Bill O'reilly is a mook

Was watching The Factor tonight and Bill's been going on and on for about three weeks now about how department stores aren't using the term "Merry Christmas" in their Holiday advertising. He thinks this means that people are trying to push out Christmas from the public square, in order to better be able to impose a "secular agenda." Paraphrasing: "If they can get religion out of the way then, like canada, like holland, they can legalize narcotics, prostitution, abortion at will, etc." Not once does he give arguments for why these things should be illegal or if they should be legal, he merely accepts that religion should have an influence on public policy. he even said that "they" don't want religion in school either (calling christmas break "winter break") because they know a kid won't go home and ask their parents what this "winter break" is all about, but a child would ask: "Whats this christmas about? Who's this baby Jesus?"
So obviously he thinks that "public" school should be in the business of advancing christianity on america's children, whether or not their parents care for their children to be exposed to it or not. This seems to me to be an even better reason to use "winter break" rather than "christmas break" precisely because the gov't should not be advancing any religious agenda at all.

Ah, the old "wal-mart syndrome." Wal-Mart has just been in the news for their attempt to "secularize" xmas. Threats from many, but even (surprising even me) from a major Catholic organization (the name escapes me.. Catholic league???)

I hate christmas to begin with. I have had coworkers actually get angry with me because of my refusal to participate in the office "christmas gift exchange pool", where everyone draws a name, and buys a gift for whomever they drew... harrassed for not decorating my cubicle, the list goes on and on.

It irritates me that everyone expects participation in religious holidays. They even go so far as (when it is convenient) to say that it's not religious anymore, just a seasonal holiday. If they want your money and your gift, you have to view it as a secular holiday. If they want it to be be a point of contention, they make it religious. HEY FOLKS, JUST FUCKING LEAVE ME OUT OF CHRISTMAS AND EASTER, PLEASE.

Thanks, GBO, I needed to vent. This is a major issue for me every year, for the past 25 or so years. Sorry about typos, if any... My fingers are flying faster than I can think, because this is one of my big windmills at which to tilt. Well, this and my social security number, but that's a topic for another discussion.

I agree, Bill O'Reilly is a mook. If you haven't read "Lies, and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them" by Al Franken, you absolutely must. Bill O'Reilly and Ann Coulter figure significantly in the entire book. (What is WRONG with Ann Coulter?)

no kidding. every year some new moron gives me a tedious talking-at because i don't celebrate christmas. most of these people don't even have any pretensions to religion themselves.

that's a fair point. it's basically a gratuitous orgy of greed and consumerism, in fact.

either her parents smacked her around a bit too much as a kid, or she was bullied a lot in school, or both. that's my wholly non-professional (but experienced) assessment.

Wasn't Bill O' Reilly sued by an employee for sexual harrassment? How Christian is that? Read the court records on www.thesmokinggun.com .

You're acting like O'Reilly stuck the dildo in your ass. Don't worry about what homie does on his free time. Just know that when he's on the job he gives it to you straight and direct. ;-)

Everything's Right with Ann!!!!

She really is a one-woman chamber of horrors. Wonder what she likes to do in the sack?

Oh, you mean AFTER sucking the blood out of aborted fetuses?

First let me say that I am a devout Christian. Second, let me say that nothing that you say here will offend me. Third, let me say that the last person I would like speaking for or defending Chrisitianity is Bill O'Reilly. No, thats wrong. The last person is Pat Robertson. So the second to last person is Bill O'Reilly.

But with that as background, I agree with the secularizing of school breaks. The last institution I want forcing religion on me or anyone else is the government or anyone employed by the government. The benefit of keeping the government out of religion far outweighs the cost from secularizing a portion of our daily life (or the daily life of our children.) And keeping religion out of government is equally as important except for general notions of social justice and compassion for life. How is it that our President has been looking for approval for each Supreme Court appointee from Dr. James Dobson? No, this is just as bad as your local school board creating prayers for your children.

Anyway, back to the point. I have an idea about Christmas. I think Christians should cut that one loose and let it become a cultural holiday. It may be too far gone to rescue it. On the other hand, Christmas still represents something culturally valuable to a lot of people, despite the crass commercialism and overdone music. So lets keep it as a cultural event representing fellowship, goodwill towards men, and all those traditional good sentiments. Furthermore, its good for the economy, which is always a good thing in the light of reducing hunger and poverty.

Then I recommend that Christians quietly celebrate the birth of Jesus on some other date similarly to how they celebrate Good Friday or something. Perhaps it should be in January like the Eastern Christian tradition assigns it. The choice of December 25, was made by Pope Julius I, in the 4th century A.D., because this coincided with the pagan rituals of Winter Solstice, or Return of the Sun. The intent was to replace the pagan celebration with the Christian one. So it would not be a heresy to reassign the date. Christmas is not really the big Christian Holiday anyway.

So before I take my proposal to all the major denominations, I thought I would come to you guys with this first and see what you thought of it.

Oh, and Bill O'Reilly is a mook. I would rather celebrate Christmas with Al Franken.

JustAsking

LOL - I'm sure she gets the fetus-vampirism over first. Otherwise it would muss her sheets.

Perhaps that diet is the secret to her razor-thin figure.

From Wikipedia:

Mook is slang for a stupidly annoying person.

Mook can also refer to a nameless, nondescript goon in a game or movie who is generally defeated or killed by the heroes without inciting much audience concern.

JustAsking

Doc. D.--

Is Christianity something you do partly on a part-time basis? Is trying to "get in a subordinate's panties and score" some kind of Christian part-time thing? Hmmm? If a man portrays himself as "straight and direct" and talks the talk and doesn't walk the walk--what's up with that? Hey, that fucker is wrong and you know it. He's worse than Pat Robertson. Did Jesus sexually harrass his disciples? I don't think so.
I am not "holier than thou". I was just making a point.
People can't keep on using religion against people when they themselves don't abide by its own rules. Hypocrisy is hypocrisy. It is wrong.
I gave you proof and you get mad at me. I didn't fabricate any of those court records (and transcriptions of telephone conversations) about Bill O' Reilly regarding his employee's sexual harrassment suit against him. So, don't get mad because I brought the questionable issue of O' Reilly's "sainthood". You know that man is wrong. Think you've got me convinced otherwise--I don't think so.

While being the sexual free spirit, she likes to put herself in a burlap sack and jump off into The Grand Canyon for multiple orgasms and good, old-fashioned laughs.

It should be called winter break and not Christmas break. Honestly, I see it as a matter of common sense - not every family celebrates Christmas. I feel calling it Christmas break impresses a sense of religious inferiority upon non-Christian children. However, I am not so naive as to think that tradition is not hard to break.

And why the heck is O'Reilly getting into a state about whether or not stores use the saying "Merry Christmas"? They really only do it for aesthetics and marketing strategies; they aren't really trying to promote the birth of Christ and Christianity as a whole - when they plaster "Merry Christmas" across their stores. Their attempts to be politically correct – and not say “Merry Christmas” – are efforts to appeal to a wider consumer base which should subsequently increase revenue.

I agree with GoneA. The term "winter break" leaves people of varying religions to call their breaks whatever they choose to call them.

Don't forget Jesus had a lot of hoes. Washing that nigga's feet no less. Jesus spat game like no other. And I never denied O'Reilly was a pervert. In fact he always struck me as a bit of a perv, even before the allegations surfaced.