Oklahoma City officials cancel Christmas

Finally, the answer to navigating the politically correct morass that is "the holidays" of December " brought to you by: the city of Oklahoma City. Religious holidays (we're looking at you, Christmas, Hanukkah, Eid al-Adha, et al.): Consider yourself vaporized. Or, maybe, "memo"-ized.

 

A November memo to city department heads from City Manager Jim Couch mandated "government employees are not legally permitted to decorate government buildings with holiday displays based solely on religious themes," per the First Amendment, according to The Associated Press.

 

(This, per a later memo cited in The Oke, pertains to trimmings in public places, not at personal workstations.)

 

The city is within its rights, according to Norman attorney Micheal Salem in the AP story, as long as the policy applies evenly.

 

"Rather than accommodating all religions, the city can decide not to accommodate any religion," he told AP.

 

OK, we get it " no room at City Hall. But it hasn't worked out so simply: A religious-freedom-promoting group, the Alliance Defense Fund, sued OKC on behalf of two workers. One of them, Christopher Spencer, AP reported, said he was told to stop holding the Building Management Division's Christmas party that for five years has provided for a family in need, and featured a prayer and dinner.

 

According to the suit, per AP, Spencer was ordered "to relocate the Christmas party to an offsite location" and staffers were told "to use vacation time to attend." City spokeswoman Kristy Yager said the policy, new in writing this year, prohibits nativity scenes, crosses and any other "symbols of clear religious significance" in government buildings.

 

Alliance Defense Fund attorney Byron Babione claimed, however, it's all targeting Christians.

 

"The attacks on Christmas are simply part of a larger war being waged on anything and everything Christian," he told AP.

 

Um "¦ that part we said about the city finding the answer to navigating the politically correct morass? Never mind.

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