CNN Foments More Fear

Dear CNN News,At around 10:00 pm (EST) on Dec. 24, 2005, I was watching CNN news and the anchorwoman (I don't know her name) turned to the weatherwoman (don't know her name, either) for the national weather forecast. After the forecast, the weatherwoman did an "update" on Santa's travels across the globe and said he would be entering the U.S. imminently -- escorted by three C-18 Norad fighter jets. The anchorwoman said, "Well it's good to know the old man is safe!" What were you/they thinking?! Whose "cute" idea was it to have Santa escorted by fighter jets? Do you remember that sequence in Michael Moore's film, "Bowling for Columbine," in which he does a riff on Americans' paranoia and the ways in which the media caters to and creates a low-level, ongoing state of unnecessary semi-panic with stories about "killer bees" (and so on) that are just poised to invade our country? The Santa-in-need-of-a-military escort story was right along those lines and was offensive and infuriating, both glorifying, yet again, our American obsession with all things military and instilling in young people's consciousness a sense that even Santa isn't safe any more in this so-called "age of terror." Orwell couldn't dream this stuff up. CNN ought to be ashamed; even Fox wouldn't behave so unconsciously. I certainly am sickened.David ByronWashington, Ct