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"Hello my name is Michelle with Cardholder Services and I am calling with a very important message about your credit card." Does this sounds familiar to you? Well, it is all too familiar to me. I receive this pre-recorded message about once every four days. The message continue offering "" you a chance to lower your credit card interest rate and ends saying " press 1" to talk to a live operator or "press 8" to be removed from their calling list. When you " press 8" the automated voice response with "I'm sorry that was an invalid response and re-start the message cycle all over again. First of all let me repeat something I am sure your parents told you at some point in your life. "No one is ever going to give you money for nothing." Since they would not stop calling me I decided to press 1 and tell the live operator directly not to call me anymore. When the operator answered I surprised by the happy tone in her voice. The first word out of her mouth was not hello my name is so-and-so with such-and-such and we help people get lower rates on their credit cards. Instead she said will this be a visa or mastercard?. I told her not to call me again and to remove my number from their calling lists. They hung up the phone.
I am sure by now you understand that these people are doing. They just want a valid credit card number and if you give them one you are going to be in a world of hurt. Think about it you don't really have any idea who they might be. If they get your credit card number I expect you are going to find a lot of mysterious charges on your credit card. By calling people on the Texas no-call list and repeatedly calling people who have asked them to stop calling they are breaking the law. Do you want to trust people like that with your credit information?
If you live in Texas, are registered on the no-call list, tired of the repeated calls, and want to possibly get these people prosecuted at the rate of $1,000.00 per violation? Join me in fighting back by reporting them to the Texas PUC. It is fast and easy and can be done on-line. Just follow this link to the TEXAS P.U.C. select the link "Consumer Information" and then select "File a Complaint" answer the 10 questions and press submit. You will then be asked for your name and phone number, your address, and a description of the problem. That's it, you're done.
Remember, some people will try to rob you with a gun or a knife. Those are people you can see coming. In the age of the computer and automated dialers some thieves don't even have to leave the house. Strike a blow for law abiding citizens everywhere by fighting back. File a complaint. No, the state will not immediately go after them, but if they get enough complaints the state will eventually have to act.
If you have not already registered your phone number and want add your number to the Texas No-Call list follow this link :
"TEXAS No-Call."
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After decades of protest from several Native American groups the NCAA has finally taken a small step to do the right thing. So why are so many people mad? What did the NCAA actually ban? This is what the NCAA?s executive committee released through its committee chairman Walter Harrison:
Nicknames or mascots deemed hostile or abusive would not be allowed on team uniforms or other clothing beginning with any NCAA tournament after Feb. 1. In addition schools using Indian nicknames would be barred from hosting postseason events. Schools already selected as tournament sites would be asked to cover any offensive logos. Also, such logos would be prohibited at postseason games on cheerleader and band uniforms starting in 2008.
Mr. Harrison went on to explain that what each institution decides to do is really its own business outside of NCAA championship events. Mr. Harrison explained that the committee does not have the authority to bar Indian mascots by individual schools.
It is estimated that the NCAA's executive committee's decision will affect about 18 division 1A schools. Many schools, reflected in statements by alumni associations and presidents, are upset at the ban and have vowed to go to court to continue their version of ?honoring? the Native American. The poster here displays examples of the "great honor" Native Americans are refusing to accept.
The Dallas Morning News was kind enough this past Sunday (Aug. 15, 2005) to print a full page of letters from local area citizens all trying to explain why the Native Americans should feel prod of this unwanted "honor", and how this is just another example of "political correctness" gone too far. Some of the letters exclaim in horror ?where will all this political correctness end? To all the misguided people concerned about the end of political correctness I say it will end when we learn respect for other people and other cultures.
After reading each letter printed in the paper all but two of which were against the ban I found the following to be the major themes explaining why the NCAA executive committee is wrong.
What about Cowboys? One or another version of this excuse was behind many of the letters. This has an easy answer; the cowboy and many other similar examples like this are not a race of people. I know that is news to some, but the cowboy can be found in many different cultures and does not belong to one race.
People are getting too sensitive! How exactly do we decide what is too sensitive and what is not for someone else? This argument defeats itself. If it wasn't a problem we wouldn't still be talking about it.
It's a proud tradition! The word tradition when as justification for some act always gives me the willies. The South fought long and hard to preserve Jim Crowe and segregation based on the idea of "tradition".
Real non-political Native Americans are proud of nicknames.The author of this comment identifies himself as a Native American. I don?t question the fact that there may be some Native American?s who do see a positive side to the use of Indian mascots. The problem I have is that no single individual can know with absolute certainty what a whole race of people think. In addition I don't think there is a problem with names like Chiefs, Braves, or Warrior, but you are going to have to spend all day talking to convince me that the side effects cause by the use the names are positive and they should not be used. Examples of the side effects of this use are things like the name of the Washington football franchise, the grinning Indian mascot used by the Cleveland baseball franchise, the tomahawk chop, war dances at halftimes of basketball games, and people painting their faces. These actions mock native traditions that have special meaning?s that go to the soul of the Native American a meaning not shared by those at sporting events who are out just to have a little fun.
I for one am glad that the NCAA has taken the action it did. I can only hope that the NFL, MLB, and all of society will follow suit.
If you really want to honor the Native American consider going to the
Crazyhorse Memorial website and making a gift to help in the completion of a true honor to the Native American.
Note: Korczak has depicted Crazy Horse with his left hand thrown out pointing in answer to a derisive question asked by a white man who said, "Where are your lands now?" Crazy Horse replied, "My lands are where my dead lie buried."
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