The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/954165
C-10 Opinion Wednesday, March 14, 2018 The Press-Dispatch SOMETHING NEWSWORTHY? LET US KNOW AT 812-354-8500! Court Report CRIMINAL Pike Circuit Court Robert Alexander Piper charged with count I dealing in methamphet- amine, a level 2 felony, count II posses- sion of methamphetamine and count III possession of a narcotic drug. George E. Brown III charged with dealing in methamphetamine, a lev- el 2 felony, count II dealing in meth- amphetamine, count III possession of methamphetamine and count IV pos- session of a narcotic drug. Michael Wood charged with count I dealing in methamphetamine, a lev- el 2 felony, and count II possession of methamphetamine, habitual offender. Brianna Lance charged with count I dealing in methamphetamine, a level 2 felony, count II possession of metham- phetamine and count III possession of a narcotic drug. Kaci M. Biggs charged with pos- session of methamphetamine, a lev- el 4 felony. Stephen Cooper charged with count I possession of methamphetamine, a level 6 felony, count II unlawful pos- session of syringe, count III operating a vehicle with a schedule I or II con- trolled substance or its metabolite in the body and count IV operating a ve- hicle while intoxicated. Melodie J. Colter charged with count I possession of methamphetamine, a level 6 felony, and count II unlawful possession of syringe. Tom M. Riley charged with home im- provement fraud, a level 6 felony. Benjamin W. Held charged with count I possession of a narcotic drug, a level 6 felony, count II unlawful posses- sion of syringe, count III possession of a controlled substance, count IV pos- session of paraphernalia and count V operating a vehicle while intoxicated. Levi Thomas Martin charged with count I operating a vehicle with an ACE of .08 or more, a level 6 felony, and count II operating a vehicle while intoxicated. Tanner Stephen Houchin charged with count I auto theft, a level 6 felony, and count II resisting law enforcement. Erica L. Warner charged with ne- glect of a dependent, a level 6 felony. Brian K. Warner charged with ne- glect of a dependent, a level 6 felony. Falon Pauw charged with neglect of a dependent, a level 6 felony. Joshua H. Pauw charged with ne- glect of a dependent, a level 6 felony. Tamara McCandless charged with count I operating a vehicle while intox- icated, a level 6 felony, count II pos- session of a controlled substance and count III operating a vehicle while in- toxicated. Kirby D. Quiggins charged with fail- ure to register as a sex or violent of- fender, a level 6 felony. In re: search warrant. TRAFFIC AND MISDEMEANOR Pike Circuit Court Levi Martin charged with invasion of privacy. Timothy Scott Sweeney charged with operating a vehicle with a sched- ule I or II controlled substance or its metabolite in the body. Levi Russell Nelson charged with operating a vehicle with an ACE of .08 or more. Jeffrey Vernon Davis charged with possession of marijuana. Matthew L. Richardson charged with count I leaving the scene of an accident and count II false informing. Joshua L. Hunt charged with oper- ating a vehicle with an ACE of .08 or more. Daniel N. Fair charged with count I possession of marijuana and count II possession of paraphernalia. Dewey D. Welborn charged with driving while suspended. Lauren M. Welcher charged with count I possession of marijuana and count II possession of paraphernalia. Billyjoe C. Wiscaver charged with driving while suspended. CIVIL Pike Circuit Court Old National Bank sues Brian Ma- honey, as personal rep of estate, Rod- ney Loveless, Angela A. Loveless, oc- cupants of 1263 W. Glezen Main St., Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp, c/o highest officer found and Citizens National Bank of Evansville, c/o high- est officer thereof on complaint. PennyMac Loan Services sues Mi- chael J. Martinez on complaint. In re: Vehicle Title Request. Holly J. Armstrong sues Leland S. Armstrong for dissolution of marriage. SMALL CLAIMS Pike Circuit Court Kathryn Cato Wiscaver sues David Hume on complaint. Cradle and Crayons sue Bill and Stephanie Clark on complaint. Sheridan Glipsie sues Geico on com- plaint. Summer Rogers sues Dana Moyes on complaint. INFRACTIONS Pike Circuit Court Kyle Alcantara charged with speed- ing, 77 mph in a 55 on complaint. James Austin, Jr. charged with oper- ating with expired plates. Brennon Benton charged with speeding, 65 mph in a 45 zone. Daniel Blessinger charged with seatbelt violation. Shanna Bolin charged with throw- ing a lighted cigarette, cigar or