This One’s On Me

When I looked at the new charge card I’d had to drive to another city to get, I recognized it as the one I’d thrown away two month’s earlier and thought the real one never arrived. It had been sent without notice, without anything on the outside of the envelope, and nothing explaining it on the inside accompanying the unfamiliar card. Since every day I’ve been throwing away several unopened “wanna” envelopes, I just tossed this, opened-out-of-curiosity anyway. Ergo, I’m having to contact beaucoup automatic billing accounts. However, when I call needing to talk to a real person, it’s unbelievable how many “clicks” I have to make before giving up. Even my own town’s water department is impossible.

I know it’s my own fault for disbelieving, but perhaps I should disbelieve the 9-11 panel and the real story about Roswell and the UFO’s? And how about A.I. and the reassurances by Musk about Earth humans colonizing Mars by 2050? And Santos and…?

Sound like a failing and flailing old biddy, don’t I?

What possibly fertilized the idea of avoiding the truth appears to have been sidetracked and weaponized by its political opponents. I’m referring to MAGA’s focus on protecting youth and even those at the college level from historical (and current?) truths. Beyond the well-publicized school mufflers is, for example the recent movement by Ohio Republicans to cut State funding of centers of higher learning such as colleges and universities for continuing actions of allowing protests by students and faculty. NEWS FLASH: On Nov. 29, 2023, The Ohio House has seemingly killed the controversial legislation to overhaul the Ohio education system, resulting in a win for public education advocates. We’ll follow this report…(Ohio bills limiting college protests – Google Search).

Google can lead you to varieties of political correctness, also:

adjective as in not causing offense: Strongest match

Strong matches

Weak matches

If, for instance, we say “wheelchair rider” instead of “wheelchair bound,” are we not being guided by an assumption that there’s something wrong with being wheelchair bound? How about calling a woman a person rather than a (gasp) “woman”? Using the “PC” approach to language also embodies lost information. Lost information allows or leads to some loss of the truth, does it not?

Name-calling with prejudicial intent is an entirely different matter. Calling someone a moron, a retard or a dunce is usually meant to hurt, and is not included in the Truth that I’m supporting. And I realize that logic is not high on the list of those who eschew science. And companies and scammers have become whizzes at similar misspeak. If you start looking you may find examples of misleading and incomplete information in mild statements. Most any offering of a gift for friends means someday they’ll be billed for an automatic costed renewal without warning. Look hard at those magazine offerings. Rather than comparing your cost break to a full year’s subscription, they now compare it with 20 issues or some such. An AARP article by Sari Harrar in December’s bulletin gives advice on not getting scammed:

Don’t respond to phone calls or text messages from unknown numbers.

If you get a call or text out of the blue trying to sell you something, ignore it and delete it.

Don’t respond to unsolicited e-mail offers, (even second-guessing that’s been initiated by the cookie apparatus). Better safe than sorry.

Don’t give your credit card, bank account or Social Security numbers out over the phone–legitimate businesses or government offices never ask for such info by phone.

Say no to anyone who wants to do any transaction via a gift card, cryptocurrency or by sending money through a financial transfer app to someone you don’t know.