IRS Got the Shirt ...

You know the rest; right? "IRS got the shirt off my back."

Every April 15 I think of a friend who came to an Income Tax Party I had at the Philadelphia Filly Restaurant in Denver on Monday, April 15, 1985. The restaurant was normally closed on Mondays, but Sally, the owner, agreed to open if I could get a lot of people there. It was a small place that I had found by accident, and it had quickly become a favorite.

About 100 people showed up to eat and drink. When John arrived, he was nicely dressed in a three-piece business suit. After a quick Hello, he headed for the men's room. He was in there a long time, almost to the point that some of us wondered what had happened to him. When he emerged, he had taken off his dress shirt and was wearing his suit pants, vest, tie and suit coat.

You guessed it! And he spend the entire party explaining what had happened to his shirt!

And where did we go when the party was over? We formed a caravan for a trip to the Post Office to mail our tax returns!

So, here's to you, John. I don't know who else remembers that party, but I'll always remember you!

Today's Trivia - Stamps

On what day were stamps first issued in booklets?

April 16, 1900! Today is Postage Stamps in Booklets Day.

How much was a stamp then? Two cents.

Check out the unofficial history of U.S. stamp prices at www.akdart.com/postrate.html

Have stamp prices ever gone down? You'll be surprised at the answer.

It took 47 years for stamps to increase from $0.02 to $0.03. Then it took 43 years to go from $0.03 to $0.10.

What did stamps cost when you were born? Check it out on the above link.

Failure to Communicate

Remember the famous line in Cool Hand Luke, when the prison warden said to Luke, "What we have here is a failure to communicate."

Well, something is broken in the County's communication link regarding messages from the Governor's office related to lowering the U.S. and Illinois flags in memory of Illinois' Fallen. When a member of the military dies in combat, the Governor announces a three-day period when U.S. and State flags are to be flown at half-staff. The County should be on the email distribution list.

About a week ago, McHenry County lowered its flags upon the Governor's directive but, for some reason, they are not doing so this time. This morning I emailed a high-ranking elected official to alert him to the Governor's directive, but the flags were still flying high at 6:40PM over the McHenry County Vietnam Memorial and in front of the County Government Center.

Is McHenry County just too busy to lower the flags? Is someone on vacation with substitute in charge during his absence? Is McHenry County thumbing its nose at this important directive?

Now, I happen to think that the United States flag should fly high at all times. You never lower the flag for any reason. I think the only time the U.S. flag should come down is if we are invaded and lose. However, the Governor orders the flags lowered following the death of an Illinois serviceman or servicewoman; in this case, for a soldier who died April 6.

I hate to see the flag lowered, because it reminds me of the sacrifice being made by members of the military, who follow orders and engage in mortal combat or are the victims of roadside bombs or other type of combat.

We should be outraged that we have gotten sucked into a war that we never should have started. So, when I see the flags lowered, I am also reminded of the idiots in Washington and the lies upon which they justified the invasion of Iraq.

In the meantime, McHenry County, assign someone to pay attention to the email from the Governor's office and lower the flags. And remember to assign someone to raise them at the end of the period of mourning.

Pro-2A No. 75 - McHenry County

McHenry County became the 75th county in Illinois to adopt a resolution opposing the enactment of any legislation that would infringe upon the right of the People to keep and bear arms and stating that such legislation would be unconstitutional and beyond lawful legislative authority.

This Resolution is aimed directly at Illinois lawmakers who are attempting to restrict the lawful ownership of firearms. This seems to be, but is not limited to, the Cook County contingent of legislators.

Isn't it interesting that Chicago prohibits the ownership of handguns, and yet it has an extremely high murder rate?

Numerous pieces of legislation are pending, and two may come to a vote even tomorrow.

The People of Cook County need to get right in the faces of their elected representatives and question them about the oath of office they took to uphold the Constitutions of the United States and of the State of Illinois. Both speak to the right to bear arms. Cook County residents should be swarming the offices of their representatives, demanding the right to own a handgun.

Can you just picture trying to defend yourself in your home with a rifle or a shotgun? By the time you swing it around and find your target, you'd be a strong candidate to wear what was my favorite t-shirt years ago. It had five bullet holes on it, with red stuff (simulating blood) running down, and the legend on the t-shirt was "Slowest Gun in the West."

The County Board voted unanimously in favor of the Resolution tonight. Thanks to all 23 who were present tonight!

Stop Sign Takes a Hit

This stop sign, on Tryon at South Street, looks like it took a hit early Sunday morning. Perhaps a driver coming down South Street either missed the right turn onto Tryon or just climbed the curb and tangled with the stop sign. Or did some rowdy kids just grab it and twist it?

Perhaps it was a wake-up call for the driver who didn't expect the streets to be so slick in April. I wonder ... did he even stop and report the damage? A stop and a new signpost, and the time of a couple of Woodstock's Public Works employees, probably easily adds up to about $200.

What's interesting is the really straight cut across the bottom of one-half of the sign, almost like somebody took a saw to it. (Click on the photo to enlarge it, and look at the bottom of the post.) Did you see it happen?

Wide White Line

I wonder what she was thinking as she rolled up to the red light, coasted right past the solid, wide, white line and stopped with her car completely past the line. The line was red before she ever got there; it's not like she made a late stop.

What's the white line for? It indicates to the driver where to stop; i.e., when stopping on a red light, you stop before you reach the line.

This driver also crept even farther forward before the light changed to green.

Lock Your Airline Luggage

Do you know that you can lock your airline luggage?

If you use a special TSA-approved lock, you can once again lock your checked luggage. TSA staffers have special keys that will unlock your lock, so they can paw through your nighties and socks. If they remember to use the special keys, they will not destroy your TSA-approved lock and will merely re-lock it after searching through your old underwear and books.

Some of the locks (all of them?) are designed to let you know if the TSA folks have been in your stuff. There are probably different styles, different brands and different price ranges.

The lock shown in this picture is available at Menard's for less than $7.00. Dinner at Shaw's Crab House not included.