The U.S. military's Santa appropriation needs to end

The messy business of war doesn’t jibe with the Christmas spirit. [View in browser]( [Image]( December 24, 2021 THE LATEST [Alternate text] [NORAD's Santa tracker is just propaganda with sleigh bells](//link.msnbc.com/click/26160729.57227/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubXNuYmMuY29tL29waW5pb24vYmlkZW4tcy1jb3ZpZC10ZXN0LXBsYW4taXNuLXQtZW5vdWdoLW4xMjg2NDE4P2NpZD1lbWxfbWRhXzIwMjExMjI0JnVzZXJfZW1haWw9ZDdkYzc0NTE3Mjk3YjM5NzFhYTE0ZDZmMzMxMTM1YTA4NzhmOGY2NDBmYTFhMTAxOWYxNTdiNjVjMWI1ZGQxZA/58292da26e4adc7b0b8b4914B8d278aad by Hayes Brown For over 60 years, every Christmas Eve has seen the U.S. military "track" Santa's sleigh across American airspace. It's a cute enough tradition — but it's hard to buy into the bit when faced with the latest evidence that the Pentagon doesn't hold itself accountable for civilian casualties, [Hayes Brown writes](. "That’s quite the juxtaposition with the outward face of humble, cornfed Americana that the military assumes." Brown writes. "Would you really think an organization [that delivers toys to Micronesia]( and keeps the airspace clear for Santa Claus could be capable of malice or neglect? The answer is, of course, yes. But that’s not what the Pentagon would like you to believe, as it spends [roughly $600 million per year on public relations contracts](." Read Hayes Brown's [full analysis]( your Friday [MSNBC Daily.]( TOP STORIES [Alternate text] [ ]( [Ja'han Jones]( [Kim Potter guilty of manslaughter in Daunte Wright's death after crying 'mistake'](//link.msnbc.com/click/26160729.57227/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubXNuYmMuY29tL29waW5pb24vam9lLWJpZGVuLXMtbmV3LW9taWNyb24tdmFyaWFudC1wbGFuLWxvdC1vbGQtcGxhbnMtbjEyODY0MTA_Y2lkPWVtbF9tZGFfMjAyMTEyMjQmdXNlcl9lbWFpbD1kN2RjNzQ1MTcyOTdiMzk3MWFhMTRkNmYzMzExMzVhMDg3OGY4ZjY0MGZhMWExMDE5ZjE1N2I2NWMxYjVkZDFk/58292da26e4adc7b0b8b4914B7e3af5c7 Kim Potter has been found guilty in the April shooting death of Daunte Wright.[Read More]( [Zeeshan Aleem]( [Trump is energetically defending Covid vaccines. Just ignore why.](//link.msnbc.com/click/26160729.57227/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubXNuYmMuY29tL29waW5pb24vbWFuY2hpbi1zLWJ1aWxkLWJhY2stYmV0dGVyLW9wcG9zaXRpb24tY291bGQtYmFkbHktaHVydC1hbWVyaWNhLW4xMjg2MzkyP2ljaWQ9bXNkX3RvcGdyaWQmY2lkPWVtbF9tZGFfMjAyMTEyMjQmdXNlcl9lbWFpbD1kN2RjNzQ1MTcyOTdiMzk3MWFhMTRkNmYzMzExMzVhMDg3OGY4ZjY0MGZhMWExMDE5ZjE1N2I2NWMxYjVkZDFk/58292da26e4adc7b0b8b4914Bd4eb9194 Trump's motives for selling the vaccine to his base are not virtuous, but it's a win for America.Read More]( [Steve Benen]( [One House Republican finally expresses regret over Jan. 6 vote](//link.msnbc.com/click/26160729.57227/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubXNuYmMuY29tL29waW5pb24vd2h5LWthbWFsYS1oYXJyaXMtcmFua2xlZC1jaGFybGFtYWduZS10aGEtZ29kLXMtYmlkZW4tcXVlc3Rpb24tbjEyODYzNDY_Y2lkPWVtbF9tZGFfMjAyMTEyMjQmdXNlcl9lbWFpbD1kN2RjNzQ1MTcyOTdiMzk3MWFhMTRkNmYzMzExMzVhMDg3OGY4ZjY0MGZhMWExMDE5ZjE1N2I2NWMxYjVkZDFk/58292da26e4adc7b0b8b4914B4af54ab3 It's a good thing Rep. Tom Rice regrets his vote against certifying President Biden's victory. It'd be a better thing if he weren't alone.Read More]( TOP VIDEOS [Alternate text] [Rachel Maddow]( [Sketchy Chinese company under investigation is well suited to partner with Donald Trump]( [A photo of McConnell]( [11th Hour]( [Omicron hits airlines, triggers holiday flight cancellations]( [The Last Word]( [How AG Garland’s handling of Trump could ‘define’ his legacy]( [All In]( ['We took the Capitol’: Proud Boy pleads guilty to Jan. 6 conspiracy charges]( MORE FROM MSNBC [Alternate text] Tonight at 8pm ET, watch a special edition of All In with Chris Hayes, as Chris brings his podcast, “Why Is This Happening?,” on-screen. In this crossover episode, Chris is joined by two guests to discuss what he sees as American democracy on the knife-edge: “Atlantic” writer Barton Gellman on the aftermath of the January 6th Capitol attack and the future of the Republican party; and lawyer Sherrilyn Ifill about the state of civil rights, voting rights, and the nature of American democracy. Tomorrow, MSNBC Films presents a holiday marathon of documentaries. Starting at 3pm Eastern, watch a collection of shorts from the Meet the Press Film Festival, followed by encore presentations of “Four Seasons Total Documentary,” “Civil War,” “Stone Ghosts in the South,” the award-winning film “Paper & Glue,” and “Stories We Tell: The Fertility Secret.” Round out Christmas evening with “Dateline” at midnight. Then, join MSNBC for another day of films on Sunday, kicking off with “In the Dark of the Valley” and “The Facility.” [Image] [Image] [Privacy]( [Unsubscribe](listvar=sub_daily)