Blog 48 – 6.11.15

Since George Orwell’s book Nineteen Eighty Four came out in 1949 people have used the term Big Brother Is Watching to refer to government surveillance and the erosion of privacy. Some think with things like The Patriot Act we are losing more and more of our freedom to cameras everywhere and the government and others tapping in to our phone conversations, emails, and everything. But such technology works in our favor at times.

When I bought my current ride, and quite possible my last, I traded in an older Jeep Grand Cherokee. A few months later I received a letter from the Toll Road Authority in Harris County, Texas which is my home of record, though I have spent little time there the last three years. My work has me traveling. The letter said I had been driving up and down a particular toll road without paying and that if I did not pay the tolls and fines I would be prosecuted. Before I could respond, the next day I received a letter from a law firm. Who says the wheels of justice grind slow?

Just like the first letter, the letter from the lawyers said I had broken the law and was going to have to pay. They had photographs of the license plate of the offending vehicle going through the EZ Pay lanes of the Toll Road without benefit of an EZ Pay sticker. The only problem was that the vehicle in question was the one I had traded in on my Jeep Wrangler and I had the paper work to prove it. So I made three copies of the trade in paperwork clearly dated weeks before the first offense and mailed it to the Toll Road Authority, the law firm, and the dealership, with copies of all correspondence related to the matter. I never heard another word, not even an oops from the dealership. I was glad big brother was watching that time.

I quote the Bible a lot in my blogs but it is not for religious reasons. People can believe whatever they want to as far as I’m concerned. I discard any belief that is no longer serving me. I just know a lot about the Bible because I read it a lot as a young man, attended Bible College, taught Sunday School, and preached quite a few sermons and had countless more preached at me over the course of more than forty years. And if you are into that sort of thing I have no problem till someone knocks on my door figuratively or literally trying to sell his or her particular angle on God.

I have my own angle on God as it were and it is not for sell and I do not feel any particular need to convince anyone that I have a special corner on the truth. I’d rather encourage and failing that entertain a little. Like the song from the first Toy Story Movie, “I love to see you smile.” I quote songs and movies a lot too. Just trying to keep it interesting and hopefully encouraging.

Your Fellow Traveler, and Brother Watching,
David White