Georgia introduces 'Merry Christmas' law

Lawmakers file bills to keep holiday merry

By SONJI JACOBS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 12/09/05
Long after the festive wreaths and poinsettias are removed from the state Capitol, the debate over whether government employees should say "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays" will continue.

Two Georgia lawmakers filed bills Wednesday that would expressly prohibit government agencies, including school systems, from barring their employees and students from saying "Merry Christmas," "Happy Hanukkah," or any other expression relating to the celebration of a holiday. The bills probably will be debated in the 2006 legislative session.

The debate over whether government employees should say "Merry Christmas" or the more generic "Happy Holidays" recently has become a hot topic on national political talk shows. Some Christian groups have complained about government agencies and major retailers taking the words "Merry Christmas" out of seasonal marketing and advertising.
http://www.rawstory.com/
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/metro/1205/09metxmas.html

I'd be writing my rep and asking them why in the world they are wasting their time on this. First amendment rights cover this already-I've never heard of any government requiring their employees give a particular greeting for this time of year. And even the GA legislature realizes they can't force private businesses to change their signs or their policies in regards to what their employees say in greeting.

yeah, that's what the world needs--a bill to ensure rights that are in the 1st Amendment, which have never been usurped in any way that I can imagine.

But then GA is legendary for introducing bills for problems that don't exist. On a much, much higher level, we have that stupid Voter ID bill to prevent "voter fraud" that nobody seems to be able to have ever documented anywhere in the past decade or so.

Like government has nothing better to do.

they want to bitch about this?

Jeez!

a fake crisis. O'Reilly must be proud.

where the legislature has nothing better to do than take up stuff like this

gee, must be a wonderful state with no problems other than this



:sarcasm:

jobs, etc? Must be a glorious state :silly: to live in with no problems, other than this.

We're good liberals. We'll work hard to teach the little Rubyduby in the oven to be a honest, kind, fair person who respects all others and the environment.

In all seriousness, we have decided that if the outcome of next November's elections isn't a clear democratic victory, we're moving. They will have succeeded in driving us from our homes, where he was born and raised and I have lived since I was 6.

this is just fucking stupid.

:hi:

You're just the kind of influence we'll be lookin' for for our little Rubyduby!

:hi: :hug:

pick me up on your way to Vermont.

:hi:

We live in Flowery Branch, Ga. Just let us know when you're leaving and we'll meet you on I85!


Guess we better check to see if Vermont will let us do that, huh?

;)

Can't you just see that! I bet we'd even make CNN Breaking News!

The state is rapidly devolving into Dixiecrat hell. I love my adopted state but I am so very worried that we will be ruined by Perdue and his gang of Republicabans. :(

What hypocrisy.. I see an attack on all other non-Christian religious and nonreligious people here. The only ones with the problem are the fanatical fake christians who cherry-pick their own bible to legitimize their hatred, phobia and ignorance.

In essence, these people are anti-democratic, and this should be unconstitutional. What they are doing to righting religion into law. That means they are prosletizing a particular faith, which is illegal.

This is nothing more than political posturing.

The Georgia legislature is a part time body and only meets for 40 days per year. They haven't been in session since last March and won't go back into session until after January 1, 2006.

If we react to this bullshit everytime they bring it up, we give them exactly what they are looking for.

DU should drop this. Just like these legislators who dropped a bill no one will even discuss when the legislative session opens.

Otherwise we are playing their political posturing games.

Considering the rest of their agenda for this upcoming session is a: immigrant bashing and b: more abortion restrictions, I say, Save Christmas! Save Christmas!

At least they've targeted the REAL enemy of "Merry Christmas." Officious, cowardly bureaucrats and marketing/advertising weasels. Lib'ruls got nothing to do with it.

Merry Christmas, that girl wouldn't have gone missing in Aruba.

TlalocW

...do some research on every obscure little holiday that exists in the entire world, in every religion, so they're ready with a seasonal greeting year-round.

Here in NJ, thousands of bills are filed every year and maybe a couple hundred ever get a moment's notice, with only a few of those going to a vote.

I don't doubt it's the same in Georgia and these two assholes are just out there getting some press to impress the folks at home.

We are surrounded by conservative Christian wingnuts who want us to pray constantly and worship the 10 commandments which they would like to post in every courthouse. Ralph "Casino" Reed and Dueling Zell Miller live here.

I'm not so sure about this bill though. Aparently it won't even be discussed until 2006, and after the Holiday Season, Most Georgians will forget all about this issue and move on to some new "issue of the day".

I'm talking about both sides of the coin here. There is a first amendment, or has everyone forgotten that?

everyone freely says Happy Holidays of their own volition!

government/school to do it. Like for instance a nativity scene or a huge banner proclaiming religious expression. I know a lot of people don/t even realize Christmas is a religious holiday or that Merry Christmas is a religious expression but it is and as a secular nation our government should not express religious sentiments....individuals now that is an entirely different story. The government according to the constitution can not stop a person from expressing their beliefs as long as it is expressed as an individual and not as a representative of government...

"Merry Christmas" promotes establishment of religion about as much as "God Save this Honorable Court."

I can see not having a nativity scene in a school, but trees, lights, Santa and such are NOT Christian symbols; they're pagan ones. Claiming that ancient pagan symbols promote religion is the sort of stupid crap the fundagelicals say about Halloween.

Should the US Government be in the position to support Religious expression? Also the mention of God is fairly generic while the mention of Christ is very specific. Jews have a God, Muslims have a God, etc. Only one religion has Christ as their God...

Yes, let's talk about whether one should say "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays" instead of talking about, oh, the fucking war in Iraq, our failing education system, our failing health care system, the 45,000,000 who are too poor to afford health care, the 37,000,000 who live below the poverty line, the environment, or some other issue that isn't worthy of being the hot-button issue of the day.

Another pointless law to attack a non-problem.

:(

... as far as i know, no place bars people from saying "Merry Christmas" or the like.