An essay by Pamela Rice Hahn
Suppose, just suppose. …
A man strolls into a bank, walks up to the teller, and makes a polite request.
“Please put all of the money in this bag.”
Taken aback, the teller pauses for a moment, uncertain.
The man repeats his request, this time adding, “I’d prefer it if you would not give me any marked bills. And, it will be best for all concerned if you don’t press any silent alarms.”
Once she finishes filling the bag, he asks her to introduce him to the bank manager, who is then instructed to open the bank vault.
The man obviously knows his way around a bank. He instructs the manager to “give me all of the money without any of those dye packs, if you don’t mind.”
Within minutes, the man turns to smile and wave at those inside the bank and exits via the same door through which he had entered.
He then walks next door to the homeless shelter and asks to see the person in charge. Once inside the director’s office, the man hands him half of his “take” from the bank, telling him that no receipt is necessary.
Next he enters the AIDS Research Foundation next door. Again, he asks to see the person in charge. And again, after presenting the director with a substantial amount of money, the man tells him that he doesn’t want a receipt. He drops the empty bag on the director’s desk and leaves.
Police arrest the man as he attempts to leave the AIDS Research Foundation.
Later, during his trial, the man testifies in his own defense. “I did not rob that bank,” he says under oath, shaking his finger as he continues. “I expeditiously withdrew funds so that I might contribute to two worthy causes.”
Regardless, because of eyewitness accounts and the evidence presented by the prosecutor, a jury finds the man guilty of bank robbery and perjury, and sentences him to prison — which is refreshing that there are still some who know the difference between right and wrong.
Actions are more significant than good intentions.
Meanwhile, while senators consider more expeditious withdrawals in the form of tax increases and complain that corporations don’t have the right to keep the profits they earn, across town, reporters protest that everyone makes misstatements (the PC term for lies) about sex — omitting that not everyone lies about it under oath, which is a big distinction. Opinion polls show that everybody is pleased with the economy. Perjury becomes a partisan issue. The United States Senate fails to convict.
It’s no longer about “who you know and who you blow.” It’s sometimes about who gets blown. And whom.
Something to think about.
###
Copyright (c) 1999-2008 Pamela Rice Hahn
Used permission of the author.
All rights reserved.
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Pammy, the main character in the 
Many of those 
Because of chronic illness,