Thanks to Pastor Dan at the Street Prophets blog for this update on the “War of Christmas” propaganda.

As it turns out, the entire story of the school banning “Silent Night” is bogus.

Well, the school has turned the tables against the “Liberty” Counsel, the conservative group who appeared on Fox news threatening to sue the school.

Wisconsin State Journal, “Dodgeville district firing back over Christmas controversy,” Jan. 25th

The Dodgeville School District, accused in December of launching an “attack on Christmas,” has counterattacked the accusers.

In a sharply worded letter from its lawyer, the district this week demanded a widely distributed apology, a retraction of claims the school’s policies are “hostile” to the U.S. Constitution, and $23,899.48 in damages from the Liberty Counsel. The Florida-based group grabbed national publicity and solicited donations based on its charge that a Dodgeville elementary school had “decided to eliminate Christmas from the Christmas season.”

The district and media debunked the charge and the program went on, holiday-appropriate music and all, but under strict security.

The group threatened lawsuits and ignored the truth even after the school posted on its Web site an explanation of its program, the district charged in a letter to Liberty Counsel.

“Your dissemination of false and misleading information and your threats of specious and frivolous litigation resulted in enormous cost to the district. You have yet to present the facts either through a press release, one of your ‘alerts’ or through any other means. You used this red herring to attempt to collect money through the form of donations,” the district’s lawyer, Eileen A. Brownlee, wrote in a letter to Mathew D. Staver, president of the Liberty Counsel.
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Contrary to Liberty Counsel’s information in a string of press releases, “From the beginning,” wrote Messer to the group Dec. 13, “the program has included the singing of religious songs with their original lyrics. Yes, ‘Silent Night’ will be sung. ‘Cold in the Night’ will not be sung.” Instead, that song was narrated.

Messer, in an interview Wednesday, said Liberty Counsel exploited incorrect information for a publicity advantage, disregarding the truth.

In one press release, Staver said the school district “intentionally mocks Christian Christmas songs.”
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“I am surprised that he has chosen this approach, since he is representing a Christian organization that certainly would uphold the Ten Commandments. He is not honoring the commandment that thou shalt not bear false witness.”
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The group describes itself as a “national public interest law firm specializing in constitutional law, particularly free speech, religious freedom and church-state matters.” The group, registered in Wisconsin as a tax-exempt charitable organization, is also active in legal battles against gay marriage and abortion.
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The bill, described by Messer as ” compensation for damages on behalf of our taxpayers,” includes $20,376.43 in compensation costs for 469.5 hours put in by district staff, $2,539.65 for law enforcement, $407.40 for buses and $576 for lawyer fees.
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“I would like to believe that given their Christian basis, that somebody there would realize that right is right. And since they used their actions as part of their fundraising campaign, certainly something should be forthcoming. If nothing more than a token of compensation for what they unfairly subjected us to.”

She said that she hopes “next year, if this group continues to wage their ‘War on Christmas’ publicity campaign, they will research first to understand the facts of whatever the issues are at the next location. This might prevent someone else from becoming a victim of their bullying tactics.”

Media Matters was on to it:

On CBS’ Late Show with David Letterman, Bill O’Reilly resurrected his false claim that a Wisconsin elementary school banned the singing of the Christmas hymn “Silent Night,” erroneously attributing the school’s changed lyrics to political correctness. In fact, the new lyrics were merely part of a 1988 Christmas play called The Little Tree’s Christmas Gift. Later in the interview, Letterman admonished O’Reilly, asserting, “I have the feeling about 60 percent of what you say is crap.”

See the Letterman O’Reilly video. (Thanks J)