Jerry Falwell Wants You To Acknowledge Christ At Christmas (Unless You’re President Bush)

The always amusing Jerry Falwell has recently gotten himself involved in a new pet campaign. He’s seeking to pressure retailers and public schools to include the words “Merry Christmas” rather than “Season’s Greetings” or “Happy Holidays” in their holiday materials. Falwell calls it his “Friend or Foe” campaign. Apparently, this is to help remind people that the big holiday this season is Christmas, so all of you Jews, Muslims, atheists, agnostics, Hindus, Buddhists, and pagans can go f*ck yourselves. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, wrote a scathing open letter to Falwell in which he noted that even president Bush’s official holiday cards do not contain the word “Christmas”. Lynn suggests that maybe Falwell should add the president to his list of foes. Depressingly, several other members of the Christian right have taken Lynn’s joke quite seriously. William Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, stated, "This clearly demonstrates that the Bush administration has suffered a loss of will and that they have capitulated to the worst elements in our culture.” Several other theocratic leaders expressed similar feelings, though with a bit less venom. Donald Wildmon doesn’t believe the White House’s move was “sinister”, but rather merely an example of “political correctness run amok”. But Falwell himself gives Bush a pass. Noting that the card contains a passage from the Old Testament, he stated "There's a verse from Scripture in it. I don't mind that at all, as long as we don't try to pretend we're not a nation under God”. So it’s OK not to mention the name of Christ at Christmas so long as you put in something about God in there somewhere. You’re not making special exceptions in religious matters for your friends, are you Jerry? I thought only the Pope could do that.