10 Santas
Rick Perry strikes down The War On Christmas in the most absurd press conference ever
Surrounded by Santa Claus impersonators — not just one, not two, not three, but a whopping 10 of them — Texas Gov. Rick Perry signed House Bill 308, the so-called Merry Christmas bill, into law recently. The bill expressively permits school districts to educate students about the history of traditional winter celebrations and allows students, teachers and school officials to offer traditional holiday greetings, including: "Merry Christmas."
.@GovernorPerry: We owe it to people of all religions to protect expressions of faith. #ChristmasBill #txlege pic.twitter.com/RlEbiQY2tv
— Office of Gov Perry (@TexGov) June 13, 2013Perry took the time to stress that freedom of religion is NOT the same as freedom from religion. In an official press release, he notes, "[...] people of faith often feel like they can't express that faith publicly.
"HB 308 works to address that by ensuring that people of all faiths are free to use traditional holiday greetings, and display religious scenes and symbols, even on school property."
The bill protects traditional holiday symbols like a nativity scene or menorah. It also claims to take away any "legal risk" of saying Merry Christmas in public schools. Though as Rachel Maddow put in a scathing rant on her MSNBC show, it's unclear if such a risk ever existed anywhere.
"I realize it's only June. But it's a good June and the holidays are coming early this year," Perry said on signing the bill. "It's a shame that a bill like this one I'm signing is even required, but I'm glad that we're standing up for religious freedom in this state."
Gov. Perry was joined by the bill's author, State Rep. Dwayne Bohac, and its sponsor, Republican Sen. Robert Nichols.
Bohac reportedly drafted the bill after his son's school had a "holiday tree" that couldn't be called a Christmas tree.
"When I picked up my 6-year-old son from school and found out school districts and teachers felt pressured by political correctness to change the way they refer to 'Christmas trees' and Santa and holiday music, I had enough," Bohac said in a statement.
