Tell The FOX News Scrooges To Stop Trying To Steal Christmas
Reported by Ellen - November 29, 2005
Despite its own hypocrisy in calling Christmas trees "holiday trees," FOX News continues to allow its pundits to rail against liberals for using the term. Last night's Hannity & Colmes (11/28/05) was the second discussion in a week claiming that Christmas and Christians are under assault across the country based on a few instances of the term "holiday tree." Of course, nobody complained that FOX News, itself, just used the term.
In one of many teasers for the segment on last night's show, Sean Hannity said, "There's a new twist on the assault on Christmas. We're gonna tell you about a Texas hardware store that is sending mixed messages to English and non-English customers."
Later, Alan Colmes iintroduced the discussion by saying, "As Christmas controversies continue to sprout up throughout America, some say a new attack is taking place on Christmas trees." He sounded skeptical.
What "new attack" was this? It seems a Lowe's in Austin, TX has a sign in English and Spanish in which the English part says "Now Here! Fresh Cut Holiday Trees" and the Spanish says "Ahora Aqui! Arboles de Navidad recien cortados" which means Now here! Fresh Cut Christmas Trees."
According to Hannity and guest Neal Boortz, the sign represents a great menace which must be addressed the only way these people know how - by going on the attack against anyone who disagrees with them
Before Colmes had a chance to ask his first question of Boortz, Hannity interrupted (a breach of H&C etiquette but, apparently, desperate times call for desperate measures) saying, "Go get 'em, Neal."
Colmes asked what the big deal is about the sign, why can't the store call the tree whatever it wants?
Boortz replied, "Sure, I mean, absolutely, I would never approve of any government power to force Lowe's to call it a Christmas tree but... they're not gonna see any of my dollars as long as they play this stupid, silly little politically correct game... There is clearly an assault on any - any symbol of Christianity in this country is under assault right now."
Comment: I think we should let Boortz know that FOX News joined in this "assault" yesterday when it posted an article on its website called Holiday Trees Arrive At Capitol, White House . I'm sure he'll want to boycott FOX News just as he threatened to boycott Lowe's. You can contact Boortz via email on his website, http://boortz.com/contact/index.html or by phone, 1.877.310.2100, or by US Mail, The Neal Boortz Show, 1601 W. Peachtree Street, Atlanta, Georgia 30309.
Dr. Timothy Gorski, from the Church of Free Thought, said, "Let's just be responsible people and say that we're having a discussion over or a discussion about Christmas." He said it's also a translation issue, that the sign's Spanish was written in smaller letters, and that there's a question about what the connotations mean to Spanish-speakers.
But, as is usually the case with Hannity and the FOX News brand of conservative guests, their interest was in starting a fight, not in having any kind of responsible discussion. As is also customary, the attack started with a declaration that the other side was doing the attacking. Boortz admitted that the sign, alone, didn't represent an assault on Christianity "but you put it together with the totality of what's happening around this country - Lowe's isn't the first company to come up with (sounding disgusted) 'holiday tree.' This is happening in Boston, it's happening elsewhere. And you put it together. I mean, one fistfight is not a gangwar, OK? But you have about 40 people out there pummelling you and soon you start to wonder what the story is. This is politically correct nonsense run rampant. 85% of the people of this country or more... celebrate Christmas as Christmas."
Comment: It's hard to see how he's being pummelled if 85% of the country of more celebrate Christmas as Christmas but why quibble over logic when there's an attack to mount - and Boortz wasted no time attacking.
"... Now let's not lose sight of the fact that this happened in Austin, Texas, the bed-wetting capital of the State of Texas... I am sick and tired of this assault on any symbol of Christianity out there. There is nothing about the term 'Christmas Tree' that constitutes an insensitive thought or an offensive thought toward anybody of any other religion."
Comment: Who appointed Boortz judge and jury of what's offensive and what isn't? How dare he insist that everyone call a tree what HE and HANNITY think it should be called? And while we're on the subject of offensive, how dare he speak that way about Austin? I hope you'll join me in writing to the City of Austin to ask them to demand an apology. http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/connect/response.htm
Without a trace of irony, Hannity asked, "Isn't there a lot of intolerance on the left?"
Comment: The holiday (yes, HOLIDAY) season has barely begun and I'm already mad as hell and not planning on taking it any more. Stand up and demand that the FOX News Scrooges Stop Trying To Ruin Christmas!
