Santa Ousted From Cancer Hospital

Cancer center's Santa gets boot
Post and Courier - It's not even December, but Santa has already been fired from Charleston's Hollings Cancer Center.

For each of the past two years, hospital volunteer Frank Cloyes spent one day as St. Nick, spreading good cheer and snacks to patients sitting through chemotherapy treatments. The 67-year-old James Island resident, a retired insurance executive who calls himself a "gregarious guy," paid for his own costume rental.

On Tuesday morning, a volunteer coordinator told Cloyes his services no longer were needed.

"Because of our state affiliation, we decided not to have a Santa presence this year," Hollings spokeswoman Vicky Agnew said. Hollings is a part of the Medical University of South Carolina.

Decorations will be "more secular and respectful to all beliefs," Agnew said. "We don't want to offend a volunteer with good intentions, but we need to think of the bigger picture. People who are Muslim or Jewish or have no religious beliefs come here for treatment," she said.

---

Blog author's comments - If one is in a hospital for cancer treatment is the presence of a man dressed in a Santa Claus suit going to upset them? I’ll bet it’s not the Jewish patients that are offended.

This is more political correctness to be certain they do not offend the Muslims. If I send a donation and say Merry Christmas, will they return my donation as not being more secular and respectful to all beliefs?

Christmas Season and the Politically Correct

Let's Call It The German 'Holiday' Village
(Click image to Enlarge)
(Picture and Poll which appeared in the Philadelphia paper)
philly.com - It's that season again, which means that for the third year in a row, the German Christmas Village has set up a cozy collection of wooden booths and tree vendors in Dilworth Plaza on the west side of City Hall.

But a few shoppers noticed something amiss yesterday on the tall metal archways signaling the entrances to the shops. The archways had just one word on top -"Village." Sounds festive, right?

It turns out that the letters spelling "Christmas" were removed yesterday afternoon from the archways on the north and west sides of the plaza, at the request of Managing Director Richard Negrin. They will be replaced with the word "Holiday."

City spokesman Mark McDonald said Negrin asked for the change after the city received complaints from workers and residents.

"As a city of great diversity, one shouldn't be surprised that there's a difference of views when it comes to symbols and words," McDonald said.

Thomas Bauer, of the German American Marketing Inc., which runs the Village, said he was happy to change the sign. "People have to go to public buildings, they shouldn't feel offended." - Entire column > >

---

Blog author's comments - Political correctness out of control. If they are offended by the word Christmas, then they have serious problems.

We are in the United States of America. Would you go to Israel and tell the Jews they cannot celebrate Hanukkah or light a menorah.

Would you dine at a Muslim restaurant and demand to be served pork. (well yes I just might do that) Some of these people are pathetic.

They complain and play the race/religion card because they can and someone will give them what they want. It is way past the time for this to stop!