Posted on 11/09/2007 3:44:23 AM PST by Man50D
Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development officials have announced a ban on any decorations in HUD housing complexes that mention Jesus or represent religion for the Christmas season, and the American Family Association has responded with a petition drive to overturn the decision.
The AFA has set up a link to allow constituents to send e-mails to the HUD secretary or President Bush expressing their objections to the policy.
The issue arose at the Plant City Living Center in Plant City, Fla., where 85-year-old Mrs. Arnold was told that federal law now prohibits her from displaying anything that references religion – words, decorations and the like – in the common area of her apartment building, a HUD facility.
The grandmother told AFA she was instructed that even an angel decoration would be disallowed by the ban, which makes her think of the restrictions in Germany during World War II.
According to the center, HUD has issued a directive banning "any religious symbols or religious words associated with Christmas," which effectively prevents Mrs. Arnold from placing a small Christmas tree outside her door if it contains any religious symbols or words – "even an angel," AFA said in a special alert asking for e-mails.
A spokeswoman at the center who preferred not to give her name told WND the rules now prevent displays "like a manger, like a Christ child, any religious symbols."
"We used to have a sign outside that said, 'Jesus is the reason for the season,' but we can't anymore," she told WND. "We're all very unhappy about that."
The building has about 40 one-bedroom apartments for seniors who are at least 62 years old.
(Excerpt) Read more at worldnetdaily.com ...
First Amendment? We don’t need no steeenking First Amendment!
...and if you think it can’t any worse, just think what it will be like under a clinton socialist state.
"We, The People" .......who own the United State of America......need to fire all the fascists at HUD and replace them with democratic fellow-Americans.
Stupid NAZI Christianphobe liberals.
Christal Nacht has arrived in America......
So they have, in effect, banned Christians from celebrating Christmas. How “official†of them. Tell Granny to hang a bunch of dreidles (hey, Jim Rob, that word needs to be in spell check!), stars of David, anything from other religions on the tree. Wonder how that would go over??
(oh crap, are the Stalinists going to take my house and throw me in jail now?)
Christmas ping
If you follow the link to the “federal law,” then you will discover that the limitation upon Christmas displays is not a law or even a duly enacted regulation, but rather, a policy memorandum written by a low level bureaucrat based upon the opinion of a lawyer who no longer works for HUD. Since this is nothing but a pencil pusher’s opinion, why can’t the POTUS issue an Executive Order overruling this nitwit?
What federal law is it?
ping
Sounds like someone needs to contact Liberty Counsel.
I clicked on the link in the article and it doesn’t look like federal law to me, it’s just a memo.
If they’re going to be treating everybody equally, then why did they single out Christmas? Hypocrites.
I want my tax money back. I don’t like it being extorted from me in the first place much less used to support this kind of crap.
grrrrrr.....
There, fixed it fer ya.
“Congress shall make no laws establishing a religion OR BANNING THE FREE EXERCISE THEREOF”!!!!!!!!!!!!
blu - you have it all wrong. Dreidels and menorrahs are cultural symbols, not religious symbols. Santa Claus and reindeer are religious symbols.
Don’t believe me? A judge in New York says so.
Yes, and I'm fed up with people being offended by something. All this kind of garbage offends me and no one seems to give a flying fig.
Government intrusion in a government owned home?The article sounds like she lives in the "projects",which is subsidized government housing.It's a pretty stupid thing to do to her,but she can always buy her OWN home or rent one.
Just goes to show that when you let the government take care of you(in any shape or form) you become slave to the government.
You should have seen all the Easter decorations on the Amtrak train I took from California to Colorado a few years back. Just think, could have made national news...
The Washington Monument dispute was settled when they received 26,000 emails in a morning.
It IS worth the time to send emails.
They better have banned Kawanza and Hanukkah decorations, too.
After all, they want to treat everyone the same. (gag)
UPDATE!
AFA has been in contact with HUD officials and Steve Edelstein, attorney for Plant City Living Center. The policy banning religious symbols is being rescinded and a new policy allowing religious symbols is in effect immediately. Mr. Edelstein is preparing a statement which will be posted here as soon as we recieve it.
Really. Where are these federal laws in relation to footbathes in Colleges?
I respectfully disagree. Even those of us who take care of ourselves are slaves to the government.
“both of these were rescinded after AFA supporters sent e-mails to proper authorities,”
The “proper authority” is sitting in the White House, where we put him - TWICE!!
Excuse me, I have to go out and buy several dozen red and green light bulb chains.
Feliz Navidad!!
Something tells me we’re going to find out this NEVER was a HUD policy. Instead, the retirement home misinterpreted something. The policy that’s being rewritten is the home’s, not HUD’s.
Too true.
Daniel 6
4Then the commissioners and satraps began trying to find a ground of accusation against Daniel in regard to government affairs; but they could find no ground of accusation or evidence of corruption, inasmuch as he was faithful, and no negligence or corruption was to be found in him.
5Then these men said, "We will not find any ground of accusation against this Daniel unless we find it against him with regard to the law of his God."
6Then these commissioners and satraps came by agreement to the king and spoke to him as follows: "King Darius, live forever!
7"All the commissioners of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the high officials and the governors have consulted together that the king should establish a statute and enforce an injunction that anyone who makes a petition to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, shall be cast into the lions' den.
8"Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document so that it may not be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which may not be revoked."
9Therefore King Darius signed the document, that is, the injunction.
How can you celebrate Christmas without mentioning religion?
I can't remember where I read it, but it is not HUD's policy. Either someone with the nursing home had an ax to grind or someone was overzealous in their interpretation of the rules. I think we had a case like that last year or the year before in Orlando and it was resolved the same way.
“I can’t remember where I read it, but it is not HUD’s policy. Either someone with the nursing home had an ax to grind or someone was overzealous in their interpretation of the rules. I think we had a case like that last year or the year before in Orlando and it was resolved the same way.”
I just wish Freepers would be more careful with this stuff. Some seem to jump on as soon as they see something that seems anti-Christmas or anti-Christian, and then we discover later it’s nothing. This is the second one in the past few days.
"I am pleased to report that the Plant City Living Center's recent newsletter regarding holiday decoration policies has been rescinded. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) guarantees the rights of citizens to display religious symbols in public. We support that guarantee."
"I want to take this opportunity to reiterate to you and to inform your readers that Plant City Living Center respects the religious beliefs of all of its residents. In furtherance of that policy, Plant City Living Center allows residents to decorate their apartments and the exterior areas of their apartments in any manner they choose. To use your recent Action Alert as an example, this policy allows any resident to place a small Christmas tree outside their door and to decorate their tree in any way they wish. By the way, Plant City's policy also allows angels to be displayed in common areas."
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.