Posted on 11/29/2005 1:05:39 PM PST by doug from upland
A great big thank you and Merry Christmas to the Speaker of the House, J. Dennis Hastert. In this era of PC gone wild, the Speaker stepped up to the plate to save the Capitol Christmas tree.
The Christmas tree is under the control of the Architect of the Capitol. The Architect reports to the Speaker. On Nov. 19, 2005, the Speaker sent the following letter to the Architect. Chris Taylor, Asst. Press Secretary to the Speaker was kind enough to email me a copy. Upon receipt of the letter, the Architect phoned the Speaker and asked if he really wanted to do this. The Speaker answered that indeed he did. And so, it was done. The Speaker had the power to order it done, but he made the suggestion and the Architect got the idea.
J. Dennis Hastert
Fourteenth District
Illinois
November 16, 2005
The Honorable Alan M. Hantman
Architect of the Capitol
SB-15 of the Capitol
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Alan,
I am writing to suggest that the annual Capitol Holiday Tree be renamed the Capitol Christmas Tree. The first Capitol tree in 1964 was designated a Christmas tree, as were most subsequent trees. I strongly urge that we return to this tradition and join the White House, countless other public institutions and millions of American families in celebrating the holiday season with a Christmas tree.
I fully understand your desire to make all holiday displays as inclusive as possible. There are many ways to accomplish this, and the Supreme Court has ruled that such displays in public buildings are fully permissible under the Constitution.
I look forward to working with you on this issue and hope you will consider my suggestion to restore this great tradition.
Sincerely,
J. Dennis Hastert
Speaker of the House
Our company's "Holiday party" 2 years ago featured an unfortunate incident in which a member of our Human Resources division stood on stage with the hired DJ and looked over playlists to ensure that no "Christmas" songs were played.
It's coming to a head soon, believe me.
Praise the Lord and definitely pass the ammunition....
Should be designated a "hate crime".......against Christians.
Good for him.
I know of no one that celebrates sacred "Holiday".
It's a Christmas tree. Period.
Yea!! Merry Christmas Everyone!! And may all your hearts be filled with joy joy joy and more joy!!
Sorry FRiend, but you are incorrect. This is GovSpeak. The wording you and I would have preferred, while well within the right of the Speaker to use, will likely be used by Dim committee members as condemnation in future confirmation hearings.
Sen Kennedy: "Mr. Hastert, is it not true that in December of 2005 you ORDERED the Architect of the Capitol to replace the long accepted designation of 'Holiday Tree,' with the discredited and offensive term 'Christmas' tree?"
Merry Christmas, GloriaJane!
Good News Ping!
I may actually drive up there just to look at it :-) Well, I do have a ticket I need to take care of in VA ;-)
My son got a job at Lowes just over a month ago as a loader. He came home all excited today because he is working in the CHRISTMAS tree tent. And, not only that, but to everyone who buys a tree from him, he loads it up and wishes them a MERRY CHRISTMAS! :-)
Fabulous - thanks for news!
PC is Pure Crap.
American Civil Liberties UnionSomeone on Rush's show yesterday suggested it...
915 15th Street, NW
6th Floor
Washington, DC 20005
Good point.
I have to admit that my language ability is limited to English, a smattering of Spanish and 'BizSpeak', where we say what we mean or simply keep our mouths shut.
We flooded various ACLU offices with Very MERRY CHRISTMAS cards last year. A fellow freeper started it last year. I already brought a box of 100 Christmas cards and will be mailing, and faxing Merry Christian Christmas wishes.
Thanks for the number. Just called.
Nope. I was expecting an answering machine... not a real person to answer.
FROM "THE HILL" --
Christmas Tree to arrive on Hill Nov. 28
By Jackie Kucinich
The U.S. Capitol Christmas tree will arrive on the West Front on Nov. 28 at 10 a.m., the Architect of the Capitol has announced.
The 65-foot Engelmann Spruce will be adorned with more than 10,000 lights, large baubles and 3,000 decorations made by children, community groups, artisans and Native Americans to reflect the cultural heritage of New Mexico.
The tree is from Santa Fe National Forest and was harvested on Nov. 7. It traveled through 16 cities in New Mexico before continuing its journey cross-country to Washington.
Architect of the Capitol Alan Hantman will preside over the Dec. 8 tree lighting ceremony, starting at 5 p.m., and Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) will flip the switch.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.