Posted on 12/10/2009 11:30:30 AM PST by rhema
Is the Obama administration so afraid to offend people of other beliefs that they will seriously consider obliterating basic American traditions?
I can see the headlines now: "Gate-crashers Enter White House; Jesus Kept Out!" Except it almost happened. Really.
I was reading the New York Times Sunday Styles section yesterday (yep, I'm straight) when I came across an article about embattled White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers -- she's the one who broke with previous White House tradition by inviting herself to the state dinner when she should have been at the door keeping out the loopy riff-raff.
But in the twelfth paragraph of the article there was a real bombshell: It said that earlier this year at a luncheon with other previous White House social secretaries, Ms. Rogers claimed that this year the White House would have a "non-religious" Christmas celebration. (For those of you confused by that, it's just like a "non-religious" Yom Kippur celebration, or a "non-Irish" St. Patrick's Day celebration, or an "international" July 4th celebration.)
The Times article continued:
"The lunch conversation inevitably turned to whether the White House would display its crèche, customarily placed in a prominent spot in the East Room. Ms. Rogers, this participant said, replied that the Obamas did not intend to put the manger scene on display — a remark that drew an audible gasp from the tight-knit social secretary sisterhood. (A White House official confirmed that there had been internal discussions about making Christmas more inclusive and whether to display the crèche.)"
In the next sentence we learn that this radical idea was eventually scotched. (Perhaps the "audible gasp" from the bipartisan audience tipped them off.) But the fact that it was going to happen reveals a level of political tone-deafness in the current administration that is staggering. To most average Americans -- who did not grow up in an Ivy-League, inside-the-Beltway hothouse governed by the rules of the French Revolution -- the idea of keeping Jesus out of "the people's house" at Christmas evokes disturbing images of the Holy Family being turned away from the Inn, or worse yet, images of Herod. But to a super-secular White House afraid to offend anyone -- except for average Americans -- it probably just seemed like another fab "progressive" innovation.
If President Obama wanted to fuel the fears of every serious Christian in America and actually prove that he is every bad thing they've ever heard about him on every crazy Web site, the idea of symbolically taking Jesus out of the White House at Christmas would be just the ticket!
Let's face it: "Brand Obama" dodged a bullet by not going forward with this terrible idea, but only barely dodged it. After all, the facts of the story are right there in The New York Times for all to see.
What can be said of an administration so out of touch with the people it governs? Previous American presidents seemed to understand that while America is not "officially" a Christian nation, it is a nation whose Founders all believed in a Creator, and whose people are overwhelmingly Christian. Even Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton had the créche displayed during their administrations. What is going on?
Is this administration so afraid to offend people of other beliefs that they will seriously consider obliterating basic American traditions? As a friend of mine put it: their logic is like saying that serving American food at the White House state dinner might offend the Indians in the room.
But it's never offensive to simply be yourself. What can be terribly offensive is bending over backwards when its absolutely unnecessary. Or bowing when it's absolutely unnecessary. People may begin to suspect that you simply have spine issues -- and yes, I mean that metaphorically.
The writer should have added that Obama has had no problems publicly celebrating all the chief Muslim festivals in the White House. But he couldn’t be bothered with the National Day of Prayer.
What’s with that?
I never expect a shark to act like bass, nor do I expect a muslim to act like a christian.
"...nor do men gather grapes from thorns."
"By their fruits, you shall know them."
I've often wondered how telling the majority that they are not welcome makes anything "more inclusive".
Niccolò Machiavelli
The Prince
Just remember this applies to most ALL politicians not just the current resident of the white house.
My money's on God and Country. I don't think the Almighty's going to put up with this much longer, nor do I think the good people of this country are going to let our first Affirmative Action President and the filth with which he has surrounded himself continue to decimate our nation's heritage.
Nuts and flakes, too.
Why don’t the Obama children get presents at Christmas?
I also don't know whether or not they get Ramadan Presents, Hannukah Presents, Ayn Rand's Birthday Presents, May Day Presents ...
He’d NEVER think of barring Mohammed from the White House. He probably thinks that National Day of Prayer would be a waste unless everyone is praying to him.
We might counteract this with a flurry of emails bearing a picture of the nativity. Let’s remind him that this is a country based on Judeo-Christian principles.
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