The madness and silliness that is the Obama administration continues apace. Father Z gives us the details:
From FNC (where there is also video):
Boys and girls at Grace Academy in Prosper, Tex., spent most of last Friday making homemade Christmas cards for bedridden veterans at the VA hospital in Dallas. Fourth-grader Gracie Brown was especially proud of her card, hoping it would “make their day because their family might live far away, and they might not have somebody to celebrate Christmas with.” “I’d like them to know they’ve not been forgotten and somebody wanted to say thank you,” Gracie told Gracie’s card read, “Merry Christmas. Thank you for your service.” It also included an American flag. But the bedridden veterans at the VA hospital will never get to see Gracie’s card. Nor will they see the cards made by 51 other students. [Get this…] That’s because the Christmas cards violated VA policy. “It really didn’t occur to me there would be a problem with distributing Christmas cards,” said Susan Chapman, a math teacher at the academy. [Nor would most normal people think that children’s cards for Christmas were double-plus-ungood in the eyes of the Obama Administration.] She’s married to a veteran and volunteers with the American Legion and other veterans’ organizations. On Monday morning the boys and girls were planning on hand delivering the cards to the wounded veterans. [I’ll be the vets would have liked that.] Chapman called the hospital to make final arrangements and that’s when she learned there was a problem. “I told him my students made cards, we’d like to bring them down for the veterans,” Chapman told the television station. “And he said, ‘That’s great. We’re thrilled to have them, except the only thing is, we can’t accept anything that says ‘Merry Christmas’ or ‘God bless you’ or any scriptural references because of all the red tape.’” [VA: GOD NOT ALLOWED.] A VA official quoted the policy which is in the Veterans Health Administration handbook: “In order to be respectful of our veterans’ religious beliefs, all donated holiday cards are reviewed by a multi-disciplinary team of staff led by chaplaincy services and determined if they are appropriate (non-religious) to freely distribute to patients. We regret this process was not fully explained to this group and apologize for any misunderstanding.” Hiram Sasser, director of litigation for Liberty Institute, said it was a new low “even for the Scrooges and Grinches at the VA.” “Targeting the benevolent work of little children for censorship is disgusting,” Sasser told me. “Do the Grinches in the administration of the VA really believe our bravest warriors need protection from the heartfelt well wishes of small children saying Merry Christmas?” [No, its the Obama mandarins who cannot bear that any views smacking of religion be permitted in the public square. This is all of a piece.] Andrea Brown, Gracie’s mom, was dumbfounded by the news. “This wasn’t the country I grew up in, when you couldn’t say ‘Merry Christmas,’ you couldn’t say ‘God bless you’ or reference any scripture,” she told MyFoxDFW.com. She told the television station the boys and girls were heartbroken that the military personnel would not be able to receive their cards. “They couldn’t believe the people that these people they wanted to honor weren’t going to get the chance to see what they had done,” she said. The cards will not be thrown away — they are being shipped to Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio and to a private facility for veterans in Louisiana. Sasser said at some point, “does the VA have no shame?” “Mr. Potter from ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ wouldn’t even ban little children from wishing our veterans Merry Christmas,” Sasser said. [But this is Mr. Obama’s VA.]
Go here to read the comments. This is not an isolated incident. Back in 2011 the Veteran’s Administration attempted to censor Christian prayers at funerals at the Houston National Cemetery. Go here to read all about it. Go here to read the consent decree that resolved that case.
The hatred that this administration has for Christianity can never be underestimated. I can certainly understand that. When one worships the power of the State, and adopts politics as a substitute religion, Christianity is viewed as a threat, a competing faith, and we can all see how eager most contemporary leftists are to extend tolerance to opposing creeds, at least those who do not engage in suicide bombings.
How sad for the veterans.
How difficult would it be to ask the patients if they would like a card? Also the administration should know what religion to which a patient adheres, because it is on forms in the medical record.
Christmas is a National Holiday (paid holiday for federal workers) so it should not be illegal to wish someone a Merry National Holiday. I hope these VA workers realize that they just made lifelong Republicans or Liberatians out of these school kids.
This is awful. But I don’t know if I’d blame Obama for this. Not sure how much influence he had over this stupid policy.
You make perfect sense Cam.
Double whammy.
The BO administration announced last week a major cut in retirement benefis for Vets. And the hits just keep on coming.
The hatred that this administration has for Christianity can never be underestimated. I can certainly understand that.
I think it’s more cloddishness and cold contempt. And it is less ‘this Administration’ than the permanent government and the social nexus out of which the personnel of Democratic administrations are drawn.
The Republicans may be hypocrites, but the Democrats are as evil today as they were when they supported slavery in the 19th century.
