Letters to the Editor 01-20-2003
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By -
- Rights Violated - Bounty System Flawed - Silver Lake Cookbook - Abortion - Guard Deployed - No Sledding - Cardinal Center Volunteers
Rights Violated
Editor, Times-Union:By now everyone has either seen the video or heard the story of the family traveling in Tennessee on New Year's Day, where a man was handcuffed and put in back of a police car, his wife and child were handcuffed at the back of their station wagon and big Bulford comes running up with a shotgun beside the police car, Patton the dog jumps out of the car, wagging his tail, three seconds later, the dog's head is blown off. There is more to this story than you see or hear on the TV.
I talked to the Smoak family Tuesday Jan. 14, Mr. Smoak was begging the officer in the squad car he was held in to have someone close the car doors so their two dogs wouldn't run onto the Interstate Highway 40, the policeman would have none of it. Mr. Smoak told who he was, that he lived in North Carolina, that he must have lost his billfold back where he got gas outside of Nashville, Tenn., that he didn't understand what was going on, the highway patrolman would not even acknowledge him, just kept jabbing on his radio to other officers after the dog was killed and they saw they had made a mistake. The patrolman holding Mr. Smoak still wouldn't let him out of the car until a senior officer came and demanded that Mr. Smoak get in his car and leave and not make a situation out of this mistake. It's bad enough to have your pet murdered by some trigger-happy Barney Fife, but to be taken down like this whole family was is unconstitutional, and I for one believe their civil rights were violated.
Can you imagine the outrage if this had been about race, about sexual orientation, about religious preference, what's the difference, you tell me? We are all Americans and this kind of injustice cannot keep going on. Could this happen in Warsaw, Indiana? I wouldn't think so, I think we have some of the best law enforcement in the whole state, but I'll bet they thought that in Cookeville, Tenn., too. Everyone needs to write or call their congressmen and let them know that this is NOT ever going to happen in Indiana. If anyone is interested in sending a card or funds to help the Smoaks in their fight for justice, their address is: William J. Smoak, 649 Pearson Falls Road, Saluda, NC 28773.
Michael Helton
Warsaw
via e-mail
Bounty System Flawed
Editor, Times-Union:Representatives Grubb and Ulmer have cosponsored HB 1118 providing cash bounties (usurped from dog license funds) in counties where coyotes are deemed "overpopulated." Livestock loss due to predation is already compensated to landowners from these funds, so why pay citizens to slaughter coyotes indiscriminately? HB 1118 would decrease financial aid provided by these funds to animal shelters and Purdue's veterinary school.
The notion that bounty systems effectively control coyote populations is fallacy. Increased hunting pressure on these animals disrupts their family units - resulting in breeding at earlier ages and amongst lower ranking animals within these units. Voids where coyotes have been removed are soon filled with other coyotes seeking new territory and food sources.
Bounty programs may have horrifying consequences to pet dogs, as folks in Virginia discovered, where unscrupulous mercenaries tried to increase profit margins by masquerading dismembered parts of domesticated canines.
Coyotes must hunt to survive. Man does not. Don't begrudge the existence of these beneficial rodent-eating predators which may also consume fruits, acorns, roadkill, Canada geese and other birds, as well as smaller predators such as feral cats, raccoon,opposum and foxes. When coyote populations are reduced, ground-nesting bird populations suffer due to increases in skunk, raccoon, opposum, fox and feral cats, which prey significantly upon these birds.
Grubb affronts public trust by providing faulty reason to pick the pockets of dog owners who buy licenses for their pets. He blames coyotes for decimating certain "game bird" and cottontail populations, although wildlife biologists assert the true culprit is row-crop agriculture, which has caused massive destruction of suitable habitat for small game species desired by some hunters.
Chairman Robert Bischoff (Dist.68) can be reached at 800-382-9842 to request HB 1118 be stopped in committee. Inform your district legislators to be alert for this legislation being attached as an amendment to an unrelated bill.
