Mary went to a garage sale a couple of miles up East River road not
long ago. The house belonged to an old man who'd run a sewing machine
shop for some years, his daughter was conducting the sale.

I'm unclear on some details here, but somehow the woman called Mary
today to ask for a bit of help. The house is now in foreclosure
because the old man (now 80) had kept remortgaging it to keep his
sewing machine biz afloat. His daughter is trying to finish things
up because he's moved elsewhere, the heat is off (cold in the
house), the bank is gonna take it over on Friday, her little boy is
sick today, could Mary perhaps come keep an eye on things for an hour
or two? Well, sure! So she did. Mary does things like that, very
quietly. She doesn't even know these people. My dad sometimes said
good deeds don't count if they're attributable. Mar never knew my dad,
but she seems to have the same attitude. I like that about her.

Hokay, so I was on the way out the door with rangebag, ammo bag etc,
ontheway to the range for a shoot ... when the phone rang. It was
Mar. Could I come over with the truck to pick up a very sturdy
ironing board and a little Ethan Allan rocking chair that was about to
hit the dumpster if they couldn't be given away? Well, sure. Put
guns back in lockup, I can always shoot tomorrow. Grabbed my
cellphone and truck keys and off I went. I've gotten in the habit of
grabbing the cellphone whenever I go anywhere. I never intend to use
it and never turn it on, but problems do happen now and then.

When I arrived, some church lady was there with a couple of
sorry-lookin' "poor refugees from Somalia" (read illegals) scavenging
and scrounging. Mary asked me if I had a Phillips screwdriver along,
they needed one to disassemble a dresser they were taking for free.
Well sure, I always have a toolbox in the truck. Got out a
screwdriver, put the toolbox back in the truck and locked the truck.
I handed a poor refugee the screwdriver. They proceeded to attack
the piece of furniture. None o' my beeswax, I kept still.
Churchlady was yelling and shrieking at these bozos, confided to me
that "these poor people don't know how to use tools!" "So ya give 'em
tools" I thought, but said nottink. They were obviously not even
slightly interested in being advised or helped. Whatever. She'd
unlatched the cage, it's her circus. I proceeded to ignore that
fracas, carefully carry out and load the Gibralter-like ironing board
and the lovely little rocking chair that the daughter had insisted
that Mary should have and wouldn't accept payment for.

When poor refugee came out, he was obviously hoping I'd forget the
screwdriver because he had it in his hand but concealed behind his
wrist. I said nothing, just smiled and held out my hand. He said
nothing either, like "thank you" or something, but he did hand me my
screwdriver. Perhaps my smile might have conveyed something beyond
bon homme and hail fellow well met, but he was spookin' my tool
wasn't he? Yes, he was, mmm, yas.

Got home, discovered that I no longer had my cellphone. It had been
stuffed in the watch pocket of my jeans. Three searches with bright
flashlight confirmed that it ain't in the truck. Where else did I go?
Got the mail. Nope, it ain't in the mailbox. Brought the mail in the
house. Nope, it ain't next to the mail on the table. Where else had I
gone? Nowhere. It ain't in the driveway or in the grass. Conclusion:
it ain't here.

Went back, did a walkthru everywhere I'd been in that house. No
cellphone. I'd have seen it if it was there, because there wasn't
much left in that house and I'd only gone a couple of places in it.
Checked the yard from front door to truck Nope. Hm. Went home,
got metal detector, returned. Confirmed that it easily detected a
jack knife in the grass. Swept the yard in regions I'd traversed.
Nada. My strong bet is that it fell out of my pocket when I squatted
down to examine and then pick up the rocking chair, and it wasn't on
the floor more than a minute before its shiny presence was spotted and
glommed.

Oh well! The cellphone was only 20 bux, and Mar got a really nice
ironing board and rocker out of the deal. She really likes small
rockers and not many fit her like she'd like them to but this one
does.

Mar sed, "you don't KNOW that they spotted it and glommed it." I
agreed that I don't know it in any provable way, but we both know
it's so. She said yeah, probably.

