Photo: Cheryl DeWolfe, flickr
Dear editor:
I seem to get a lot of undue attention from strangers, and nearly always in the form of requests for money.
There are the occasional requests from the local animal shelter or the Children’s Hospital, but never more than once or twice a year. Same goes with the magical transporter screen in my living room, where a variety of well-dressed miniature people appear, give me that earnest look in the eye, then ask me to pledge a donation. Those times are also rare, thankfully, and if I whistle and pretend not to hear them they’ll usually stop asking without making a scene. But it’s the constant letters and phone calls that annoy me the most.
Even they were polite at first: inquiries about seemingly nonsensical things—monthly payment arrears, taxes and utilities or some such—who knows? But lately the tone has become more sinister… I’d go as far as describing it as ‘extortion’ because they’ve threatened to take my house, take me to court, and even imprison me.
It’s like they don’t understand the meaning of freedom in this country. I do. This house is mine, and has been since the day I beat Daddy fair and square with the shovel. And I intend to keep living the freedom that so many soldiers in the war fought and died to protect for ordinary citizens like me.
Respectfully yours,
Donna B. Villela
Beaver Creek, YT