Town officials in Glenview, Illinois, a northern Chicago suburb, have ordered all Christmas decorations removed from the inside of a firehouse.  Some residents complained that they could see Christmas lights, a Christmas tree and a Santa Claus inside Glenview’s Station No. 7 when they drove down Glenview Road.  Village officials declared that they want “to make sure that our public buildings remain neutral.”  They pointed out that they also banned a menorah from public property.

Catholic League president William Donohue commented as follows:

“Glenview’s town officials are free to develop their own policies, but no one has to accept their lies.  This has nothing to do with remaining neutral—it has everything to do with deliberately seeking to snuff out Christmas.  Everyone knows that Christmas lights, Christmas trees and Santa Claus are secular symbols, but because they are obviously associated with a religious holiday, it is enough for those who hate Christianity to ban them.  Moreover, to say that the policy is neutral because it also bans menorahs from public property is another lie: a menorah is a religious symbol.

“In Castro’s Cuba, Catholics celebrate Christmas with their curtains drawn.  This is exactly what the cultural fascists would like to do in the U.S.  It is not sufficient that they avert their eyes when they see something that reminds them of Christmas—now they literally peer in the windows of firehouses in their annual search and destroy operation.  And make no mistake about it, all of this is done because they are offended by any reference to Jesus.”

When people say there is a December Dilemma, what they mean is that school officials are in a bind: how can they allow the celebration of Christmas without offending others? The answer? Censor Christmas.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is so worried about Christmas that it issues an annual document, “The December Dilemma,” on how to deal with this problem. (In response, the Catholic League offers, “The December Celebration.”) In a Q&A section, the ADL comments on what is excessive when it comes to Christmas decorations. After admitting that the courts have said Santas and Christmas trees are secular symbols, it warns, “Nevertheless, their inordinate usage is inappropriate.” It does not say what constitutes an inordinate number, nor does it say why secular symbols of any kind should be censored, regardless of their volume. But it does tell us a lot about how the ADL views Christmas.

Unfortunately, many school officials have been picking up on the ADL’s fear mongering. For example, Janet Jones is Principal of Adler Elementary in Southfield, Michigan. Scott Finnegan is Principal of Memorial and Burke Elementary in Medway, Massachusetts. Michael Ransaw is Principal of Powell Middle School in Spring Hill, Florida. All three resolved the “December Dilemma” in 2003 by taking a page from the ADL—they censored it.

In every instance, school officials say they must censor Christmas because the holiday is not inclusive. But if they were advised to censor Martin Luther King Day celebrations—on the grounds that it is not inclusive (it represents only a small minority)—they would respond by saying that white kids who feel left out should respect diversity. Why, then, should not those who are not Christian (a small minority) be told to respect the diversity that Christmas offers?

There is a game being played here: in one instance, those who complain are rewarded; in the other, they are denied. Such is the game of multicultural madness.

In December, town officials in Glenview, Illinois, a northern Chicago suburb, ordered all Christmas decorations removed from the inside of a firehouse.

Some residents complained that they could see Christmas lights, a Christmas tree and a Santa Claus inside Glenview’s Station No. 7 when they drove down Glenview Road. Village officials declared that they wanted “to make sure that our public buildings remain neutral.” They pointed out that they also banned a menorah from public property.

William Donohue blasted this decision on national television. Here is a copy of our statement to the media on this issue:

“Glenview’s town officials are free to develop their own policies, but no one has to accept their lies. This has nothing to do with remaining neutral—it has everything to do with deliberately seeking to snuff out Christmas. Everyone knows that Christmas lights, Christmas trees and Santa Claus are secular symbols, but because they are obviously associated with a religious holiday, it is enough for those who hate Christianity to ban them. Moreover, to say that the policy is neutral because it also bans menorahs from public property is another lie: a menorah is a religious symbol.

“In Castro’s Cuba, Catholics celebrate Christmas with their curtains drawn. This is exactly what the cultural fascists would like to do in the U.S. It is not sufficient that they avert their eyes when they see something that reminds them of Christmas—now they literally peer in the windows of firehouses in their annual search and destroy operation. And make no mistake about it, all of this is done because they are offended by any reference to Jesus.”

The attempt by radical secularists to censor Christmas started early this year. They not only want to bar nativity scenes on public property, they want to shut down Christmas celebrations in the workplace.

