House Speaker: Call it a "Christmas Tree"

Jennifer at the Scriptorium found this article buried in the news.
See her comments below

11/30/2005
SPEAKER OF HOUSE FIGHTS TO CALL IT CHRISTMAS TREE
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Christian News — Jennifer Rast @ 5:52 am
You know, there is only ONE holiday this time of year that is celebrated by buying a tree, decorating it, and putting it in your house. That one tree chopping, Christmas light hanging, gifts under the tree holiday is CHRISTMAS. Why do we have to call Christmas trees something they aren't (a holiday tree - as if every holiday this time of year has a tree) just to avoid using a religious word in public? If Christmas offends you, then you're an intolerant bigot, and you should practice what you undoubtedly preach every other day of the year.
At least someone in Congress gets it. Is there an election year coming up? It's strange to see a Republican acting like a Republican these days.

If it's a spruce tree adorned with 10,000 lights and 5,000 ornaments displayed on the Capitol grounds in December, it's a Christmas tree and that's what it should be called, says House Speaker Dennis Hastert.
Hastert, R-Ill., in a letter to the Architect of the Capitol, recommended that the annual Capitol Holiday Tree, as it has been called the past several years, be renamed the Capitol Christmas Tree.
"I strongly urge that we return to this tradition and join the White House, countless other public institutions and millions of American families in celebrating the holiday season with a Christmas tree," Hastert wrote to Architect Alan Hantman.
His office said the tree began to be referred to as the Holiday Tree in the 1990s. Spokesman Ron Bonjean said the reasons were unclear.
On Dec. 8 Hastert will flip the switch to light the tree, a 65-foot Engelmann Spruce from the Santa Fe National Forest in New Mexico. On Tuesday workmen were erecting the tree on the West Front of the Capitol.

It's not prevalent yet, but some people are starting to fight back at the anti-Christian Christmas bias in this country. Pray for them.

Original article.