Click on the post headline to read about the latest search for missing Reachelle Smith.
I pray that this time she is finally found.
[2008 Update: As of today, February 9, 2008, Reachelle Smith still hasn't been found.]
Friday, October 27, 2006
Bring Ben Justice, God!
I came across the following on the official website for hitchhikers, Digihitch.com:
_________________
[Body Of Missing Colorado Hitchhiker Found
October 5, 2006
ROCK SPRINGS, Wyo. (AP) — The body of a Colorado hitchhiker has been found in an isolated area in southwest Wyoming and authorities are suspecting foul play.
The body of Ben Bradley, of Tabernash, Colorado, was found by a group of sightseers Sunday near Boar's Tusk north of Rock Springs in Sweetwater County.
Police say the 29-year-old Bradley was hitchhiking to Jackson to celebrate his birthday with friends.
Bradley was last seen in Rock Springs on June second.
Police declined to release further details because the homicide remains under investigation.]
____________________
God watched over me when I walked through a rough section of Chicago at 4:30 in the morning. He watched me when I sat alone on a guardrail in the darkness in the middle of nowhere. He especially watched over me every time I was picked up by a stranger.
God blessed me through bad weather, bad roads, bad neighborhoods, bad vibes and protected me from bad people.
I have been through Wyoming many times and the State Police there have become increasingly awful to me.
I wouldn't be a bit surprised if one of them killed that man.
[Update 2008: I still stand by that statement.]
_________________
[Body Of Missing Colorado Hitchhiker Found
October 5, 2006
ROCK SPRINGS, Wyo. (AP) — The body of a Colorado hitchhiker has been found in an isolated area in southwest Wyoming and authorities are suspecting foul play.
The body of Ben Bradley, of Tabernash, Colorado, was found by a group of sightseers Sunday near Boar's Tusk north of Rock Springs in Sweetwater County.
Police say the 29-year-old Bradley was hitchhiking to Jackson to celebrate his birthday with friends.
Bradley was last seen in Rock Springs on June second.
Police declined to release further details because the homicide remains under investigation.]
____________________
God watched over me when I walked through a rough section of Chicago at 4:30 in the morning. He watched me when I sat alone on a guardrail in the darkness in the middle of nowhere. He especially watched over me every time I was picked up by a stranger.
God blessed me through bad weather, bad roads, bad neighborhoods, bad vibes and protected me from bad people.
I have been through Wyoming many times and the State Police there have become increasingly awful to me.
I wouldn't be a bit surprised if one of them killed that man.
[Update 2008: I still stand by that statement.]
God Bless You, Michael!
Just when I thought that I'd seen it all, another pound of poop fell down on the pile.
What I saw made me sit back and say "I didn't just see that." And what I heard made me say "He didn't really say those words."
But he did.
As you may know, Campers, Michael J. Fox has been campaigning for stem-cell research.
He taped an ad that aired recently and then...an ugly American by the name of Rush Limbaugh responded.
It took major balls for Fox to step back in the spotlight. We're talking brass cajones, Campers!
Michael is suffering the effects of Parkinson's disease and yet is determined to fight and live to the end.
He is a total inspiration to me!
He is my hero.
Rush Limbaugh is an ass!
He questioned the validity of Fox's symptoms. And flinging his arms around, he did a shameful job of making fun of Michael.
And he's still behind a mic flinging his crud nationwide.
With his hatred and ignorance, Limbaugh doesn't broadcast free speech. He delivers the radio equivalent of uncontrolled diahreaha!
I asked myself HOW could Limbaugh be so insensitive! HOW??!!
Has he watched so much CSI that he's no longer in touch with the sanctity of human life?
Has the rising toll of Americans killed in Iraq numbed his soul?
I wonder.
But I want to point out here, front and center, that I am not afraid of Limbaugh's inhuman view of life.
Because Michael J. Fox has reminded me that there are still good people in the world.
Good, strong people who will pass the torch on to the next flame that will shine bright and warm us all!
God Bless You, Michael J. Fox!
What I saw made me sit back and say "I didn't just see that." And what I heard made me say "He didn't really say those words."
