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OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF GREENESPEAK PUBLICATIONS IN WAYNESBURG
PA
CINDY BAILEY, EDITOR & PUBLISHER
Contact Cindy at: 724-344-7980 or cindy@greenespeak.com
THE WET HEN
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POSTED
SEPT. 11, 2008
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REPRINTED FROM THE SEPTEMBER GREENESPEAK
Judge: It’s the
Humane Society’s choice.
We say CHOOSE *JADEN*
You can join our efforts to reunite this child with his dog.
That
the case of Charles Wolfe and Dorthea Carter vs. the Humane Society of Greene County ever made it to court is something we
will never understand, but it did and the Humane Society won. Before it had escalated too far, even the Society’s solicitor
recommended returning the dog; and the judge asked the attorneys at the outset to see if their clients could come to an agreement
and skip the publicity. But the Humane Society said it would look like they did something wrong if they gave in and returned
the dog.
After two afternoons of hearings, Nalitz ruled that they do not have to return “Buffy” to the little disabled
boy named Jaden, whose life was saved by the pup. The judge said he sided with the Humane Society because the law says that
after 48 hours, the animal is theirs to dispose of as they see fit.
As of Sept. 6, the Humane Society had the right to
give Buffy to the person(s) of their choosing. At this writing, 48 hours after the decision was handed own, we’ve no idea
where Buffy is, but even if he’s been adopted, we say to the Society and to the adoptive family, CHOOSE *JADEN*. Surely there
are enough homeless dogs to go around.
The day following the judge’s decision, GreeneSpeak launched the CHOOSE *JADEN*
campaign on our website at www.greenespeak.com
We asked readers who feel that Jaden should have his dog returned to send
an e-mail with CHOOSE *JADEN* in the subject line to: cindy@greenespeak.com. We are forwarding them to the Humane Society
and are still accepting those or mail them to: P. O. Box 1003 Waynesburg, PA. Who knows whether it will work, but our collective
voices will be heard.
Please understand that despite our disagreement with the handling of this particular instance, GreeneSpeak
still supports the Humane Society’s efforts. It is a much needed organization, and our goal is not to harm that. Still, we
suggest that the facility find a way to extend the hours they are open to the public to include some evening hours. May we
also suggest that they reconsider the 48-rule regarding strays. Two five-hour periods for the public to check on lost dogs
is not enough.
And finally, from a less practical but just as important standpoint, we think the folks at the shelter who
got snagged into this contentious story should loosen up a little. Can’t the humans who walk through your door be treated
a little more humanely along with the pets? No matter how noble their efforts, what good is it if they ignore the always-unpredictable
and sometimes-disorganized human factor? Not all of us are animal abusers.
Following are some excerpts from letters GreeneSpeak
has already received in the CHOOSE *JADEN* campaign:
• I do not understand why any of this is going on. We all should be
living by the Golden Rule and also should know that the child in this situation should be given consideration because he is
MOST important! –Jeannie
• The boy’s dog MUST be returned to him! I am sure the adoptive family would understand if they
needed to give up the dog. I understand that they may be very attached, but as a diagnosed epileptic patient since 1971, I
understand the need this child has for his trusted companion. It is very disturbing that the Humane Society refuses to return
the dog. –Danette
• I hope Jaden gets Buffy returned. There is a special bond between a disabled person and a special animal
like Buffy. May Ms. Gapen never have to understand this type of heartache in her lifetime. My prayers go out to Jaden and
his family. –Laurel
• What are they thinking? –Carolyn
• Sometimes the right things are actually easy to do - really
can’t comprehend how/why having the dog returned could be so complex. –Rich
• I hold a lifetime membership in the Western
PA Humane Society. We realize that staff and volunteers of these organizations have difficult jobs. We were horrified, however,
to learn about this situation—it should never have been permitted to get to this point. This is not a case of an irresponsible
pet owner relinquishing a pet and then having second thoughts. It is a situation where a helpless disabled child has, through
no fault of his own, been deprived not only of his friend, but what amounts to an assistance animal.
There appear to have
been opportunities along the way for the Greene shelter to have averted this problem, and yet they inexplicably went forward.
My family and I implore them to find a way, even now, to reunite this child and his dog. We thank them for showing compassion,
as we are sure they will do, and thank them also for all their work on behalf of abused and neglected animals. We would say,
“Please don’t let this unfortunate incident reflect poorly upon you and all the good you do each and every day.” –Susan
•
The humane society is there to help man and beast, not just their stupid rules that can be flexible under special circumstances.
