Know that thing they do every Christmas Eve where they have NORAD "track" Santa's sleigh?

[WilliamPitt]

They're doing it again this year...but this time, Santa will be flanked by a pair of fighter jets.

Boston Globe:



As Santa streaks through the sky this Christmas Eve, Rudolph merrily guiding the way, he will be flanked by some new and unusual companions: a jet-fighter escort, bristling with missiles.

That is the twist that — to the dismay of at least some child advocates — the US military has chosen to put on this year’s version of its traditional animated tracking of the yuletide journey.

(snip)

But as the word gets out, the plan is taking flak. Some say the Pentagon appears to have lost its way by introducing destructive weaponry to the otherwise jolly image of Santa setting out from the North Pole. Up to now, the most threatening aspect of Santa’s flight had been lumps of coal.

“Children associate Santa with gifts and fun and everything else that is positive about Christmas,” said Allen Kanner, a California child and family psychologist and cofounder of the Boston-based Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood. “They are associating this with the military in children’s minds. It is completely out of line.”

The rest: http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2013/12/02/pentagon-tracking-santa-with-new-twist-armed-jet-fighters/aFYyrQhOjNlZw9OnsKSWQM/story.html?s_campaign=email_BG_TodaysHeadline

Brand loyalty, you see. Get 'em young. Because 'Merica.

[Tanuki]

1. That is so sick and weird

I thought this would link to one of the satire sites. Are we supposed to think there is a risk of Santa Claus being shot down by hostile fire, and fighter jets are needed for defense?

[Ace Acme]

78. Maybe they have to escort him to ensure he doesn't try to fly into the new World Trade tower. nt

[onehandle]

2. 'Take the shot! Take the shot!' nt

[AtheistCrusader]

135. Too close for missiles...

Switching to guns

[Glassunion]

142. That's a negative Ghostrider, the pattern is full.

[JaneyVee]

3. There is a dark and sinister psychology behind this.

[blkmusclmachine]

102. Just what the Police State ordered.

[Buns_of_Fire]

4. Deviate from that flight path one meter, Fat Boy, and you're toast... nt

[MADem]

59. Ha ha ha! Actually, the justification is to protect Santa from "threats."

An intelligence officer asserts that “intel can confirm that Jack Frost and the Abominable Snowman will not be a threat.” Ground forces then report that all rooftops have been checked to make sure Santa, whose call sign is “Big Red One,” and his reindeer can land safely. Could Santa’s navigation system be attacked by a a computer virus? Another officer in charge of cyber space chimes in that the “anti-Grinch-viral is up and will continue to monitor threats.”

Lastly, the video trains on the cockpit of a fighter jet flying escort to prevent Santa from straying into restricted air space and “to protect from threats.” What threats the old man and his sleigh may actually face are not disclosed.

“It’s still cutesy since it’s for kids, but we don’t want people to lose sight of our true mission,” Davis said in explaining the approach.

I think people who are opposed to the MIC but who, nonetheless, are using the defense establishment's website as an adjunct to the Christmas season should just eschew the whole NORAD tracker altogether. It's no secret what NORAD does for a living--pretending that their job is "watching Santa" for a day is willfully ignoring what they're really all about.

[nilram]

84. They must have heard about Jon Stewart's liberal media war on Christmas and his STS missiles

(That's "Surface-to-Santa" -- oops, I've said too much.)

[MADem]

148. Ha! I have to get back to the Daily Show...! nt

[octoberlib]

5. This is disgusting. nt

[blkmusclmachine]

103. Beyond the pale.

[MuseRider]

6. I kept waiting for the

joke line

[MuseRider]

9. Can't figure out how to edit, or format properly on this tablet so....

Blow up your TV
throw away your paper
Go to the country, build you a home
Plant a little garden,
eat a lot of peaches
Try and find Jesus on your own <---John Prine of course

Just a thought and an earworm for your day. Was thinking of Lola, you are part way there already

[bvar22]

51. Thanks!

Earworm implantation successful!

Great Song!

[MuseRider]

58. Hey there!

It IS a great one.

I think you and Starkraven have shown the way for a lot of us.

Always good to see you here!

