Tag Archives: christmas

Ironic Atheists Complain about “Spiteful” Christmas Displays

In an awkward and yet completely predictable move, an atheist activist is complaining that a Christmas sign was erected alongside an atheist “there are no gods” sign in Shelton, Connecticut.

Hemant Mehta, who works as the “Friendly Atheist” blogger, whined that the Christmas sign raised next to the anti-Christmas sign [emphasis added]

may seem innocuous enough — and perfectly legal — but it’s another sign of how little atheists are respected in the community…

Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti couldn’t handle that atheist message, which is why he felt compelled to put up his own sign wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays…

While many atheists are content to let people say Merry Christmas and Read more

The US Military Celebrates Christmas Around the World

Despite deployment and austere conditions at locations around the world, the US military tries to provide its troops the resources and opportunities they need to celebrate Christmas, as well as the freedom to interact with local communities to honor the Christmas season. In most, but not all, cases, the military isn’t afraid to say “Christmas” or “Hanukkah” or otherwise acknowledge the point of what’s being celebrated — despite the occasional criticism from Scut Farkus. Some recent examples, from Colorado Springs to Japan:

Sailors at Fleet Activities Sasebo (Japan) brought Christmas gifts to orphans through the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program.

Led by their battalion commander, LtCol Lawson Bell, Soldiers out of Fort Carson, Colorado, participated in an all-night march to downtown Colorado Springs, where they teamed with Catholic Charities to support the Marian House Soup Kitchen.

The III MEF Band at Read more

Air Force Band Celebrates Christmas, Flash Mobs Smithsonian

The US Air Force Band continued its annual tradition of a “flash mob” performance of holiday songs. This year was less “flash” and more “mob,” given the use of prepositioned stages, but, in a refreshing surprise, the “holiday” songs clearly referred to the “holy” day:

This year’s event featured two Christmas carols: “Patapan,” which the vocalists sang in French and English, and “Ding Dong Merrily on High,” which is based on a French dance tune originally by Jehan Tabourot, with the text being written by English composer George Ratcliffe Woodward.

From the two songs, which are clearly Christmas carols:  Read more

US Air Force Leaders Send Generic Non-Holiday Salutations

It has become somewhat of an amusing annual tradition to observe government and military officials attempt to say something about December 25th and its surrounding days without offending anyone. Of course, as the Happy Holidays/Merry Christmas wars have proven, not matter what they say, someone will be offended. The only question is who.

It seems the US Air Force is leading off the fight this year with Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James, Chief of Staff Gen David Goldfein, and outgoing Chief Master Sgt of the Air Force James Cody sending non-specific non-holiday salutations for the months of November and December [emphasis added]: Read more

US Military Declines to Support Radio Christmas Show

sixstringsoldiersTodd Starnes made news last week when he announced he’d invited the US Army’s Six-String Soldiers to perform at his annual Fox Radio Christmas Show — and the Army denied his request because it determined the event was “religious.”

Starnes didn’t dispute the characterization:

I’ve been busted, folks. What the Army alleged is the gospel truth.

My Fox Christmas show unashamedly proclaims that Jesus is the reason for the season. We are loud and proud.

In my defense, though, the reason my Christmas show is religious is because Christmas is in fact a religious holiday.

Former Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, though, rejected the Read more

Mikey Weinstein Aims for Christmas Villain Hat-Trick

In what is becoming an annual tradition, Michael “Mikey” Weinstein and his self-founded “charity,” the oddly-named Military Religious Freedom Foundation, have been nominated for or have won recurring Christmas-villain awards for his attacks on military religious freedom.

Weinstein “won” the Liberty Institute’s Scrooge Award in 2014, after he was nominated for his infamous “cadet whiteboard” attack, in which he aimed his invective at a US Air Force Academy cadet who had the gall to write a Bible verse on a dry erase board. Weinstein has been nominated again this year for his attack on, again, US Air Force Academy cadets — this time, members of the football team who choose to take a knee prior to their games.

MRFF supporters are aware of the voting for Liberty Institute’s award and are trying to shoot the moon, apparently thinking that being viewed as a rich, crass, stone-hearted cynic is a good thing.

After missing out last year, Mikey Weinstein’s MRFF has been nominated for Read more

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