O’Reilly:
The importance the Christmas controversy is that it has become the centerpiece become the culture war between traditional Americans and secular progressives. Outside of the war on terror, this culture war is the most important thing happening in the country today. At stake, whether the USA will turn into a secular country that mirrors Western Europe, or maintain its emphasis on Judeo-Christian values.
The L.A. Times and much of the media is firmly in the secular corner. “Talking Points” is rooting for the traditionalists. So the battle lines are drawn. Too bad Christmas has to be in the middle of it.
Like the Administration it exists to serve, Fox believes that if you can’t find a reason to have a war, you make one up. And this stuff does seep out into the wider culture. I went to the Christmas tree lighting in the center of my little New England town last week, and in the course of it, the (apparently) crankly old man dressed up as Santa made a point of telling all the boys and girls that “–it’s a Christmas tree — not a holiday tree!”
A reader wrote in with a very simple response to the Christmas Warriors. Leaving the question of different faiths and holiday traditions aside (though you’d think that anyone who gives lip service to Judeo Christian values would understand why nondenominational greetings might be more appropriate in the public square), the majority of people in this country will be celebrating two holidays within the space of a week — Christmas and New Year’s. Contra O’Reilly, et al., “happy holidays” and “season’s greetings” are mostly a shorthand way of conveying best wishes for the holiday cluster. Believe it or not, it’s entirely possible that some percentage of the store clerks who use such expressions actually aren’t trying to covertly undermine the entire Judeo-Christian tradition…