Christmas IS a Legal Holiday – Get Over It
Christmas is a time for family, gifts, food, and a day off from work. Every year it also becomes a major jumping off point for both sides of the “separation of church and state” argument.
It’s never been an issue around me or my family, but it has always struck me as curious. People want to ban the symbol of the holiday, and yet they would THROW A FIT about if the holiday was ever taken away. I decided to dig into the holiday a little farther.
My first stop was Webster’s dictionary. Here, Christmas is defined as a festival celebrating the birth of Christ. So it would only make sense to show a visual of this birth – much like the fireworks at the 4th of July are used as a reminder of the cannons and gunfire from the war.
A quick (although not very thorough) search of the internet found that the federal holiday of Christmas has been around since 1870. Wikipedia says that Christmas is an annual holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus. But a judge ruled recently that the Christmas Holiday is secular – rejecting a suit that said the federal Christmas holiday violated the First Amendment.
Clearly, Christmas is the celebration of Christ (as the name implies). To say otherwise, no matter how many snowmen or Santa’s may grace the streets, is just wrong. If people don’t like the holiday, then they should boycott it and go to work. That would show the government. Otherwise, enjoy the break and find something legitimate to squawk about.
Judge or get off the bench
A judge’s only purpose should be to enforce the law, not to dictate what that law should be. If only all the judge’s in the United States could have the fortitude it took Leonard Frieling to step down because of his beliefs, then this whole country would be better off.
A few months back, the city of Lafayette began the process to increase the penalties for the possession of marijuana beyond what the state of Colorado requires. A person caught in the city limits could face up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
The Boulder criminal-defense lawyer, who had served as a backup Municipal Judge for eight years, said he could not enforce a law he did not agree with. In his opinion, the war against marijuana is wrong.
I applaud the fact that he is stepping down, because anyone who can’t put aside his personal views and enforce the law has no right behind the bench at any level. Maybe his attitude will be catching and dozens upon dozens of judges will step down because they are unable or unwilling to enforce laws they don’t believe in.Â
If nothing else, it would bring an end to judicial activism!