Post Office Treats Christmas Stamp Like Pornography; Sells It from 'Under the Counter'

Human Events ^ | Mike Thompson

[torqemada]

Saturday after Thanksgiving is the traditional day to purchase stamps for my annual Christmas card mailing... [snip] So, shortly before noon on that most recent post-turkey day, I sauntered into a neighborhood "U.S. Postal Store," [snip] and headed for the stamps-only section. I quickly found a packed wall of display racks offering a panoply of first-class postage devoted to the various elements of the year-end holiday season, specifically:

1) Christmas, featuring colorful, contemporary designs of Santa Claus with an array of inanimate, secular Yule symbols;

2) Kwanzaa, with not just one but two stamps promoting a totally fabricated "harvest holiday" for African-Americans, [snip]

3) Hanukkah, the ancient Jewish festival that marks the rededication of the temple wrested from the savage control of Syria's King Antiochus IV; and

4) Eid (Arabic for "festival"), a two-part, post-Ramadan feasting period for Muslims.

Beholding such philatelic diversity in a simple American post office truly is a multicultural moment that a few weeks earlier would have reduced John Kerry to tears of joy.

Something, however, was missing. "Where," I asked the attending postal clerk, "are the traditional Madonna & Child stamps?" (Postal authorities for years have issued both nonreligious and religious commemorative stamps for this holiday season, to satisfy equally those citizens who groove exclusively on office-partying and those who quaintly still revere the birth of Christ.)

"Those stamps," said the clerk with an odd, ecumenical smile, are here in this drawer, "under the counter." She slowly pulled open the discreet trove and withdrew samples of the Virgin Mary and her Baby Jesus for my fascination, as if they were products of an eccentric artist with copious red body hair who works at night, alone in the P.O. attic.....

Read the rest of the article at: http://www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php?id=5906

[7thson]

I was at the Post Office this past Saturday to buy stamps. At the counter, I asked for a book and received a bunch of stamps with Santa as an ornament. Cute, but no Jesus. I did not know these other Christian stamps were available. While standing there, the other clerk was waiting on a lady and showing her different stamps. He showed and told her about the Kwanza and Hannakuh stamps. When he mentioned the Kwanza stamps, I snorted out loud. Man, did he give me a nasty look. I thought it was funny.

[Lurking2Long]

I get your point but I think you missed mine.

I get your point...it's on the top of your head...

[mlmr]

I bought mine under the counter three weeks ago. Especially since the desk person said that there wouldnt be anymore...that they wouldnt order anymore.

Be countercultural, ask for the Christian Christmas stamps.

[mlmr]

I understood the article to say that there were posters up for all the holiday stamps except the Christian ones.

[kitkat]

***I would be very surprised if this really happened. I'm betting a certain poetic license has been invoked. Don't believe everything you read on the Internet.***

A LOT of poetic license was involved. The Post Office put an ad for postage stamps in my mail box, and it had the Madonna and Child stamp at the top of the pix.

I'm glad the writer is promoting keeping Christ in Christmas, but I don't believe his silly claim helps the cause.

[mhking]

Just damn.

If you want on the list, FReepmail me. This IS a high-volume PING list...

[Luke21]

It's getting bad. I'm rarely an alarmist on these things, but my AOL commie news comes on with their leading loaded question, "Does religion belong in public? Tis the season for debate?" My wife and I are moving soon and we are stuck with them as our carrier til then.

What they mean is: "Does the Christian religion belong in public?" I was just sent a flyer at my company celebrating Kwanzaa and Hannukkah. It ain't about "religion," per se. Only one of them. We are reaching a point where active persecution will be next if we don't stop this thing.

[AppyPappy]

And they wonder why "Holiday" sales are down. Who wants to buy for "Holiday"?

[xp38]

There seems to be no Festivus stamps which would have as much validity as the Kwanzaa ones.

[Fintan]

 

Merry Christmas.

 

[Fitzcarraldo]

Imagine a Postmaster General who would boldly stand before the Press and state: "We follow the Risen Lord - I've ordered all non-Christian Christmas stamps destroyed."

[Think free or die]

I heard from a relative that the religious Christmas stamps were being kept hidden at our local post office, so I took a close look when I was there on Monday. What I found was that the Madonna and child stamps were in the display case right along with the Santa stamps, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, and Eid stamps. There was a poster showing all the special holiday stamps at the service desk. The only problem I had was that they were nearly sold out of the Madonna stamps and the clerks had to scrounge to find me the 80 that I requested. I encountered no negative attitudes or hiding of stamps. They were indeed in a drawer, but that's normal for commemoratives. Perhaps there are problems somewhere, but not in my little Pennsylvania community.

[Old Lady]

I agree, the Madonna and Child stamps should have been on display. I will check our local post office here in Gettysburg to see what is on display.

I don't go with the rest, though. Postal clerks store ALL stamps in drawers "under the counter." If you buy stamps, you know this.

[tubebender]

I went to a small one man post office in Cutten Ca yesterday to mail a package for my sister and to purchase Madonna and Child stamps for our Christmas cards for the season. As I entered the door I actually wondered if I would find Religious Stamps or if the ACLU had put the screws to the Post Office. This PO is the Philatelic Center for Eureka and has a glass display case for current issues but I couldn't see it until the line cleared out. I was relieved to see Mother and Child but not surprised to see the PC-itist of a display of the stamps of Diversity that are mentioned in the article.

I was reminded of a commercial that took place in a locker room of Jocks and 5 or 6 clergy of different Faiths blessing the team. How many stamps would it take to cover all the Religions in our country...

[cyncooper]

I would say the experience is isolated and subjectively described.

My post office prominently displays it along with the other stamps available.

[cyncooper]

I did not know these other Christian stamps were available.

How old are you? I simply don't believe you "didn't know". I also don't believe you were simply handed stamps and not asked what design you preferred.

[cyncooper]

Be countercultural, ask for the Christian Christmas stamps.

I get the Christian stamps, and it certainly is not "countercultural" to do so. That is absurd.

[beezdotcom]

I get the Christian stamps, and it certainly is not "countercultural" to do so. That is absurd.

Uh, ever heard of "tongue-in-cheek"?

[cyncooper]

Of course I've heard of it.

I understood the tone and find adopting a world weary and martyred tone tiresome.

[beezdotcom]

How old are you? I simply don't believe you "didn't know". I also don't believe you were simply handed stamps and not asked what design you preferred.

Uh, I could easily see anybody less than thirty making this assumption, since Christian imagery is becoming less and less public.

I can also easily see somebody in the Post Office not bothering to ask your preference. Heck, I didn't know the no-lick stamps were an option until SOMEBODY ELSE told me, because the postal workers never bothered to mention it at the counter.