Nanny statism forces USPS to withdraw "active kids" stamps

Walt is a stamp collector. What else would an old man do on a cold winter night? Besides, it's a fascinating hobby. One never knows when a stamp, even a newly issued one, will become a rarity or at least something to provoke bemused discussion. Like these stamps, scheduled for release this month by the US Postal Service.

These are -- or were -- 10 (of 15) "active kids stamps", intended by the USPS to promote physical fitness. The message is that obese American kids should get up off the couch and go out and play! Alas, three of the ten stamps are "inappropriate" and "causing concern" to Forces for Good in the Community. So the whole series is being withdrawn, lest we get the Wrong Ideas.

"What 'wrong ideas'?", I hear you ask. Look carefully. One shows a young swimmer doing a cannonball into water. In another, a child is skateboarding wearing a helmet but no kneepads. In the third, a youngster is doing a headstand without a helmet.

The New York Times "Motherlode" blog says it has confirmed with the USPS that the stamp series is on hold, saying the three drawings showed children moving in ways that "could prove detrimental to their health."

In the old days, we used to tell kids not to touch the hot stovetop or they'd get burnt. When they disregarded the warning, they did get burnt, and they learned a lesson. Today's kids aren't allowed to even look at the stove! Isn't it wonderful to live in a country so solicitous for the welfare of its children?