Et tu, NPR?

Has everyone gone completely off their rockers? The democrats are thinking of abandoning women and their right to control their own bodies, people are trying to redefine marriage as an institution that's sole purpose is to produce children (does this mean that Bob and Elizabeth Dole will have their marriage license revoked?), Bush is renominiating judges who have already been rejected, and now this from NPR:

National Public Radio, the last bastion of the so-called liberal media, former ground zero of liberal commentary on the airwaves, and target of wingnut abuse for more than thirty years, has finally caved and gone to the dark side. The "moral values" voters, and perhaps Michael Powell, have invaded NPR's Mass Ave offices and have censored a Christmas classic - David Sedaris reading from his Santaland Diaries which describes a month Sedaris spent as a Christmas elf for Macy's.

That's bad enough, right? But there's more.

When Santaland Diaries was first aired 12 years ago, it was more than a little daring because of its description of a flirtation with Snowball, another male elf.

That's right. They've been airing this for twelve years. What was kosher in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, and in 2003 is now too much for our tender ears. And the offending exerpt? Brace yourselves!

The overall cutest elf is a fellow from Queens named Snowball. Snowball tends to ham it up with the children, sometime literally tumbling down the path to Santa's house. I tend to frown on that sort of behavior but Snowball is hands down adorable -- you want to put him in your pocket. Yesterday we worked together as Santa Elves and I became excited when he started saying things like, "I'd follow you to Santa's house any day, Crumpet!"

It made me dizzy, this flirtation.

By mid-afternoon I was running into walls. At the end of our shift we were in the bathroom, changing clothes, when suddenly we were surrounded by three Santas and five other elves -- all of them were guys that Snowball was flirting with.

Snowball just leads elves on, elves and Santas. He is playing a dangerous game.

I fear for America in 2005.