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Dec. 13, 2005 - Rush Limbaugh Program
36:08
December 13, 2005, Tuesday, Hour #2
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Thanks, Johnny Donovan.
It brings back fond memories of our time together at WABC.
Johnny Donovan been there for years and years.
Nice to be with the best staff in all of radio right here in Detroit.
Ann Thomas, my executive producer in the morning.
Brian Morton, our engineer, and Anna Bartolotta, too, running all the controls on our end, and then back there in New York, Mike Mamon, our broadcast engineer, call screener Brett Winterbull, Russia's chief of staff kit, H.R. Carson.
H.R.'s been with the show fifteen years, and as I mentioned, the official EIB announcer Johnny Donovan.
Bostonly has the day off too because well, because Russia's a bit under the weather.
That's why I'm here, and I know it's always disappointing when it's disappointing to me when I tune in and Rush isn't there.
But I'm thrilled to be here as a uh like you a faithful student of the Limbaugh Institute for Advanced Conservative Studies.
There is no final exam.
We are tested, as you know, every day, and uh and from all over the country, uh you are the best informed audience in all of radio, and it is a pleasure and a privilege to be able to spend some time with you on this, your very favorite radio station.
Well, there's uh there's uh a lot going on uh in the news, and I'm coming to you from Detroit, the heart of the Midwest, the Motown, the Motor City, and the site of, by the way, Super Bowl forty coming up next month, and you hear a lot of bad things about Detroit, and some of them are true and some of them are not.
You certainly have heard a lot of bad things about the automotive industry and about industry overall.
We're going to talk about that coming up a bit later when we'll welcome in the chairman and CEO of General Motors, Rick Wagner.
Maybe you saw his uh his guest editorial piece, December sixth in the Wall Street Journal, and then an editorial piece, in fact, that was just uh in uh yesterday talking about the Midwest, Detroit area, Michigan, the Rust Belt, etc.
We're gonna talk about all of that.
But right now, uh I'd like to talk with you about this.
I want to get your feelings, your temperature on something that's been talked about now for years, but it seems that this year more and more people are responding and reacting to what appears to be a movement to do away with Christmas.
Now it started how long ago did we see X Mess instead of having Christ and Christmas?
This was a that was a long time ago.
But to get to the point now where we have holiday trees instead of Christmas trees and things like that, uh Christmas is a federal holiday.
It was signed into law by President U.S. Grant, and yet we're living in a time where some retail outlets won't even say Merry Christmas.
There's a a war on Christmas, which happens to be actually the title of a book by John Gibson.
In that he says, among other things, in Illinois, state government workers were forbidden from saying the words Merry Christmas while at work.
In Rhode Island, local officials banned Christians from participating in a public project to decorate the lawn of City Hall.
Can any of these be true?
A New Jersey school banned even instrumental versions of traditional Christmas carols.
Arizona school officials ruled it unconstitutional for a student to make any reference to the religious history of Christmas in a class project.
We say Merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, happy Kwanzaa, happy holiday seasons, greetings.
We are inclusive, and it shouldn't bother anybody if you decide that you're celebrating Kanza as opposed to Christmas as opposed to Hanukkah or whatever.
It just shouldn't.
And I'm just wondering if you've had enough, and because of that, there are some changes that are being made.
Some stores are being forced into saying Merry Christmas now.
It's rather interesting.
It's fascinating, actually.
But I do want to hear some of your thoughts on it at one eight hundred-two eight two eight eight two.
That's one eight hundred-two eight two twenty-eight eighty-two, your direct line to the Rush Limbaugh Show, the uh Limbaugh Institute for Advanced Conservative Studies.
I'm Paul W. Smith in for Rush, and uh it's nice to be able to be with you.
I do want to read a little something to you that my brother Mark, lawyer in Monroe, Michigan, my hometown of Monroe, where I was born and raised, a midwestern boy.
Uh I did spend some time out east in Philadelphia for five years, or six years rather, in New York City for five years.
But uh this is back home at WJR in Detroit in the Golden Tower of the Fisher Building, and this just rang true to me, this thing that was sent along that was uh I'm sure it's been uh all over the place on uh on the uh internet, but I'd like to get your thoughts, some of your thoughts, uh feelings on this piece.
Uh it goes on To say will we still be in the country of choice and still be America?
If we continue to make changes forced on us by the people from other countries that came to live in America because it is the country of choice.
Think about it.
