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Friday, 21 January 2011 18:44

Written by Reg Henry

I finish this vexing week with a word of support for the old-fashioned practice of sending postcards. My postcard from Australia [above], sent to my colleagues at the PG, arrived today late in accordance with tradition.

If anything, it was a little early, coming just two weeks or so after it was sent. One of the pleasures of postcard sending is to arrive back before the postcard does. A postcard is a slow-motion arrow sent to a distant target and it is fun to see it finally hit that target. Because it is the least of the Post Office's tasks, the sender can never be quite certain that this little slip of colored cardboard won't get lost in some giant mail sorter,

A postcard is also a time traveller. I am in a different place now — no, kidding, I shoveled snow for an hour this morning — but not just in place but in time. After almost forgetting, I am invited now to remember the little store where I bought the postcard and the Post Office in the mall where I bought the stamp, which had a mother koala with her cub on it.

I remember the rain and my daughter, who posted the card for me. It is beach scenes for you; it is memories for me.

A postcard is also a guilty pleasure — it is a way of saying to your colleagues, "Ha, ha. I was goofing off there when you were working here!" They repay the sentiment when they go away on vacation. We have a little wall of postcards in our office with cards from a dozen destinations, all of them currently more appealing than here.

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So, I hope my postcard puts you all in a better mood.

I note with sadness that I stand accused of incivility because of my last posting. Allow me to defend myself against this base charge, made or echoed by some of the most popular people on this blog and thus requiring a more serious response.

I think incivility would require some attack on you personally. Please read what I wrote. I wondered how members of Congress felt about voting against health care for 32 million Americans.

Dear Rockardabs, you didn't take such a vote, did you? I didn't think so.

The whole piece was framed like that — the "you" in it was directed at them.

If you took it personally, then maybe you agreed with the congressmen who voted against health care, and fair enough, but that doesn't make me uncivil to you. Complain instead to your conscience. Acerbic? Maybe, but I just laid out the facts, ma'am, not for the purpose of stirring pots but for saying something I felt should be said.

As for the Philadelphia abortion story, it is appalling. I hope those charged are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. But I note that the liberal PG has had the story on its front page the last two days — and every liberal on the site agrees it is a monstrosity. But I don't see what that has do with universal health care, which threatens to kill thousands if it is junked whereas the deaths in Philadelphia are thankfully at an end.

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On a happier note, Little Minx asked this:

"Ya know what I REALLY wish Joomla could do? Update automatically, so I don't have hit the "Refresh" button any more. Reg, is there any way the P-G can arrange for such a feature?

Here is the reply I got from the duty techie:

"If this reader is asking for comments that refresh automatically, tell him/her they are on the way. We are giving them the shakedown cruise on PG+. Once they are working there, they will be put across all our sites."

Have a great weekend. If you leave for a distant port, send me a postcard.

Go Steelers!