I called Virgin Mobil and got the account suspended. There's only 31
bux worth of call time in the pay-as-you-go kitty, but I'm damned if
it's gonna get spent calling Somalia. I can re-activate it when I
either find my phone or activate a new one with the same number. The
lost one is now inop, at least on my nickle.

After supper we went to do a bit of shopping for provisions (bag
o'brass, box o' bullets, didn't need more pretty fabric or books this
trip), stopped at Best Buy to got another cellphone for $19.95. I
really like these Virgin Mobile (Kyocera) cheapo cellphones. I can
hear them better than about any other phone I've tried including
landline phones. I told Mar I won't open the blisterpack until day
after tomorrow, just in case the lost one magically materializes. She
said "good, you could still be wrong about the poor refugee -- and I
hope the phone explodes and blows his (deleted) head off." "There
there, Dear", I said.

I overlooked adding that enhancement to the last phone. Hmm...

On Nov 29, 1:30 am, Don Foreman
wrote:

When I arrived, some church lady was there with a couple of
sorry-lookin' "poor refugees from Somalia" (read illegals) scavenging
and scrounging.

Yes, Don this is is indeed a sad story. Perhaps you should not share
it. Coming from a fairly recent heritage of immigrants; to me your
story illuminates your prejudices. Sorry, that you think my family
has taken so much from America and given so little back. This group
must have really hit your buttons...Somoli (black), poor, desperate,
uneducated and prone to stealing. Just your opinion. Illegal or not,
Don you just don't understand the desperation and fear (of death) some
of these people had to face in their "parent" countries in order to
get here. Because they have limited resources they are dependent on
"church ladies" to help them find furniture, sheets, beds, etc. Sorry
about your cell phone, hope you find it. G-d bless America.
Mike

If that cell account wasn't totally used by the time you cancelled it,
there's a fair chance it's just lost. A thief would have got right on that
phone and ran up time immediately.

On another note, with your help, I have that CHNC making perfect threads
with an industry standard G76 thread cycle. The slot sensor was the ticket.
But, it still took days to program the control.

Karl

On Thu, 29 Nov 2007 05:53:04 -0800 (PST), mlcorson
wrote:

On Nov 29, 1:30 am, Don Foreman
wrote:

When I arrived, some church lady was there with a couple of
sorry-lookin' "poor refugees from Somalia" (read illegals) scavenging
and scrounging.

Yes, Don this is is indeed a sad story. Perhaps you should not share
it. Coming from a fairly recent heritage of immigrants; to me your
story illuminates your prejudices. Sorry, that you think my family
has taken so much from America and given so little back. This group
must have really hit your buttons...Somoli (black), poor, desperate,
uneducated and prone to stealing. Just your opinion. Illegal or not,
Don you just don't understand the desperation and fear (of death) some
of these people had to face in their "parent" countries in order to
get here. Because they have limited resources they are dependent on
"church ladies" to help them find furniture, sheets, beds, etc. Sorry
about your cell phone, hope you find it. G-d bless America.
Mike

I didnt know the name "Mike" was Somalian.

Fascinating!

Gunner

On Thu, 29 Nov 2007 06:02:40 -0800, "K.T. Couric"
wrote:

In article
,
mlcorson wrote:

On Nov 29, 1:30 am, Don Foreman
wrote:

When I arrived, some church lady was there with a couple of
sorry-lookin' "poor refugees from Somalia" (read illegals) scavenging
and scrounging.

Yes, Don this is is indeed a sad story. Perhaps you should not share
it. Coming from a fairly recent heritage of immigrants; to me your
story illuminates your prejudices. Sorry, that you think my family
has taken so much from America and given so little back. This group
must have really hit your buttons...Somoli (black), poor, desperate,
uneducated and prone to stealing. Just your opinion. Illegal or not,
Don you just don't understand the desperation and fear (of death) some
of these people had to face in their "parent" countries in order to
get here. Because they have limited resources they are dependent on
"church ladies" to help them find furniture, sheets, beds, etc. Sorry
about your cell phone, hope you find it. G-d bless America.
Mike

I keep hearing violin music when I read this.