Rachael Jones, DVM
Valparaiso
via e-mail
Silver Lake Cookbook
Editor, Times-Union:Silver Lake Elementary is putting together a cookbook for a fund-raiser for our school. We are asking the community of Silver Lake for recipes. We have set out baskets around town, where you can pick up the forms and drop them off. We appreciate all the recipes that our children at the school have submitted so far. But we are still in need of more. Think of this as not just a fund-raiser but a way for each new generation to pass something on to the next. Everyone has a favorite recipe that was passed down, so we are asking you to please dig out those old recipes and pass them to the next generation, even if they are no-bake or a fun thing for a small child to do. We have a special section for the little helping hands in our lives. You can find the forms and baskets at: Wesleyan Church, 106 W. Walnut; town office; Sands Mini Mart; Silver Lake Post Office; Silver Lake Lions Club.
Thank you all for your time and help on this project.
Angela Fulton
Silver Lake PTO
via e-mail
Abortion
Editor, Times-Union:Atrocities impact people. The annihilation of the Jews by Hitler, the oppression of slavery, the tragedy of the terrorist attacks, all impact people because of the destruction of human life. As people are made aware of and are impacted by these atrocities, they seek ways to end them.
Hitler was not thought a demon until pictures showed dead bodies piled high after being gassed. Slavery was thought acceptable until escaped slaves showed the marks of torture on their bodies. Reason was thought to be a way to deal with terrorists until we watched the destruction of the twin towers on our TV screens.
The knowledge of how precious life is makes us willing to fight to end atrocities. The atrocious pictures of aborted children should cause to spring forth in every human breast the determination to end such senseless killing, but does it?
No. Sadly, society has been bombarded with untruths about life in the womb and about a woman's rights over her own body. Approved murder is the murder of the not yet born.
I weep for you, dear unborn child, and I weep for human kind that see no difference between squashing you and squashing a spider that creeps upon the wall.
Not only do I weep, but I also link arms with my fellow Kosciusko County Right to Life supporters who are sounding the alarm of this atrocity and are working tirelessly to save the lives of unborn children.
If you want to help stop the atrocity of abortion, call Kosciusko County Right to Life, 267-3481. Time, talent and money are all necessary to save children.
Sally Hogan
Warsaw, via e-mail
Guard Deployed
Editor, Times-Union:The recent deployment of the Indiana Army National Guard in Warsaw has been a very stressful time for all the soldiers and their families. Several area businesses and citizens have been very kind and caring. The National Guard Family Readiness/Support Group would like to thank everyone, especially the American Legion Post 253 in North Webster, their Women's Auxiliary and The Sons of the American Legion, North Webster. Some others we would like to mention are Cub Scout packs 3767 and 3729, Leesburg Elementary, the Presbyterian Church of Winona Lake, Mr. and Mrs. Matt Layman, Larry McDonald, manager of Owen's Supermarket, Gilliam Lanes, The Red Cross of Kosciusko County, Jack Stump, and Greg Smith, and some who wish to remain anonymous. We thank you all very much. Please keep our soldiers and their families in your thoughts and prayers. We pray for a safe return of all our soldiers. God bless America!
Family Readiness/Support Group
Indiana Army National Guard - Warsaw
Co A 1-293 Inf
Becky Baumgartner, co-chairwoman
Brenda Martinez, co-chairwoman
Shannon Igo, secretary
Valerie King, treasurer
No Sledding
Editor, Times-Union:This is a response to Mr. Petrillo's comments mentioned on the "no sledding" issue. You mentioned in fact that an accident happened in the winter of 2000 on the hill by the Billy Sunday Home. The hill that I was referring to is the hill that sits on the southeast edge by the college dorm.
I can understand your concerns about having lawsuits, but what I can't understand is why weren't these "No Trespassing" signs posted up sooner? If my memory serves me right, I don't have recollection of these signs posted up last year or the year before. And why did it take so long to have these signs posted?
These accidents could have been prevented if these children had adult supervision like I mentioned in my last letter. Why not just post up a sign with adult supervision and not be responsible for accidents occurring on the premises? Maybe that will resolve your problems in the future of a lawsuit. Think about it - it makes sense to me.
Larry Little
Winona Lake
Cardinal Center Volunteers
Editor, Times-Union:My name is Heather Ross; I am the volunteer manager at Cardinal Center Inc.
Thank you, Cardinal Center volunteers, for sharing your time and talents with us. You truly make a difference in the lives of those that we serve. We appreciate your support.
Interested in helping with data entry at Cardinal Center?
We could use the help of a few more hands!
Please contact 267-3823, Ext. 387, for more information.
Heather Ross
Community Relations Manager/Volunteer Manager
Cardinal Center Inc.
