Santa to get fighter escort for Christmas

Santa to get fighter escort for Christmas

The North American Aerospace Defense Command’s popular Track Santa program is back for 2013, but the news that St. Nick will be getting fighter jet escorts isn’t going over well with everyone, with some child advocates speaking out against the move, the Boston Globe reported.

“Children associate Santa with gifts and fun and everything else that is positive about Christmas,” said Allen Kanner, a California child and family psychologist and co-founder of the Boston-based Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood. “They are associating this with the military in children’s minds. It is completely out of line,” he told The Globe.

Adding the jets is “part of our effort to give the program more of an operational feel,” Navy Capt. Jeff A. Davis, a spokesman for NORAD, told The Globe. “It’s still cutesy since it’s for kids, but we don’t want people to lose sight of our true mission,” Capt. Davis said.

The fighter jets reportedly will protect Santa when he goes over restricted airspace around the globe. If NORAD can duplicate or improve upon last year’s statistics, that will mean at least 1.2 million mobile users and 114,000 people who call in will have a better idea of NORAD’s mission.

Now, I've never really had an issue with NORAD doing the Santa tracking. As a kid, it was fun to watch on the late-night news. It was a kind-hearted tradition that started way back with that misprinted phone number, and it's kind of unique to us in that regard now.

But fighter escorts? "Operational feel"?? This seems to have an overt "you will love thy military" feel to it, does it not?

What's next, a brief glimpse of long-range imagery of his elves with ground weapons?

reply to post by Nyiah


Its probably a nice way to move a few 100 million in black ops money around to pay for "santa's escort" but anyway i'm surprised santa still visits the USA after him and his reindeer getting anally probed by the TSA when he enters US airspace every year..but i'd bet the NSA know his naughty list 6 months in advance as well

reply to post by Nyiah


Thanks for bringing this to our attention. This Santa character sounds dangerous.

They've been giving him a fighter escort for a few years now, ever since the website opened

It's NORAD's gig. They can do whatever the heck they want. If they want a fighter escort for their 'Santa Tracker', that's their business. If people don't like it, then they can just change the channel if the news reports it and their children are in the room. Or just turn off the TV if it's soooooooo bad.

You all do know it's just pretend .... right?
Whatever.

If you asked me to take a guess at which country would have done this, I would of guessed it right off the top

The militarization of Santa Claus..Only in America, lol...

Get kids used the terrorism threat and the need for military protection with EVERYTHING. Otherwise, which MIC guy's ego felt the need for this to be included.

Edit:

Ain't nothing sacred anymore.

reply to post by n00bUK


It's more like Capitalism and War flying word-wide.

don't you see...Santa is working for them,,,,it's just a cover story incase someone blows the whistle ,,

reply to post by Blowback


Think it was Santa that crashed at Roswell?

Absolutely everything today has to be made about Politics, doesn't it? *EVERYTHING*. Even Santa Clause. So...who determines which airspace he needs fighter escorts for, around the world? I'm sure these are all just digital ghosts for the NORAD display, just like Santa himself every year...but really?? We needed to put WAR PLANES with Santa Clause?! REALLY!?

FlyersFan
It's NORAD's gig. They can do whatever the heck they want. If they want a fighter escort for their 'Santa Tracker', that's their business. If people don't like it, then they can just change the channel if the news reports it and their children are in the room. Or just turn off the TV if it's soooooooo bad.

You all do know it's just pretend .... right?
Whatever.

Depends on if they really are going to have fighters in the air with this "gig". If it's all pretend, I agree to an extent though I'm not keen on the idea either. Are they worried that the world has become so dangerous in the US that Santa is a terrorist target? If they are actually going to put fighters up in the air for a "mock up" escort, well, considering the cost of flight time, I have a serious problem with that.

n00bUK
If you asked me to take a guess at which country would have do this, I would of guessed it right off the top

The militarization of Santa Claus..Only in America, lol...

But its for his own protection with all these terrorist threats. It's the only way he stands a chance of entering Israeli airspace.

Yes, only in America! Santa gets a NORAD escort. Also, there is definitely a NSA informant amongst the "Little Helpers". A good friend told me who is in the know. However, there is a leaked Snowdon report that blew the cover on NSA spying in Lapland that named the NSA agent, but the British government have a court order banning the Guardian from printing it. There are also rumours circulating that the NSA operative has been found in a holdall. Lapland official news sources are reporting it as a sex game that went wrong.

Good luck Santa in the 21st century! Ho ho ho!

Well, they just don't want to take chances with
The Abominable Snowman getting to Santa you know!

On Dasher!

WhiteAlice
Depends on if they really are going to have fighters in the air with this "gig".

You do realize there is no sleigh and no reindeer to escort, right?
So any fighter planes on the radar would be pretend planes as well.
There is NOTHING TO ESCORT.


Folks ... this is NORADS gig. They can do whatever they want. And you don't have to watch it if you don't want. Just change the channel. Or don't watch TV on Christmas Eve. Ours is OFF. Give it a try.

It's no big deal.
But some of you are acting like it's an invasion wave from Jupiter or something.
All scared of shadow planes on a pretend radar screen ...

Wrabbit2000
Absolutely everything today has to be made about Politics, doesn't it? *EVERYTHING*. Even Santa Clause. So...who determines which airspace he needs fighter escorts for, around the world? I'm sure these are all just digital ghosts for the NORAD display, just like Santa himself every year...but really?? We needed to put WAR PLANES with Santa Clause?! REALLY!?

What if china decides to start shooting at him when he crosses the new ADIZ?

You going to let them shoot him down? Ruin everyones christmas.

reply to post by FlyersFan


No....Santa isn't real?! Thanks for bursting my Christmas dreams. I know that, FlyersFan. I'm not a delusional idiot. However, I also know that sometimes we're not the brightest when it comes to governmental spending and I could see some military bigwig thinking it'd be awfully cute to have youngsters running outside to see that "military escort" for a non-existent man with a fur fetish and his magical sleigh. How cute that would be to have kids running outside because Norad said that the whole entourage was going to be in their area and their awed little whispers---"Santa IS real....".

Last I checked, NORAD was part of our military defenses, operating jointly with Canada. NORAD is not a private entity...it is, in fact, a military entity and in that case, it is my business what they do and how they spend their money as a US citizen.

reply to post by WhiteAlice

If any planes go up on Christmas Eve it'll probably be for training purposes or for the usual trolling the skies. They go up all the time. Even on holidays. There won't be any special escorts .... there is nothing to escort.


I really don't get why people are getting uptight about imaginary shadow planes on an imaginary radar that is put out by people that you have the choice not to pay any attention to.

WhiteAlice

No....Santa isn't real?! . I know that, FlyersFan. I'm not a delusional idiot. ---"....".

ssshhhh..."we" don't want him too know ,,that "We" know Santa isn't reaL,,,,,because then he will think "We" are hinding something & that Santa is reaL....so it is for his own good

reply to post by FlyersFan


Training is one thing. Doing it under the banner of an imaginary dude with a funky hat is a completely different thing. You keep saying this "imaginary shadow planes" on an "imaginary radar" like that somehow is a retort to what I'm saying. I'm not upset about "imaginary shadow planes". I'll just get really irritated at actual planes been flown as it would basically be representing reckless government spending for a myth.