How very christian of them
December 3, 2009 6:37 PM   Subscribe

Charities in Houston Texas, including the Salvation Army, require proof of US citizenship before giving toys to needy children.
posted by wilful (27 comments total)

This post was deleted for the following reason: we will all get through this holiday season together, but it will be easier if we don't just post single link newsfilter stories with snarky titles unless maybe there's another angle to this than the obvious LOLXIAN part? -- jessamyn



 
I am irrationally angry about this.
posted by elmer benson at 6:41 PM on December 3, 2009


Despicable.
posted by Bag Man at 6:42 PM on December 3, 2009


Ah yes, the *true* meaning of this holiday season.
posted by NoMich at 6:42 PM on December 3, 2009 [1 favorite]


Jesus wept.
posted by Jimbob at 6:44 PM on December 3, 2009


Oh yeah, I read about this. Oh, Houston. You make me so proud by almost electing Annise Parker. Then you make me sad and tired.
posted by Neofelis at 6:45 PM on December 3, 2009


Eh. Santa's been profiling for years.
posted by ColdChef at 6:45 PM on December 3, 2009 [6 favorites]


Yesterday, however, the charity reversed course. After a few dozen immigrants protested outside of a Los Angeles Salvation Army branch, the charity said that it was changing its policy and will no longer be checking Social Security numbers.
According to Think Progress, the Salvation Army has backed down, and claimed it was only to prevent fraud.

Still, that was NOT COOL.
posted by elmer benson at 6:47 PM on December 3, 2009


You know what, it's fine. Because those kids are going to grow up hungry -- figuratively although probably also literally -- and they're going to own this country. And in fifty years the chalky bones of Lorugene Young are going to be pulverized by earth movers breaking ground for the family mausoleum of the wealthiest citizen in the history of Houston and it's going to have been some brown kid who didn't get a toy from the stupid fire department.

I mean, maybe.
posted by i'm offended you're offended at 6:49 PM on December 3, 2009 [1 favorite]


Fraud? How do needy kids fraudulently want to celebrate Christmas?
posted by leftcoastbob at 6:49 PM on December 3, 2009 [2 favorites]


But it's in the bible!

Matthew 2:11 -

On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Once they had confirmed Jesus's US citizenship they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.
posted by Talez at 6:50 PM on December 3, 2009 [13 favorites]


This is pretty pointlessly cruel. No matter how you feel about illegal immigration, it's hardly the fault of the immigrants' children.
posted by Mitrovarr at 6:52 PM on December 3, 2009


This makes Guys And Dolls a *totally* different show you guys.

self-quoting from metachat i am a bad person
posted by The Whelk at 6:52 PM on December 3, 2009


leftcoastbob: Fraud? How do needy kids fraudulently want to celebrate Christmas?

Um, probably by going through the line a dozen times and then hitting ebay. Actually, I can kind of see how that might be a problem, if there wasn't any way to prevent it. Still, there has to be a better way of solving it than requiring citizenship documents - for one thing a lot of needy kids won't have parents that are involved enough (or functional enough) to provide them even if they're totally in order.
posted by Mitrovarr at 6:57 PM on December 3, 2009


On Long Island, some of the food banks require a referral from a church or other religious organization, so people have to a. find one b. explain their circumstances and then go to the food bank. It's next to impossible to get around Long Island without a car so this not a small problem.
posted by etaoin at 6:57 PM on December 3, 2009


"And Jesus went unto the crowds at Nazareth, and verily, he said unto them:
Lo, let not thy hand touch the brow of the leper
Nor thy foot rest upon the mantle of the foreigner
Nor thy mercy lay upon the backs of the sodomite
for, verily, thy lepers, foreigners and sodomites art
mine enemies, and, yea, they shall be stricken from the book of life.
Yet you, mine children, thy wealthy young men,
white and delightsome Israel, thy priests, thy scholars,
shall be my inheritance forever! Stretch forth thine daggers
and bathe the world in blood!"
-The Gospel of American Jesus, 23:19
posted by Avenger at 6:58 PM on December 3, 2009 [1 favorite]


In the specific case of the Salvation Army, I'm surprised they don't check the kids for the gay first, too.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 7:02 PM on December 3, 2009 [2 favorites]


Super non-shoking. Being poor is not bad enough. How can we make it worse? Thoughtless. Counter-Christian. Most likely against donor intent. Hurtful. A shame.
posted by zerobyproxy at 7:04 PM on December 3, 2009


OUTRAGE OUTRAGE OUTRAGE
posted by The Devil Tesla at 7:05 PM on December 3, 2009


Jesus wept.

Wrong tense.
posted by Pope Guilty at 7:10 PM on December 3, 2009


OUTRAGE OUTRAGE OUTRAGE

rhubarb! rhubarb! rhubarb! rhubarb! rhubarb! rhubarb! rhubarb!
posted by Pope Guilty at 7:10 PM on December 3, 2009 [1 favorite]


shocking as my typing
posted by zerobyproxy at 7:11 PM on December 3, 2009


Some Catholic charity refused to help my grandmother and father (when he was little) because my grandmother got a divorce. Somehow, my dad fell away from his Catholicism pretty early in life.
posted by Falconetti at 7:11 PM on December 3, 2009


Have you guys seen the shit a Canadian will give you for Christmas? OH ANOTHER GRETZKY JERSEY THANKS GRAMMA. I mean who needs it?
posted by xmutex at 7:15 PM on December 3, 2009


Actually, they just reversed course on this: video here. I mean, ok, also, they claimed they just needed someone in the household to have a SSN. But point is, they've given up - now they're denied their desire to discriminate!
posted by Tomorrowful at 7:16 PM on December 3, 2009


The same Salvation Army that threatened to close all its New York soup kitchens if same-sex benefits became law? The same Salvation Army that threatened to fire all its drivers who smoke? The same Savlation Army that promised its support to Bush in exchange for his homophobic policies?

SHOCKING!
posted by klanawa at 7:17 PM on December 3, 2009


Christian organization acts in accordance with their religion. Shocking.
posted by smackfu at 7:25 PM on December 3, 2009


Christian organization acts in accordance with their religion. Shocking.

"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these, but be sure to verify citizenship before giving them a free toy."
posted by Snyder at 7:44 PM on December 3, 2009 [1 favorite]


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