[countryjake]

63. +1

and here's a peck on the back of your neck for giving us that earworm today.

[MuseRider]

68. Doodle, oodle, oodle, doodle, oodle, oodle, doodle, oodle, oodle oo

Been singing it all day

[rurallib]

7. So is Santa also involved with the NSA? After all

he keeps close tabs on who is naughty and who is nice.

[Thor_MN]

53. Not directly, but they forced him to put a backdoor into his database.

[jmowreader]

71. Santa is KGB, not NSA

"He sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake. He knows when you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake."

That's the mission statement of the KGB, not just a fun Christmas carol.

[Are_grits_groceries]

8. Send the Millennium Falcon and Snoopy in his Sopwith Camel.

Let Superman and other superheroes go along. Kids would feel Santa is safe and enjoy the story.

[Renew Deal]

10. This is Canada's fault.

Santa needs a personal escort to protect him from Rob Ford amongst others

[Generic Other]

11. Conditioning children to live in the military industrial complex

I find this revolting. Next we'll hear Santa's elves were sent to Gitmo.

[blkmusclmachine]

104. Exactly. Propaganda. Just what the burgeoning US Police State ordered.

[In_The_Wind]

12. Damn!

Why bother turning on the lights?

[img][/img]

[tina tron]

18. Turn on your light saber instead

[Rex]

24. Well there goes the neighborhood!

[tclambert]

45. Why do Imperial storm troopers wear armor?

It doesn't protect them against rocks thrown by Ewoks, let alone blasters.



Answer: It saves on the cost of actors.

[In_The_Wind]

65. Oh No!!!

It took so long to grow everything!


[img][/img]
I'm moving.
Forward all my mail.

[Brickbat]

13. That's sad.

[RebelOne]

146. Not sad. I think it is sorta funny.

That will be a sight to see on TV.

[Sissyk]

14. THAT

is one of the more stupid things I've ever read.

[gollygee]

15. That kind of changes the whole myth into something else

At the very least it creates some kind of fear for Santa's safety. Even that isn't something I want my 4-year-old troubling herself over.

[Ace Acme]

79. Well, since you are not privy to the intel available to Sen. Feinstein

... you have no way of evaluating the seriousness of the threat to Santa. So just STFU!

[blkmusclmachine]

105. We need protection from the NSA.

[bananas]

116. Yes, this is going to scare kids, I can't believe they thought this was a good idea.

This is bad on so many levels.

[JHB]

16. A bearded man in a makeshift aircraft flying nap-of-the-earth?

No one could have predicted...

[randome]

17. That landscape is just as disturbing as anything else.

You'd think after a few hundred years, the elves could clean up after themselves. Disgusting.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Treat your body like a machine. Your mind like a castle.[/center][/font][hr]

[dionysus]

19. they should have just put missles on the sleigh...

[hunter]

20. Santa is upset the polar ice cap is melting.

The fossil fuel company executives are worried Santa will deliver angry polar bears to their bedrooms.

The U.S. military is therefore keeping an eye on him.

One false move and Santa is toast.

[sakabatou]

21. All I can say is:

Are you kidding me?!

[FiveGoodMen]

22. Our nation is in the hands of some sick fucks.

[blkmusclmachine]

106. Sieg Heil, motherf/ckers!

[Rex]

23. FUCK YA!

AMERICA! FUCK YA!

[myrna minx]

25. That's disturbing on every level. Now if Santa was flanked by the Tardis, I'd be ok with that.

[Johonny]

26. When the people in government do something fun they get attacked rule #1

Heaven forbid the people at Norad try to add a little joy to people's lives. People work their whole lives in the US military trying to help people and make lives better. I don't understand why we must demonize them and post pitty attacks on them. The sight and the sled tracking is fun and extremely harmless. Heaven forbid your kids learn that the military does things besides fight wars. If you are worried about the NORAD santa tracker then your life is probably going pretty good.

[annabanana]

29. the "tracking" is fine

It's those jets . . .

[niyad]

31. you forgot the sarcasm thingy, yes?

