US Postal Service 'Holiday Stamp' Ad Excludes Christmas; Includes Hanukkah, Kwanzaa
The U.S. Postal Service is drawing criticism on social media over its recent advertising mailer promoting "holiday stamps," which features Hanukkah and Kwanzaa stamps but none on Christmas, except one with a colorful gingerbread house.
"Don't forget your holiday stamps. You'll find them at your nearest post office or on eBay," said a U.S. Postal Service mailer sent out portraying the new 2013 "holiday stamps" on sale. The ad carried images of three stamps. One had the word "Hanukkah," another with the word "Kwanzaa," and the third just carried a gingerbread house drawing.
Criticism began pouring in after a Virginia woman tweeted, "Don't forget those three American holidays: Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and.....gingerbread house. #USPS."
"America is still 3/4 Christian, with most non-Christians who still respect Christmas. Why would you insult and dismiss the masses?" asked a man who calls himself "CJ" on Twitter.
"We apologize for not including all of our holiday religious-themed stamps due to design constraints," responded the USPS. "Our design included the most recent newly issued stamps. We did not look to offend or exclude any religion," the postal service added.
"Please visit [online store] to view all of our holiday stamps. Our holiday mailer features our newly issued holiday stamps," the postal service said in another tweet.
"You know because the religious one was really old ... 21 days older than the gingerbread house one," remarked a woman from Southern California.
The USPS also tweeted saying they do offer "the Holy Family, Virgin & Child, Santa & Poinsettia stamps." But the response of the postal service hasn't cut much ice.
"God forbid the day we walk around wishing each other a Merry Gingerbread House," says a conservative news website.
The postal service was recently blasted by conservative groups after it announced its decision to feature an LGBT activist from California, Harvey Milk, on a special commemorative stamp in 2014.
Milk repeatedly engaged in adult-child sex and advocated for polygamous homosexual relationships, according to Milk's biography, The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life and Times of Harvey Milk.
"Harvey Milk's only claim to fame is that he was the first openly homosexual candidate to be elected to public office (San Francisco city commissioner)," wrote Matt Barber in a column on WND.com. "His chief cause was to do away with the Judeo-Christian sexual ethic."