But he did.
As you may know, Campers, Michael J. Fox has been campaigning for stem-cell research.
He taped an ad that aired recently and then...an ugly American by the name of Rush Limbaugh responded.
It took major balls for Fox to step back in the spotlight. We're talking brass cajones, Campers!
Michael is suffering the effects of Parkinson's disease and yet is determined to fight and live to the end.
He is a total inspiration to me!
He is my hero.
Rush Limbaugh is an ass!
He questioned the validity of Fox's symptoms. And flinging his arms around, he did a shameful job of making fun of Michael.
And he's still behind a mic flinging his crud nationwide.
With his hatred and ignorance, Limbaugh doesn't broadcast free speech. He delivers the radio equivalent of uncontrolled diahreaha!
I asked myself HOW could Limbaugh be so insensitive! HOW??!!
Has he watched so much CSI that he's no longer in touch with the sanctity of human life?
Has the rising toll of Americans killed in Iraq numbed his soul?
I wonder.
But I want to point out here, front and center, that I am not afraid of Limbaugh's inhuman view of life.
Because Michael J. Fox has reminded me that there are still good people in the world.
Good, strong people who will pass the torch on to the next flame that will shine bright and warm us all!
God Bless You, Michael J. Fox!
Blogger Beta Balderdash!
First of all, I know the outages and rigamarole this past week has affected your access to my blog, Campers.
IT'S ALL GOOGLE'S FAULT!
In fact, several times I couldn't even access my own blog!
I couldn't open it up, couldn't log-in or otherwise get to "Ruthie In The Sky."
Not cool!
And this is what one of the engineers with Blogger had to say in HIS blog to all of us: "It’s worth pointing out that none of this past week’s trouble affected the new version of Blogger or its blogs."
AHEM! Hey, engineer...I got a news flash for you!
Yer wrong!
This beta business is beginning to turn into one big joke!
Let's see if you can keep the whole thing floating until next Fall. I need it that long until my book is finished.
OKAY??!!
IT'S ALL GOOGLE'S FAULT!
In fact, several times I couldn't even access my own blog!
I couldn't open it up, couldn't log-in or otherwise get to "Ruthie In The Sky."
Not cool!
And this is what one of the engineers with Blogger had to say in HIS blog to all of us: "It’s worth pointing out that none of this past week’s trouble affected the new version of Blogger or its blogs."
AHEM! Hey, engineer...I got a news flash for you!
Yer wrong!
This beta business is beginning to turn into one big joke!
Let's see if you can keep the whole thing floating until next Fall. I need it that long until my book is finished.
OKAY??!!
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Where Are We Winning?
Next week I am moving into the place where I will spend the winter. I am still here in Altoona and I plan to stay here until next June.
And I've been following the developments in Iraq, at Ford Motor and on the field at the World Series.
It got me thinking...[uh oh!]
The military conflict between the United States and Iraq has been going on for a number of miserable years now. Ford Motor has been rolling out wheels for about eight decades. And the World Series of Major League Baseball has been going on for about 102 years.
Which has meant the most to the USA?
The battle, the autos or baseball?
I assume that most of you would say the autos. Right?
So why is Ford Motor Company now billions of dollars in the red?
And what about Iraq?
Are we in the United States better for what our military has done over there?
And why do you suppose the fans in Detroit packed Comerica Stadium the other night to watch the Tigers beat the St. Louis Cardinals?
Ford Motor is in trouble in that State. And all over the United States as well.
They're losing. Michigan workers are losing. Workers all over the United States are losing, too.
The U.S. military toll of Americans killed in Iraq is now the highest that it's ever been.
So maybe that's why so many folks in Detroit and St. Louis and all over the Country are tuning in and rooting for one of those baseball teams.
Perhaps it's because they realize that the World Series is one of the only games left in the United States where an American will be guaranteed to win.
And I've been following the developments in Iraq, at Ford Motor and on the field at the World Series.
It got me thinking...[uh oh!]
The military conflict between the United States and Iraq has been going on for a number of miserable years now. Ford Motor has been rolling out wheels for about eight decades. And the World Series of Major League Baseball has been going on for about 102 years.
