Merry Hyatt has found allies in her quest to put an initiative on the ballot next year requiring public schools to play Christmas carols.
Hyatt, who moved to Redding four months ago, said she joined the Redding Tea Party Patriots and recruited several members to help her collect the 433,971 signatures needed by March 29.
The initiative would require schools to provide children the opportunity to listen to or perform Christmas carols, and would subject the schools to litigation if the rule isn't followed.
"Bottom line is Christmas is about Christmas," said Erin Ryan, president of the Redding Tea Party Patriots. "That's why we have it. It's not about winter solstice or Kwanzaa. It's like, 'wow you guys, it's called Christmas for a reason.' "
55 comments
It's called Christmas in English speaking countries. Most countries do NOT speak English, as a first language.
The Winter solstice, the Yule, was first. You are just copy cats. Nya, nya, nya, nya...
(I actually like singing the Christmas carols, but that's because they are kind of beautiful, not because of the message.)
Do kids not sing carols at school anymore? I'm only 28, and we sung Christmas songs in music class in December. It was fun, nobody complained. We had Halloween and Christmas and birthday parties, too. I think I finished school just in time...
Erin Ryan is still a dumbass, though.
"It's not about winter solstice or Kwanzaa. It's like, 'wow you guys, it's called Christmas for a reason.' "
Absolutely right. The reason is you "christ-like" people stole others' holiday celebrations and killed those of them who wouldn't join your invisble-man club.
Is this actually a problem? Like, anywhere? I know that my high school has its annual Christmas choir concert, Christmas songs are sung (alumni and anyone who knows it are invited on stage for the Hallelujah Chorus), some Hanukkah songs are thrown in, some generic songs about winter are tossed in, and a good time is had by all.
Is it really different anyplace else?
Seriously? Why in the world is it so important to anyone to not only force a subjective art form on people but to tell them that they have to celebrate Christmas by incorporating a specific tradition? And since when is this an issue? It's always been my experience that you can very easily hear Christmas music in schools and they put on Christmas plays all the time, especially where the younger grades are concerned. Although I'd imagine there are some schools which just don't have a budget to put on plays at all. So, maybe you should spend less time with your idiotic petition and more time encouraging people to raise funds for their local schools in need.
No, "Christmas" is about surviving the longest, darkest night of the year, and celebrating the return of the sun. Go find your own damn holiday.
Yeah, because those poor kids NEVER hear Christmas songs anywhere else, right? They certainly aren't played on every radio station, every public store, and anywhere else they could possibly be played ad nauseam, are they?
Not to mention. I'm only 52 and I heard and saw on cards 'happy Yuletide' when I was young and saw it on 'seasonal' cards. Yuletide has NO Christ connection nor do most christmas practices'
The pagan practices still dominate the season. You Christians don't now nor have ever owned the season. That's why it's still fun
Um, I was onstage playing 'We Three Kings' along with plenty of other Christmas songs just two days ago with the rest of the school band. We're even doing a Christmas project about Christmas in other countries for Spanish class. So this 'no Christmas in schools' thing you're mad about must have started, like, after I got home this afternoon.
It's called Christmas for a reason?
Okay then, make them sing Christmas Songs on CHRISTMAS. That is the 25th of December.
Not the days before Christmas, not the days before Christmas vacation, on the day of Christmas itself.
And when all the kids are wondering why they have to go to school on Christmas to sing, they'll know who to blame and whose kids to blame also.
Hmm, well it isn't that bad. Reading the article deeper it seems that the correct choice is indeed be been followed. Bad submitter for lying to us.
"The initiative would require schools to provide children the opportunity to listen to or perform Christmas carols, and would subject the schools to litigation if the rule isn't followed."
The keyword here is "providing opportunity". It seems that she is trying to force schools to inform kids about Christmas Carols, not force the students to sing/listen to them. Okay, fine she is been heavy handed in her approach, but it's not like her attempt will actually ever get passed. Still, I have nothing against someone trying to provide an opportunity so long as it is distinctly optional.
