Judy Havercamp wonders:
If you have an employee who is abusing animals, why do you not fire that person?She indicates urgency:
Things need to be changed now.
Here’s the video:
Why do you not fire that person? —Judy Havercamp
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 24 May 2011.
Videos by Johh S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
-jsq
This speaker talked about when her mother took her to volunteer at
the old shelter, and how bad it was,
then about how the current shelter started.
When I moved back to Valdosta five years ago, I couldn’t believe the change. A real shelter and animal control officers that had compassion. I personally know some current and former animal control officers. They are caring compassionate people with a deep love of their jobs.So she looked into it, requesting the files from the Dept. of Agriculture.When I read about the cruelty and neglect allegations in the paper, I couldn’t believe we had reverted back 25 years.
What I received was a slap in the face. The Valdosta Daily Times was kind in their reporting….You can listen to her yourself. Continue reading
If taxpayer money isn’t being used to defend the defenseless,
what should it be used for?
Cheryl Hatcher said she has been involved with Humane Society for a long time (which the Chairman vouched for) and was among those who actually helped build the shelter.
There have been many discussions and conversations about things not being done properly at the shelter. And I really urge that you investigate what’s going on in the shelter. I applaud you for putting cameras in the tack room, although I think it’s been way too long to do that, but I applaud you for doing that.I think that if it’s necessary to put cameras in the tack room there are bigger problems that need to be taken care of at higher levels.I really think that it is not a waste of taxpayers’ money when you’re investigating to make sure that animals will be taken care of properly. If we can’t take care of animals and children, then the world is going to suffer.
Here’s the video:
If we can’t take care of animals and children…. — Cheryl Hatcher
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 24 May 2011.
Videos by Johh S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
-jsq
Philip Caulfield wrote 25 May 2011 for the Daily News:
Getting tougher is a failed strategy.Three Arizona cops smuggled drugs and humans and laundered money for a vast narco-trafficking ring, all under the nose of the self-proclaimed “America’s toughest sheriff,” authorities said.
One of the moles, a female corrections officer, was carrying the love child of a cartel capitán, and all three were accused of leaking sheriff’s office tips to help the ring guide smugglers, drugs and cash through the area from Mexico, authorities said.
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said Deputy Alfredo Navarette, 37, and two corrections officers, Sylvia Najera, 25, and Marcella Hernandez, 28, were among 12 people rounded up in Tuesday’s sting.
Time to stop the cycle of criminalization that has corrupted even the office of “America’s toughest sheriff”. Legalize, regulate, and tax to end the cycle of corruption.
And no, we don’t need a private prison in Lowndes County to assist in the cycle of corruption. Spend those tax dollars on education instead.
-jsq
The animal shelter story isn’t just about animals.
It’s also about mismanagement.
It’s even about prison labor competing with local labor.
After Susan Leavins read from her statement to the Department of Agriculture about a starving horse, pigs castrated without pain relievers or antibiotics, and maggots in wounds, Chairman Paulk advised her she had one minute left. Then she got to her main point: Continue reading
Lowndes County Commission Chairman said he was the first member
of the local Humane Society
and he promised:
Whatever problems there are, they’re going to be resolved.For background, see County Animal Shelter Issues.
And remember, last year Ashley Paulk said he is code enforcement.
Here’s the video:
You’re looking at an animal lover —Ashley Paulk @ LCC 24 May 2011
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 24 May 2011.
Videos by Johh S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
-jsq
Remember, much of the discussion already happened the previous morning in the work session.
Continue readingLOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, MAY 23, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, MAY 24, 2011, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
He’s back from Afghanistan and has a new plan to fight McDonald’s.
Vince Schneider asked the County Commission for an ordinance about hours.
After quoting from the U.S. Tenth and Fourth Amendments and talking about privacy rights, he read similar passages from the Georgia Constitution, and this one, from Section II. Origin and Structure of Government:
All government, of right, originates with the people, is founded upon their will only, and is instituted solely for the good of the whole. Public officers are the trustees and servants of the people and are at all times amenable to them.He then read a definition of ordinance, and noted that many ordinances deal with issues of safety, health, morals, etc.
His recommendation: for the Commission to pass an ordinance limiting hours of operation for such type of enterprises.
That’s the county attorney visible directly past Schneider (under the microphone). Of course it’s the commissioners who must propose and pass any ordinance. That will require Continue reading
Neal Peirce wrote a syndicated column 22 May 2011, Misguided U.S. drug policies afflict Mexico, Central America:
So what can be done? Continue readingThe war on drugs in Mexico, partially funded by hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. government assistance, has not only failed to curb the trade but intensified horrific violence, corruption and human rights abuses, writes Neal Peirce.
For most Americans, the recent news of popular demonstrations in Mexico was probably a small diversion from the daily tide of bloody global reports from such faraway hot spots as Pakistan, Syria, Libya, Afghanistan and Bahrain.
Why worry, most of us likely concluded, if thousands of Mexicans are marching in the streets, protesting the horrific violence and high death toll in their nation’s raging drug war? Isn’t that their problem?
It’s true, the news reports focus less on the American role, more on growing anger with the government of President Felipe Calderón and the meager returns from the massive police and military crackdown on the drug trade he inaugurated in 2006.
Since then, more than 37,000 Mexicans have been murdered, often tortured and brutalized before their deaths, as cartels battle for control of drug smuggling routes and brazenly assassinate anyone, official or average citizen, they think is in their way.
The hard lesson is that the war on drug dealers, decreed by Calderón and partially funded by hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. government assistance, has not only failed to curb the trade but intensified horrific violence, corruption and human-rights abuses.
The Chamber has put videos of its Economic Summit
along with the VSU report it commissioned up on
its website.
The videos are on vimeo, because they’re a tad lengthy.
However, they are conveniently linked in by subject.
Here’s a quote from Chamber president Myrna Ballard:
Particularly our average weekly wage rates, which we started becoming very concerned about around 2004. My first human inclination was to go into denial. I spent several months deciding whether I should even mention this in our community or not.There’s part of the problem around here: nobody wants to talk about problems. That needs to change.But the bottom line on it is, when you have a challenge, when you have a problem, you can’t fix it until you come to grips with the fact that you do have an issue that you need to deal with.
However, I don’t like her next point quite as much, which was that they already have a plan and were presenting it. That’s part of the reason people don’t want to speak up about problems: because so often nobody is listening.
She did go on about Opportunity Central, though. And the Chamber did put up videos of the whole thing on the web. Bravo, Chamber and ReKasa!
-jsq
PS: Rekasa told me they were going to do that, and Jim Parker noted that they had done it.