Loudoun residents fight back against Christmas ban at courthouse

The residents of Loudoun County are fighting City Hall or, in this case, the county government. If Loudoun County thought they were going to ban all holiday symbols from the courthouse lawn without hearing from local citizens, they were wrong, wrong, wrong:

Dozens of angry Christmas tree supporters, dressed in red, attended a public hearing of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Monday night.

They were there to express outrage over a recent ban on all holiday symbols from the lawn of the historic Loudoun County Courthouse. They're hoping to get the board to reverse the decision.

For 50 years, there has been a Christmas tree at the courthouse sponsored by the Rotary Club. A local attorney has put up a nativity scene for the last 20 years. There has also been a Jewish menorah, and interfaith services that include Muslims and Sikhs.

In this politically correct era of American history, did some feel it was easier to ban everything rather than risk offending a few?

The obscure Grounds and Facilities Committee, with members appointed by the Board of Supervisors, voted last month to ban all displays at the courthouse. Among the reasons given, too many requests to display inappropriate symbols said Dennis Welsh whose permit for a Nativity Scene was denied. "It's easier for them to ban all symbols than to choose which ones to ban and which ones to accept" he told 9NEWS NOW.

The committee notified the Rotary Club just before Thanksgiving. The chairman of the committee is now referring all calls to the county attorney, and 9NEWS NOW is still waiting for a call back from him.

Even the Washington advocacy group Americans United for the Separation of Church and State says the Leesburg display was probably on firm legal footing, because it had a long history and was open to other religions.

Loudoun County supervisors reportedly received hundreds of emails from angry residents. One supervisor sad most of the board had opposed the ban ... so how did it pass in the first place?

Good for Loudoun County citizens for standing up and making their voices heard about yet another politically correct decision by government officials that offends the majority.

H/T to Tim