All this person has to say they go on to say when will they do something about my rights?
I celebrate Christmas, but because it isn't celebrated by everyone, we can no longer say Merry Christmas.
Now it has to be seasons greetings.
It's not Christmas vacation, it's winter break, and isn't it amazing how this winter break always occurs over the Christmas holiday?
We've gone so far the other way, bent over backwards to not offend anyone that now I am being offended.
But it seems that no one has a problem with that.
Now this says it all.
This is supposed to be an editorial written by an American citizen published in a Tampa newspaper.
I don't know if it was or not.
It's the only problem with the internet you never know exactly where some of these things have come from.
But it doesn't matter where this came from because it seems to be right on.
But I certainly want to know if you agree or disagree with this at one eight hundred two eight two twenty eight eighty two.
Here's the piece.
I'll read it quickly.
But it's worth hearing, or I wouldn't read it.
Immigrants, not Americans must adapt.
I'm tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture.
Since the terrorist attacks on september eleventh, we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Americans.
However, the dust from the attacks had barely settled when the politically correct crowd began complaining about the possibility that our patriotism was offending others.
I am not against immigration, nor do I hold a grudge against anyone who is seeking a better life by coming to America.
Our population is almost entirely made up of descendants of immigrants.
However, there are a few things that those who have recently come to our country and apparently some born here need to understand.
This idea of America being a multicultural community has served only to dilute our sovereignty and our national identity.
As Americans, we have our own culture, our own society, our own language, and our own lifestyle.
This culture has been developed over centuries of struggles, trials and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom.
We speak English, not Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language.
Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society, learn the language.
In God We Trust is our national motto.
This is not some Christian right wing political slogan.
We adopted this motto because Christian men and women on Christian principles founded this nation, and this is clearly documented.
It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools.
If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home because God is part of our culture.
If stars and stripes offend you or you don't like Uncle Sam, then you should seriously consider a move to another part of this planet.
We are happy with our culture and have no desire to change, and we really don't care how you did things where you came from, this is our country, our land, and our lifestyle.
Our first amendment gives every citizen the right to express his opinion, and we will allow you every opportunity to do so.
But once you're done complaining, whining, griping about our flag, our pledge, our national motto, or our way of life, I highly encourage you to take advantage of one other great American freedom the right to leave.
It is time for America to speak up.
If you agree, pass this along.
If you don't agree, delete it.
In God We Trust, Amen.
It's very similar to the old America, love it or leave it, isn't it?
And some people fought that old expression, saying no no, it's because I love America that I want these changes to take place.
But what has happened to America where we now know that there were at least fifteen hundred attorneys who have volunteered to sue any mall or town that tries to keep nativity scenes out of its displays.
About eight thousand public school teachers are signed up, Ready to report principals who remove silent night from their choir program.
How could we possibly have holiday trees instead of Christmas trees?
That's like calling a menorah a candelabra.
What has happened and why did we sit back for so many years while this was happening?
It took House Speaker Dennis Haster to get that tree for now maybe the last ten years being a generic holiday tree there at the Capitol to be once again called a Christmas tree, which is what it is.
What has happened?
And why this year especially are we talking about it more than ever?
This has been a problem that's been creeping up for a long time.
There's nothing new.
I don't even know.
Somebody can Google this and tell me how long ago it was that X Mess came in to Vogue, taking Christ out of Christmas right from that beginning many, many years ago.
But if you celebrate Christmas, Merry Christmas.
If you celebrate Hanukkah, happy Hanukkah.
If you celebrate Kwanzaa, happy Kwanzaa, seasons greetings.
Happy holidays from me to you.
And whatever you celebrate, God bless you.
But let us celebrate what we celebrate, and we'll all be just fine.
We'll talk about this when we come back at 1800-282-2882.
1800-282-2882.
I'm Paul W. Smith, Infor Rush Limbaugh.
As we continue, I'm Paul W. Smith Infrarush Limbaugh.
Rush a bit under the weather.
We're hoping he'll be back and fine.
Tomorrow you can be right in touch with us at 1-800-282-2882-1-800-282-2882.
Let's get right to you on the busy phones.
Tom is on a cell phone from Marion, Indiana.
Tom, welcome in to the Rush Limbaugh Show.
Paul W, thank you.
I've listened to you over the years on WJR in Detroit.
I'm glad to hear you on Russia's show.
Well, thank you, Tom.
