Continued failure to understand separation of church and state

While Christmas is practically a secular holiday, more about shopping than anything else, the reality is that it is a religious event.  And in the US, the Constitution, specifically the First Amendment states that there should be no establishment of a state-sanctioned religion.  This is commonly referred to as separation of church and state.

And while plenty of the electorate and elected officials want to deny this and make the US a more officially religious country, the law is the law.

Since Kennedy Performing Arts Center, located in Washington, DC, is a facility owned and operated by the federal government, it is subject to the clause in the Constitution concerning separation of church and state.

Image from 2012:  Metro Latino USA.

Although the courts have been inconsistent on their rulings concerning displays of Christmas-related symbols on government property, we have a National Christmas Tree at the White House and another by the US Capitol, etc.

That doesn't sit well with Darryl Summers, according to this letter, "Where's the Christmas spirit at the Kennedy Center?," in the Washington Post:

The security office at the Kennedy Center should be alerted that the Grinch is on the prowl there. While attending a performance of “Elf the Musical,” I realized that the center had little sign that much of the United States was celebrating a festive season: There was not a single holiday decoration or reminder in any public area that I visited. Even last year’s small, lonely Christmas tree in the Grand Foyer was nowhere to be seen this time.

Though the Kennedy Center entices patrons with such cheerful holiday offerings as “Elf the Musical” and last year’s “Irving Berlin’s White Christmas,” I emerged joyfully from the Opera House only to discover that I had been transported to the home of Ebenezer Scrooge. If not for the cheerful nutcrackers for sale in the gift shop (thank you, at least, Mr. Tchaikovsky), there was nary a sign of holiday-ness.

Maybe next year the Kennedy Center board of directors could at least buy a few white beards for ushers (who all wear bright red jackets anyway) to stand in for Santa, who is very busy this time of year. Or maybe we should put the Kennedy Center on Santa’s Naughty List.

I do wish that like the letter commentary in publications like The Nation, there could be a response when people write stuff like this.

Although the Post did run a semi-related piece on the Phil Robertson "controversy".  See "The First Amendment doesn't hold all the answers."