All The News That's Not Fit To Print
Exciting Reader Response Question: Has your money ever inadvertently gone to a cause you detest?
I'm the sort of person who is happy to buy things to support the fundraisers of my co-workers' children -- it's always for some educational purpose, and heaven knows how much schools' budgets have been slashed. And it's usually Girl Scout cookies! NOM NOM. Anyway, last fall I ordered a magazine subscription for National Geographic, a magazine my mother has ordered since I was young (I'm probably the only person in the family to read it cover-to-cover.) I don't live at home now so I've been missing my Nat Geo fix.
Well... come January, I'm expecting my monthly issue. By the time March rolls around, I figure there's a mistake and tell my co-worker. Today she gives me a link to the website where I can check the status of my order. It tells me I've been getting my issues since January... my issues of National Catholic Register.
The hilarious part is that I just sent a letter to NCR this week, asking them to please take me off their mailing list, and that I am not a Catholic. I've been throwing their bi-weekly mags into the trash, trying to not even look at the headlines -- a bit unusual for a bookworm like me, I read compulsively -- but the headlines tend to be "SAME-SEX MARRIAGE: WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN!" or "RELIGIOUS FREEDOM UNDER FIRE" (referring to birth control, 'cause women's lady-parts in America routinely try to maim bishops and priests and pastors). As a gay woman, I am not their target audience. Well, I am their "target" as in their cross-hairs, I suppose. :rimshot: (I have the honor of being the real threat to America, whereas the head honchos of the Catholic Church have trouble even saying sorry and meaning it for actual pedophilic crimes.)
I got no beef with most Catholics -- I grew up in the only state in the union that has "parishes" instead of "counties," for Pete's sake -- and we gotta thank 'em for Mardi Gras. And Catholic churches have awesome architecture. But the Vatican, and the head brass, yeah, we've got issues. They started it!
This is a relatively minor thing, though. I'm pissed that $30 went to an organization that actively campaigns to destroy the lives of LGBT folk, yeah, but I think it was mostly vexing to learn this after I was reeling from the Saints' news.
A nice thing that happened! As I was getting off the bus (returning home), I heard something fall, but couldn't find it. A nice man jumped out of his chair to grab my cell phone from under a seat and hand it to me. Thank you nice guy!
I am also glad that my library procured a copy of this 19th century guide for my novel's research. I didn't want to drop $100 on it. Actually, I had to return it today, but I wanted to keep some decades for reference, so I put my new scanner/copier/printer into overdrive last night. ^_^
I'm the sort of person who is happy to buy things to support the fundraisers of my co-workers' children -- it's always for some educational purpose, and heaven knows how much schools' budgets have been slashed. And it's usually Girl Scout cookies! NOM NOM. Anyway, last fall I ordered a magazine subscription for National Geographic, a magazine my mother has ordered since I was young (I'm probably the only person in the family to read it cover-to-cover.) I don't live at home now so I've been missing my Nat Geo fix.
Well... come January, I'm expecting my monthly issue. By the time March rolls around, I figure there's a mistake and tell my co-worker. Today she gives me a link to the website where I can check the status of my order. It tells me I've been getting my issues since January... my issues of National Catholic Register.
The hilarious part is that I just sent a letter to NCR this week, asking them to please take me off their mailing list, and that I am not a Catholic. I've been throwing their bi-weekly mags into the trash, trying to not even look at the headlines -- a bit unusual for a bookworm like me, I read compulsively -- but the headlines tend to be "SAME-SEX MARRIAGE: WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN!" or "RELIGIOUS FREEDOM UNDER FIRE" (referring to birth control, 'cause women's lady-parts in America routinely try to maim bishops and priests and pastors). As a gay woman, I am not their target audience. Well, I am their "target" as in their cross-hairs, I suppose. :rimshot: (I have the honor of being the real threat to America, whereas the head honchos of the Catholic Church have trouble even saying sorry and meaning it for actual pedophilic crimes.)
I got no beef with most Catholics -- I grew up in the only state in the union that has "parishes" instead of "counties," for Pete's sake -- and we gotta thank 'em for Mardi Gras. And Catholic churches have awesome architecture. But the Vatican, and the head brass, yeah, we've got issues. They started it!
This is a relatively minor thing, though. I'm pissed that $30 went to an organization that actively campaigns to destroy the lives of LGBT folk, yeah, but I think it was mostly vexing to learn this after I was reeling from the Saints' news.
A nice thing that happened! As I was getting off the bus (returning home), I heard something fall, but couldn't find it. A nice man jumped out of his chair to grab my cell phone from under a seat and hand it to me. Thank you nice guy!
I am also glad that my library procured a copy of this 19th century guide for my novel's research. I didn't want to drop $100 on it. Actually, I had to return it today, but I wanted to keep some decades for reference, so I put my new scanner/copier/printer into overdrive last night. ^_^