Dear Santa

Dear Santa,
It is that time of the year again, and I know that your inbox is overflowing with mail and requests for presents from people all over the world. It seems that people are capable of asking, but not of giving these days. What happened to the idea of collective responsibility? Many Christmas stories, poems and plays discuss the origin of you and the idea of gift giving, but I think that your costume gives a clue to the real reason. Your suit of "red" clothing represents radical change and revolution against the power paradigm, not a revolution of violence, but one predicated on Love of our fellow human being. This is the basis of collective responsibility and sharing amongst humanity.


This has a direct connection to many life philosophies around the world including Christianity, where the idea of charity towards others is not an option but a duty. Somehow this idea has been corrupted and commodified by crony capitalism, where greed and self interest are the only responsibilities espoused. Our world is clearly on the edge of the abyss and it is alarming that those who should be concerned act as if there is nothing wrong and we will continue on without any consequences.




War has become the first resort in the 21st century and not the last, with children being the victims most affected by it, as they are the ones who are killed by bombs dropped and missiles fired by our forces in this endless war of empire. We have created many euphemisms for it, "collateral damage," is the one most used to give cover to this practice. This has a tragic touch of irony as children are the people automatically associated with you and Christmas. So we have young Americans, who not too many years ago, were making up lists to send to you, and are now active participants in a war that causes the deaths of other children. This war that has no end, is described as "fighting for our freedoms, bringing liberty and democracy and protecting the US." But how can the death of children anywhere be an act of fighting for our freedoms here at home, bringing liberty or even protecting the US? With each child's death, a little of our freedom dies; with each child's death, the idea of liberty dies a little; and with each child's death, we become less and less secure at home.


So Santa my gift list is short, with only one thing listed on it, that is please stop the war and the killing of children, everywhere and of every color, nationality and creed. Because if this killing is stopped, we will have peace in our time, and have time to reflect on where we are at, what has to be done to save our world and to make it a better place.


Sincerely yours,

Pat Saunders