Denver is Trying to ruin Christmas

[hasbro]

http://mediamatters.org/items/200412100006

"Denver's "Parade of Lights"

While it's true that Denver's annual "Parade of Lights," held December 3-4, chose not to include the Faith Bible Church's religious float, the Downtown Denver Partnership, the private group that organized the parade, explained that because the small size of the parade forces it to turn down many floats each year, including a religious float would appear to be an act of religious favoritism. The Denver Post explained in a December 4 editorial:

"We have a policy designed to not put us in position to make value judgments which religion gets in," says Jim Basey, president of the partnership.

Unlike other parades, such as Denver's St. Patrick's Day parade that stretches on for hours with dozens of floats and various groups just marching along, the Parade of Lights is limited in size and scope. It only lasts an hour, with elaborate floats that are often re-used from year to year. Organizers turn down many groups each year simply because there isn't time or room for everyone.

O'Reilly debuted the "Christmas Under Siege" series on December 3 with a segment on the Denver parade. In a teaser for the show that aired on FOX throughout the day, O'Reilly asked, "Is the city of Denver attacking -- I mean attacking -- Christmas?" During the show, when a guest defended the partnership's decision by explaining that the parade wasn't meant to honor any particular holiday but, O'Reilly insisted, "It's the Christmas holiday. That's the holiday!" Of course, other religions have December holidays as well."

There's more about Hickenlooper later in the article

[otohara]

1. Then There Was THe "Happy Holiday's" Up Roar

Denver's Mayor wanted to change Merry Christmas to Happy Holiday's on the Civic Center Lights.

He forgot that separation of church and state in the Bush era of so called moral values. Not a chance!

Being fair to all religions?

Hizhonor's office was bombarded with calls from angry the GOP suburbanites in Jefferson/Douglass counties.

[hasbro]

2. I kinda wish Webb were still in office for this

He was always up for a challenge.

[serryjw]

3. The inside secret.......

Supposedly Ms Owen has returned to her home and hubby, BUT he is going to step down in about 6 months.

Would you support Webb for OUR next Governor? I have only been in CO for 5 years and don't know much about him.

[hasbro]

4. I guess

He's got some issues involving cronyism, which I think has kept him from running so soon after leaving office.

He can be brusque to say the least.

[coloradodem2005]

5. Owens is stepping down in 6 months?

Why? Is he going to get a position in Bush's cabinet after all?

[coloradodem2005]

6. Well. Not all of Jeffco is bad.

Just the south/unincorporated part of that county. Sadly, I live there.

[hasbro]

7. Spent alot of time growing up there

and have no desire to go back.

I preffered living in the Glendale/Park Hill area.

[coloradodem2005]

8. I wouldn't mind moving further north in Jeffco.

Like to Arvada or Westminster.

[hasbro]

9. Not bad there

I'm in boulder so some of our overflow is there

[bush_is_wacko]

12. Arvada is where Faith Bible Chapel is!

Read my post below. These people are rude and think they are entitled to EVERYTHING! Kinda like *

[bush_is_wacko]

11. The north unincorprated is pretty bad too

I live near Faith Bible Chapel! They are a bunch of lunatics who've taken over this little area! I've lived here most my life and quite frankly, I'm close to leaving. I have had nothing but trouble w/ the way these folks run their church and this little neck of the woods.

[hasbro]

10. Slaon's take

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/12/16/grinch/index.html

"Right-wingers chastise organizers of Denver's downtown holiday Parade of Lights for rejecting the nearby Faith Bible Church's religious float. But organizers of the event, fearful of being put in the position of having to choose one faith's float over another for its small parade, have never allowed religious floats of any kind in the procession. So how does that fit into a specifically anti-Christian "jihad" gripping America? (P.S. The Faith Bible Church was notified more than six months ago that its float would not be in the parade, so the incident hardly qualifies as news.)"

[walldude]

13. This whole

"everyone is out to get the Christians" thing is really getting on my nerves. Historically Christians are the the ones who try to force their religion on others. Not to insult any wise, liberal Christians out there, I'm talking about the fundies. They seem to be saying that by treating them like all the other religions(no floats or tax funded displays for any of you) we are putting them down. They are on the offensive but claim to be on the defensive. Funny how they are operating under the same tactics that the Bush administration is.

A note,
After all this time on DU I finally scrolled down past the top forums and found this place. Nice to have a place for local stuff, I wish I had found it before the protest last weekend. My wife(she posts as frazzledmom) and I are hoping to make it to the next one and maybe meet up with some other Du'ers :D

[bush_is_wacko]

14. I'm hoping to be there too!

We should designate a meeting spot for DU'ers, I'd like to meet you guy's! I made the same mistake re: the Colorado part of this sight! Glad to know I'm not the only one. BTW, I still forget to come here as often as I should and check! I am also a Christian, but not the kind the Faith Bible Chapel wants to INSIST we all become. I like my religion at home and love and forgiveness are the most important issues of the Christain religion as far as I can tell. Glad you found this little neck of the woods!

[trudyco]

15. I guess I have a different take on this

Frankly I think Christmas is not only a national holiday but it IS a CHRISTIAN holiday and so you should have a religious float and maybe a religious carol. By negating the whole meaning of the holiday it does feel like reverse discrimination. This just upsets middle-of-the-road Christians like myself to the point that we actually kind of agree with the fundies on this. Why couldn't Denver have one Nativity float with a lottery on which church hosts it? Boulder had one along with the Chinese dragon dancers and last year the winter solstice folks. Tolerance means tolerating christianity, too, especially during its major holiday.

I was told that a teacher in my elementary school could not say "Merry Christmas" back when a child said Merry Christmas to them. It is one thing to shove a religion on people and it is another to respect all religions, including christianity. Yes, christianity gets more attention but then the country was founded on it and the majority of citizens are at least nominally christian. Why does the soul have to be sucked out of Christmas so it becomes "Season's Greetings"??? Why is that PC?

I think that if ultra liberals backed off and tolerated Christmas for what it is then it would diffuse a lot of the fundies fire. "In God we trust" plaques are ridiculous. So is creationism in science or banning halloween costume parades in school. So is forcing a teacher to say Merry Christmas, so is forcing a teacher to NOT say Merry Christmas if it is natural for them to.

Sometimes I think liberals are just as intolerant is fundies. There are 2 things that make me think "maybe I'm conservative after all". One is the reverse discrimination of christianity and the other is the violence/sexual innuendo of TV/movies during prime viewing hours for kids. I was against Private Ryan being shown on ABC because it was on before 9PM. I don't think ads or tv previews that implies a state of undress is appropriate before 9 PM (and its everywhere). Kids should be allowed to be kids and things like VeggieTales are wholesome. Ah well.

That's my 2 bits. Merry Christmas all!

trudyco