The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1168989
The Press-Dispatch Opinion Wednesday, September 18, 2019 C- 13 Court Report sentences in a structured language. Oral and written language provides a set of rules that enables us to or- ganize thoughts and con- struct logical meaning with our thoughts. Not holding students ac- countable to proper gram- mar does a disservice to those students who over- all show poor writing abil- ities. When or if these stu- dents graduate from col- lege, they are not going to be evaluated in their careers by Inoue's tailored stan- dards. They will be judged according to their objective abilities, and it probably fol- lows that if they fail to meet those objective standards, the standards themselves will be labeled as racist. There's another very dangerous bit of academ- ic nonsense happening, this time at the K-12 level of education. One America News Network anchor in- terviewed Mary Clare Am- selem, education special- ist at the Heritage Founda- tion, about the California Department of Education's proposed ethnic studies curriculum. The proposed ethnic studies curriculum would teach children that capitalism and father fig- ures are racist. The Ethnic Studies Mod- el Curriculum also includes gross anti-Israel bias and teaches about a Palestin- ian-led anti-Israel initiative called Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions. The curricu- lum also has students study issues of police brutality and asks teachers to find in- cidents of bias by police in their own communities. Ac- cording to an article by Shel- by Talcott in The Stream, California's proposed cur- riculum called for students to study lawmakers such as Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar and Democrat- ic Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib, both of whom have supported the BDS move- ment and have been accused of anti-Semitic rhetoric. The proposed ethnic studies proposal has been removed from the California Department of Education website. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R- Calif., said, "While I am re- lieved that California made the obvious decision to re- visit this wholly misguided proposal, we need to know why and how a blatantly an- ti-Semitic, anti-Israel, factu- ally inaccurate curriculum made its way through the ranks of California's Depart- ment of Education." He add- ed, "This was not simply an oversight — the California Department of Education's attempt to institutionalize anti-Semitism is not only discriminatory and intoler- ant, it's dangerous." Brainwashing our young- sters is a serious matter. The people responsible for the California Depart- ment of Education's pro- posal ought to be summar- ily fired. Walter E. Williams is a professor of economics at George Mason University. Continued from page 12 TRUMP FELONY Pike County Circuit Court James Lee Austin, Jr. charged count I with counterfeiting, a level 6 felony, and count II theft. Ricky L. Brinker, Jr. charged with count I maintaining a common nui- sance - controlled substances, a level 6 felony, and count II possession of a controlled substance - schedule I, II, III or IV cont. Alyssa Mann charged with count I obstruction of justice, a level 6 felony, and count II possession of marijuana. TRAFFIC AND MISDEMEANOR Pike County Circuit Court Jerry R. Bell charged with posses- sion of marijuana. Kevin John McGuinness charged with operating a vehicle with an ACE of .15 or more. Cole Vincent Robling charged with count I disorderly conduct and count II public intoxication, endangering his life. Jennifer Hopf charged with count I interference with the reporting of a crime and count II disorderly conduct. El Agance Da Nayh Hardiman charged with count I resisting law en- forcement and count II public intoxi- cation. CIVIL Pike County Circuit Court Midland Funding, LLC sues Can- deeda Grubb on complaint. Joyce and Franklin Ivie, West Bend Mutual Ins. Co., A/S/O Joyce & Frank- lin Ivie sue Raju Pajni, J&K Roadline, LLC, co-principle member Raju Pajni on complaint. SMALL CLAIMS Pike County Circuit Court Lake Helmerich Property Owners Association, Inc. sues Kenny Ray Sher- man on complaint. Lake Helmerich Property Owners Association, Inc. sues Jarrad B. Kam- man on complaint. Lake Helmerich Property Own- ers Association, Inc. sues Michael Hanebutt and Elaine M. Hanebutt on complaint. Lake Helmerich Property Owners Association, Inc. sues Steven Smith on complaint. Lake Helmerich Property Owners Association, Inc. sues Stacy R. Moore and Debra A. Moore on complaint. INFRACTIONS Pike County Circuit Court Patrick C. Cox charged with driving while suspended. Heather J. Whittington charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Steven G. Ankney charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Gema B. Lorente charged with speeding. Anthony J. McCune charged with speeding, exceeding 55 mph. Lana L. Monroe charged with speed- ing, exceeding 70 mph. Ryan A. Foster charged with speed- ing, exceeding 70 mph. Tonia J. Holman charged with speed- ing, exceeding 70 mph. Jason E. Lancaster charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Patrick M. Reising charged with speeding, exceeding 55 mph. Colin S. Craig charged with speed- ing, exceeding 55 mph. Aaron R. Hall charged with speed- ing, exceeding 55 mph. Thomas K. Gray charged with oper- ating with expired plates. Trisha M. Bottoms charged with speeding, exceeding 55 mph. Amanda