No more "Letters to Santa"...

[TreasonousBastard]

(was this posted earlier?)

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/19/nyregion/19santa.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=post%20office%20santa%20claus&st=cse

For decades of Christmases, it had been a gratifying way to function as a substitute Santa Claus. Every holiday season, thousands of New Yorkers trooped to Manhattan’s main post office and sifted through heaps of dream-encased letters that children had scribbled to the big guy at the North Pole. They picked out the ones that tickled the heart and responded with gifts for otherwise empty stockings.
Enlarge This Image

A sign cryptically announcing that Operation Santa Claus was closed to the public greeted would-be donors on Thursday.

<...>

The United States Postal Service abruptly shut down public participation in all the Operation Santa programs — in New York and other major cities across the country — at 1 p.m. Wednesday, without offering post offices or letter-seeking citizens any understanding of why.

A Postal Service official in Washington, after an initial, limited acknowledgment of a “privacy breach,” said that at one of the programs, not New York’s, a man whom a letter carrier recognized as a registered sex offender had “adopted” a letter. When postal officials confronted the man, the official said, he said he was sincerely trying to do a good deed, but postal inspectors nonetheless retrieved the letter and notified the family of the child.

<...>

[charlie]

1. That's beyond sad

One miserable fucktard blows it up for everyone, for good. A damned shame.

[Lyric]

2. I don't understand why. The guy would have sent a gift via mail, right?

I mean, obviously it would have been wrong to give out the addresses of these kids, but what's wrong with sending something via mail? It's not like pedophilia is a contagious disease or something.

Furthermore, was the sex offender convicted of a crime involving a child? "Sex offender" encompasses everything from adult rape to indecent exposure--a former school mate of mine is a "sex offender" because he got drunk and made the mistake of peeing on a tree in the public park.

I'd like to know more about it before passing judgement.

[TreasonousBastard]

4. Read the article-- the people liked to...

deliver the gifts personally, and that was one of the great things about the program.

There may be a new program where the nems and addresses will be blacked out and the gifts will be mailed by PO personnel-- it's just not the same thing as seeing the poor kid's eyes light up personally.

[Lyric]

5. Well I think personal deliveries are a bad idea all-around, sex offenders or not.

Let them fix it so it can be done via mail, with the post office acting as the intermediate, so no unsavory adults get addresses for houses where children live.

Besides, I bet the kids would be even MORE delighted to receive a personal letter and gift back from "Santa" without a non-Santa stranger showing up with a present. I don't know about other kids, but my kid is wary of strangers, and such a thing would be really awkward for him. We write letters from Santa to our son, though, and he LOVES it. He cherishes every one. :)

[Suich]

6. The program is supposed to resume Saturday in Chicago

and gifts will be delivered by the Post Office.

Just saw it on tv.

:)

[REP]

7. The program is to help poor kids, not to help rich folks feel good about themselves

I dunno - if someone really just wants to help make a kid's holiday a little nicer, why need to be there to be showered with gratitude? Isn't the point to help a kid instead of having someone be grateful to you? Imagine how much easier it would on the parent(s) to not have to do the the thank-you dance for some stranger after having to go beg for a present for their kids.

[ogneopasno]

8. Exactly. Santa isn't there in person; why should his apprentices be?

[RoyGBiv]

3. Geezus fucking khrist ....

I want to like the Christmas season. I really do. But stories like this just leave me with a what the fuck feeling ...

Damn.