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November 20, 2009
Government Scrooges Nix North Pole Letters
Posted by Van Helsing at November 20, 2009 10:24 AM
A new front has been opened in the War on Christmas — the children's safety angle:
Thousands of starry-eyed children all over the world are writing letters to the jolly man at the North Pole this holiday season, but they will not likely get a response from Santa Claus or his helpers.
The U.S. Postal Service is dropping a popular effort begun in 1954 in the small Alaska town of North Pole, where volunteers open and respond to thousands of letters addressed to Santa each year. Replies come with North Pole postmarks.
Postal Service officials said they are tightening rules in such programs nationwide after a postal worker in Maryland recognized a volunteer in the agency's Operation Santa program as a registered sex offender. The postal worker interceded before the individual could answer a child's letter, but the Postal Service viewed the episode as a big enough scare to make changes to the program.
People in North Pole are incensed by the change, likening the Postal Service to the Grinch trying to steal Christmas. The letter program is a revered holiday tradition in North Pole, where light posts are curved and striped like candy canes and streets have names such as Kris Kringle Drive and Santa Claus Lane. Volunteers in the letter program even sign the response letters as Santa's elves and helpers.
As with all government decrees, there will be negative economic consequences.
Losing the Santa-letter cache is a blow to the community of 2,100 people, who pride themselves on their Christmas ties. Huge tourist attractions here include an everything-Christmas store, Santa Claus House, and the post office, where visitors can get a hand-stamped postmark on their postcards and packages if they ask for it. …
Santa Claus House, built like a Swiss chalet and chock full of all items Christmas, sells more than 100,000 letters from Santa and one of the lures is the postmark.
Operations manager Paul Brown believes his business will be affected under changes to the volunteer Santa letter program because tens of thousands of letters are addressed to Santa Claus House, North Pole, Alaska.
Those letters will still be forwarded to volunteers but it's unclear yet if anything will be done with them. Those intercepted by the postal service will probably eventually be shredded.
Here's an idea: Instead of shredding children's letters to Santa, why not keep them safe from molesters by treating child rapists to more than two months in jail?
On a tip from Anonymous Countermoonbat.
Comments
lets write the proper headline
Obama Admin cancels Christmas!!!
Posted by: eat me at November 20, 2009 10:39 AM
another potential reason
North Pole Alaska is in Alaska right?
and you can see Russia from Alaska!!
therefore how can we expose our children to potential Communist influence?
and the real reason - Sarah Palin is from Alaska, how can we expose our children to her??????
Posted by: blue at November 20, 2009 10:42 AM
I guess it would be expecting too much of the Postal Service to conduct a basic background check, if sex offenders getting kids' info was that big of a concern. Honestly, though, aren't there more pressing concerns than sex offenders traveling to North Pole, AK to volunteer in a program to stalk some child on the other side of the country?
Chat rooms are free and available everywhere with an Internet connection, but likely scenarios such as that have no place in a sound-bite-obsessed, hysterical safety culture.
This perverse obsession with safety actually hurts children. While policymakers and parents are busy obsessing over peanut butter sandwiches or snakes in the ball pit, the more routine and realistic threats go unnoticed.
Our government has a poor record of checking backgrounds when it makes sense to check backgrounds. Fortunately, the ousted volunteer was not a fan of shouting Allahu Akbar. I can't even imagine what postal jihad would look like.
For the moonbats, this is another great opportunity to fan the flames and let hysterical attitudes sterilize every aspect of our culture until we are left with a homogeneous and non-threatening, antibacterial, rubber-padded existence.
Posted by: Anonymous Countermoonbat at November 20, 2009 10:45 AM
Liberal policies. Removing all that makes America what it is. Next will be the Christmas trees and making gingerbread cookies.
Posted by: Jay B at November 20, 2009 10:59 AM
Christmas trees
Fire hazard
gingerbread cookies
Food poisoning
Posted by: Anonymous Countermoonbat at November 20, 2009 11:14 AM
Once the lib morons succeed in banning Christmas altogether, it won't matter. Screw them and the whores they rode in on.
Posted by: man of few words at November 20, 2009 11:24 AM
Liberals don't hate Palin at all. They either think:
A. Shes funny and destroying the GOP so we can't help but laugh at her, and her fanatical followers.
or
B. We scared to death that she might actually get elected somehow and try to implement her policies. i.e. If the presidency got to be too hard, would she just up and quit like she did with her governorship?
The fact that the right has such a hard time realizing this only shows just how out of touch they've gotten. Most of the extreme right has gotten so crazy as to marginalize the rest of the party and its moderates.
When your representatives are actively wishing for another terrorist attack on our great country just so the president will fail and their side will gain power, there is something wrong with those leaders and the people they represent.
(referring to Louie Ghomert from Texas' comments)
Posted by: zappy at November 20, 2009 11:36 AM
Letters addressed to Mohammud will be hand-stamped in Detroit and returned to all children with postage due.
Psalms 109:8 is sounding BETTER & BETTER every day.
Posted by: Sylvia at November 20, 2009 12:14 PM
zappy you have to quit sticking your weewee in the light socket. Now run along.