They have violins in Somalia?

I thought all they had were petty vicious warlords, murder, rape and
pain.

Fascinating

Gunner

In article
,
mlcorson wrote:

On Nov 29, 1:30 am, Don Foreman
wrote:

When I arrived, some church lady was there with a couple of
sorry-lookin' "poor refugees from Somalia" (read illegals) scavenging
and scrounging.

Yes, Don this is is indeed a sad story. Perhaps you should not share
it. Coming from a fairly recent heritage of immigrants; to me your
story illuminates your prejudices. Sorry, that you think my family
has taken so much from America and given so little back. This group
must have really hit your buttons...Somoli (black), poor, desperate,
uneducated and prone to stealing. Just your opinion. Illegal or not,
Don you just don't understand the desperation and fear (of death) some
of these people had to face in their "parent" countries in order to
get here. Because they have limited resources they are dependent on
"church ladies" to help them find furniture, sheets, beds, etc. Sorry
about your cell phone, hope you find it. G-d bless America.
Mike


Come in by the front door, legally, as refugee or immigrant: Hello and
welcome! I hope the US fulfills all your dreams and expectations. See ya
around the neighborhood.

Come in illegally and start your residency here with a crime as your
very first act: Get your ****ing ass back out the goddam door and don't
come back!

I can't speak for Don, but you're goddam right I'm prejudiced! I don't
like criminals, homegrown or wherever they "immigrate" from.

On Thu, 29 Nov 2007 05:53:04 -0800 (PST), mlcorson
wrote:

On Nov 29, 1:30 am, Don Foreman
wrote:

When I arrived, some church lady was there with a couple of
sorry-lookin' "poor refugees from Somalia" (read illegals) scavenging
and scrounging.

Yes, Don this is is indeed a sad story. Perhaps you should not share
it. Coming from a fairly recent heritage of immigrants; to me your
story illuminates your prejudices. Sorry, that you think my family
has taken so much from America and given so little back. This group
must have really hit your buttons...Somoli (black), poor, desperate,
uneducated and prone to stealing. Just your opinion. Illegal or not,
Don you just don't understand the desperation and fear (of death) some
of these people had to face in their "parent" countries in order to
get here. Because they have limited resources they are dependent on
"church ladies" to help them find furniture, sheets, beds, etc. Sorry
about your cell phone, hope you find it. G-d bless America.
Mike

Prejudice literally means "pre judge". I made no judgements at all
other than observation of events. Stealing from hands extended to help
does tend to retract the helping hand. I've been known to take in
strays, but I will not tolerate a dog that bites the hand feeding it.

"Gunner" wrote in message
...
snip

They have violins in Somalia?

I thought all they had were petty vicious warlords, murder, rape and
pain.

Fascinating

Gunner


Imagine what would be reported if the US had invaded Somalia to stop the
violence?

On Thu, 29 Nov 2007 07:59:17 -0600, "Karl Townsend"
wrote:

If that cell account wasn't totally used by the time you cancelled it,
there's a fair chance it's just lost. A thief would have got right on that
phone and ran up time immediately.

Nobody can talk that fast! I put a lid on it RFN. I agree that my
inability to find it doesn't prove that it isn't just lost. It wasn't
stolen per se. I think it was simply lost by me, found by another.

On another note, with your help, I have that CHNC making perfect threads
with an industry standard G76 thread cycle. The slot sensor was the ticket.
But, it still took days to program the control.

COOL!

On Thu, 29 Nov 2007 05:53:04 -0800 (PST), mlcorson
wrote:

On Nov 29, 1:30 am, Don Foreman
wrote:

When I arrived, some church lady was there with a couple of
sorry-lookin' "poor refugees from Somalia" (read illegals) scavenging
and scrounging.