Which has meant the most to the USA?
The battle, the autos or baseball?
I assume that most of you would say the autos. Right?
So why is Ford Motor Company now billions of dollars in the red?
And what about Iraq?
Are we in the United States better for what our military has done over there?
And why do you suppose the fans in Detroit packed Comerica Stadium the other night to watch the Tigers beat the St. Louis Cardinals?
Ford Motor is in trouble in that State. And all over the United States as well.
They're losing. Michigan workers are losing. Workers all over the United States are losing, too.
The U.S. military toll of Americans killed in Iraq is now the highest that it's ever been.
So maybe that's why so many folks in Detroit and St. Louis and all over the Country are tuning in and rooting for one of those baseball teams.
Perhaps it's because they realize that the World Series is one of the only games left in the United States where an American will be guaranteed to win.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Ruthie On The Road, Update
The next day, after eating a bodacious breakfast, I limped back out onto the highway and put out my thumb.
I was fed, rested and dryed-out. Yeah!
[I'll never forget that hot tub!]
I got picked-up by a man who drove me into Altoona. We drove around and tried to find a shelter. No dice.
We eventually found out that the women's shelter burned down last year.
So I ended up in a room in a hotel.
In the midst of all of that, I met a man and his sister.
Because there is no shelter in Altoona, I called down to the YWCA in Wheeling, West Virginia and asked if they could keep me for two weeks.
I got a yes but when I got there, the people who were supposed to fund my stay changed their minds.
So... the man and his sister drove back down to Wheeling and picked me up.
They brought me back here to Altoona, Pennsylvania where I will be renting a room in that same hotel next month.
Until then I am staying with the man and his sister at her home.
The sister works at the hotel where I will be staying this winter.
Isn't life something?
I was fed, rested and dryed-out. Yeah!
[I'll never forget that hot tub!]
I got picked-up by a man who drove me into Altoona. We drove around and tried to find a shelter. No dice.
We eventually found out that the women's shelter burned down last year.
So I ended up in a room in a hotel.
In the midst of all of that, I met a man and his sister.
Because there is no shelter in Altoona, I called down to the YWCA in Wheeling, West Virginia and asked if they could keep me for two weeks.
I got a yes but when I got there, the people who were supposed to fund my stay changed their minds.
So... the man and his sister drove back down to Wheeling and picked me up.
They brought me back here to Altoona, Pennsylvania where I will be renting a room in that same hotel next month.
Until then I am staying with the man and his sister at her home.
The sister works at the hotel where I will be staying this winter.
Isn't life something?
Ruthie On The Road, Update
I walked out of Green Tree in the rain and stopped to ask directions from a man in a tire store. He [without my asking] gave me money for a city bus that took me through Pittsburgh to Monroeville.
A cop there stopped, checked me out and then drove me to the end of that city and dropped me off.
That night I walked through a storm and got colder and colder and colder.
Finally I made a 911 call and then backtracked to an all-night gas station.
When I walked out of the ladies room, five cops were standing there waiting for me.
I blinked, smiled and then said hello.
They got me over a Super 8 motel where I checked-in at 4:30 in the morning.
I was cold, soaked to the skin and I stared when I walked into the only room available at that hour: the hottub room.
I opened the door and there it was...shining and ready for me...a huge hot tub with steaming water and magic jets.
And you better believe, Campers, I stripped down and jumped in that puppy!!!
Later on that morning I moved to a regular room and slept for hours.
A cop there stopped, checked me out and then drove me to the end of that city and dropped me off.
That night I walked through a storm and got colder and colder and colder.
Finally I made a 911 call and then backtracked to an all-night gas station.
When I walked out of the ladies room, five cops were standing there waiting for me.
I blinked, smiled and then said hello.
They got me over a Super 8 motel where I checked-in at 4:30 in the morning.
I was cold, soaked to the skin and I stared when I walked into the only room available at that hour: the hottub room.
I opened the door and there it was...shining and ready for me...a huge hot tub with steaming water and magic jets.
And you better believe, Campers, I stripped down and jumped in that puppy!!!
Later on that morning I moved to a regular room and slept for hours.
