Blog @ MoreWhat.com

Absolutely outrageous that anyone in this country should be required to appease some whiny whack jobs that have turned the entire discussion that should never be an issue to one about culture and tradition in the United States taking a back seat so as not to offend someone with a different view.

Why don’t we just sell the place now or have I been asleep and it has already been sold? The culture and traditions I hold precious as well as those of my relatives and friends and others in the community are born of influences from various sources. The United States undoubtedly has the highest degree of religious freedom anywhere in the world. So why should my family, friends and others in my community or anyone else’s community need to accommodate a reversal of thinking that rather than newcomers assimilating to the traditions of the this country, or at least accepting them as another preference, these same traditions should be abandoned for others?

Even the idea that we are a pluralistic society suggests all views are allowed. Anyone with a different preference for celebrating culture is welcome to display that preference without restricting the continued display of traditional elements of culture historically significant within the United States.

It is the belief here that those who have recently arrived in this country are not the ones suggesting all manner of appeasement and politically correct nonsense that finds its way into the public discussions. Who in their right mind would take up the task of moving to a different country and seeking citizenship with an expectation that the host country must abandon their culture and tradition? Although we have all probably suffered the annoyance of the house guest who feels justified in implementing changes to your domicile, it is not very likely that the guest would ever be invited back again. The same should apply to guests or newcomers to the US.

When Merry Christmas and Happy New Year were being replaced by the only politically correct holiday greeting of Happy Holidays or some such as well as school Christmas parties being abandoned due to those fearing other faiths would be too offended, I believed my country had lost its collective mind. If someone is truly bothered by traditions displayed in this country, kindly allow them to forego participation but do not require the rest of us to do the same.

My locality has pressed the issue on English as the official language, no jobs for illegal immigrants and other sensible initiatives that defy the appeasement crowd. It’s about time we take back our country from those who favor policies of the weak and mindless. The story in this post featured below is an example of a growing problem in this country. Enough with concerning ourselves with how we must change to preempt potential conflicts that may never exist. And if people legally entering this country have a problem with the way things are done here perhaps their choice for a new country in which to live should be reevaluated. If anything here culturally offends you and that was not the case in your home country you should stay there.

Give me the strength to change those things I can, the serenity to accept those things I cannot change and the wisdom to know the difference. If the contrived Christmas issue comes to my part of the country, those seeking to destroy tradition here will require great strength to overcome the continued resistance to ignorant new policies.

U.S. City Ponders Winter Holiday Decoration Plans

By Brian Larson
Fort Collins, Colorado
15 November 2007

Larson report — Download MP3 (1.87MB)
Listen to Larson report — Download MP3 (1.87MB)
It’s getting to be the winter holiday season in the United States, and in towns and cities across the country, local governments are once again wrestling with the question of how — or whether — to officially observe religious holidays. Voters in Berkley, Michigan, for example, recently voted down a plan to have a traditional Christian nativity scene, or crèche, displayed at City Hall. And in the Western city of Fort Collins, Colorado — while officials insist that Christmas is alive and well — recommendations from a community-based task force may soon make signs of the Christian holiday harder to find in the public square.

Task force member Seth Anthony is one of 15 people who spent the summer reviewing the city’s holiday display policy.

“It was difficult,” Anthony says, “because every member of the task force came in with their own sort of ideas of what an ideal holiday display would be.”

With both religious and secular interests represented, Anthony says there were many impassioned discussions leading up to the group’s recent proposal. “Once we sort of agreed on baseline goals for what we want to accomplish in the holiday display —celebrate our commonality, recognize our diversity, bring joy to the holiday season — it really sort of came together after that.”

Policy differences have surfaced in the past. A request to include a Jewish menorah for Hanukkah in the city’s holiday display was turned down in 2005 and again in 2006. A more detailed review of what should or shouldn’t be placed on city property began this August, at the urging of Mayor Doug Hutchinson.

“What’s at stake is making Fort Collins a more inclusionary city,” Mayor Hutchinson says, “and that is what — for the last two years — we’ve been hearing about.”

But it could be that the only way Fort Collins residents will be able to catch the official holiday spirit will be by going to a city-owned museum. The main suggestion of the task force is the creation of an educational and multi-cultural display on museum grounds that, according to Mayor Hutchinson, will depict both non-religious and religious traditions:

“One of the items in the suggested display is a (Christian nativity) Crèche,” Hutchinson explains. “And if we have the right kind of balance so it meets the Supreme Court test of a mixture of secular and religious symbols — we can certainly do that.”

Museum staff would be responsible for designing the annual display, which task force member Seth Anthony says would run from November through the end of January. He says in addition to Christmas, the display will recognize Hanukkah, Diwali, Solstice, Kwanzaa and a wide range of other seasonal traditions celebrated by Fort Collins’ diverse ethnic and religious communities.

The task force recommendations also cover the interior and exterior decorating of city buildings. Garlands of greenery are okay — but buildings cannot be decorated with ribbons or ornaments. Lights need to be white — and symbols of winter, such as snowflakes and icicles, should replace more traditional decorations such as a cross or candy cane.

Chip Steiner, the executive director of the Fort Collins Downtown Development Authority, or D.D.A., thinks the task force proposal wouldn’t be that difficult to implement. “If the recommendation is a celebration of light — basically white lights and snowflakes and things, that’s all we have anyway. So you would not see any change downtown.” Steiner predicts that not everyone will be happy with this one-size-fits-all holiday policy. “You receive criticism because you’re not allowing a menorah,” he says. “We receive criticism because we’re ‘taking Christmas out of Christmas.’ It just depends on what perspective someone’s coming from. You can’t make everyone happy and that’s one reason you talk about having white lights and making it pretty generic.”

Because many downtown buildings are privately-owned, not city property, storefronts are already boasting garlands of green, red and gold, depicting bows, candles and a Christmas tree. The downtown plaza itself is owned and managed by the DDA and is not covered by the task force recommendations.

A leader of the city’s Jewish Community, Rabbi Yerachmiel Gorelik, says the Old Town Square is the center of Fort Collins’ holiday festivities — for all faiths and traditions. He hopes the Downtown Development Authority will align its policies with the city’s, if the decorating suggestions are approved when the group meets again in late November. “We hope the D.D.A. will follow the city’s lead and allow for a similar display (of Jewish tradition),” the Rabbi says, “which is what we’ve been asking for all along, essentially.”

That will likely hinge on the decision of the city council and Fort Collins Mayor Doug Hutchinson. “There may be some strong opinions about parts of this,” Hutchinson predicts, “and we may make some adjustments.” He sees the process as a giant step towards a city-sponsored observance of the winter holidays that’s more inclusive of different cultures. But the mayor admits the devil will be in the details — and believes it could be a few more years before the task force suggestions actually become city policy.

Trackposted to Perri Nelson’s Website, Rosemary’s Thoughts, Right Truth, Stix Blog, The Populist, The Pet Haven Blog, Grizzly Groundswell, Leaning Straight Up, Cao’s Blog, The Bullwinkle Blog, The Amboy Times, Conservative Cat, Adeline and Hazel, third world county, Woman Honor Thyself, The World According to Carl, Pirate’s Cove, The Pink Flamingo, Right Voices, Gone Hollywood, and Church and State, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

This entry was posted on Friday, November 16th, 2007 at 2:32 pm and is filed under Public Affairs, wordpress, Immigration, Religion, United States, Foreign Affairs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.