I was also sick this morning when I saw the news of the dismantling of the trees. I sent emails to as many jewish organizations as I could find addresses for and suggest other people do the same. We want our Christmas back and we want our country back.

I agree with you 100%.
In my opinion, I predict that within a few years that "Christmas" will be reduced to a meaningless bunch of law suits between the Religious nuts and the merchants who push buying down our throats (which will no doubt be beginning in June by then!!)
And the lawyers will be rubbing their hands together in glee.

This is more oppression of European people. Trees are not a Christian religious artefact, but the sacredness of trees and their being brought into houses is a pre-Christian tradition. Why are the non-Christian monotheists threatened by this remnant of our heritage?

What was really offensive with these minority so-called religious leaders is the fact that they hate anything that isn't Jewish. The Christmas tree is not a religious symbol, whereas a Menorah is because Jews pray over it. If Jews want secular parity with Christians, then show us your Dreidels. Hanukkah starts sundown Dec. 15th; you have your own observance, like we have our own. Use a Menorah? Then a Nativity scene should be erected. SEATAC was disgraceful in pandering to this MENORHity viewpoint. So, it's perfectly acceptable not to offend this type of religious minority with disgraceful pandering cowardice just because the minority religious-types whine, moan, complain and threaten a lawsuit, and in so doing, it's then perfectly acceptable to offend and malign the majority religion because of the action? These hate-mongering Rabbis (and anyone else who supports such misguided ideologies) are exemplars of what religious intolerance is all about; which, I belive, is what WWII was all about, now wasn't it?

TH
Dec. 10, 2006

Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse. When will we stop pandering to the very minute vocal minority, by recent stats this is about 14% and listen to the silent majority, 86%! I just cannot believe that no one uses common sense these days!

This story burns me up because I can't believe why the majority offten caves into the minority. Let the Rabbi whine and complain, so what if he does. Just give him the finger and keep the tree's up.

Does anyone have contacts for the Jewish Organizations so we can let them know how we feel? Why do they feel like they need to shove their beliefs onto everyone.

You are out of your myoptic mind. This is about radical leftists and political correctness. I suggest that you step back at look at the big picture.

People are starving all over the world and all this rabbi has to worry about is a Christmas tree? I too am sick of the minority imposing their beliefs on the rest of us and getting their way by threatening legal action. It wouldn't be so bad if our judges had any guts to help put a stop to this political correctness environment in which we now live but they don't. Life the Port of Seattle authorities, they have no backbone. I work for an airline. We allow the Jewish passengers to gather in the galleys for their daily prayers. We are told to accept and embrace their religious practices. And, yet, they are intolerant of ours. Something is wrong with this picture. I agree with comments made earlier, this particular rabbi must feel threatened by the Christmas tree so he feels the need to impose his hatred and lack of tolerance on others. He's no different than the radical Muslims we have to deal with everyday. He/She needs to get a life. You'd think if anyone would be tolerant of another religion, it would be the Jews. If the rabbi doesn't want to see a Christmas tree, he/she needs to stay home during this time of year.

Hello from Chicago. I heard about this story tonight as I was coming home late from work. A guy on AM Radio was talking about it, very steamed.

Then I became angry, but started laughing hearing his comments about how this Rabbi should be countersued for suing to remove the tree, and then the Rabbi could sue back again.

We posted this story and your blog on our police memorial forum...

I'm grateful to the nameless rabbi for helping people become more aware of the assault on our culture.

Anyone see the 1999 Hollywood movie 'American Pie'? The trailer featured
the main character, a teenager with the sirname 'Levenstein' being caught schtupping an apple pie.

Those for whom the metaphor escapes, you are probably too polite to understand, but it's a safe bet the rabbis got it.

Remember, if you don't have a Merry Christmas, the terrorists win.

And, Happy chutzpah, rabbi afraid to say your name!

I am an American and live in Canada.
I thought this kind of racist, religous crap only happened up here.
I've been sick of it for so many years here.
Sorry to see that your society has now been broken so badly to let it happen to you.
Please try to fix it before it is too late.

