The bogus Fox News War on Christmas is not being fought just in the trenches of Fox News "opinion," but in the alleged fair & balanced trenches of their "real journalism." Yesterday, Fox & Friends, the morning happy-talk show that Ailes uses as one of his primary vehicles to inject his venom into the media bloodstream," injected some of Fox's annual War on Christmas venom into the Fox bloodstream where it circulated over to "Happening Now" which is part of Fox's official "news" line up; and, as such, is, supposedly, subject to the Fox oxymoronic slogan and logo, "Fox News, Fair & Balanced." But alleged "news" anchor, Jon Scott, was hardly a dispassionate journalist in his moderation of a discussion about nasty atheists who, in Foxworld, have put an end to the city sponsored Nativity in Santa Monica. But given that Roger Ailes fears, along with Muslims and gays, secularism, it's no surprise that the War on Christmas is a proxy war for Fox News' war on atheism.
Scott reported on the Santa Monica controversy and, as did Peter Johnson Jr, stressed that the Nativity was a 60 year tradition. Scott said that last year "atheists filed petitions to set up their own displays and they actually got them." Fact Check - While the atheist groups did apply for permits, they were awarded them via a lottery which they won because they filed the most applications. He introduced his guests, the right wing talk show host, Tammy Bruce and Rob Boston of Americans United For Separation of Church and State.
He described Bruce as not having a problem with Nativity scenes on public land. She said that although she is a not a Christian, she believes in God and that she finds it ironic that "atheist identity relies on Christianity." (Uh, no, it relies on non-belief in a divinity which is part of many organized religions other than Christianity). She made the bizarre comment that "wherever there's a void on public land...highlights the atheist point of view" and that where's there's a void, Christian symbols should be erected to make it "fair & balanced." (WTF!?) After accusing the atheists of having "narcissistic self expression," she said that there's a lot of minorities, in this country, of which she is one and "not everything had to be about us." (As women are the majority in this country, I assume she's talking about her being a lesbian but obviously, the "L Word" dare not speak its name on Fox!)
Scott's claim that "we've been celebrating Christmas in this country before we were a country" is debatable given that the Puritans didn't celebrate this Papist holiday and even banned it in Boston. While some of the other regions of the country celebrated it, it really didn't become Christmas as we know it until the late 1800's. He then provided the requisite propaganda for the "news" piece: "Why do some atheists have the right to squelch the holiday fun that everybody else has been having for years?" (Uh, the First Amendment?) Boston explained that this is about free speech and the intolerance of Christians who, while still being able to put up their symbols, don't want atheists to have the same right.
Bruce continued the same bizarre argument about how "every other space reflects the atheistic, nihilistic message." Scott wanted to know what would be wrong with the atheists getting "stuck" with another corner of the park. Boston explained that atheists won the lottery for spaces. Scott, who probably had no problem with teabaggers taking town hall meeting, said that the atheists "overwhelmed" the process. While he spoke, the camera focused, up close, on the devil's face in an atheist display. Bruce accused the atheists of being intolerant bullies and "imposing a dynamic" that about changing "the face of the majority to meet you because you can't adapt." (Hmm, does Bruce say that about the Civil Rights protesters?) When Boston said that it's not about the dominant religion but free speech, Bruce said that free speech is "brought to you by Christianity." (Uh, Our system was founded by Deists who wanted to avoid the impositions on free speech that were characteristic of countries heavily influenced by Christianity.)
Oh well, looks that that nasty judge in Santa Monica, "squelched" Jon Scott's "holiday fun" when she ruled that Santa Monica has the right to stop the 60 year tradition of the Nativity scenes because it "proved that it banned the displays not to squash religious speech but because they were becoming a drain on city resources, destroying the turf and obstructing ocean views. Churches can set up unattended displays at 12 other parks in the city." Awww....
We Fake Victimhood in order to project Righteous Indignation & Intolerance.
You know Jon, we have freedom of speech too. Shouldn’t a newsman like you allready be aware of that?
I’ve also had my religious friends tell me that “atheism” is a religion too. Well allright, I’d like my house considered a “parsonage,” so I can get tax-exempt status.
Hey Jon, stop attacking my “religious” beliefs!