[Vision2020] Groups turn profit defending Christmas

[Chasuk]

I thought this article was topical, considering that it has recently
(if tangentially) been an item of discussion on Vision2020:

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2006/12/24/groups_turn_profit_defending_christmas/

Groups turn profit defending Christmas

By Stephanie Simon, Los Angeles Times  |  December 24, 2006

LOS ANGELES -- The "War on Christmas" has never been so profitable.

For the fourth year running, conservative Christian groups have spent
much of December mobilizing against what they see as a liberal plot to
censor Christmas. But this year, it's more than a cause. It's a huge
fund-raiser.

The American Family Association, a conservative activist group, has
rung up more than $550,000 in sales of buttons and magnets stamped
with the slogan "Merry Christmas: It's Worth Saying."

Liberty Counsel, a nonprofit law firm affiliated with the religious
right, has taken in more than $300,000 with its "Help Save Christmas
Action Packs." The kits include two buttons, two bumper stickers, and
"The Memo That Saved Christmas," a guide to defending overt religious
expression, such as a nativity scene in a public-school classroom.

Also for sale through conservative websites: Christmas bracelets, tree
ornaments and lapel pins intended to send a defiant message to those
who would turn December into a multicultural mix of winter parties,
seasonal sales, and Happy Holidays greetings.

Christmas warriors can also download -- for free -- lists that rank
retailers as either "naughty" or "nice," depending on how often their
ads refer to Christmas rather than a generic holiday.

"You're seeing people really wanting to take this battle forward,"
said Mat Staver, the president of Liberty Counsel, based in Orlando,
Fla.

With minimal advertising on Christian radio stations, Liberty Counsel
rang up more than 12,000 orders for a glossy copy of the legal memo
(which is also available online for free). The minimum donation to get
a packet was $25; many supporters kicked in more.

Staver's conclusion: "A lot of people have strong feelings about Christmas."

Apparently so. A Zogby International poll conducted last month found
that 46 percent of Americans are offended when a store clerk greets
them with "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas." More than a
third of the 12,800 adults surveyed said they have walked out of a
store or resolved to avoid it in the future because the clerks didn't
show enough Christmas spirit.

"It's the whole peace-on-earth and goodwill-toward-man thing. It lifts
us up when people can say 'Merry Christmas' without worrying about
whether it's politically correct," said Jennifer Giroux, a Cincinnati
entrepreneur. She began marketing rubber bracelets urging "Just Say
'Merry Christmas' " last December; this season, she has sold more than
50,000, at $2 apiece.

She plans to donate her profits to a Christian charity. "It's never
been about the money," she said. "It's about the message."

But if the message can make money, so much the better.

Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association, said he was
delighted with the revenue from "War on Christmas" merchandise, which
supplemented the ministry's $13 million annual budget. All 500,000
buttons and 125,000 magnets were sold out by early December. "It was
very successful for us," Wildmon said.

Liberty Counsel, too, rated the sale a success. "It did help with
donations, but more than anything else, it helped with exposure," said
spokeswoman Robin Bryant. She said the group has been able to add many
new names to its mailing list for future fund drives. "It just
ballooned," Bryant said.

In fact, the fund-raising went so well that the religious right plans
to branch out. Next up: The war on Easter.

Scouts for the American Family Association, which is based in Tupelo,
Miss., will keep a keen eye out for stores that promote "spring
baskets" or "spring bonnets" instead of celebrating Christ's
resurrection. The group already has laid in a stash of Easter buttons,
bearing three gold crosses and the words "He Lives."