Ruthie On The Road, Update
I'm in Pennsylvania, Campers!
And in fact, I actually went back to the YWCA for a couple of nights in Wheeling, West Virginia.
But now I'm here.
How did this happen?
I've done a whole lotta running!
When I left Burlington, Iowa...a woman picked me up and drove me across to the bridge into Illinois. That first ride led me to many more which eventually brought me to a cluster of truck stops east of Toledo, Ohio.
A trucker dropped me off in the middle of the night and I walked out to a guardrail by the ramp to the Ohio Turnpike. I sat there and tried to get a ride from 3am to 10:30am but no one even slowed down. Not a single soul.
Finally I walked over to a chaplain's trailer at one of the truck stops and convinced the guy there that I am not an ax er. [I use a chainsaw!]
He drove me to a nearby town and dropped me off.
I walked into a Lutheran church building and a preacher stopped me in my tracks.
"What do you think you're doing?" He said as his hands balled into fists.
"I came in to ask if you if there's a place to get a free bit of food here or a ride or a rest. I'm hitchhiking through from Burlington, Iowa and I've been outside all night." I explained, mindfull of his body language.
"Well we have kids here and we don't know you and no we can't help you!" He answered with a superdose of malice in his voice.
He was going on about 9/11 and school s and ists as I walked down the hall and back out the door.
I ended up sitting on yet another guardrail outside of that little town later on that evening, fiddeling with my flashlight.
A man drove by, stopped, parked and then backed-up.
He gave me the standard "Lady, what are you doing here?" look and then smiled.
He ended up feeding me at Mickey D's and then got me a room at a mom-and-pop place in Fremont, Ohio that night.
He explained that he drives an ambulance in the area.
The next day I limped into the Fremont Police station where the desk people took one look at me and called an ambulance.
No, my friend wasn't driving but the EMT's know who he is.
They took me to the hospital in Fremont where I was fed, watered, x-rayed and otherwise tended to. I got a cast, two ace bandages and a crash course in how to use crutches.
Diagnosis?
Bad business in the tendons and ligaments in my left foot.
I was sprung from there and taken by van to a homeless shelter in Sanduskey, Ohio...some twenty or so miles east of Fremont.
When the driver wheeled me into the shelter office, a big Black man glared at me and asked, "Kin ya take care o' ya own needs?"
I looked at that man, my driver looked at the man and the man glared back at both of us. Then my driver backed me out of the office and loaded me back onto the van.
He was angry and so was I.
He drove me back to Fremont and checked me back into the same motel that I had left that morning. I stayed there overnight and the next day I was sent by taxi to the Greyhound station in Sanduskey.
Why?
Because the hospital wanted to send me on to Pittsburgh.
See, the hospital in Fremont tried to get some cooperation in finding me a reasonable place to stay in Sanduskey via that other hospital. But the Sanduskey hospital told me that the only way that they could get me a respite bed was to admit me into the local psych ward!
"That's what you get when you ask for something for free." sniffed the Sanduskey hospital "social worker."
I declined...and with a verbal payback attached.
Sooo...the only thing that the Fremont hospital people could figure out to do was to send me on a bus to downtown Pittsburgh.
Yeah. With no money, at 9pm on a Saturday night with no guarantee of a simple way to get out of there.
I took the money that they gave me for the bus and got a ride down to a cheap motel.
The next morning, I took off the bandages, cast and crutches and three them away in a dumpster.
Then I limped down the road and finally got to Mansfield, Ohio.
The shelter in Mansfield is unique in that every room has its own tv with full cable.
I stayed there for two days and after a 12-year-old boy [the kid from hell!] walked in on me after I got out of the shower,[The little brat figured-out how to pick the lock on the bathroom door!] I decided that it was time to leave.
So I walked out of Mansfield and got picked up by a man who owns his own business.
He took me to beautiful Best Western motel outside of Youngstown, Ohio and gave me money for pizza. The next day he and his wife picked me up and drove me to the town of Green Tree which is located outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Was God watching me?
Oh yes!
You see how this chain continued...and still is.
If you have been praying for me, thank you. It worked. It still is.
