I HATE SCAMS AND SCAMMERS!!!!

I HATE SCAMS AND SCAMMERS!  Did I say that loud enough?  I have done everything I can to stop these annoying calls.  I have signed up on the “Do Not Call” list more than once.  I have tried the “Stop the Robo” caller program…that has not stopped them.  I have ignored the calls with numbers I don’t recognize, but the annoyance of the consistent ringing drive me crazy. I began to take the call making sure it was indeed a non-legitimate caller then I would block the number.  In 3 days…yes, that is 3 days I filled my allotted number of calls I am allowed to block in my phone system.  One would think that having caller ID would help stop them, but they have even managed to get around identifying who they are with that.  Often when I have called the number back, I get that the number has been disconnected.  How can that be?  That number just rang my phone!!!

Over the years I have taken down all their information and then called my local government office…only to be told not to answer the call.  Then I called my local consumer advocate…only to be told to just hang up.  Once when I was so tied up caring for my dying husband, I called the police to see if I could get the Bucks County Police Association to stop calling and they told me,  “There was nothing they could do, and by the way, do not donate to them,” he said, “we get nothing from them.”  Great.

Why is it so hard to figure out what to do to stop them.  In one of my evil moments, I wished I had one of those loud piercing sound makers to blow into the phone once a real person gets online.  I figure if I take away their hearing they would give up calling!

Once I even gave them a bunch of phony information just to get rid of them. I told the foreign sounding voice on the other end of the line that my name was  Dumbia Scammershit.  

I have resorted to pretending I was deaf.  “Hello!”  They would try and say something, and I would interrupt with “Hello…are you there?”  “What?”  “Speak louder I cannot hear you.”  Eventually, with me screaming on the phone, they would hang up.

Another time when the caller would ask their question, I would answer with gibberish, making no sense and having nothing to do with their question.  They would eventually hang up also.

Once I startled a person with, “I am so glad you called.  You need to call the police.  I think I just killed an intruder who came into my house.  He looks familiar…similar to my husband,” I said…eventually they hung up too.

The scariest call I ever had was years ago when my husband left for his second shift job, I got a call asking if I was Mrs. Ford.  He then identified himself (this was before caller ID) as the State Police and that my husband was just involved in an auto accident and could I call someone over to my home while I head to the hospital.  Something told me to call the State Police to confirm the event, and that is when I found out that this was a scam call and the police would never call with that kind of information.  They would send an officer in person.  

Remember years ago when Olean Mills would call and offer up a free 8x10 family photo just for letting them send a photographer to the home to snap the series of photos to choose from?  We all knew the scam.  Take the photos then do a high-pressure pitch to get you to buy a very expensive package.  As a mother of four young children, I did not have the time for such nonsense.  I said no.  Then no again.  And no one more time.  After a bit, the caller asked, “Why Mrs. Ford would you not want a beautiful family photo to cherish the rest of your life?”  After a bit of a pause, I responded in a very serious tone with, “Because sir, you just don’t understand.  My children are so ugly I never take their pictures.  People would just laugh and stare.”  The dead silence at the other end of the phone told me all I needed to know and the calls stopped.

Lately, the “IRS” scammer calls and the “PECO” scammer calls are ringing me two to three times a day.  I let them know they are a scammer and for the most part, the IRS people just hang up.  But the PECO scammers have actually started arguing with me.  Today when they called, I asked them how they could live with themselves scamming people out of their hard-earned money and hung up.  Not that they care but I was hoping the “Mother’s Voice” I shot out there would get to them.  

I am not naive to think anyone could talk to these lowlife-scumbag-bastards into caring. I have decided that it is time to make a daily political call to plead with my congressmen to come up with a way to stop this.  Elderly people especially are so vulnerable to this kind of crap and sadly too many times are scammed out of their money, and it is sad that there is nothing that can be done about it.  

If any of you out there have any ideas, I am open to hearing them.  

“HELLO, WHAT DID YOU SAY?”  “I CAN’T HEAR YOU…SPEAK LOUDER PLEASE.”  “HELLO!”  “ARE YOU THERE?”

Oh I am sorry, I am practicing for my next scammer call.  

THE MEASURE OF A MAN

John Pat Ford 1964

Another anniversary is behind me.  I celebrated the life (he would have been 71 this year) and the loss (it has been 5 years) of Pat.  It is such a bittersweet time.  His birthday so close to his passing, but so consistent with the dynamics of this family.  The matriarch, Muddy (Lucy Shontz grandmother), was born St. Patrick’s day and his father passed on March 19th.  March shows us that both life and death are the natural order of things and provides a roadmap to how to live the day.  

