Kilted Mailmen

I'm glad someone else in this world is up-to-speed with those oh-so inventive Scots. The full article can be found in its original location by clicking on the the article title below:

US MAIL CARRIER DEMANDS KILT UNIFORM OPTION

SEATTLE (AP) — A 6-foot-tall, 250-pound mail carrier wants the U.S. Postal Service to add kilts as a uniform option for men.
The idea was defeated in July at a convention of the 220,000-member National Letter Carriers' Association, but Dean Peterson says he is not giving up — and he has his supporters.

Peterson, a resident of Lacey, Washington, spent $1,800 to mail about 1,000 letters and photographs of him wearing a prototype Postal Service kilt — or what he refers to as an 'unbifurcated garment' — to union branches in every U.S. state, Guam and Puerto Rico.

"Unbifurcated Garments are far more comfortable and suitable to male anatomy than trousers or shorts because they don't confine the legs or cramp the male genitals the way that trousers or shorts do," he wrote. "Please open your hearts — and inseams — for an option in mail carrier comfort!"

With his build, Peterson said, his thighs fill slacks to capacity.

Earlier this year letter carrier unions in Washington and Oregon passed identical resolutions endorsing kilts. Another kilt enthusiast, Paul Lunde led the effort in Oregon, imploring Postal Service decision makers to consider mail carriers' hot-weather plights.

"With a kilt, it doesn't get as hot. There's less chafing," he said.

Unlike Peterson, Lunde has been allowed to wear a kilt to work on St. Patrick's Day, Halloween and National Tartan Day on April 6.

Peterson has never considered himself an activist. He has Finnish and Norwegian ancestry but not Scottish. He began wearing kilts a couple years ago when his wife brought one back from a trip to Scotland. (A spokeswoman for Britain's Royal Mail said kilts are not allowed as part of its letter carrier uniforms.)

Now he wears them everywhere.

The union's executive committee recommended disapproval, saying there was not enough demand for kilts to be worth the bother of the resolution. Delegates agreed by a large margin.

But, there are plenty of approved uniform items which very few mail carriers wear, including a cardigan sweater, vest and pith helmet, Peterson said.

For an article of clothing to be approved as a uniform option, the union must first agree, followed by testing by a Postal Service Committee and selection of a manufacturer.

Peterson said many convention delegates expressed support after his resolution was voted down.

"I got so pumped up after being at such a low that I'm taking this to the next convention in 2010 in Anaheim, California," he said.