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Published: December 1, 2009
“Constitutionally protected activities”
Legal group tells city of Merced no need to change name of annual Christmas Parade
News release from Alliance Defense Fund
Nov. 30, 2009
MERCED -- Alliance Defense Fund attorneys sent a letter yesterday, Monday, Nov. 30, to the mayor and officials of the city of Merced urging them to change the name of the town’s newly dubbed holiday parade back to the Christmas parade. City officials replaced “Christmas” with “holiday” in the name of the town’s public parade, but ADF attorneys have assured them that, if the change was motivated by fear of lawsuits, keeping the former name is a decision that is constitutionally protected.
 “It’s ridiculous that the people of Merced have to think twice about whether it’s okay to have a ‘Christmas’ parade,” said ADF Senior Counsel Nate Kellum. “An overwhelming majority of Americans celebrate Christmas and are opposed to any kind of censorship of Christmas. City officials shouldn’t self-censor the perfectly constitutional name of their town’s Christmas parade because of unfounded beliefs spread by groups hostile to our nation’s traditions.”
The city of Merced has held the annual Christmas parade since 1995, but this year, on Dec. 5, the new “Downtown Holiday Parade” is scheduled to take its place. ADF attorneys contacted city officials through a letter encouraging them to uphold their town’s traditions and retain the name of the Christmas parade in full confidence that such a decision would be constitutionally protected. In the event of threatened litigation, ADF attorneys have offered free legal assistance.
“You can be assured that your participation in and acknowledgement of the Christmas holiday and a Christmas parade are constitutionally protected activities,” the letter stated. “The City is free to support a parade regarding Christmas, and you are under no obligation to satisfy the demands of any disgruntled individual or civil libertarian group that may oppose such action.”
Despite the widespread coverage given to those opposing Christmas, a 2008 Gallup Poll reported that 93 percent of Americans celebrate Christmas, and a 2005 Gallup poll reported that 97 percent of Americans say they are not bothered by the public celebration of Christmas.
** UPDATE: THE CITY OF MERCED HAS REPORTEDLY RESOLVED THIS SITUATION AND HAS RETURNED TO THE "CHRISTMAS PARADE" NAME AFTER AN OUTCRY FROM RESIDENTS. **
Posted Tuesday, December 01, 2009 7:12 AM By Chuck Anziulewicz
Could it be that the town of Merced changed the name of their parade to be more inclusive? No one if preventing anyone from saying "Merry Christmas." But if a department store says "Happy Holidays" out of deference to their non-Christian customers, should they be targeted with boycotts? I don't think so. Christmas is the ONLY religious holiday that causes all government functions to grind to a halt, meaning non-Christians have no choice but to go along with it. So don't get upset if non-Christians celebrate it on their own terms.
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Posted Tuesday, December 01, 2009 8:45 AM By dana
FYI...holiday means HOLY DAY. Start stressing this and satan's minions may find it difficult to come up with another replacement, unless they use winter solstice or yule.
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Posted Tuesday, December 01, 2009 1:00 PM By Bob L.
Never fails to amaze me with the lengths non-Christians go
to for Political Correctness & avoiding hurt feelings. Separate church & state has been the mantra in the past & present; yet most state/federal offices & services are closed, our 'representatives' take 2,3,4 weeks off to celebrate the holidays. What holiday is it that they observe so vigorously?
Surely can't be the birth of Christ.....could it???
97% of Americans aren't offended by CHRISTMAS, but let us
succumb to the 3% who are. Majority rules....really?
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Posted Wednesday, December 02, 2009 10:04 PM By Brother Ed
Glad to hear they have come to their senses and returned it to the Christmas parade. It has nothing to do with being inclusive, it has to do only with Christmas. How come the 3% want it to be inclusive during Christmas, but never during any other holiday or festival. Do they tell Muslims Happy Holidays during Ramadan? No! How about being more inclusive in San Francisco and just call it the Gay and Straight Pride Parade? That wouldn't get any consideration.
I'm sure they don't mind getting paid for the day off, if they don't like it why don't they give the money back. I believe that Christmas has become too secular, and the focus is aimed at selling more imported goods than the true meaning. God humbling himself by becoming man, like us in every way but sin. Being born of the Virgin Mary and growing up to reconcile us to His Father. Let's get back on track and return our focus to the Christ Child. Remember there is no Christmas without Christ, and there are no happy holidays without Christmas. Have a Holy Christmas.
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Posted Thursday, December 03, 2009 7:11 AM By Steve
Christmas is part of our heritage in the United States. However people choose to celebrate the holiday season, the underlying good will is there. Merced is just an example of a community dealing with its own issues. they made a change and the public overwhimingly opposed so it was changed back. No reason to assume Christmas is being censored out of existence. Of course Merced should also allow a Kwanza parade if some of its citizens decided to organize it.
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Posted Tuesday, December 29, 2009 4:52 PM By Anne T.
I say Merry Christmas to Christians, Happy Hannukah to Jewish people and Happy Holidays when I do not know the person's religion or am addressing a mixed group. I do not find that "politically correct" but just polite. Sometimes I will even say to a Christian Happy Holidays because I know they celebrate both Christmas and New Years on Jan. 1. I think we have to use common sense about this.
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Posted Tuesday, December 29, 2009 6:15 PM By MarkF
Brother Ed, you've hit the nail on the head. All this baloney about inclusiveness is just a sham to get us to reject our American and Christian heritage. The inclusiveness is never directed at Muslims to be inclusive of Christianity, of homosexuals to be inclusive of heterosexuals, or of Jews to be inclusive to Christians. Inclusiveness is not their goal. Their goal (outside of the suicide of Western Christianity) is to break down all morals outside of what the Pope rightly calls the tyranny of relativism. We really have to speak up. These radical judges are WRONG that the constitution bans kids singing Christmas songs, WRONG that it bans Christian religious displays on public ground at Christmastime. Remember, it is Christmas, a legal US holiday. This took a generation to get us to this place and it will take a long time to get our country back. How about starting with impeaching Obama and throwing out all the Democrats from DC? How about throwing out all the Republicans who don't lead? How about a start with defeating this rancid health care "reform?"
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Posted Tuesday, December 29, 2009 9:58 PM By Anne T.
Brother Ed, you make some good points, too. In my area, there are all kinds of festivals of different religions and cultures, and they are not required to be inclusive. So why not a Christmas parade for the majority in an area?
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