When he is not writing for The Spoke, Jim Damian serves as the CEO of Stria, which he founded in 2005. Stria is a business process outsourcing (BPO) company that helps clients reduce the burdens associated with back-office processes. Stria’s core areas of expertise include cloud computing, document scanning, records management, workflow automation, and administrative office services.  Learn more at Stria.com.

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Garro Ellis, "the voice of someone’s generation", kicked us into high gear with a rousing rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner.  Rumor has it that Garro gave this performance extra effort because he is angling for an invitation to sing at the denauguration scheduled for later this summer in Washington, DC.  But that is just a rumor.  The claim that Garro is a world-class vocalist remains beyond dispute. 

 

After the song, the club was treated to a faux Ginger ale commercial starring our authentic Ginger President.  The video was a first-rate reminder that our club’s creative skills have officially surpassed those of the Saturday Night Live production team.  Well done!

 

 

Program expectations were high because this week’s speaker was none other than US House of Representative Minority Leader (and downtown Rotary club member) Kevin McCarthy.  

 

The program served as a rousing reminder as to why Kern County remains wildly supportive of Congressman McCarthy.   He shared candid thoughts on the economy, national security, American exceptionalism, and global affairs.   The Minority Leader’s inspirational talk bared no resemblance to the soundbites accredited to him by much of the media. 

 

Juxtaposed against the Congressman’s inspiring comments were several sobering messages. Concerns about inflation and the tactics of our nation’s foreign enemies were particularly impactful.  Clearly, we are living in unprecedented times. 

 

Congressman McCarthy’s comments were punctuated by a celebration of operation warp speed and a reminder that the success of this project is helping to end the Covid-19 pandemic.  The Minority Leader’s talk was bookended by a reminder that, despite her many imperfections, America remains the greatest country on the face of the planet.

 

The club’s outsized expectations were exceeded by Congressman McCarty’s visit and everyone was grateful for his time. 

 

Of course, the Minority Leader’s presentation was not without fireworks. The congressman, at the end of his talk, swore us all to secrecy and then revealed that the recent UFO sightings should, under no circumstance, be ignored.  C

 

Congressman McCarthy confirmed that these objects are from [REDACTED] and that their singular purpose is to [REDACTED] Congressman McCarthy advised that we should all take the immediate and simple action of [REDACTED].  Failure to follow this advice will most certainly result in [REDACTED]. Thank you for your cooperation.

 

 

For the purposes of official Congressional record keeping, there were 7,855 Rotarians in attendance.  However, that number is being disputed and an official recount is being conducted by the Cyber Ninjas.