The Social Network & Community JUST for Firefighters
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.
___
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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.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
-
Permalink Reply by Jack/dt on
-
LOL come on Rob, I suspect you don't have the slightest bit of knowledge to attempt to psychoanalyze me. Unenlightened? Really? Why? Because I make an attempt to understand the situation rather than approach it through a knee-jerk reaction as so many here have done? Trust me I'm far more enlightened that you will ever get to know.
I don't need nor appreciate your sympathy, not when comes from such a narrow-minded place. So I guess you don't believe that anti-jewish sentiment could be at play here? To conclude that I'm unenlightened for suggesting that speaks more about you and your frame of reference than it ever could about mine. Maybe where you live there isn't enough diversity for you to be concerned about but where I am, it's pretty diverse.
As for my overall feelings I am not at all bitter, really I'm amused and thoroughly enjoying the repartee with such achristianwidely diverse and open minded group as this. Ya'll have a merry xmas.
-
Permalink Reply by Angela McCleskey on
-
I totally agree with you on this!! What get's to me is, say a house catches fire and it belong's to one of them, are they gonna stop you from pulling up and putting out that fire, because you are possibly a christian? They need to get off the fence, or get the heck out as you have said, and like you I would be glad to help them out of a COUNTRY that may offend them...I can bet we want ever see the day that we can go into another country, and find it so accomidating....sign's in our language, or anyone who even remotely offer's to help us.
I'm with you on this Paul!!
Merry Christmas
Angie
-
-
"...say a house catches fire and it belong's to one of them..."
Exactly who would "them" be? You mean the heathen non-christian sort that are all up in your grill and taking away your freedoms? "...them..." hmmm, I think that alone tells me all I'd need to know.
-
Permalink Reply by Rob Young on
-
Regarding your statement about psychoanalyzing you, that would take far to long, as psychoanalysis tends to be a long term therapy to deal with very deep seeded issues. I do however have a masters degree and work in the psychology field, so if you wanted to, I suppose we could engage in such a long term senario.
Secondly, you are correct, I do not currently live in an area with much diversity, however I work in an area that is very diverse, and in the past have lived in signficantly diverse metropolitan areas. In addition, I work with individuals of many religious and ethnic backgrounds, so I do have some frame of reference regarding how different peoples view each other.
Your tone does come across as bitter at times, even if you deny that you harbor any bitterness. Your statement about the open mindedness of this group is sarcastically humorous though.
In regard to your statement about the Jewish issue. Unless the town council enacted the one day rule in response to the Menorah specifically, I believe one would have a hard time arguing that it was anti-semitic. It sounded like this was a recently passed law regarding all displays.
-
Permalink Reply by John Crabbe on
-
Who's getting arrested...taking down a sign is far from being arrested.
-
-
No, because they can term the tree however they want, Holiday tree, Peace tree, etc.
-
Permalink Reply by Art "ChiefReason" Goodrich on
-
You know; I just did a rant blog on this very phenomenon.
Right now; there have been over 230 replies to this news thread; many upset because the sign was ordered taken down from the fire station. In similar arguments, many would simply assert "hey, rules are rules and they need to be followed".
But the amazing thing to me is how quickly the replies have come in a thread about a SIGN.
We have seen LODD reports that are lucky to get a half dozen CONDOLENCES.
Firefighters dying, cops getting gunned down, two wars going on and the most important issues in our lives are the White House party crashers, Tiger Woods extra-marital affairs and a friggin' sign.
Yeah; I've commented HERE. But I have also commented THERE.
When you get done here, go play a rousing game of word association.
-
Permalink Reply by Capt.Jocelyn Chiasson on
-
Did anybody notice at 00:35 second the video show picture of the building and just above the man door it look like a christmas decoration??? so what is it exactly every town building or the fire dept. only???
-
-
Sadly you didn't address your accusation that I am an unenlightened man. Seems odd that you would conveniently forget about that rather personal attack.
I have to believe that "bitter" is as much an inference is it is implication. Perhaps you're letting your own emotions get the better of you and you are really only seeing your own bitterness in me?
And if you really want a good read in 'bitter' I offer the following few as examples:
Reply by capt4021 39 minutes ago
what ever happened to the good ol'days of being able to say Merry Christmas without getting arrested
Reply by jocelyn chiasson 34 minutes ago
you watch next the american dollars will have to remove ""in god we trust "" seriously what wrong with peoples
Reply by Raymond T Berger Sr. 2 hours ago
Just another example of the narrow minded foolishness that has infected this country and some of our elected leaders!!!!!
"Reply by john clare 12 minutes ago
should be jackass not jackdt its freedom of religion you f'ing MASSHOLE"?
Reply by John Kriska 3 hours ago
It's time for us to tell the politically correct crowd to as we use to say in the Marine Corps "pound sand"
Reply by Mark Stigers 6 hours ago
You have got to be kidding me - again! Someone bowed to political correctness by putting "In God We Trust" on the edge of our new coins now some jackass(s) want to elimanate "Merry Christmas".
Reply by J.B. Kimble 5 hours ago
Whatever happened to freedom of speech, or freedom of anything. Its terrible that the small groups of people try to rule this country.
Reply by zachary lopez 7 hours ago
and this is wat our country is coming to this is absolutly rediculous.we have the freedom of our own religion for a reason and can celebrate it however the hell we want.
© 2024 Created by Firefighter Nation WebChief.
Powered by
