Bill O'Reilly's "Tip of the Day" is usually a little homily about how "the folks" should take Bill's advice about doing the right thing - in other words, preaching about what he doesn't practice. But yesterday, Bill's "tip" was actually a self-congratulatory piece about how the Texas legislature has passed what an atheist Texas public access TV host has called a "bunch of bullshit." As usual with O'Reilly's delusions claims of culture war victories, one can't assume that his media papacy had anything to do with this bill which "is designed as a legal firewall to protect educators or other public officials who wish to openly celebrate Christmas in the state, but fear legal action from secular groups." But that didn't stop O'Reilly from taking, as he did in the case of Great Barrington MA, credit for it!
Bill's large cranium was inflated even more with his opening proclamation: "As you may know we fought a righteous battle to make sure that the term 'merry Christmas' is respected in America." (Take that you heathen atheists!) The hubris continued: "We won that even though the far left denied that there was any problem at all." (And you base this victory on what?) Waving his finger, he reported that Texas had passed a law which states that school districts "cannot stop anyone from saying merry Christmas or happy Hanukkah. (What about greetings for Diwali or Eid Al Adha?)
Still waving his finger, O'Reilly opined that "for some it is trivial but for you culture warriors out there, you know Texas is doing the right thing by respecting by respecting American tradition."
What Bill's barcalounger ensconced "culture warriors" don't know is that the Texas law is a solution without a problem because nobody was prosecuted or persecuted for saying "Merry Christmas." But it does validate that sense of Christian victimhood in which Fox News and Bill O'Reilly wallow. But thanks to pressure from groups like Texas Values, which is protesting the Boy Scouts proposal to allow openly gay boys to be members, "tradition" prevailed - although OMG nativity scenes won't be allowed! But if Texas really wanted to do the right thing, perhaps they could do something about the really outrageous reality that their state has one of the highest number of children without health insurance. But for Pope (or is it Mullah) O'Reilly saying "Merry Christmas" is so much more important.