I'm a Muslim and I love Christmas Decorations. I have this awesome tree with fiber optic lights, It's great!!
CNN.com is reporting that the SEATAC tree removal was a response to the request of Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky, who wanted a big menorah added to the holiday display. When the Rabbi threatened legal action, the SEATAC brass and lawyers saw a problem with appeasing one religious minortity (Jews), and not other religious minorities (Buddhists, Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims, Kwanzaa-ans, Native Americans, etc.). So, SEATAC thought it would be easier to get rid of all the trees rather than "play cultural anthropologist".
So, technically the Rabbi didn't ask for tree removal, he asked for menorah addition. I think SEATAC was wrong to ditch the trees. They are as much or more a cultural symbol of the Christmas season in America as a religious symbol. Pine trees don't grow in Bethlehem, Palm trees do. If SEATAC had a nativity, that might be another story, but trees and mangers are both representative of the MAJORITY religion in this country. Muslims have a major holiday coming up at the end of December, and I think if you put up a menorah at SEATAC, you should have a big crescent too. Jews and Muslims are roughly equally-sized minority groups in the U.S. But if you live in America, as I am happy to, Santa, candy canes, stockings, holly, and Christmas Trees are part of the landscape. If you practice a minority religion, as you are free to in America, and as I do, you can't expect institutions to bend over backwards to make your 1% of the population feel warm and fuzzy. What about every other 1% that isn't you? Be happy you have the freedom to practice your religion without discrimination and with the protection of the law.

Re: Seattle airport removes Christmas trees after rabbi threatens lawsuit

This incredible story has spread to Canada. Here is a point to ponder. The only reason why Israel still exists is because it is backed up by Christian fundamentalists of the USA. One day it will become evident that the likes of Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky actually contributed to a waning support and the eventual demise of the jewish state.

PWM Toronto, Ontario

Pathetic cowering to minority special interests. Why? Enough is enough.

Why didn't the airport review its policies first and then take action. They decided to obey to the demand of some crazy religious idiot. And the fact that we are so scared of lawsuits in our country just sickens me. Why and since when the minority rules over majority? Not democratic at all.

Re: Ramon Gabage's comment-isn't this what America is about? It's a 'big' country and there is room enough for all of us.
Doesn't the mere fact that we enjoy freedom of expression mean that we have an unspoken representation of all cultures?
Yes, I know, it also means we all have the freedom to whine and pout if we don't get our way.
So, let that rabbi lay on the ground kicking and screaming about not getting his menorah, while the rest of us try to find a parking spot, shop til our credit cards have scorch marks, try to remember which store we started at so we can find our car, fight traffic getting home, then have a spiked eggnog. Or two.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL, A GOOD NIGHT!

Can it be the Airport Comm. Patricia Davis does not know Christmas trees come from fairy tales and not from any religion?

If not, let us hope she has at least enough smarts to find herself employment where she has no say in matters that affect the public

Thank you

SeaTac should have stood their ground. They never would have lost in court. Where does the line get drawn? What's next? The Christmas Tree in Rockafella Square has to be taken down next? Perhaps we should take "In God We Trust" off the face of OUR currency. Why is it that minorities get special treatment when the rest of us have to conform? Acts like this only force us away from each other.

PS: Here's Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky's telephone number:
206-527-1411

The story is reported incorrectly. The rabbi never said he was offended. That is the airport's lame coverup for why they don't want to put up a menorah. The rabbi asked for a menorah, they didn't want to put one up, and they have now cut off their noses to spite their face. What a shame.

Comment on THE SEA-TAC SCROOOGE

Simply this "prominent religious figure" needs to have more time on the news to explain his story - More information was just broadcast this morning at 9:30am on CNN with the "prominent religious figure" stating his intent and request was to have equal billing for Chanukah NOT crush and destroy a fun family religious holiday celebrated by everyone religious or not. The "prominent religious figure" did have a chance to explain what the media NEWS has claimed was a law suit by the "prominent religious figure" if a Menorah was not installed at the Seattle airport - In the media's typical audio allowance of a portion of the news story the "prominent religious figure" was cut off in his interview explanation of what he was requesting. More over people need to Debate NOT Hate - I'm a Jewish man and long time Seattle area resident and I plan to take a Christmas Tree to SeaTac as a Tree of Peace for the mis-interpretation of what one person wanted to see occur for their religious holiday belief - Could the Port Of Seattle's action to remove the Christmas Tree's be considered an anti-Semitic? Just something that makes my go Hum?

The Rabbi was on television with the dir. of ops. for the SeaTac airport. the Rabbi NEVER asked for the trees to come down. he only asked for one menorah to be put up. He also offered to put it up himself, his own people, his own insurance. The dir. of ops. instead dismantled all of the trees instead of putting up one Menorah. The Rabbi was asked twice on TV if this is what he wanted - (dismantling the trees) and he said repeatedly - No - I am mortified that the trees are taken down. It is a shame that the facts are not being reported on this story.

