Thursday, May 29, 2014

Bigger Fish to Fry


The most recent "in a huff" (over)reaction by the American Family Association showed up in my Facebook feed last night. Since I am always a little skeptical of stuff posted on FB by the far right OR the far left, I went to the AFA site to check the validity of the posting. Yep....sure enough. ssdd. The AFA is always mad about something. This time they are mad about a postage stamp; a postage stamp dedicated to Harvey Milk.  

I don't know a lot about Harvey Milk.  I think the AFA's main beef with him is that he was a practicing homosexual. They claim he was promiscuous, a terrible role model and has no business with his face plastered on tens of thousands of envelopes traveling to and fro across the country.  Like everyone else, they are entitled to their opinion.

They suggest two ways to take a stand on this (non) issue. First, no one should actually BUY the stamp.

"Refuse to accept the Harvey Milk stamp if offered by your local post office. Instead, ask for a stamp of the United States flag."

Okay...that's cool. You don't like the stamps with Harvey...don't purchase the stamps with Harvey. It's doubtful that anyone who works at the post office will insist.  The last time I went to buy stamps, the very friendly postal clerk spread three different books of stamps on the counter for me to choose from. I picked the one with several  varieties of pretty spring flowers.  Different strokes for different folks.  

They should have stopped right there but did they? Nope. 

"Refuse to accept mail at your home or business if it is postmarked with the Harvey Milk stamp. Simply write,"Return to Sender" on the envelope and tell your postman you won't accept it."  

That's the fast track to the mailman's PITA list. And seriously, don't Christians...followers of Jesus....have bigger issues than this to express our outrage about and take a stand on...? Does this issue really deserve our time, attention, resources and effort?

With mass murder occuring so frequently it doesn't even shock us anymore, children starving, drone strikes, government snooping, pain, suffering, poverty, war, man's inhumanity to man etc. etc. is this really where Christians should focus their attention? Boycotting a stamp? Don't we have bigger fish to fry than this?