I don’t watch that much television anymore, not that there isn’t something educational to be gleaned from it. There is!
Take vintage westerns for example. I discovered after viewing hundreds of them, that some Colt revolvers shoot eight, nine, or ten times before reloading. Gun aficionados will know what I’m talking about here. For those not up to speed, there are only six bullets in an early Colt cylinder.
Another thing observed on my Samsung flatscreen is that stagecoach and covered wagon wheels sometimes turn backwards, at least the ones on “Wagon Train” do.
My reason to avoid watching TV lies with all the solicitations. It seems almost every other commercial has a hand reaching out of the screen for my credit card. It’s bad enough when telemarketers attempt such through the phone during lunch or dinner.
Some of the donation queries are okay with me, like Alec, and his brave friends at Shriners Hospitals for Kids. The Disabled Vets, Wounded Warriors, and Gary Sinise Foundation can have all the airtime they want. I won’t specifically mention those solicitations irritating me most, because undoubtedly, I’d ruffle a few feathers. One in particular uses “the guilt trip” as a means to coerce money from viewers.
Over the years, there have been several charities asking for funds that I questioned, and after a bit of research, discovered a good percentage of their donated revenue went for administrative costs, namely wages. It’s not hard to find this data online, because there are public watchdog groups searching for unscrupulous charities and reporting them.
“The Center for Investigative Reporting” is one of these groups. They maintain a list of the worst offenders where stockpiling contributions and using the funds in a misappropriate manner is concerned.
On Facebook, a friend sent me a link where I could donate money via credit card to their good cause, a Ukraine relief charity. I took a few minutes in an attempt to look it up, coming across an FBI advisory warning against similar sites. It didn’t specifically mention this one as being corrupt, claiming instead that there are hundreds of bogus offices out there.
I suppose most everyone has a “good cause” that they either back via monetary donations or volunteering. My preference here in Havasu is the Western Arizona Humane Society, including Hospice of Havasu. I believe my contributions to these two organizations are wisely spent.
A day will come when television viewers are solicited for donations to help with the climate change cause. I won’t feel guilty in not writing them a check, because in a roundabout way, my wife and I are already contributing.
According to climate change experts, fossil fueled vehicles contribute greatly to warming of the atmosphere. With it being a colder than normal winter in Arizona, and the continental United States, what better reason is there for keeping gas and diesel burners on the road.
With two in our garage, perhaps a third is needed to help further the cause!
I like to write junk... 