| I had been working for a major national known | | | | with his beautiful smile. "I'm really sorry that the ADCO |
| corporation (SCM) since turning 21. After becoming | | | | thing didn't work out but I've a much better thing for |
| their #1 office equipment salesman in the nation, the | | | | you now! As he continued to put forth his best charm, I |
| "Big Corporation" didn't want to pay me all of the | | | | could only watch in amazement. "I'll lease you a new |
| commissions that I'd earned. My immediate supervisor | | | | Cadillac tomorrow if you'll only join me in this new ice |
| was sympathetic. I was pissed! "The Man" as you | | | | machine business," he promised. "I'll make you rich! How |
| would call it today, had screwed me out of some of | | | | about it?""Goodbye, Don," I said.Let's leap forward to |
| my bonuses and commissions before. Only now, I was | | | | 1996. Phone cards were new. They were also the |
| 24 years old, knew my worth, and I quit... Then, I took | | | | money making opportunity rage! I'd held off on buying |
| the "Rip-off Devils" to court and collected my rightful | | | | into TelAmerica early up, when first approached. Yet, |
| earnings.That very afternoon, with a wad of cash in | | | | several of the real estate professionals whom I |
| my bank account, I was looking in the newspaper. I | | | | respected were now earning over $20,000 each |
| saw a job listing for a "Public Speaker.""WOW," I said | | | | month selling phone cards.I leased another office |
| to my first wife. "That's my new job!" The president of | | | | above my own real estate company. I'd do it right! |
| ADCO (American Discount Catalogue Operations, Inc) | | | | Converting the whole space to a large meeting room, I |
| interviewed me in his near the Top Floor, Executive | | | | was ready to do business. My own agents, former |
| office located in the prestigious Portland, OR Georgia | | | | real estate clients, and customers were invited to my |
| Pacific Building the following morning. Don told me that | | | | second business. Quickly, I recovered my up-front |
| he didn't want to even take my application because | | | | investment. Now, I was ready to really roll.I got up early |
| the speaker position was as good as filled. He and his | | | | to see if my third grade daughter's beautiful artwork |
| Vice President had been interviewing for two weeks | | | | that she'd submitted was in the Easter Sunday Edition |
| and had narrowed the candidates down to five | | | | of Vancouver, Washington's major newspaper, "The |
| men."The decision will be made tomorrow night, after | | | | Columbian." It wasn't. Rather, I was greeted by the |
| all five speakers make their formal presentations | | | | article on the front page that charged TelAmerica |
| before our board of directors - at our showroom | | | | phone cards sales of being an illegal pyramid operation! |
| warehouse," Don Selley said. "You would never have | | | | Was it? I don't believe so. Yet, I was out of that |
| time to learn about our products, our new marketing | | | | business as were all of the honest people that I'd |
| strategy, and to prepare your presentation by | | | | brought into it. TelAmerica never recovered. If a |
| tomorrow night. I'm very sorry...""Just let me try, Mr. | | | | "Rip-off" occurred, it was the believing public that was |
| Selley," I asked. He sent me across town to see the | | | | ripped-off by the power of the press and the tightly |
| showroom to meet Frank, his VP.Well, after working all | | | | controlled news media.I doubt that anyone reading this |
| night, pouring through their catalogue, and preparing my | | | | on-line, ezine article would argue that we continue to |
| speech, I practiced and polished it the next day. Then, I | | | | be fed false news by the mainstream press. I don't |
| blew the other finalists away that night, keeping my big | | | | take a newspaper or watch network news. Instead, I |
| ego intact. I not only had the "Public Speaker" job. The | | | | get my news via the Internet. If I have some latent |
| others finalist for the "Primo-job" were given an | | | | need to be deceived, I am perfectly capable of |
| opportunity to become "Sales Marketing Associates," | | | | deceiving myself.Today, with the invisibility provided via |
| which would cost their own customers $375.00. We | | | | the Internet and easy access to victims, those who |
