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Pastimes : Where the GIT's are going -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Neeka who wrote (127278)	12/11/2006 11:03:17 PM
From: sandintoes	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 225578

What is it hurting, but the rabi had to have his way.

To: Neeka who wrote (127278)	12/12/2006 12:43:29 AM
From: Alan Smithee	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 225578

Trees are going back up at SeaTac. komotv.com Now watch the ACLU step in wearing its Grinch Suit. Interesting... See the bottom of the article. Apparently the Rabbi went so far as to draft a legal complaint. I think he caved in after the outcry. SEATAC - The Christmas trees are back at Sea-Tac Airport. Port of Seattle officials were reinstalling the trees Monday evening, after having removed them late last week under threat of a federal lawsuit to be filed by the Central Organization for Jewish Education Lubavitch. In a news release Monday, the Port of Seattle said their officials received word from Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky late Monday afternoon that his organization will not file a lawsuit at this time over the placement of a menorah at the airport. Officials say with the agreement, they will replace the trees. "This has been an unfortunate situation for all of us in Seattle," said Port of Seattle Commission President Pat Davis. "The rabbi never asked us to remove the trees; it was the Port's decision based on what we knew at the time. We very much appreciate the rabbi's willingness to work with us as we move forward." A key element in moving forward will be to work with the rabbi and other members of the community to develop a plan for next year’s holiday decorations at the airport. “There’s been such an outcry from the public – from people of all faiths – who believe that the trees should be reinstalled,” Davis said, “I’m very thankful that we can return the trees and get back to running our airport during this very busy holiday season.” Earlier Monday, airline workers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport took the holidays into their own hands Monday, decorating ticketing counters with miniature Christmas trees. The Port of Seattle's commissioners had maintenance workers remove the plastic Christmas trees, festooned with red ribbons and bows, over the weekend rather than add an 8-foot-tall menorah to the display at the request of a Seattle rabbi. The commissioners believed that if they allowed a menorah, they would also have to display symbols of other religions and cultures, which was not something airport workers had time for during the busiest travel season of the year, airport director Mark Reis said. The airlines lease space for ticket counters from the airport, and can display trees there if they want, he added. Stefania Cottriel and other customer-service agents with Frontier Airlines took advantage of that Monday morning, pooling their money to buy four 1-foot-tall Christmas trees. Atop a Delta counter, workers put up a tree several feet tall. Poinsettias and wreaths were also popular decorations, but it was unclear if any of those had been added in response to the airport's decision. The rabbi, Elazar Bogomilsky, had threatened a lawsuit if his request was denied. He said the airport's decision to remove the trees was appalling. "For many people, the Christmas tree is an important symbol of the season. Our goal was to include a menorah in the airport as well so that we could bring extra light with Hannukah's universal message of hope," Bogomilsky wrote Monday on behalf of his organization, Chabad of Greater Seattle. "Our discussion of possible legal action was never about removing Christmas trees - it was about protecting the right to add menorahs." Thirteen of the original trees sat above foyers that lead outside to the airport drive. The largest tree, which Reis estimated to be 15 or 20 feet tall, was placed in a large lobby near baggage claim for international arrivals. Army Pvt. Jeff Klein, 18, was traveling through the airport on his way from Fort Collins, Colo., to Fort Lewis, near Tacoma. He said he could appreciate why the airport took down the trees, but added that a better response would have been to just add the menorah. "Everybody comes through here, from every different religion," he said. "I'm a Christian, and I love Christmas, but this is international. They should try to make it a little more homey for whoever they can." Ann Koziol, a program manager at the University of Washington's business school, noted that in the international arrival lobby, the airport had left up an enormous wreath, decorated with ribbons and fake snowflakes. The wreath didn't seem to be a religious symbol any more than a tree does, she said. "It's a tree in a different shape - what's the difference?" she asked. "It doesn't make me think of a baby Jesus or anything." Reis said the wreath was left up because the rabbi hadn't mentioned it in the draft of his legal complaint. Christmas trees also remained standing in the Port of Seattle's private offices; they could be seen from the international arrival lobby.