Um, you know, I am so glad to see this pushback finally happening because it has always been a vocal minority who have stirred things up, and with the help and support of the anti-Christian lawyers union, it's created a perceived issue when there really was none.
It's just a small group who stir up the controversy, who try to intimidate businesses, and who have really done a lot of damage when the vast majority of us are in favor of Christmas and are not ashamed of it.
Well, that's a good point, Tom.
And when you when you consider 85% of Americans say they're Christians, and uh the idea that this in any way, shape, or form being a violation of church and state separation is so ridiculous and an overused excuse.
I think you're absolutely right.
But I wonder why it's this year especially, because this has been happening for a while.
Why do you think the pushback is finally happening in such a big way, Tom?
Well, the only conclusion I draw is that you you can push people just so far, and you never know really when that's gonna happen.
And I just believe it's reached that point now, and uh and it was the natural result of a w well, what's the word?
It was uh it wa it was all it wasn't real anyway.
It was just a minority of people doing this, and finally the majority says enough.
And sometimes it happens sooner, sometimes it happens later.
Well, it's happening now, that's for sure, Tom.
Thanks for the call.
We appreciate it.
Michael is listening in on his favorite radio station to the Rush Limbaugh Show and checking in from New Jersey.
Hello, Michael.
Yeah, hi.
Yeah, I you know uh um I'm sorry, Ns.
Smith, you Paul.
Uh, yeah, I'm a little nervous.
So nothing to be nervous about.
All right.
Uh you know, I I was uh brought up to Handle, and uh we always celebrated Christmas.
Everybody said uh Merry Christmas to me, and never an offense.
I was so appalled when I hear certain people get um offended when you say Merry Christmas to them.
I'm you know, it's uh it's utterly absurd that uh they made an issue and I'd come this far.
I mean, I I I there's a few uh department stores that I wrote wrote and called up and complained.
I said, This is ridiculous.
I said, Look, not even one package on your shelf has the word Christmas.
Not even a light says Christmas.
And they have holiday circulars and they have rows and rows of uh of holiday ornaments and holiday this and holiday that, but the one thing that's missing is the word Christmas.
Right.
So I I made an effort and I call up one corporate and said, Yes, um they will change.
Help uh educate me, uh Michael.
Uh so we say Merry Christmas, we say happy Hanukkah, happy Kwanzaa, happy holiday seasons greetings.
And it doesn't offend you being uh raised uh Hindu.
Is there another holiday I should add to the list?
Um well I I I I kind of uh lost you there a bit, but like I said, I'm a little nervous.
But um but uh another uh oh I see what you're saying.
Yes, another holiday should have to listen.
I guess uh Divadi, right?
Do you want Christmas?
I I couldn't I I could care less, uh like whoever, if any if someone came up to me and said hoppy Kwanzaa, I it would not offend me.
All right, excellent.
Well put, Michael, thank you very much.
He is not a Christian, he is not offended by Christian celebrations.
Uh he shouldn't be, should he?
Jay is on a cell phone calling in from Phoenix, Arizona.
I'm Paul W. Smith in for Rush Limbaugh.
Hello, Jay.
How are you, sir?
I'm good, I hope you're well.
Uh I'm doing pretty well in the holiday season here.
Um at this time of the season, I always think back, and uh this is kind of in honor of a friend of mine who's of Chippewa descent.
Yes.
I I wish we could bring back that quote that you said a minute ago.
Let us celebrate what we celebrate and we'll be fine.
I wish you would have been around about two hundred and thirty years ago or even a hundred and fifty years ago when Abe Lincoln was uh in his heyday and uh realized that Christians moved into this country and basically quashed that whole notion with the people who were originally living here.
We didn't let them celebrate what they wanted.
I suspect, Jay, I suspect if talk radio existed then wouldn't have been strange, but that wouldn't it would have been a very bizarre thing.
But uh my whole point being that we as are you know, Christians moved into this country and totally obliterated what was existing here, so we didn't let them celebrate what they wanted, so I just want people to sit back and realize in this holiday season should we should we learn something from that, Jay?
Should we should we learn something from that, Jay, or should we just continue to make the same mistakes?
No, I don't think that, but we should think about it at least, consider it that when when we say all men are created equal, African Americans, which we call them now, were not we're not treated equally back then.
There was uh I think four votes or ten votes or something like that equal to one white man's vote.
So that's really a recent thing.
In your mind, help help us understand how you've made this connection to celebrating Christmas by name or not.