My week was spent in bed with the latest virus that is floating around.  A time for forced reflection and bad tv.  TV is filled with revelations of President Trump’s tweets and announcements.  One of which has been his accusation that President Obama had his phone tapped, which by every account has been debunked…by everyone but Donald Trump.  Every time a new source debunks Trump's statement of bugging Trump changes who helped President Obama, with the latest being the British government.  This morning I woke up to hear pleading from both the Republican and Democrat congressmen asking for Trump to step back and apologize for his statements.  We wait.

But it hit me when I heard someone ask, “What kind of man won’t say he is sorry?”, and my thoughts immediately went to Pat, who taught me the real measure of a man.

Let me begin by saying no one is perfect.  We all have our flaws of character, but Pat, by my account, was the most balanced of men I have ever met.  My biggest example of this is if when he came home from work and the kids blasted him with requests, he would often react by shouting  "No…No…No."  Mainly because all he had in his mind at that moment was just coming home and resting for a bit and the thought of doing anything was a big no.  But after some time, he would give it some thought and return to them with an apology and tell them he had rethought his reaction and most often would change his mind.  They needed to learn how to approach him, and he showed them the warm, loving side of being human.

Pat, Lucyann and Michael

One day when Damian sat in church, he phoned me after to tell me that his pastor had given a sermon that reminded him of how he never heard his Dad turn an angry word toward anyone, even if one deserved it and how remarkable that was to him.  

Pat demonstrated time and again with my own parents, who by any measure caused their share of pain and discomfort in life to those around them, especially us kids, yet, never in all the years did Pat, in any measure treat them in any fashion but respectfully.  In the end, when my father moved in with us, and I watched Pat change my Dad’s diaper as he had his fist clenched in defiance toward Pat, I was touched by the warm tenderness in the way he cared for my Dad.  I asked him once how he could do that after all that had happened over the years.  His two-word answer, “He’s family.”  

Pat with family always brought a smile!

That was the bottom line for Pat.  Family, was family.  He once said that the only way he could pay back the love he received through his very selfish teen years, was to give that kind of love back to the family that surrounded him today.  

Anyone who knew him in life, saw first hand that no one crossed his path that was not touched by his kindness or caring.  Anyone in need was offered a helping hand.  Just ask someone who found a temporary bed with us.  No one who came to our home ever left without a hug and a kiss, while he waited outside the door as they drove away with a wave and a smile.  I never saw him close a door to anyone until they were gone and out of sight.  The memory of Pat and how he lived, will always remain for me, an example for the true measure of a man.

HOW EASY WE FORGET

Miranda in WDC Woman's March January 2017

How quickly we assimilate change in our lives.  What we take for granted today, like iPhones and all that they can do, just a few short years ago was only possible in Syfy movies.  One of my first jobs in Pennsylvania was with Mauchly Associates, headed by Dr. John Mauchly.  At lunch, he and I would play an occasional game of chess where during our discussions he would tell me one day we would all need computers in our daily lives and even carry them in our pockets, and I would question him on this futuristic thinking. You see he was the co-inventor of the first digital computer, ENIAC and I was just a stupid young person with no vision.  I am embarrassed by the thoughts of those conversations today.

Those of us who carry any age (like me at 70) have seen first hand those things important in our lives one day, gone and replaced by more efficient items designed to make life easier the next.

It can be fun and exhilarating to experience the new innovations that the creative minds among us create and surprising how soon these new and innovative items assimilate into our normal everyday lives.  

There many changes that occur in our lives that soon we take for granted, going on thru the day with little or no thought about what we are doing or how we do it.  This hit me when I saw the many responses from people who posted negative stories with ugly rhetoric about the Woman’s March that occurred after Trump was sworn in as President.  I struggle with the conversations that take place peppered with name calling to express a point of view that challenges the purpose of the Woman’s March or any position for that matter. Since Nixon’s Presidency, the idea of not standing with a President in office to mean you are not Patriotic is nonsense to me.  No matter who is in office it is our right and obligation to question the deeds of our Presidents.  My voice as a citizen has a right to be heard and so does yours.  Also with this right, comes an obligation to educate yourself with the truth.  I know that seems hard to find in these days swollen with an opinion, but it can be found. 

Take the Women’s March for instance. People I know challenged my stand on the Women’s March saying I supported the march just because I hate Trump.  I want to be clear, I do not hate Trump.  I do not like the policy changes he is making, but I do not hate him.  I do not like his bullying that he does from the podium, but I do not hate him.  I do not like the fact that he has appointed people to head cabinet positions that historically have stood against the idea of that department, but I do not hate him.  I do not like the fact that he wants to dismantle the EPA (I remember when we almost lost Lake Michigan to pollution), but I do not hate him.

