And it has become pretty general. Last Christmas most people had a hard time finding Christmas cards that indicated in any way that Christmas commemorated Someone's Birth. Easter they will have the same difficulty in finding Easter cards that contain any suggestion that Easter commemorates a certain event. There will be rabbits and eggs and spring flowers, but a hint of the Resurrection will be hard to find. Now, all this begins with the designers of the cards.

Bill O'Reilly? Sean Hannity? Nope! It's Henry Ford
in "The International Jew: The World's Foremost Problem", written in 1921.

Over the top Nazi comparisons aren't necessary - THEY BEAT YOU TO IT.

Um, not to nitpick, but Ramadan ended nearly two months ago.

Also, can we put an embargo on any comparisons to Hitler when discussing anything that isn't genocide? Whenever I hear people bring up Hitler in reference to something like 'The Christmas Wars,' which is, at worst, a mildly annoying cultural phenomenon, all I can think of is "You know, the Nazis had flair that they made the Jews wear"

STIFF-ARMED SALUTES?

Savage Dan over at the Slog berates the religious right's assertion there is a "war on Christmas:"

Branding the idea there is an oppressed christian majority fascism, Savage Dan likens it to the " aggrieved/oppressed majority stuff..." that was used by Hitler to "get World War II started."

He makes a special target out of Bill O'Reilly:

"It’s cute and funny now, and O’Reilly’s a blowhard and a gasbag, but it’s one small step down a road that's lead to gas chambers in the past. But, hey, let’s all salute Christmas—Merry Christmas, Bill! Stiff-armed salutes, of course, are preferred. Next year they may be mandatory."

Hyperbole, of course. But as with any "extravagant exaggeration," it begins with a kernel of truth. There is a minority among the majority who do buy into the "persecuted christian" shtick.

If you don't know any of them, I can introduce you to a few...

But really... gas chambers? It takes ten years in this country to execute ax-murderers... I think Savage Dan underestimates the bottomless depths of American tolerance.

When it serves you, you might call it "checks and balances." When it gets in your way you might call it "gridlock." The fact is America is a vast muddle in the middle that tolerates and at the same time dismisses extremists of all positions, and we have evolved a government that expresses this. It's maddening to people of principle, irrespective of what the principles are, but America does and will continue to accept the right of any looney idealist not wielding a gun or bomb to vent.

Any loon... You, me, Bill O'Reilly, or Savage Dan.

So merry fucking Christmas, Dan, from an Atheist who sings christmas carols...

Cross-posted to RoadKill Journal

@Possum: Nicely said.

@FFAristocrat: I call bullshit. Every greeting card section I've ever seen, in every store that carries them, in every American city I've visited has a special section devoted to religious cards. Usually, it's quite clearly labeled.

Um, I invoke Godwin's Law here, Dan. The War on Christmas is wrong, but fer pete's sake stop with the Nazi references....

Nathan

Ya there is no need to have Nazi references. I don't mind the references but the Christian right are evil enough especially American Christians. Oooops I am persecuting them Damn! Oh Well!
I think I should be allowed since no other religion openly insults its audience while walking down the street by first telling them they are all sinners then actively trying to save you with an agenda of guilt and hypocrisy. So why shouldn't some people be pissed at Christians. Even some Christians are pissed at right wing Christians.
Long ago Christmas was attached to a pagan winter celebration and a cute white baby fashioned as it's figure head to represent some fantasy far detached from the real winter event "winter solstice". People have been celebrating something during winter long before the Christians ran with it. So get over it and stop pushing Christian agenda on everyone. No other religion guilts everyone out and forces an agenda. Christians are far from persecuted. If you want persecuted think about millions of Native North Americans that have died and been persecuted by Christians. Don't cry persecution when sitting in front of hundreds of dollars worth of gifts in your secure homes while a mad man in the White House pushes the Christian agenda.

"Many symbols and practices associated with Christmas are of Pagan origin: holly, ivy, mistletoe, yule log, the giving of gifts, decorated evergreen tree, magical reindeer, etc. Polydor Virgil, an early British Christian, said "Dancing, masques, mummeries, stageplays, and other such Christmas disorders now in use with Christians, were derived from these Roman Saturnalian and Bacchanalian festivals; which should cause all pious Christians eternally to abominate them." In Massachusetts, Puritans unsuccessfully tried to ban Christmas entirely during the 17th century, because of its heathenism. The English Parliament abolished Christmas in 1647. Some contemporary Christian faith groups do not celebrate Christmas. Included among these was the Worldwide Church of God (before its recent conversion to Evangelical Christianity) and the Jehovah's Witnesses."

see the whole thing is pretty mixed up. I celebrate "Christmas" as a non religious holiday even though it has the tag "Christmas". So I get to be mixed up too over the holiday but then Americans have "Football" and they hardly use their feet in the game except for a field goal (and to run). So if they can have a weird game called football and not use their feet like real football then I can have Christmas and not use Christ as a figurehead.
Thanks

Torture, religious intolerance, repression and perversion of science, midnight arrests, detention without access to the courts or even any charges...

What the fuck more do you need to do to deserve to be compared to a NAZI?