Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on the latest attempts to censor Christmas:
What do banning Christmas, mass killings, attacks on churches, support for the radical LGBT agenda, and promoting riots have in common? Moral anarchy. Welcome to King County, Washington, which includes Seattle.
It is not unconstitutional for public employees to wear religious apparel, but in King County they will punish you if you do. In the name of equity, the fascists who work in Human Resources (HR) have decided that all Christmas and Hanukkah decorations are banned. But it is okay to celebrate LGBT Pride and Black Lives Matter.
The justification for the censorship is that “Some employees may not share your religion, practice any religion, or share your enthusiasm for holiday decorations.” This is true. It is also true that some employees may not be enthusiastic about celebrating sodomy or racism, yet those who do so are applauded for their behavior.
Employees are being warned not to have religious decorations in the workplace “including your virtual workplace.” So now they are policing your home!
“Religious symbols are not appropriate in these [common] areas, because it may cause disruption to co-workers or members of the public that do not share that particular religion,” the HR memo says. In other words, because religious bigots may be offended by a nativity scene, Christians lose their rights.
This is what Harry Kalven once called the “heckler’s veto,” meaning the right of hecklers to deny the free speech of those with whom they disagree. If this were to be allowed, only sterile debate would be permitted. By the way, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled this tactic unconstitutional in 1949 (see Terminiello v. City of Chicago).
In 2020, while innocent people were shot and raped, the mayor of Seattle called it the “Summer of Love.” Nothing much has changed since. Crime is out of control, with a record number of homicides, rapes, robberies, aggravated assault—to say nothing of police officers being shot. Bad as this is, the anarchists didn’t have to vandalize churches, or bask in sexually degrading behaviors, but they did.
It all makes good sociological sense. The common thread uniting violence, moral destitution and attacks on churches is a deep-seated hatred for God. We’ve seen this before in history—the French Revolution, for example. The results are always ugly.
It would be so refreshing if those who work in King County were to practice civil disobedience and decorate their work area with religious symbols, letting the courts decide who is right. It is one thing for the government to formally endorse a religion; it is quite another for government bureaucrats to dictate what employees can celebrate.
It’s time for a “Winter of Resistance” in Seattle.
Contact Gloria Ngezaho, Workforce Equity Manager: GNgezaho@kingcounty.gov
