Friday, June 22, 2018

Well, Pardon Me!


     Traditionally, U. S. presidents exercise their pardoning power judiciously, generally following established protocol, usually doing so near the end of their term and often in accordance with a recommendation from the Office of the Pardon Attorney. 
     President Trump has changed all that, now unilaterally issuing pardons seemingly whenever he feels like it.
     Many have criticized Trump but I think he should be lauded for his generous actions. In the spirit of forgiveness evidenced by the President, I, too, would like to issue my own personal pardons to the following people:
1)  The used car salesman who sold me the 2002 Mazda just before it blew a tie rod through the engine.
2)  The server who gave me two cups of regular coffee for breakfast when I specifically asked for decaf thereby ensuring no afternoon nap that day.
3)  The guy down the street who bought a leaf blower and lends it to everyone on the block.
4)  The woman who cut me off last week before running a red light. (You know who you are!)
5)  My idiot neighbor who mows his lawn at 7 A.M. on Sunday mornings.
6)  The moron who snuck into my parking spot just as I was starting to back up.
7)  The petty bureaucrat at the DMV who let me stand in the wrong line for an hour before telling me to go stand in another hour-long line.
8)  The cable installer who showed up at 4 P.M. after saying that he’d be there between 8 A.M. and noon.
9)  The militant cyclist who sped through the crosswalk causing me to brake so hard I left two strips of rubber on the pavement.
10)  My boss who dumped an urgent file on my desk at 5 P.M. on Friday and said, “Have a nice weekend.”
11)  The guy who hit my parked car leaving $1200 in damage and no note!
12)  The telemarketer who called three times at dinner time to ask me to switch my Internet service provider.
13)  The TV network that switched to regular programming in the middle of the overtime of game seven.
14)  The woman in the eight-items-or-less checkout line who had seventeen items. (I counted!)
15)  The jerk at work who ate the tuna sandwich I left in the fridge with my name on it. (It’s not too late to make amends, Peter.)
          The only pardon I won’t be issuing at this time is to the 63 million Americans who voted for Donald Trump. I’m just not that magnanimous. 

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