The South

A  man in Topeka, Kansas, decided to write a book about  churches
around  the country. He started by flying to San  Francisco,  and
started working east from there. Going to a very large church, he
began taking photographs and making notes.

He  spotted  a golden telephone on the vestibule  wall,  and  was
intrigued with a sign which read, "$10,000 per minute."

Seeking  out the pastor, he asked about the phone and  the  sign.
The  pastor answered that the golden phone is, in fact, a  direct
line to Heaven, and if he pays the price, he can talk directly to
God.

The man thanked the pastor and continued on his way.

As  he  continued to visit churches in Seattle, Salt  Lake  City,
Denver,  Chicago,  Milwaukee, and around the  United  States,  he
found  more such phones, with the same sign, and the  same  expla
nation from each pastor.

Finally,  the  man arrived in the lovely state of  Georgia.  Upon
entering a church, behold: he saw the usual golden telephone. But
THIS time, the sign read: "Calls: 25 cents"!

Fascinated, the man asked to speak with the pastor. "Reverend,  I
have  been in cities all across the country and in each church  I
have  found  this golden telephone, and have been told  it  is  a
direct  line to Heaven, and that I could use it to talk  to  God.
But  in 20 other churches, the cost was $10,000 per minute.  Your
sign says 25 cents per call Why is that?

The pastor, smiling benignly, replied: "Son, you're in the  South
now, and it's a local call."

 

I suspect Valor Telecom (our local two-bit mexican-owned telco) could
produce a fast busy signal even when attempting to call God. Assuming
you did get through you wouldn't be able to hear the other side of the
conversation for all the 'frying bacon' sounds on the line...

God bless those southern rural telcos - they need it.

JS