[anneboleyn]

97. I hope so. Honestly I am speechless (it has happened a few times on DU but this takes the cake)

Really -- American fighter jets accompanying Santa \ for fun??? (Sorry for yelling) Because Santa needs to be protected from evil "terrurism" (or whatever is implied)? Isn't the whole point of "Santa" that he is beloved and welcomed all around the world and not likely to be attacked by evildoers? Oh my.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

35. I do not think anyone who has ever lost somone to war

or comes from a country in the crosshairs would see the harmlessness you speak of.

[WilliamPitt]

36. Comprehensive Fail.

The NORAD tracker is good fun. The fucking weapons of war tacked on is not. They're keeping Santa safe? From what, exactly?

For the first time in history, little children will be made to worry that someone might kill Santa Claus.

It's just fucking stupid.

[tina tron]

46. It's called propaganda

and there used to be a law about broadcasting US government propaganda to US citizens.

[TeamPooka]

57. Heaven forbid we let the message Peace On Earth stand for one fucking day. Scramble the jets!

[City Lights]

75. Thank you!

[harun]

88. You really think armed fighter jets protecting santa is to teach kids the military

does things besides fight wars?

What if the NORAD image had UN relief cargo planes escorting Santa? I am betting your tune would change dramatically. Think about it.

[Hestia]

127. Santa is the Magic of the Old Man of the North - He doesn't need escorts and has made it

alive for centuries, even through The Wild Hunts (actually he leads them). It's co-opting the myth and the message, and indeed, can't we have one freakin' day out of the year without being reminded that the MIC hates us and wants to keep us all a'skeered?

If he is in danger, why doesn't Europe or Australia or South America scramble jets as he flies? Why just North America?

[morningfog]

90. I was scrolling looking for a defender/apologist of this.

Found it! This is the military hungry for bodies.

[CorrectOfCenter]

125. I'm with you.

Honestly, I am just sick and tired of watching people faint over the smallest things day in and day out.

You are getting attacked for your post, while others are comparing our government to the Nazis and getting not one negative reply.

People are getting so sick and twisted with their hatred for their own country that it's almost frightening.

[daleanime]

131. ,.......

[annabanana]

27. You know.. "war on Christmas" Air Force Dominionists and all that .. . . .n/t

[Crowman1979]

133. +1

[Coyotl]

28. But, but, some people BELIEVE in the military!

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

41. Yes, Virginia, there is a military.

[dreamnightwind]

121. And try as people might to get out of their enlistment...

They can't, there ain't no sanity clause. Or is there?

[niyad]

30. dear goddess, PLEASE tell me this is actually from the Onion and the globe just copied it.

[OnyxCollie]

32. The SCOTUS ruled against putting GPS tracking devices on Santa's sleigh.

[MinM]

33. Queue the Disney-Mattel marketeers

Disney® is for Kidz

HMW™

[Vox Moi]

42. Get on Target! Be the target!

This gun is so realistic that it will draw counter-fire from nervous policemen!

Mattel is not responsible for any misunderstandings between the user of this product and any other person. Mattel guarantees that this product will perform as advertised to all owners, living or dead.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

82. Reminds me of this....

[Hassin Bin Sober]

113. My brother and I had those. They lasted about a half a day.

Me: Braaap!
My dad (from downstairs): Knock it off you are giving me a headache!
Me: Braaap!
My dad: Knock it off!
Me: Braaaaaaap!!
<sound of dad charging up the stairs>
Smash! Smash! Smaaaash!!

All gone.

Looking back, those toys were probably given us by an enemy of my parents

[FiveGoodMen]

136. Your last name wouldn't be Banner, would it?

[Hassin Bin Sober]

137. No

[FarCenter]

34. Good luck finding jets that can land on roughly 80 millions of rooftops in one night!

Assuming the jet escort is only for the United States....

[KittyWampus]

37. This decision leaves them open to some pretty obvious lampooning.

[Vox Moi]

38. This is your Christmas Mission Profile ...

Primary target: Christmas tree installation in the living room
Secondary target: The missile-toe complex in the doorway.
Fused gift delivery at zero altitude ...

