Oops

I have supported the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation since the mid-seventies when they represented some teacher colleagues and me against the California Teachers Association which was violating the the law by trying to collect excessive dues from non-members who only received one of their services.  By 1980, the Foundation had achieved temporary success, but when the CTA reneged, they represented another group from a district with a name similar to ours, and won again.

I sent them a contribution.

A few years ago, I added the Foundation to my electronic mail, and I find they are still hard at work.  Every one of their letters mentions how they need contributions.  .  .  even $10 would be nice,  With the unions being in President Obama's pocket, the Foundation is really busy representing workers who are forced to join unions, and whose dues are used to finance politicians they don't support.

This February I sent a $100 contribution.

Last month, some teachers in Washington state were being oppressed, so I sent another $100.  That made it the largest one-year contribution I had ever made to any one deserving group. 

This month I received a letter asking for $1,000.  Apparently, I am now on the "sharks" list.  Like many such big-time players in Vegas do, the Foundation overplayed its hand, especially when they said that if I couldn't afford $1,000, $500 would be OK.  If I had $500 I'd send a little more to some of my regulars:  Mono Lake, St. Jude's Hospital, the Arbor Day Foundation, the VFW, the Salvation Army, and the local volunteer fire department.

Cloggers?

Yes, they're back on the misnamed talent show.  But so is the "talking dog," so we now have 24 finalists.  Mercifully, "Horse" is not one of them.  If you never saw him, count your blessings.  The judges seem to be pushing the double-jointed street performer and the strong voiced little boy.  I've invested so much time I have to see it through now, but I keep finding myself saying, "Next!"

Speaking of seeing it through, I went all the way with "Political Animals."  It turned quasi-serious and more believable, but remained quite predictable.  Somehow, I just knew the President's plane would crash, I guess, because that's how I would have written it.

The two new NBC sitcoms previewed after Talent show promise.  So far, they are better than the undeservedly popular "Community," "Modern Family," and "New Girl."

. . . and you thought it couldn't get any worse

The misnamed talent show came back Tuesday with some trash from YouTube (didn't it used to be UTube?).  Next .  .  .

I may never tire of the TV commercial in which the gentleman with the charming German accent says, "Those shorts are for a younger person, wouldn't you say?"  The product is one of those indecipherable cell phone services, I think.  As if it mattered.

Pradaxa's ad has the man who is being followed around by an elephant.  .  . like an obedient pet.  I believe Pradaxa is an expensive blood thinner one can use instead of the rat poison I do, but I want the elephant.

WELL, the election is set:  a rich guy and a financial wizard against two boobs.  You can ignore pretty much anything that's said except when Ryan talks about his plans for the economy.  Then, pray Willard the Mitt is elected and he enacts them.

EVEN the "scientists," in self-defense, have pointed out that Mars looks a lot like New Mexico.  It sounds like the Wizard of Oz's, "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain."   How much money are we wasting this time?  Will the President want the "disabled" to get a job to pay for this Hollywood production?

Claudia Sharp, Planned Outage Coordinator

The family compound of my youth was fitted with gas lights which had been supplanted by electricity some time before my birth.  I was never treated to their charm.

I assume rural electrification came to our pleasant little town soon thereafter.  Judging by the number of power outages we have endured since our arrival, however, it appears very little has been done over the years to improve the service.

On Friday, in accordance with a letter received earlier, the power to our home was shut down from 8:45 am to 12:30 pm to "repair equipment."  I find it curious that there is a "planned outage coordinator."  You would think that after all these years the only outages would be emergency in nature.  After all, it's an established technology, and even the local high school is presently hiring a "technology specialist."  What might he do?  Educate the children to keep the power flowing without interruption?

One encouraging aspect of the letter:  The only reference written in Spanish said, "Para ayuda en espagnol por favor llame al 1-800-XXX-XXXX."  We still live in America around here; let the English illiterate call for the information.

P.S.  Numbering will be suspended until #1100, if I live that long.