When men in politics pass laws and create programs that control what I can and cannot do I take that serious. That is why I stood with those that marched. I have witnessed in my lifetime the power of the pen.  What is given can be taken away.  Trump is showing us this by his decisions.  We have become lazy as citizens and forget those who came before us and the sacrifices they made to give us the freedoms we enjoy today.  But when I feel the pressure of the those who want to take us back to “the good ole days,” I get worried and figure it is time to get active again.  I don’t think many realize how recent some of these rights have been penned.  Let me share some with you.

1936; The federal law prohibiting the dissemination of contraceptive information through the mail is modified, and birth control information is no longer classified as obscene. Throughout the 1940s and 50s, birth control advocates are engaged in numerous legal suits.

1963: Congress passes the Equal Pay Act, making it illegal for employers to pay a woman less than what a man would receive for the same job.  Before this, a woman would be paid less for the same work, and even when laws were passed to stop this, the employers would change the title of a  woman's job to get away with paying her less.

1964:  Title VII of the Civil Rights Act bars discrimination in employment on the basis of race and sex. At the same time, it establishes the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to investigate complaints and impose penalties.  I remember reading ads that said “No Irish need apply,” “Men only” "No Jews need apply" and “Whites Only.”

1965:  In Griswold v. Connecticut, the Supreme Court strikes down the one remaining state law prohibiting the use of contraceptives by married couples.

1967:  Executive Order 11375 expands President Lyndon Johnson's affirmative action policy of 1965 to cover discrimination based on gender. As a result, federal agencies and contractors must take active measures to ensure that women, as well as minorities, enjoy the same educational and employment opportunities as white males.  Yes, an executive order…like any President can honor or undo.  (Remember the power of the pen.)

1968:  The EEOC rules that sex-segregated help wanted ads in newspapers are illegal. This ruling is upheld in 1973 by the Supreme Court, opening the way for women to apply for higher-paying jobs hitherto open only to men.  

1972:  In Eisenstadt v. Baird the Supreme Court rules that the right to privacy includes an unmarried person's right to use contraceptives.  1972?  The right to privacy?  We all take this for granted!

1972, June:  Title IX of the Education Amendments bans sex discrimination in schools. It states: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving federal financial assistance." As a result of Title IX, the enrollment of women in athletics programs and professional schools increases dramatically.  We must realize that we women gained from this program also.

1974:  The Equal Credit Opportunity Act prohibits discrimination in consumer credit practices on the basis of sex, race, marital status, religion, national origin, age, or receipt of public assistance.

1974: In Corning Glass Works v. Brennan, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that employers cannot justify paying women lower wages because that is what they traditionally received under the "going market rate." A wage differential occurring "simply because men would not work at the low rates paid women" is unacceptable.

1974: Until the Equal Credit Opportunity Act in 1974, women were not able to apply for credit. 

1974: The first law giving rights for a woman to refuse to have sex with her husband was passed.

1976:  The first marital rape law is enacted in Nebraska making it illegal for a husband to rape his wife.   Think about this….the FIRST law was written…up until this time it was legal!

1978:  The Pregnancy Discrimination Act bans employment discrimination against pregnant women. Under the Act, a woman cannot be fired or denied a job or a promotion because she is or may become pregnant, nor can she be forced to take a pregnancy leave if she is willing and able to work.

For those with Grandparents ask them what they remember about pregnant women in the workforce.  Many my age remember teachers disappearing from the classroom because they became pregnant. A friend of mine told me a story how her job with a large corporation was ended when her pregnancy began to show.  She was forced to quit. She was an administrative secretary to one of the top men and was told it was unbecoming to the company to look that way.  I also talked to a friend who told me she was directly told she would not be hired because if they did, she would just get married and then pregnant and they didn’t want to spend time training her.

1986:  Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson, the Supreme Court finds that sexual harassment is a form of illegal job discrimination.  Even today, women in the workforce endure many sexual overtones with little recourse for the woman.  It is still hard to fight the “good-ole-boys” club.  Just follow the latest in the news today regarding the Marine Corp scandal.  

Study the above Executive Orders, Acts, Laws, and Court Cases.  These all came because someone stood up for their rights as a woman.  They fought for you and me.  There was a personal sacrifice to all who took this step.  We take them for granted today, but in the face of the dismantling of many programs now on the horizon of Trump's Presidency, nothing can be taken for granted.  Nothing.  That is why marching with women is important to me, for my daughters, granddaughters, and the woman to follow.  Woman's rights are human rights.

I shall step off my soap box now and go in silence to mend this damn head cold!