Yeah, I I have no problem with it, but realize that other people celebrated other things before us, and we I appreciate that.
And and if we had the same sensibilities uh today, uh if we had them then, they would have just celebrated what they were celebrating.
I think I understand what you're saying.
Ken is calling in from Sacramento, California on the Rush Limbaugh show.
Hello, Ken.
Paul W. Smith, what an honor it is to speak with you.
What are you kidding me?
You don't even know me.
No, sir, but I know what you stand for.
I'll tell you, going back about ten or fifteen minutes ago, when you read that piece, clearly it was coming from your heart as well.
And I'll tell you one thing stands out, and that is when are we going to speak up?
And that is exactly right.
A couple of callers ago, uh the guy made the point, you know, I think we you know, you can only push somebody so far, and you know, when some of these retailers and others make such bold moves to label Christmas trees as holiday trees, I I challenge us all, twenty million co-listeners here of Russia's show.
Do we do any of us know a single person that is offended by a Christmas tree or excuse yeah, Christmas tree being called a Christmas tree?
That's a good question.
I can't imagine out of this vast audience all over the country on this, your favorite radio station, that we have anybody shaking their head, uh, yes, they're offended by a Christmas tree, or yes, they're offended by the celebration of Christmas.
Ken, Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas to you.
Thanks for calling in.
Let's let uh Paul do a quick one here.
Less than a minute, Paul in uh in Georgia.
Hello, Paul.
Hey, how you doing, buddy?
I'm good.
I hope you're well.
You got less than a minute.
Okay.
Well, I was just packing my pipe with uh tobacco growing right here in this uh great state of Georgia.
Um I just had to uh you caught me off guard there.
I was just saying uh the the talk around the local diners down here.
We're in uh you know, good old Southern Georgia, and uh you know, it seems like it's just all about the money.
The lawyers are trying to make money, the corporation's trying to prevent paying lawsuits, and everybody's just afraid of the money.
You know, you bring up a good point, Paul.
We're out of time, unfortunately.
Even the Pope has said, come on now, the commercialization of Christmas is a problem.
We'll keep talking about it here on the Rush Limbaugh Show.
You know, it's interesting.
Uh this this may not bother you.
This may be much ado about nothing, but I I would sure like to know your thoughts and your opinions at 1 800 282 2882, 1800, 282, 2882.
The other day, uh, I was uh at a at a recording studio doing some commercials and I and and I said as I was leaving Merry Christmas, and then I I just sensed, you know, you try to be aware of your surroundings.
I just sensed that one of the folks there, they smiled and said, Well, Merry Christmas to you.
Then I said, Well, uh if you don't celebrate Christmas, so happy Hanukkah then.
Oh, well, thank you very much.
He they weren't offended, I don't think.
They understood that I didn't know, and I I say Merry Christmas.
I say happy Hanukkah, happy Kwanzaa, happy holiday seasons, greetings.
It shouldn't offend anybody.
We all have our celebrations that we choose to participate in or not, but we should be able to, and it just it offends me to walk into a store or someplace where it's so clear that they're avoiding the C word.
They're afraid to say Christmas, and they shouldn't be.
At least that's that's what I think.
That's how I feel.
1800-282-2882.
Let's see what Heather feels in Illinois.
Heather is checking in here on the Rush Limbaugh Show.
Hi, Heather, I'm Paul.
Hi, Paul.
Um, I found the etymology from the American Heritage Dictionary of the English language for Xmas.
Oh, good.
So it what it states is that from X the Greek letter Kai, the first letter of Greek meaning Christos.
So they they tried to get rid of Christ and they couldn't.
Well, I don't know if it's that they said that a lot of people take offense to it and that they shouldn't.
They said it's not for commercial convenience, it's just actually old Greek.
That's interesting, because we we certainly we assumed that it was uh done for another reason, but how long ago did they start using X MUS?
Well, that's the thing I can't seem to find that one out.
But if it's from the ancient letter in Greek, then it's got to be for quite a while.
They said it's been used for hundreds of years.
Very good.
Excellent, Heather.
You took the assignment, you ran with it.
Thank you very much.
Merry Christmas to you.
Merry Christmas to you too.
Thank you.
Let's go to Margaret, who is checking in from Washington.
Hello, Margaret.
Welcome to the Rush Limbaugh Show.
Hi, Paul, and thanks for taking my call.
Hey, I'd like to comment on a noticeable change this year on my Dish TV network in their Christmas music channel.
