Operation OK Attorney Gen. Hit Job Commences

(Updated below)

(Copied in full from my blog so the updates were entered as I got them locally. I also realize this is the third subsequent diary [1, 2] but those two include only the Red State action alert, which I also received. I wanted to include some more info since I've been on this for the last couple hours.)

(Update at bottom)

This is the latest story being propagated at RedState.com, which noticed this story being reported by Mark Tapscott, editorial page editor of The Washington Examine who it seems picked up on this story from The Liberty Counsel, a site which states it is "restoring the culture one case at a time by advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of human life, and the traditional family", who state:

Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford has issued a disturbing directive forbidding employees to say or write the word "Christmas." This directive was given by the University upon legal advice of the Oklahoma Attorney General, W.A. Drew Edmondson. Liberty Counsel sent a demand letter to the University following a complaint from a University affiliate.

The controversy began when the University's Director of Human Resources recently visited various departments and said that decorations featuring the word "Christmas" in any areas of the University must be immediately removed.

He also instructed the employees not so say "Christmas" while on the job. As a result the employees cannot respond "Merry Christmas" to other employees or visitors to the University. Read our News Release for more details.

The University web site says "Happy Holidays" although it is adorned with red and green and decorated Christmas trees.

We need your help today!

Tell the University's president to help save Christmas from the censors! He needs to hear from thousands of Americans who can point out the absurdity of banning the word "Christmas." After all, Christmas is a state and federal legal holiday!

Wow. Reading this, it all sounds very serious! Instructing employees not to say Christmas, resulting in the inability of employees to respond "Merry Christmas" to other employees or visitors?

This sounds like a violation of the First Amendment.

Except that, so far, it seems it isn't true.

I decided to contact the Attorney General's office in Oklahoma (405-521-3921, courtesy of RedState) and I was greeted by who I assume to be the AG's secretary. I informed her that I was a Philadelphia resident and had received in my email a Red State "Action Alert" about this unfolding situation and was a bit surprised that this was happening. I asked her if it was true and she said it was absolutely false and asked where I was reading it.

I told her that it was on RedState's site and on the Examiner's site, gave them Mark Tapscott's name and also asked if perhaps something had happened that might have been miscontrued, as there are often stories about universities putting up "Happy Holidays" signs and such and then being seen, and subsequently attacked with the charge that the university is stifling religious freedom, often by religious groups who band together to spread the same message far and wide and whom conservative sites often repost.

Then I contacted Southwestern Oklahoma State University and asked the same question while also indicating I had already contacted the AG's office and been told flatly that this was completely false. The woman I spoke with agreed it wasn't true and I then asked again if something had happened that could've been miscontrued as an attempt to remove Christmas from the school in an act of defiant censorship. She didn't know, or wasn't authorized to discuss it further. However she did take my number and told me their Public Relations and Marketing Director, Brian Adler, would give me a call back.

I'm looking forward to that call to see if Mr. Adler has more to add to this story but so far, according to the Oklahoma AG's office as well as the University itself, this story, as presented, is false.

Further developments when/if they come.

I think it should be noted, however, that AG Drew Edmonson, a Democrat, has recently come under fire recently for an issue regarding an out-of-state signature gathering effort for a ballot initiative to create a taxpayer bill of rights.

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The drive by Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson to jail veteran conservative advocate Paul Jacob over a taxpayer-rights petition drive has temporarily stalled.

But Edmondson, a Democrat, is expected to again fire up the legal engines against Jacob and two other conservative activists in what's considered a ploy by the AG to win political support.

Edmondson announced two months ago that a multi-county grand jury had indicted Jacob and two others on felony charges of hiring non-Oklahoma signature gatherers for a ballot initiative to create a taxpayer bill of rights (TABOR). Jacob is president of ballot-initiative group Citizens in Charge and senior adviser with the pro-taxpayer Sam Adams Alliance.

The indictment against Jacob, Susan Johnson of National Outreach and Rick Carpenter of Oklahomans in Action - charged them with one count of violating the state's Petition and Referendum Act. The so-called 'Oklahoma 3' face a maximum of 10 years jail if convicted.

