How you can help
February 14, 2004
This article is based upon shameless self-promotion.
As regular readers know, I write these articles for free. Some people in the writing field view this as a “sellout”. I view it as an “investment”. And, as I mentioned in a side point in yesterday’s volume of Short Bursts, I also view my writing as a true calling.
But, alas, my calling is not my job (yet).
A wise man that I met, Dan Miller, has a philosophy: “Build your work around your life, not your life around your work.” I think that’s a great idea, and represents the essence of a true calling in life. It is precisely because I view these articles as part of my calling in life that I am willing to write them for free. Why? Because I view it as an investment. The popularity of Men’s News Daily is growing constantly. Thus, I’m on the ground floor of a potentially great opportunity. If site traffic grows enough, someday the advertising could support a staff of paid writers. I hope to “ride this bronco” long enough to see that happen. It’s called loyalty. MND has given me an opportunity that other publications would not — even when I have offered in the past to do it for free.
But, just in case the bronco throws me off for some reason, these articles have given me a certain amount of exposure that I would not otherwise have. I can be proud of my time writing for MND, regardless of how long that time might be. And, judging from the e-mails that I get, many of you enjoy reading my articles as much as I enjoy writing them. To quote a popular and wealthy person, “That’s a good thing.” (Believe it or not, I’ve actually watched her on TV a couple of times. I enjoyed her Christmas special a couple of years ago, with Tom Selleck, and especially appreciated that she tried to feature customs that reinforce the true meaning of Christmas.) The search for, and defense of, truth is at the core of my calling to the writing profession. Apparently, a good proportion of MND readers recognize that.
But, alas, truth can have a heavy price.
Telling the truth cost me my military career. You see, at my last base, I witnessed an incident that nobody was supposed to see. The base commander was involved. He and his “helpers” had the misfortune of performing this misdeed late one evening, four days after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. Our base was on high security alert, and I was on patrol. (Perhaps the commander had a low view of troops like us, and thus did not think we would find out. He wouldn’t be the first to make that mistake.) My partner and I saw activity in a part of the base that should have been unoccupied, and we rolled in to investigate. Our headlights illuminated the base commander. At the time, because of the nature of the incident (environmental dumping), we couldn’t take any official action. But, after I got off duty that night, I called the state’s spill-reporting hotline. Considering that the base commander has access to any information about our official activities, it didn’t take him long to find out who was in that truck that night. I fought hard, and it took over a year for the discharge to take effect. But, the bottom line remained the same: no career, and no retirement. (Who says that conservatives don’t care about the environment? We just don’t worship it.)
Telling the truth cost me my first marriage. It was hard to find a job after being discharged from the military. Employers don’t want to hire people that answer questions about their job history by using the phrase, “That’s a long story.” Our family couldn’t afford things the way we used to. I told my first wife that, because it was the truth. When the money ran out, so did she.
Telling the truth has cost me civilian jobs. I worked at a hotel, and the assistant manager told me to lie to people on the phone, and tell them that we had rooms available when we did not. It is legal for airlines to “overbook” a certain percentage, because people can usually get a later flight if necessary. But, it is illegal to overbook hotel rooms, because people are tired from traveling, and other hotels might also be full. When she told me to tell callers that we had rooms, I didn’t even have to say a word; I just gave her a look. She explained (in one of those squeaky, cat-eye-glasses, self-important voices), “Tom, I’m not asking you to lie. I’m simply asking you to alter the truth.” Although her name wasn’t Monica, you might wonder if they were friends. I didn’t get fired right away; she just made my life miserable — whenever the general manager wasn’t there. I got the hint.
But, despite the cost, I keep telling the truth.
I’d like to find a job where telling the truth is revered, not reviled. I’d like to find a job where experience still counts for something. I’d like to find a job where a person that lies, backstabs, and endangers fellow employees is fired — not promoted. I’d like to find a job where military veterans are viewed as valuable sources of insight, instead of old guys with too many stories. I’d like to find a job where the employer actually told the truth about the job in the want-ad. I’d like to find a job where I can be confident that the company only has one set of books. (I worked for awhile at a company where the vice-president — one of those athletic-looking, how ya’ doin’, Mr. Popularity kind of guys — had a small team of close confidants that knew how much money he really controlled. When the government found out about the real books, he went to prison, but over 2,000 hard-working people lost their honest jobs.) I’d like to find a job where the company has a firm philosophy that its employees are not disposable, America comes first, and helping the local community is considered a worthy responsibility. I’d like to find a job where the company realizes that a person doesn’t need a bachelor degree to actually be smart on their own. Does any place like that still exist?
In the meantime, I’d simply like to find a job that pays green money.
I once went for a job interview at a TV station in my former hometown. During the interview, the news director actually snickered at me, because he knew that I was a conservative. But, at least I got an interview there. I’ve become “unqualified” for jobs because my political affiliation became known, even if a preliminary interview indicated that I was “just the man for the job”. When I was a Deputy Sheriff, I was called on the carpet one day (on my day off) by the Sheriff, who hollered, “I want to know: do you have any political aspirations?” At the time, I did not. Him trying to throw his weight around was what got me involved in politics.
Now that you know about my “un-qualifications”, what kind of work can I do? The answer: many different things. I have a certification as a paralegal. There is an invention on the market with my name on it. Years ago, I took one of those batteries of career-assessment tests. It said that I should be an investigative reporter. These columns seem to indicate that I have that skill. One might think that paralegal and a former law enforcement supervisor would know something about investigations; and my background also gives me some insights into aviation. But, while that is plainly obvious to “any reasonable person”, that idea is beyond the grasp of many newsroom editors at a traditional newspaper, or the news directors at many TV stations. I used to own horses, and would love a job caring for horses and a stable. (I’ve even ridden in a cattle round-up, loved it, and would love to do it again.) What I’d really like to do as a long-term career, though, is talk-radio. That’s where you come in.
Call your local radio station — no matter where, no matter what format. Ask for the program director. Tell them that you want to hear Tom Kovach (rhymes with “watch”) on their station as a talk-radio host. (And, if you live in Nashville, call often!) If you own a company, and have been looking for a guy like me, then let’s talk. And, you can help MND become bigger and stronger by becoming a paid subscriber. (Please note: the publisher did not ask me to write an article like this. I did it out of shameless self-promotion.)
“The person who labors, labors for himself, For his hungry mouth drives him on.” (Proverbs 16:26, NKJ)