Yes.
The day after Thanksgiving, they always start playing Christmas music.
And in the past, um they have always had programming that has included a really nice blend of traditional music that's both secular as well as songs about the birth of Christ.
Well, I turned it on the day after Thanksgiving, as usual, and to date I have not heard one song about the birth of Christ.
Um, I talked to I called Dish Network.
Oh, good for you.
And um held on for a long time, talked all the way up to the supervisor.
And um they gave me an email address, and I I talked to them and basically they told me that they are not responsible for the programming, and that they uh the songs I'm hearing do not express any pin opinion of theirs one way or another.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
But they did give me the email address of the uh company that is responsible for programming, and I emailed them and asked them why the change this year, and um as of yet, that was three days ago, and as of yet I have not heard back from them.
Well uh God bless you for going that extra mile.
Most people will just uh give up.
But uh I would love to hear how this all turns out, Margaret, and and uh and uh and certainly Rush would want to hear, so uh stay in touch with the program uh so that we can find out how this all ends up.
That's you know, it it's uh it reminds me, H. R. was just telling me during the break about uh he's from Maplewood, New Jersey, and they had that big brew ha there where the school had its concerts and they had uh religious music, they had secular music, all of a sudden the religious music is off the uh off the program.
And uh and it's because they didn't want to offend anyone.
And you know, so let's say you're an atheist.
Well, Frosty the Snowman is perfect for you.
Right.
Let's go to uh Deborah in Kokomo, Indiana.
Deborah, you're on the Rush Limbaugh Show.
Yes, I have pulled the places in our city, and the people who don't use Merry Christmas, I have a saying for them.
If the businesses won't use Merry Christmas or have Salvation Army at their doors, they will not receive my merry money in their stores.
And that goes for all year.
And I have nine disc TVs, they will be getting a call.
You you you have what?
I have nine TV nine TVs on dish.
Oh, please, Deborah, I gotta tell you.
Not in my one house.
Oh, oh, okay.
All right, I was gonna say you have a severe problem.
I was gonna say I'm not a nut.
Okay, well, you know, hey, I wouldn't call you a nut, but I would say you had a severe problem if you have nine dish TVs in one house.
That would not be so good.
But Deborah, give me that uh give me that uh little uh this uh little uh poem again, this little rhyme rhyming piece.
If businesses won't use Merry Christmas or have the Salvation Army at their doors, they will not receive my Merry Money in their stores.
That's great.
That goes for all year.
I haven't shopped at a Target in two years.
They still aren't saying Merry Christmas?
No, they won't allow Salvation Army outside their door.
Oh, you know, uh that that's a whole other issue, and uh and we're very supportive of the Salvation Army, both here at WJR in Detroit and also uh personally.
And uh and that just drove me crazy when that first started happening when stores started saying, Well, it's disruptive, we really can't do that because if we do it with them, we have to do it with everyone and every other excuse they could come up with.
It was appalling to me, and uh and I'm glad you brought it up again, because frankly I hadn't thought about it very much lately, and I'm I'm sorry to hear that it's still happening at some stores.
This is a time when there are so many people who have needs that we can't ask the government to do and take care of, but we as individuals can step up and share our good fortune, and one of the ways we do it is through the Salvation Army.
And it's gotta be easy because we don't like to do things that are hard, and so if it's right there with a bucket and a bell ringer as we go in the store, we put the money in.
And I'm sorry, Deborah, to hear that uh that that's still a problem where you are uh there in uh Kokomo, Indiana.
Mark is in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and on the Rush Limbaugh Show.
Hello.
Hello, Paul.
Hey, uh I think what we should do is go we should all go to these stores the day before a quote unquote holiday and demand to buy our holiday trees.
And keep going every holiday until such time they finally get the point of what they're actually selling.
Well, I wonder if they have Do they have at those stores, Mark, we'll have to make note of this.
You'll report to Rush.
Do they have after holiday sales or after Christmas sales?
Do they have a holiday circular or a Christmas circular with their advertising?
Mm-hmm.
Yep.
Well, I'll have to ask them about when like you say, when I go down there and demand my holiday tree, you know, come in the fourth of July, I'll be out there asking for my holiday tree.
When you ask for the holiday tree, remember when you go to the other section of the store and you ask for your holiday tree stand, there's a pretty good chance that the young man or young woman's gonna look at you and say, huh?
Uh I don't know about holiday tree stands, but the Christmas tree stands are right over there.
