Once Again, We’ve Been Saved 

     Once again we can all sleep better knowing that officialdom is standing guard, protecting us all from ourselves. In a remote Alaskan general store there is, or was, in residence a cat named Stormy. 
     Stormy would lounge around the store, entertaining customers. People would stop by the store just to say hello to the popular feline. Keep in mind that this store is out in the boondocks of Alaska, servicing a hardy bunch of Alaskans who don’t freak out at the sight of a cat under the same roof as their source of groceries. 
     The store owners felt that the presence of Stormy even added to the sanitary conditions of the establishment, by diminishing the rodent population. (Now, if the health people needed something to do, the rodents might have been a better target for their concentration.) 
     Someone filed a complaint with the Alaska Food Safety and Sanitation Program about Stormy and the powers that be have now banned the cat from the store. I hope y’all feel as relieved as I do that this menace has been faced and conquered.

One Way to Do It 

     A man in Mississippi had his drug paraphernalia stolen. He wanted to file a complaint, but for some reason didn’t think the police would take him seriously. So, to get their attention he crashed his truck into the courthouse. 
    That did get the attention of the police, enough so that they’ve arrested him and charged him with malicious mischief and, oh, here we go, driving while intoxicated. That explains a lot. 
    But even so, you’d think that self-preservation would keep a person from doing something this drastic. 
    The reporter did not deem it necessary to let us know if this man ever found his paraphernalia or if the police were a help with that.

Thank God for First Responders

    Recently I’ve been in a position to observe members of the local city police force from two different cities, fire and rescue personnel from these same areas, plus several smaller outlying communities, and members of the local sheriff’s department deliver people to a medical institution for care and observation. These are usually people who have harmed themselves and/or threatened to harm themselves or others. 
    Some of these people are docile, but others are anywhere from mildly upset to violently opposed to being placed somewhere not of their choosing. These people are acting out their unhappiness with both verbal and physical abuse toward those people listed above plus the medical staff people who are receiving them. 
     The one thing that continually amazes me is the compassion and tenderness shown toward the people being admitted for medical care and observation. The ones being admitted are sometimes doing their utmost to be uncooperative and abusive, but they are handled in the same calm and compassionate way as those who are willing or even happy to be admitted. 
     My hat goes off to these public servants.