| were all going to "Get rich" selling invitees into this new | | | | "Take advantage of trusting souls" are more difficult to |
| membership-only discount operation.Remember, this | | | | spot when they go out to spend YOUR money.Yes, |
| was in the 1970s. Computers didn't exist. Those | | | | the big national corporations continue to "Cheat" their |
| personally invited as guests were given the opportunity | | | | own sales professionals while small-time Earth-Devils |
| to buy a basic membership for $25.00 or become a | | | | have found the anonymity of the Internet a huge |
| Sales Marketing Associate for only $375.00. Sales | | | | advantage.The News media still lies, and often bills bad |
| Associates would save even more and earn a | | | | things as being good while labeling good businesses as |
| percentage of all monies spent by their basic | | | | being dubious and/or bad. Yet, God Himself has |
| members. Was this good or what?Every night for two | | | | assured me that His cyber-space, deliverance vessel |
| months, I'd take the stage, do my song and dance | | | | 'A Rainbow Reminder', which He has appointed me to |
| from the podium - with three large screens of | | | | launch, cannot be touted as some get rich quick |
| multimedia slide presentations flashing behind me - and | | | | scheme that can injure anybody financially. Like Noah's |
| then come down afterwards to "Close" the guests for | | | | ark, admission to the vessel is no charge.I'm certain, if |
| the sales associates who couldn't. Most became sales | | | | there were newspapers in Noah's time, he was called |
| associates. Almost everyone else bought a basic | | | | an old boozer who was over-consumed by animal |
| membership that very night, were issued their | | | | interests. Lot, who with his daughters escaped Sodom, |
| personalized plastic membership card, and left with a | | | | would have been labeled as a selfish nephew of |
| catalogue after looking over the countless samples in | | | | another nut, Abraham. Yes, and he was likely decried |
| our showroom. The grocery items were not displayed. | | | | as "Unsodomacan" for his withholding of the two |
| Very soon, the superstore would be open.I signed up | | | | angels from the self gratifying mobsters that wanted |
| everybody that I knew. Not only did I sign my own | | | | to "Know" them.Jesus Himself was accused of being |
| name - to buy the three best slide projectors and large | | | | a charlatan and demon possessed by the righteous |
| background screens - I had my own key to open the | | | | religious in His earthly mission time.Big corporations |
| showroom/meeting room, and I had been invited to | | | | cheat, scam methods change but "Rip-off Devils" don't. |
| invest my commissions into stock which would be | | | | Media often wrongly reports. And "God's Chosen" can |
| worth a fortune.Then, one evening I unlocked the | | | | rightly discern the ignoble earthly vessels from those |
| showroom door to find the entire place empty. The | | | | made by their creator for more noble purposes.Russ |
| samples had been returned to their rightful owners, and | | | | Miles is author of the novel, For Sale By |
| Don, Frank, and their "Bodyguard" - who they had | | | | Owners:FSBO. |
| boasted could remove lug nuts without a wrench - | | | | A "Seasoned Real Estate NAR(R) Broker," for 5 |
| were gone. I still owed Moore's audio Video for the | | | | years Rascal Russ was disabled by Multiple Sclerosis. |
| projectors and screens. So much for that "Great job | | | | Now, in 2006, Rascal is "Cured" of "incurable" MS. |
| with a local start-up company."I ran into "Dashing Don" - | | | | Rascal Russ now writes books & articles on varied |
| as I have dubbed him - a couple of years later at a | | | | subjects. Via his personal website "Rascal's blog," & his |
| Beaverton, OR nightclub. He was still the same blond | | | | ezine articles themselves, Rascal Russ maintains |
| haired, blue eyed, southern gentleman that I | | | | contact with those whom he believes the God of this |
| remembered. Not all of the Earth-Devils have visible | | | | Universe has joined together with him as per Destiny's |
| horns...When I approached him, Don was delighted to | | | | Devine Plan for this Planet Earth! |
| see me. "I've been looking for you all over," he said | | | | |