Public Access

I'd like to recognize the public access television show hosts from across the country that make me giggle every time I flip past their programs. Some of these people have bold opinions and they are, by no means, shy about expressing them. They take on topics like religion and politics, which, if you ask me, are big social no nos.
They place a kitchen chair in front of a curtain or a bookshelf and simply talk to the camera, most of the time looking down at their notes to refresh their memories. Every once in a while (probably during Sweeps), they have on special guests to either debate a point or to support it.
I wonder if afterwards the host makes the guest a sandwich and offers some iced tea. "Thanks for coming over, Earl! How about some lunch?"

One must really be passionate about their subject to transform their basement into a set, confident enough to put themselves on air with brief notes instead of a script, and brave enough to have a personal website or telephone number advertised for comments or questions.
So...here's to you, Mr. Public Access. Thank you for making Southern New England think and getting us fired up by your ridiculous statements. You're braver than I.

Menace To Society

They're in every city in America. They leave destruction in their wake. They're social deviants. They are laundry basket breakers.
A recent Saturday morning was marred by a senseless act of vandalism.
A spunky, 33-year-old vixen in lounge pants was playing the role of a domestic goddess. She carried her white laundry basket piled high with her dirty laundry, detergent and quarters down the short hallway to the laundry room in her building. After the clothes, the detergent and the quarters were placed in their respective homes in the washing machine, she placed her laundry basket atop said washer for easy access after the cycle was completed and returned to her condo to wait.
After 30 minutes, she returned to the laundry room to find her laundry basket upside down on the floor with one of the handles detached and on the floor several feet away.
She will never be able to unsee this carnage, unfeel this violation, understand why something so heinous and senseless occurred to something so innocent and pure.
Use caution. Be vigilant. Keep your loved ones and your laundry baskets close.
Rest in peace, laundry basket. Rest in peace.