Right, right.
Thanks, Mark.
Merry Christmas.
Travis is in Sioux City and now on the Rush Limbaugh Show.
Hello, Travis.
Hey, how are you doing today?
I'm good.
How are you doing?
Oh, not bad.
I heard you're talking about taking back Christmas and all this.
But, you know, eighty percent of the American population's Christian or Catholic, so what are you so worried about?
It's not a question of being worried.
I I would say that that's why now, with eighty-five percent of the people saying they're Christians or Catholic or however you want to put it, that they're finally speaking up and saying, What have you done with our Christmas?
Yeah, but I mean it's fifteen, twenty percent is a minority.
Well, no, no.
I'm talking about the stores.
I'm talking about if it's Target or whoever it might be that is afraid to use the term Christmas.
Why would that be?
I don't know, but I don't think that's what we're asking.
That's what that's why we're asking.
I'm not worried about Christmas going away.
I'm not I'm not worried at all about that.
They can do a lot of things, but they can't take Christmas away and what Christmas is all about.
That I'm not worried about.
But I appreciate the call as we uh head over to Clearwater, Florida, and Adam is checking in.
That's a good name.
That's my son's name.
Adam, hello.
Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas to you, Adam.
And I am one Christian who is happy to give holidays to the malls and keep Christ in our own families.
So you'll let the malls have their holidays, not holy days, but holidays.
Christmas with trees.
Christmas has nothing to do with presents.
Christmas has everything to do with celebrating the birth of Jesus.
You're absolutely right.
And if they want that, let them have that.
Let's take back our holiday and keep it with ourselves.
Well, it's uh actually a very good point, Adam, as we continue here, uh taking your calls and good points at 1 800 282 2882.
1-800-282-2882.
Your final comments coming up on the Rush Limbaugh Show.
Well, uh, just a note, you like uh catching up on news and uh Rush is always giving you some news that you might have missed.
Uh the uh Planned Parenthood Federation of America selling their choice on earth holiday cards.
They're out there now.
If you want to get them, they say this holiday season, make an online donation to Planned Parenthood, and you can send one of our five Choice on Earth e-cards to your loved ones.
Let them know you've made a very special gift in their honor.
Didn't they uh people complained about that last year too, and uh it it doesn't much matter, I guess if they're doing it again.
It's one eight hundred two eight two twenty-eight eighty-two, one-eight hundred-two eight two twenty-eight eighty-two in Potaski, Michigan, another beautiful place up northern Michigan that everybody should visit because it's worth it.
Pete is checking in.
Hello, Pete.
Hello, Paul, Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas to you, Pete.
Hey, uh, I just think there's a small faction that thinks they're speaking for the majority of us, that uh you know, they know our president has such strong faith and uh belief in Christ and and uh I think it's just their deep hatred for our president that's causing all this.
You think so?
I I think there's a good chance.
I just think uh there's uh so many people around that uh have a deep hatred for our president, and uh I think that could have something to do with it.
Interesting observation.
Pete, I hadn't thought about that.
I appreciate you uh weighing in on that.
I uh I agree with uh Bill O'Reilly said the other day on Fox, I don't believe most people who aren't Christian are offended by the words Merry Christmas.
I I don't I don't believe that either.
Uh he went on to say uh JCPenney says its catalog is always called Christmas catalog.
Federated Department stores, Macy's Bloomingdales, Burdines say the words Merry Christmas will be used in most of their advertising.
Same thing at May Filines, Lord and Taylor and Marshall Fields.
They say they uh Bill O'Reilly's show says uh that Coles and Sears slash Kmart are not saying Christmas.
K kind of not saying Merry Christmas, they're kind of ducking the question, I guess.
1800, 282-2882.
And Dennis is in uh Seaside, Oregon, and checking in here on the Rush Limbaugh Show.
Hello, Dennis.
Hi, how you doing?
I'm doing well, hope you're well.
I'm doing great.
It's sunshine, nice weather.
Good.
I wanted to comment on you know, these people that are all complaining about now, but you don't say Merry Christmas are the same people who who uh mean it so you can't say happy Halloween.
It's gotta be fall harvest and you know, the spirit of Christmas, it doesn't matter what you call it, you don't need to whine about it.
You know, just let everybody be happy.
Merry Christmas or happy holidays it you know, to me it's the same thing.
Seasons greetings, happy Kwanzaa, happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas.
Shouldn't matter, should it?
