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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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.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.
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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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Art "ChiefReason" Goodrich on
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First of all:
To those of you taking this to a personal level. The fact that a "Merry Christmas" sign displayed at the fire station has NOTHING to do with your personal right to observe a holiday. YOU can put up as many "Merry Christmas" signs in our OWN yard as you would like. Ordering the sign to be taken down from the fire station has not done one iota of harm to you or your beliefs. Yes; it sucks. Yes; "Merry Christmas" seems innocuous enough, but the fact is that it is no more right for US to jam it down others' throats than it is for THEM to jam their observance down OUR throats. So, the safe solution, so no one chokes, is to say NO to everyone; where the issue is a public building. In doing so, you aren't just appeasing the "minority"; you are also appeasing a mob rule mentality, because many of you are saying "there are more of us than them", so we win. Put the sign back up."
We go through this EVERY YEAR. There is at least one of these stories EVERY YEAR. EVERY YEAR, we think it's the end of civilization as we know it and you know what; scrooge it. Observe Christmas however YOU see fit. Decorate your property to the teeth however you see fit. Greet people however you see fit. If you want to support the fire department, then buy a wreath and decorate it with red bulbs and bows.
And if someone complains about giving Santa a ride on the fire truck, then put him in a sleigh and pull him with a firefighter's Harley.
Think outside the box.
You STILL have your rights. No one has taken them away.
It's a friggin' sign. Put one up in your yard.
It's all about diversity and YOU have to be a little more diverse in your thinking than the next person.
And give to charity, for crying out loud.
TCSS.
Art
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P/S.
Jack: I read the article AGAIN to make sure that I hadn't missed anything.
The rabbi wants to display the menorah for the entire 8 days in a public commons area and was vetoed.
He NEVER raised the issue of the "Merry Christmas" sign at the fire station, according to the report.
So, it begs the question: how did we get to this point?
Someone outside of the fray apparently posed the question at of "fairness", perhaps.
Don't know.
This isn't going to destroy my Christmas, regardless.
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Permalink Reply by Rob Young on
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Really Jack? That is what your going with, "I think that the town manager/council may very well have not like the idea of a jewish symbol in the town square during 'their' xmas season. Perhaps the majority of north andover ma don't like jews, it's hard to tell for sure." Give me a break. You really are an unelightened man. I feel sorry for you and the fact that you are so bitter regarding this particular holiday or religion, or whatever. You can deny it, but it comes out in your writing.
Merry Christmas
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Isn't speghetti technically vegitarian as long as you don't use meat in your sauce? :)
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He He, I don't necessarily agree with your thoughts Jack, but this is kinda funny. The fact is that even the various Christian denominations can't agree on a definition of Hell. Talk to a Catholic Priest and an Orthodox Priest they will give you similar but different answers. Then talk to a Mormon, Evangelical, and Baptist and you will get at the very least, slightly different answers from each of them. No really, I have talk to all of them. It's amazing that people within the same religion can't even agree on basic tenents of that religion. All I know for sure is that there is a God, the world was Created, and I believe in Jesus Christ and celebrate his birth, torture, burial and Resurrection (the most important part), and that I should be nice to others and love them as I love myself if I want God to look favorably on me.
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Permalink Reply by capt4021 on
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what ever happened to the good ol'days of being able to say Merry Christmas without getting arrested
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Permalink Reply by Angela McCleskey on
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Who know's I think it went right out the window with the rest of our History!!
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Permalink Reply by Ernest Girardin on
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This isn't political correctness and The FOUNDING FATHERS ARE ROLLING IN THIER GRAVES AT WHERE THE NATION IS HEADED.
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Permalink Reply by Capt.Jocelyn Chiasson on
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you watch next the american dollars will have to remove ""in god we trust "" seriously what wrong with peoples
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DOES THE TOWN DISPLAY A CHRISTMAS TREE AND IF SO AFTER IT IS LIT FOR ONE NIGHT WOULD THEN HAVE TO COME DOWN TOO
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Permalink Reply by Jack/dt on
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Art,
My interpretation of the article was that, refused the 8 days to display the menorah the rabbi threatened to sue. Apparently fearing a lawsuit the town then decreed that the sign on the fire department be removed. I guess the bigger issue here is why did the town decide only to allow 1 day for any display? Is there more to this story than we've been told?
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The video also stated that the RAbbi beleives that the fire department should be able to leave the sign up. The lawsuit was to be specific to the fact that the Menorah could not be left up for 8 days, not because of the Merry Christmas sign.
I bothered to listen to the video. :)
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