D. Walls charged with driv- ing while suspended. Sandra S. Doublemont charged with speeding, exceeding 55 mph. Gage D. Blount charged with speed- ing. Shelly K. Church charged with driv- ing while suspended. Winston A. Hartley charged with speeding, exceeding 55 mph. Continued from page 12 END GAME Continued from page 12 QUIT omy. But in addition, the Opportuni- ty Zone initiative has created com- pelling tax incentives to drive invest- ment to 8,700 distressed ZIP codes na- tionwide. Criminal justice reform was passed to improve fairness in sentenc- ing and introduce policies to reduce recidivism. And, Planned Parenthood, the larg- est provider of abortions in the nation and to black Americans, announced withdrawal from the Title X program as result of a new rule prohibiting re- ferrals for abortion except in cases of rape, incest and medical emergency. Black Americans are doing great under this president, and as this con- tinues, we can expect surprises from this community in November 2020. Star Parker is an author and president of CURE, Center for Urban Renewal and Education. Contact her at urbancure.org. Continued from page 12 STUPIDITY self, your family and your friends. There's a few more I could add- like preventing misery for others who can- not stand tobacco smoke, those who have allergies, those who have to pay more insurance premiums to care for the ones who be- come ill from smoking, etc. etc. I have yet to find one good reason to smoke cig- arettes. Anyone share one virtue about smoking? • • • Well some would argue it's nobody's business to in- terfere with one's choices in life like smoking, drink- ing, marijuana use, vaping, etc. etc. However, it is ev- erybody's business to pay money to provide health care and expenses for trag- edies caused by bad habits or poor choices. That just does not make sense. I did not even mention loss of productivity due to inabil- ity to work because of ill- ness from tobacco and re- lated products. Humor of the week: One time, a kid asked her mom why her dad smokes so much? The mother then said, "Well daughter, let me light up my cigarette while I think about this good question you brought up." Have a great week! . Smoke free I hope. inclusiveness. If the act is passed by the Senate and signed by the President "as is," an army of lawyers will descend upon the Church and destroy it. Fletch Daniels in his lat- est blog writes that Chris- tians " for too long have misunderstood the goals of the LGBT communi- ty…The majority of Amer- icans thought this move- ment was about winning acceptance and tolerance of gay Americans [live and let live]… But that was nev- er the goal….The goal was always about forcing Amer- icans to celebrate and bow before the full and ever- expanding LGBTQ agen- da while detaching Ameri- ca from its Judeo-Christian heritage and moral frame- work. The destruction of Christianity in society is the goal." By crushing Christiani- ty, the LGBTQ leaders feel they will have affirmation as to what they "are;" but only God can affirm our worth-we cannot affirm ourselves. Christians play nice and as a group, the faithful take to heart the admonition: "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judg- ment you judge, you will be judged; and with the mea- sure you use, it will be mea- sured back to you," and the disingenuous use it against them when their immoral behavior is challenged with the refrain "Jesus said not to judge! " That is cherry picking! The context of the passage is a warning about hypocri- sy, and not about righteous judgement. Jesus had a warning to all who proclaim them- selves to speak in the name of the Lord, which all Christians do whether they realize it or not: "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's cloth- ing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, ev- ery good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree can- not bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore, by their fruits, you will know them. Your life is the tree that others pick fruit from. Je- sus said we produce good fruit or bad fruit. Notice there is no hybrid fruit. Furthermore, a tree can- not produce mixed fruit: some good and some bad. Jesus will tell the listener later, "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit." The church world is in disarray because of bad fruit being allowed to ger- minate among the good. You cannot soft-soap the divisions among us. The early church Fa- thers would be "a gasp" at elements of the church that embrace the killing of the unborn, euthanasia, and unbridled sexuality [just to mention a few]. The church stands against the intolerance and hatred, but cannot cele- brate and champion "inclu- sion" when it demands the overthrow of three millen- nium of Jewish and Chris- tian morality. The "historical" Church is a declared enemy and must be destroyed. The progressives are coming not just for Drew Brees, Focus on the Family, and Chick-Fil-A, but also for you. Jesus is "Coming" for a Church who has made her- self ready; as Paul wrote to the church of Ephesus that God was going to "...pres- ent her to Himself a glo- rious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blem- ish." Who are you making yourself ready for? Think about it! East Gibson News Veterans deploy to Bahamas for disaster relief By Janice Barniak Local vets and first responders with Sheepdog Impact Assistance who headed to the Bahamas waited out tropical storm