Feds ban grandma's angel ornament on Christmas tree

WorldNetDaily.com ^ | November 9, 2007

[Man50D]

Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development officials have announced a ban on any decorations in HUD housing complexes that mention Jesus or represent religion for the Christmas season, and the American Family Association has responded with a petition drive to overturn the decision.

The AFA has set up a link to allow constituents to send e-mails to the HUD secretary or President Bush expressing their objections to the policy.

The issue arose at the Plant City Living Center in Plant City, Fla., where 85-year-old Mrs. Arnold was told that federal law now prohibits her from displaying anything that references religion – words, decorations and the like – in the common area of her apartment building, a HUD facility.

The grandmother told AFA she was instructed that even an angel decoration would be disallowed by the ban, which makes her think of the restrictions in Germany during World War II.

According to the center, HUD has issued a directive banning "any religious symbols or religious words associated with Christmas," which effectively prevents Mrs. Arnold from placing a small Christmas tree outside her door if it contains any religious symbols or words – "even an angel," AFA said in a special alert asking for e-mails.

A spokeswoman at the center who preferred not to give her name told WND the rules now prevent displays "like a manger, like a Christ child, any religious symbols."

"We used to have a sign outside that said, 'Jesus is the reason for the season,' but we can't anymore," she told WND. "We're all very unhappy about that."

The building has about 40 one-bedroom apartments for seniors who are at least 62 years old.

[LIConFem]

First Amendment? We don’t need no steeenking First Amendment!

[RetSignman]

...and if you think it can’t any worse, just think what it will be like under a clinton socialist state.

[katya8]

The solution is very simple, really:

"We, The People" .......who own the United State of America......need to fire all the fascists at HUD and replace them with democratic fellow-Americans.

[Always Right]

Stupid NAZI Christianphobe liberals.

[cbkaty]

Christal Nacht has arrived in America......

[ARE SOLE]

No Christmas angel ornaments? This is just fine though ...

[blu]

So they have, in effect, banned Christians from celebrating Christmas. How “official” of them. Tell Granny to hang a bunch of dreidles (hey, Jim Rob, that word needs to be in spell check!), stars of David, anything from other religions on the tree. Wonder how that would go over??

[picard]

**MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE!**

(oh crap, are the Stalinists going to take my house and throw me in jail now?)

[Caramelgal]

This kind of government intrusion is getting beyond silly and stupid. It’s no wonder our government is so friendly with Communist China – we are becoming just like them.

In the mid-nineties, my parents lived in a senior housing apartment complex run by Catholic Charities. The manager told the resident’s that they couldn’t put wreaths on their door that had the word Christmas or any religious symbols and they should refrain from wishing people a Merry Christmas in the common areas. She said this was because the complex received HUD money and that it could offend some people.

I was so infuriated I left work to go over there. I was unable to speak with the manager but several other residents confirmed what she had said. I left her a voice mail message saying, “Who do you think you are to tell anyone what they can or cannot say?” Not surprisingly, she never called me back.

The next day I called a local conservative talk radio show host who was also a Catholic and he made it the topic of his show and interviewed me and my parents. He placed several calls to the Archdiocese and got someone from the Archbishop’s office who tried to infer this hadn’t happened but it must have because in the next day the manager was fired for her actions.

The next thing I did was go out and buy the biggest evergreen wreath that would fit their door with a big ribbon that said MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The First Amendment was never intended to stifle religious expression.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

I am not a practicing Christian, in fact I am not religious at all, but I find this kind of attack on Christians and Christianity extremely offensive to me and a perversion of all of our Rights.

I’m sending an email and then I’m taking a double dose of my blood pressure medicine because my blood is boiling!

[Shimmer]

Christmas ping

[Labyrinthos]

“The issue arose at the Plant City Living Center in Plant City, Fla., where 85-year-old Mrs. Arnold was told that federal law now prohibits her from displaying anything that references religion – words, decorations and the like – in the common area of her apartment building, a HUD facility.”

If you follow the link to the “federal law,” then you will discover that the limitation upon Christmas displays is not a law or even a duly enacted regulation, but rather, a policy memorandum written by a low level bureaucrat based upon the opinion of a lawyer who no longer works for HUD. Since this is nothing but a pencil pusher’s opinion, why can’t the POTUS issue an Executive Order overruling this nitwit?

[YellowRoseofTx]

Mrs. Arnold was told that federal law now prohibits

What federal law is it?

[metmom]

ping

[aberaussie]

Sounds like someone needs to contact Liberty Counsel.

[metmom]

I clicked on the link in the article and it doesn’t look like federal law to me, it’s just a memo.

If they’re going to be treating everybody equally, then why did they single out Christmas? Hypocrites.

I want my tax money back. I don’t like it being extorted from me in the first place much less used to support this kind of crap.

grrrrrr.....

[unixfox]

"We, The People" .......who used to own the United States of America......need to fire all the fascists (insert your favorite govt. program here)_________ at and replace them with democratic fellow-Americans.

There, fixed it fer ya.

[G Larry]

“Congress shall make no laws establishing a religion OR BANNING THE FREE EXERCISE THEREOF”!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ladyjane]

blu - you have it all wrong. Dreidels and menorrahs are cultural symbols, not religious symbols. Santa Claus and reindeer are religious symbols.

Don’t believe me? A judge in New York says so.

[YellowRoseofTx]

If they’re going to be treating everybody equally, then why did they single out Christmas? Hypocrites.

Yes, and I'm fed up with people being offended by something. All this kind of garbage offends me and no one seems to give a flying fig.