the tribune edits me, plus, gas station guy from barrington follow-up
Well, more than a week ago, I reported about the nice man I met who was at the gas station at 2 am in trouble, and I helped him. I comforted myself knowing he got home safe to his family in Barrington. To my shock, about 11 days later I checked my post office box and got a lovely thank you note and a check for not only the 11.75 I gave him, but an extra 20 and an invite to come fishing with him and his family.
And of course I'm lying and just made that up. I was conned, yet again, by the best actor ever, and I paid 11.75 for an oscar caliber performance. I checked the official evanston police blotter online for a week and no car like that was stolen, despite what the police desk told me that night. Ann Landers wrote "you must think I have the word 'sucker' written all over my forehead", and I guess I do.
The key to spotting the con, as I now know from lots of experience, is that they're from Barrington. They are always from Barrington. Do you have friends from Barrington? Have you loaned them money?
..........................................................................
I have never written an editorial before in my life, but my personal freedom to ride my bicycle how I want to has been threatened and that is big enough to piss me off at 3 a.m., the time which I usually reserve for being scammed by con artists.
To my surprise (delight doesn't really enter into it), the tribune printed my editorial, minus my sharpest barbs, in the paper today, the 25th of July. I have mixed feelings about it, and I am starting to sound like the crazy old curmudgeon that I am turning into. Or maybe I'm the next Mike Royko.
This is the complete version they put online under "other voices". The sentences in bold are the ones they edited out in the actual paper. Not included is the opening paragraph that I didn't write, referencing the article that spawned my wrath. That first paragraph that I didn't write ,but appears that I did, kills my actual opening sarcastic salvo. In actual fact (redundancy intended, not sure why) I didn't even read the article in the tribune, don't read the tribune at all because I hate their right wing conservative views, (though there are a few great columnists, who will go named: eric & mary). They also edited (term used loosely) me in the paper sloppily, ending one sentence where I had a comma, with a period, then starting the next paragraph with "SO.....". Besides the tightening up that they needed to do, they made it look like I am an illiterate and had the sloppy grammar, which I didn't.
As you can see, I've quoted my own indignant self from my last blog entry regarding my lovely history of being a victim in the city of chicago.
"I've had my car broken into numerous times, been burglarized, vandalized and robbed at gunpoint, so it is a great comfort to me that the Chicago police will be dedicating manpower to writing tickets to bicyclists, ("Bicyclists not free to ride as they please," Metro, July 20).
Our reward for less pollution, less traffic and a healthier lifestyle is to worry about a rolling stop on a bicycle that will result in the same fine as when a car does it. I wonder if I'd feel better about the alleged bike routes in this city if I'd ever seen a ticket written to someone parked in the bike lane or people who pass on the right, nearly killing any bike rider in the lane. It's a comfort to know that the mayor's office on bicycling is looking out for us, not by creating safe bicycle passage or enforcing bike lane violations by cars, but by dedicating the police force to chasing us down.
I hope the special force keeps an eye on the mayor. Rumor has it he rides his bicycle, and I assume, being the law-abiding citizen he is, that he will come to a complete stop at every stop sign and if he errs, he will be charged."
I have not yet heard from the mayors office, nor have I been hoisted on the shoulders of rogue bicycle riders, but the day is young.
And of course I'm lying and just made that up. I was conned, yet again, by the best actor ever, and I paid 11.75 for an oscar caliber performance. I checked the official evanston police blotter online for a week and no car like that was stolen, despite what the police desk told me that night. Ann Landers wrote "you must think I have the word 'sucker' written all over my forehead", and I guess I do.
The key to spotting the con, as I now know from lots of experience, is that they're from Barrington. They are always from Barrington. Do you have friends from Barrington? Have you loaned them money?
..........................................................................
I have never written an editorial before in my life, but my personal freedom to ride my bicycle how I want to has been threatened and that is big enough to piss me off at 3 a.m., the time which I usually reserve for being scammed by con artists.
To my surprise (delight doesn't really enter into it), the tribune printed my editorial, minus my sharpest barbs, in the paper today, the 25th of July. I have mixed feelings about it, and I am starting to sound like the crazy old curmudgeon that I am turning into. Or maybe I'm the next Mike Royko.
This is the complete version they put online under "other voices". The sentences in bold are the ones they edited out in the actual paper. Not included is the opening paragraph that I didn't write, referencing the article that spawned my wrath. That first paragraph that I didn't write ,but appears that I did, kills my actual opening sarcastic salvo. In actual fact (redundancy intended, not sure why) I didn't even read the article in the tribune, don't read the tribune at all because I hate their right wing conservative views, (though there are a few great columnists, who will go named: eric & mary). They also edited (term used loosely) me in the paper sloppily, ending one sentence where I had a comma, with a period, then starting the next paragraph with "SO.....". Besides the tightening up that they needed to do, they made it look like I am an illiterate and had the sloppy grammar, which I didn't.
As you can see, I've quoted my own indignant self from my last blog entry regarding my lovely history of being a victim in the city of chicago.
"I've had my car broken into numerous times, been burglarized, vandalized and robbed at gunpoint, so it is a great comfort to me that the Chicago police will be dedicating manpower to writing tickets to bicyclists, ("Bicyclists not free to ride as they please," Metro, July 20).
Our reward for less pollution, less traffic and a healthier lifestyle is to worry about a rolling stop on a bicycle that will result in the same fine as when a car does it. I wonder if I'd feel better about the alleged bike routes in this city if I'd ever seen a ticket written to someone parked in the bike lane or people who pass on the right, nearly killing any bike rider in the lane. It's a comfort to know that the mayor's office on bicycling is looking out for us, not by creating safe bicycle passage or enforcing bike lane violations by cars, but by dedicating the police force to chasing us down.
I hope the special force keeps an eye on the mayor. Rumor has it he rides his bicycle, and I assume, being the law-abiding citizen he is, that he will come to a complete stop at every stop sign and if he errs, he will be charged."
I have not yet heard from the mayors office, nor have I been hoisted on the shoulders of rogue bicycle riders, but the day is young.
posted by steve rosen at 1:35 PM
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