"Schrammie" for a conifer catastrophe Airport Tree Snuffolla

[rsmith6621]

By Ken Schram
We interrupt our regularly scheduled commentary to bring you a special Monday presentation of "The Schrammie"

It has become a conifer catastrophe of unparalleled proportions.

On Friday there were Christmas trees at Sea-Tac airport.

On Saturday, there were none.

The trees were ordered removed by intimidated Port of Seattle officials were felt threatened by a Jewish Rabbi and his request for a menorah.

Reports that the Rabbi was armed with a dradle now appear to be unfounded.

He was, however, backed up by a lawyer who dropped the word "lawsuit" into the conversation.

So, because of one rabid rabbi and an exclusive group of - pardon the redundancy - spineless public officials, Sea-Tac airport has officially outlawed Christmas.

The result is a "Double-Whammie Schrammie."

Port Commission President Pat Davis gets the "Santa-Baby" bobble-head for her complete lack of common sense, her weak-kneed leadership and a cover her own butt mentality.

Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky gets the hasidically orthodox "Schrammie for his un-kosher attitude of disdain and arrogance, not to mention his chutzpah in acting surprised that the Christmas trees disappeared.

So, take a bow you two.





You're quite the pair: One a "scrooge", the other completely meshugeneh, and this special Monday "Schrammie" is for you.


http://www.komotv.com/news/4885791.html


Spot On Ken

[SeattleGirl]

1. Good for Ken, especially for the Schrammie for Pat Davis.

Though for the Rabbi to threaten a lawsuit seemed over-the-top. I understand why he would want a menorah displayed -- this is also the season of Hanukkah -- but lawsuit?

To me, this kind of thing -- making ALL signs of holidays disappear -- only reinforces INtolerance. I'd rather see displays and/or decorations for Christmas AND Hanukkah and any other holiday that happens this kind of year. But hey, maybe I'm weird. I really LIKE learning about other traditions.

[Captain Hilts]

2. Is it true he wanted an 8 ft. menorah? I'm all for a menorah, but 8 ft.?

Besides, I have Jewish friends who H A T E placing menorahs on the same level as Christmas trees because Hanukkah is NOT supposed to be a Big Deal and it should not compete with Christmas - paritcularly in the gift-giving sense.

Other Jewish friends like to celebrate the holdiays equally.

As my buddy says, "three Jews, four opinions."

I'm ticked off they've removed the trees.

[SeattleGirl]

3. I've heard several versions of the story. I heard about the 8 ft

tall menorah, I heard that he wanted a small menorah placed beside each Christmas tree. I'm not sure which is true.

Every year I get more and more irritated about this kind of thing. "But OUR holiday should be equal to YOUR holiday". Yikes. Reminds me of when I was a kid. Mom was making pancakes one morning, and one of my sisters started whining that MY pancake was bigger than HER pancake. My mom was fed up with this kind of whining (it wasn't the first time), and so she poured batter into the pan and made a VERY LARGE pancake for my sister. She never said anything about her pancakes again!

Maybe we need a year where, instead of trying to make different symbols of different holidays disappear, we all go completely overboard, in-your-face, and maybe that will quiet people down, and we can get back to celebrating the holidays we choose to celebrate without the Holiday Police telling us how, or even IF, we can.

[Captain Hilts]

4. It's confusing because there is no consensus among Jews on how to treat this holiday...

on its own, or vis a vis Christmas.

For the first time ever, there is no Christmas tree in the fountain around the corner. Instead, there are twirly white horns. I'm not sure what they represent.

[Radio_Lady]

5. I don't associate with ANY fundamentalists of ANY religion... this is the reason.

It's always, "My way -- or the highway." In this case, maybe it should be "My way -- or the runway!"

I'm a Jewish woman who grew up in an Italian Catholic community in the 1940s and 1950s. We learned about Christmas at school and from our friends and neighbors, and we learned about Judaism in the store front synagogue on Saturdays and holidays. Nobody ever questioned the fact that we were a minority religion and there was a certain amount of anti-Semitism.

For the ultra-Orthodox Jewish idiots to make such a fuss, it only reinforces the fact that I despise most religious zealots of ANY religion. I don't know the individuals involved in this case, but hearing it on the Portland news last night made me want to throw up.


Ken should check his spelling of "dreidl"... the little spinning top that Jewish children play with at Chanukah.

