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  • No Rockin' around this Christmas Tree

    Dec. 10, 2006 — There is a damper on Christmas cheer at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport: A rabbi's complaint led to the removal over the weekend of synthetic Christmas trees that have decorated the entrances every holiday season for the last 25 years.

    The man behind their disappearance, Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky, told a Seattle newspaper he's "appalled" that the airport officials removed the trees. His goal was not to clear out Christmas, but rather to add a celebration of Hanukah. He asked the port of Seattle, which runs the airport, to build an eight-foot menorah and hold a lighting ceremony.
    Sad world when being PC comes to this.
    Listen to KEITH AND THE GIRLsigpic

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  • #2
    Re: No Rockin' around this Christmas Tree

    Last year the City of Eugene took away all trees and holiday decorations from any public place that the city owned. People started sending Christmas cards every single day of the year to the City Manager. He still gets them every day.
    Since when is psycho a bad thing??
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    • #3
      Re: No Rockin' around this Christmas Tree

      Originally posted by alohabear View Post
      Sad world when being PC comes to this.
      The rabbi says he is "appalled" at the removal of the trees yet we read that the airport was given an ultimatum of being sued if they didn't resolve the issue by a specific time. He wanted an eight-foot menorah and lighting ceremony this year when the decorations, budget, etc. had already been done. Why couldn't he have requested that they add it next year allowing sufficient time, budgeting and planning to accommodate both trees and menorah? And, yes, dear rabbi, you acted like The Grinch.

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      • #4
        Re: No Rockin' around this Christmas Tree

        Yes, it's pretty funny that today when the Rabbi was interviewed he said he didn't want the trees removed, but he wanted an 8-foot menorah placed beside the tree. If I was the representative from the Port of Seattle, I would've told the Rabbi, "Consider that tree a Hanukkah bush as well as a Christmas tree. Its trunk can symbolize a Kwanzaa log, too."

        Some of the airline employees said they are planning to put up little Christmas trees on their ticket counters anyway.

        They used to have a huge menorah next to the Christmas tree at Westlake Center downtown, too, but this year, at the tree lighting ceremony, it wasn't there. I'm surprised the Rabbi didn't kvetch about that, too.

        Miulang
        "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

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        • #5
          Re: No Rockin' around this Christmas Tree

          I thought it was amusing how Portland got around all that hullabaloo. They have a gigantic tree in Pioneer Square each year with tons of lights on it, and activities that go on there starting after Thanksgiving and going until after Christmas. If you look in all the literature about it, they simply refer to it as "the tree". No "holiday", "Christmas", or other (apparently) trigger words, just "the tree".

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          • #6
            Re: No Rockin' around this Christmas Tree

            Hallelujah! The trees are back! And the very chagrined Rabbi is now grateful for that. Next year, Sea-Tac Airport will not only sport its Christmas trees, but it will probably also have menorahs and Kwanzaa logs.

            Fortunately, most Asian countries don't have Christmas-equivalent celebrations this time of year, otherwise, the airport would start looking like a United Nations Exhibit Hall.

            Miulang
            "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

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            • #7
              Re: No Rockin' around this Christmas Tree

              I like the quote from the man interviewed on the local news lastnight...
              "This is the Evergreen state, I don't see what the dig deal is with putting up an evergreen with some lights"
              Since when is psycho a bad thing??
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              www.supportandsurvive.org

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              • #8
                Re: No Rockin' around this Christmas Tree

                Originally posted by Miulang View Post
                Next year, Sea-Tac Airport will not only sport its Christmas trees, but it will probably also have menorahs and Kwanzaa logs.

                Miulang
                not gonna lie to you. when the celebration of hanukkah is dismissed as a lower-grade alternative to Christmas alongside with Kwanzaa every year it really grates on me.

                kwanzaa, which i can see some people being edgy about since it's not that old and was the brain child of a criminal, is not in any way on the same level as hanukkah, which is celebrated by, like 13 million people all over the world and has been for centuries.

                i'm not usually so religious NOR am i one to ever dismiss someone celebrating their culture but GAWD..... can my damn holiday get a small amount of respect sometimes.

                i was GOING to say that the rabbi didn't want the trees taken down but i guess everyone knows that now. jew fanatics that think the u.s. shouldn't celebrate christmas bug me too, in case you were wondering
                life is ok sometimes

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                • #9
                  Re: No Rockin' around this Christmas Tree

                  Since SEA TAC is such an international place I see no reason they cannot use all references.
                  But they should not be threatened with a lawsuit. It is up to the owners after all.
                  Since when is psycho a bad thing??
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                  • #10
                    Re: No Rockin' around this Christmas Tree

                    Fortunately, most Asian countries don't have Christmas-equivalent celebrations this time of year, otherwise, the airport would start looking like a United Nations Exhibit Hall.