And in fact, I actually went back to the YWCA for a couple of nights in Wheeling, West Virginia.
But now I'm here.
How did this happen?
I've done a whole lotta running!
When I left Burlington, Iowa...a woman picked me up and drove me across to the bridge into Illinois. That first ride led me to many more which eventually brought me to a cluster of truck stops east of Toledo, Ohio.
A trucker dropped me off in the middle of the night and I walked out to a guardrail by the ramp to the Ohio Turnpike. I sat there and tried to get a ride from 3am to 10:30am but no one even slowed down. Not a single soul.
Finally I walked over to a chaplain's trailer at one of the truck stops and convinced the guy there that I am not an ax er. [I use a chainsaw!]
He drove me to a nearby town and dropped me off.
I walked into a Lutheran church building and a preacher stopped me in my tracks.
"What do you think you're doing?" He said as his hands balled into fists.
"I came in to ask if you if there's a place to get a free bit of food here or a ride or a rest. I'm hitchhiking through from Burlington, Iowa and I've been outside all night." I explained, mindfull of his body language.
"Well we have kids here and we don't know you and no we can't help you!" He answered with a superdose of malice in his voice.
He was going on about 9/11 and school s and ists as I walked down the hall and back out the door.
I ended up sitting on yet another guardrail outside of that little town later on that evening, fiddeling with my flashlight.
A man drove by, stopped, parked and then backed-up.
He gave me the standard "Lady, what are you doing here?" look and then smiled.
He ended up feeding me at Mickey D's and then got me a room at a mom-and-pop place in Fremont, Ohio that night.
He explained that he drives an ambulance in the area.
The next day I limped into the Fremont Police station where the desk people took one look at me and called an ambulance.
No, my friend wasn't driving but the EMT's know who he is.
They took me to the hospital in Fremont where I was fed, watered, x-rayed and otherwise tended to. I got a cast, two ace bandages and a crash course in how to use crutches.
Diagnosis?
Bad business in the tendons and ligaments in my left foot.
I was sprung from there and taken by van to a homeless shelter in Sanduskey, Ohio...some twenty or so miles east of Fremont.
When the driver wheeled me into the shelter office, a big Black man glared at me and asked, "Kin ya take care o' ya own needs?"
I looked at that man, my driver looked at the man and the man glared back at both of us. Then my driver backed me out of the office and loaded me back onto the van.
He was angry and so was I.
He drove me back to Fremont and checked me back into the same motel that I had left that morning. I stayed there overnight and the next day I was sent by taxi to the Greyhound station in Sanduskey.
Why?
Because the hospital wanted to send me on to Pittsburgh.
See, the hospital in Fremont tried to get some cooperation in finding me a reasonable place to stay in Sanduskey via that other hospital. But the Sanduskey hospital told me that the only way that they could get me a respite bed was to admit me into the local psych ward!
"That's what you get when you ask for something for free." sniffed the Sanduskey hospital "social worker."
I declined...and with a verbal payback attached.
Sooo...the only thing that the Fremont hospital people could figure out to do was to send me on a bus to downtown Pittsburgh.
Yeah. With no money, at 9pm on a Saturday night with no guarantee of a simple way to get out of there.
I took the money that they gave me for the bus and got a ride down to a cheap motel.
The next morning, I took off the bandages, cast and crutches and three them away in a dumpster.
Then I limped down the road and finally got to Mansfield, Ohio.
The shelter in Mansfield is unique in that every room has its own tv with full cable.
I stayed there for two days and after a 12-year-old boy [the kid from hell!] walked in on me after I got out of the shower,[The little brat figured-out how to pick the lock on the bathroom door!] I decided that it was time to leave.
So I walked out of Mansfield and got picked up by a man who owns his own business.
He took me to beautiful Best Western motel outside of Youngstown, Ohio and gave me money for pizza. The next day he and his wife picked me up and drove me to the town of Green Tree which is located outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Was God watching me?
Oh yes!
You see how this chain continued...and still is.
If you have been praying for me, thank you. It worked. It still is.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Ruthie On The Road, Update
Hello, Campers! Sorry it took me so long to post but I have been on the road. And wow! has a lot happened since I left Burlington, Iowa!!!
