It's that special time of the year when Bill O'Reilly dons his so not-gay apparel in order to harangue those who don't meet his Christmas standards. This year, in keeping with tradition, O'Reilly bullied stores which a hate group deems unfriendly to Christmas. And once again he claimed that, in the bad old days, stores banned employees from saying "Marry Christmas." And that is a big, old Christmas lie.
As Newshounds Ellen reported, Christmas Commissar Bill O'Reilly is declaring victory in his phony (and anti-Semitic), Fox-News-abetted "War on Christmas." At the beginning of Tuesday's "Talking Points," O'Reilly took us on a stroll down memory lane:
"You may remember about 10 years ago, “The O’Reilly Factor” began spotlighting companies that refused to say the words "Merry Christmas."
In fact, some of those businesses actually ordered their employees not to say that. Well, that culture war issue ignited. And we won. Most companies stopped the nonsense and Merry Christmas became a common greeting once again. For me, it was interesting to go through that, because some on the far left actually denied there was any controversy at all and claimed that I fabricated it. More lies from a crew that is incapable of telling the truth."
Bill's claim that he forced companies to stop banning employees from saying "Merry Christmas, is total bullshit because Bill's allegation, that stores "ordered their employees" not to say "Marry Christmas," is also total bullshit.
In 2013 and 2014, O'Reilly told the tall tale that, thanks to his Christmas crusade, businesses are no longer banning their employees from saying "Merry Christmas." But his 2006 initial claim, that Crate & Barrel and Best Buy committed this egregious sin, just.isn't.true.
Crate & Barrel's spokeswoman told Think Progress that (surprise, surprise) O'Reilly misquoted her statement, to a St. Louis newspaper, that the store isn't "actively encouraging or discouraging employees from saying Merry Christmas or any other greeting." O'Reilly put her comment into his defamation meat grinder and it come out as O'Reilly's bogus claim that the store banned employees from saying the magic words, "Merry Christmas." (The spokeswoman also noted that the store used the word "Christmas" in its promotional material.)
Bill's source for the Best Buy lie was one of his radio listeners who made the unsubstantiated claim that a store manager told her about this prohibition. Best Buy subsequently informed the Augusta Chronicle that "workers are allowed to greet customers any way they choose, including "Merry Christmas."
Bottom line, neither company ordered their employees to stop saying "Merry Christmas." Bill's 2016 declaration, that stores prohibited their workers from saying "Merry Christmas" and that he put a stop to it, is as fake now as it was in 2006.
Rating: Loofahs on Fire!
Watch O'Reilly's lie in his Christmas "clean-op operation" from the December 13, 2016 The O'Reilly Factor.
That is all that needs to be said on the subject, and it needs to be said to every mouthbreather who promotes this idiocy.