Starting a dark and dreary, rainy Monday morning with Starbuck's Christmas blend. I buy it every year.
The news today brings an odd story out of Seattle. Seems a rabbi complained to the SeaTac airport officials about the Christmas trees on display inside the building. He wanted a menorah displayed, too and informed the officials that he was lawyered up and ready to go if his demand wasn't met.
Mind you, this is just one person complaining.
The airport officials decide to simply remove all eight of the decorated trees instead of putting up a menorah or dealing with the rabbi through the legal system. Bah humbug.
Now the rabbi is quoted in the newspaper this morning that he is "appalled" by the airport's decision. What's to be appalled about? If all he wanted was equal space for his religion's symbol, he got it. Neither symbols will be there. The trees, by the way, were very simply decorated with red ribbons and bows, it's not as if crosses and creches were on display.
A Christmas tree is not a religious symbol. A menorah is a religious symbol. The Christmas tree began as a pagan symbol and is used as a seasonal reference today. Christmas day is a federal holiday, put into law by our government. More than 90% of Americans say they celebrate Christmas.
So, congrats, Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky. For trying to take advantage of political correctness in today's society and complaining about trees with ribbons on them, you stole the holiday decorations from travelers this holiday season.
You also denied yourself the attention through publicity in the tv interviews, had your case begun the legal process. I suspect that was your goal all along.
Another strange story comes out of England about the fact that when Princess Diana was killed in the automobile crash, she was under surveillance by American intelligence without permission from the British government. She had a relationship with an American billionaire, Teddy Forstmann, at the time and intelligence reports alerted the British intelligence agency that her safety and her sons' safety could not be guaranteed during a planned visit to the States.
Diana's telephones were bugged, allegedly, by the CIA. President Clinton was in the White House then. She went on to vacation with Dodi Fayad instead and the rest is history.
Interesting.
3 comments:
When this is what the world is coming to because of the political correctness gone amok...well, it's just to sad and disgusting for words.
Bah humbug.
This isn't political correctness; it is much more insidious than that. It is the ACLU and others trying to push Christ out of our society completely... this IS leading to the loss of our freedom to practice our religious faith. If or more precisely, when that day comes, America will be no more.
The follow-up story to the rabbi is that he asked back in October the airport if they could put up a menorah as well. He asked three different times. The airport didn't respond.
It's unclear if the rabbi got a lawyer to make one last request or if there was a threat of a suit. The airport responded by taking down the trees.
December has many holidays besides Christmas. There's Chanukah, kwanze, and even pagans have a holiday this month.
In short, the rabbi DID NOT ask for the trees to be taken down. He merely asked that a menorah be put up.
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