I have traveled from there, across Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and am now in a small city outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
And I am heading east.
I have a great deal to tell you but it will have to wait.
Right now the weather is deteriorating and a big cold front is moving in to this area. So I am going to have to find shelter, etc. before I post here again.
I stayed in more motels than shelters in my journey to this location. That turned-out to be a blessing because the problem with my left foot is getting worse.
When I post again, I will tell you about the hateful preacher, the hospital fiasco, the nice motel people, the church fiasco, the shelter in Mansfield and the wonderful man and his wife that helped me out last night and this morning.
All of the above events happened in Ohio.
Don't worry, I'm going to post again soon!
And hello to Heather AND Ms. Pie Shell: Michelle Ma Belle!
I have traveled from there, across Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and am now in a small city outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
And I am heading east.
I have a great deal to tell you but it will have to wait.
Right now the weather is deteriorating and a big cold front is moving in to this area. So I am going to have to find shelter, etc. before I post here again.
I stayed in more motels than shelters in my journey to this location. That turned-out to be a blessing because the problem with my left foot is getting worse.
When I post again, I will tell you about the hateful preacher, the hospital fiasco, the nice motel people, the church fiasco, the shelter in Mansfield and the wonderful man and his wife that helped me out last night and this morning.
All of the above events happened in Ohio.
Don't worry, I'm going to post again soon!
And hello to Heather AND Ms. Pie Shell: Michelle Ma Belle!
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Ruthie On The Road, Update
I left Burlington, Iowa late yesterday afternoon.
I walked into a printing place to ask for directions and the lady there told me that if I would wait around for an hour...she'd drive me over the bridge to Illinois, herself.
I had never met that woman before.
But she was kind enough to take me a good 25 miles in to Western Illinois. After dropping me off, she turned around and returned to her home in Burlington.
I got two great rides with truckers after that.
And ended up about ten miles east of Toledo, Ohio at three o'clock this morning.
Yes, Campers, I am heading back to the East Coast.
Yee-Haw!
I've decided that I need to get away from western cedar, sagebrush, dust, etc.
And I may not live in Wheeling but I will find a place to be hang my smile on the eastern side of the Country!
But when I got here, I sat on the guard rail by the on ramp and nobody picked me up. It's still that way.
I got one ride and am now on route 20 with rude rednecks, hateful truckers and locals who don't trust anybody.
And although I made phone calls and asked around, nobody is willing to give me a warm place to stay tonight.
And as soon as I am done here, I'm going back on the road with my flashlight, my backpack and a ten-ton weight of exhaustion.
I walked into a printing place to ask for directions and the lady there told me that if I would wait around for an hour...she'd drive me over the bridge to Illinois, herself.
I had never met that woman before.
But she was kind enough to take me a good 25 miles in to Western Illinois. After dropping me off, she turned around and returned to her home in Burlington.
I got two great rides with truckers after that.
And ended up about ten miles east of Toledo, Ohio at three o'clock this morning.
Yes, Campers, I am heading back to the East Coast.
Yee-Haw!
I've decided that I need to get away from western cedar, sagebrush, dust, etc.
And I may not live in Wheeling but I will find a place to be hang my smile on the eastern side of the Country!
But when I got here, I sat on the guard rail by the on ramp and nobody picked me up. It's still that way.
I got one ride and am now on route 20 with rude rednecks, hateful truckers and locals who don't trust anybody.
And although I made phone calls and asked around, nobody is willing to give me a warm place to stay tonight.
And as soon as I am done here, I'm going back on the road with my flashlight, my backpack and a ten-ton weight of exhaustion.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
What A Difference A Trip Makes
Happy Whatever this day is, Campers!
I am still in Burlington, Iowa and am presently trying to figure out how to upload my photos from the CD to the computer hard drive to Yahoo photos to here.
The problem is that the administrative whatta-ta here isn't going to allow me to temporarily install the software required to go through the whole process.
Sooo...the VERY nice librarian here has contacted a man at another entity and he's coming over here to see what he can do. Maybe he'll let me use a computer at his place of business.
