Security stymies thousands of holiday wishes

[unhappycamper]

Reporters gather in front of the Mologne House inside the Walter Reed Army Medical Center complex earlier this year. Hundreds of thousands of holiday cards and letters thanking wounded American soldiers for their sacrifice and wishing them well never reach their destination because they were not addressed to anyone in particular.


Security stymies thousands of holiday wishes
By Jay Reeves - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Dec 11, 2007 16:38:21 EST

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Hundreds of thousands of holiday cards and letters thanking wounded American troops for their sacrifice and wishing them well never reach their destination. They are returned to sender or thrown away unopened.

Since the Sept. 11 attacks and the anthrax scare, the Pentagon and the Postal Service have refused to deliver mail addressed simply to “Any Wounded Soldier” for fear terrorists or opponents of the war might send toxic substances or demoralizing messages.

Mail must be addressed to a specific member of the armed forces — a rule that pains some well-meaning Americans this Christmas season.

“Are we going to forget our soldiers because we are running in fear?” Fena D’Ottavio asked. The suburban Chicago woman was using her blog to encourage friends to send mail to unspecified soldiers until she learned of the ban, which she called a sad commentary on society.

Last season, despite the rule, officials say as many as 450,000 pieces of mail not addressed to anyone in particular managed to reach Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. But they were returned or, if they had no return address, thrown out, because the hospital lacked the manpower to open and screen all the mail, spokesman Terry Goodman said.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/12/ap_woundedmail_071211/

[catnhatnh]

1. Laughable Bullshit-and Stupid Besides....

Let's take the two specific "threats" separately...

Demoralizing messages??? Remember this would be received at random-What message could be sent by mail to all recipients that would devastate them? "I poop on your infidel Christmas Tree and will behead your Santa Claus. Allah Akbar."??? Multiple Choice? "All American Invaders to die!!! Civilians at home are now sleeping with your A.Wife B.Husband C.Goat or D.All of the above." As I said, laughable....

Anthrax???As silly as the first.Since specific addresses are all over the tubes of the internets the only problems posed for an actual terrorist cell would be simple office logistics and carpal tunnel syndrome from web-surfing....See a to a terrorist, any address they found would STILL be a random victim and an appropriate target.The implication of this "any wounded soldier" banning provision is that by forcing them to provide an actual address would force them to leave a forensic trail-as if the groups attempting this would for the first time run and hide rather than the more universally usual call and take credit for the carnage technique....

In short this is one more sick psych-ops program that allows an organ of the government (USPS) to sell fear to it's citizens even if at the expense of "supporting the troops"....