Some of you might recall that Washington State banned the holiday displays for this year at the capitol (but the tree stays). So the Freedom From Religion Foundation has decided to go with some pretty bold billboards on Seattle buses.

Obviously, the “Yes, Virginia” reference is a play on the famous question posed by 8-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon in 1897 to the New York Sun newspaper: “Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, ‘If you see it in THE SUN it’s so.’ Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?”

The rest is history. In an unsigned editorial, the Sun’s Francis P. Church (ouch!) wrote his “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus” line, along with, “Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies!”

I'm not really sure I like this approach. Although I don't disagree with the sign's statement, at all. I not so sure about the smug absolute claim, and thus the how it will be received. As Hemant points out: "Make no mistake: This isn’t a bus ad designed to reach out to other atheists. It is just a fundraising and publicity tool for FFRF. I’m sure they’ll get some good media coverage out of this."