This one can be reversed. –Ci
• My question to the Humane Society is: Where is your heart? Give the dog back to the child
who deserves it! –Bonnie
• A dog is not just a dog, he or she is part of the family. JADEN...JADEN...JADEN –Bill
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[Posted
May 10, 2008]
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WAL-MART, WHERE ART THOU?
(Selected from GreeneSpeak, March 2008 print
edition)
By Cindy Bailey, GreeneSpeak Editor/Publisher
The publisher of this newspaper had the distinct honor of
covering the kissy-face ceremony back in 2001 in which our then-commission chairman Dave Coder proudly announced that the
road to everybody’s favorite Wal-Mart development would be dubbed “Murtha Drive.” That was because Jack had allocated a whole
million dollars in federal money to help with the road.
This was in the days before our leaders had come up with that
idiotic mascot, “Bituminous Billy,” so Jack was presented with a dopey basket of coal-related items. So at least our fine
Congressman got about what he paid for. And Coder? He got to brag about his personal prowess in bringing retail development
to Greene County. HA.
There was a whole lot of fooling around for the next three years or so, and the publisher of this
newspaper also got to sit in on the baloney being spouted by the ever-popular LeRoy Kline of Delta Development who was eventually
kicked off the projected due to lack of getting anywhere with it while simultaneously accepting checks from the county coffers.
So
the cold potato was passed onto McHolme Construction and Jack tossed a little more chum into the stagnant waters to the tune
of $2 million for his namesake. And as the Tribune-Review noted, the political gods smiled on Dave and his new cohort Pam
Snyder, because they were able to announce in the waning days before the election in 2003 that McHolme had purchased the property
from the county for the ungodly sum of $666,652 (notice all those sixes in there?). Back then they were bragging that the
development would being “350” jobs to the county. And the people wept and paid homage to the Great Wal-Mart Gods with their
vote,s birthing the deformed Greene Team right on the floors of the county precincts.
By mid-2006, someone finally pestered
the Wal-Mart people, convincing them to purchase the tax write-off property for about half that, $277.994. And lo, trucks
began to move dirt in July 2006. By early 2007, PennDOT said they would put more than $7 million into the kitty. And the Greene
Team proclaimed that local taxpayers would be happy to pay $152,000 for “construction management services.”
So the boys
pushed the dirt around on that hill, which someone aptly described as an “eco-scar,” for months as the people hoped and prayed
and wept. Then the Head Cheese, our own Fast Eddie, arrived in Ruff Creek last fall with his entourage and said he would help
out those po’ folks at McHolme with another cool $5 million in corporate welfare.
And all the people sighed. And Eddie
smiled warmly when he said that the $12 million in public money that has heretofore been donated to the project wouldn’t really
pay for even half of the boondoggle, which he estimated would really cost $35 million, although by now, Eddie said there would
be “800” jobs out of the deal.
And then recently people noticed that the dust had settled and nary a block had been set.
And for at least seven years, while we’ve been covering this story (if it IS one), we are always told that a grand opening
is expected within a year. Frankly, it’s getting old reporting on this. It’s getting old seeing taxpayers’ money being wasted
on ribbon-cutting-grandstanding sessions.
Our Rolodex is getting ridiculous. We have about a dozen names of Wal-Mart reps
we’ve talked with over the years who have passed this buck onto some other dumb cluck. And everywhere we go, someone wants
to know the latest on Wal-Mart. Well, the latest on Wal-Mart is always the same: GRAND OPENING NEXT YEAR. Do the math: $12
million plus a negative $23 million does NOT equal the cool $35 million even Eddie admits it will cost for roads/infrastructure.
For
this article, we contacted Brian McGurk of McHolme and James Davis of Wal-Mart, who both say the project is STILL ON and is
scheduled to open (you guessed it) “next year.” So please, if you want to know anymore about it, contact Davis, who is very
friendly and helpful in a noncommittal sort of way, at 570-586-4268 or James.Davis@wal-mart.com. Maybe YOU can pester Wal-Mart
enough to get somewhere. But hurry before he abandons his post like all the rest. We have real stories to (un)cover. At this
point, we cry, “U-N-C-L-E!”
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