Posted on 11/26/2005 12:00:04 PM PST by pissant
ENCINITAS Three community groups and members of a Jewish temple are boycotting this year's holiday parade because the city reverted to a name that they said discriminates against non-Christian religions: the Christmas Parade.
Mayor Dan Dalager said he used his prerogative as mayor to ask staff members to change the name.
"Some years ago, someone in their bureaucratic wiseness decided to change the name to Holiday Parade. I just changed it back to its historically correct name," he said. "It's no big deal.
"There is a Christian holiday called Christmas that is celebrated in churches, and there is a Christian holiday called Christmas that is about Santa Claus and reindeer and snowmen and getting together with family and friends and having parades and all this stuff," Dalager said. "We are celebrating the American holiday called Christmas."
He said he will not change the name back.
The annual parade along South Coast Highway 101, the city's main drag, will be held Dec. 3 starting at 5:30 p.m.
Critics of the name change said the city is turning back the clock on religious and cultural tolerance at a time when many organizations have changed their Christmas celebrations to religion-neutral names, such as December Nights at Balboa Park instead of Christmas on the Prado.
They said the city should not favor a religion when it spends $4,000 to organize the parade, and they are trying to figure out how to change the name back to Holiday Parade.
"It is the ignorance that bothers me, the philosophy, the desire to exclude people, whether intentional or not," said Olivenhain resident Nan Sterman, who is Jewish.
Three community groups that had participated in previous parades have pulled out or indicated they will not take part this year because of the name change, said Chris Hazeltine, the city's parks and recreation director.
They are Leucadia Town Council, Bernese Mountain Dog Club of Southern California and Girl Scouts Seacoast Service Unit in Encinitas.
Rabbi David Frank of Temple Solel said many of the 800 households in his congregation will not attend.
"It makes it very difficult, obviously, to participate in this specifically Christian observance," Frank said.
Hazeltine said the mayor changed the parade's name at the beginning of this year when the city began planning its events.
Some critics accused Dalager of soliciting the support of two other council members in secret to switch from the Holiday Parade, violating the "Ralph M., Brown Act," which deems illegal any secret meetings among a majority of a legislative body.
Dalager denied the allegations and said he acted alone.
The number of community organizations applying to participate this year has dropped from last year's 95 to 82, Hazeltine said.
Last year's event attracted 30,000 spectators, city officials said.
Jennifer Zaayer, vice president of Bernese Mountain Dog Club of Southern California, said participating in the event would be taking a step backward.
"This reeks of a political time when people have their own agendas," she said. "I was shocked it was changed without being on the agenda for public comment."
Good question, and one that needs to be addressed on that basis. I'd gladly help fund a Hanukkah parade, or a joint parade, if that is preferable to public funding. There's also the question whether such parades and other public functions should be purely secular and free of any spiritual overtones. If it's a matter of whether or not we can freely express our faith without restrictions as to time, place or manner, then I say - let's celebrate our separate and mutual heritage of faith!
Only because high officials in the early few centuries of the Church used the event to try to counter a pagan celebration given at the same time.
You want to celebrate Christ's birthday? Do it in September.
But in "fighting back" sometimes we go to far.
Gee I've even sent out cards saying Happy Holidays (as well as Merry Christmas). Always thought that got in News Years. Is that ok?
A city is a public entity sponsored by taxpayers. If the city is putting on the parade it should be open to others like Jews, if they want to participate. Unfortunately, Christains are not the only ones who have a holiday at the end of the year. Besides, Santa Claus, Christmas Trees, and shopping don't seem very religious to me.
So what's wrong with a holiday season parade. I don't care if you end it with Santa and the baby New Year. It's taxpayer money and if it's one religious holiday being celebrated at the exclusion of others, as this mayor seems to be doing, then it seems wrong to me.
Merry Christmas Is NOT Offensive: Rabbi Urges Respect For Christian Holiday Alert
"Hey Rabbi! Come on out to the Christmas Parade and have a good time. If you guys want to have your own parade, I'll come on down and enjoy it too."
Ditto, well said!
-- Joe
Logically, one would think that the "community groups" and the Jewish groups would object to the holiday of Christmas as well. Since they obviously don't, why would they try to hijack a parade? Some people just can't be happy unless they are a stick in the mud. A High Five to the mayor for telling them go pound sand through his act.
That's a hell of a boycott there!
That's why civil rights laws need to be changed so people like Newdow have to pay for their lawsuits of adventure themselves instead of taxpayers.
No, Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus whether it is celebrated on Dec25, September, or the 4th of July. That canard about the pagan festival is irellevant (unless the churches decide to start venerating pagan gods on the 25th of course).
As a Jew I say that "Rabbi" Frank is a bigoted schmuck. Why can't he participate? God forbid he have a Channukah Parade later on. If he did he would be surprised to find how many Christian neighbors would come out to support it. I am willing to bet $1,000 that this jerk is a so-called Rabbi of a Reform congregation. Once again we see the Deformed "Jews" fomenting conflict with Christians. These left-wing JINOs have really gone too far.
So,people can go see the parade in peace without all those creeps.
And that has absolutely WHAT to do with Jesus Christ and his birthday?
I've concluded that those awake each morning and seek out a reason to be offended before their feet ever touch the ground are victims of a personality disorder. Being offended raises their self-esteem, evidences their intellectual and spiritual superiority, and gives them power to dictate the thoughts and behaviors of those among us who are less enlightened.
Fie on them...
Hmmm! Back when I was single I once had a blind date with a bernese mountain dog. Who'da thunk there was a bunch of them, and they have a club?
Inane political correctness run totally amuck.
The Sammamish High School drill team marches down Fourth Avenue in downtown
Seattle during the annual Bon-Macy's post-Thanksgiving Day Parade. The parade
features balloon floats and inflatables, area bands and 400 costumed characters.
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