Sen. Merkley’s ultra-sanitized, Christmas-free greeting

By Jason Williams,
Williams is a writer and founder of the Taxpayers Association of Oregon,

Someone sent us their Christmas card they received from Oregon U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley.   The main greeting shows no mention of “Christmas”, or “holidays”, or “Hanukkah”, or even a “seasons greeting”.   Christmas has now been reduced to just adjectives.  Next year Merkley may describe the time as “lights”, “gifts” and “decorations”.

The fact that our elected leaders and the public celebrate cultural religious traditions is a sign of a society’s healthy free expression.   When we de-culture ourselves we lose our identity, lose our shared experiences and send messages that free speech is what you do only inside your home where it cannot be seen by other people (gasp) who may disagree.