Christmas as a weapon - "designed to irritate the Cuban government"

[KurtNYC]

The display at the US interests section - so-called because the United States and Cuba do not have diplomatic relations - includes a huge white Santa Claus, an image of galloping reindeer and a flashing sign wishing Cubans a Happy Christmas.
...
The BBC's Stephen Gibbs in the capital, Havana, says the display does seem designed to irritate the Cuban government.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4097367.stm

Whatever tensions there are between Cuba and the US aside, why are we using Christmas as a weapon? Some on the Right claim to want to put "Christ back into Christmas" but will there be room for the Prince of Peace if Christmas is used both here and abroad as something to start a fight over? Or is making Christmas the center of a battle really what they are after.

Hey, what smells like theocracy?

[justinsb]

1. That's the whole point of christmas isn't it?

I mean Jesus came to earth so that the US could one day use it to irritate Castro.

[noamnety]

2. It's the 75 that's a problem

"A large figure 75, is picked out in neon, inside a large circle."

It's not a Christmas display, it's a political statement loosely masquerading as a Christmas display.

If foreign embassies in DC had a lighted display with the number of Iraqi civilians killed by us, and claimed it was a Christmas display, you'd hear the same outcry over here.

[KurtNYC]

3. Yes but they don't need Christmas to do that

they could just put up a big "75" anytime of year.

[noamnety]

5. It has to be part of the Christmas display

So we can have the press report this as "Cuba won't let us celebrate Christmas."

Then they can tie it neatly together as "the atheists are attacking Christmas" if we don't allow government funds to support religious displays, and thus the left is a bunch of communists just like Castro.

[StClone]

4. US mission in Havana

"US mission in Havana will not affect his government's determination to draw attention to human rights."

Why does Cuba have socialized medicine and not the U.S.? Bet there is not too much difference between the head busting Jeb did on the Free Trade meet up than any Castro has instigated. And what in the Patriot Act protects freedom and civil liberties.