I'm on board if we get the same respect and singing for Talk Like a Pirate Day, Talk with a Fake British Accent Day, Arbor Day, Secretaries Day, Darwin Day, Breast Cancer Awareness Month...I could go on.
Only if they get to learn songs such as, "Away in a Madhouse," "I saw Mommy Kissing Yog-Sthoth," "Death to the World," and "It's Beginning to Look A Lot like Fishmen."
There are actually some school systems where the children can not put on a Christmas play for fear of the system being sued by idiots (I know this first hand as mine was one of them). I support legislation like this which would protect the school from dumbasses if they decide to put on a Christmas play or something, so long as other religions received the same protection, of course.
Then again, I could just be bitter that I never got a freeking Christmas party. XD
It's called Christmas for a reason - that reason being that the early Christians burned and pillaged enough pagans that their religion became the dominant one in Europe.
Where it not for the sword we would still be decorating our houses and putting up trees and feasting and giving each other presents.... Oh wait....
The question is, they CAN(and DO)sing Christian Carrols..............oh, wait, you mean FORCE THEM to sing.
Yes, you're right. And there is merely one day on which Christmas is celebrated. Contrary to what the retailers would have you believe, Christmas is one day, not a month, not a season.
So I'll tell you what. Kids can sing all the Christmas carols they want, on Christmas Day , at their schools.
In exchange, all the Jewish kids can sing about Hannukah during all eight days of Hannukah in school. I know, there's not many songs for that holiday, but I'm pretty sure that after the millionth time through "The Dreidel Song" and Adam Sandler's Hannukah Song, you'll be regretting your choice.
Even if the ballot is successful, it's totally unconstitutional, so we'll just have another Kitzmiller vs. Dover type ruling in the future.
And I agree, force the schools to play Christmas carols only on Christmas day, you know, when they're closed.
And how the hell can you avoid hearing Christmas songs?
No tell me, I wanna know.
Her attempts are of the same vein as trying to force prayer back into schools. Would she agree to Jewish practices at this time? I doubt it.
The "subject the schools to litigation if the rule isn't followed" part would have this thrown out as unconstitutional. It's like they know they won't win so they try to make it look like the systems against religion.
You can pray privately at school.
You can have your religious events at your church or community halls, private homes or parks.You all know this and continue this nonsense of insisting all be perpetually exposed to Christianity at all times
For the last time, Jesus is NOT the reason for the season. The Sun is.
(Note to homeschooled fundies: 'sun' is not the same as 'son'. They are two distinct nouns with radically different meanings. You might wish to make a note of this and bear it in mind for the future.)
bottom line is... your a fucking power hungry asshole to impede on someone else's beliefs, choice of religion, and FREE WILL! (I mean... isnt that what your God is all about? Free will? Im pretty sure Ive heard you Christians preach that to me a lot....)
"It's not about winter solstice"
In that case, Christmas isn't about Christianity. Or Jesus. Or God.
"'wow you guys, it's called Christmas for a reason.'"
That reason being the early Christian church hijacked the pagan Winter Solstice festival. Christianity's such a shit religion, it doesn't even have it's own traditions. It steals from other, earlier beliefs.
How's it feel being a cultural thief, Erin?
Yea, there is a thing called the 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution that prevents religions forcing government to abide by any of their rules. That includes forcing public government run schools to sing religious carols. Sorry, Erin, them's the breaks.
I like how they added
"require schools to provide children the opportunity..."
Bullshit, you would make it mandatory, for SOME goddamn reason!
And no shit it's called Christmas, and Kwanzaa is called Kwanzaa. Both are equally free to be used as a torture device upon children!
The Tea party:
THE CONSTITUTION IS SACROSANCT, EVERY LAST WORD OF IT!!!!!!!!! 2nd AMENDMENT OBAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fuck separation of church and state, the constitution is wrong Obama!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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