                    Miulang
                    I flew out of India on Diwali one time. I didn't see this United Nations Exhibit Hall which you speak of

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                    • #11
                      Re: No Rockin' around this Christmas Tree

                      ...and those of us who are not affiliated with ANY religion think the fuss is so silly. You really need public symbols displayed all over, as a reflection of your private belief system? Does your faith leave you that insecure?

                      Oh, right - there's the "public funds" argument: if "public funds" are used to put up a Christmas tree, then they must be used to put up equal-time displays for any and all other religions. Hmmph - I don't like all the "public funds" that are used to wage war - holiday displays are piddly pennies compared to that.

                      Hey, I got an idea --- we've got "freedom OF religion" in this nation; how about a little "freedom FROM religion"? Keeps any and all religions out of each other's faces, doesn't waste public funds, gets government out of private lives --- there's something there for just about everyone.

                      Bah. Humbug.

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                      • #12
                        Re: No Rockin' around this Christmas Tree

                        Believe it or not, the US Supreme Court has already debated the issue of whether or not pine trees themselves are religious symbols. The decision? As long as the evergreen trees are not decorated with religious symbols (e.g., no angels or crosses), pine trees are not religious symbols.

                        Many municipalities have already issued guidelines around the use of holiday decorations that do not contain religious references. The Port of Seattle should have been able to put up the "pine trees" without having to worry about upsetting non-Christian people. Strings of lights cannot be construed as religious symbols, nor can bows. From what I could tell from pictures, the trees were only decorated with strings of lights and bows.

                        Miulang
                        "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

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                        • #13
                          Re: No Rockin' around this Christmas Tree

                          Yes, my religious sister sent me an email forward today that said two or three times "it's a CHRISTmas tree!!", but in reality the practice of using evergreens to celebrate life in the middle of winter has been going on for thousands of years, far before Christianity. My understanding is that many of the Puritans banned Christmas at first because they recognized that.

                          I like the idea of holiday trees, with the above symbology, which you can decorate with whatever symbols you want. Snowflakes and snowmen and Santa Claus, if that's your thing, or crosses and angels if that's your thing. If it's a public display, invite whoever wants to come to the table to put their own stuff on it as a celebration of diversity.

                          This just doesn't seem that hard.

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                          • #14
                            Re: No Rockin' around this Christmas Tree

                            Presently circulating among Seattle-area internet users, in one variation or another (not created by me, but I do not know the original author):
                            The Top 5 Things You Don't Know About Christmas In Seattle

                            1. Not only were the Christmas trees taken down, but a number of elves and reindeer were taken behind the airport shed and shot to death. Rudolph with his nose so bright was pretty easy to pick off.

                            2. Santa is being held on a million dollars bail in Tacoma. Something about breaking and entering. It was on "Cops" on Saturday.

                            3. Every holiday is cancelled as it will offend at least one person. What's important is that a ton of people are unhappy so one person isn't pissed. Its the American way. I have a lawsuit against Father's day because my dad died. If I can't celebrate none of you can either! Ha! Take that! Easter is out, I hate bunnies. Halloween is off, I think pumpkins offend watermelon. New Year's is out because I feel it discriminates against every year it's not celebrating, especially 1985. Actually, we're keeping Columbus Day. Why? Because it sucks so bad that everyone is actually in agreement about something. So we'd best keep it.

                            4. It never snows here on Christmas. It used to, but the city sued God to stand up for the rain and won.

                            5. Prancer has been outed by the Christian conservatives and can no longer pull Santa's sleigh tonight. In fact, the sled will be pulled by the Budweiser horses from now on, as they've declared Budweiser the most not-gay beer on earth.

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                            • #15
                              Re: No Rockin' around this Christmas Tree

                              Political Correctness is such a joke. I try to offend somebody every single day with Political INcorrectness just to keep it real.

                              Christmas is a holiday just like any other. Just so happens it has a specific reason that some don't like. I'm not religious by any means, but I love to give gifts.

                              This all plays into the "1/2 of Americans" problem that I talk about all the time.

                              Most of you know which 1/2 you are. Luckily, many of you in the "bitchy 1/2" are getting older and older, so the times will start to change in 15 years or so, and we can get back to some sense of normalcy.
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                              Energy answers are already here.

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