<nettime-ann> For Immediate Release: Hazleton, PA to ban Santa Claus (December 19, 2006)

[No Santa For Hazleton <listadmin@nosantaforhazleton.com>]

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 December 19, 2006
 For Immediate Release 

 PA Town to Ban Santa Because He is Undocumented Worker

 The people of Hazleton, PA are proud to announce a citizen-organized
public awareness campaign called "No Santa for Hazleton." The campaign
will use Santa Claus' status as America's most-loved illegal worker to
demonstrate Hazleton's new "zero tolerance" policy toward illegal
aliens. 

 Hazleton has been at the forefront of the War on Immigration since
this past summer, when, in response to a surge in illegal
immigration, the city passed its “Illegal Immigrant Relief
Act." The public response was immediate and overwhelmingly positive.
Mayor Lou Barletta’s heroics gained the town national
attention, including appearances on '60 Minutes' and CNN’s 'Lou
Dobbs Tonight.' Following Hazelton’s example, over 30 other
towns across America have passed or are considering similar laws to
drive out illegal immigration and labor.

 This Christmas, a grassroots coalition of concerned citizens and
elected officials have come together to conduct a public awareness
campaign against the nation’s most prominent undocumented
worker: Santa Claus. The group intends to keep Santa out of Hazleton
this Christmas, as he represents everything the town has rallied
around Mayor Barletta to oppose. According to the Mayor, "We are
waging a war of culture, and Santa is a dangerous idea whose reign
must be put to an end."

 The group's website lists the following evidence against Santa
Claus:
 •Santa is not an American nor is he legally recognized for
residency or occupational purposes in this country. Oblivious to this
fact, millions of Americans delight in inviting him into their homes
and allowing him to work unsupervised every year. Children and the
elderly are especially vulnerable to his costume and demeanor.

 •Santa does not work alone, but employs hundreds to thousands
of elves in what are clearly described as sweatshop or slave
labor-type conditions. This takes jobs away from honest and
hard-working Americans who play by the rules.

 Appearing unlawfully for too long to remember, Santa Claus has come
to represent a range of labor practices that undercut the American
workforce in favor of unfair foreign competition or informal domestic
laborers. Across America, the economies of small cities like Hazleton
have been decimated as a result. 

 For further information, the group has launched a website,
www.NoSantaForHazelton.com
<http://www.nosantaforhazleton.com/index.html>, which will serve as a
resource for the town and a model for other towns to adopt in a
national movement. The website will be used to collect donations
<http://www.nosantaforhazleton.com/index.html> to air a television
advertisement <http://www.nosantaforhazleton.com/ad.html> the group
has prepared, but includes additional features such as tips for
parents to talk to their children about Santa, and an internet action
tool for people of all ages to send letters to Santa asking him to
stay away. In Hazleton, as the No Santa For Hazleton looks boldy to
the future, this Christmas promises to be like no other. 

 Press Inquiries: 
 Email <mailto:justsayno@nosantaforhazleton.com> or call Mayor
Barletta's office at 570-459-4910






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