This is amazing!
Considering everything...this is poles apart from...ahem...Wheeling, West Virginia!
Hang on and let's see what happens here in Burlington, Iowa!
I am still in Burlington, Iowa and am presently trying to figure out how to upload my photos from the CD to the computer hard drive to Yahoo photos to here.
The problem is that the administrative whatta-ta here isn't going to allow me to temporarily install the software required to go through the whole process.
Sooo...the VERY nice librarian here has contacted a man at another entity and he's coming over here to see what he can do. Maybe he'll let me use a computer at his place of business.
This is amazing!
Considering everything...this is poles apart from...ahem...Wheeling, West Virginia!
Hang on and let's see what happens here in Burlington, Iowa!
Monday, October 02, 2006
Ruthie Is Back!!!
WHERE HAVE I BEEN???!!! Hellooooo Campers!!! Slowly I am going to catch back up to speed here!
And either today or tomorrow I will post new photos, too!
Here's what happened: There I was...getting settled-in for the winter months in Wheeling, West Virginia. I had two sources to use for free-net access sites: the community college and the public library.
I had my room at the YWCA and the company of all of the delightful, crazy ladies that live on the fifth floor.
Even the maintenance man liked me.
And then it happened.
As you can see, my posts stopped around September 15.
I was posting at the community college library and, as you know, the Feds have made it possible for librarians to monitor what people do on their computers.
And Wheeling is a VERY Republican, gung-ho war-mongering community. I mean, the Federal Building in downtown Wheeling is ultra-modern and takes up an entire city block!
That should tell you something.
[Click on the post headline above to read "Homeland Stupidity's" coverage of this activity]
[Despite what anyone says...I am convinced that the covert monitoring is still going on in some free-net access locations around the Country]
Those people don't mind sending their own over to get blown-away in the Middle East!
So...
I was online taking care of business when I realized that I had to make a phone call.
I grabbed my cell phone and didn't realize that I wasn't supposed to do that in that library.
Hey, honest mistake, ya know!
This big guy came over to me, leaned over the table, got right in my face [This is no exaggeration] and told me: "Stop talking, don't say another word and turn-off that phone NOW!"
I was stunned.
The so-called "librarian" practically spit at me while anger oozed out of his pores.
At that moment, the question of whether that facility had ever received a Gates grant
flashed through my head.
There I was, in one of thousands of free-net access sites that I have used in 49 States, on a long-distance call...with an ugly American in front of me.
I would have expected it in Chicago or Detroit or maybe downtown New York City...but not in Wheeling, West Virginia!!!
But it happened.
And as I walked out the door I vowed that I would make my point to the Dean of the college and never set foot on that campus again.
I have been true to my word.
First, I would like to share the email that Dean Steve Woodburn sent to me:
_______________
[Ms. Rader,
I have been out of the office for a week and it will take me a while to investigate the situation. I will begin right now with a big apology and let you know that there is no reason for any one at this college to be treated the way you stated. The investigation will conclude with this being handled internally. You have my sincere word that this situation will be handled professionally and with due diligence.
Thank you,
Steve]
_______________
I have called and sent email to Dean Woodburn but haven't received a response from him since.
And after my experience with that man in the library, I decided to stay away from that so-called "hall of hateful learning."
So...there went my first option to post to my blog.
That left me with the public library.
NOW...I will tell you what happened THERE!
The college library and the public library stand almost next-door to each other. And since Wheeling is a small-town city, the librarians from one building invariably talk to the cronies who staff the other one.
And guess what?
Yup.
Next thing I knew, I was hassled by a red-neck farm girl librarian wanna-be who told me that I took too long to log-off a computer.
That isn't true.
Well, duh!
As you can tell by glancing at the archives, I have traveled the entire expanse of North America many times and posted to my blog since December 2004.
Without a hitch, Campers!
But there I was, being called "irresponsible" and told that the library "isn't a day-care center" and that the librarian isn't my "babysitter."
Yes, those comments are verbatim!
It took several seconds for me to figure out what was really going on. I tried to reason with the director of the library but she was worse than the bertha-bruiser librarian!
