (Join the Hobbit Hole Troop Support - http://freeper.the-hobbit-hole.net/)
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To: Right Wing Assault

You posted that they had "almost nothing" when you searched for Christmas, and the fact is, they had 7,900 or so items in that category (did ya *click* it?) and, I might add, the store itself is overflowing and bursting at the seams with Christmas stuff.

This is so much tilting at windmills. It's comic. Really!


334 posted on 11/09/2005 2:47:00 PM PST by HairOfTheDog (Join the Hobbit Hole Troop Support - http://freeper.the-hobbit-hole.net/ 1,000 knives and counting!)
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To: BurbankKarl

"Maybe Jesus was Chinese?"

LOL, Jesus is certainly "Asian", from the ghetto "West" side.


335 posted on 11/09/2005 2:48:19 PM PST by SaltyJoe (A mother's sorrowful heart and personal sacrifice redeems her lost child's soul.)
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To: GOPPachyderm
Walmart allows Salvation Army red kettles bell ringing and Target does not, so I prefer shopping at Walmart now.

Yep - from the day the bellringers start to the day they stop, I don't go to Target.

336 posted on 11/09/2005 2:49:17 PM PST by nina0113
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To: ssaftler

When I have designed web pages with multiple results searches I have done the same thing Walmart did. However, I do agree that it can give the appearance of favoring one celebration over another.


337 posted on 11/09/2005 2:51:36 PM PST by Talking_Mouse (Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just... Thomas Jefferson)
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To: Jim Verdolini
gee, I avoid Walmart simply because everything they sell is made in China and I won't fund their future war against Taiwan or the USA.

You have to be careful criticizing Wally-world around here. Mention that only 17% of their merchandise is made here in the U.S. and that 11% of China's exports are shipped to Wally-world stores and you'll need your freeper asbestos suit.

As a good capitalist I don't like supporting communists. I don't know why so many others around here do. I don't have anything against Wally-world being successful, I just don't enjoy the shopping experience there. I think in the end, that's going to be their downfall.

338 posted on 11/09/2005 2:53:12 PM PST by Smittie
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To: Right Wing Assault

Maybe because it's a holiday.


339 posted on 11/09/2005 2:53:46 PM PST by A.P.M.
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To: Right Wing Assault
I don't mind shopping at a department store which caters to all religious holidays- it is capitalism but if a department store starts referring to Christmas merchandise as Holiday merchandise then i am done with it.

Here is something I found interesting.. if you go to Kwanzaa you find the children's book- Arthur's Christmas. If you enter Christmas there is no such direct link... strange. I know they mention Kwanzaa in the book- but the book and the message is about CHRISTMAS- not Kwanzaa. I will wait and see- Walmart is a great place to stop for tape and wrapping paper and other small items- but there are plenty of other places to get that stuff. Walmart has a positive history, IMO- It appears to me that someone is playing games with the Walmart website.

340 posted on 11/09/2005 2:54:08 PM PST by Diva Betsy Ross (Code pink stinks)
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