"Rumors...These Are Only Rumors"

 

Our title today is taken from a news conference once held by former Florence police chief Rick Thompson. How do you gauge rumors?

You're a 911 operator answering a call when you hear: An elephant just came flying through my living room window. Would you immediately hang up or would you take down the information on the off chance that it could be true? What would be the chance that it did happen?

Don't say zero. Imagine a circus truck becoming lost while traveling to a new town. The truck enters a residential area where its brakes and steering simultaneously fail. As the truck hits a home, a small elephant is ejected and flies into a family's living room via a window.

Now you're thinking: What are the odds that all these things could happen? We would say so minuscule that they're almost non-existent, but they are never zero.

Therefore, knowing that almost anything is possible, how much support would you put behind a city employee who raves about those "flying elephants?" Remember, his salary is paid by you. Don't you expect at least lucid thoughts concerning his job description and plans for his future work?

That being said, many city employees serve at the mayor's pleasure. New mayor? You can bet heads will roll.

To be continued...