Yes, Don this is is indeed a sad story. Perhaps you should not share
it. Coming from a fairly recent heritage of immigrants; to me your
story illuminates your prejudices.

Then you misread it. It noted my observations of events and
behaviors. How one presents (sorry-lookin') is a form of behavior
and matter of attitude. Fine raiment and sartorial splendor are not at
all necessary to be presentable when visiting another.

BTW, my grandparents were immigrants, my daughter is a legal immigrant
in another country, and my son in law is a wonderful young man of
color that we fondly think the world of.

Sorry, that you think my family
has taken so much from America and given so little back.

Did I say any such thing? Not even close! If your description fits
your family, it's not too late for you to change it. You can't change
what they have or haven't done, but you can certainly govern your own
behavior and contributions.

This group must have really hit your buttons...Somoli (black), poor, desperate,
uneducated and prone to stealing. Just your opinion.

No, that's your opinion. I made no mention of color, education, nor
of any predisposition for theft. I said they were Somali because I
was told as much. Inferences you note above are entirely yours, don't
attribute them to me.

Illegal or not,
Don you just don't understand the desperation and fear (of death) some
of these people had to face in their "parent" countries in order to
get here.

I understand that I must obey the law. Illegal means "against the
law" regardless of one's circumstances. You have absolutely no
knowledge of what I've seen or what I might or might not be able to
understand.

Because they have limited resources they are dependent on
"church ladies" to help them find furniture, sheets, beds, etc.

No problem. It was there for them to have, freely offered and freely
given, with my wife and I helping. That situation exists because of
another's misfortune, there's no reason one of limited resources
couldn't help carry a load of debris downstairs along with the good
stuff, rather than leave that part to seniors there to help. Their
limited resources don't seem to have resulted in malnutrition or
inability to carry out heavy stuff they wanted.

Sorry about your cell phone, hope you find it. G-d bless America.

I don't care about the cellphone. I do care about having people in my
neighborhood who'll grab anything that isn't nailed down while
availing themselves of someone's generosity.

One of these guys was a gentleman, polite and willing to help with
some of the work as well as help himself to that which was offered.
The other was none of that. The first is welcome, the second is not
as far as I'm concerned.

Don Foreman wrote:

I don't care about the cellphone. I do care about having people in my
neighborhood who'll grab anything that isn't nailed down while
availing themselves of someone's generosity.

Jackpot.

In article , Don Foreman wrote:

I don't care about the cellphone. I do care about having people in my
neighborhood who'll grab anything that isn't nailed down while
availing themselves of someone's generosity.

One of these guys was a gentleman, polite and willing to help with
some of the work as well as help himself to that which was offered.
The other was none of that. The first is welcome, the second is not
as far as I'm concerned.

Well said.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

On Thu, 29 Nov 2007 05:53:04 -0800 (PST), mlcorson wrote:
On Nov 29, 1:30 am, Don Foreman
wrote:

When I arrived, some church lady was there with a couple of
sorry-lookin' "poor refugees from Somalia" (read illegals) scavenging
and scrounging.

Yes, Don this is is indeed a sad story. Perhaps you should not share
it. Coming from a fairly recent heritage of immigrants; to me your
story illuminates your prejudices. Sorry, that you think my family
has taken so much from America and given so little back.

I'm not Don but, I have a few questions. Did your family come here
legally, or illegally? Are you productive members of society or
leeches? Have you added to, rather than drained, your community?

Don Foreman wrote:

-- snip an interesting tale of the event ---

I overlooked adding that enhancement to the last phone. Hmm...

You sure your name isn't Lazarus Long?


technomaNge
--
Please visit http://www.anysoldier.com
and make a donation.

On Thu, 29 Nov 2007 22:27:34 -0600, technomaNge
wrote:

Don Foreman wrote:

-- snip an interesting tale of the event ---

I overlooked adding that enhancement to the last phone. Hmm...

You sure your name isn't Lazarus Long?


technomaNge

I don't think so, but check back in 150 years or so.