match from a moving motor vehicle. Donna Cato charged with speeding, 59 mph in a 45 zone. Cody Catt charged with seatbelt vi- olation. Jessie Cooper charged with driving while suspended. Kayla Cunningham charged with speeding, 49 mph in a 35 zone. Tyler Curry charged with seatbelt violation. Kelly Fields charged with driving while suspended. Jeremy Henderson charged with speeding, 55 mph in a 40 zone. James Hopson charged with speed- ing, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Christian Jones charged with driv- ing left of center. David Patrick charged with speed- ing, 64 mph in a 55 zone. Stacey Williams charged with oper- ating with expired plates. Hunter Willis charged with speed- ing, 60 mph in a 45 zone. Karen Day charged with seatbelt vi- olation. Kaitlyn Grimwood charged with speeding, 90 mph in a 70 zone. Isaiah Hayes charged with speed- ing, 65 mph in a 55 zone. Stacy Holmes charged with count I disregarding stop sign and count II no valid driver's license. Damian Howe charged with driving while suspended. Erickson Jitiam charged with speed- ing, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Steven Mann charged with speed- ing, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Aaron Mobley charged with speed- ing, 84 mph in a 70 zone. J. Phillipy charged with speeding, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Thomas Pierce charged with speed- ing, 92 mph in a 70 zone. Sebastian Schecter charged with speeding, 88 mph in a 70 zone. Kendell Staton charged with speed- ing, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Demetra Taylor charged with speed- ing, 88 mph in a 70 zone. Earl Townsend, IV charged with speeding, 84 mph in a 70 zone. EXPEDITION Continued from page 9 where they started their journey. They wanted to see North Amer- ica and then head down to Mexi- co and hoped to go as far south as they could go. They brought along their dog named Rudi for company. And so they went to places both ru- ral, urban and suburban, Most of their focus was to see the natural beauty of these places in Canada at first, then the United States, then Mexico. They were also hopeful to reach many of Central American and South American Countries. Unfortunately after months of travel, they had to quit while in Mexico mainly because their dog was getting ill from the long trips, their bus had some breakdowns, and also I suspect they were run- ning out of enthusiasm. And may- be resources. What I learned from travels they have made is there is indeed a mix of joy seeing the beauty of nature, the goodness of strangers when they needed help, difficulties in crossing internation- al borders, the amazing technolo- gies we have so the couple could communicate with their relatives in Germany, and also work for a liv- ing using the internet. But there are also challenges in travelling such as breakdowns in their vehicle, illness that happened to their dog who twice required major veterinary work, one in Can- ada and another in Mexico. Anoth- er thing I learned is that despite seeming insurmountable challeng- es which made them feel helpless and hopeless, they always found a way to solve problems. Makes you believe in the strength of the human spirit and resourcefulness when faced with problems. So, in the end, the cou- ple and their dog returned to their country of Germany. When you see a scene like the utter joy of the couple, their dog and the family who welcomed them back home, the saying there's no place like home is always true. The fami- lies were not told they were return- ing and so you can just imagine the hugs and high fives everybody was doing upon seeing everyone. • • • Since it is still Lent, here's a sto- ry I came across that sticks to our awareness. There is an old Indian legend that I think sums up many situa- tions. Many years ago, an Indian brave would go away in solitude to prepare for manhood. He would hike into a beautiful valley, green with trees and bright with flowers. There, as he looked up at the sur- rounding mountains, he noticed one rugged peak, capped with daz- zling snow. He thought he would test him- self against the mountain. So he put on his buffalo shirt, threw his blanket over his shoulders, and set off to climb the pinnacle. When he reached the top, he stood on the rim of the world. He could see for- ever, and his heart swelled with pride. Then he heard a rustle on his feet. Looking down, he saw a snake. Before he could move, the snake spoke. The snake said, "I am about to die. It is too cold for me up here, and there is no food. Put me