O'Reilly reopens 'war' in county

[SecularMotion]

Source: Berkshire Eagle

Fox News host takes Great Barrington to task for 'holiday lights'
By Jessica Willis, Berkshire Eagle Staff
Article Last Updated: 12/20/2007 03:04:33 AM EST

Thursday, December 20
GREAT BARRINGTON — Did the Selectmen try to kill Christmas when they put the outdoor decorations on a curfew and started referring to them as "holiday lights"? Fox News talk show host Bill O'Reilly thinks so.

Town Hall was inundated with angry telephone calls and e-mails from around the country yesterday after a segment on "The O'Reilly Factor" lambasted the Selectmen for their attempt to conserve energy by turning off the town's Christmas lights at 10 p.m. — about two hours earlier than the shut-off times in past seasons.

The segment, "Global Warming vs. Christmas," aired Tuesday night. During the report, O'Reilly said that although the "War on Christmas" that he led last year was won, the Great Barrington situation is a "skirmish" that needs to be dealt with.

The flame-throwing began at Monday night's Selectmen meeting, when O'Reilly producer Jesse Waters took the floor as the Fox television camera rolled and confronted the board about their use of the non-religious phrase "holiday lights" in a late November article in The Eagle.



Read more: http://www.berkshireeagle.com/headlines/ci_7766915

[boricua79]

1. and this is different than Islamic "Morality Polices" how?

Who appointed Bill O'Reilly defender of Christmas values?

Think about the gist of his actions. Selectmen try to stand up for the values of this country by seperating church and state and promoting a message of goodwill during Holidays for ALL religions and non-religious people, and Bill O'Reilly sends a producer to demand that the holiday lights cater only to the majority religion (Christians).

The message behind it all is: screw you Jews, Muslims, Bahaist, Taoists, Buddhists, etc....swallow OUR religion traditions or leave!

Those selectmen were elected to do their job and uphold the values of our society. That does not mean OUR religious values...it means the laws on the books, and the law is seperation of church and state. Nobody elected O'Reilly.

[TheFarseer]

2. OTOH they're saving tax payer dollars

I didn't see any mention of Global Warming by anyone but Billo. Is he sure that's the reason why?

[Orsino]

3. Beats working.

He's been on autopilot for many years, having figured out that it doesn't affect his pay.

[Roland99]

4. Not autopiilot... autostupid.

[Mad_Dem_X]

5. Oh, for crying out loud!

Don't we have more important things to worry about in this country? Can't O'Lielly find something more substantial to report on? Jeebus!

[yellowcanine]

6. It's TWO goddam strings of lights, for crying out loud. Who the crap cares? O'Reilly needs to get

a life. Why should he care if two strings of Christmas lights are turned off after 10 pm or what the town council chooses to call them in some town he is never likely to visit, day or night? If someone in the town does care, let them voice their opinion to the town leaders. It is none of O'Reilly's business.

[TechBear_Seattle]

7. Just in time to distract from headlines about a certain fire in a certain VP's office

What a co-inky-dink! :eyes:

[ladywnch]

10. that's what this is really about.

he already declared the war on christmas as having been won. this is distraction and look how hard they had to look to find one that didn't involve the administraions! LOL......two strings of lights in a tiny hamlet.

[LibDemAlways]

8. Who cares what the lights are called. There were no

electrical outlets in Biblical times.

O'Reilly is full of shit.

[Javaman]

9. Well, everyone knows that the manger was decorated with

enought lights to be seen from space...

do I really need to add the :sarcasm: icon?

[LeFleur1]

11. Lights...

I'm curious about where in the Bible it says to light up December because of the birth of Jesus.
I think this was a pagan custom...or Martin Luther saw a tree in the forest with light reflected from the raindrops or snow on it and thought he'd like to have one in his house. (one story concerning the origin of the lighted tree) Is it really biblical?

O Reilly is nuttier than a 'holiday' fruit cake.

[Javaman]

14. Isn't the whole lights thing an extrapolation of putting candles on a

tree way back when. Then it morphed into electric lights, then lights on the house, then having ones own power plant to let loose a blinding column of light to be seen from mars?

[stubtoe]

15. Lights go back to pagan times when the Solstice was celebrated.

Lit candles represented the return of the sun.

Most other Christmas conventions go back to pre-Christian times - bringing trees indoors, holly, mistletoe, yule logs, even the giving of gifts. Someone stop me before O'Really issues a fatwa on me.

[Arugula Latte]

12. Thank goodness Fox News is covering such hard-hitting, important issues.

:eyes:

[Cass]

13. Bill O'Reilly is off the deep end.

This is so ridiculous! They cut the lights off 2 hours early to conserve energy and O'Reilly gets his undies in a bunch. Sheesh, does this clown have nothing better to do than to pick fights over nothing?? What a loon.

[noel adamson]

16. Nobody has done more to kill Christmas than Bill O'Reilly.

He is hardly the embodiment of love, peace, charity and other symptoms of recognition of our common humanity formerly associated with Christmas.

As a movie "Christmas with Bill" could be a block buster dark comedy.

[0007]

17. This is one demented motherfucker! What is his problem?

B.O. is definitely exhibiting signs and symptoms of mental illness.

[Felix Mala]

18. Of course, we need to preserve the tradition of light displays and role they played in the nativity.

Wasn't Jesus in the stall next to the penguins on the merry-go-round?

[HuffleClaw]

19. "O'Reilly said that although the "War on Christmas" that he led last year was won"

the 'war on christmas' that he LED ????

[fascisthunter]

20. One Day a Nut is Going to Take Oreilly Seriously and

use his shit as a justification for a terrorist attack. When that day comes, I hope he ends up in prison.

[SecularMotion]

21. O, Little Town Of Barrington

Editorial from the Berkshire Eagle

http://www.berkshireeagle.com/editorials/ci_7768036

[Ignis]

22. Shouldn't good Christians be in bed by 10pm anyway?

:)

[Supersedeas]

23. the lil red wagon of superficial right-wing skanks is the war on Xmas--they got nothing else

[Critters2]

24. Fox actually SENT SOMEONE to their board meeting?!

What the hell is wrong with BO?!!

[Ishoutandscream2]

25. Angry fans of O' Reilly made angry calls and sent emails

Don't ever piss off 85 year olds!

[jmm]

26. According to experts hired by Fox News

this is an exact replica of the manger Jesus was born in-

[ThoughtCriminal]

27. There are families who can't afford to heat their homes

And these nuts are worried about decorative lights after 10 PM?

Are they so desperate to find SOMETHING to support their bogus "War on Christmas" propaganda that this is the best they can do?

Someday I'll have to explain this era to my grandchildren. It seems like there are a thousand of these little insanities every day.

[bhikkhu]

28. its an eclectic mix of a variety of traditions...hijacked lately by corporate

interests (like most everything else). Mix a little central asian shamanism, northern european paganism, middle eastern mysticism, celtic festival, and the crowning overbearing modern touch of massive consumption of every commodity, energy, and human mental resource possible - and there you have christmas. To anyone waging a "war against christmas", my sympathies and rest in peace; good luck is hardly even an option.

In perspective, O'Reilly is a pathetic little sideshow.