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Flat Stanley gets his war on

It’s hard to have political convictions when you’re a flat piece of construction paper.

With Flat Stanley author Jeff Brown dead less than two weeks, I think we can announce the Flat Stanley Project officially co-opted.

Mr. Brown’s idea of getting school children to write to each other and play host to his creation, is indeed admirable. But I can’t imagine an 8 year old saying, “Let’s send Stanley to hang out with Karl Rove!” But there he is, stuck to a chair, kickin’ back, sippin’ a cappuccino and talkin’ pre-emptive strikes.

I wonder if Mr. Brown is contemplating bursting from the grave, grabbing his flat friend and dragging him back under the soil. Maybe there he and Stanley will be safe from the grips of politicians aligning themselves with cute children’s characters and posturing about the need for strong education, when they’re letting schools starve and sending young men (who were Flat Stanley readers less than a decade ago) into war.

I can only hope that when politicians are finished with this flat fetish that Stanley gets recycled rather than dumped in the garbage or, shudder to think – shredded.