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- Rights Violated - Bounty System Flawed - Silver Lake Cookbook - Abortion - Guard Deployed - No Sledding - Cardinal Center Volunteers
Rights Violated
Editor, Times-Union:By now everyone has either seen the video or heard the story of the family traveling in Tennessee on New Year's Day, where a man was handcuffed and put in back of a police car, his wife and child were handcuffed at the back of their station wagon and big Bulford comes running up with a shotgun beside the police car, Patton the dog jumps out of the car, wagging his tail, three seconds later, the dog's head is blown off. There is more to this story than you see or hear on the TV.
I talked to the Smoak family Tuesday Jan. 14, Mr. Smoak was begging the officer in the squad car he was held in to have someone close the car doors so their two dogs wouldn't run onto the Interstate Highway 40, the policeman would have none of it. Mr. Smoak told who he was, that he lived in North Carolina, that he must have lost his billfold back where he got gas outside of Nashville, Tenn., that he didn't understand what was going on, the highway patrolman would not even acknowledge him, just kept jabbing on his radio to other officers after the dog was killed and they saw they had made a mistake. The patrolman holding Mr. Smoak still wouldn't let him out of the car until a senior officer came and demanded that Mr. Smoak get in his car and leave and not make a situation out of this mistake. It's bad enough to have your pet murdered by some trigger-happy Barney Fife, but to be taken down like this whole family was is unconstitutional, and I for one believe their civil rights were violated.
Can you imagine the outrage if this had been about race, about sexual orientation, about religious preference, what's the difference, you tell me? We are all Americans and this kind of injustice cannot keep going on. Could this happen in Warsaw, Indiana? I wouldn't think so, I think we have some of the best law enforcement in the whole state, but I'll bet they thought that in Cookeville, Tenn., too. Everyone needs to write or call their congressmen and let them know that this is NOT ever going to happen in Indiana. If anyone is interested in sending a card or funds to help the Smoaks in their fight for justice, their address is: William J. Smoak, 649 Pearson Falls Road, Saluda, NC 28773.
Michael Helton
Warsaw
via e-mail
Bounty System Flawed
Editor, Times-Union:Representatives Grubb and Ulmer have cosponsored HB 1118 providing cash bounties (usurped from dog license funds) in counties where coyotes are deemed "overpopulated." Livestock loss due to predation is already compensated to landowners from these funds, so why pay citizens to slaughter coyotes indiscriminately? HB 1118 would decrease financial aid provided by these funds to animal shelters and Purdue's veterinary school.
The notion that bounty systems effectively control coyote populations is fallacy. Increased hunting pressure on these animals disrupts their family units - resulting in breeding at earlier ages and amongst lower ranking animals within these units. Voids where coyotes have been removed are soon filled with other coyotes seeking new territory and food sources.
Bounty programs may have horrifying consequences to pet dogs, as folks in Virginia discovered, where unscrupulous mercenaries tried to increase profit margins by masquerading dismembered parts of domesticated canines.
Coyotes must hunt to survive. Man does not. Don't begrudge the existence of these beneficial rodent-eating predators which may also consume fruits, acorns, roadkill, Canada geese and other birds, as well as smaller predators such as feral cats, raccoon,opposum and foxes. When coyote populations are reduced, ground-nesting bird populations suffer due to increases in skunk, raccoon, opposum, fox and feral cats, which prey significantly upon these birds.
Grubb affronts public trust by providing faulty reason to pick the pockets of dog owners who buy licenses for their pets. He blames coyotes for decimating certain "game bird" and cottontail populations, although wildlife biologists assert the true culprit is row-crop agriculture, which has caused massive destruction of suitable habitat for small game species desired by some hunters.
Chairman Robert Bischoff (Dist.68) can be reached at 800-382-9842 to request HB 1118 be stopped in committee. Inform your district legislators to be alert for this legislation being attached as an amendment to an unrelated bill.
