A PUBLIC SERVICE FOR YOU – AT 10:11 P.M. ET:  We always look for opportunities to serve our readers, and so we pass this on to you, just in case you're planning a romantic visit to Iran.  Send this to friends or relatives.  From AP:

TEHRAN, Iran -- Cupid beware: Iran says it's cracking down on the symbols of Valentine's Day.

The annual homage to romance on Feb. 14 has become popular in recent years in Iran and other places in the Middle East.

But Iran's semiofficial ILNA news agency reports Sunday that a state directive now bans any cards, gifts, teddy bears or other tokens of the day - which tradition says is named after an early Christian martyr.

The backlash in the Islamic Republic is part of a drive against the spread of Western culture.

Other Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia also have sought to stamp out Valentine's Day. But it's celebrated widely in nearby places such as Dubai.

COMMENT:  Now remember, we must be tolerant of other cultures.  I can easily understand how Valentine's Day might be considered a threat in Iran, since one never knows what subversive thoughts a Valentine's Day card might contain.  Do you know what your own children are reading?

I, for one, believe we might someday have to apologize for Valentine's Day, and all the horror it has brought to the world.  Remember the St. Valentine's Day massacre in Chicago?  That's probably what the Iranians are afraid of.  Who are we to judge?

(Anyone who believes the last two paragraphs needs help.  Call a hotline.  Any hotline.  Even the one that tells you how to match paint colors.)

January 2, 2011