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An MSNBC columnist is calling for the end of the NORAD Santa tracker, claiming that it is time to “decouple” Santa Claus from American military culture.<\/p>\n
In an op-ed published<\/u> on MSNBC.com, opinion columnist Hayes Brown took issue with the North American Aerospace Defense Command\u2019s 60-year tradition of tracking Santa Claus\u2019s imaginary journey across the globe delivering presents and explained why “if had my way, this year would be the last.”<\/p>\n
“No, I\u2019d prefer we end the tradition because it\u2019s about time that we decoupled St. Nick from the world\u2019s most powerful military,” Hayes Brown wrote. “American culture is saturated with a desire to associate the military with the saccharine. We get videos of soldiers returning home to their pets or children but never questions about why they were deployed for so long or what threat they were fighting; military jets flying over NFL games give us an injection of jingoist testosterone before more regionally focused battles of testosterone are played on the field; and we get the Netflix movie “Operation Christmas Drop,” a seasonally themed rom-com that cheerfully seeks to boost approval for America\u2019s military base in Guam.”<\/p>\n
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Brown explained that he does not consider himself a “scrooge” and does acknowledge the joy the practice brings children but ultimately believes: “The messier business of war that goes on in the background doesn\u2019t jibe with the Christmas spirit.”<\/p>\n
Brown pointed to drone strikes that have caused civilian casualties across the world and have helped “military officials avoid the political headaches that come from massive ground deployments.”<\/p>\n
Brown outlined examples of the U.S. military, in his belief, not being held accountable for military strikes that left civilians dead and then wondered aloud if the military would be held accountable if it killed Santa Claus in a drone strike.<\/p>\n
“Earlier this month, a friend of mine mused on Twitter: “wonder if this will be the year NORAD finally kills Santa,” Brown wrote. “It\u2019s a great joke, which prompts this hypothetical: If the Air Force did accidentally target Santa, say during one of his stops outside the U.S., would we hear about it? Would the resulting loss of life be deemed ‘credible’? Or would it just be another case investigated and tucked away in the Pentagon\u2019s files?”<\/p>\n
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\n President Biden and first lady Jill Biden speak with the NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center on Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., via teleconference in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus in Washington, Friday, Dec. 24, 2021. (AP Photo\/Carolyn Kaster) The article concludes with Brown not being able to answer that question, which he says is part of the justification for stopping the NORAD practice of tracking Santa.<\/p>\n “The military wrongly killing someone is more frequent an occurrence than its interest in the delivery of toys,” Brown writes. “So out of concern for Santa\u2019s safety, out of exasperation at the Pentagon\u2019s propaganda and because at Christmas you tell the truth, let\u2019s have NORAD release Santa from its annual pantomimed surveillance.”<\/p>\n Several Twitter users responded to Brown\u2019s Twitter post containing the article objecting to his conclusion.<\/p>\n One user explained<\/u> that the military is “far from perfect” and the Santa tracker is a “tradition my kids love.”<\/p>\n “Honestly, fair \u2014 it\u2019d be weird if everyone agreed with me 100% of the time and I\u2019m glad your kids enjoy it,” Hayes responded.<\/p>\n
\n (AP Photo\/Carolyn Kaster)<\/span><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/640\/320\/bombers.jpg?ve=1&tl=1\")
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