Jacob, a long-time proponent of citizen-initiated referenda, accused Edmondson's office of intimidation by pursuing the indictment. "Their prosecution is a 100-percent politically-motivated attempt to threaten and intimidate me, and any other citizens wishing to petition their government," he stated on blogsite FreePaulJacob.

Edmondson suffered a setback recently when his indictment was dismissed on a legal technicality over the multi-county grand jury. However, the AG is expected to directly re-file the indictment shortly, Ballot Access reported.

Despite this, Edmondson recently defended his actions in a letter to the Wall Street Journal. "[T]hrough their allegedly illegal actions, Carpenter, Jacob and Johnson silenced the voices of the Oklahoma voters who signed the initiative petition," the AG wrote. "This scheme to circumvent Oklahoma's residency requirement caused the entire petition to be scrapped."

Opponents of the indictment point out, however, that Edmondson's logic suggests that Oklahoma residents who vote in elections knowing they will be moving out of state soon afterwards could also face criminal charges.

A recent editorial in the Wall Street Journal also noted that those opposing ballot initiatives like TABOR are legally allowed to recruit out-of-state money and bodies to boost their efforts.

"[P]ublic sector unions opposed to the Tabor initiative recruited people from outfits like the Oregon-based Voter Education Project, an offshoot of the AFL-CIO that specializes in countering signature drives.

Think one might have to do with the other?

Stay tuned...

(Update) - I just got off the phone with Mr. Brian Adler, Public Relations and Marketing Director for Southwestern Oklahoma State University. We had a short but frank conversation about this topic. In short, this story is false. Nothing happened that might have been misconstrued and nobody is barred or prohibited from speaking the word Christmas or Merry Christmas and furthermore, all are more than free to put up whatever holiday decorations they want up, since the university has no policy against decorations (I assume, at least, with regards to this season/holiday/etc) so long as they're not offensive or inflammatory to anyone else.

Mr. Adler was aware of the story via Liberty Council, but unaware of Mr. Tapscott's editorial.

He is now.

(Update II) - Well, it would look like I was right in drawing a correlation between this story with the underlying case regarding the AG and a ballot initiative as Mr. Tapscott has now updated his site with exactly that information.

And from the linked article that Mr. Tapscott so graciously provided, we get this, alllll the way at the bottom:

But perhaps it’s not what the Oklahoma Three did that worries Edmondson but rather what they represent. Jacob is the best known of the trio because for many years he led the national term limits movement that came within one vote in the U.S. Supreme Court of winning the biggest victory ever against career politicians. He is now a senior fellow with the Sam Adams Alliance, a grassroots citizen activism group that gives career politicians fits. Carpenter and Johnson are similarly identified strongly with pro-citizen and anti-career politician efforts. The AG would do well to remember that his uncle — J. Howard Edmondson — was swept into the governor’s chair in 1958 by a "prairie fire" reform movement against entrenched politicians. A new prairie fire could sweep nephew Drew out of office if he keeps defending his buddies in the political establishment.

Might this Christmas story be an attempt at starting that prairie fire?

(Update) - Tapscott sticks to his story.

Or rather, Tapscott sticks to Liberty Counsel's story, which is kind of funny considering that Tapscott first said:

I am not making this up (because I am from Oklahoma and this guy is an embarrassment).

but felt the need to go back and double check with Liberty Counsel.

(Update) - Apparently, Liberty Counsel has issued an update:

Earlier today we informed you in a Liberty Alert about a ban on the word "Christmas" by Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford.

We believe that your emails and phone calls are making an impact. We are hearing more details from our sources including some within the university.

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."

Somebody is lying or at the very least, not being forthcoming. I don't know if it's Liberty, thier sources, the university, or the AG's office but a report like that is quite highly detailed with names, departments, and specific alleged offenses.

Personally, I would hate to find out I had been lied to no matter from what side. It's wrong to lie. More time is needed I guess to root this out and that, in part, will rely on the university issuing a statement on this.