[Fumesucker]

39. Thanks Obama n/t

[Good without a god]

40. The question of course

is why the government is wasting time and resources with this in the first place. Ok, it's cute, but is it even remotely necessary?

[obxhead]

98. It's done by volunteers and private money.

For some background on why NORAD tracks Santa.

It all began with a typo.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NORAD_Tracks_Santa

[Hestia]

128. Wonderful story as to how NORAD started tracking Santa - but with this one video they can

erase decades of good will. I still like watching Santa on radar here on tv on the evening of the 24th. Old Magic interspersed with New Magic.

[joeybee12]

43. Sick and twisted....knr

[Old and In the Way]

44. Now this is a "War on Christmas". Wonder what Bill and Sarah think?

Probably A-OK with this.

But what would Jesus think? Probably not keen on the concept. I'm sick of the militarism that's permeating our entire society. Can't see a sports event without the US military getting involved. Now this. I'm sorry, time to seriously reduce the defense budget and eliminate the ridiculous PR costs that add nothing to our defense.

[Nye Bevan]

47. I don't like this.

Santa has always managed just fine without the military muscling in. They need to butt out.

[blkmusclmachine]

107. You must be one of those bleedin' heart libruls. Commie!

[nadinbrzezinski]

48. Ah the unveiling of the super duper secret

Mach 20 capable, high atmospheric flight jets. (And they have nuclear reactors to boot as a power plant)

Is this targeted at China? They are getting coal this year for that air defense zone.

[NCTraveler]

49. No worries. Bill O said it was his contribution to the war on Christmas. nt.

[LordGlenconner]

50. Just as long as Santa doesn't die from a leg wound

I really wouldn't want to be right about that.

[Loudly]

52. That's recruitment imagery. Early childhood branding upon impressionable minds.

[FiveGoodMen]

74. Absolutely!

[blkmusclmachine]

108. You betcha!

Brainwashing.

[TroglodyteScholar]

54. Well, points for realism...

Sad, sad realism....

[raouldukelives]

55. Christmas Accomplished! nt

[TeamPooka]

56. email Norad to let them know you don't like this: [e-mail]

[e-mail]

[FSogol]

60. Fighter jets? Everyone knows NORAD uses drones to keep Santa safe.

[nyquil_man]

61. They don't want St. Nick running off with any state secrets.

After all, he knows if you've been bad or good.

[blkmusclmachine]

110. The NSA:

They're making a list,
and checking it twice.
They've gotta find out,
who needs to be iced.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

62. It's the US Military's ** War on Christmas **

Where's Palin?

[seveneyes]

64. Who else will guard against the Grinch flying a Mig?

[bullsnarfle]

66. So much for

"Peace on Earth, goodwill toward men".

Or, as NORAD's Hauptmann Davis would put it..."yada yada yada".

[countryjake]

67. And Santa, rebel that he is, changes flight plans...

flying low under the radar



Seriously, adding war planes to the image of a tradition that should represent peace and goodwill? Seems to me that is the very definition of war on Christmas.

[KansDem]

69. What I want to know is: will Santa be required to pass through TSA security?

How about Rudolph and the rest of the reindeer?

[Politicalboi]

70. They're just following him

So he doesn't crash into a building and catch it on fire, and collapse it in under 2 hours at 10 stories a second.

[jmowreader]

72. They're just protecting him from the War on Christmas

We haven't elevated the War to include antiaircraft guns...give it time.

[City Lights]

73. usa! usa! We *so* rule!

[xmas74]

76. This happens when he enters North American airspace.

It's been like that for years. Some years, it's the Royal Canadian Air Force who greets him. They welcome him in and usher him through, letting all aircraft know that the air is open only for Santa. It's really not all that much-just that Santa is in North American air space and that he's being greeted by the military (usually Canadian) and that it's time for children to get in bed very soon.


My daughter and I used to listen and watch every year and they've done it for years. I guess they just showed it on the site for this year.

[anneboleyn]

99. My husband and I check it for fun. We love the Taj Mahal sequence and London

We are adults without kids (our relatives with kids also visit the Santa Tracker!), and we enjoy checking out the Santa Tracker "updates" every year. We love hearing that Santa has safely delivered gifts to all the children in Australia, Japan, etc. It is silly but it actually makes the world seem a little better for a night.

