That's interesting

[Alpo]

As I mentioned in another thread, I'm reading a Ron Howard biography.

 

It says that while making Happy Days his ambition was to direct movies. He needed money for this. It says he thought about making a commercial to play on Happy Days, asking his fans to send him money.

 

And was annoyed to find out that that was illegal.

 

Why would that be illegal? Televangelists do that all the time. Is that another example of "most of the laws do not apply to churches"?

[Subdeacon Joe]

2 minutes ago, Alpo said:

As I mentioned in another thread, I'm reading a Ron Howard biography.

 

It says that while making Happy Days his ambition was to direct movies. He needed money for this. It says he thought about making a commercial to play on Happy Days, asking his fans to send him money.

 

And was annoyed to find out that that was illegal.

 

Why would that be illegal? Televangelists do that all the time. Is that another example of "most of the laws do not apply to churches"?

 

 

One is asking for money for personal use.   The other is asking for money to support an organization,  or, and this I have an issue with,  paying for prayers. Prayers and Sacraments are free of charge.  "Then why is there always a fee for weddings and baptisms?"  To cover the extra costs to the parish...candles,  cleaning,  etc.  That's why it's a "suggested donation." 

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

1 hour ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

One is asking for money for personal use.   The other is asking for money to support an organization,  or, and this I have an issue with,  paying for prayers. Prayers and Sacraments are free of charge. 

As Hank Jr. said, "They want you to send your money to the Lord but they give you their address".

[Alpo]

9 hours ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

and this I have an issue with,  paying for prayers

I used to get a letter. Had a piece of paper in it. On one side of the paper was printed a picture of a piece of cloth. This was a "prayer shawl". I was supposed to write on the back of the piece of paper what my prayer was - what my request was - and return it (along with my love gift) in the postage paid return envelope. And the scam-artist-pretending-to-be-a-preacher would pray for what I asked for, thereby sending my wish directly to God.

 

I would put as much paper - other junk mail, newspaper, anything - in that postage paid return envelope and mail it back. He eventually quit sending them to me.

[Texas Joker]

It was illegal cause al gore hadn't invented the internet yet so there was no go fund me page

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

30 minutes ago, Alpo said:

I used to get a letter. Had a piece of paper in it. On one side of the paper was printed a picture of a piece of cloth. This was a "prayer shawl". I was supposed to write on the back of the piece of paper what my prayer was - what my request was - and return it (along with my love gift) in the postage paid return envelope. And the scam-artist-pretending-to-be-a-preacher would pray for what I asked for, thereby sending my wish directly to God.

 

I would put as much paper - other junk mail, newspaper, anything - in that postage paid return envelope and mail it back. He eventually quit sending them to me.

My friends in grad school sent bricks.

[Alpo]

1 minute ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

My friends in grad school sent bricks.

In one of the MASH books, Hawkeye had grown annoyed with the postage paid cards that were in magazines, so he shows up at the post office with a wheelbarrow full of bricks, wanting to know if it is true that they would charge first class postage for the weight of that card. When told that was correct he started taking bricks out of his wheelbarrow. Each brick had one of those postage paid cards taped to it with fiberglass strapping tape.

 

I thought that was a nice bit of business for a story but I didn't think that the post office would really accept them.

[PaleWolf Brunelle, #2495L]

Article from 1984

Update 2011

 

 

[John Kloehr]

On an unrelated note, postal service ships bricks to build bank:

 

https://www.dinoland.com/the-building-that-was-sent-through-the-mail/

 

 

 

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

5 hours ago, Alpo said:

In one of the MASH books, Hawkeye had grown annoyed with the postage paid cards that were in magazines, so he shows up at the post office with a wheelbarrow full of bricks, wanting to know if it is true that they would charge first class postage for the weight of that card. When told that was correct he started taking bricks out of his wheelbarrow. Each brick had one of those postage paid cards taped to it with fiberglass strapping tape.

 

I thought that was a nice bit of business for a story but I didn't think that the post office would really accept them.

Hawkeye would have been using APO, they might have objected.

[Alpo]

MASH - the first book - is the only one where they are in the military. There were approximately 13 sequels, where Hawkeye and his friends go to various places all around the world. I believe this was in the first sequel - MASH goes to Maine - but I could be mistaken. It has been several years since I read the MASH books.