Letter To The Editor - Merry Christmas America

I advocate for the right to say “Merry Christmas.” I am also steadfast in not committing plagiarism. The following are excerpts from Ben Carson-MD, book titled ‘One Nation.’

“The fact that some people want to take the words under God out of the ‘Pledge of Allegiance,’ and others want to remove the words In God we trust from our money, demonstrates the depth of misunderstanding of the First Amendment’s separation clause. The spirit of religious freedom supports various kinds of religious expression, and instead of trying to restrict one group or another from celebrating their religious beliefs through symbolism, we should be encouraging free expression on behalf of every group.

Totalitarianism always starts with restrictions on the rights of others. We must avoid this at all costs. George Washington even said, “If the freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.”

It is appalling how far our country has strayed from the principles of the founding fathers. And in Washington, the capital of our country, our congress people are not allowed to say “Merry Christmas” in their mail unless they pay for the postage out of their own pockets. The Congressional Franking Committee, which reviews all mail, will not ‘frank’ (send free of charge) any congress person’s mail that has “Merry Christmas” or any other holiday greeting in it.

We all need to take a deep breath and concentrate on educating the populace about true liberty and justice while respecting one another’s religious-or nonreligious-beliefs. No one’s religious beliefs should have to be hidden in a truly free and open society, but if we the people do not stand up against the religious bigotry that exists right now, we may end up without any religious freedom at all.” - Ben Carson, MD

“Merry Christmas, America”

Rhonda O’Hanley

Mountain Home