Mischief in the air

The other day, I looked through the mail and noticed that a big envelope had come for me from John McCain.

"How nice of him to write," I thought as I opened up the package. "You'd think John would be too busy to send something to me." McCain and my family go way back, since he met my parents at a wedding in the early 1970's.

Inside was a note from the Senator, saying that he needed financial help to win the election and he needed it fast. To that end, he had enclosed a FedEx billing form and an envelope so that I could send a check to his headquarters, post-haste.

And the thought struck me, what a great chance for some mischief -- particularly if I were a strong Obama supporter.

For starters, I could send the envelope back with nothing in it. That would cost the McCain campaign some money just for the postage. Or I could send a note explaining that I was supporting Obama, and appreciated this chance to drain the opposing campaign of resources. Or, I could say that the economic crisis caused by President Bush's policies have left me too poor to contribute anything at this time. Or, I could say I had spent all my money "palling around" with questionable friends from my youth in Chicago. Or, I could send a picture of Obama, and ask to get it autographed when the Illinois Senator takes office in the White House on January 20. Or, I could put something else in the envelope, something that could stink up the entire building when opened.

I could have done any of those. But instead, I did the right thing. I put it in the recycling bin, so that the material at least will be used again in another form.

But, boy, it was tempting.