Curmudgeon's Corner 2006

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Who’s in CHARGE here?
Let me tell you how stupid some credit card companies can be.
I called my card company to get new cards because my expiration date was near. Since they would be sent out of the U.S., I asked them to send them either certified or registered mail. The reason I asked them to send the cards this way? Well, when I lived in Mexico this company sent my new card through the regular mail, and it was stolen in route. By the time this was discovered, there was a total charge of $6,000, which this company had to ‘eat’. Then, they sent another card, again by regular mail. This time the stolen card only had about $5,000 racked up on it before the theft was discovered. They also had to write off those charges. Back to the present. When I requested that the new card be sent in the most secure way they told me it would cost me $89. I said, ”if it’s stolen again I won’t pay the charges. It has cost your company over $11,000 in the past because you just send cards through regular mail with the company name emblazoned all over the envelope. I told them I didn’t really care, but I’ll be damned if I’ll pay $89 to save your company thousands of dollars in uncollectable charges." So they are sending my (or someone’s) new card through regular mail--to a third world country. This is a company that specializes in dealing with military personnel stationed all over the world. What sort of an education in the realities of overseas living does the C.F.O. have?

Yet another story...A friend recently had his card frozen. His payments were always current, so this was a surprise to him. After talking to MANY people at his credit card company, and a lot of time spent trying to figure out the reason, he found out his card was frozen because he had made a political contribution to a party that is very ‘anti-Bush’...how’s that for freedom?

And the last example-- another friend told me he recently opened an account with Wachovia Bank and must wait 6 weeks to two months to get a PIN number so he can wire transfer some of his own money out of the states. He is now living here on Margarita Island.

I deposited a check for $XXK to one of my accounts in the good ole U.S., and it took the bank over 2 weeks to clear the funds. The check was drawn on a U.S. bank and deposited in a U.S. bank--this is not international high finance here! What ticks me off is that they had the use of my money for all that time and didn’t have to pay me a cent in interest!

I’m looking at alternative banking in other countries, especially since I live offshore and the banking situation in the states is getting very strange.

Are the banks any better here? No. and I don’t suggest putting a lot of money in an account here. They are not insured and could fail and you would lose your money. However, Venezuela is not under the threat of terrorism and doesn’t seem to be on anyone’s hit list...with the exception of the current U.S. “leadership”.

DEMOCRACY & FREEDOM
I doubt that most Americans or even people from Iraq and most other countries really know what Democracy or Freedom means. To me, freedom means, among other things, the right to do what you damn well please with your own property. Democracy is when a bunch of people get together (they don’t even have to be property owners) and tell you what you can or can’t do with your property. So Democracy hasn’t anything to do with freedom! If you think you live in a ‘free’ country, and you live in the U.S., Canada, or the U.K., think again. You live in a democratic country, not a free one.
Not being a citizen of these other countries, I’ll stick to the U.S. in my writing. There are more than enough examples of disappearing freedoms in the U.S.
The following is from a newspaper in my home state-Texas-and it makes me mad!
I remember when Texas was reasonably liberal regarding personal freedom, although compared to my Grandfather’s time, the laws have become downright conservative! My granddad told me of a time when carrying a gun for personal protection was not only legal, but customary. If you had to use your gun to defend your family, property or your life, you were justified to do so. And I remember when we measured the distance between San Antonio and Austin, Texas as “about 2 six packs”.

POLICE STATE, USA
Cops go to hotel bars
to arrest drunk guests
Some believe authorities going too far as registered patrons taken into custody
Posted: March 23, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern

The controversial police tactic of arresting drunks at bars and restaurants has gone to a new level, to include intoxicated people at hotels, even those who are registered guests with no plans on driving.

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission along with Irving police arrested some 30 people on charges of public intoxication last weekend during a sweep of 36 area pubs.

The agency called it a proactive measure to slam the brakes on drunk driving.

"Your state sucks!" one woman being arrested shouted to authorities, as she was caught on camera by KXAS-TV, the local NBC affiliate in Fort Worth.

Some of the suspects arrested at a hotel bar stressed they were registered to spend the night there, and were not a danger to themselves or others.

"Going to a bar is not an opportunity to go get drunk," TABC Capt. David Alexander told the station. "It's to have a good time but not to get drunk."

But that attitude is being greeted with harsh criticism from many across the Internet, who feel the police are going too far with their power.

# "This is reminiscent of a police state action. Completely out of line. What's next? Coming into our houses and arresting us?"

# "I think this is insanity. Being drunk in a bar is not public intoxication. The legislative intent of those statutes obviously was not to criminalize drinking in a bar. Will someone please put together a class action lawsuit against states that go nuts?"

# "I hope somebody sues the s--- out of them. I thought the law was about public intoxication. These people were in a private establishment and should not have been arrested unless/until they went out on a public street."

# "What I love about this story is that we are always told there are not enough local resources to arrest illegal immigrants. Seems like the cops always have enough resources to hassle American citizens, however."

Regarding laws on public intoxication, Texas statutes say: "Public place" means any place to which the public or a substantial group of the public has access and includes, but is not limited to, streets, highways, and the common areas of schools, hospitals, apartment houses, office buildings, transport facilities, and shops.

As WorldNetDaily previously reported, similar programs have been taking place across the U.S., including Fairfax County, Va., where police have been going directly to bars to arrest people for public drunkenness.
Police target patrons who are suspected of having one too many, taking them outside to administer intoxication tests.
"[Officers] were talking to one of the guests, then physically pulled him off the barstool," said Richie Prisco, general manager at Champps bar. "They were really aggressive and nasty."
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com

Sterling Hayden (actor and adventurer) had this to say about freedom in his novel “Voyage”. (written in 1976)
“In the worship of security we fling our lives beneath the wheels of routine...we are brainwashed by our economic system until we end up in a tomb beneath a pyramid of time payments, mortgages, preposterous gadgetry and playthings that divert our attention from the sheer idiocy of the charade. The years thunder by. The dreams of youth grow dim where they lie caked on the shelves of patience. Before we know it the tomb is sealed...When you consider the beauty there is in the world, the rapture that can be known, the honest relationships, the excitement and exaltation there is for the taking...the real things to look at and feel and read...Where, then, lies the answer? In choice. Which shall it be, bankruptcy of purse or bankruptcy of life?”

Well, as to ‘bankruptcy of purse’, I have more freedom to work and make money here than I did in the U.S. Did you know that in many states that in order to get a job selling used cars, real estate, insurance, etc., you must go through a background check for a past criminal record? No wonder so many criminals keep being criminals--they can’t get another type of job! However, you can run for political office (even Sheriff or Constable), be a preacher, security guard,--on and on--all without a background check.

King George and his court have taken away almost all of our (personal) freedoms under the guise of “Security”. Don’t kid yourself!
In my opinion, there is no more security in the U.S.A. now than there was before, it’s just a bunch of ‘crap’ and an excuse to take more control of the populace. If you enjoy having your life and soon even your thoughts controlled, then you don’t have to read any further.
However, if you’re seeking alternatives, Margarita Island might suit you. I enjoy more ‘freedom’ living here than I did in the U.S., and I’m not even a citizen here.
So, as I’ve said before, I’m proud to be from America--FAR from it!
P.S., I read recently that Bush’s approval rating is only 30%. That means 70% think he is doing a bad job. Makes you wonder about that “30% percent”!

Thanks to G.L. for the use of the photos...not even for lovely 'obscenery', will I go to the beach on a holiday!!!

Now the tourists are gone, and the sun is setting in the west, so this is...