Rachael Jones, DVM
Valparaiso
via e-mail
Silver Lake Cookbook
Editor, Times-Union:Silver Lake Elementary is putting together a cookbook for a fund-raiser for our school. We are asking the community of Silver Lake for recipes. We have set out baskets around town, where you can pick up the forms and drop them off. We appreciate all the recipes that our children at the school have submitted so far. But we are still in need of more. Think of this as not just a fund-raiser but a way for each new generation to pass something on to the next. Everyone has a favorite recipe that was passed down, so we are asking you to please dig out those old recipes and pass them to the next generation, even if they are no-bake or a fun thing for a small child to do. We have a special section for the little helping hands in our lives. You can find the forms and baskets at: Wesleyan Church, 106 W. Walnut; town office; Sands Mini Mart; Silver Lake Post Office; Silver Lake Lions Club.
Thank you all for your time and help on this project.
Angela Fulton
Silver Lake PTO
via e-mail
Abortion
Editor, Times-Union:Atrocities impact people. The annihilation of the Jews by Hitler, the oppression of slavery, the tragedy of the terrorist attacks, all impact people because of the destruction of human life. As people are made aware of and are impacted by these atrocities, they seek ways to end them.
Hitler was not thought a demon until pictures showed dead bodies piled high after being gassed. Slavery was thought acceptable until escaped slaves showed the marks of torture on their bodies. Reason was thought to be a way to deal with terrorists until we watched the destruction of the twin towers on our TV screens.
The knowledge of how precious life is makes us willing to fight to end atrocities. The atrocious pictures of aborted children should cause to spring forth in every human breast the determination to end such senseless killing, but does it?
No. Sadly, society has been bombarded with untruths about life in the womb and about a woman's rights over her own body. Approved murder is the murder of the not yet born.
I weep for you, dear unborn child, and I weep for human kind that see no difference between squashing you and squashing a spider that creeps upon the wall.
Not only do I weep, but I also link arms with my fellow Kosciusko County Right to Life supporters who are sounding the alarm of this atrocity and are working tirelessly to save the lives of unborn children.
If you want to help stop the atrocity of abortion, call Kosciusko County Right to Life, 267-3481. Time, talent and money are all necessary to save children.
Sally Hogan
Warsaw, via e-mail
Guard Deployed
Editor, Times-Union:The recent deployment of the Indiana Army National Guard in Warsaw has been a very stressful time for all the soldiers and their families. Several area businesses and citizens have been very kind and caring. The National Guard Family Readiness/Support Group would like to thank everyone, especially the American Legion Post 253 in North Webster, their Women's Auxiliary and The Sons of the American Legion, North Webster. Some others we would like to mention are Cub Scout packs 3767 and 3729, Leesburg Elementary, the Presbyterian Church of Winona Lake, Mr. and Mrs. Matt Layman, Larry McDonald, manager of Owen's Supermarket, Gilliam Lanes, The Red Cross of Kosciusko County, Jack Stump, and Greg Smith, and some who wish to remain anonymous. We thank you all very much. Please keep our soldiers and their families in your thoughts and prayers. We pray for a safe return of all our soldiers. God bless America!
Family Readiness/Support Group
Indiana Army National Guard - Warsaw
Co A 1-293 Inf
Becky Baumgartner, co-chairwoman
Brenda Martinez, co-chairwoman
Shannon Igo, secretary
Valerie King, treasurer
No Sledding
Editor, Times-Union:This is a response to Mr. Petrillo's comments mentioned on the "no sledding" issue. You mentioned in fact that an accident happened in the winter of 2000 on the hill by the Billy Sunday Home. The hill that I was referring to is the hill that sits on the southeast edge by the college dorm.
I can understand your concerns about having lawsuits, but what I can't understand is why weren't these "No Trespassing" signs posted up sooner? If my memory serves me right, I don't have recollection of these signs posted up last year or the year before. And why did it take so long to have these signs posted?
These accidents could have been prevented if these children had adult supervision like I mentioned in my last letter. Why not just post up a sign with adult supervision and not be responsible for accidents occurring on the premises? Maybe that will resolve your problems in the future of a lawsuit. Think about it - it makes sense to me.
Larry Little
Winona Lake
Cardinal Center Volunteers
Editor, Times-Union:My name is Heather Ross; I am the volunteer manager at Cardinal Center Inc.
Thank you, Cardinal Center volunteers, for sharing your time and talents with us. You truly make a difference in the lives of those that we serve. We appreciate your support.
Interested in helping with data entry at Cardinal Center?
We could use the help of a few more hands!
Please contact 267-3823, Ext. 387, for more information.
Heather Ross
Community Relations Manager/Volunteer Manager
Cardinal Center Inc.
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