Postage Due

This rant is mostly a warning: Don't mail checks from your home post box.

Why? Apparantly, someone stole our outgoing mail, used a chemical dip to remove the writing on our utility bill payment checks, and made over $500 in purchases with the newly blank checks. Unfortunately, we didn't find out until AT&T was nice enough to send us a late payment notice (more on that topic below) with the threat of loss of service unless we paid. So, now a month later, we learn of the theft and fraud.

All's well that ends well, and this story is ok, but... to illustrate how low these creeps are, let me point out that one of the checks was our monthly donation to Compassion International. So, this "needy" thief stole the food out of the mouth of someone infinitely more in need. Then, stole from us to buy who-knows-what at Hobby Lobby.

Oh, and AT&T- have you heard of email? Wait- of course you have... our high-speed internet service is through AT&T! So, why do you rely on the highly-secure US Postal Service to send your bills and past-due notices? Our past-due notice and next bill were mailed two days apart, yet arrived together on the same day. Plus, they tried to make it sound like such an enormous favor when they agreed to my request to have the late payment fee removed. "Its just a one-time courtesy" my customer service representative stated.

So, due to the efforts of some scum-sucking bottom feeder, we're left in the middle of changing over our bank accounts and participating in a police investigation. If you happen to be that bottom feeder, please continue your efforts-- we now have a new account, and our old checks are being used by the police in a sting. Have fun.

Invicible 4x4's

Friday morning I drove to work as usual except for the couple inches of new snow on the ground. The roads had not yet been plowed, and the snow was still falling. Then, one of the two worst predators of winter launched out into the road ahead. A full-size pickup truck pulled out in front of me and took off going the same direction I was.

Now, it was bad enough that he decided to pull out from a dead stop onto a slick road in the path of oncoming traffic. However, he made my opinion of him even lower as he sped away. I followed for the next two miles as he repeatedly dropped the right wheels of the truck off the pavement and fishtaled down the road.

The swerving was significant enough that I backed well off so I would have enough time to avoid hitting him broadside when he finally went over that thin line called 'control.' An oncoming car pulled far to the side and slowed almost to a stop as the truck continued his drunken assault on the road.

So, no harm done right? Nothing ever transpired that required anything other than slowing down to get out of the idiot's way. While nothing significant came of this encounter, that is exactly what worries me- now that he has survived this situation completely unscathed, he is further emboldened to sally forth again like a drunken sailor on a 12-hour shore leave.

My only hope is that he'll try the same sort of stunt on the motorcycle he undoubtedly has at home in the garage. Then we'll be rid of him.

Anyway... this sort of event is my justification for keeping a paintball gun in the car. This way, any time someone pulls a stunt like this, or cuts me off, or passes me going 65 in a 15 mph speed zone in front of a preschool, I can add another splotch of color to their vehicle. If we all did this, we would help thin the herd a bit-- everyone would stay away from the brightly colored psychadelic lampshade driving down the road.

Due Force

Welcome to today's rant! This is the place for those concepts that I just can't get my own mind to accept because of their absurdity. And lucky you... you get to read them!

Anyway, on to our inaugural rant:

The headline reads "Troopers Fire on Fleeing Motorist." It is almost true. The key word here is "almost." The motorist had been fleeing police, but stopped and a passenger got out. At that point in time, the officers approached the vehicle. At this time, the driver accelerated in reverse at the police officers! That is when the officers opened fire.

It turns out that one round did hit the driver in the elbow. Doctors aren't sure if he will regain use of his arm after the injury. Now the uproar is about whether the police used proper methods in trying to aprehend the driver.

Ridiculous. The driver initiated the chase by driving at high speeds with no headlights at night, endangering others. It was for this reason that police gave chase to begin with. Then, when the vehicle was stopped and the officers approached, he attacked with his SUV. Yet the family of the poor mistreated driver wants to press charges against the State Troopers involved.

I figure they should just issue the ticket for any traffic violations and call things even. Maybe his arm will keep him from driving without headlights at night, leading police on a high speed chase.