SPEAKOUT

Thursday, September 6, 2001

Call 471-6636

The person making the remark about a previous SpeakOut comment brought to surface something that has been bugging me for some time. I figure now is as good as any to vent. I don't understand the total disrespect some dog owners have. My yard, too, has been the bathroom for neighbors' dogs and it irritates me to no end to have to watch where I step in my own yard when I clean up my dog's "mess" every time she goes to the bathroom in my yard. But I go one step farther, I also carry zip-lock bags with me EVERY time I take her for a walk. We walk in the street when at all possible (unless the traffic gets too heavy) to keep her from going to the bathroom in someone's yard. And if she goes to the bathroom in the street or in rare instances on the sidewalk (she's never gone in anyone's yard), I ALWAYS scoop it up in the bag and take it home to throw it away. That comes with being a responsible pet owner and I would think of doing nothing else. I am a firm believer in doing unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Pet owners, especially those who have small, purebred dogs, need to be very cautious about letting your animals go outside by themselves. Already in the past couple of weeks two dogs have been stolen and the owners, as you can imagine, are heartbroken. Please be on extreme alert. My suggestion is not to let your pets go outside without you. Sure, it may take a few extra minutes, but look into that adorable little face and tell me she isn't worth it.

They say they will never touch the Social Security Lock Box. It was said recently and said over and over again, but on Aug. 28, they announced that they were seeking $9 billion to be taken out of the Lock Box which Bush said he would never, never touch. Being a senior citizen, I feel for the people that will come after me on the Social Security benefits. I hope people understand that the Lock Box is not secure.

The lock box was Gore's theme and the feds "borrow" from the Social Security Trust Fund on a regular basis.

I went to the Complex where a girl I know plays on the coed softball league. While I was there, I didn't watch the ballgame. I watched a cussing match. There were a young man and young woman who used vulgar, vulgar language. They were so embarrassing. They put their children in the car, he was ripping his shirt off, beating the dugout. It was terrible. It's a shame you can't even go to see a ballgame in town without having to see the violence and hear such awful language.

The other day I was looking up something on the Internet at the library. There were people coming and going and every time someone left the Internet, they came over to see what program they were in. I can understand as far as pornography and stuff like that, but every person who got off the Internet, as soon as they walked out, they went over and checked and pulled up everything that they were in. I don't know if that's an invasion of privacy or not but some of the information could have been personal.

This is about the comment about people's pictures being put in the paper just for backfines. If they were not allowed to pay $5 or $10 on a $200 or $300 fine, they wouldn't have backfines owed. They should have to pay the full fine immediately.


This is to the person who wrote in about "Rate photo by crime." You say it's ignorant to put people's pictures in just because they owe a back fine. Was your picture in there? The ones who are put in there because of back fines, have you heard of what they're failing to pay for? One was in there about sexual misconduct. It is helpful for them to put the pictures in of people they're looking for.


This call is in reference to the uneducated but honestly law-abiding citizen who spoke out in reference to the Crime Stoppers ad for the most wanted for backfines. If their picture is in there, chances are there is a warrant out for their arrest. Second of all, maybe the next time you'll pay your fines and your picture won't be posted.