[xmas74]

115. My 13 year old and I will check it yet again this year

even though we're long past the age that Santa visits. It's cutesy and fun.

The fighter jets sequence has been on the site for years. I don't understand why it's such a big deal now. They escort him into free airspace and supposedly advise all fights to land so Santa has a clear path ahead of him, with no obstructions. (yep, so many years of watching it, I still remember it all.)

[JimboBillyBubbaBob]

77. Santa is a mythological creature in...

the American civil pantheon. This action is therefore consigning NORAD to the realm of mythology. Or were they already there?

[MisterP]

89. since the 30s there's been a lot of commentary on the replacement of myth and mainstream

theology with science and technology--not in the way that creationists claim, but as a sublimatory phenomenon that inspired everything from Lenin to "Houses of the Holy": we have Raptures for Nerds jostling with delusions of godhood through rocketry

http://paleofuture.gizmodo.com/

[AverageJoe90]

94. There's been other delusions, too.

Materialism has played a *gigantic* role in much of this(not all, though), TBH.....one more prominent modern example is the "global warming will somehow kill all humanity" stuff that's been going around amongst mostly the fringes of the environmentalist movement(I mean, yes, AGW is a serious problem that ought to be dealt with.....but it's not going to cause humanity to somehow become extinct!). Another, and this one is *particularly* disgusting, would be the "Racism is natural/all humans are racist" school of thought(which somehow managed to survive the WWII era, despite its roots in eugenicist thinking). Or how about "humans are little more than glorified apes"?

[Spitfire of ATJ]

80. ...

[hughee99]

81. Why would they want to shoot him down?

He knows if you are sleeping, he knows when you're awake, he knows if you've been bad or good, so the NSA would probably consider him an "asset".

[MadrasT]

83. That is really... twisted.

[Starry Messenger]

85. Dumb.

Everyone knows that the reindeer shoot lasers from their eyes.

[ThoughtCriminal]

86. Honest. I was good this year.

Ok... "noodle incident" - but that hardly calls for an airstrike.

[warrprayer]

87. santa will need them

if he gets too close to China

[AverageJoe90]

91. i don't see anything sinister about this, necessarily, TBH.

With that said, though, what was the point of adding the fighter jets? Might appeal to some boys, maybe, but I have a feeling this will backfire on them.....

[Initech]

92. They'll track Santa over Area 51 near Bigfoot Forest next to Edward Snowen's house.

[adirondacker]

93. Next year Santa will be delivering gifts with Drones!

[joshcryer]

95. Getting rid of the wing tip A2A missiles is the obvious solution.

The underbelly expanded fuel tank is not a big deal but I don't see that on the official site: http://www.noradsanta.org/

[Paper Roses]

96. I saw this on NECN tonight and thought it must be a joke.

Whoever thought of this deserves coal in his stocking.
Sickening.

[shireen]

100. Military escort for Santa?

That's hilarious! Why would Santa need a military escort? Are they worried the North Koreans will shoot him down?

What a dumb idea.

[xfundy]

101. Why aren't they tracking Jesus?

HE'S COMING!!1!

[blkmusclmachine]

111. Replacing one fairy tale with another. Woo hoo!

[hrmjustin]

109. I wonder if Santa is spying for the NSA now.

[Liberty Belle]

112. This news editor's response just sent to NORADSANTA.com:

As a news editor at East County Magazine, which has 150,000 readers a month, we’ve always linked to your site each Christmas eve. But after reading this story, we won’t be this year unless you change your policy:
http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2013/12/02/pentagon-tracking-santa-with-new-twist-armed-jet-fighters/aFYyrQhOjNlZw9OnsKSWQM/story.html?s_campaign=email_BG_TodaysHeadline

Weapons such as war planes have no place in a website for children. Christmas is a celebration of the holiday spirit – peace on earth, goodwill to men.

Having fighter jets guiding Santa is the antithesis of that.

What were you thinking?

I hope to hear that you’ve rethought this decision which is in very bad taste, and will eliminate the weapons and militaristic imagery from the site so that we can once again refer children to your otherwise very creative and good-spirited effort.

