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Massachusetts FD Ordered to Remove Merry Christmas Sign
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. - An annual "Merry Christmas" sign on a North Andover fire station has been ordered removed.
Town officials told firefighters last week to take down the homemade sign after they said people complained.
Fire Chief William Martineau said Monday that the sign was made by firefighters about 50 years ago and never had been an issue before.
The order comes a week after selectmen voted to allow a menorah display on the town common for only one day instead of all eight days of Hanukkah. They said a new town common policy only allows displays to stay up for one day, no matter what they are.
Town Manager Mark Rees said the town's public buildings should not be displaying things specific to a particular religion.
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Information from: Eagle Tribune, http://www.eagletribune.com
Related
Bah! Humbug!: Town outlaws Merry Christmas sign
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Fire Chief William Martineau said Monday that the sign was made by firefighters about 50 years ago and never had been an issue before.
The order comes a week after selectmen voted to allow a menorah display on the town common for only one day instead of all eight days of Hanukkah. They said a new town common policy only allows displays to stay up for one day, no matter what they are.
Town Manager Mark Rees said the town's public buildings should not be displaying things specific to a particular religion.
___
Information from: Eagle Tribune, http://www.eagletribune.com
Related
Bah! Humbug!: Town outlaws Merry Christmas sign
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by CKerley04 on
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I will give everyone the oportunity to become a Christian or to not bother me with their wishes otherwise.
I celebrate Christ's birth on December the 25 and will always call it Christmas. That comes under
freedom...
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Permalink Reply by WestPhilly on
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Jack,
That is some kind of spectacular gibberish! I bow to your utter incoherence.
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Permalink Reply by lutan1 on
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When the Feds remove Christmas as an Official Government holiday then I could see the connection as a religion. But since Christmas Day is an official holiday, then it is not a "religious event" it is a federal holiday. While it may be celebrated by christans as a religous holiday, it is officially a federal holiday, not a religious day.
So I know that Wiki is not the be all and end all, (thoug hwe know that if it is on the net, then it must be true!) I thought I'd have a quick look, "Christmas[2] or Christmas Day[3][4] is an annual holiday celebrated on December 25 that commemorates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.[5][6] The date of commemoration is not known to be Jesus' actual birthday, and may have initially been chosen to correspond with either a historical Roman festival[7] or the winter solstice.[8] Christmas is central to the Christmas and holiday season, and in Christianity marks the beginning of the larger season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days.[9]"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas
Me thinks it IS a religious event....
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Permalink Reply by Vic Silverfish on
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Are you serious?
OK, we get it, Christianity is so weak and unappealing that if we don't force it on everyone, it will end up on the ash heap of history. The only way to show your faith is using taxpayer money and force it on everyone
Matthew 6.5
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Permalink Reply by Shaun Hansen on
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I thought this was America the land of the Free. Corageous men and women died to give us rights. Why is it that something that was so right for so many years is going so badly now. Someone hit the RESET button on us please....
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Permalink Reply by Joe Burgett on
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Just another move by the PC left wing movement in this country to tell us what we should be doing and how we have hurt somebodies feelings. I say to hell with being PC, put the sign back up and light the menorah for all eight days hell maybe nine just to be festive.
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Permalink Reply by Shawn on
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"Although many secular and atheist groups fight for the wall of separation, this does not mean that they wish to lawfully eliminate religion from society. On the contrary, you will find no secular or atheist group attempting to ban Christianity, or any other religion from American society."
Really? Seems contradictory...I doubt it was a Jewish organization that brought the lawsuit that touched off this incident.
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Permalink Reply by Mike Davenport (COUCH) on
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Your way of thinking is wrong, period. You see, A sign that says Merry Christmas is meant for everyone, not just Christians, it signifies many things. It is also a long standing tradition, one that does not need to be taken away because a few petty people complain. I say, get rid of the petty people. If you have a rotten apple in the barrel, you remove the bad apple, you don't throw away the entire contents. If you choose not to believe, it is your right, and I will respect that, but don't take my right to celebrate my beliefs. Come on, does a merry Christmas sign really bother you? I don't think so. This is why Political Correctness is evil....just like affirmative action (reverse discrimination). Cant we just all get along and allow each of us to have our beliefs? I think more people need to back off. Common sense is a dying art.
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Permalink Reply by Jack/dt on
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"Really? Seems contradictory...I doubt it was a Jewish organization that brought the lawsuit that touched off this incident."
I believe a rabbi 'threatened' the town with a lawsuit because the town would only allow the display of the menorah for 1 days instead of the requested 8. While no lawsuit has been filed, the town decided to order the fire department to take down the sign. But then, I bothered to read the article.
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