Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Mojo_PeiPei
How am I, a Catholic/Christian supposed to acknowledge what isn't celebrated? What is so unreasonable about acknowledging Christmas, again A FEDERAL HOLIDAY, a holiday celebrated by 70+% of this country? Edit: Also it doesn't even come down to acknowledgment really. You don't celebrate Christmas? Great, no one forces you to. That's the brillance of this country, you have the right to free enterprise and free contract. Also if you are somehow trying to say to me that a christmas tree in a public place is forcing you too acknowledge anything, then all I can say to you is you are pathetic, weak minded, selfish, and worthy of my denegration.
People try and assert some bullshit about this being an issue of separation of church and state; it is not. To start Separation of Church and state is not the law of the land, it is a result of judicial activism in this country, this can be clearly noted by the fact that it is no where mentioned in the constitution of these here United States. Building off that all we have is the establishment clause which is held in the 1st amendment. I think anyone who thinks singing silent night at public elementary schools, or nativity scenes, or christmas trees as a violation of this establishment clause is both bigotted and retarded.
This country operated fine with these traditions for 200+ years, no ones rights were trampled, even though perhaps their feelings may or may not have been hurt because they couldn't play in the reindeer games, but to that I say grow a pair and get over yourself.
|
[sigh]
OK, the Founding Fathers pretty obviously were against the establishment of any sort of official religion in this country. At the time they were most concerned with primacy of one branch of Protestantism over any other, but it rang true for Catholicism, Judaiety, etc. That's the whole point of the "establishment clause". There's very little debate about that, although the extents that it's been taken have been labeled by some (rightly or wrongly) as "judicial activism". You may not see any problem with forcing Hindu, Jewish or Anamist kids to sing "Silent Night", but I sure do.
By the way, separation of church and state is indeed the law of the land as has been proven over and over and over. Ask the Alabama Supreme Court how that particular fight is going.
The country operates just fine under these rules and has for 217 years. The only major change has been the expansion into the school systems starting about 50 years ago.
As a frequent traveler, I'd just as soon not have any distractions like decorations in my way as I get from point A to point B as quickly as possible. That said, let's all remember that airports are, as an absolute rule, not privately held companies. They are government buildings. Make no mistake - state or city governments own every single commercial airport in this country with the only exceptions being ones owned by the federal government (Reagan being the immediate example). It is consistently one of the major sources of income for most cities with hubs.