I left there and spent the next two weeks trying to find an alternate free-net access site in the Greater Wheeling area. No dice.
That city doesn't even have a single cyber cafe!
So I made my mind up a few days ago to leave.
Which I did.
And I am now posting to you from a nice library in the small city of Burlington, Iowa.
It's a bit difficult because I broke my glasses but I am determined to make this happen today.
So...HELLO CAMPERS! RUTHIE IN THE SKY IS BACK!!!
And either today or tomorrow I will post new photos, too!
Here's what happened: There I was...getting settled-in for the winter months in Wheeling, West Virginia. I had two sources to use for free-net access sites: the community college and the public library.
I had my room at the YWCA and the company of all of the delightful, crazy ladies that live on the fifth floor.
Even the maintenance man liked me.
And then it happened.
As you can see, my posts stopped around September 15.
I was posting at the community college library and, as you know, the Feds have made it possible for librarians to monitor what people do on their computers.
And Wheeling is a VERY Republican, gung-ho war-mongering community. I mean, the Federal Building in downtown Wheeling is ultra-modern and takes up an entire city block!
That should tell you something.
[Click on the post headline above to read "Homeland Stupidity's" coverage of this activity]
[Despite what anyone says...I am convinced that the covert monitoring is still going on in some free-net access locations around the Country]
Those people don't mind sending their own over to get blown-away in the Middle East!
So...
I was online taking care of business when I realized that I had to make a phone call.
I grabbed my cell phone and didn't realize that I wasn't supposed to do that in that library.
Hey, honest mistake, ya know!
This big guy came over to me, leaned over the table, got right in my face [This is no exaggeration] and told me: "Stop talking, don't say another word and turn-off that phone NOW!"
I was stunned.
The so-called "librarian" practically spit at me while anger oozed out of his pores.
At that moment, the question of whether that facility had ever received a Gates grant
flashed through my head.
There I was, in one of thousands of free-net access sites that I have used in 49 States, on a long-distance call...with an ugly American in front of me.
I would have expected it in Chicago or Detroit or maybe downtown New York City...but not in Wheeling, West Virginia!!!
But it happened.
And as I walked out the door I vowed that I would make my point to the Dean of the college and never set foot on that campus again.
I have been true to my word.
First, I would like to share the email that Dean Steve Woodburn sent to me:
_______________
[Ms. Rader,
I have been out of the office for a week and it will take me a while to investigate the situation. I will begin right now with a big apology and let you know that there is no reason for any one at this college to be treated the way you stated. The investigation will conclude with this being handled internally. You have my sincere word that this situation will be handled professionally and with due diligence.
Thank you,
Steve]
_______________
I have called and sent email to Dean Woodburn but haven't received a response from him since.
And after my experience with that man in the library, I decided to stay away from that so-called "hall of hateful learning."
So...there went my first option to post to my blog.
That left me with the public library.
NOW...I will tell you what happened THERE!
The college library and the public library stand almost next-door to each other. And since Wheeling is a small-town city, the librarians from one building invariably talk to the cronies who staff the other one.
And guess what?
Yup.
Next thing I knew, I was hassled by a red-neck farm girl librarian wanna-be who told me that I took too long to log-off a computer.
That isn't true.
Well, duh!
As you can tell by glancing at the archives, I have traveled the entire expanse of North America many times and posted to my blog since December 2004.
Without a hitch, Campers!
But there I was, being called "irresponsible" and told that the library "isn't a day-care center" and that the librarian isn't my "babysitter."
Yes, those comments are verbatim!
It took several seconds for me to figure out what was really going on. I tried to reason with the director of the library but she was worse than the bertha-bruiser librarian!
I left there and spent the next two weeks trying to find an alternate free-net access site in the Greater Wheeling area. No dice.
That city doesn't even have a single cyber cafe!
So I made my mind up a few days ago to leave.
Which I did.
And I am now posting to you from a nice library in the small city of Burlington, Iowa.
It's a bit difficult because I broke my glasses but I am determined to make this happen today.
So...HELLO CAMPERS! RUTHIE IN THE SKY IS BACK!!!
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