Christmas Tree removed in Seattle

[basas]

And the war on Christmas continues...

SEATAC, Wash. — There will be no more Christmas trees at Sea-Tac Airport this season after the Port of Seattle received at least one complaint about them.

For more than 25 years, the airport has celebrated the holidays with Christmas trees over its entrances. But overnight, the Port of Seattle ordered all 15 trees removed.

The Port allowed "holiday" decorations to remain but decided to take down all the Christmas trees after a Seattle rabbi complained they were offensive.

The Port of Seattle says it had little choice. It says the Seattle rabbi with the Central Organization for Jewish Learning hired a lawyer and threatened to sue if the airport did not erect an eight-foot menorah to balance the message of the Christmas trees.

An airport spokeswoman says the two sides could not reach an agreement before the lawsuit was to be filed. So the trees were removed instead.

KOMO-TV reported that upset airport workers have started a campaign urging people to call the Port of Seattle to complain.


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,235737,00.html

Absolutely ridiculous.

 

[goofy's friends]

This kind of pettiness drives me crazy. It's a TREE, not statement of faith or baby Jesus. There is no reason for this!!!!!!!!!

I can't imagine why a rabbi would be upset by this or why the airport couldn't put up his symbol somewhere. One extra complaint and they cave to the minority.

 

[yeartolate]

FOr the love Santa Clause.

First of all,it is a Chrismas tree, not a religious artifact.

Second al all,why not the menorah?

Both sides need to get a grip, big time.

 

[ZPT1022]

This is just ludicrous. As a Catholic I obviously can't speak for all Jewish people but a very dear childhood friend is Jewish and she and I have talked about this. She says she likes seeing all the lights and trees and decorations. While it may not mean anything to her in a religious sense, she still can appreciate the beauty and festivity. She's actually told me that she ENJOYS it all. I used to go out of my way to buy her a card that said "holiday" or "hannukah" but she said not to bother- that she enjoyed seeing the Christmas ones too, and that she understood that what was most important was the well wishes behind it and not the religious subtext. I wish everyone could be so understanding of different religions. This freaking out that people like to do really does little to help. Ugh.

 

[Miss Jasmine]

I wonder why they couldn't just put up the Mennorah?

I know Sea-Tac officials didn't want to start down the slippery slope, but I don't know what is so scary about that. You all can say that a tree does not represent the religious side of Christmas, but that is what the Christmas Tree is most associated with (unless you want to call it a holiday tree ).

I found this quite ironic, because as staff where I work was running around putting up trees, I inquired as to where the menorrah was. I was looked at like . Then they pointed out the piddly one on the receptionist's front desk that no one will even notice and not in the public areas.

I bet my executive director is going to be extra paranoid about my comment now.

I do think Sea-Tac over reacted.

 

[Disneyland1084]

What a bunch of bull crap.

 

[disykat]

Do you know how many Jewish people there are in Seattle by percentage? I'd rather they take down the trees than spend a bunch of money on an 8 foot tall Menorah to placate a vocal minority. (And I'm guessing a very small minority of the minority at that, I really doubt that very many people of the Jewish faith are bothered by this)

I think it is reasonable to more commonly see symbols of holidays that are being celebrated by lots of people in whatever region you are in.

 

[jfulcer]

I read another article about this from someone at the airport that said that if they put one display up because someone of a particular religion wanted a display they would have to do it for everyone. I can't find where I read it, but it went along the lines of "We're in the business of being an airport, not a cultural display of religions."

I kinda agree that it's silly, but the rabbi got a lawyer and was sueing. I think someone should get a lawyer and sue the rabbi for getting a lawyer to sue the airport. Then someone could get another lawyer, and sue the guy that's sueing the rabbi.

We could ever fit another lawyer in the room and sue the guy that's sueing the guy that's sueing the rabbi that's sueing the airport. sheesh, what a lawyer happy country we have.

 

[Stepharoonie!]

What a bunch of bull crap.

 

[JadenLayne]

Thats absolute bull! Stupid!!!!

