Christmas Parade Goes Rogue

[Townsend]

Per TW FB post:

Tulsa teen actress Samantha Isler has been named Grand Marshal of the Tulsa Holiday Parade of Lights.

Any bets on if she receives threats?

[Hoss]

Per TW FB post:

Any bets on if she receives threats?

This is Oklahoma, remember?  No one will take that bet.

[patric]

I didnt expect to see the LaFortunes in the crazy column on the "War on Christmas"

A measure filed on Monday in the Oklahoma House of Representatives is claimed to defend the traditional holiday seasons of Christmas and Hanukkah.  http://www.fox23.com/mostpopular/story/Merry-Christmas-legislation-introduced-in-Okla/JBLgpTwRKESITDGZkx3omQ.cspx

State Reps. Bob Cleveland, R-Slaughterville, and Ken Walker, R-Tulsa, filed the bill for the upcoming 2014 Legislative session.

Called the "Merry Christmas" bill, the measure would allow for schools to celebrate Christmas and use religious-based imagery such as nativity scenes alongside other displays such as Christmas trees. It would also allow school faculty and staff to use traditional greetings such as "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Hanukkah" without fear of reprisal.

"The purpose of this Oklahoma Merry Christmas bill is to put a beacon of light, a safe harbor if you will, in the pages of the statutes so that our children, our parents and our teachers can run to a lighthouse whose light shines boldly from the pages of our state's law books," Rep. Walker said. "It will declare that we have a right to express our core beliefs and celebrate winter traditions without fear of lawsuit, retribution or reprisal."

Rep. Walker said he was convinced to file this legislation after speaking with Kathy LaFortune, the wife of former Tulsa mayor Bill LaFortune, who said she wants to prevent public schools from being bullied away from celebrating the religious holidays.

"I want our public schools to be able to display Christmas decorations and other significant icons side by side without fear of lawsuits," LaFortune said. "Teachers should have the freedom to discuss the cultural and historic meanings behind these symbols with our children."

Rep. Cleveland said he wants to make sure the meaning of Christmas is kept intact.
"Christmas is the time that our founding fathers came here to get away from persecution"


This is an easy fix; just include every other faith and religious holiday in your plan, and you will no longer live in fear.   

[carltonplace]

I didnt expect to see the LaFortunes in the crazy column on the "War on Christmas"

A measure filed on Monday in the Oklahoma House of Representatives is claimed to defend the traditional holiday seasons of Christmas and Hanukkah.  http://www.fox23.com/mostpopular/story/Merry-Christmas-legislation-introduced-in-Okla/JBLgpTwRKESITDGZkx3omQ.cspx

State Reps. Bob Cleveland, R-Slaughterville, and Ken Walker, R-Tulsa, filed the bill for the upcoming 2014 Legislative session.

Called the "Merry Christmas" bill, the measure would allow for schools to celebrate Christmas and use religious-based imagery such as nativity scenes alongside other displays such as Christmas trees. It would also allow school faculty and staff to use traditional greetings such as "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Hanukkah" without fear of reprisal.

"The purpose of this Oklahoma Merry Christmas bill is to put a beacon of light, a safe harbor if you will, in the pages of the statutes so that our children, our parents and our teachers can run to a lighthouse whose light shines boldly from the pages of our state's law books," Rep. Walker said. "It will declare that we have a right to express our core beliefs and celebrate winter traditions without fear of lawsuit, retribution or reprisal."

Rep. Walker said he was convinced to file this legislation after speaking with Kathy LaFortune, the wife of former Tulsa mayor Bill LaFortune, who said she wants to prevent public schools from being bullied away from celebrating the religious holidays.

"I want our public schools to be able to display Christmas decorations and other significant icons side by side without fear of lawsuits," LaFortune said. "Teachers should have the freedom to discuss the cultural and historic meanings behind these symbols with our children."

Rep. Cleveland said he wants to make sure the meaning of Christmas is kept intact.
"Christmas is the time that our founding fathers came here to get away from persecution"


This is an easy fix; just include every other faith and religious holiday in your plan, and you will no longer live in fear.   

This is odd considering the fracas with the zoo's elephant exhibit while Bill was mayor.

[rebound]

Rep. Cleveland said he wants to make sure the meaning of Christmas is kept intact.
"Christmas is the time that our founding fathers came here to get away from persecution"

Ya know, I really don't want to start the greater argument here again, but quotes like that drive me insane.  Just a little historical perspective is all I'm asking for...

[Townsend]

Ya know, I really don't want to start the greater argument here again, but quotes like that drive me insane.  Just a little historical perspective is all I'm asking for...

Agreed.  Christmas was frowned upon as something celebrated by the English.   It was a no-go here in the colonies.

[Ed W]

Ya know, I really don't want to start the greater argument here again, but quotes like that drive me insane.  Just a little historical perspective is all I'm asking for...

Historical perspective? We didn't have any historical perspective when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor!

[rebound]

Agreed.  Christmas was frowned upon as something celebrated by the English.   It was a no-go here in the colonies.

Exactly,  and the fact that the whole religious persecution thing was about 150 years prior to the revolution anyway.  The "founding fathers" position on religion is fairly easy to understand if anyone wants to read the documents.  Religion is fine, but it should not be part of government.   

But to clarify,  I personally don't have an issue of calling it a Christmas parade, as the term Christmas (and the way it is celebrated by the vast majority) is distinctly non-religious today.

[Conan71]

Interesting factoid: From 1659 to 1681, the celebration of Christmas was outlawed in Boston.  Violators were subject to a five shilling fine.

Easy, entertaining read on the history of the holiday observance:

http://www.history.com/topics/christmas

In my lifetime, Christmas has morphed from something family-centric to little more than a commercial cash gorge.

[Red Arrow]

In my lifetime, Christmas has morphed from something family-centric to little more than a commercial cash gorge.

Money is full of germs.  Give your money to me to play it safe.

[Gaspar]

When you have little kids, Christmas becomes magical again.

[Rookie Okie]

Wow, so this is what lawmakers are doing instead of fighting to improve education and working their a$$e$ off to bring more good jobs to the state.  Kathy LaFortune said "teachers should have the freedom to discuss the cultural and historic meanings behind these symbols with our children."  Well Ms. LaFortune how about mandating that teachers provide instruction in math, science, language, and the arts, something that will acutally make our students more competitive with their counterparts around the globe.

[AquaMan]

Seriously, I doubt that teachers have felt hamstrung in discussing the cultural and historic meanings behind symbols with children old enough to understand what symbolism is.

They do support indoctrinary education for those too young for nuance, just not that fact based stuff.

[patric]

Seriously, I doubt that teachers have felt hamstrung in discussing the cultural and historic meanings behind symbols with children old enough to understand what symbolism is.
They do support indoctrinary education for those too young for nuance, just not that fact based stuff.

Just our "smaller government" lawmakers having a Godgasm on the taxpayers dime.  How many roads and bridges will we not have the money to fix because we paid to send this theater through the courts again?

[Townsend]

Just our "smaller government" lawmakers having a Godgasm on the taxpayers dime.  How many roads and bridges will we not have the money to fix because we paid to send this theater through the courts again?

Apparently Mrs. Lafortune's meds need to be adjusted and the politicians going along with it know they can use it as a platform.  "I fought to get God back in the classroom."