[…] O’Neel, The Reg Should Catholic Schools Be Allowed to Discriminate? – Trent Horn, St Nt Pres. Obama Keeping Wounded Vets Safe from XMas Cards – D. McClarey ‘Naked’ Common Core Exposed by Catholic Education Leader – Bob Laird […]
It’s amazing that the country could change so drastically in a person’s lifetime!
Jon.
I agree.
The MSM acts as a united propaganda mechanism which sold the bill of goods to a hungry “bail me out too” populace.
This firestorm reminds me of what the Brits called the “Blitz.”
Interestingly Obama chose a site in Germany that Hitler had used to “enlighten the masses.”
I will verify the statement when I get a moment. On my way home at this time. (going from memory here.)
The brainwashing paid off. This is where the country is at if we are to believe the polls on social issues. It is no longer a matter of an elitist agenda being enforced. With the last generation we now represent those very ideas as a country.
Actually Obama has the lowest popularity, according to the latest polls, at the end of his fifth year than any President since Nixon, a majority of the people favor criminalizing abortion after the first trimester and in most polls a majority still oppose gay marriage. The country has not changed as much as the left hopes and conservatives fear. The ObamaCare debacle gives conservatives an excellent shot of winning strongly in 2014. On the state level conservatives have never been stronger.
The pollsters and manipulator a are doing their best to make us feel we are the minority and the battle is over. Looks like a vast army arrayed against us. But we are just the kind of people who love those underdog, little train that could, Lepanto stories.
I know there are competing poll results and perhaps I am cushioned from harsh reality because of where I live but I am hopeful.
It is scary though because I hear what grand kids are coming home from school with, being made worse by common core. Kids are becoming true believers of the secular narrative
How many branches of the United States government are there? Three–Judicial, Legislative and Executive. This government is not solely run by President Barack Obama. There is a website http://www.army.mil/chaplaincorps/ that explains the blending of religion and the military. Religion and military…..how opposite is that? There are over 140 different religions represented in the US military. That probably doesn’t include atheists and free thinkers. The appropriate person at the school should have consulted with the VA prior to preparing the cards. What’s more important…being able to write “Merry Christmas” or write “Thank You for Your Service”? I opt for the latter!
All soldiers and officers take their oath MGL “so help me God”. The national motto is “In God We Trust”. The Declaration of Independence tells us that our rights that the military exists to protect come from God. Lincoln hoped that this nation, under God, would have a new birth of freedom. The Pledge of Allegiance states that we are one nation under God. Obama and his squalid band of atheists are seeking to deny our heritage and our history, and this silliness demonstrates the lengths to which they will go denying wounded vets something as simple as a Christmas card from a kid if it mentions, shock!, God. May God forgive Obama and his fellow blind fools and their attempt to erase God from the public square in this nation.
I guess it’s hard to gauge the country’s opinions and beliefs. It does seem like the majority supports things like aboriton and “gay marriage,” but admittedly it can be a skewed picture. I do know the last generation is significantly more impressed by liberal social notions than generations before it.
From Father Z’s combox:
MAJ Tony says:
30 December 2013 at 7:50 am
Apparently, this isn’t the first time this issue has come up. In fact, it appears to have already been made a “Federal case.” Here’s the current American Legion Commander, Dan Dellinger being quoted on the subject.
“First of all, VA’s decision to prohibit the delivery of Christmas cards that mention Christmas is ludicrous,” Dellinger said today after Texas teacher Susan Chapman was told Monday that her students’ cards would not be delivered to veterans. “Second of all, VA has been down this road before, and recently. VA has been warned through a federal court decree to stop denying freedom of religious expression at its facilities. It’s pretty obvious the Dallas VA did not get that memo.” http://www.legion.org/news/218127/va-christmas-card-ban-defies-law
I daresay these hospitalized heroes have a lot more class than the VA administration. They probably would love to receive cards from the kids. If the card really made them feel uncomfortable, they would pass the card to someone else after the kids left. I doubt seriously that many cards would be passed off.
[…] O’Neel, The Reg Should Catholic Schools Be Allowed to Discriminate? – Trent Horn, St Nt Pres. Obama Keeping Wounded Vets Safe from XMas Cards – D. McClarey ‘Naked’ Common Core Exposed by Catholic Education Leader – Bob Laird […]
“Religion and military…..how opposite
There has always been a strong connection between the military and religion if not fighting the “good fight” the military would just be thuggery.
Obama didn’t have direct authority over this policy or tha application of this policy in this local VA but there are so many people who admire him, who want to identify with his ideas, making themselves apparatchiks. He set the tone for the IRS, dept of education, dept of agriculture, justice dept. and on and on. He sets the tone as the military is winnowed.
