Governor Rick Perry (R, TX) is running for the Presidency in 2012 as a Republican. On 2011-DEC-06, he aired a new attack ad in which he said:
"I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm a Christian. But you don't need to be in the pew every Sunday to know there's something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military but our kids can't openly celebrate Christmas or pray in school. As president, I'll end Obama's war on religion. And I'll fight against liberal attacks on our religious heritage. Faith made America strong. It can make her strong again."
1
Governor Perry's ad first ran on the same day as President Obama's memo to U.S. government agencies working in other countries to encourage the decriminalization of homosexuality. This was probably a coincidence, because such ads take weeks to prepare.
The ad was posted on DEC-06. Seven days later, it had been viewed 6,345,832 times, and received 661.302 dislikes, with only 20,958 likes -- a ratio of 32 to 1 opposed. It became the most unpopular video on You Tube -- a major accomplishment.
Perry's ad may well have backfired on him in You Tube for three reasons:
Polls taken in 2010-FEB showed that 75% of American adults supported the end of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy (DADT). Further, support for repeal has been increasing during the entire time that DADT was operational. Now that DADT has ended in the military without difficulty or adverse reactions, support is probably significantly higher today. Thus he is appealing to a small minority.
Perry must be aware that students do celebrate Christmas in public schools, although sometimes they have to acknowledge the existence of other religious and secular holidays and celebrations at this time of year.
Perry
must also be aware that public school students can pray in the school bus, by the flagpole, in school corridors, in student religious clubs, at the cafeteria, before and between classes, during school games, etc. Although we have never see a test case, students could probably recite prayers from various religions in a comparative religion class. They are merely prohibited from praying as a formal part of the school curriculum because of the separation of church and state.
"Jesus," sponsored by "Live Funny or Die," responded with a devastating parody ad on You Tube:
At the request of some evangelical Christian group, the government of South Korea has decided to illuminate three large Christmas trees two miles from their border with North Korea, from DEC-23 to JAN-06. One will be at the Aegibong Peak in Gimpo. Two others will be in Gyeonggi Province, near two observatory platforms on the central and eastern front lines. An unnamed South Korea military officer said: ""Originally, the military evangelical association wanted us to set up Christmas trees in about a dozen occasions, but we thought about it and settled on just three." North Korea is militantly Atheistic. North Korea’s official Uriminzokkiri news web site said that the Christmas trees amounted to "psychological warfare" and that retaliation would be immediate. It said:
"The enemy warmongers… should be aware that they should be held responsible entirely for any unexpected consequences that may be caused by their scheme."
Last year, North Korea threatened to destroy the Aegibong Peak tree, but took no action. This year, military reinforcements are being sent to the area and protective walls will be built. 3,4
Page Translator: