Bill, Biz and Jesus - O'Reilly takes his sideshow on the road
Reported by Chrish - December 1, 2005
Bill O'Reilly was a guest on Neil Cavuto's Your World yesterday 11/30/05, and O'Reilly readily admitted that Christmas is "the big commercial holiday" and retailers ought to acknowledge that by telling all their customers Merry Christmas. The big BORe also used some incorrect numbers and logic to make his point - ho ho ho hum.
Cavuto began the segment by showing O'Reilly's statement from the other day that businesses should "be on their knees thanking Jesus for being born."
O'Reilly, of course, has been ranting about retailers' policies of using the inclusive "Happy Holidays" rather than the traditional "Merry Christmas". He was afforded the platform at FOX to reiterate - again - that it's a federal holiday, U.S. Grant 1870, federal offices closed, etc. , to honor a philosopher, Jesus, whose philosophy was part of the foundation of our country. This is indisputable, he says, can't dispute it. (Comment: Go ahead.)
Warming up to a familiar lather, he accuses some retailers of choosing to use HH in order to not offend customers. He asserts (incorrectly, see note below) that 85% of Americans are Christians, and millions are offended by the phrase Happy Holidays. That leaves 15% of Americans who are non-Christians and of those 15% (that's 45,000,000 Americans), "maybe 1% are totally insane - they're nuts; they're the ones who are offended."
Comment: So people who are offended by Merry Christmas are insane, and people who are offended by Happy Holidays are righteously indignant.
The upshot, he says, is that big companies like Wal-mart and Sears-KMart, won't say MC to cater to the 1% who are insane.
Cavuto leaps to WalMart's defense, asking/stating that perhaps it's not wrong for them because they're worldwide. O'Reilly says fine, in China let them say whatever they say in China - "Happy winter, we like pandas," but "This is America, this is the big commercial holiday. You're not going to acknowledge the holiday? Then I'm not shopping there."
O'Reilly declares his loyalty to WalMart (your source for cheap plastic crap) - no, no, he didn't say that. He said WalMart provides a service in America, for people with not a lot of money to be able to buy things, but says if the head of WalMart was standing right there he would tell him he is insane. O'Reilly says WalMart is losing money over this, and all they have to do is put signs all over the store - it's big enough - saying Happy Chanukah, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, etc. "Christians aren't going to be mad if you say Happy Hannukah or Happy Kwanzaa, as long as you acknowledge what it's all about - the federal holiday of Christmas. If you don't then the Christians start to say 'you don't like us. You're anti-Christian. '" When Cavuto asks if Bill doesn't buy the reasoning that HH is inclusive, O'Reilly says that's insulting to Christians and driven by secular progressives. How about Jews and Muslims who say MC is insulting? O'Reilly says Muslims are less than 1% and Jews are less than 3% of the population, and they're entitled to their opinion, and they're entitled not to shop at places that say MC, just as he's entitled to not shop at places that say HH.
O'Reilly says secular progressives don't want Christmas as a federal holiday, don't want any message, "because that stands in the way of gay marriage, legalized drugs, euthanasia, all of the greatest hits on the secular progressive playcard. If they can succeed in getting religion out of the public arena - George Soros, he's the money man behind it - it's a philosophy." He says the companies who have succumbed to this have to fight back.
Comment: Christmas fruitcake, anyone? Who's insane?
He is nostalgic over a time when we'd go into the hardware store, the drugstore, the market, the little local stores where we knew the owners and employees by name, and the greetings were sincere and personal. Now most of those stores have been replaced by big boxes and we drive 10 miles to hit the sales.
His bringing those last issues into play lets us know what it's really all about - keeping that fear and loathing alive, simmering for next year's elections.
The fear behind this campaign becomes clear when you look at the numbers compiled at Adherents.com. (The US Census does not compile or release figures about the population regarding religion.) According to Adherents.com, the fastest growing religions in this country are Deism, Sikhism, New Age, Baha'i, and Hinduism. Rounding out the top ten growth religions are Buddhism, Native American religion, non-religionism (secularism, mwahahaha), Taoism, Islam, and Humanism. Okay, eleven. Christianity in its many forms is still the religion claimed by a large majority (77%) in the USA. His bringing those last issues into play lets us know what it's really all about - keeping that fear and loathing alive, simmering for next year's elections.
