An Incident at Circle K and Denver Post Memories

Stopped at my local Circle K for some stuff and while waiting in line was asked if I wanted to enter a drawing for $250 shopping spree.  (There is always a line at this store, primarily the result of kids hanging, smoking, meeting and probably dealing something illegal. At least that is what was going on when I was kid.  I laughed about it then and still laugh about it.)  I said where is the shopping spree?  The gentlemen answered, Kings and we just need your first name and phone number.  So I gave them to him.  He then asked, do you subscribe to the Denver Post?  I replied, not anymore.  I was a subscriber for over 30 years (I was incorrect, closer to 26), but I stopped.  I then turned to the counter and made my purchase.

As I was leaving the gentlemen said, Dark and Bloody, why did you stop subscribing?  I am a manager there and I want you to subscribe.  Now I could have said, it is a silly liberal rag (the next day I saw the first page and lower right hand was a headline: Global Warming is Changing Forests.  Geez, where to start?  There is no proven global warming.  There is climate change on the normal small scale and while human activities may affect it, there has always been climate change and human activities have always affected the climate.  Forests are always changing.  There is a well documented cycle in the Rockies of fire, Aspen, Limber, Douglas and Firs and fire. What has changed is man has stopped the fire and more or less frozen the current state.  The climate change furor is a classic example of authoritarians trying to stop the tides (in order to control your actions) combined with the simple minded viewing the current state as normal.  Where we are today is only normal in that it is changing. Change is normal.  Think otherwise?  Then ask the Anazazi’s or the English grape farmers of the 12^th century. Or at least read about them.  Enough.) .

I could have said, it is boring.  I could have said, the columnists seem ignorant or stupid or both.  Or I could have told him about the email exchange regarding the death of the Coors murderer.  Instead of that, I said, “Red Fenwick died. (He was born in Kentucky btw.)  Kisling died.  You fired Thomas (of the San Luis Valley) and Tomas left.  Then one day at breakfast I realized I was reading about some problem or another some homosexual was having for the fourth time that week and it made me sick.  Look, a person is gay, that is their business, but I decided I wasn’t going to read about them or it or their so called problems anymore. They are human and they have human problems. That’s why.”

He looked at me with an open mouth.  I left grinning.