“Religion and military…..how opposite is that?” Self defense. St. Thomas Aquinas’ Just War Theory. St. Michael the Archangel, St. Joan of Arc…
“How sad for the veterans. How difficult would it be to ask the patients if they would like a card?’
The policy violates the free will of every one involved, the teacher, the children and the vets, but mostly the taxpayers who support the vets.
““First of all, VA’s decision to prohibit the delivery of Christmas cards that mention Christmas is ludicrous,””
“…or prohibit the free exercise thereof.” our First Constitutional Amendment about Freedom of Religion. These vets being deprived of the mail and cards ought to sue for First Amendment infringement. No peaceable assembly here.
Whether or not Obumbler authorized this action is irrelevant. Somebody who thinks like Obumbler did make this decision.
Obumbler need not worry much about opinion polls. He has his White House bedroom, Air Force One and free vacations whenever he chooses for another three years. Those who support him enthusiastically will never abandon him, if only because they hate the Republican Party with a white hot fury.
This nation elected him twice and we as a nation deserve every bit of misery we have for electing him.
“This nation elected him twice and we as a nation deserve every bit of misery we have for electing him.”
The worst is yet to come through death panels, rationing of healthcare and the subverting of First Amendment civil rights. America is the only nation on the face of the earth with a constitution that requires the acknowledgement of free will of the individual substance of a rational nature, the human being, from the beginning of life through natural death, suicide being the same violation of the right to life as homicide. The soul of man cannot be denied.
Alternatively, the policy may be anti-religious in effect but not intent. Might it be a better example of “zero tolerance?” More often these days we see policies that shield managers and administrators from having to make decisions. This tendency plays itself out most frequently in school policy but is becoming common in the employment context too. Perhaps we are seeing the stupidity of shielding the VA from having to determine appropriateness by instituting a blanket policy.
Everybody blames President Obama for these kinds of incidents and while it is true that he, ultimately, is responsible for what happens on his watch, I can’t help wondering about his many advisors. One would think that SOMEONE in his administration would take him aside and say, “Mr. President, do you really think it is wise to prohibit school children who are planning to visit a VA facility from distributing Christmas cards to the veterans living there?” Apparently there is no one and equally apparent is the fact that we have the most anti religious presidency in the history of our country and supported by a judiciary that has repeatedly trampled on the Constitution! I truly fear for our country.
“In order to be respectful of our Veterans religious beliefs, all donated holiday cards are reviewed by a multi-disciplinary team of staff led by Chaplaincy services and determined if they are appropriate (non-religious) to freely distribute to patients. After the review is complete, the holiday cards that reference religious and/or secular tones are then distributed by Chaplaincy Service on a one-on-one basis if the patient agrees to the religious reference in the holiday card donation. The holiday cards that do not contain religious and/or secular tones are distributed freely to patients across the Health Care System. We regret this process was not fully explained to this group and apologize for any misunderstanding.”
Fox News sheeple get overly excited about the dumbest things. You want this to be true so you can hate President Obama even more. Such great christians.
“Fox News sheeple get overly excited about the dumbest things. You want this to be true so you can hate President Obama even more. Such great christians.”
Oh, unsound mind and body, the Obama administration is so frightened of Christianity that wounded vets must not be exposed to it, even by kids handing them Christmas cards. You also do not read very carefully, otherwise you would have come across the comment that the VA is already under a consent decree to stop doing this type of unconstitutional discrimination against religious speech:
http://www.legion.org/news/218127/va-christmas-card-ban-defies-law
http://www.libertyinstitute.org/document.doc?id=123
Stop mindlessly parroting leftist talking points and start using the brains God gave you.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’ve done my share of reading about the past two world wars and I’ve yet to come across even one card falling in this catagory featuring any reference to Kaiser, Fuhrer, Duce or Empeoror. And I’m sure nobody working within the Obama Admin would tolerate this abuse. I’m not going to deny the existence of some pro-Obama clique demonstrating its over-exuberance thinking they were doing their hero some favors. Besides, whoever is really behind this nonsense, has a horrible notion of anything artistic and did his hero no justice either. Let them deal with their own embarrassment so we can focus on applying practical measures to boost our wounded servicemen and women’s morale and chances of starting new lives.
“And I’m sure nobody working within the Obama Admin would tolerate this abuse.” The Obama Admin. prohibited the Catholic Mass on military bases during the government shutdown.
Bears repeating:
“And I’m sure nobody working within the Obama Admin would tolerate this abuse.” The Obama Admin. prohibited the Catholic Mass on military bases during the government shutdown.
Anzlyne.
AMEN!
I’m surprised and not a bit disappointed that no has commented on the Obama graphic at the head of this article. I find it clever, ugly and blasphemous. Probably the President would be delighted to have it framed in his office.
As for the story – I’m not surprised, it fits the mo(u)ld of this administration!