Airport's trees stoking "war on Christmas". (SEATAC Update)

Seattle Times ^ | 12-11-06 | Stuart Eskenazi

[NavyCanDo]

The departure of Christmas tree displays at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport — the Port of Seattle's response to a local rabbi's insistence that an electric menorah also be put up — is accelerating into an international spectacle in the so-called "war on Christmas."

And that is not what Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky wanted.

"I am devastated, shocked and appalled at the decision that the Port of Seattle came to," he said Sunday. As news coverage about the airport's trees spread from CNN to ABC to the Paris-based International Herald Tribune, Bogomilsky on Sunday began to receive hateful messages from people holding him responsible for the removal of the trees.

[Steve_Seattle]

"It's a tradition that came later but it's called a Christmas Tree for a reason. Because it's a symbol of Christmas."

It's called a Christmas tree because people put it up at about Christmas time, including many people who aren't Christians or who don't believe the Biblical account of birth of Jesus is based on historical fact.

But there is no particular religious symbolism involved in a Christmas tree, no more than there is in candy canes, reindeer, snowflakes, snowmen, mistletoe, and many of the other decorations that are put up at this time. Christmas is a unique holiday in America because it is simultaneously religious and secular, with the religious aspect predating the secular accretions.

Virtually all levels of government treat it as a paid holiday despite its religious significance. Some people object to calling them "holiday" trees because they think it is a PC attempt to entirely remove the religious connotations of the holiday. A Christmas tree is a multivalent symbol, and calling it a "holiday" tree is an attempt to reduce it to one of its aspects. But, again, there is nothing INTRINSICALLY Christian about a Christmas tree, which is why the symbol has so easily been secularized.

[Mamzelle]

Say, who's this Mitchell Stein mentioned in the article? He basically verified that indeed there was a lawsuit threatened.

[Alouette]

What is your freaking problem?

The Talmud is simply a compendium of discussions and commentary on the laws of the Torah, laws I might add, that were observed by Jesus during his lifetime.

There is nothing "evil" or "perverted" about discussing G-D's commandments and how to keep them.

Jews who study the Talmud in order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of Holy Scripture, what exactly are they doing that makes them so obscenely evil in your eyes? Are they going around beheading people? Killing their own sisters for "honor"? Raping 6-year-olds? Exactly what harm are they inflicting on you personally and on the rest of the world generally?

[Alouette]

they are hated and persecued by talmudic jews and treated as a disease and cancer

What does that mean?

Are they murdered? Tortured? Raped? Forced to listen to Jackie Mason monologues?

How, exactly, are they suffering?

[Alouette]

I can't keep up with all these threads. Damn you, Kyle!

[swarthyguy]

Local Imam says "inshallah" over Rabbi's threatened lawsuit.

[Vicki]

I agree with you, I don't think he was prepared for the backlash. People were just beginning to think we had turned the corner on the war on Christmas and then this. Bring back the Christmas trees!

[Mamzelle]

Attorney Harvey Grad is a Democrat donor.

[TaraP]

We should have this picture displayed at the Airport.

[nkycincinnatikid]

"and I think its gonna be a long ,long time... till touchdown brings him round again to find... He's a rocketman, rocketman! la la la

[Nachum]

Exactly what harm are they inflicting on you personally and on the rest of the world generally?

They exist.

[Alouette]

Attorney Harvey Grad is a Democrat donor.

Well, there you go. Take him out and shoot him!

[steamroller]

i was raised jewish,and today i was in a shop that is owned and largely patronized by jewish people because they sell a lot of traditional foods for the holidays-the consensus(unanimous)was basically this:some people don't know when to shut up and whatever this rabbi's motive ,threatening a lawsuit was going to piss off a lot of people for no good reason-if this rabbi is connected with the aclu then he should be ashamed of himself for that alone-i don't know what good can come of any small segment of the population being perceived as trying to intimidate the majority-i saw him on tv and instinctively dislaiked him-his lawyer came across as a scumbag,plain and simple-i'm sick and tired of the yearly war at the holiday season-we can largely thank the aclu for this

[steamroller]

i was raised jewish,and today i was in a shop that is owned and largely patronized by jewish people because they sell a lot of traditional foods for the holidays-the consensus(unanimous)was basically this:some people don't know when to shut up and whatever this rabbi's motive ,threatening a lawsuit was going to piss off a lot of people for no good reason-if this rabbi is connected with the aclu then he should be ashamed of himself for that alone-i don't know what good can come of any small segment of the population being perceived as trying to intimidate the majority-i saw him on tv and instinctively dislaiked him-his lawyer came across as a scumbag,plain and simple-i'm sick and tired of the yearly war at the holiday season-we can largely thank the aclu for this

[msz]

Look what happens when people do not think - both the Rabbi and the airport drones - nonsense.
What if we have Abe Lincoln's day and never mention the Emancipation Proclamation, Gettysburg Address or show pictures of Honest Abe. He'd roll in his grave as he is with the ANTI-AMERICAN decision SEATAC has made.
Boycott SEATAC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Not A Snowbird]

I think we all need to cancel our flights in and out of Seattle.

Nah, I'm not going to punish Alaska Airlines because the Port of Seattle called the rabbi's bluff.

I'm flying home to Sea-Tac on Friday, and if I see a comment box anywhere I'll make it known that I'm disappointed in their decision.

[Salvation]

**if I see a comment box anywhere I'll make it known that I'm disappointed in their decision.**

Sounds good to me.

[toddlintown]

I thought he was at Radio PUTZ AM?

[Mamzelle]

re: if this rabbi is connected with the aclu then he should be ashamed of himself)))

I've been looking and so far I haven't found anything. His lawyer donates modestly to Democrats, but I don't think he's a civil rights lawyer, which may explain a lot.

I think this boils down to a boneheaded attempt to hold Christmas trees hostage for the right to have a menorah ceremony. And, like a previous poster said, the airport called their bluff.

But it is interesting to watch the supporters of this guy try to finger the airport for blame. The admin of the airport did the smart thing, and left the litigious would-be bullies holding the bag.

And it's rather disgusting that this Rabbi dares to call on the airport for an apology for reacting cannily to the threatened lawsuit. The louder he fusses, the more we notice him.

[djf]

Spin control.

Then there's this thread:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1752025/posts

So if the trees don't go back up, we'll hear over and over "Well, we tried to get them back up... We had a petition..."

But if the trees do go back up you can bet there will be a Menorah as well, which will mean the Rabbis 2by4 approach worked.