County Executive orders "religion-neutral" Christmas (and blames 9/11 Attack)

King County Executive ^ | 11/30/01 | Ron Sims, King County Executive

[ppaul]

TO: KC Global Announcement to All King County Employees

FM: Ron Sims, King County Executive

RE: Holiday Celebrations

With the post September 11 tragedy climate and the religious holidays starting, we at King County want to ensure that any upcoming holiday celebration at the workplace is held in a respectful, inclusive, and sensitive manner that does not favor one religion over another. Particularly in public areas, this means that any holiday recognition or celebration should be religion-neutral.

Examples of religion-neutral practices include: naming the celebration(s) "Holiday Celebration" or "Winter Celebration;"

using general greetings such as "Happy Holidays" or "Holiday Greetings;"

using decorations that are commonplace - poinsettias, evergreen boughs, lights - but not using religious symbols nor practices; and

obtaining the concurrence of all affected employees prior to holding a holiday social and/or food gathering. Care should be taken that employees who do not concur with holding a gathering are protected from retaliation.

Cultural information sharing about various religious holidays in the name of diversity is allowable when it is done in the context of employee education and is inclusive of various religious celebrations such as Ramadan, Hanukkah, Christmas, etc.

I encourage you to contact Maria Batayola, at (206) 263-7380, should you have any questions and/or comments.

cc: Robert S. Derrick, Director, Office of Human Resources Management (OHRM)

Maria Batayola, Manager, Diversity Management Division, OHRM

King County Executive, RON SIMS

:

[lavaroise]

Thought control alert.

Thou shall not have an eccentric thought, nor shall government or public be imposed any eccentric thought. Actualy we own your brains.

Signed: a liberal calling for a war in the name of peace from eccentricity.

[Notwithstanding]

Nice post - I just put up an article on this and there is even more freeping going on!! Way to go. Sims is lame.

[d14truth]

"Particularly in public areas, this means that any holiday recognition or celebration should be religion-neutral."

Holy day recognition religion neutral. There shall be no 'friendship' occurring while on the 'taxpayer' clock. We must be completely professional at all times in our capacity of 'public' servants. < /sarcasm>

[a_federalist]

Sims is a weenie. I vote against these losers election after election but.....

[dpa5923]

I'm in. I will not say happy holidays. You get a Merry Christmas and Joyous New Year. It is CHRISTmas after all.

[Dr. Octagon]

This is the way the world ends: not with a bang, but with a whimper.

I'll fight it though. I'm sure you will too.

[StayoutdaBushesWay]

Christians need to start putting nativity scene pics in their car windows and park near the office of this insipid nitwit every chance they get.

If I lived there I would FReep this guy not with signs but with me and all my friends making a live nativity scene. That would be fun.

[PRO 1]

Here is a letter I sent to the moron. IT'S FREEP TIME.

Mr Sims: Since I have left Washington I have seen the State go further and further into the toilet because the stupid voters elect stupid representitives and they get you. Religion haters like you will be soon in the garbage. In fact, had it not been for Sept 11 we would not have known of idiots like you occupying government positions until you open up your stupid mouths and do stupid things. Thank you. Now we know who to fire because idiots like you are waking the slumbering masses. BTW You will be happy to know that I found out about you via a nationally recognized website that posts articles. Knowledge of your stupidity will be known by millions of Americans within days. Tell me how does it feel to have your ignorant PC lunacy known all over the country? Have a nice day

[HiTech RedNeck]

Holyday of the Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (which is how we name it in the Orthodox Church).

The word derivation of "Christmas" (= "Christ" + "Mass" [as in Catholic]) is, I think, almost exclusive to the English language. It's ironic that the Romance languages themselves use a term which does not reference Catholic doctrine but rather is analogous to "nativity" ("Noel," "Navidad," etc.), whereas the Protestant Anglican church calls it "Christmas."

Merry Nativity (or whatever you choose to call it)!

[HiTech RedNeck]

The word derivation of "Christmas" (= "Christ" + "Mass" [as in Catholic]) is, I think, almost exclusive to the English language

Duh, I went to the 350 languages site and there are more variations of the word "Christmas" represented than I realized. I don't know how many of those borrow from English, but still, pulling foot out of mouth...

[HiTech RedNeck]

You and your fellow county executives should be taken out and horsewhipped and then you should be tossed into a sack of hungry bobcats

THAT'll wish 'em a Merry Christmas alright LOL

[HiTech RedNeck]

Forgot the closing tag </IRONY>

[ppaul]

Friggin' sacreligious Grinch you are!

[HiTech RedNeck]

For a good 90+% of the people, anti-Xmas is demoralizing. Throw in anti-Chanukah and it's nigh unto 99%. In the long haul this demoralization is going to cost you beaucoup more tax dollars. Liberals and atheists and government morons(and especially liberal atheists in moronic government) do not have a clue that they can get free from God all they can't buy with all the tax dollars they wring out of John Schmoe Taxpayer and expend on social services.

[autumn]

Where does one go anymore to escape the insanity?

[HiTech RedNeck]

Friend,

Go trust in Jesus Christ for your eternal life.

Also get a clue: it doesn't cost the taxpayers a dime more to let, nay even encourage, civil servants to wish one another a Merry Christmas or Happy Chanukah or Feliz Ramadan or what have you. "Conservative Republican" atheists who scrooge religion out of the public square should not be surprised when they find themselves at the same destination as the liberals.