Jews Strive To Restore Christmas Trees At Seattle Airport
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From: James A. Donald on 27 Dec 2006 21:41 <constantinopoli(a)gmail.com> wrote: > >And now that this regulated government-enforced monopoly is gone, > >things are much better. Ray Fischer > But you like monopolies. liar. -- ---------------------- We have the right to defend ourselves and our property, because of the kind of animals that we are. True law derives from this right, not from the arbitrary power of the omnipotent state. http://www.jim.com/ James A. Donald
From: Tchiowa on 27 Dec 2006 22:06 brique wrote: > Sancho Panza <otterpower(a)xhotmail.com> wrote in message > news:HHnkh.50$F15.5(a)newsfe08.lga... > > > > "James A. Donald" <jamesd(a)echeque.com> wrote in message > > news:rep3p2567fa472qsr431vc5opcf3051ssb(a)4ax.com... > > > "brique" > > >> It is an interesting notion that james seems to > > >> hold... that non-christians celebrating christmas are > > >> being 'american' whilst those who have no interest in > > >> celebrating a different religions festival are fearful > > >> that to do so will make them 'american'. How this fear > > >> of being 'american' affects those who are not even > > >> resident in the USA, such as the Shintoist in Japan, > > >> the Jews in Europe, the Muslims in Indonesia or the > > >> Bhuddists in Australia who do not celebrate christmas > > > > > > But Buddhists in Australia, like Buddhists in America, > > > *do* celebrate Christmas. > > And? Is that bhuddist policy ? Or the personal choice of _some_ bhuddists? > And just how do they 'celebrate' christmas? They take the day off work, > visit family and friends, have a party..well, so what..... or are you > suggesting they only do that on Christmas day and not any other day-off they > might have, like at a weekend or whenever? Really, James, you are clutching > at straws, next you will contend that the mere fact of waking up and getting > out of bed on 25th december constitutes 'celebration'...... They put up decorations, exchange gifts, send Christmas cards, kids go see Santa at the mall, etc. It's a personal choice of some Buddhists, just like it's a personal choice of some Jews, some Muslims, some Atheists, and (yes!) some Christians.
From: Tchiowa on 27 Dec 2006 22:14 PTravel wrote: > So, let's recap, shall we? Sure. Can you do it honestly? > This thread was about the propriety of SeaTac putting up Christmas trees, > and the subsequent response of a Chabad rabbi who objected. > > Your points: Christmas is secular, Christmas trees are secular, Christmas is > generally observed as a non-religious holiday. Apparently not. The argument you and I were having was based on my statement that Christmas is part of American culture. You said it wasn't and said that only people from Christian backgrounds celebrate it in American AND ABSOLUTELY NO ONE ELSE. Then, when myriad examples were cited you claimed you didn't say that. You claimed that you said that *FOR THE MOST PART* no one else does. And called me a liar for saying you had. So I quoted your exact statements and, stunningly, you denied saying what was in front of your face. And called me a liar again. So I disected the sentences so you could see exactly where you said "confined to" and "restricted to" and other absolutes. So you respond "I'm sorry, I was wrong". Oops. That's not what you said. You said "Let's recap" and promptly ignored the core of the argument you and I were having. Stunningly dishonest. <dishonesty snipped>
From: James A. Donald on 27 Dec 2006 22:22 Ray Fischer > > > You're an idiot and a liar. Those laws ended > > > several monopolies and created competition in > > > several businesses James A. Donald: > > Yet oddly, during the whole period of evil Standard > > Oil's evil "monopoly", petrol prices were falling > > and falling radically, Ray Fischer > When was that? The Standard Oil "monopoly" was from about 1870 to 1906, during which it reduced the price of petrol products to about a quarter their previous price. When it was broken up this had no immediate effect on the price of petroleum products, but six years after the breakup, the government proceeded to regulate the industry, forbidding competition by means more effective than merely breaking up the company that had kept cutting prices, wherupon prices rose a great deal. -- ---------------------- We have the right to defend ourselves and our property, because of the kind of animals that we are. True law derives from this right, not from the arbitrary power of the omnipotent state. http://www.jim.com/ James A. Donald
From: Banty on 27 Dec 2006 22:14
In article <1167266227.114471.35300(a)i12g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>, nfolkert(a)gmail.com says... > >PTravel wrote: > >[...] > >> My wife is Chinese, so we do something special for lunar New >> Year. Does that mean that lunar New Year is a "universal >> holiday observed by all cultures"? Evidently so, in your book. > >Rather, it means that lunar New Year may be a secular holiday. And so >we do see, for example in San Francisco, a large, secular celebration >at Chinese New Year, in which people of all faiths and non-faiths, both >Chinese and not, participate, using city resources and city money as >part of a celebration that is regarded as entirely secular in spite of >the fact that the vast majority of residents of San Francisco do not >have a "Chinese background". Likewise with St. Patrick's Day >celebrations, etc. > >Could someone use the same argument you are using to relegate such >celebrations to private homes and businesses? Why, yes, of course they >could. "Why should I have to contribute taxes and permit the use of >public streets to encourage the celebration of this eastern religious >holiday?" The non-Chinese celebrants of Chinese new year might protest >"But I am not Chinese, and I celebrate this holiday in a secular >fashion", or the Christian Chinese celebrants of Chinese new year might >protest "But I am Christian, and I only celebrate Chinese new year in a >secular fashion, with revelry and fireworks, while keeping eastern >philosophies and religious beliefs out of my celebration". Whereupon >our hypothetical Lunar New Year grinch would argue "It does not matter >if you celebrate in a secular fashion. Historically, this holiday is >only celebrated by those whose backgrounds are rooted in eastern >religions, and the vast majority of those whose backgrounds are >non-eastern do not celebrate it. Public funds and public spaces should >not be set aside for this festival, because *I* think it is religious, >whether or not *you* do". I guess those New Orleans Catholics should kindly keep their "Mardi Gras" festival quietly in their homes. For shame - using public streets. Banty |