•  Tips for Christma----

  er, "the holidays"...

  by Stand Strong on Thu Dec 20, 2007 at 11:40:50 AM PDT

  •  Very nice work

    by cskendrick on Thu Dec 20, 2007 at 11:42:26 AM PDT

    •  Thank you.

      by Stand Strong on Thu Dec 20, 2007 at 11:45:55 AM PDT

  •  Merry Christmas

    I can say that, I'm no longer Christian.

    by freelunch on Thu Dec 20, 2007 at 12:36:06 PM PDT

  •  Oh, I could tell this was total garbage...

    ...just because they're smearing Drew with it. I went to school with Drew and his brother Tad (dated Tad in high school), lived a block away and we all attended the same church. Drew's come through when my Mother-in-Law was targeted for someone else's student loans (and they attempted to attach her bank account), and he's been the best OK AG since maybe ever.

    His uncle was not the only politician in the family. Drew's father John held the Congressional seat for years that our high school debate team captain Mike Synar inherited (Drew didn't want it), and before he sadly died, Mike was known - and for some of us is still known - as the last Honest Politician in DC.

    OK dirty politics. Gotta love it...

    by Joy Busey on Thu Dec 20, 2007 at 12:53:59 PM PDT

•  I just spoke with John Hays!!!

  I called, and his assistant said, "Merry Christmas!"

  We laughed over that, and I told her that I was calling to support President Hays' decision...after a while, she asked if I'd like to speak with him! So I said sure!

  He was delightful, and said I was the only one to call in support. He said the issue had been misrepresented in RedState, and that it only applied to official written and spoken communications. He said they're concerned with all things that might be considered inappropriate, that this wasn't the only issue. For example, adult-themed calendars may not be displayed in any offices, etc.

  He said they were (naturally) being swamped by the wingnuts, although he did not call them that. He also said they were working on a clarification, to be issued in a day or two - but that his strong stance is that the university has students who are Christian, Hindu, Moslem, Jewish, Atheist, etc., etc., and that official university communications should be inclusive, not exclusive.

  by condoleaser on Thu Dec 20, 2007 at 11:56:10 AM PDT

  •  Makes perfect sense.

    He said they were (naturally) being swamped by the wingnuts, although he did not call them that. He also said they were working on a clarification, to be issued in a day or two - but that his strong stance is that the university has students who are Christian, Hindu, Moslem, Jewish, Atheist, etc., etc., and that official university communications should be inclusive, not exclusive.

    Sounds good to me.

    by Stand Strong on Thu Dec 20, 2007 at 12:01:54 PM PDT

  •  (John Hays

    is the President of Southwestern Oklahoma State University.)

    by condoleaser on Thu Dec 20, 2007 at 12:06:46 PM PDT

•  Lovely work.

  I just deleted my diary with the alert only - didn't want it to distract from the one with the real meat.

  by SarekOfVulcan on Thu Dec 20, 2007 at 11:56:14 AM PDT

•  only YOU can prevent "Prairie Fires"

  good call

  just more ginned up repuglitard bullshit

  the whopper about Atrios' love child was more fun

  like Atrios could score with Jennifer Alba ...

  and have you heard of Krugman's kid that works for hillary ???

  apparently krugman was unaware that he even had a kid

  like krugman could score with ANY woman ...

  the repuglitards can't even find believable bullshit any more

  by Zapp Branigan on Thu Dec 20, 2007 at 12:05:20 PM PDT

  •  It sounds like both sides are semi-right

    but that one side got all worked up and in a tizzy over it.

    He was delightful, and said I was the only one to call in support. He said the issue had been misrepresented in RedState, and that it only applied to official written and spoken communications. He said they're concerned with all things that might be considered inappropriate, that this wasn't the only issue. For example, adult-themed calendars may not be displayed in any offices, etc.

    It sounds like consideration was given to be mindful of all religious backgrounds in this time of year while on the job and that was taken by some, Liberty Counsel somehow, as abolishing Christmas from the University.

