The mills of the gods grind slowly...........

From somewhere in the recesses of memory the saying "The mills of the gods grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine" comes forth. To whom it is attributed I have no idea. I thought of it again in recent days when the purchase of AT&T by SBC was announced. Several years ago I was infuriated when AT&T began charging a monthly long distance fee whether or not any calls were made. When I complained, I was told that a mailing about it had been sent out and that it was a new FCC requirement. Lies! So I switched to SBC - a higher per minute rate but no minimum. For the better part of a year thereafter AT&T harrassed me with phone calls and trick offers. Over and over I explained, sometimes patiently, sometimes angrily, that I didn't mind paying for the calls I made but I refuse to pay for time I didn't use. One evening I had three calls in the space of an hour. At one point I received a check for $150 - "no strings attached." HA! Endorsing it would have put me back under AT&T's thumb. I tore the check into itsy-bitsy pieces. About three months later a check for $75 arrived - same deal.

AT&T's declining fortunes are due in no small part to the shortsightedness of its management. Top of the heap for so long - arrogance and greed took over. While I regret that there will be substantial numbers of jobs lost, I am pleased that the SBC headquarters will remain here in San Antonio. Of course, federal approval of the merger is still required but it will be the best solution for a situation that otherwise would only worsen for Ma Bell.