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A tourist walks into a curio shop in San Francisco.<br><br>
Looking around at the exotica, he notices a very life-like,
life-sized<br>
bronze statue of a rat.<br><br>
It has no price tag, but is so striking he decides he must have it.<br>
He took it to the owner: "How much for the bronze
rat?"<br><br>
"Twelve dollars for the rat, one hundred dollars for the
story," said<br>
the owner.<br><br>
The tourist gave the man twelve dollars. "I'll just take the
rat, you<br>
can keep the story."<br><br>
As he walked down the street carrying his bronze rat, he noticed that
a<br>
few real rats had crawled out of the alleys and sewers and began<br>
following him down the street. This was disconcerting, he began
walking<br>
faster.<br><br>
But within a couple blocks, the herd of rats behind him had grown
to<br>
hundreds, and they began squealing. He began to trot toward the
Bay,<br>
looking around to see that the rats now numbered in the MILLIONS,
and<br>
were squealing and coming toward him faster and faster.<br><br>
Concerned, even scared, he ran to the edge of the Bay, and threw
the<br>
bronze rat as far out into the Bay as he could.<br><br>
Amazingly, the millions of rats all jumped into the Bay after it,
and<br>
were all drowned.<br><br>
The man walked back to the curio shop. "Ah ha," said the
owner, "I'll<br>
bet you have come back for the story?"<br><br>
"No," said the man. "I came back to see if you have
a bronze<br>
Republican". <br><br>
<br>
</font><font size=3 color="#FF0000">The Freedom Archives<br>
522 Valencia Street<br>
San Francisco, CA 94110<br>
(415) 863-9977<br>
</font><font size=3><a href="http://www.freedomarchives.org/" eudora="autourl">www.freedomarchives.org</a></font></body>
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