The Conference

From the AP via the Houston Chronicle: Iran opens Holocaust conference

TEHRAN, Iran —” Iran on Monday opened a Holocaust conference that it said would examine whether the genocide took place, claiming the meeting was an opportunity for discussion in an atmosphere free of Western taboos…

I’m trying to ascertain what all the fuss is about. If Harvard, or Oxford, or anyone that mattered opened such a conference I would think that people would have a perfectly legitimate reason to protest. Being that this is an outlaw state with an obvious agenda… I think protests are like yelling into the wind.

For my part I firmly believe what the good Felician sisters taught me, never burn books or criticize someone’s right to speak their opinion. If you do, you have taken the first step down the same road dictators have trod. Idiotic opinions spoken openly are subject to sound Christian judgment and will soon be refuted.

The Menorah Wars

The Colonie Center Mall, quite nearby to me, and the Seattle Airport have been made part of the holiday wars (note NOT the Christmas wars)

From CBS News: Seattle Airport Removes Christmas Trees: Rabbi’s Request For A Menorah Ignored; Instead, Officials Take Down Christmas Display

(AP) All nine Christmas trees have been removed from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport instead of adding a giant Jewish menorah to the holiday display as a rabbi had requested.

Maintenance workers boxed up the trees during the graveyard shift early Saturday, when airport bosses believed few people would notice.

“We decided to take the trees down because we didn’t want to be exclusive,” said airport spokeswoman Terri-Ann Betancourt. “We’re trying to be thoughtful and respectful, and will review policies after the first of the year.”

Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky, who made his request weeks ago, said he was appalled by the decision. He had hired a lawyer and threatened to sue if the Port of Seattle didn’t add the menorah next to the trees, which had been festooned with red ribbons and bows.

“Everyone should have their spirit of the holiday. For many people the trees are the spirit of the holidays, and adding a menorah adds light to the season,” said Bogomilsky, who works in Seattle at the regional headquarters for Chabad Lubavitch, a Jewish education foundation…

Good, take down the trees, and who cares. You can close the Santa (cha-ching $25 for the picture with Santa) booth at the mall as well. As a writer stated in his letter to the editor at the Times Union:

—Please honor us Christian customers by having a nativity (the real symbol of Christianity).—

If you want, you could but up an Advent wreath, right next to the Menorah, and put up the crèche, without the baby Jesus, until Christmas day. Put Him in there on Christmas. When Easter gets near, put up a cross.

To the rabbi’s points: —trees are the spirit of the holidays, and adding a menorah adds light to the season—

Uh, NO! Trees have little if anything to do with the ‘spirit’ of the holidays. The spirit is recognizing the undeserved salvation that was begun with the incarnation of Emmanuel, God among us. That’s the only —light— anyone needs.

If Christians and Jews actually cared about the —holidays— they would be busy preparing themselves spiritually rather than engaging in battles over retail symbolism.

I suppose the new question for those believers is: How many angels can dance on the keys of a cash register?