un- der your shirt and take me down to the valley." The youth said," No, I know your kind. You are a rat- tlesnake. If I pick you up, you will bite me, and your bite will kill me. " Then the snake said, "Not so, I will treat you differently. If you do this for me, I will not harm you." The youth resisted for a while, but this was a very persuasive snake. At last the youth tucked it in under his shirt and carried it down to the valley. There he laid it down gently. Suddenly, the snake coiled, rattled and leaped, biting him on the leg. The youth cried, "But you promised." The snake slithered away and said, " You knew what I was when you picked me up." This is a power- ful little parable. The snake could be drugs, alcohol, greed and temp- tations of every kind, and that the best protection we have against temptation is to avoid it completely. What a powerful story indeed. and a disciplined life are ig- nored or explained away. We live in an age in which scripture passages that we do not agree with or dislike, we cut them from the pages of the New Testament as Thomas Jef- ferson did some 200 years ago. In acting in such a vain way, we discard the authority of the Bible and the Church and create a re- ligious dogma that sooths our own lifestyle and con- sciousness. Without controversy, it is easier to keep pews filled with a self-actual- ization possibility think- ing pep talk than with bib- lical admonitions to emu- late Christ. It is somewhat ironic that the conservative church which still identifies with the morality of the Andy Griffith Show is a model worth considering even though our best church experts remind us that the era is gone forever. The critics scoff at this era's cultural conformi- ty, but this timeframe pro- duced Billy Graham, who preached that a relation- ship with Jesus Christ was the only way to salva- tion. Missing from his ser- mons was the social jus- tice issues that plague our church conversation today. Graham didn't talk about genderism, but Christ! No talk of universalism but spoke of an assured eter- nity with God! What makes the church "The Church" is that its foundation rests upon the Great Confession: Jesus asked, "But whom do you say that I am? "You are the Christ, the Son of the liv- ing God." What makes a disciple a disciple of Christ: "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and ac- ceptable and perfect will of God." Notice there is no "me" mentioned; it is Christ! Think about it! Continued from page 9 CHURCH by St. Patrick's Day cel- ebrations that glamorize inebriated Irish-Ameri- cans as a trendy fad. Irish alcohol consumption isn't cute, and it's nothing to brag about. It's the central tragedy of the Irish, more catastrophic and far more persistent than the Brit- ish occupation. It's intru- sive, reaching into Irish families and marriages. It crushes human potential. It's not worth it. We have no letter to fu- ture generations by our Stinson emigrant from County Sligo, so we don't know for sure what he wished for us. But his life was a letter. That let- ter suggests that he want- ed his descendants to be free. I'm grateful to him for that. So I offer a letter to him: thanks for not giv- ing up. Thanks for making us Americans. Continued from page 9 IRELAND Continued from page 9 TYRANNY mer member of the Feder- al Election Commission. "It prevents candidates from winning an election by fo- cusing only on high-popu- lation urban centers (the big cities), ignoring small- er states and the more ru- ral areas of the country — the places that progres- sives and media elites con- sider flyover country." Most people who watch the election returns know that a candidate must se- cure 270 electoral votes to win. That's because there are 538 votes altogeth- er. As the website for the National Archives notes, "Your state's entitled al- lotment of electors equals the number of members in its Congressional dele- gation: one for each mem- ber in the House of Repre- sentatives plus two for your Senators." In short, the Founders were looking out for the people in "flyover country" long before there were air- planes to fly over them. Were it not for the Elec- toral College, presidential candidates could act as if many Americans don't even exist. They could simply campaign in a small handful of states with big populations. Who would care what the people in Io- wa think? Or Wyoming? Or any number of other states with smaller populations? The people in "flyover country" don't get enough attention as it is, but with- out the Electoral College, they'd be completely at the