The Georgia sheriff who made waves by putting up a “politically incorrect” sign telling people to leave if they are offended by the phrase “Merry Christmas” is now using the county website to sell T-shirts with the same message, leaving one atheist group saying it will likely sue.
Harris County Sheriff Mike Jolley originally angered many by putting a sign outside his department, though he paid for it with his own money. It says “Welcome to Harris County, Georgia! WARNING: Harris County is politically incorrect. We say: Merry Christmas, God Bless America and In God We Trust; we salute our troops and our flag. If this offends you…LEAVE!”
The T-Shirts have the same message followed by “-Sheriff Jolley” as an attribution. They range from $12-19 plus shipping on the site, which has a message saying “100% of the profits from the sale of these shirts will be donated to Sheriff Jolley’s favorite charities, Georgia Sheriff’s Youth Homes and Ride for Miracle Fund.”
The separation of church and state group, American Humanist Association (AHA), responded by sending a letter demanding the sign be taken down. It is also calling for the shirts not to be sold on a government site.
“It is clearly intended to send a signal to non Christians and atheists that they are not welcome in this county,” AHA legal counsel Monica Miller tells The Daily Caller News Foundation. “That’s actually denigrating others because of their convictions or their beliefs.”
The sheriff did not respond to request for comment. Miller says she is not calling for the sheriff’s resignation, only that he take down the sign and the webpage selling shirts.
“What he’s doing is strongly suggesting that he is unable to be impartial as a government official,” Miller tells TheDCNF.
A local store in Hamilton, Ga., is also selling the T-Shirts and advertised them in a Facebook post with the hashtag #supportsheriffjolley.
Boutique on the Square Facebook post advertising Harris County Sheriff Mike Jolley’s T-shirts
“I spent 20 years in the army to give everyone the right to disagree with me or anyone else,” Jolley tells Fox News. “Hopefully, if they disagree, they can voice that opinion. But if it offends them, truly offends them, maybe they’re in the wrong country.”
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