Smokes for Troops

Jackie Mason | December 2, 2004
[hidden by request]

Anna Gregoline | December 3, 2004
Geezus. Nice of him, I think. People are too freakin' hyper.

Scott Horowitz | December 3, 2004
They should have porn drives for our soldiers. These guys/girls can be going months/years without sex. They'll need some sort of release.

Anna Gregoline | December 3, 2004
They can't send porn. Porn is confiscated because of the country they are in.

Scott Horowitz | December 3, 2004
I would think they couldn't send pron because of the Southeast of this country.

Anna Gregoline | December 3, 2004
(link)

C. Cigarettes and other tobacco products are prohibited.

C1. Obscene articles, prints, paintings, cards, films, videotapes, etc., and horror comics and matrices are prohibited.

D. Coffee is prohibited.


So that guy can't send cigarettes anyway.

Jackie Mason | December 3, 2004
[hidden by request]

Scott Hardie | December 4, 2004
Well, you don't want to go blind all of a sudden! You might hit somebody while you're driving on Interstate 69 65.

I just hope they don't get the cigarette deliveries mixed up with the Toys for Tots.

Dave Stoppenhagen | December 6, 2004
Tell you what when I was over there the smokes would have been nice, the ones they have over there are crap. But then again I quit 2 years ago so it's a moot point.

Granted I was on a ship but there was porn a plenty even after locker "inspections".

Jackie Mason | December 6, 2004
[hidden by request]

Anna Gregoline | December 6, 2004
I think for the stuff I posted it's because there are laws about what you can send through the U.S. Postal service.

Amy Austin | December 16, 2004
Yep -- porn aplenty in the Navy...

Todd Brotsch | December 16, 2004
yeah...playboy goes through the mail

mmm

porn

Scott Horowitz | December 16, 2004
Ha, I knew I was right. Forget cigarettes, our troops are flacid and need some relief.

Anna Gregoline | December 16, 2004
Porn isn't allowed either, although I'm sure some is sneaked in.

Amy Austin | December 16, 2004
Was this about what's "allowed" or what would make the troops happy?

Anna Gregoline | December 16, 2004
Well, of course these things would make troops happy - but according to the rules of the postal service, you are not allowed to send those things overseas.

Amy Austin | December 16, 2004
Yeah, but what the P.O. doesn't know won't hurt them, though, will it? ;> (Of course, I'm talking about innocent mags/videotapes... NOT flammables/explosives, etc...) Didn't you say yourself, Anna, that the postal people were "assholes"??? I agree.

Anna Gregoline | December 16, 2004
OUR personal post office is a nightmare, but on the whole, I'm really impressed with the postal service. I can send a letter from one side of the U.S. to the other for less than $1? That's amazing.

Amy Austin | December 16, 2004
Heeheehee... for some reason, that cracked me up, Anna -- "less than a dollar" -- yeah, but for how long? I remember when it was well under a quarter. And don't tell me about rising costs and shit, either: just think about all the stamps they sell that don't actually go on anything -- and not just commemorative ones, either... do you know how many stamps I have around here somewhere? I haven't even seen them all in the moving process, but I know that there's a few from 2 or 3 price hikes ago that if I want to use, I'll have to buy a bunch of penny and nickel stamps! (And how many of *those* buggers are out there???!!!)

Anna Gregoline | December 16, 2004
I remember when it was under a quarter too - doesn't make it any less remarkable these days - what can you get for under a dollar? Something I held in my hands can be in someone else's hands thousands of miles away for the price of a stamp.

I've always disliked the grumbling about rising stamp prices - it's a miniscule hike when they do it, and it's really not much of an inconvenience.

Amy Austin | December 16, 2004
But my point was mostly that it probably actually costs more than a dollar, when you figure in all those sales that aren't paying for anything at all!

Anna Gregoline | December 16, 2004
What costs more than a dollar? I'm confused as to what you mean.

John E Gunter | December 16, 2004
Do you know what keeps the price of stamps so low? That's right all that bulk mail you get everyday. I was amazed when I learned that after starting work at my first direct mail marketing company.

Those junk mail companies that we all love to hate are the main drivers behind the post office. Makes me appreciate and not be so ticked off at them. Course that doesn't mean that I read their stuff, just that I'm not so upset about getting all of the junk.

John

Erik Bates | December 16, 2004
[hidden by request]

Scott Hardie | December 19, 2004
You know what, though? I'd gladly pay three dollars for every stamp if it meant not ever getting another piece of junk mail again. In fact, I'd pay the post office a regular fee to stop delivering that shit to me. You know that I wish you no misfortune, John, but it's a good thing I'm not a politician or the entire direct-mail marketing industry would be outlawed with a vengeance.

</spew of hatred>

Scott Hardie | December 20, 2004
Before this becomes a big deal, I should clarify that I was only blowing off steam... I wouldn't really legislate the direct mail marketing industry out of existence. I would, however, impose upon it the same rules newly applied against phone marketers and email marketers, that every recepient must be given a way to opt out of future mailings and that the company will be fined if they continue to send to people who have opted out. It bothers me greatly that I have no legal recourse for getting off of certain mailing lists.

John E Gunter | December 22, 2004
Most good direct-mail marketing companies have a way for you to get off their mailing list. Valpak has a way to do it. The ones that you might not get off of are credit cards, cd music clubs, etc. But I think you might be able to get off them also.

Course, you could always do what John Edwards suggests, take all of the material mailed to you in that envelope, stuff it back into the return envelope and mail it back to that company. That way, they have to pay postage twice, once to you and once to take their junk back.

They usually take you off their list then.

John

Scott Hardie | December 24, 2004
Didn't you tell me this summer at my party that Valpak does not have a way to get off their mailing list? Something about it being sent to "resident" instead of a real name. I have held a grudge against them ever since you said that, so I'd like to know if it's not true.

The ones that drive me insane are ShopWise, the fuckers who cram a newspaper-sized coupon book in my mailbox every week without fail. They provide no way to get off the mailing list except to write a letter, which I have done several times without success. Their phone system, as far as I can tell, is entirely automated with no direct connect to a human being, not that it would do me a lot of good if I correctly interpret their intention to keep sending me mail even if I say no.

John E Gunter | December 25, 2004
Nope, what I told you at the party was wrong. You can get your address removed from the mailing list. It does go to resident, but you can get the address removed.

Here's the link...

(link)

John

Amy Austin | December 28, 2004
Arrrghh... Scott, there goes the price of stamps again -- and it'll be all your fault!

Amy Austin | December 28, 2004
Hahaha -- John, that return strategy was the standing policy of my neighbor in Washington, too... but he would tear his name and address off. Guess you can't get removed that way! I always laughed at him and asked why he didn't just go ahead and smear a little dog poo on the stuff while he was at it!

Scott Hardie | December 29, 2004
Hmm... Maybe if we receive any porn-related junk mail we should forward it to the troops?

(I do not receive any porn-related junk mail.)

Kris Weberg | January 3, 2005
I bet you could if you tried.