Humberto Sunday on their way to help with evacuations, res- cues and recoveries post-Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas, their first mis- sion outside the U.S. Gibson County veteran Christo- pher MacKay spoke to the Star-Times as he loaded MREs (meals ready to eat) for the Bahamian people Sunday afternoon onto a boat the crew would eventually take to the islands, once the weather was safe enough to set out. "They've got a drone in the air, and they're getting grid coordinates for bodies lying on the ground. We're go- ing to take the bodies, and stack them and hopefully get them to the families so they can get peace after their recov- ery," he said. He added the vets and first respond- ers will be working against the clock as packs of wild dogs have begun eat- ing the dead. Many of the vets are familiar with combat conditions, and will show up not just with gear, food, water, medi- cal equipment, a generator and a solar panel, but also with something equal- ly valuable—crisis experience. For some of the vets who have strug- gled, MacKay said being able to do hu- manitarian work fills the need to keep serving. "Helping is healing," he said. Unlike being deployed with the military, they are much less likely to see violence, other than what might be caused by chaos and desperation. "We naturally have the ability to want to serve. We want to give back, show self-sacrifice. We're just servants at heart." He said the group has been lucky that the community has supported their efforts, from Ameriqual sending disaster relief meals, to airlines help- ing them move supplies, including ba- by wipes, formula, adult diapers for the many displaced elderly, and a do- nation of an Air BnB when the group had to bunk down and wait for Hum- berto to pass. The 12 sheepdogs deploying are from Indiana, Ohio, North Carolina, Florida and Arkansas, and it's costing between $7,000 and $10,000 for the or- ganization to give aid. To support the group's mission or to learn how to join Sheepdogs on their next disaster relief project, go to sheep- dogia.org. There, a donation area will allow for donations—and Hurricane Dorian can be specified in the dona- tion. "This makes me feel like I have a purpose. Since I left service, I didn't have anything to make me feel like I do now," he said. "Complete." Sheep Dog Impact Organization is deploying for the first time outside the United States this week to assist with Hurricane Dorian cleanup in the Bahamas. Former WMHS PTO secretary's court date set for Oct. 10 By Janice Barniak Former Wood Memorial P TO secre- tary Stephanie Rhoton, 36, accused of using $4,180 of Parent Teacher Orga- nization money for, among other pur- chases, parasailing, appeared in court Wednesday on charges of fraud, a level six felony, and fraud on a financial insti- tution, a fifth level felony. Judge Robert Krieg told Rhoton, who appeared in person, that, if convicted, advisory sentences on the two charges were three years and one year, all things being equal. Rhoton was appointed an attorney, Daniel Moon, and has a status confer- ence set for 9 a.m. Oct.10. She is accused of making several un- authorized purchases July 8 and July 24, including purchases while in Daytona Beach, Fla. The alleged fraud was uncovered by the treasurer of the Wood Memo- rial Parent Teacher Organization Me- gan Egdorf, who reported the charges to German American Bank and police. Beyond parasailing, purchases are said to include an AT&T bill, an RV Center charge and an ATM withdrawal. According to the probable cause affi- davit filed by Indiana State Police Detec- tive Tobias Odom, only Egdorf and Rho- ton have the card, and Odom matched va- cation photos to the alleged purchases. According to the affidavit, Rhoton told police she used the card for the disputed charges and also put the bank card into Egdorf's glove compartment afterwards. Gibson County United Way Day of Caring set for Sept. 24 United Way of Gibson County will be kicking off their 2019 campaign with their 13th Annual Day of Caring on Tuesday, Sept. 24. Volunteers will spend the day out in the community completing projects for local agencies and organizations such as the YMCA Camp Carson, Gibson County Youth Center, Salvation Army, the Arc of Gib- son County, Habitat for Humanity and Gibson County Council on Aging. Proj- ects include tasks such as painting, staining, landscape work and cleaning. The Day of Caring is a community- wide event in which United Way con- nects businesses and volunteers with nonprofit agencies in need of help. In just one day, more than 100 volunteers donate their time and talents to mean- ingful projects that nonprofits might not otherwise have the resources to accomplish. If you are interested in participating for the day, or even half-day, to help with these volunteer projects, call the United Way office at 812-386 -6120 or email jschafer@unitedwaygibson.org. The Day of Caring will kick off with a light breakfast at 8 a.m. at the gazebo on the northwest corner of the courthouse lawn. All volunteers will receive a free T-shirt to wear. A free lunch will be served to the pub- lic and all our volunteers on Tuesday, Sept. 24. So if you can't make it to volunteer, at least come out at lunch and show your support. Lunch will be served in the gazebo from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sheep Dog members, who are former vets and first responders, load donations onto a plane Sunday.