On Tuesday, the Becket Law Firm revealed the 2022 Ebenezer Award winner, recognizing the worst Christmas and Hanukkah Grinch. King County, Washington, was found guilty of violating its workers’ constitutionally protected freedom of religion by banning remote video backgrounds, including religious holiday decorations like nativity scenes and menorahs.
Jason Rantz hosts a show on 770 KTTH, a conservative talk radio station in the Becket area. Some further information about placing an order is given, as are Rantz’s comments on the futility of fighting against Christmas and Christianity.
King County’s H.R.H.R. department requested that employees not decorate the workplace for the holidays. They are concerned that the decorations may cause distress among the staff.
King County’s Workforce Equity Manager, Gloria Ngezaho, drafted these rules regarding holiday decorations. The county “remains devoted to recognizing the diversity in its workforce and is fortunate to have folks from varied backgrounds,” the report says.
The mere existence of an “Equity Manager for the Department of Human Resources” in the county’s payroll seems suspicious. Ngezaho’s words are typical of the poison disseminated by so-called “equity” managers. The fact that the county “remains devoted to promoting the diversity in its workforce” and is “fortunate to have individuals from many different origins” rubs salt in the wound.
This is moot because the county does not allow employees to take time off for religious holidays.
To elaborate, Rantz says:
The county worker who stumbled upon the letter last week gave it to the K.T.T.H. radio show’s host, Jason Rantz. It advises, in part, that people think about how decorations in the office could affect others before putting them up, whether physically or virtually.
Only some people on your team may share your religious or holiday traditions. Only the individual’s private workplace is appropriate for displaying religious symbols. The statement clarifies that a worker’s virtual workspace is unsuitable for religious symbols.
Neither menorahs nor Nativity sets are authorized, as stated in the agreement. Religious symbols such as the Star of David, the cross, the crucifix, or any picture of Jesus or Mary are prohibited from display on the Internet, and this ban extends well beyond the boundaries of any one holiday.
If H.R.H.R. is accused of discriminating against people who aren’t Christians or Jews, even if that wasn’t the purpose, the email suggests avoiding symbols like the dharma wheel, crescent and star, aum, khanda, and a nine-pointed star. None of the usual holiday trimmings are present.
“For employees who aren’t telecommuting, the break room is like any other public space in the building. Several employees use these shared spaces as they go about their everyday routines. Some examples of these include waiting areas, conference rooms, and cafeterias. The statement warns against putting up religious displays in public places that might offend people of different faiths.
According to this paper, the state “cannot seem to favor any one faith.” Observing them at your Christmas party is required.
The county has a long history of opposing Christmas and other religious celebrations. Rantz also revealed the following comment from a county employee:
Wishing someone a “Merry Christmas” has been frowned upon since we learned that. The K.T.T.H. Jason Rantz Show was advised by a county worker that “Sending it in an email resulted in a report to H.R.H.R. (s). After years of hosting a Christmas party complete with red and green decorations, the event was renamed a Holiday party with silver and blue décor and no Christmas music. When no one turned up again the following year, it became the yearly party.
Montse Alvarado, C.O.O. and E.D.E.D. of Becket, commented on the county’s decision. She noted that after Christmas and Hanukkah, King County’s religious employees must have felt like the people of Whoville. The government has no right to force its employees to feel down by removing their Christmas trees and Hanukkah candles.
Many individuals have taken notice of the current situation. Earlier this month, for example, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) branded the county a “First Amendment Scrooge” for its “selective targeting of religious ideas for suppression,” which FIRE claims violates the First Amendment rights of county employees.
However, in a new update posted on Tuesday, FIRE resumed its attacks despite the county’s denial that the ordinance is illegal. Among the further information is:
The policy is not objective concerning point of view or content because it forbids all decorations with a religious motivation. As part of complying with the law, the county must determine whether or not workplace decorations have a religious connotation. The Supreme Court has unanimously agreed that discrimination based on a person’s point of view is an “egregious sort of content discrimination” that must be combated.
Furthermore, no employee’s religious decorations at their office, whether real or virtual, should lead a reasonable person to believe that the county promotes a specific religion. A remote worker’s office with a Yankees logo on the wall will not give the impression that the county endorses the team.
FIRE still maintains that King County has to revise its holiday display regulations to align with the First Amendment.
On December 4, First Liberty Institute head counsel Hiram Sasser penned an opinion article for Fox News in which he criticized the policy as “illegal and absurd” and said that “legal action may be necessary to restore diversity to the drab world of King County.”