It's not about Christmas, it's about the first amendment to the constitution. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion..." A Christmas tree was defined to be "an establishment" of the Christian religion by the federal Supreme Court. Seatac Airport is a government owned entity. Seatac can't respect "an establishment" of any religion, by law. Seatac airport cannot pay tax dollars to put a religious symbol on public property. People that work there are able to bring their own religious emblems but the government cannot pay for any of them. THIS ISN'T A COMPLICATED ISSUE.

Thanks for taking my rant,

Samdodge

From Rick and Dr. Smith I get the sense that they might feel Sea-Tac is anti-semitic? Good grief, people - nothing can be further from the truth.

Yes, originally, the story was not reported in its full context. Originally, a "noted religious figure" had stated at the Christmas trees did not represent all cultures. So Sea-Tac took them down.

Now, we're getting more facts, and it still doesn't change the fact that the Rabbi is a minority trying to dictate the will of the majority. I understand Sea-Tac's concern that if they put up a Menora with the trees, they might also have to put up any other symbol a religious or other social group might want to see. I totally understand their plight there - there's just not enough wall space and electrical outlets to please everybody.

But jumping Jesus, people - you're getting all distracted from the main issue. And that is, this is CHRISTMAS to the majority of Americans. It's been part of our culture since this country was founded. Here, we enjoy trees and lights. You're free to enjoy your own holiday or menora or sybolism, but there's no right given to you to mandate that is be on public display on any par - equal or disparate - with mainstream, accepted holidays.

It's these same whiners who happy take Christmas Day off with pay.

But don't start pulling this "anti-semitic" line into your arguments. That's simply not the case here.

The fact remains that the rabbi threatened to sue the Port of Seattle.

The rabbi is a member of Chabad-Lubavitch who are unabashedly anti-Christian. They refer to Christianity as "xtianity" and say that Christ's message "brought a terrible darkness upon the world".

I urge all non self-hating Gentiles to investigate for themselves.

www.noahide.com/xtianity.htm

Shalom, Salaam and Peace

>>Did the three kings follow the star to present sweet baby Jesus with holiday ornaments, glass balls and garland?

You've heard of the until-recently-undiscovered Dead Sea Scrolls, right?

Unbelievably (pun intended) Michael Medved had the most accurate take - link - on this situation that I've seen. That is, that threatening the lawsuit was the biggest mistake.

Thanks to the person who suggested the Port Of Seattle's removal of the trees might be considered "anti-Semitic". The ever desperate angling to play 'victim' is amusing.

According to jewishvirtuallibrary.org Jews make up 2% of the U.S. population and many of them aren't observant. The remainder sure make a lot of noise.

The rabbi's lawsuit threat is not simply another case of the pathologically litigious, it is a case of religious fanatical intolerance for Christianity.

I'm with you Jim, religious types don't make for good company. And a good example, as cited in my above post, are the Lubavitchers who call Christ a "false prophet" with an "evil agenda". I don't see how hanging out with an anti-Christ could be fun or uplifting. And, how would you sugar coat introductions? This my pal, he's anti-Christ, but he bowls 220.

Wash. Capitol: Menorah OK, Nativity Scene Not

artilcle:
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/12/21/132021.shtml?s=al&promo_code=2B4F-1

A popular Chanukkah song titled Maoz Tzur (Rocky Fortress) features these lines,

And there we will give thanks with an offering
When you have prepared the slaughter
for the blaspheming foe

Christmas celebrates the birth of 'The Prince of Peace' while Chanukkah celebrates the slaughter of Greeks.

2%

Merry Christmas

HUMBUG! NO CHRISTMAS AT SEATTLE-TACOMA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT!

Will the Lights Go Out on the National Christmas Tree, Too?

This year, at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, near my home town of Seattle, there will be no Christmas. A twelve-member holiday decorations advisory committee of religious, academic, legal and business leaders has put an end to it. The commission mandated that decorations would "reflect the Pacific Northwest environment and our diverse community, and convey universal values, such as peace and harmony."

So what will you see at Seattle's airport in December, 2007? A grove of birch trees hung with mirrors to reflect colored lights, surrounded by artificial snow. Above the trees will be a flock of migrating birds cut out of foam.

Isn't it wonderful?

