Thorne: You're kidding, right? Do you think the US, or the UK, or any other nation, would be better off as a theocracy? Just look at what that's done for the Middle East!
Nope - not kidding, but not losing my sense of proportion either. We're talking about funding religious celebrations, not imposing some kind of religious dictatorship over the whole nation.

Thorne: When the government supports only one religion, eventually it becomes against the law to worship any other religion, or to NOT worship any religion. And, as in many Islamic nations, it becomes punishable by death to deny the "truth" of that religion! It's known as a theocracy, and it is specifically forbidden by US law!
The government supports the Church of England in England and the Church of Scotland in Scotland ... Things don't seem so bad here. Of course you can cite the worst possible eventuality to try to justify petty-minded sniping, but it doesn't work.

Thorne: Just look at what the people of Texas are having to deal with, just because they have a fundamentalist governor who puts other fundamentalists onto the state school board. They have tried tossing out Evolution, in favor of literal Biblical Creationism. They have tried "editing" history to minimize the contributions of "liberal" founders (Thomas Jefferson, for one). Hell, their governor, who is not trying to become president, called for a prayer weekend to end the drought! Didn't work, of course, but that doesn't stop them.
But they don't succeed do they? Seems that even when fundamentalists have control, they have a hard time imposing their own views, then. I don't think it helps your case against Christmas.

Think it would be a bad idea for someone like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to get control of nuclear weapons? How about someone who believes in a literal interpretation of Revelations, and just can't WAIT to initiate the Second Coming, and Judgement Day!
Well, that's serious. D'you think banning Christmas will really help? Then let's do it!

Nothing phony about it! The outrage is real. The posturing is being done by the Christians who are being "persecuted" by a relative handful of atheists who actually demand evidence for their delusions.
Right.