Posted on 12/09/2006 7:45:53 PM PST by XR7
SEA-TAC Airport - All of the Christmas trees inside the terminal at Sea-Tac have been removed in response to a complaint by a rabbi.A local rabbi wanted to install an 8-foot menorah and have a public lighting ceremony. He threatened to sue if the menorah wasn’t put up, and gave a two-day deadline to remove the trees.
Sea-Tac public affairs manager Terri-Ann Betancourt said the trees that adorn the Sea-Tac upper and lower levels may not properly represent all cultures.
She said that since this is their busiest time of year and they don't have time to add a fair representation of all cultures, her department decided to take down all of the decorations, review their policies, and decide if they need to make a change for next year.
"You know, our focus is on customer service, getting our passengers through the airport, and we thought if we could take the trees down and avoid litigation because we don't want to littigate with this individual, we want to reach some kind of solution," Betancourt said. "But that is going to take some thoughtful discussion and we would like to have time to have that thoughtful discussion."
Until then, no Christmas decor at Sea-Tac.
The same decorations have been put up for at least 10 years, she added.
Oh, puke already!
So they took down everything because of ONE complaint from one whackjob.
What a coward. So easily bullied by anti-christian bigotry when you could easily say "Hey, Rabbi, it's a HOLIDAY tree and this is a HOLIDAY season and it for EVERYONE" but no, the ACLU gets a psudo victory in the form of a hate filled anti-Christian bigot.
Well the POS did threaten to sue, you know ....
We have to find out who he is.
That 'whackjob' you refer to was probably an ACLU member. Not all rabbis strive for Old Testament righteousness. Seems like this one had a different agenda. A real fine 'teacher' indeed.
Wonder how much a friend of Israel he really is, while I'm questioning his spiritual bona fides....
There is another thread running on this. The guy who threatened to sue is a Jewish rabbi.
So where are the Season's Holiday Greeters threatening to sue? Countersuits are the only solution in these cases.
Well, we may have to get used to this for some time.
There is no place to go, really; we live in (as far as I know) the last place of civilized land; is there anywhere else?
Of course, in due time there may be enough of a swelling to turn things around, but with the ACLU and the moronic libs at the helm, I just don't know!
Good thing is that I am older and will be pushing up pretty flowers by the time this gets 'really' bad. Bad thing is my kids will have a mess to deal with (they might as well move to Europe now).
When I read the earlier thread, I assumed it was a complaint from some atheist activist.
That it's from a rabbi really pisses me off even more.
I'll reserve further judgment, but this is the last place I expected this challenge to come from.
Le'me fix that:
"Let's also add a few live pigs to pi$$ the Muslims."
She should have left the trees up, but rather than trying to make sure "all cultures are respresented' which would look totally assinine on a holiday tree, they should just have lights and some Martha Stewart decorations...
No religion in Martha Stewart deco. Problem soved
Does the rabbi not understand that he is behaving much like the imans who want to cut his throat? What a bigot.
This "rabbi" should have an eight foot tall menorah shoved up his ass. What a POS.
I'm not sure who the bigger a-hole in this is, why the hell didn't they just put up the manorah? I guess I'll have to big the biggest a-hole to the Rabbi for threatening to sue as apposed to just reminding them that they should have one up.
Oh good grief. Between this, and the story about Sea-Tac allowing the imams to hold a protest there, I'm thinking it's becoming one of the most unsafe airports in the US.
Hey Sea Tac- I'm offended that you are NOT representing the Christians during CHRIST'S BIRTHDAY! Not that you give a crap about offending Christians of course! http://sacredscoop.com
Anybody have the name of the "rabbi" and the denomination he represents?
Chabad has been putting up public menorahs for years, and they have never sued to remove any Christmas decorations. They have, in fact, been threatened and harrassed many times by ACLU and the liberal Jewish denominations for their public menorahs.
Will they have a giant slave in chains to celebrate Kwanzaa?
Heh. So Scrooge might be deified, then the pantheon of the season will be more complete.
FRmail me to be added or removed from this Judaic/pro-Israel/Russian Jewry ping list.
Warning! This is a high-volume ping list.
Scrooge could be like...Satan, ya know?
I think it is shameful that a Chabad rabbi has had such a disgusting public temper tantrum. Chabad has put up public menorahs around the country for many years and has never threatened any Christmas displays.
It looks like Sea-Tac made the decision to remove the trees in order not to display the menorah.
It was bad form for the rabbi to threaten lawyers, and by doing so he has negated decades of good work by this fine organization.
I would like to hear Medved interview this guy.
Such a shame. The bad thing is, he gives inadvertent fuel to the mooselimbs and neo-nazis who try to prove all Jews are "bad" ...
Of course we know better but they should have let him put up a menorah. No Christian should be offended by a menorah anyways. Jesus was, after all, a Jewish rabbi.
(mooselimbs may be shocked to hear that ...)
Not shocking. Anti-Christmas bigotry is common here in NY too.
I wonder if his congregation is aware that he is using donations to hire lawyers to threaten litigation?
Terri-Ann Betancourt
Remember that name.
ditto.
I agree. Leave the trees and if someone wants to add a Menorah, fine.
This is truly disgusting action!!! Not one Christian complains about Menorahs.....and Jewish people wonder why anti-semitism is on the rise.....geesh. Bad things happen when good people let them. If Jews don't speak up against this it's just like the poem..."first they came for the communists but I did nothing because I wasn't a communist"...
Sorry, but the rabbi has no business INSISTING they put up a menorrah....how about ASKING rabbi.
INCREDIBLE!!!!!!! Just incredible. WTH is going on anymore. This "rabbi" is another of many who bring disgrace to this wonderful time of year.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!
A 'rabbi' I know of is an agnostic who does not believe in YHWH but gladly avails himself of the trappings and benefits of his position for selfish temporal gain. Of the same ilk as this rabbi, most likely, just less publicly a tool....
This woman has two first names, and only one last name? The author must have gotten her name backward.
What's the Jewish population of Seattle?
The rabbi is giving Jewish people a bad name. Shame on him! Happy Hanukkah! Merry Christmas!
Cultural extortion, pure and simple.
Somewhere along the line we went from a Republic to an Idiocracy.
I see you're familiar with Gatlinburg.
BEWARE! ENTERING SPINELESS COUNTRY-SEATTLE
Interesting. I'm now getting a "page not found" at the url. Wonder why.
Seattle is a sick city, full of socialist, communists and liberals.
Huh.
Tracked it down.
They gave it a new URL
HERE: http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_120906WABxmastreesEL.11b0d0cc.html
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