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	<title>Defend Christmas &#187; Church &amp; State</title>
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	<link>http://defendchristmas.com</link>
	<description>The War on the War on Christmas</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Mon, 26 Jul 2010 22:42:53 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>Virgina County Debates Christmas Displays in July</title>
		<link>http://defendchristmas.com/2010/07/26/virgina-county-debates-christmas-displays-in-july/</link>
		<comments>http://defendchristmas.com/2010/07/26/virgina-county-debates-christmas-displays-in-july/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 26 Jul 2010 22:42:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jeff Westover</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Christmas News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christmas in Public]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Church & State]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://defendchristmas.com/?p=394</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Loudoun County (Virginia) Courthouse is once again the scene of a controversy over faith, access and tradition. The fight over what should and shouldn&#8217;t be displayed on the courthouse has returned. This time, the issue is not just over the nativity and other religious displays, but displays of any kind on the grounds. 
Last [...]<script type="text/javascript">SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Virgina County Debates Christmas Displays in July", url: "http://defendchristmas.com/2010/07/26/virgina-county-debates-christmas-displays-in-july/" });</script>]]></description>
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		<title>Forced Christmas Music Measure Dies in California</title>
		<link>http://defendchristmas.com/2010/04/20/forced-christmas-music-measure-dies-in-california/</link>
		<comments>http://defendchristmas.com/2010/04/20/forced-christmas-music-measure-dies-in-california/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Apr 2010 13:29:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jeff Westover</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Christmas News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christmas in Schools]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Church & State]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://defendchristmas.com/?p=368</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Californians apparently weren’t feeling the Christmas spirit during Merry Susan Hyatt’s five-month carol initiative signature collection effort.
The measure failed Friday when the final signature count turned out to be only half a percent of the required 433,971, according to the secretary of state’s office. In all, 2,176 signatures were collected in California between Nov. 2 [...]<script type="text/javascript">SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Forced Christmas Music Measure Dies in California", url: "http://defendchristmas.com/2010/04/20/forced-christmas-music-measure-dies-in-california/" });</script>]]></description>
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		<title>Is Christmas Next?</title>
		<link>http://defendchristmas.com/2010/04/15/is-christmas-next/</link>
		<comments>http://defendchristmas.com/2010/04/15/is-christmas-next/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 16 Apr 2010 00:58:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jeff Westover</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Bah Humbug]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christmas News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christmas in the Courts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Church & State]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://defendchristmas.com/?p=366</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A federal judge in Wisconsin has declared that the 50-year standing tradition of a National Day of Prayer violates the &#8220;establishment clause&#8221; of the First Amendment which creates a separation of church and state. 
&#8220;I understand that many may disagree with that conclusion and some may even view it as a criticism of prayer or [...]<script type="text/javascript">SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Is Christmas Next?", url: "http://defendchristmas.com/2010/04/15/is-christmas-next/" });</script>]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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		<title>FFRF Mockery Prompts Candidate to Action in Illinois</title>
		<link>http://defendchristmas.com/2009/12/26/ffrf-mockery-prompts-candidate-to-action-in-illinois/</link>
		<comments>http://defendchristmas.com/2009/12/26/ffrf-mockery-prompts-candidate-to-action-in-illinois/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Dec 2009 01:50:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jeff Westover</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Christmas News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christmas in Public]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Church & State]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://defendchristmas.com/?p=362</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Freedom From Religion Foundation continues to promote peace of the season by mocking religion &#8212; all in the name of freedom of speech. That&#8217;s their argument after a candidate for public office in Illinois tried to remove the customary atheist rant from right in front of the Christmas tree at the state capitol a [...]<script type="text/javascript">SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "FFRF Mockery Prompts Candidate to Action in Illinois", url: "http://defendchristmas.com/2009/12/26/ffrf-mockery-prompts-candidate-to-action-in-illinois/" });</script>]]></description>
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		<title>Athiest Complaint Leads to Removal of Angels, Stars from Christmas Trees</title>
		<link>http://defendchristmas.com/2009/12/23/athiest-complaint-leads-to-removal-of-angels-stars-from-christmas-trees/</link>
		<comments>http://defendchristmas.com/2009/12/23/athiest-complaint-leads-to-removal-of-angels-stars-from-christmas-trees/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 23 Dec 2009 15:27:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jeff Westover</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Christmas News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christmas in Public]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Church & State]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Religious Discrimination]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://defendchristmas.com/?p=360</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There&#8217;s no place for angels atop Christmas trees, according to one California man who successfully lobbied for the removal of religious symbols at county buildings after spotting a yuletide decoration last week.