I grew up enjoying this site as a child, as did my children, and the children of many of our news sites readers.

Please let me know if you change this policy.

Miriam Raftery, Editor
www.EastCountyMagazine.org
[e-mail]

[Ms. Toad]

114. Great response.

Thanks!

[bananas]

118. Here are some other Santa trackers.

TheSantaTracker.com is really good,
they have a controllable christmas tree up now,
and a santa cam ustream video feed on christmas eve which is fun.

Santaupdate.com and TrackingSanta.com seem to be part of a network of Chistmas sites.

Norad used to use google earth for its santa tracker,
but went with microsoft bing a few years ago,
so google has its own santa tracker.

http://thesantatracker.com/

http://santaupdate.com/

http://trackingsanta.net/

http://www.google.com/santatracker/

[ReRe]

117. Nothing

is sacred, is it? Not even a child's belief in Santa Clause. Can't they just leave Santa alone and not mess up a perfectly wonderful little dream that a child has for a while in the beginning of his life? Hasn't Santa been driving the friendly skies for millennia with no "threat"? There is no justification for it except indoctrination. Are we China now?

[suffragette]

119. Next up - TSA screening after he drops off presents so he can get back in the sleigh

And he better not try to take any of that milk to go - no liquids allowed.

Joining you in the

[merrily]

120. I love the smell of ever-increasing US militarianism and nationalism in the morning.

Homeland uber alles.

And if you're tempted to cite Godwin's fake law, don't even try it.

[Savannahmann]

122. Related Headline

NSA admits complete failure in effort to get into the North Pole Network.

"We have had absolutely no success in getting into the North Pole Communications Network. We have no idea what kind of encryption they're using, but it's good. We're really worried, I mean we stay up nights worrying about what they're talking about. Right now, we have no other option but to consider Santa a Terrorist who is trying to destroy this nation."

The United States denied that the fighter jets was an effort to intimidate Santa claiming non specific intelligence that Santa was in grave danger from Terrorists armed with anti-sleigh surface to air missiles.

"If we don't do this, if we don't escort him with our fighters, Rudolph could well take one right in the nose, and I'm not going to stand by and let that happen." General Jack D. Ripper of Team America declared.

[RandiFan1290]

123. Next they will go door to door with Santa

Boston Strong style!

[Jesus Malverde]

138. I see what you did there...

[merrily]

141. That was quite a surprise, how quickly Watertown and Cambridge

turned into Afghanistan, with five other towns also shut down, all for own good and safety of course.

Motherland Security is a huge success.

[CorrectOfCenter]

124. Stop assuming all kids will be scared by this.

I would've thought it was pretty effing awesome at that age.

[dotymed]

126. That is so twisted.

Expose our youth to the "protect us at all costs" mentality.
Was this a "suggestion" from Cheney?

[heaven05]

129. well, there is a war on christmas!!!!

sarah palin must be proud.

[Javaman]

130. It's NORAD's websit that's doing this. nt

[Crowman1979]

132. It's part of the US government's "Everyone is a Terrorist" policy.

Hence Santa getting tailed by fighters, TSA patdowns, police beatings of protesters, and NSA invasions of privacy

[marble falls]

134. "Onward Christian soldiers, tra-la-la la-la la-la-la-la!" Good times and fond memories.

[happyfunball]

139. The Militarization of American Culture

Wow, what a statement on the militarization of American culture.

In a book or movie this would have been great satire.

So much satire of American culture from 20 or 30 years ago is becoming reality.

We are a parody of ourselves.

Just give me my Soylent Green and let me watch some rollerball.

[hootinholler]

140. TAUNT!!!

I remember that skit.

[In_The_Wind]

143. Hey ~ happyfunball

[img][/img]

I'll pass on the Soylent Green and watching rollerball.

[maced666]

144. "You serious, Clark?"

santa sighting movie reference, Christmas Vacation. sorry.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

145. That's some twisted shit there. The underlying message is clear

Give us the budget funding levels we want or Santa gets a bunker buster in his lap.

[Avalux]

147. WTF! Seriously, WTF???? n/t