mercy of the majority. And let's face it — that's often not a great place to be. As the Austrian polit- ical philosopher Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn dry- ly observed in his book "Leftism," the crucifixion of Jesus was "a democrat- ic event." What the wolves want matters, but so does what the sheep wants. The Elec- toral College ensures that no one winds up on the menu. Ed Feulner is founder of The Heritage Foundation. Pursuit of the Cure by Star Parker What's driving the opioid crisis? By now, most have heard about the deadly opioid epidemic that has struck our nation. According to data compiled in a Kai- ser Family Foundation report, there were 42,249 casualties in 2016 related to opioids. This is double the 21,089 re- ported in 2010. For a little perspective, given all the attention guns are getting these days, per the FBI, in 2015 there were 13,455 murders, 9,616 committed with fire- arms. What is driving this opioid crisis? According to a recent report about opioids by the Social Capital Project, organized in the U.S. Senate, "the over- supply and abuse of legal prescription pain relievers is at the heart of the cri- sis." This has led to action in Washing- ton with legislation such as the Opi- oid Addiction Prevention Act, which would impose limits on opioid painkill- er prescriptions. However, Dr. Sally Satel, a psychi- atrist and lecturer at Yale University School of Medicine and resident schol- ar at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C., challenges this picture, which she calls "a false nar- rative." According to Satel, data show "that only a minority of people who are pre- scribed opioids for pain become addict- ed to them, and those who do become addicted and who die from painkiller overdoses tend to obtain these medi- cations from sources other than their own physicians. Within the past sev- eral years, overdose deaths are over- whelmingly attributable not to pre- scription opioids but to illicit fentan- yl and heroin. These 'street opioids' have become the engine of the opioid crisis in its current, and most lethal form." Satel acknowledges the problem of overpre- scribed opioid painkill- ers being diverted to people other than the in- tended patient, but she doesn't see this as the core of today's crisis. Furthermore, we don't want to get into a situation where doc- tors are intimidated from prescribing, or prevented from prescribing, pain- killers that are justifiably needed. I believe Satel zeroes in on the re- al heart of the crisis when she says, "What we need is demand-side policy. Interventions that seek to reduce the desire to use drugs, be they painkill- ers, or illicit opioids." Here, I see an interesting parallel to the gun debate. That is, the center of the deadly problem is with the disturbed user or perpetrator, rather than with the in- strument — whether it is a gun or a drug. The instrument is the result rath- er than the cause. The first impulse, particularly in a highly materialistic and secular cul- ture like ours, is to see the problem in the thing rather than the person, be- cause that's the easiest approach. Looking at the demographics of the opioid crisis, a number of flashing lights emerge. First, the perpetrators are dispro- portionately men (another parallel with the gun issue). Of the 42,249 opi- oid related deaths in 2016, 67 percent were men. Also, as reported by the Social Capital Project, opi- oid casualties are dispro- portionately not married. In 2015, "never married and di- vorced individuals made up about 32 percent of the pop- ulation but accounted for 71 percent of all opioid over- dose deaths." And opioid casualties appear dispro- portionately among the least educated. In 2015, "40 percent had no more than a high school diploma or equivalent, but they accounted for 68 percent of all opioid overdose deaths." As policy makers in Washington and in state and local governments attempt to address this opioid crisis, looking to the usual policy tools like government programs and government spending, I think it's worth considering that what we're seeing may reflect a spiritual, cultural crisis. There's a price to be paid when a society forsakes the spiritual for the purely material and when traditional institutions such as marriage and fam- ily are abandoned. It could be that as family and marriage break down, the first victims of this abandonment of spirit and tradition are our young men. Star Parker is an author and presi- dent of CURE, Center for Urban Renew- al and Education. Contact her at www. urbancure.org.