 

[yeartolate]

Do you know how many Jewish people there are in Seattle by percentage? I'd rather they take down the trees than spend a bunch of money on an 8 foot tall Menorah to placate a vocal minority. (And I'm guessing a very small minority of the minority at that, I really doubt that very many people of the Jewish faith are bothered by this)

I think it is reasonable to more commonly see symbols of holidays that are being celebrated by lots of people in whatever region you are in.

I read a website that stated the populateion for Seatle is (year 2000) 563,000. Another website puts the 2000 Jewish population to be 37000 in the year 2000.

One menorrha to 15 Christmas trees sounds like a fair trade.

But again, bith sides need to get a grip.

 

[jfulcer]

Found my link:

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/12/10/airport.christmas.trees.ap/index.html

The holidays are the busiest season at the airport, Betancourt said, and staff didn't have time to play cultural anthropologists.

 

[RangerPooh]

This is ridiculous! A tree is a tree. I personally don't think that there is anything wrong with a tree that is decorated in a way that is considered neutral. It's sad that after 25 years of display SEA-TAC has to take some of their decorations down. If they lasted this long then obviously they weren't too offensive to people. It just seems like someone wanted to pick an issue. Please don't flame me for this but it just seems petty to ask that they be removed.

 

[Free4Life11]

Someone's a grinch this year!

 

[jfulcer]

This is ridiculous! A tree is a tree. I personally don't think that there is anything wrong with a tree that is decorated in a way that is considered neutral. It's sad that after 25 years of display SEA-TAC has to take some of their decorations down. If they lasted this long then obviously they weren't too offensive to people. It just seems like someone wanted to pick an issue. Please don't flame me for this but it just seems petty to ask that they be removed.

They weren't asked to remove them. When the Rabbi lawyered up, they figured it was either put up displays for ALL religions or none at all. You know the result.

 

[jfulcer]

Someone's a grinch this year!

From my CNN linked article:

"They've darkened the hall instead of turning the lights up," said Bogomilsky's lawyer, Harvey Grad. "There is a concern here that the Jewish community will be portrayed as the Grinch."

Then maybe the Jewish community should have thought of that before signing up a lawyer.

 

[Miss Jasmine]

From my CNN linked article:



Then maybe the Jewish community should have thought of that before signing up a lawyer.

It was ONE Rabbi, not the entire Jewish community. Goodness how these things get out of hand.

We are a country of many diverse cultures and religions and yet these days no one seems accepting of each other (I am talking about ALL sides here).

 

[jfulcer]

It was ONE Rabbi, not the entire Jewish community. Goodness how these things get out of hand.

I was quoting the Rabbi's spokesperson that said it was the 'entire Jewish Community' that would be make out to be a Grinch.

I realize it was just one, and he was probably more interested in equal time, but I am on the side of the airport on this one - I can only imagine how many religious displays they might need to keep up with.

 

[goofy's friends]

"religious symbols", I agree, should be displayed equally. A TREE, though, I believe most think of as a symbol of the holiday times, not promoting Christianity.

 

[Miss Jasmine]

I was quoting the Rabbi's spokesperson that said it was the 'entire Jewish Community' that would be make out to be a Grinch.

I realize it was just one, and he was probably more interested in equal time, but I am on the side of the airport on this one - I can only imagine how many religious displays they might need to keep up with.

The spokesperson said that because the entire Jewish Community will probably get blamed because of the actions of one person.

I don't side with the airport because I don't think they should have given in on just a threat of a lawsuit, and I don't agree with the Rabbi hiring a lawyer and putting pressure on the airport.

However, I do think it's time to realize that Christmas is not the only winter holiday/celebration.

"religious symbols", I agree, should be displayed equally. A TREE, though, I believe most think of as a symbol of the holiday times, not promoting Christianity.

But not everyone incorporates a tree into their holiday celebrations. And I guess it would be okay to call it a holiday tree then.

Personally I would like a Festivus pole displayed in our local airport.