    Lmfao. Hilarious. God forbid we be inclusive of everyone's beliefs.

    by Stand Strong on Thu Dec 20, 2007 at 12:10:26 PM PDT

•  and they're not ALL fucknutz at RedState:

  It's not that they can't mention Christmas, it's that they can't do so on the job. Key distinction. Red-staters shouldn't want the government getting into the endorsement of religion business, whether Satanism or Santaism.
  Christians especially should oppose having their holidays coopted by government officals.

  by condoleaser on Thu Dec 20, 2007 at 12:05:54 PM PDT

•  Edmondson is awesome

  but he has a lot of enemies, especially in the poultry industry (for his successful battle against factory farming) and energy - i believe he filed suit against Texas for pollution from proposed coal fired plants.

  that said, he is well loved here by all except the extremist of the extreme, of which we have our share.

  thanks for this heads up, though.

  by Runs With Scissors on Thu Dec 20, 2007 at 12:21:08 PM PDT

  •  no problem

    Like I said, I think there was more to this story than just this.

    I mean...c'mon. Sending out action alerts on this? Surely they can do better.

    by Stand Strong on Thu Dec 20, 2007 at 12:25:44 PM PDT

•  Great diary

  Much rather read this than the Obama-Hillary fight of the day.

  by Dinclusin on Thu Dec 20, 2007 at 01:17:10 PM PDT

•  nonsensical dialogs

  Sometimes I really don't understand why otherwise intelligent people (like you, esteemed diarist) not only openly deny the elephant in the room, but actually seem to tremendously enjoy doing so.

  Of course there is a war on christmas. When they greeted you last year with "Merry Christmas" and doo it with "Happy Hollidays" this year, something changed. And if something changes, there is some reason behind that. So step back a little and think about what this might be.

  Billo and friends try to frame this as a religious thing, but in truth it isn't, either. It's cultural alltogether.

  Some 50 years ago, the US - like Western Europe - was a Christian nation.  The constitution notwithstanding christianity was and essential part of the fabric that made up society. It's ceffects were seen all obver the place, iot was a common, shared reference and part of the collective identity.  

  Of course, (culturally) foreigners were mostly welcome, but, please, our house, our rules. If you didn't like it you were expected to get used to it some way.  On an entirely non religious level, Christianity had a kind of cultural air superiority.  It provided the symbols, the codes, frames of reference, the shared experiences, heck, even the smell and the sins that made up the nation's collective knowledge of holiness, spirituality, philosophy. And many other things.

  Today, this cultural dominance is waning. Eroded not so much by competing religion but by unreflected materialistic atheism, it might be on the verge of becoming one religion of many. Judaism is asserting a strong role, bolstered by its roots in America's most powerful minority, and new waves of immigrants establish notable presences of Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam. All the latter development wouldn't matter that much, but the silent majority of pseudo religious materialists weakened Christianity to a degree that it loses (or already lost) its cultural hegemony over the nation.

  And this doesn't just mean Christianity weakened - it also means the nation lost a part of its identity, shared experience, a common frame of thinking, even ways of expressing itself. That means, if Christianity is not replaced in its role but just deposed, the nation itself becomes weaker, losing some of its inner fabric, its togetherness, its identity. And, frankly, I doubt there's a realistic candidate to assume the role of Christianity in the collective mind.  Shopping at Walmart just doesn't cut it.

  This worries folks like Billo, and it should worry you. Now Billo just tries to reverse the trend, but since this trend is much larger than him, his attempts to reverse history are somewhere between embarrassing and ridiculous.  And of course he will fail. It's the eternal curse of conservatives that they bemoan change but cannot stop it.

  But why should it worry you ? Well, society is not cinema, we can not just watch and smile. We are effected by whatever happens out there.  And there is an important question in this - some people argue that any society needs (and/or yearns for) the role Christianity played in the US.  So, right now there's no successor ion sight.

  But that might change, too. And you might not like it a bit.

  (No, I have no ingenious answer here. Sorry).

  by cris0000 on Thu Dec 20, 2007 at 02:17:47 PM PDT