Short story just heard on local teevee nooz .... no more letters from Santa

[Stinky The Clown]

The Post Office had a program whereby volunteers were given letters from kids addressed to Santa. The volunteers hand wrote replies. The Post Office stamped them and returned them to the kids with a "North Pole" postmark.

Last year, a sex offender got past everyone and was accepted as a volunteer. As a result of this being discovered, the program has now been canceled.

What do you think? Was cancellation of the program warranted?

[Brickbat]

1. No. I find that really sad.

[emilyg]

3. +1

[Stinky The Clown]

6. That's how it struck me as I heard the story reported ....... "sad"

[Brickbat]

9. You know, there's always a story in the paper every year about those volunteers -- it's one of those

evergreens that always gets assigned because editors need something to fill those papers between Dec. 20 and Jan. 3. But I always liked reading the stories. Writing those letters didn't take a lot of effort for people to do, but you knew the kids on the other end would never forget it. A huge payoff for a small investment of time. And now that's gone, and it makes me sad.

[Liberal_in_LA]

16. +1

One bad one gets thru and the entire program is cancelled?

[Lars39]

2. I could see the reasoning....

little kids, their home addresses, personal information...a pedophile would glean way too much information.

[Stinky The Clown]

5. Oh absolutely ... a pedophile in the program is a serious problem demanding serious change

But how about just screening better?

My wife has to get a police report done each year because she teaches little kids. It is simply a chore that gets done every August. Why not a similar approach to screening the volunteers?

[Lars39]

7. I wonder if they screened the volunteers at all.

Probably didn't see the need since there isn't direct contact with kids. I hope they figure something out;little kids love writing to Santa.

[Kaleva]

4. No. One sex offender ought nought be reason enough to cancel the program.

[spanone]

8. no, change your screening procedure

[RKP5637]

10. Pathetic. What's needed is better screening. Maybe cost of screening is a factor in this economy.

[NYC_SKP]

11. No. And this is one of those fucked up "one asshole ruins it for all", though the fault

is the USPS and their give it up attitude.

Fuck.

[Initech]

12. I guess now's as good a time as any to break out "Bad Santa".

[Posteritatis]

13. What a ridiculous overreaction. No, it wasn't warranted. (nt)

[Stinky The Clown]

14. I see the pro pedophiles are unreccing

Seriously, what's that about?

[cherokeeprogressive]

15. Disagree. The unrecs are from people who shudder at the thought of young American children having

tax dollars spent on them in furtherance of a myth.

Read: Atheists and hardcore separation of church and state types.

[Stinky The Clown]

17. Why not say that?

Why the drive by crap? :shrug:

[cherokeeprogressive]

21. Agree. But here at DU, I think it's a given. Santa Claus = Religion n/t

[Jokerman]

25. That's absurd.

You sound just a foolish as the war-mongers who brand all dissent as non-patriotic.

Pure bullshit.

[Rhiannon12866]

18. No.

What happened to the tradition of "Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus?" How sad. ;(

[lildreamer316]

19. Solution: Members of local law enforcement/other screened professions do a charity for it.

All I can think of, sorry.

[Blue_In_AK]

20. No, absolutely not.

This has been a big story up here, especially in North Pole, Alaska, where the postmark originates.

http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=11526632

[Blue For You]

22. Mythology belongs in churches, not federal institutions.

The kids should just send their Santy letters to their local church. That's where Saint Nick lives anyway.

[Berry Cool]

23. Sometimes when I look at some DU'ers posts, all I can think of is a cold bucket of water.

And I have no wish to spend my life in a cold bucket of water.

[Blue For You]

24. And I have no wish to spend my life in a cold bucket of holy water.

Happy Holidays.