Jedi Mind Trick: You WILL Buy Postage Stamps

So I was walking along, minding my own business, when I suddenly noticed R2D2 standing guard over a pile of garbage. Or was it a mailbox, attacked by vandals?


Or, looking more closely, could this mean that the U.S. Postal Service has gone to the Dark Side? (Oh, sure, they call themselves jedi masters - but anyone can say that ... even the bad guys.)

Apparently I missed the news 23 days ago that:

Two Legendary Forces Unite to Honor 30^th Anniversary of Star Wars

as modestly stated in the press release. Apparently, the "legendary forces" are ... Lucas Licensing and the U.S. Postal Service. They are offering commemorative Star Wars stamps (starting March 28) as well as painting mailboxes (as of March 16).

And it's not too late to go vote for the most popular Star Wars stamp (through May 23) and "enter [a] sweepstakes by solving six different challenges about Postal Service products and services featuring a Star Wars theme" (through May 7).

David Failor, executive director of Stamp Services, U.S. Postal Service, stated: "The Star Wars films have timeless qualities that cross generations, just like the United States Postal Service."

What can I say? I just hope that the U.S. Postal Service didn't have to pay a lot of money to Lucas Licensing for all this. I'd hate to have them raise the rates again.