Political correctness is destroying our most cherished Christmas traditions. Our children are losing an important part of their American heritage. Unless we do something now, our children will live in a sterile world of "holiday" presents, "holiday" trees, "holiday" cookies, "winter" school concerts, and "winter" school breaks. Imagine a world in which our children watch the classic 1947 movie, "Miracle on 34th Street," and upon hearing the store clerks say "Merry Christmas" to customers, they think of it as just an outdated and quaint custom. Is that really what we want in America?

My name is Michael Class. I live in the Seattle area with my wife and two children. I am a retired "dot-com" executive who just couldn't sit by and let the mis-education of America's youth go unchallenged anymore. I'm tired of seeing America's next generation being fed a curriculum of politically-correct misinformation, guilt, and shame. I decided to do something about it.

I wrote, photographed, and published an American history book designed to set the record straight, to teach the real lessons of American history, and to prepare our children for the future. My book is called Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame.

In the book, my real-life son, twelve-year-old Anthony, time-travels into the great events of the 20th Century. Advanced digital photography places Anthony in the cockpit of the Spirit of St. Louis with Charles Lindbergh, on the moon with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, in the laboratories of Thomas Edison and Jonas Salk, and on Normandy beach on D-Day. Anthony "meets" and "talks with" Thomas Edison, Jonas Salk, FDR, Lou Gehrig, Charles Lindbergh, Audie Murphy, and many others. But historical accuracy rules every page of Anthony's adventure in time: Anthony’s conversations with America’s heroes are based on things they really said. My Web site, www.MagicPictureFrame.com, displays some of the book's amazing photographs.

But the book goes beyond dazzling photography and solid historical facts: The book presents the moral lessons of American history. Anthony learns valuable lessons from what he sees in the past. Anthony compares the people and events of the past with the people and events of his own time. Anthony discusses the nature of good and evil, right and wrong, war and peace, what it means to be an American, honor and discipline, success and achievement, courage and destiny, marriage and family, God and purpose.

The chapter about Lindbergh’s flight is really about choosing one’s destiny. The story of Lou Gehrig is really about living a virtuous life. The chapter about Thomas Edison is really about the benefits of business leadership and hard work. The story of Apollo 11 is about wonder, taking risks, and courage. The story of Dr. Jonas Salk is really about dedicating one’s life to a higher purpose. When Anthony meets his immigrant great-grandfather at Ellis Island, it’s really a story about what it means to be an American. Anthony’s observation of D-Day and the liberation of the death camps during the Holocaust is a testament to the reality of evil and the need to fight it.

The book is written for kids in Grade 6 to Grade 12, and for parents and teachers who want to remember the truth.

In Chapter 9 of the book, Anthony makes this comment about the modern day: "In my time, lawyers take Christ out of Christmas and make it just another Happy Holiday."

Anthony is right.

Every year, there are new efforts to expunge Christ from Christmas, and to remove all mentions of God from public discourse, government buildings, government oaths, American currency, and the Pledge of Allegiance. It's an assault on our American heritage, and our children are the losers. Last year a local public elementary school replaced it's Christmas tree with a "giving" tree, and then even that was replaced with a "giving" counter!

And yet: Christmas is a federal holiday! And, every Christmas season, the President of the United States lights the National Christmas Tree on the White House Lawn!

When the lights go out on the National Christmas Tree, what will our country be like? Is it the country we want to live in?

Remember, the truth is that for more than two hundred years, Americans have trusted in God to guide them and protect them. The evidence is everywhere, and even inscribed in stone!

Here are just a few examples:

"We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God." That was President Abraham Lincoln speaking to the American people in 1863.

"God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God?" That was Thomas Jefferson in 1776. His words are inscribed in stone at his memorial in Washington, DC.

"It is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, and to be grateful for his benefits." That was President George Washington in 1789.

"And this be our motto: In God is our trust." That is the fourth stanza of the National Anthem, written by Francis Scott Key in 1814.

We must preserve the best of American culture and traditions for our children and grandchildren. We must not forget who we are. This year, say "Merry Christmas" to your fellow Americans: It's an all-inclusive message of God's love for every man, woman, and child.

Truth can not be denied. Christmas is a good time to remember that.

So, when the President of the United States lights the national Christmas Tree on the White House lawn later this month, say Merry Christmas! And thank God.

Merry Christmas!

(You can read more about why I wrote the book here: www.magicpictureframe.blogspot.com.)

Michael S. Class
Author / Photographer / Publisher

E-Mail: class@MagicPictureFrame.com
Web Site: www.MagicPictureFrame.com

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