'Practicing Christian':
Arrogant; Mail Thief
(unsigned)

We sent a copy of our print edition to a subscriber who had compensated us for the magazine (this was not one of our many freebies). Apparently too lazy to write our address on the envelope, this self-described "practicing Christian" chose, rather, to destroy mail intended for someone else by Scotch-Taping our printed return address to the envelope. (Yes, it is the original; it is not a photocopy.) Then, apparently too ashamed even to tell us his name, he wrote on the envelope our own return address. Go figure.

Envelope with PAM's address cut from the magazine and scotch-taped as an address label.

However, destroying mail intended for someone else is a violation of Federal law.

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In his letter to us, "A practicing Christian" shows his colors, making clear his calculated message of bigotry.

To whom it may concern, My wife and I have recently purchased a new home. With that we have gotten some mail that wasn't ours, and most commonly mail for the previoius occupants of this home. However, one of the mailings that we have received was from "Positive Atheism" p.o. box 16811 Portland , Oregon 97292 . I understand that we have certain freedoms, and constitutional rights protecting our beliefs, and of our press. I don't feel it to be of anyones place to question , or to take away those freedoms. All that I do wish to inform you, is that the recipient that you mail these mailings to no longer lives at [deleted] Ave. Altoona,Pa 16601. We are requesting that no further mailings from "Positive Atheism", or anything affiliated with "Positive Atheism" ever be delivered to this address again. Sorry for any inconveniece. Thank you. Sincerely, A practicing Christian

We do have the decency to block the mailing address from this graphic, though. We atheists aren't that wicked!

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The legal and proper (and moral) thing to do would have been to return our subscriber's mail to the letter carrier either so it can be forwarded to our subscriber or so it can returned to us as undeliverable. So, the only decent response for us (the only truly moral response) is to report this to the Postal Inspector. And as I said, we atheists aren't that wicked, so I will grant this common mail thief the decency of announcing to him that I intend to file a mail theft complaint, and to turn the letter and envelope over to the authorities.

October 25, 2000 To: "A practicing Christian": We appreciate the lip-service you have given to an American citizen's Consititutionally guaranteed right to publish a magazine which has, as her target audience, people who would have the audacity to disagree with you. However, when you destroyed mail that was intended for someone else but was mistakenly delivered to your residence, you violated Federal law. Furthermore, that you would break the law and would _steal_ from someone just to make a point -- a bigoted point -- serves only to tarnish the reputations of your fellow-Christians, most of whom are decent, law-abiding, and tolerant humans. Thus, we will file a complaint with the Postal Inspector. We will also post this entire exchange on our website at: http://www.positiveatheism.org/mail/eml9401.htm Cliff Walker, publisher, Positive Atheism Magazine.

Cliff Walker, Publisher
Positive Atheism Magazine

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