Oct 11, 2006
Orlando, FL - Liberty Counsel, a nationwide, public interest civil liberties law firm, is launching its fourth annual Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign in anticipation of another active season defending attacks on Christmas celebrations. Liberty Counsel makes a pledge to be the "Friend" to those entities which do not censor Christmas and a "Foe" to those that do. Last December, ABC's Good Morning America assessed Liberty Counsel's Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign during an interview with Dr. Jerry Falwell. The host observed that the campaign had ignited a "movement."
Last year Liberty Counsel successfully handled scores of cases in defense of Christmas, including a lawsuit against two Florida towns that would not permit a nativity scene in a public park. Liberty Counsel intervened in numerous other situations last year and as a result, Boston stopped calling its Christmas tree a "holiday tree"; Wellington, Florida, allowed a nativity scene to join a Christmas tree and a menorah; state employees were allowed to have Christmas parties instead of generic "holiday parties"; schools included religious songs in their choral presentations; students were allowed to recognize the Christian aspects of Christmas; retailers started wishing shoppers "Merry Christmas" and renamed their trees from "holiday trees" to "Christmas trees"; and there were many other victories.
On its web site, www.LC.org, Liberty Counsel offers a Help Save Christmas™ action pack, which includes educational legal memoranda to educate government officials, teachers, parents, students, private businesses, employees and others that it is legal to celebrate Christmas. The action pack also includes an "I
CHRISTmas™" button and bumper sticker, an "I Helped Save Christmas" button and bumper sticker, and sample ads for use in local newspapers to promote Christmas. The ads point out that celebrating Christmas is still legal in schools, on public property and in private businesses and offer Liberty Counsel's free assistance to those facing persecution for celebrating Christmas. Last year many churches placed these ads in local newspapers. Again this year, thousands of public school teachers and administrators who are members of Christian Educators Association International have joined the Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign.
Anita Staver, President of Liberty Counsel, commented: "Christmas is constitutional. We cannot allow our religious liberty and heritage swept from the public square." Staver continued, "Our Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign will mobilize millions of Americans to help save Christmas. When enough people learn the truth - that we can celebrate the religious aspects of Christmas - the ACLU and similar 'grinches' will lose their power to censor Christmas."
Mathew Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel, commented: "Renaming a Christmas tree to a holiday tree, stopping students from wearing red and green, and censoring religious Christmas carols are absurd, but true, examples of the war against Christmas. Last year we put the 'grinches' on the run. This year millions of Americans will join us to help save Christmas."