Randy Cassingham's Blog

So last week, I was lamenting that some readers Just Don't Get It. This week, a few letters from those who do.

I was in Arizona this week to attend a conference. During the down times I caught up with some of my mail, including this note from another arid zone -- Iraq. Reader PFC Brad writes:

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• "Once again you have brought to me the sad humor of humanity. And once again I fall off my chair laughing at it all. Other soldiers in the internet cafe just look at me funny and all I can do is recommend your newsletter to them. With nearly 9 months left to go, each week that I receive another newsletter is another week closer to going home. Thank you Randy for lifting my spirits up when there isn't much to smile about in this place."

Thanks, Brad! I'm happy to send a little weekly uplift to quite a few troops in Iraq. I hope you all get home safe and soon.

Shortly afterward, a note from Martha in Texas also caught my attention:

• "My Dad has advanced Alzheimer's and he lives in a nursing home. I used to take books to read to him, but I usually got no emotional response from him while reading to him. Just recently, I read him some of your articles from This is True. He listened and then I heard him make a weird sound, I thought he was choking.... but then I noticed that he had a smile on his face. He really liked the story about the cop using his video camera for close-ups of bikini-clad girls. Thanks for adding some enjoyment in my Dad's life. I wouldn't have ever guessed that true humor would have done it. The nurses are also impressed with his responses."

So am I -- sure beats choking. Those who missed it really need to read the story about the cop.

• Marco in the U.K.: "Whenever I see you dealing with a possibly controversial subject and a spate of unsubs starts or you start receiving some angry emailing, I rub my hands with glee. It means we will soon see another public display of someone else's ignorance. Or brilliance. Either way, it's fun, interesting and nothing like some thought-provoking ideas to needle one's own sense of self-righteousness. And most importantly, I live and learn some more ;-)"

That's the whole idea, Marco. :-)

• And Cindy in Kentucky: "Although I wasn't born in Kentucky, I've lived here most of my life, and Kentuckians do get a bad rap: albeit sometimes with good reason. Sometimes I feel like I am surrounded by rednecks and morons with not a great deal of intelligence to be seen. You're probably asking yourself why don't I just move away, and sometimes I have had that very thought. But from reading your newsletter I can see that stupidity abounds everywhere. -LOL- I don't recall who first made me aware of your publication, but I would thank them if I could remember. I've always admired people who weren't afraid to say what they thought whether it made them very popular or not. It's very brave not to care what other people think, or get hung on people who don't conform to what society expects. I'm 44 now, and sad to say I was over 30 before I gave myself permission to speak and stopped caring what anyone thought about it. It's very liberating."

And a lot more fun!

Even better was another letter from someone who read Brad's, above. It's from Andrina in Oklahoma, and it was attached to a gift upgrade order:

• "Please upgrade PFC Brad's subscription to Premium. I'm his mom. He was so tickled you posted his letter! He got on IMs and told everyone he had his 15 minutes of fame! ;)"

OK, Brad: take another stripe out of petty cash. ;-)