"Tom Gardner" wrote in news:r7E3j.25009$JD.7506
@newssvr21.news.prodigy.net:

Imagine what would be reported if the US had invaded Somalia to stop the
violence?

That kinda depends on who's in the White House: When Slick Willie did it,
he was hailed as a Savior by the US Press.

'Course, he wimped out as usual...

In article ,
Don Foreman wrote:

Mar sed, "you don't KNOW that they spotted it and glommed it."

She's right, you DON'T know. You just assume because a) you lost
it, and b) they're black. Good on Mar for calling you on your racism.

--
-Ed Falk,
http://thespamdiaries.blogspot.com/

On Tue, 4 Dec 2007 03:00:23 +0000 (UTC), Edward A. Falk wrote:
In article ,
Don Foreman wrote:

Mar sed, "you don't KNOW that they spotted it and glommed it."

She's right, you DON'T know. You just assume because a) you lost
it, and b) they're black. Good on Mar for calling you on your racism.

It's only racism if it's not plausible and/or true.

On Dec 4, 3:00 am, (Edward A. Falk) wrote:

She's right, you DON'T know. You just assume because a) you lost
it, and b) they're black. Good on Mar for calling you on your racism.

--
-Ed Falk,
http://thespamdiaries.blogspot.com/


You seemed to have missed this part of the original post.

"When poor refugee came out, he was obviously hoping I'd forget the
screwdriver because he had it in his hand but concealed behind his
wrist. I said nothing, just smiled and held out my hand. He said
nothing either, like "thank you" or something, but he did hand me my
screwdriver. Perhaps my smile might have conveyed something beyond
bon homme and hail fellow well met, but he was spookin' my tool
wasn't he? Yes, he was, mmm, yas. "

Dan

On Nov 29, 1:53 pm, mlcorson wrote:
On Nov 29, 1:30 am, Don Foreman
wrote:



When I arrived, some church lady was there with a couple of
sorry-lookin' "poor refugees from Somalia" (read illegals) scavenging
and scrounging.

Yes, Don this is is indeed a sad story. Perhaps you should not share
it.

I think perhaps he should call his old cell phone.

That is what I would do.

--

FF

On Nov 30, 7:49 pm, Eregon wrote:
"Tom Gardner" wrote in news:r7E3j.25009$JD.7506
@newssvr21.news.prodigy.net:

Imagine what would be reported if the US had invaded Somalia to stop the
violence?

That kinda depends on who's in the White House: When Slick Willie did it,
he was hailed as a Savior by the US Press.

'Course, he wimped out as usual...

It was George H W Bush who invaded Somalia, staging an amphibious
invasion (read publicity stunt) in order to take control of an airport
that
was ALREADY under UN control. E.g. they could have just flown in.

He was happy to leave them there, facing an impossible situation,
hoping
that Clinton would be the one blamed when the situation went to hell.

He was right. Of course that doesn't exonerate Clinton for his
stupidity such as sending troops into combat in unarmored Humvees
getting 18 of them killed.

OTOH, he did learn from that mistake and never repeated it.

GW Bush on the other hand repeated that same mistake thousands
of times over in Iraq, with more than a hundred times as many dead
American soldiers to show for it.

--

FF

On Dec 4, 3:36 am, Dave Hinz wrote:
On Tue, 4 Dec 2007 03:00:23 +0000 (UTC), Edward A. Falk wrote:

In article ,
Don Foreman wrote:

Mar sed, "you don't KNOW that they spotted it and glommed it."

She's right, you DON'T know. You just assume because a) you lost
it, and b) they're black. Good on Mar for calling you on your racism.

It's only racism if it's not plausible and/or true.

Nonsense. It is predjudiced (I won't say racist since maybe he
would
think the same for any other (read white) illegals if there are other
equally
plausible explanations.

BTW, I carry screwdrivers with the handle in my palm and the blade
parallel to (e.g. 'hidden' by) my wrist, just like I was taught to
carry
scissors and for the same reason.

But I'm not so naive as to deny that also provides for 'plausible
deniability..'

--

FF