Happy Holidays
Wow what a week in Denver for controversy. It's pretty clear to Coyote Gulch that the divisiveness wrought by the recent national election is alive and well. Mayor Hickenlooper made a statement that he thinks the sign on top of the City and County Building should read "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" and he gets plundered in letters, emails, and on radio shows.
I think I know where he is coming from. He believes, deep down, that inclusion, tolerance and compassion are the hallmarks of a great city and that he cannot govern well without listening to and valuing diverse opinions.
Here's the text of the Mayor's statement released earlier this week from the 5280 Weblog. From the Mayor's statement, "Over the past several days, it has become clear to me that there is strong community sentiment to maintain the 'Merry Christmas' sign, and I am glad to oblige. My intention was never to disrespect or slight anyone or any religious tradition. I apologize to anyone who may have been offended or mistakenly felt I was being anti-Christmas. 'Hickenlooper' might have two O's, but I am not 'Scrooge.'"
Mike Littwin weighed in on the subject in his column Thursday [December 2, 2004, "Littwin: Creche sends wrong message about moral values"].
He's at it again today [December 4, 2004, "Littwin: A predictable ending to the holiday story"]. Littwin writes, "There's another lesson, too. There's danger for Hickenlooper here. What makes him so popular is the sense that he's a politician who's not really a politician. But there are only so many times that you can bow to public pressure and not be seen as, well, just another politician bowing to public pressure."
Bill Johnson's column today also speaks to the controversy this week [December 4, 2004, "Johnson: Don't be so quick to issue an apology, Mr. Mayor"]. He writes, "C'mon, Mr. Mayor, ease up a little on yourself. And for heaven's sake, stop with the incessant apologizing. It is the holiday season. I say everybody gets at least one free pass. Only the true nitwits among us missed the point of what you were trying to say about that 'Merry Christmas' sign atop City Hall - which by the way, was precisely the right message at the right time - read: this runaway post-election Bible-thumping. Tolerance...City Hall, as I am certain you see every day, is not solely a Christian enclave. It is a place where people of many faiths come to do the business of government, people who rely on you to represent them as well. Tolerance and inclusiveness. There could have been, Mr. Mayor, no better message to deliver to the people of this city at this time."
Coyote Gulch would like to wish everyone an early "Happy Holidays" but especially the ACLU [Denver Post, December 3, 2004, "Terror cops should focus on real deal"]. 
7:22:34 AM 
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