This isn't satire and I'm not making this up. When an obscure American satirical blog, The Daily Currant, posted a funny spoof titled, "Russia Shoots Down Santa's Sleigh Near North Pole", the story quickly became viral on the Russian Internet thanks to the Russian-language version of the RT website, which translated several excerpts and posted them with some editorial comments. This is where the "life imitates satire" part begins. While everyone realized this was a joke, many Russian readers, swept by the current wave of militant nationalism, turned the comment sections of blogs and news websites into an anti-American hate-fest, gloating over Santa's death, praising Russia's military, disparaging Western consumerism, and wishing that Western leaders attending Santa's funeral on the North Pole would drown along with St. Nick's dead body. Some even expressed concern that certain nitwits out there may think the story is real and will...(Read Full Article)