Posted by: zappy's mom at November 20, 2009 12:20 PM
Oh no letters from santa just becuase of one rotten pervert in MARYLAND? Hey where i live their sending even the local letters some 100 miles away they sent back here BURICRATS ARE SUCH A BUNCH OF IDIOTS
Posted by: Spurwing Plover at November 20, 2009 2:51 PM
League of fathers remedy for cheemo. 1"x1"x2'
When my daughter was 3 we sent a letter. It was more important to her than the bubble wrap that was around the cool pressent.
I STILL believe in Santa.
Ask the kids who dont know where the presents come from in my underpriveledged neighborhood come from.
SANTA!
I am Santa.
2010/2012/2013
Posted by: czuch at November 20, 2009 3:30 PM
Zappy is just cranky that I went in dry last time we were together. I also didn't wear my Obama mask so I am sure he's mad about that, too.
Posted by: Ghost of Wellstone at November 20, 2009 4:19 PM
How will Santa know that I want a brain for Christmas? Or is that the Wizard of Oz?
I get them confused...
Posted by: Lao at November 20, 2009 4:40 PM
Lol, I make well reasoned points and you have nothing to respond with but lame ad hominim attacks.
The Republican party, totally bereft of any real ideas, so they fill in with hate and intolerance.
Theres no hate like fundamentalist right-wing Christian hate.
Posted by: zappy at November 20, 2009 6:00 PM
Zappy is presenting with a classic case of projection.
As most liberals tend to do.
Posted by: SK at November 20, 2009 6:19 PM
Posted by: zappy at November 20, 2009 11:36 AM
For a bunch who claims to find Palin amusing (rather than threatening), you guys sure put a lot of energy into making sure everyone knows how amusing (and idiotic) she is supposed to be.
If those things were really self-evident, there'd be no need to point them out. Over and over. Every day. Again and again.
You guys are terrified of Palin, and rightfully so. She is going to utterly destroy the Democratic party. When she is done, you clowns will not hold so much as a city councilman's seat for the next fifty years.
Posted by: Cylar at November 21, 2009 4:00 AM
Lol, I make well reasoned points and you have nothing to respond with but lame ad hominim attacks.
Yeah, so is "Shes funny and destroying the GOP so we can't help but laugh at her, and her fanatical followers" an example of those "well-reasoned points?"
Go pound sand. Your kind is not welcome here.
The Republican party, totally bereft of any real ideas, so they fill in with hate and intolerance.
Theres no hate like fundamentalist right-wing Christian hate.
Posted by: zappy at November 20, 2009 6:00 PM
Posted by: Cylar at November 21, 2009 4:02 AM
Theres no hate like fundamentalist right-wing Christian hate.
I DO hate communists. I can't stand you people. What of it?
Posted by: Cylar at November 21, 2009 4:03 AM
Posted by: Cylar at November 21, 2009 4:03 AM
+1
Posted by: G at November 21, 2009 5:51 AM
BAH-HUMBUG to SCROOGE OBAMA
Posted by: Flu-Bird at November 21, 2009 8:45 AM
It's been reversed.
http://sweetness-light.com/archive/uspo-to-resume-letters-to-north-pole
Amazing what can happen when the public actually pays attention and does something against the government bureauweenies.
Posted by: Atomic Lib Smasher at November 21, 2009 9:59 AM
MERRY CHRISTMAS MR POTTER
Posted by: REPLENDENT QUETZAL at November 21, 2009 12:57 PM
"You guys are terrified of Palin, and rightfully so. She is going to utterly destroy the Democratic party."
Cylar at November 21, 2009 4:00 AM
She had that chance in 2008. She lost. Get over it.
If I am wrong about the direction Palin is taking your party, why is a Democrat holding New Yorks 23rd congressional seat now. After it being held for a Republican for 150 years?
Please, I am not trying to attack you guys, far from it. I'd actually like to see a viable opposition party.
While I mostly agree with Obama theres a lot I don't like as well. But you guys coming here and attacking the shit outta when, When I just try to show you how the other side thinks is pretty telling.
Also:
I DO hate communists. I can't stand you people. What of it?
Posted by: Cylar at November 21, 2009 4:03 AM
Please show where I implied I had any communist leanings. Or are you just saying that because you disagree with me, and need to make another ad hominim attack, thus proving my earlier point.
Posted by: Zappy at November 21, 2009 1:40 PM
Never mind my previous comments, I've just looked over the rest of your site, and realize I'm talking to a brick wall.
I will now leave you all for your intolerant group think. Just remember, YOU are the reason the GOP isn't in power right now.
Posted by: Zappy at November 21, 2009 1:43 PM
Easy way to keep perverts out of the Postal Service: ban all Democrats. That should do it.
Posted by: Jay Guevara at November 21, 2009 5:55 PM
By the way, speaking of Palin - which no one was - what's she got to do with Christmas, the Postal Service and perverts? Or do you consider any reference to perverts to be an attack on the Democrat Party? That would be understandable, of course.
Posted by: Jay Guevara at November 21, 2009 5:57 PM
At the risk of sounding like a Scrooge, I don't have a problem with this. With the post office in serious red ink, why spend our money on this (the SEIU is probably getting double-overtime to do this)?
Posted by: cubedweller at November 22, 2009 11:26 AM
