Free Republic

Bill O'Reilly, one of the most ardent defenders of Christmas interviewed Peter Boyles of KHOW 630am radio about the talk radio and grass roots movement that put Christmas back into the annual Parade of Lights celebration here in Denver, Colorado. The local talk show hosts here in Denver who led the charge were Gunny Bob Newman, Mike Rosen, Donna Star all on KOA 850am and Dan Caplis on KHOW 630am. Add to that the coverage on FoxNews, Michelle Malkin's Lump of Coal campaign idea and the grass roots effort from the great Americans in our state and electronic activism from...

Jean Torkelson of the RMN confirms in an article this morning what Free Republic folks knew last week: the Downtown Denver Partnership will allow Christian themes on floats at the 2005 Parade of Lights. Odd, but Jean forgot to mention that we knew this last week and that my audience led the charge to get this fixed, and she forgot to mention the DDP's president called me last week to surrender.

I got a call this morning from Jim Basey, president of the Downtown Denver Partnership. The DDP decided that talking to me on the air would be insanity. However, Mr. Basey assured me that the pressure placed upon the DDP by my audience was plenty and that in 2005 the Parade of Lights would allow "Merry Christmas" signs on floats and to be carried, and that Christmas carols with Christian words or themes would also be allowed. It was clear that Mr. Basey was extremely intimidated--I can be a little testy when debating someone with whom I vehemently disagree--by my...

I just received an email from Jim Basey, president of the Downtown Denver Partnership. After my final warning that my audiences would soon be refusing to spend any money at the Partnership's businesses unless the Partnership's anti-Christian policies were changed regarding the Parade of Lights, Mr. Basey wrote me a very nice email apologizing for all the ruckus and informing me that the Partnership would soon have a meeting to fix what they broke. Mr. Basey will be on my show either tonight or tomorrow night (7-10PM MT M-F) to express his regrets over this policy and to announce that...

Former U.S. Attorney Mike Norton offered Wednesday to explore a lawsuit on behalf of a pastor whose church was barred from entering a Christmas float in Denver's Parade of Lights this weekend. "If he has an interest in carrying it to the next level, we're ready," said Norton, who now works for the Arizona-based Alliance Defense Fund, which takes on religious liberty cases, primarily for Christian clients. Advertisement Norton's was among a deluge of calls to Pastor George Morrison the day after the Rocky Mountain News reported on his attempt to join the holiday parade, which celebrates its 30th year...

TARGET THE GRINCH:And the beat goes on... According to this morning's USA Today, Target Inc.  is sticking to its plan to kick the Salvation Army to the curb throughout this holiday season. For those of you late to this story, Target stores had long allowed the Salvation Army to be the only charity that raised funds outside their stores using their famous red kettles and the cheerful sound of Christmas Bells. This year the good will from the red bulls-eye came to an end.  According to the USA Today the impact will leave the Salvation Army short about 9 million dollars...

Bruce Bain doesn't attend church regularly, but nothing was going to keep him from showing up on the corner of 17th Street and Tremont Place on Friday night. "How can you have the Parade of Lights without the 'light of the world'?" he asked. "Christmas is a religious holiday." So the 56-year-old Englewood man joined hundreds of Christmas carolers from metro-area churches and sang along the Parade of Lights route. They sang on 15th Street. They sang at Court Place. And they sang at Colfax Avenue and Bannock Street. What they didn't do was raise hell. Yes, it was a...

Religious groups sing out at parade Protesters say event being "too politically correct" By fcardona@denverpost.com Felisa Cardona Denver Post Staff Writer Saturday, December 04, 2004 - Steve Schweitzberger carried a basket with a tiny baby Jesus doll inside that had a paper teardrop falling from its eye. The baby came with a sign that read, "It's my party, and I'll cry if I want to." Schweitzberger said he thought the display was appropriate considering religious groups were not allowed to participate in the downtown Parade of Lights this weekend. "I thought it was strange that they would exclude the birthday...

Churches will gather to challenge parade's religious-theme ban By Jean Torkelson, Rocky Mountain News December 3, 2004 Churchgoers throughout the Denver area have promised a crusading pastor to gather tonight and Saturday in downtown Denver to challenge, with cocoa and caroling, the exclusion of a Christian presence from the 30th annual Parade of Lights. "We are getting churches from all over, and pastors with large churches, calling to ask, 'Where do we come?'" said Janette Rasor of Faith Bible Chapel, a 4,000-member Arvada church. Advertisement GetAd('00', false, '00', 250, 250, 'RELIGION_', ''); At least one other megachurch, with 2,500 members,...

City Hall inundated with opposition to 'Happy Holidays' sign It's a merry Christmas after all. Mayor John Hickenlooper, seeking to distance himself from Ebenezer Scrooge, said Thursday he wouldn't replace the "Merry Christmas" sign outside City Hall with one that instead read "Happy Holidays." "I apologize to anyone who may have been offended or mistakenly felt I was being anti-Christmas," he said. "Hickenlooper might have two O's, but I am not Scrooge." The controversy started last week when the mayor suggested a more inclusive sign might be used and thought "Happy Holidays" could encompass a variety of religious and cultural...

Former U.S. Attorney Mike Norton offered Wednesday to explore a lawsuit on behalf of a pastor whose church was barred from entering a Christmas float in Denver's Parade of Lights this weekend. "If he has an interest in carrying it to the next level, we're ready," said Norton, who now works for the Arizona-based Alliance Defense Fund, which takes on religious liberty cases, primarily for Christian clients. Norton's was among a deluge of calls to Pastor George Morrison the day after the Rocky Mountain News reported on his attempt to join the holiday parade, which celebrates its 30th year Friday...

Denver's holiday traditions include a Christmas Parade and the lighting of the City and County Building in downtown Denver.Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper recently announced that the phrase "MERRY CHRISTMAS" on the outside of the building will be changed to "HAPPY HOLIDAYS," in yet another politically correct attack on the institution of Christmas. And while they're at it, the city is stopping a church group from participating in the annual "Parade of Lights", and singing Christmas Carols.Parade organizers claim that Christmas Carols may be offensive to some people....a church group who wants to march in the Parade of Lights and sing...

HOLIDAY BLUES Christmastime event is no-Christian zone Santa, 'holy homosexuals' OK for parade, but no floats with direct religious themes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted: December 2, 2004 1:00 a.m. Eastern By Joe Kovacs © 2004 WorldNetDaily.com In the latest skirmish over Christmas in America, a Christian group is not allowed to participate in Denver's annual Parade of Lights, because church members sought to sing yuletide hymns and proclaim a "Merry Christmas" message on their float. However, the event, now in its 30th year, will include homosexual American Indians, Kung Fu artisans, belly dancers and, of course, Santa Claus. "I think there's an...

MY CHRISTMAS CRUSADE  By Michelle Malkin   ·   December 02, 2004 02:36 AM The persecution never ends. Denver has launched war against a church group that wanted to march in the city's Christmas parade "Parade of Lights." (I hate, hate, hate that p.c. euphemism.)From the Denver Post: Parade Organizers Say Christmas Carols May Be Offensive To Others Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper recently announced that next year the phrase "Merry Christmas" will be removed from the city building and replaced with "Happy Holidays." And now a church group who wants to march in the Parade of Lights and sing Christmas carols...

On the Gunny Bob Newman show and the Donna Star show here in Denver on KOA 850am tonight they have been talking about Denver mayor Hickenlooper's decision to ban the words 'Merry Christmas' from the traditional Parade of Lights downtown parade as well as any 'Christmas' float.