Dateline Normal, Mn.: Circus comes to town; "Ethics" crisis erupts----fiction

Recently I have been on the road on a fishing trip up to Normal, Mn.. Yes, up that long road, Hwy 10 north of St. Paul, and just a little short of Brainerd. Lots of folks had the same idea last weekend, and it was bumper to bumper.

After hours of road rage, bad coffee, and a broken tail pipe that needed fixing on the run, we arrived, all set for some serious relaxation. Alas. It was not to be.

The Circus had come to Normal, Mn. It was specifically the "Billy Bob Circus," one of the various small town circuses that specialize in northern Minnesota towns.

Lenore, the sister-in-law of Rex, the mayor of Normal, has had a long and passionate political career out of advancing the rights of animals. For the enemy to come to her hometown was just pure joy. She was in heaven as she rallied the citizens to protest for fair treatment for animals.

That, however, was NOT the panic that occured in Normal last weekend. Everyone knew Lenore and respected her concerns, although some differed.

It seems that Henry, the part time worker at the bait shop, the one with the colored stones, was heard to remark that the fine ethical treatment that Lenore described was something he had just dreamed of as a worker at the bait shop. Soon other workers were discussing what ethical treatment of employees might consist of. With all the long hours, strong coffee, and heated talk, soon a bit of real rage developed.

My dear readers might not understand. Up in northern Minnesota, very little of employment is really "by the book" employment. Much is what is frequently called "under the table" or "off the books" or sometimes it is just called "cash."
Soon the word spread around town that folks were beginning to get "uppity" ideas about their workplace conditions. Ideas were floated about "sick pay" and even the idea of actually paying social security taxes.

How far did the panic spread? It was around town in a split second. Even the young war vets who were home on leave from a recent war abroad were seen watching and listening to the speeches on ethical treatment of circus animals, and wondering how they could get some of those same ethical standards for their wartime battle units.

How did it all turn out? Well. I did not wait to find out. I headed home early. Some of the locals were beginning to get suspicious of my Observer signs and wondered whether I might be watching and listening to their local laundery.

Thanks goodness I am not in Normal, Mn. anymore. Thank goodness I am back in good old Wisconsin---where employment practices of all firms are conducted according to the law and the highest possible standards. Alleluia.