Stars and other religious emblems were ordered removed from Christmas trees in all government buildings in Sonoma County on Monday following a complaint by [...]<script type="text/javascript">SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Athiest Complaint Leads to Removal of Angels, Stars from Christmas Trees", url: "http://defendchristmas.com/2009/12/23/athiest-complaint-leads-to-removal-of-angels-stars-from-christmas-trees/" });</script>]]></description>
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		<title>US Government Uses Joseph and Mary Imaging to Promote Census</title>
		<link>http://defendchristmas.com/2009/12/19/us-government-uses-joseph-and-mary-imaging-to-promote-census/</link>
		<comments>http://defendchristmas.com/2009/12/19/us-government-uses-joseph-and-mary-imaging-to-promote-census/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 19 Dec 2009 08:29:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jeff Westover</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Christmas News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Church & State]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://defendchristmas.com/?p=357</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A poster showing Mary and Joseph heading to Bethlehem for a census and the birth of Jesus is raising eyebrows among some evangelicals, who consider it an inappropriate use of Christian symbolism for the headcount the government will conduct next year. 
The posters, created by the National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO), have been [...]<script type="text/javascript">SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "US Government Uses Joseph and Mary Imaging to Promote Census", url: "http://defendchristmas.com/2009/12/19/us-government-uses-joseph-and-mary-imaging-to-promote-census/" });</script>]]></description>
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		<title>Idaho Charter School Students Can&#8217;t Say Christmas at Talent Show</title>
		<link>http://defendchristmas.com/2009/12/19/idaho-charter-school-students-cant-say-christmas-at-talent-show/</link>
		<comments>http://defendchristmas.com/2009/12/19/idaho-charter-school-students-cant-say-christmas-at-talent-show/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 19 Dec 2009 08:21:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jeff Westover</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Christmas News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christmas in Public]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christmas in Schools]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Church & State]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://defendchristmas.com/?p=355</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A Garden City (Idaho) public charter school director asked students singing in a school talent show to replace the word &#8220;Christmas&#8221; with &#8220;holiday&#8221; because of the scrutiny Nampa Classical Academy has garnered regarding the use of religious texts in the classroom.
Media attention over the lawsuit Nampa Classical Academy has brought against the Idaho Public Charter [...]<script type="text/javascript">SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Idaho Charter School Students Can&#8217;t Say Christmas at Talent Show", url: "http://defendchristmas.com/2009/12/19/idaho-charter-school-students-cant-say-christmas-at-talent-show/" });</script>]]></description>
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		<title>Jail Inmates Forced to Listen to Sheriff&#8217;s Christmas Music</title>
		<link>http://defendchristmas.com/2009/12/19/jail-inmates-forced-to-listen-to-sheriffs-christmas-music/</link>
		<comments>http://defendchristmas.com/2009/12/19/jail-inmates-forced-to-listen-to-sheriffs-christmas-music/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 19 Dec 2009 08:17:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jeff Westover</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Christmas News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Church & State]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://defendchristmas.com/?p=353</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Sheriff Joe Arpaio &#8211; the self-proclaimed &#8220;toughest sheriff&#8221; in America &#8211; likes Christmas music, especially &#8220;Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer&#8221; and anything by Alvin and the Chipmunks, and apparently he thinks the 8,000 inmates inside his Phoenix jail should, too. 
So it was with some glee that his Maricopa County office announced Thursday in a red-and-green [...]<script type="text/javascript">SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Jail Inmates Forced to Listen to Sheriff&#8217;s Christmas Music", url: "http://defendchristmas.com/2009/12/19/jail-inmates-forced-to-listen-to-sheriffs-christmas-music/" });</script>]]></description>
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		<title>Virginia County Grapples with Christmas Controversy</title>
		<link>http://defendchristmas.com/2009/12/17/virginia-county-grapples-with-christmas-controversy/</link>
		<comments>http://defendchristmas.com/2009/12/17/virginia-county-grapples-with-christmas-controversy/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Dec 2009 06:00:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jeff Westover</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Christmas News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christmas in Public]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Church & State]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Political Correctness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Religious Discrimination]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://defendchristmas.com/?p=344</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Debate is stirring in Loudon County, Virginia over a Christmas display.
The Board of Supervisors overturned a committee decision to ban all displays on courthouse property and was then asked to place a Christmas tree on county property. That brought a flood of requests from other groups including atheists and an individual representing an organization that [...]<script type="text/javascript">SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Virginia County Grapples with Christmas Controversy", url: "http://defendchristmas.com/2009/12/17/virginia-county-grapples-with-christmas-controversy/" });</script>]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Nativity and Menorah Removed from Pa. Courthouse</title>
		<link>http://defendchristmas.com/2009/12/17/nativity-and-menorah-removed-from-pa-courthouse/</link>
		<comments>http://defendchristmas.com/2009/12/17/nativity-and-menorah-removed-from-pa-courthouse/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Dec 2009 05:45:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jeff Westover</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Christmas News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christmas in Public]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christmas in the Courts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Church & State]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://defendchristmas.com/?p=340</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ Officials in northeastern Pennsylvania have removed a pair of religious holiday symbols from a public space after being threatened with legal action.
Luzerne County commissioners took down the creche and menorah from the courthouse lawn on Wednesday after receiving an objection from two civil liberties groups.
The ACLU and Americans United for Separation of Church and [...]<script type="text/javascript">SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Nativity and Menorah Removed from Pa. Courthouse", url: "http://defendchristmas.com/2009/12/17/nativity-and-menorah-removed-from-pa-courthouse/" });</script>]]></description>
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