Forgive me if you get duplicates of this message -- I'm trying to publish
it as widely as I can by sending it to all the lists I'm subscribed to.
Here's an opportunity for us to show just what genealogists can do by
working together. Please forward this to as many individuals and mailing
lists as you can.
The Family Tree Magazine, published by Odom Library in Moultrie, GA, is a
**major** resource for genealogists in the US and other locations. While
it has a predominantly Scottish orientation, the bi-monthly magazine is
something that many of us read from cover to cover for all sorts of
tidbits. The paper is self-supporting through ads and postage donations --
there is no subscription charge to the more than 65,000 people who receive
a copy.
According to an article in the December/January issue, the US Postal
Service (which I'm sure has made a flipping fortune off genealogists, and
which announced a rate increase as of 10 January, and which wouldn't be
facing financial woes if it ran more efficiently -- end of soapbox) has
assessed a HUGE fine on Odom Library and the Family Tree Magazine -- nearly
$80,000 -- because the magazine contains travel information. Apparently,
the postal inspector said it's okay to have articles about travel, since
travel is a part of genealogy, but "someone might have fun on one of the
trips." That is too ludicrous to warrant a response!
All the appeals so far, including Congressional inquiries from Georgia
legislators, have been denied or ignored.
On top of that, the USPS <insert your favorite derogatory epithet here>
inspectors decided that, while the Moultrie Public Library was a non-profit
organization and entitled to use its mailing permit, the Odom Library
(which has always been a part of the Moultrie Library) is not.
What can we do about this? Write letters. Send e-mails. Inundate the
USPS site (
www.usps.gov) with complaints. Write, call, and e-mail your
Congress critters.
We have to save Family Tree Magazine -- not just for its own sake, but to
prevent the USPS from investigating and placing similar sanctions against
all the other genealogical publications out there.
Now -- go have fun on a genealogy trip and send a postcard to the
Postmaster General to let him know you did it! <vbg>
And get that stack of snailmail genealogy correspondence caught up before
10 January, or it will cost you more to send it!