It's it's yeah, it's all the spirit of Christmas can be happy holidays.
I mean, who cares?
I mean, if if if it offends some people, just like happy Halloween offended other people, then just don't say it.
You know, I uh my my uh fiance is uh agnostic.
She doesn't care if people say Merry Christmas.
You know, she says happy Holly holidays, Merry Christmas.
Uh it it just doesn't matter.
It shouldn't bother anybody, and it and it shouldn't be a rule in a company or a store that people are not allowed to say it.
And that's what brought us this uh story and brought it to our attention.
Thanks, uh thanks for your uh thoughts on that, Dennis.
John is in uh Crofton, Maryland.
Uh is it uh John?
Are you there, John?
Yes, I'm here.
Hi, John, it's Paul.
You've got a great show.
You ask why is this thing uh coming to a head, a tipping point right now?
Yeah, I think it's been happening for years.
Well, it has been happening for years.
Why the tipping point?
I like that book.
Why the tipping point?
You mentioned, and I didn't realize this, that Ulysses S. Grant was the president that uh made it a holiday.
And I remember when I was in uh in school uh in Newark, New Jersey, when they uh inserted under God, and I think that was President Eisenhower's uh idea.
It happened during his administration, and here we're at war again, and I think religion becomes a little bit more important when you're at war.
I mean, there are no atheists in a foxhole.
That's right.
I believe in that saying.
And I think uh Christmas of all times of the year is when people are of good cheer, and I think uh God fearing people are of good cheer.
And that's why they they just kind of let it go.
They fluffed it off until I gotta give Jerry Falwell credit for getting the lawyers together to fight the ACLU and and Barry Lynn's group.
Uh they're a bunch of atheists and they hate everything American, they hate European stuff.
Uh here we had the 500th anniversary of uh Columbus.
I remember in Newark when I was a school kid.
We used to get October 12th off, and they had a big parade.
It was like St. Paddy's Day's parade.
Right.
And now you're you know, in in 1992, the 500th year, you uh they they downgraded Columbus.
He's a bum right now.
Right as far as these same people are concerned.
So I think John Gibson uh, you know, came out with the book right at the right time, and I think because of conservative talk radio, not any talk radio, but the other talk radio shows are negligible, uh, because they they can't really get an audience, so they have their liberals call in here.
But I think I think it's because we're at war and we know there's seriousness here, and uh and the kids Christmas is about kids, and and if they can't even sing Christmas regular Christmas carols in school, you gotta question why.
Why are they doing this?
Is it just because they're secularists, which is uh a crummy word for an atheist.
I mean, it's just another way they hide their true feelings.
And I I think you know, we're just being too good natured, and uh and if eighty percent of the people in this country are Christian, then one fellow said, Well, why bother?
Well, you know, the sec the first amendment says that Congress make no law establishing religion, but they always forget the second part after the semicolon.
Or prevent the free exercise thereof.
And we want the free exercise thereof.
The Washington Post does not in any of its ads, and I'm a subscriber, I get it every day.
I have yet to see Christmas in any department store ad.
John, I appreciate your call.
I'm glad you got that off your chest.
Well done.
We appreciate it.
And John's mentioning uh Jerry Fall.
Well, that's the Liberty Council.
That's the nonprofit law firm in Orlando affiliated with Reverend Jerry Falwell that is providing those fifteen hundred attorneys who have volunteered to sue any mall or town that tries to keep nativity scenes out of its displays.
Uh I'm looking at my money in my wallet.
It says in God we trust.
People come to this country for freedom.
They come here to make more money than they can make in their country.
God is a part of what we do.
And a what part of what we are and how we were founded.
We allow you to come here and and be and do whatever you want.
We are inclusive.
We'll have final words on this in just a moment, as the Rush Limbaugh Show continues.
Well, I appreciate all your calls on this uh story about Christmas and taking it back.
We are inclusive.
We welcome you to this country.
We invite you to celebrate whatever holidays are important to you that it doesn't offend us.
Our celebrating holidays important to us shouldn't offend you.
But lately, as if we're inviting folks to our table and they're not making any room for us at that table, and that's gotta change.
People are reacting and responding to it.
In a moment, we're going to speak with the head of General Motors, Rick Wagner, the chairman and CEO.
Why should it matter to us how this General Motors story ends?
We'll ask Mr. Wagner, and we'll have other things to talk about as we continue on the Rush Limbaugh Show.
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