County Executive orders "religion-neutral" Christmas (and blames 9/11 Attack)

King County Executive ^ | 11/30/01 | Ron Sims, King County Executive

[ppaul]

TO: KC Global Announcement to All King County Employees

FM: Ron Sims, King County Executive

RE: Holiday Celebrations

With the post September 11 tragedy climate and the religious holidays starting, we at King County want to ensure that any upcoming holiday celebration at the workplace is held in a respectful, inclusive, and sensitive manner that does not favor one religion over another. Particularly in public areas, this means that any holiday recognition or celebration should be religion-neutral.

Examples of religion-neutral practices include: naming the celebration(s) "Holiday Celebration" or "Winter Celebration;"

using general greetings such as "Happy Holidays" or "Holiday Greetings;"

using decorations that are commonplace - poinsettias, evergreen boughs, lights - but not using religious symbols nor practices; and

obtaining the concurrence of all affected employees prior to holding a holiday social and/or food gathering. Care should be taken that employees who do not concur with holding a gathering are protected from retaliation.

Cultural information sharing about various religious holidays in the name of diversity is allowable when it is done in the context of employee education and is inclusive of various religious celebrations such as Ramadan, Hanukkah, Christmas, etc.

I encourage you to contact Maria Batayola, at (206) 263-7380, should you have any questions and/or comments.

cc: Robert S. Derrick, Director, Office of Human Resources Management (OHRM)

Maria Batayola, Manager, Diversity Management Division, OHRM

King County Executive, RON SIMS

:

[ppaul]

I can't think of a tradition of religion in the public square leading us anywhere except to a theocracy.

How pitifully sad.
Here are some results you were unable, or unwilling, to think of:

1. Magna Carta
2. Mayflower Compact
3. Declaration of Independence
4. U.S. Constitution
5. Constitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia and other states
6. Our national anthem and virtually every patriotic song Americans hold dear

With a little time and research effort, this list could be limitlessly expanded.

Thank God we live in the United States of America.

Merry Christmas.

:

[ppaul]

Well, the news media have finally started reproting on this.
(but remember, you read about it HERE, on Free Republic, first!)

Heres a link to KOMO News4 (ABC) coverage, article & video link:

Have A PC Christmas...er, Holiday
King County Executive Sims tells county workers to drop the 'Merry Christmas', use 'Happy Holidays' instead.

[HIDEK6]

I E-Mailed the asshole and told him Merry Christmas. Then, I called his office. Surprisingly, a live person answered.

She mentioned that his highness had left forty minutes ago, so I asked for his voice mail. Are you ready for this? She said, "HE DOESN"T LIKE VOICE MAIL!"

Sorry, but this counters my pre-judgment of an incompetent bureaucrat. You don't think he had this girl screening his calls so that his voice-mail wouldn't get clogged up, do you?

Anyway, I left the message, "Merry Christmas". His girl then asked me if I wanted to leave my name. I think I astonished her when I said, "Certainly." I left my name and phone number. She asked where I was from and I told her, North Carolina.

I bet she has been one busy woman today.

Has anyone else called?

[Angelique]

I already sent Mr. Sims an emai, and he did not respond, so I sent another. I would think that espicially in light of the 9-11 attacks, we should not tolerate such an abuse of our freedom. Although it is a Christian holiday to many, it is celebrated by most Americans. Pretty soon they will ban Santa, too.

[ppaul]

.....especially in light of the 9-11 attacks, we should not tolerate such an abuse of our freedom.

You're darn right!

[Chuckster]

I just sent my secretary (Yeah, I know, the PC term nowadays is "Admin Assistant" but I AM FED UP WITH PC and I refuse to participate any longer) out to get Christmas cards to send to our customers and vendors. I had intended to either find or make up on the computer, cards that said "Happy Retailing Season" out of cynicism but that would likely not offend anyone.

I intend to sign with a note saying that I am celebrating Christ's birth and wish everyone the happiness that I am experiencing.

[HiTech RedNeck]

So the handful of atheist Republicans are not content to ask that they personally not be wished a Merry Christmas; instead they put a muffler on the mouth of the rest, and in the meantime Democrats can mention all the religion they want among themselves (usually twisting it grotesquely out of shape in the process). Because people are spiritual, the Dems get the attention of the itching ears. Good Job.

[fivetoes]

[ppaul]

So the handful of atheist Republicans are not content to ask that they personally not be wished a Merry Christmas; instead they put a muffler on the mouth of the rest, and in the meantime.....

Right on, HiTech! Thanks for the dose of common sense. And besides, anyone who calls himself a "Republican" and insists on spelling Christmas as "xmas," just to show his disrespect for common decency and the heartfelt traditions of others, doesn't deserve to be a Republican, or a FReeper for that matter. He should go find his place with the party of the cultural barbarians - the demoncRATS - where he will find many likeminded snobs who like rubbing our faces in the foul smelling stench of their conceit and self-proclaimed intellectual superiority.

[ninenot]

Human resource type idiots are as big a drag on our economy as lawyers

Maybe. But I subscribe (a big mistake) to the national rag of the Soc. for HR Management--what a load of garbage. I have never read so much by and about people who are OBVIOUSLY consumed with picking lint from their navels. OTOH, they wouldn't be there if Gummint hadn't forced a lot of crap into the system...

[HiTech RedNeck]

But don't spend my tax dollars while you are at it.

Let's see: civil servants should check their beliefs at the door. Don't even dare say Merry Christmas or Happy Chanukah for fear it might throw a monkey wrench into the gears of government. (Quite the opposite.)

Friend, you don't want people in government. You want robots.

[stands2reason]

The biggest way to affect someone is to make them feel shame. Words like yours do that. The least way to affect someone is to make them defensive. Insults and invective do that.

[stands2reason]

By the time this is all over, all religious holidays will be melded into one day. I wonder what that day will be called? ChrisYomRamKwanz Day or something? Whose religion did I miss? We can't have any of that.

You forgot Buddhists...but it's okay, Buddhists don't really have a day (that I know of) and we're not supposed to care, either. Buddhists don't need a day. If you do, you're not a Buddhist.

[ppaul]

Hey, I've heard all the excuses for using "X" for the "Christ" in Christmas ever since they started doing it in the public schools during the 1960's when it initially caused an uproar. It is just hostility to Christ, anti-religious bigotry, disrespect for the cultural traditions of others, cultural ignorance, or laziness, that would make people trash the word that way.

[ppaul]

.....it is not right to distort what Christmas is by making it "religion neutral." Either do it right or don't do it.

Well said. Couldn't agree with you more.

BTW: The ban by the King County Executive was directed against private expression and the free speech of county employees. It had nothing to do with spending tax dollars. It is not neutral. It is hostile toward the heartfelt beliefs and expressions of employees and seeks to squelch or circumscribe their exercise of free speech or religious expression.