Well now, this has certainly been an interesting day. Let’s review:
1. LIBERTY COUNSEL issues a news release claiming that:
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The release quoted Matt Staver, Liberty Counsel’s head honcho and dean of the Liberty University School of Law, and noted that a demand letter had been sent to SWOSU officials.
2. Figuring the head of an accredited law school would not have issued a news release without having confirmed its contents beforehand, I posted on the issue here on Tapscott’s Copy Desk, quoting the release in full and noting that Edmondson is the same guy who charged the “Oklahoma Three” with violating a state law requiring initiative petition circulators to be Oklahoma residents. I called Edmondson the “Okie Napoleon.”
3. A raft of people read that post and started calling Edmondson’s office and Liberty Counsel. It appears nobody expected such an avalanche of reaction.
4. Edmondson then issued a witty statement denying that he ever gave “legal advice” to SWOSU telling the school to “refrain from using the word Christmas in oral or written form.” And in a delightful touch, he also wished Oklahomans a “Merry Christmas.”
5. In the meantime, I started calling folks at SWOSU. In short order, I heard all about how SWOSU managers verbally told employees to not use the words “Christmas” or “Christ” in their official emails or any official correspondence. They were also told to remove the words from decorations in their offices.
6. Oklahoma being justly known as the “Buckle of the Bible Belt,” those orders offended a whole bunch of people at SWOSU. Many of them showed up for work today wearing buttons saying “Merry Christmas.” This is what you call speaking truth to the PC powers-that-be.
6A. It always surprises me when there aren’t more people willing to suggest in vivid terms where the PC Nazis – who can’t tolerate anybody anywhere uttering words like “Christmas” in public – should take their petty tyrannies. When somebody does stand up, as lots of people at SWOSU have, that’s news.
7. Now at the end of the day, where are we? Well, a couple of observations. First, for me, my first call after reading the Liberty news release should have been to Edmondson. After all, I am the guy who has stenciled on his forehead: “If your mother tells you she loves you, check it out.”
Second, it’s clear somebody at SWOSU got the idea that employees there should be told to stop using such terms as “Christmas” and “Christ.” I have no doubt that Edmondson personally didn’t provide SWOSU “legal advice” in a formal advisory opinion. The man isn’t dumb. But AGs and their staff provide informal advice every day, sometimes in person, sometimes in email, sometimes on the telephone. Sometimes even to journalists!
Maybe that somebody mis-understood something that was said to them by the AG or his staff. Or maybe that somebody simply took it upon themselves and informally advised SWOSU managers to spread the word among the troops. That somebody ought to come forward and clear up the confusion.
If they do and it turns out Edmondson had absolutely nothing to do with anything here, I will promptly retract the assertion in my original post that he was “banning Christmas” or had “issued an advisory opinion” to that effect.
But “Okie Napoleon” stays. Even if he’s not the Grinch who banned Christmas, he’s more than earned the sobriquet.
UPDATE: Did SWOSU’s Provost Confirm?
Liberty Counsel has released further details of the background to its controversial news release earlier today. This is from the Liberty Counsel web site:
“When public officials start to feel the heat of public scrutiny, they often try to make excuses or deny that events took place. Some staff members who are answering the phone are even telling people that the incidents we are reporting never happened!
“We decided to go on the offense and release some additional details on this situation.
“After Weatherford City Commissioner Warren Goldmann heard from a constituent that the word ‘Christmas’ was banned by the university, Goldmann contacted the Provost of the university, Dr. Blake Sonove. Dr. Sonove confirmed the ‘Christmas’ ban policy and indicated that the university was relying on an opinion from Attorney General Drew Edmonson. Commissioner Goldmann then reported the information to Liberty Counsel.
“Connie Phillips, an Admissions Coordinator, reported that David Misak, Director of Human Resources, entered the registrar’s office with Tom Fagan, Vice President of Finance. They ordered the words ‘Christ’ and ‘Christmas’ covered up in decorations and instructed that there could be no use of ‘Merry Christmas’ in emails!
“A records coordinator verified that her department was told they could not use ‘Christmas’ in email or voice mail.
“The same action occurred in the business office where someone asked for the directive in writing and was told that the written policy is still being drafted. Another person provided Misak with written information showing that using ‘Christmas’ is constitutional, but Misak would not change his stance.
“Additionally, the ITS department was told to change the introduction page of the university’s campus-wide database. The page has been edited since yesterday to remove a statement that said: ‘Have a very Happy Holiday … Merry Christmas … Happy New Year.'”
I called Dr. Sonove earlier today but my call was returned by a SWOSU spokesman, not the Provost. As I said earlier today, there is more to this story. Stay tuned.
BTW, in reading through the several comments that have been posted on this story today, I am struck by the willingness of some to accept at face value Edmondson’s statement. I wonder if these folks also accept at face value statements by President Bush, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid or House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
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