On November 10, in a legal newspaper out of San Francisco, The Recorder, two lawyers advised those who work in human resources to protect their company by censoring Christmas. Putting up Christmas decorations, they warned, might create “a hostile environment based upon religion.” Their conclusion: “When in doubt, go secular with decorations.”

Here’s what led them to that conclusion: “One police department in another state had to face that issue [what to do about Christmas decorations] when it received a religious discrimination complaint filed by a Jewish employee. The employee complained that the display of Christian-related holiday decorations [in this case, a nativity scene] violated his religious beliefs. As a result, the department banned all decorations with a Christmas theme, resulting in no Christmas tree, no Santas, no lights—nothing associated with the holiday season.”

Then there are the proverbial battles over nativity scenes on public property. Town officials in La Grange, Kentucky decided in November to stop a 14-year old tradition of putting a nativity scene on the courthouse lawn; they feared an ACLU lawsuit.

Please let us know of any anti-Christmas activities in your area.

Here’s what Catholic League president Bill Donohue said today about the upcoming movie, “Black Christmas”:

“It is not uncommon for theaters to host dark comedies or tear-jerkers during the most fun time of the year, namely Christmastime. Psycho-type films have also been released in December. But when it comes to blood and gore flicks, they never open on Christmas Day. Unless, of course, the men behind the movie are Harvey and Bob Weinstein.

“It’s not so much the plot of ‘Black Christmas’ that bothers us—a wacko who terrorizes college girls at Christmas—it’s the fact that the Weinstein boys are back again, choosing a title and an opening date to make their latest statement.

“Even in Hollywood, a town where bashing Christians is sport—and Catholics are the target of choice—the Weinsteins stand out. In 1995, they treated us to ‘Priest,’ a film where the audience is introduced to totally dysfunctional priests, all of whom are made screwy because of the Catholic Church. ‘Dogma’ hit the big screen in 1999, and this time viewers were treated to a descendant of Mary and Joseph who works in an abortion clinic, a foul-mouthed 13^th apostle and a comment comparing Mass to lousy sex. In ‘40 Days and 40 Nights,’ which opened during Lent of 2002, a Catholic is ridiculed for giving up sex for Lent. And in the 2002 film ‘The Magdalene Sisters,’ the only nuns the audience meets are sadistic.

“It makes sense, then, that the Weinstein tag-team would return in 2006 with their latest contribution. The fact that they chose Christmas Day to open is not by accident: They scheduled ‘Priest’ to open on Good Friday, until, that is, I pressured them to change the date (it opened three weeks earlier). Unlike ‘Black Christmas,’ that film engendered a strong response from the Catholic League—the script was anti-Catholic.

“Make no mistake about it, the Weinstein boys want ‘Black Christmas’ to be their Christmas present to Christians.”

Here are some examples of attempts to censor Christmas in 2007:

· For 75 years, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce sponsored the ‘Hollywood Christmas Parade.’ When it refused to sponsor the parade this year, the L.A. City Council took over, renaming it the ‘Hollywood Santa Parade.’

· The Department of Housing and Urban Development has censored Christmas religious symbols from its housing complexes.

· No Christmas decorations are allowed on school buses in parts of Vermont.

· A public official in Wisconsin wants to rename the State Capitol Holiday Tree the Christmas Tree, but is being opposed by the Freedom From Religion Foundation.

· Chattanooga has banned a live nativity scene from its public festivities.

· Sonoma City Council has nixed religious displays on the Plaza.

· Voters in Berkley, Michigan have forbidden a crèche at City Hall.

· Fort Collins, Colorado says it is okay to have green and red lights outside city buildings, but only secular symbols are allowed inside.

· Residents in Olean, New York are fighting over privately owned nativity scenes being displayed in city parks.

· A nativity scene in front of the Ypsilanti Township fire hall in Michigan has been banned.

· No religious symbols are allowed in Seattle-Tacoma airport, but trees made of cardboard are legit.

· Nativity scenes at Texas Tech are not permissible, but a tree is okay. The official in charge says, “We’re not saying it’s a holiday tree, because it’s a Christmas tree, but we choose to do a tasteful tree that really anybody can embrace.”

· After one person complained about a nativity scene in Shawnee State Park in Ohio, the state parks’ chief ordered a ban on crèches from all parks. It took the governor to overturn this decision.

· In Wesley Chapel, Florida, Jesus was banned from a holiday display.

· The mayor of Cranston, Rhode Island censored all religious displays.

· Government officials in Tehama County, California tried to ban Santa in office displays but had to reverse their decision after a protest.

