Posted on 12/15/2006 12:07:41 PM PST by meg88
By Dan Whitcomb | December 14, 2006
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Olympic figure skater Sasha Cohen was "stunned" to learn that a U.S. high school choir had been ordered to stop singing Christmas carols at a holiday show because she is half-Jewish, her mother said on Thursday.
Article Tools Printer friendly E-mail to a friend Other sports RSS feed Available RSS feeds Most e-mailed Share on Facebook Save this article powered by Del.icio.us More: Sports section | Latest sports news | Globe front page | Boston.com Sign up for: Globe Headlines e-mail | Breaking News Alerts A city official accompanied by a police officer caused a stir by silencing the carols on Tuesday night as Cohen signed autographs after a performance in Riverside, California.
Riverside Mayor Ron Loveridge has since apologized to the student choir, the Rubidoux High School Madrigals.
To some, the incident appeared an example of excessive political correctness in the United States over the celebration of Christmas -- which some conservative commentators have characterized as a "war on Christmas.'
Cohen, who is half-Christian and "celebrates everything" during the holidays, learned only through news reports that the choir had been cut off on her account, the 22-year-old skater's mother and manager said.
"Sasha was stunned. We both thought the voices were just lovely, they were doing such a wonderful job," Galina Cohen told Reuters. "Christmas carols are part of celebrating the holiday season."
The Riverside Press-Enterprise newspaper reported that the Madrigals had just launched into "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" when a city special-events employee told them to stop singing.
Cohen's mother said the 2006 Olympic silver medalist and U.S. National Champion had taken part in Christmas tree lighting ceremonies at New York's Rockefeller Center and in California.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
Or, of course, Helen Thomas....
This city official should be arrested for violating the first amendment rights of the majority.People like him belong in camps!
Good for her. I like her, even though I don't know who she is.
Now why was the officer there? What law was being broken? Are the frogs feeling a bit warm yet?
{:0)
"Some" -- Reuters-think on display implying only a few lunatic right-wing religious zealots are offended by the destruction of our major religious holiday by the PC police. More accurately "To 85% of Americans, the incident appeared..."
The word you want is "polypragmonocracy" - government by busybodies.
She's a semi-shiksa!
LOL
S Cohen?
LOL
How tall is she?
God people stop being so myopic...she is talking bout her parents..one is christan the other jewish..she considers herself both and thinks in terms as both..
Have I ever mentioned I liked female figure skating?
:)
OUCH!!!
Is she still a minor?
5'1 or so...
she's not that tall...
Could someone do an extreme makeover on this picture???? We all know it by heart now...please make a kinder, gentler, pic for this beauty impaired journalista to save our health and our souls. (Yes, I feel I've been to hell and back everytime it gets posted)
LOL
Half-Christian?? Christian is not an ethnicity.
>>plus, the real words are "God Rest Ye Jerry Mandelbaum"
Now you've done it! Got me started...
God rest you Jerry Mendelbaum
Let nothing you dismay
Dis May you had a rotten month
So what is there to say?
Let's hope next May is better
And good things will come your way
And you won't have a feeling of dismay
Next May.
---Allan Sherman
(Don't blame me, it's for the chilllldren.)
LOL
Ya don't have to lie my man :)
I was able to do something close to that when I was still in high school. Wrestling did wonders for flexibility.
I wouldn't even try it now.
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