Every holiday season for 25 years there were Christmas trees at the airport serving Seattle. But one complaint -- accompanied by the threat of legal action -- was enough to get them removed.
Oh, wait, the complainant is a rabbi. Secular progressive rabbi bastards!
Not quite. The complaining rabbi is a Hasidi, a Lubavitcher. Sort of like Jewish Mormons or Jewish Amish. Very insular, very conservative.
There's an interesting National Geographic multimedia presentation on the Crown Heights, NY, Lubavitchers called "A Faith Grows in Brooklyn." It's probably no more than five minutes long; good photos and well-narrated. Worth taking a look.
__________________ In the land of Mordor, where the shadows lie...
Oh, wait, the complainant is a rabbi. Secular progressive rabbi bastards!
Not quite. The complaining rabbi is a Hasidi, a Lubavitcher. Sort of like Jewish Mormons or Jewish Amish. Very insular, very conservative.
There's an interesting National Geographic multimedia presentation on the Crown Heights, NY, Lubavitchers called "A Faith Grows in Brooklyn." It's probably no more than five minutes long; good photos and well-narrated. Worth taking a look.
In Jerusalem we usually walked through a Jewish Orthodox area to get to the center of (West) Jerusalem. At first I thought they all looked the same, but if you pay attention they all have their own way of dressing. The kaftans, the hats, even the socks are indications of what group they belong to. Though I wasn't there long enough to figure out what dress belonged to what groups.
Now the rabbi is "offended" by the removal of the xmas trees, according to Michael Medved, and in fact Medved's "close personal friend" Daniel Lapin is volunteering to re-erect the trees, along with other "Jewish volunteers."
Now the rabbi is "offended" by the removal of the xmas trees, according to Michael Medved, and in fact Medved's "close personal friend" Daniel Lapin is volunteering to re-erect the trees, along with other "Jewish volunteers."
Ah, yes. That would be rabbi Daniel Lapin, of Jack Abramoff fame.
Rabbi Daniel Lapin's nonprofit, founded with Abramoff and film critic/radio talker Michael Medved, promotes faith-based conservative politics in tandem with the religious right. Through Abramoff's considerable GOP connections, Lapin has brokered alliances with congressional and Bush administration officials as well. They include tax-reform guru Grover Norquist and consultant Ralph Reed, both of whom have been subpoenaed to appear before Sen. John McCain's Senate Indian Affairs committee, which is looking into the extraordinary lobbying fees Abramoff charged tribes and casinos, work performed mostly after leaving Preston Gates. A radio host on KTTH-AM (770), Lapin is co-chair of the American Alliance of Jews and Christians, whose board includes Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson. Lapin is involved in other religious/political alliances that worked to get George W. Bush elected and re-elected. Last year, Newsweek reported, "When fundraising began for Bush's re-election effort, Rabbi Daniel Lapin . . . urged friends and colleagues to steer campaign checks to Bush via Abramoff." President Bush recently reappointed Lapin to the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad, which helps preserve cemeteries, monuments, and historic buildings in Eastern and Central Europe. Donors to his charity, according to IRS tax filings, comprise the cream of the religious right, such as Lenore Broughton, the Carthage Foundation, and the Scaife Family Foundation. They have helped Lapin raise, on average, about $500,000 a year, based on filings from 1997 through 2003—money he uses to "educate the public through conventions, seminars, public speaking, and class studies on Judeo Christian values," he told the IRS. His religious beliefs include opposition to homosexuality. He speaks at the Eastside church of fellow KTTH talk-show host, the Rev. Ken Hutcherson, who recently waged an anti-gay-rights battle with Microsoft. But Daniel Lapin supports school vouchers, which could aid the cause of school prayer by boosting private institutions. Having splintered off into a minority movement from historically liberal Jews, Lapin has said he intends to make "my priority rolling back the epidemic of secularism that was unleashed on this country."
And still more fame, this time for doing a little influence peddling for Jack:
Quote:
Abramoff admitted to funneling $50,000 from two clients through Toward Tradition, which used the money to hire the wife of an aide to then House Majority Leader Tom Delay. Abramoff said it was part of a scheme to influence the Delay staffer.
Lapin has said Toward Tradition took the $50,000 but has repeatedly denied any knowledge of Abramoff's lobbying scheme when he agreed to hire the woman.
The report, released Thursday, details a 1999 effort by Abramoff to have Lapin write a column on behalf of one of its clients, Channel One.
Lapin wrote a lengthy defense of the broadcast company, which was under fire for offering a controversial mix of newscasts and advertising to students in the classroom.
According to e-mail records, the draft was e-mailed to Abramoff, who then sent it to Jeff Ballabon of Channel One for review. In meetings with Channel One, Abramoff also suggested that Toward Tradition give awards to Channel One.
__________________ In the land of Mordor, where the shadows lie...
I'm flying to Virginia tomorrow, so I'll try to take a photo of the trees when I'm in the airport:
Quote:
Christmas trees are going back up at Sea-Tac airport
By Janet I. Tu and Lornet Turnbull
Seattle Times staff reporters
The holiday trees that went away in the middle of the night are back.
Tonight, Port of Seattle staff began putting up the trees they had taken down Friday night after a local rabbi requested that a Hanukkah menorah also be displayed. Port officials said the rabbi's lawyer had threatened to imminently file a lawsuit, leaving them with insufficient time to consider all the issues.
A nationwide furor erupted over the weekend as news of the trees' removal spread, with a flood of calls to Port officials and harshly worded e-mails to Jewish organizations. Today, Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky said he would not file a lawsuit and the Port, in response, said it would put the trees back up.
"This has been an unfortunate situation for all of us in Seattle," Port of Seattle Commission President Pat Davis said in a statement. "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 menorah will not be displayed this year.
__________________ In the land of Mordor, where the shadows lie...
Xmas Grist For the O'Lielly Mill
Linear Mode
