Posted on 11/26/2005 12:00:04 PM PST by pissant
ENCINITAS – Three community groups and members of a Jewish temple are boycotting this year's holiday parade because the city reverted to a name that they said discriminates against non-Christian religions: the Christmas Parade.
Mayor Dan Dalager said he used his prerogative as mayor to ask staff members to change the name.
"Some years ago, someone in their bureaucratic wiseness decided to change the name to Holiday Parade. I just changed it back to its historically correct name," he said. "It's no big deal.
"There is a Christian holiday called Christmas that is celebrated in churches, and there is a Christian holiday called Christmas that is about Santa Claus and reindeer and snowmen and getting together with family and friends and having parades and all this stuff," Dalager said. "We are celebrating the American holiday called Christmas."
He said he will not change the name back.
The annual parade along South Coast Highway 101, the city's main drag, will be held Dec. 3 starting at 5:30 p.m.
Critics of the name change said the city is turning back the clock on religious and cultural tolerance at a time when many organizations have changed their Christmas celebrations to religion-neutral names, such as December Nights at Balboa Park instead of Christmas on the Prado.
They said the city should not favor a religion when it spends $4,000 to organize the parade, and they are trying to figure out how to change the name back to Holiday Parade.
"It is the ignorance that bothers me, the philosophy, the desire to exclude people, whether intentional or not," said Olivenhain resident Nan Sterman, who is Jewish.
Three community groups that had participated in previous parades have pulled out or indicated they will not take part this year because of the name change, said Chris Hazeltine, the city's parks and recreation director.
They are Leucadia Town Council, Bernese Mountain Dog Club of Southern California and Girl Scouts Seacoast Service Unit in Encinitas.
Rabbi David Frank of Temple Solel said many of the 800 households in his congregation will not attend.
"It makes it very difficult, obviously, to participate in this specifically Christian observance," Frank said.
Hazeltine said the mayor changed the parade's name at the beginning of this year when the city began planning its events.
Some critics accused Dalager of soliciting the support of two other council members in secret to switch from the Holiday Parade, violating the "Ralph M., Brown Act," which deems illegal any secret meetings among a majority of a legislative body.
Dalager denied the allegations and said he acted alone.
The number of community organizations applying to participate this year has dropped from last year's 95 to 82, Hazeltine said.
Last year's event attracted 30,000 spectators, city officials said.
Jennifer Zaayer, vice president of Bernese Mountain Dog Club of Southern California, said participating in the event would be taking a step backward.
"This reeks of a political time when people have their own agendas," she said. "I was shocked it was changed without being on the agenda for public comment."
Good Story PING
Sorry, I never go to movies. But if s/he is good looking, unfortunately, NO! Handsome appearance is not among my assets.
That's all right, handsome is as handsome does!
It's a she. Think Bond girl and you'll have it. LOL.
So its probably a GOOD thing you don't look like Christmas Jones. ;o)
The end result is that no one believes in anything.
Pople who don't believe in anything, who are not united in any common faiths or creeds, are worse than sheep being led to the slaughter.
Gosh, silly me thinking that Christmas was about the birth of the Son of God incarnate.
I'm sorry, but if "Christmas" is about reindeer and Santa Claus - are reindeer even native to the U.S.? - then it might as will be Winter Solstice or Festivus.
Good for him!
He's allowing that some people celebrate it in a secular way. He preceeded that comment that it is celebrated in the churches as well.
Yep!
I yam what I yam and that's what I yam.
:-)
I don't see why not. Compared to what the city *could* be doing with my tax money, holiday parades of any kind are terrific!
Will you promise to have the Hannukah parade sometime around the date of Hannukah, instead of in a whole other month? My town is having the Christmas parade tomorrow, and I'm having nothing to do with it, when Christmas is a month away.
Oh, I see. My hasty reading. I still think they should change the name of the reindeer-and-snowman holiday ... truth in advertising.
If you get the government to declare Hanukkah a recognized, national holiday then I will be happy if cities and states and towns spend money on that parade. Heck, even if it's a local holiday, then let them spend money on it. You are in a predominantly Christian country. And many moons ago they determined that Christmas would be a holiday. 90% of the people here celebrate it. And if you took a vote if they wanted to continue or discontinue the Christmas parade, I'm guessing that 90% would want to continue spending on it.
That being said, Happy Hanukkah!
Of course, they have more than two brain cells working, unlike the Rabbi in this article.
but what good is a parade without Bernese Mountain dogs?
Personally, I don't think any parades should be subsidized by tax money. With lower taxes, private groups and individuals would pony up to cover the cost. But since it is apparently covered by the town, I don't see why not, if there enough Jewish citizens to have a similar turnout.
Or why not call it a "Christmas and Hanukkah Parade"?
Me neither!
As an Orthodox Jew, I am sick an tired of marginal Jews pissing off Gentiles in the name of "Judaism".
The vast majority of Jewish Jews don't try to erase Christmas. It is secularists _Jew and Gentile that do it . Unfortunatley when gentiles do they don't pretend they are doing it for religious reasons - they usually admit they are secular.
Unfortunately Jewish libs like that pseudo rabbi end up alienating philo semites with their crap.
Reform Rabbis are not rabbis.
they know less Torah than high school Yeshiva students , and since high school Yeshiva students are not rabbis neither are those whores.
Bravo!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.