The latest salvo in the absurd “War on Christmas” initiative from the Religious Right comes from Merry Hyatt, a 61-year old substitute teacher in Redding, California. She is attempting to force a state ballot initiative requiring public schools to expose students to overtly Christian Christmas music. Yeah, you read that correctly.
For some reason, many arrogant conservative Christians in our country don’t so much like the Constitution. They feel the Establishment Clause (which mandates the clear separation of Church and State) shouldn’t apply to THEIR religion, since it’s the “majority religion” and the (supposed) religion of our Founding Fathers.
Hyatt is appalled that her students aren’t required to sing about Jesus in public school. She’s convinced that if they sing about Jesus, all school problems will melt away.
“These kids, they need it, ” she said. “They need to see that we believe in Jesus, and He is the Prince of Peace. That’s why we are the best country on Earth.”
Really, Merry? THAT’s what makes this a great country? Not our Constitution? If that’s so, then why isn’t EVERY Christian nation “the best country on Earth”? Does think the U.S. is the ONLY nation on Earth with a Christian majority? I sure hope she isn’t teaching Social Studies!
Also note than whenever these theocrats demand that the Establishment Clause be broken, it’s ONLY for THEIR religion. Do you think Merry would be out there attempting to gather the required 464, 000 in order to force Hanukah songs to be singing public schools? How about Kwanzaa carols?
There’s a word for what Merry Hyatt is: A bully. That’s what anyone who clamors for the Tyranny of the Majority is, a bully. Is Hyatt really so clueless that she thinks the Constitution doesn’t apply to her religion, but just to all OTHER religions? More likely: she believes her God’s law supersedes the Constitution.
There’s a really effective way for Merry to make sure that children she cares about hear Christian music in school: Send those kids to a private, religious school. The fact that she thinks taxpayer dollars – that is, money collected from Hindu Californians, Jewish Californians, Sikh Californians, Muslim Californians, not to mention agnostic an atheist Californians.
Hyatt’s quote about the kids “needing” her Christian music makes clear that she doesn’t care about the constitutional issue involved here. Like so many true believers, she thinks rules shouldn’t apply to her since she’s on God’s Team. Her position is un-American. Demanding that the law insert her religion into public schools is simply an indefensible position.
All Christians should be embarrassed by this clown, and if she has any intelligent friends, they need to hand her a copy of the U.S. Constitution and encourage her to get a clue.
Ray,
Merry is not just a bully but an authoritarian. I meet A LOT of them here in NC. They cannot function in a pluralistic society and cannot hold in their heads that there could be more than one perspective, need, way to look at things. She is also older and comes from the generation of the 50’s where I do believe that things were simpler, at least it looks that way compared to today. We had state sanctioned segregation of the races, the LGBT was in the closet, gender roles were very well defined and extremely rigid and the economy was good for many. For those for whom the economy was bad, we chose not to see them. Remember the impact Edward R. Murrow’s documentary “Harvest of Shame” was on the public.
I don’t like what I see going on in the schools either, but singing about Jesus is not going to fix anything. I am so glad I live in a state where it is easy to homeschool and my son doesn’t have to deal with all the kinds of bullying and oneupsmanship that is going on there. I am so glad to have an eclectic, egalitarian, inclusive group of homeschooling families to socialize with, so glad to have a married gay couple in my life who I get to do volunteer work with and who support me in my art, so glad to have artists in my life with a wide array of perspectives and so glad to live so far away from my neighbors as to not be disturbed by whatever authoritarian attitudes they may or may not possess. It took ten years here to find my community but I have it now.
My hope is that Merry is an abberation and in the minority. I hope that all of these wack job authoritarians are in the minority. If not, then we REALLY do have a problem!
Tis the Season to Be Caught with Your Shorts Down
Well, Ray you knew I wasn’t going to leave this one alone. You and Kate intentionally misrepresented what Merry Hyatt said and wrote to further your own agendas. More importantly, you appear to be so obsessed with being separate from the biological dictates of “Mother Earth” you perpetually miss opportunity after opportunity to actually accomplish something (like Ms. Hyatt is trying to do) rather than just blog about it. You are going to feel so silly when you find out how busted you two are.
Here comes the really cool part where I quote from the bill, “52711. As used in this article, “Christmas music” includes, but is not necessarily limited to, carols, songs, and instrumental works whose subject matter relates to the celebration of the Christmas holiday or to the season during which that holiday is observed. 52712. (a) Each public elementary and secondary school shall provide opportunities to its pupils for listening to or performing Christmas music at an appropriate time of the year. The appreciation or performance of the Christmas music may be incorporated into the subject matter of an arts or social studies class, presented for cultural enrichment during a school assembly, or both.” This means they can sign about Hanukah, Quanza or Boogaloo Jones’ December Wonder. At this point the word, GOTCHA comes to mind but it would be truly unChristian of me not to remind you both, “Jesus is the Reason for the Christmas Season. He is the Prince of Peace.”
Curious as to why you did not approve my comment. I suppose getting caught with BVDs around the knees is embarrassing. You need to go back and tell the truth about Hyatt’s bill, unless, “You can’t handle the truth!” (I’ve always wanted to say that.)
Sorry “Col.” didn’t see your comment; didn’t mean to delay in approving it.
And I didn’t misrepresent her. I QUOTED her.