Thanks for posting. Radio_Lady in Oregon

P.S. My conservative, almost Orthodox Jewish daughter told me last night that she doesn't feel she will be able to abide by my decision to donate my body to OHSU for cadaver use, and then to have the remains cremated and scattered by the family. She says her Rabbi told her she would not be able to pray for me or memorialize me in any way unless I agree to be buried. I've never understood how she got sucked in to her brand of Judaism, but I almost exploded at her about this! These are MY WISHES -- and MY RELIGION -- or lack of it -- should not be a signal for a RABBI I DON'T EVEN KNOW to get involved.

I told her I am leaving a letter of intent with the friends at the West Hills Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, as well as my attorney and my husband; these are my wishes and I insist that she follow them.

[Canuckistanian]

6. As stupid as this situation is, I agree more with Sea-Tac Airport

What with all the fuss that the "War on Chrismasers" are waging, I can understand completely the quick abandonment of ALL religious connotations.

What started out as a pleasant gesture quickly turned toxic, with troops lining up on either side, spoiling for a fight. And I'm not talking about Christians and Jews.

I'm talking about Fundies, insisting that Christianity is America's Natural Religion© on one side and the "I don't give a shit, just let me enjoy Christmas like I always have. Put the menorah up, I just don't care, Christmas trees are pretty." contingent on the other side.

[Radio_Lady]

7. UPDATE: The Christmas trees are back. Saw it on NWCN this morning.

You know, the Chabad Jews and the Hassidic Jews are nothing but trouble, in my humble opinion. They are rigid, unaccepting of other viewpoints, and they really give me a pain where a pill can't reach. They have rule after rule imposed by these bearded man with their black coats and hats. It's all I can do to stomach even looking at them in their anachronistic garb on Fridays when I pick up my grandson at his school. What's in their heads is a big mish-mash of "I'm better than you are and you'd better do what I say... or else." Luckily, I was raised by liberal Jews and have only been involved with the Reform wing of the Jewish faith.

The lawyer for the Seattle Chabad rabbi apparently dropped the legal case. I hope they got overwhelmed with negative messages for this unspeakably stupid position.

"Peace on Earth, good will to ALL people."

Radio_Lady in Oregon

[SeattleGirl]

8. Many religions seem to have their rigid factions.

I got involved in a fundamentalist Christian church for several years. Everything was about what you couldn't do, what you had to do, how you were wrong, dirty, bad, a sinner, etc. I run the other way from that now. I was fortunate in that after I moved to Seattle, I found another church to go to that was the antithesis of the fundie church. This one was very positive, nurturing, etc. Quite the contrast.

[TahitiNut]

9. My (Norwegian-American) family has displayed (menorah-like) candelabras ...

... as a Christmas decoration for as long as I remember. While some may regard the menorah as a sectarian symbol, I've been so accustomed to the 7-candle candelabra that I find it difficult to see such decor as exclusively Jewish. To me, it's "seasonal."

[Radio_Lady]

10. Funny you should mention this... we've had friends who gave us seven-candle

holders, thinking they were the official nine-candle Jewish "menorahs"! The last was our Asian neighbors, from China via Viet Nam. It was just sweet that they thought of us at this festive season of the year. Of course, we didn't mention to them that the Chanukah menorah actually has nine candles (the middle one lights the other eight each night).

All of these candlelighting traditions were taken from pagan rituals celebrated at the winter solstice, when day shrinks and nighttime takes over, using fire and candles to drive back the darkness. For that matter, the decorating of an evergreen tree is also part of some pagan belief systems.

It's just too bad we can't celebrate our similarities, rather than our differences.

In peace,

Radio_Lady in Oregon

[Lisa]

12. someone in the next apartment building has one of those!

Thanks for clearing up the mystery for me ... so it's Norwegian ... she keeps it in the window all year round, though (but doesn't light it until the holidays). It's a "step" type, but not as pretty as the one in the photo.

[Bluebear]

11. "DRADLE"???

:eyes:

[SeattleGirl]

13. I'm sure that Ken has heard from any number of people on his

incorrect spelling. He's not shy about speaking his mind, and his viewers aren't shy about speaking theirs.

[Warren DeMontague]

14. Wow. Some folks just don't want to let this story get away.

Go figure. :eyes: