Earlier this week, two Oklahoma legislators announced they will introduce a "Merry Christmas Bill" during the 2014 legislative session to help fight the "War on Christmas." The bill will protect the rights of students and educators to celebrate all the traditional Christmas clichés that make us feel warm and fuzzy; rights, which at last check, students and educators already have.
From the obscure local political blog The McCarville Report:
In what members of the Legislature describe as a “defensive effort,” a measure is being filed today to defend the traditional holiday seasons of Christmas and Hanukkah.
Reps. Bob Cleveland, R-Slaughterville, and Ken Walker, R-Tulsa, are filing a bill for the upcoming session. House Bill 2317 would call for more protections to go into place regarding Christmas and how it is celebrated in schools.
Called the “Merry Christmas” bill, the measure would allow for schools to celebrate Christmas and use religious-based imagery such as nativity scenes alongside other displays such as Christmas trees. It would also allow school faculty and staff to use traditional greetings such as “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Hanukkah” without fear of reprisal.
This is an excellent idea. If this bill becomes a law, hopefully we'll see an end to terrible events like the infamous Wiley Post Elementary School Christmas Assembly riots of 2008, where first and second graders were arrested for singing modern renditions of Silent Night, The First Noel and Little Drummer Boy. Now, after years of persecution, students across the state can say "Merry Christmas" to a friend or teacher without fear of detention or being sent to the assistant principal's office. Hallelujah!!!
Okay, I made all that up. I don't think a kid has ever been suspended, or a teacher ever fired, for saying Merry Christmas at school. In fact, I think they already have the right to celebrate Christmas. It kind of makes you wonder why the bill was even introduced. Here's what Ken Walker, R-Tulsa, had to say about it: