For years, Fox News rouses a false narrative of an "attack" on the Christmas holidays during each holiday season, once a year. To anyone who doesn't watch Fox News religiously, this is an obvious attention-grab, because the word "Christmas" helps garner ratings during this season. But one of the worst things with regards to this meme that the network pushes each year is that it goes against every positive thing about the holidays, thus rendering Fox News as a bunch of asshole hypocrites. If you call yourself Christians, then you should act like Christians.
So with the fact that this crap is just a form of opportunism in order to increase ratings and views out of the way, let's get to the drama part, because that's always juicy. One of the most vocal pushers of this useless non-war is Papa Bear himself, Bill O'Reilly, and perhaps due to his dementia and lack of coherence (which appears to dwindle each time he goes on air), he often screws up. It's always funny to see him get put in his place. He personally uses the meme to attack what he calls "Secular-Progressives", which is Bill 'O-speak for "far-left Liberals." Each year he seems to have a new target, often a political figure, such as governors of different states, given the legislative powers they have over their respective states.
Numerous department stores and the like, all private interests of course, have also been targeted for using the slogan "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas/Xmas!" that Fox News vehemently prefers. It always falls down to these trends being ridiculed as "political correctness gone wrong" or something along those lines. Though to pretty much everybody else, it's of absolutely no concern. You know, call it what you feel like calling it and all that good stuff.
This year, he has set his sights on the Rhode Island state governor, Gov. (R-RI) Lincoln Chafee, who has dared to go against the "tradition" of calling Christmas Trees, well, Christmas Trees; in public! There are onlookers from around the nation who appear to be up in arms over Chafee's brazen new proclamation. These good followers of Christ are rightfully calling him the heretical eunuch that he is, and they are demanding to rescind this proclamation by who should be a Christian governor! After all, America is a Christian nation! Oh, wait a second there, the first amendment does state…
Anyway, O'Reilly had been desperate to get the governor on his show, obviously to yell at him (because having a loud voice makes you right, in Billy's mind anyway) and to slander him on air. That's a fair thing to do in the Fox News realm. So O'Reilly got his wish and Chafee came on.
Governor Chafee wasn't going to cooperate with O'Reilly, and straight-up defended himself out of the gate, saying, "Somehow this has erupted into some kind of controversy, but I did what the previous governor did, which is to call our tree a 'holiday tree.' The main thing is that it's a happy time of year, but we also have to be conscious of changing times. You generate these controversies but they should not be controversies. The tree is in a public building paid for by everybody." That's a pretty sensible response, but Bill didn't like Chafee's unwillingness to cower before the "No-Spin Zone." Please keep in mind that Lincoln Chafee is a Republican, and a moderate one at that who doesn't let his beliefs muddle his political actions, at least so far anyway.
Bill "Sore Loser" O'Reilly responded with, "There's a tradition to the Christmas tree that supersedes the Governor of Rhode Island, but guys like you come in and say, 'We don't want that tradition anymore.' That's what tees people off. You say you want people happy, but they're not happy with you. They want you to call a Christmas tree a Christmas tree!" How does a personal, religious "tradition" (that has been commercialized to hell without coming back, no less) supersede a Constitutional Amendment that declares religious interests to be separate from public, government affairs? Keep religious practices at home and in private properties such as churches, and get real, Bill.
Laura Ingraham commented on the interview, but all she did was equate Gov. (R-RI) Lincoln Chafee with The Grinch of Dr. Seuss' creation. It was immature to say the least, but there was really nothing substantive about her take on the matter. Effectively, she's a waste of time so let's move on.
Folks, there is nothing wrong with saying, "Happy Holidays" in your stores, or calling a publicly displayed, and publicly funded Christmas tree a "Holiday Tree." Also, no one is forcing anyone to call the thing a "Holiday Tree" just like no one is forcing you to say "Happy Holidays" instead of the usual line. Fox News and the crew engaging in this seasonal war campaign always complain about political correctness, but while they attack what Bill often calls "secular progressive" ideals, they end up looking like professionally dressed children hiding behind television screens, shouting and bullying others from safe positions.
But let's get down to it; this "War on Christmas" gig is insulting to anyone who uses at least 10% of their brain. Shouldn't the idiots pushing this crap each year remember the ideals that their religion apparently represented? I don't recall attacking others for their different perceptions during the holiday season as being Christ-like, though I am not a Christian personally so I wouldn't know. I will say, though, that there's no such thing as a "War on Christmas."
Does Fox News still wonder why less and less people take them seriously as a news source? At any rate, keep it coming, boys and girls, it's quite fun indeed to laugh at you "journalists." As Fox News Magazine says, in their deal with Sincerely Ink to deliver a new app for your smartphone, "Happy Holidays!"
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