· A nativity scene in Olean, New York was removed from the City Hall lawn after Wiccans placed the pentacle alongside it.

· A crèche was banned from Triangle Park in Manistique, Michigan.

· Freedom from Religion Foundation asked for an investigation of Ohio Governor Ted Strickland to determine whether or not he violated his oath of office to uphold the constitutions of Ohio and the United States by allowing nativity displays at public parks and offices.

· After a Catholic sued and won demanding a crèche alongside a menorah in Briarcliff Manor, New York, local officials banned both the Christian and Jewish symbols.

· The Dickens Christmas Festival in Saginaw, Michigan was renamed the Dickens Holiday Festival so the city could advertise in local schools. The schools ban the words “Santa,” “Christmas” and “Nativity.”

· Atheists Alliance International put up a tree on the lawn of Chester County Courthouse outside Philadelphia with copies of the covers of books saying, “Why I Am Not a Christian,” etc.

· Americans United for Separation of Church and State is trying to block the display of a crèche in Shelby County, Alabama.

· Freedom from Religion Foundation is trying to stop the display of nativity scenes in three Wisconsin towns.

As we commented to the press, these multicultural monsters are rearing their ugly heads once again, showing what they really mean by tolerance for diversity. The good news is that more and more Americans are fighting back against these cultural fascists.

The anti-Christmas Czars were busy in the workplace again this past Christmas season. Here are a few examples:

Cindy Wigglesworth, founder of Conscious Pursuits, said Christmas represents a “challenge” to employers. The “challenge” is how to have “an enthused workforce and be faith-friendly and faith-neutral and not violate any laws.” She didn’t say what laws might be violated. “We’d much rather bring your child to work than bring your faith to work,” she said, “We have not had a safe way to talk about faith.”

Dawn Frazier-Bohnert works at a global consulting firm, and she advised employers not to hold Christmas parties—but “year-end” bashes, instead. She recommended “vegetarian alternatives” and to “be conscious that serving alcohol at parties might make some employees uncomfortable.”

Simma Lieberman specializes in “Diversity and Inclusion,” and it showed: she wanted employers to celebrate Diwali, along with non-Hindu holidays. But, she cautioned, “Make sure your holiday party isn’t a Christmas party in disguise.”

Sondra Thiederman is another “Diversity” expert, and she warned against Christmas decorations, recommending instead “flowers, balloons, candles and snowflakes.” She also counseled against Christmas songs, suggesting “historical music, the big bands and the sounds of the ‘40s.”

So this is what our troops are defending in Iraq—the right of anti-Christmas Czars to promote thought control in America.

Leading up to Christmas, we issued a news release noting how the anti-Christmas band was revving its engine.

· The menorah in a Nashville park was okay by the ACLU, but the crèche in Clarksville, Tennessee was not. Why? The City of Clarksville paid $200 for the animals used in the nativity scene.

· A woman from Manchester, Massachusetts was told she could not have a live nativity scene outside her church. Why? The church sits on the town common.

· A life-sized crèche had adorned the Chambersburg, Pennsylvania public square for about 50 years, but there wasn’t one this past Christmas: the decision to censor it was made after Carl Silverman decided he wanted a sign, “Celebrating Solstice—Honoring Atheist War Veterans” to accompany the manger.

· Leesburg, Virginia traditionally displayed a crèche, menorah and Christmas tree, but this year they were banned. Eventually county officials overturned the ban.

· Inside the Capitol in Olympia, Washington, all holiday displays were nixed.

· A nativity scene had been on display on the grounds of the Manitowoc County Courthouse in Wisconsin since World War II, but this year there was none.

Our favorite, though, hailed from West Chester, Pennsylvania. Under new rules, four displays were allowed in front of the Court House for a limited period of time, provided they were “content-neutral” in terms of their message. But symbols—religious or secular—are by their very nature content-specific, thus making the request positively oxymoronic.

But there was some good news to report. In Patchogue, Long Island, they reverted back to calling their Christmas Boat Parade exactly that, shunning last year’s choice of a Holiday Boat Parade. And because the president hired Janet Napolitano, there was a Christmas tree in Arizona’s Capitol once again, not a generic holiday tree. Kudos were especially in place for Colorado’s Larimer County Sheriff, Jim Alderden, who not only allowed crèches and menorahs, he sold shirts reading, “Lighten Up. Just say ‘Merry Christmas’” and “Wishing You a Loud and Politically Incorrect ‘Merry Christmas.’”