Post Office Confusion

To the editor:

Recently, I went to the Schulenburg Post Office to mail a book to a friend; as I entered, I asked the clerk if they still took media mail. The answer was “yes.” I put my book, which was securely wrapped in a padded mailing envelope, on the counter. She was looking at it suspiciously, and asked if there was a personal letter or note in it. I answered “no.” She kept looking at it as if it were a snake. It was then that I feel I said too much. I said, “It is a Christian song book; I use it as a devotional.” She backed away from the counter, and said, “I cannot take promotional material as media mail.” I repeated, “It is a book.” She again said, “no promotional material.” I pointed to the book, and said, “The only thing that book promotes is God.”

It appeared at that point that the “battle” was over, as she began weighing, measuring, processing the book. She turned her screen towards me and said, “the address seems wrong….if we mail it and it comes back, you will have to pay the return postage.” (My friend’s address is Parkview N – the computer added N.W.) I had mailed multiple letters to the address, so was confident it was good. I said so. She then said, “Why don’t you take it home and recheck the address?” It was then evident she still did not want to take the book.

In my opinion, she did not want to send it as media mail, and was doing all she could to discourage me. I should have asked her, “If it were a Bible (or Koran), could you take it as media mail?”

Was this confusion involving mailing a religious song book as media mail, a USPS rule, or the clerk’s personal prejudice? It is disturbing either way.

Sandra Maag Reddell Swiss Alp