Friday, January 27, 2012

No one is above the law--someone should tell this guy that...

Been reading my local paper online for the last few days and might I just say I'm beyond disgusted with the way my local sheriff runs his office?? Might I please?? Thank you!

This man places ads in the local paper quite often (and the closer it is to election time, the more often he does it) paid for out of his own pocket (with money he earns from his paid position as an elected law enforcement official and head of a governmental body i.e. taxpayer funded) proclaiming his personal religious beliefs. Now before you go jumping on me, hear me out. I have no issue with his taking out the ads in his own name and stating his personal beliefs. That's not the problem. The problem is that he does so with his official title and seal of his elected office appearing on those ads. And at the same time he is at the very least insinuating that anyone who does not share his personal beliefs are not entitled to the same protection of his office as those who do happen to agree with him. Of course he uses different language, but boil it down and the bones state what he really means.

This isn't my only issue with him. I have a few others.

For instance, the fact that he refused to serve a court-ordered restraining order on one of his own deputies because he knew the wife and knew if he just gave her the weekend to think about it, she'd realize she didn't want to do that to her husband. That's what he told the local news when they asked him about it.

Then there's the whole deal about how anyone (read FEMALE there) who wants to file a complaint of sexual assault has to take and pass a polygraph test before an investigation will begin because 'if she lies, then a man's reputation is ruined' So it is perfectly acceptable in his head to victimize everyone filing that kind of charge because someone COULD lie. Funny, I could say my house was robbed and I don't have to prove I'm not lying about it BEFORE an investigation even begins! Only sexual assault charges are handled this way. Now I will state that 2 elections ago, he CLAIMED this policy was no longer in force in his department. I've heard otherwise, but have no proof of it. It just sticks in my gut that it was ever the case at all.

Then there's the time he left his loaded weapon in the bathroom at a grocery store and had to be called to the front of the store to have it returned. He didn't even realize he'd left it until he was pointed out to him. Had that been one of his deputies, he would have fired him on the spot, but because it was Ed, the people here still say "haven't you ever left your keys in a restaurant before? People forget things all the time. It's no big deal!" Last time I checked, my KEYS lacked the ability to maim or murder the way a loaded gun does, so I don't see the connection.

Then there's the fact that he does not have a single female deputy patrolling the streets. All female officers work in the jail and it is part of their daily jobs to cook breakfast for the inmates and other officers! I'm not making that up. I wish I were making that up!


Then there's the way he intrudes into the personal lives of his staff. He not only has deputies following other deputies off duty to see where they go and what they do and who they are with while going and doing, but he refuses to hire a deputy who is living with a woman who is not his wife. YET the sheriff himself is a divorced and remarried man--in his own religious belief system that is a No-No! As long as that first wife is alive, he is an adulterer! But that doesn't apply to the mighty Sheriff Ed! Only to the other lower beings who come into his presence.

The latest example of this over-reaching was when he confiscated cell phones, both department issued phones and personal phones, from all employees in his department and ended up firing one long-time deputy for using his personal phone while on duty. Then he fired a second deputy because that deputy talked to the fired deputy after the firing! Read all about it here:


And what is really frustrating is the fact that if he decides to run for office again, he will be elected again! His supporters will say 'run against him if you can do better!" but what they fail to acknowledge is that when you are outnumbered by idiots who believe that because he CLAIMS to be a 'good Christian man' that makes him the perfect sheriff. '


A few elections ago I was at lunch with some friends while wearing a support badge for one of his opponents. I saw one of his deputies at the dessert table and he told me he liked my badge. He said "I would wear one of those too, but if I did, I'd lose this one" and pointed to his departmental badge on his uniform. I told him there was one place he could do his talking and not worry about being fired--the voting booth. And his reply has proven true a few times since then, "Lotta good that'll do. We're outnumbered by the clueless"

I can only hope that as more people move into this area, the voters who are card-carrying members of the Kool-Aid Drinker's Society will eventually be in the minority and we will actually be able to elect a sheriff who will take the safety and well-being of ALL citizens into equal account.

I know this is just a rant and a rant that few will ever read, but it does make me feel better to get it off my chest. And if just one person is happier with the police protection they get because it was compared to what I have here, then maybe something positive can come from all this frustration!

That's my rant for today...what's yours??

Later Tater Tots...

Long Time...No Post...Let's play catch up!

I wish I could say I hadn't posted anything here in over a year because I was travelling the world, working to cure some horrid disease like diabetes or stupidity, but I've just been lazy. No other excuse, just lazy. And like my Gramma Leila always said, "Ain't but one cure for lazy--get to work!" So that's what I'm doing here....trying to make up for lost time would be like trying to find tits on a turtle. You might find 'em, but what you gonna do about it then? Might as well just pick up from where I am and go forward, right?? RIGHT?? Thought so...

I've had very little news to report and not even a lot of things that annoy me since my last post. But there are a few items right now that I'll be posting about later today. I need to gather my thoughts and post my words carefully. So stay tuned...those posts WILL go up today unless my computer decides to boink out on me...and it had best NOT if it knows what's good for it!! I have a sledgehammer in the garage and I ain't afraid to tell Hub to use it! LOL

Go on and admit it, you've missed my posts, haven't you?? I know you have...LOL

Until next post.....

Later Tater Tots!!

Thursday, September 23, 2010

New TV Season

Well the long awaited Fall TV Season is finally here! I'm really excited about some shows and others have already turned me off.
Here are my A list:
Criminal Minds--never dull, every single time I say 'this is the best episode yet' they outdo it the next week!
NCIS--my favorite show! I love Mark Harmon and the rest of the cast is wonderful. I've come to think of them as family that I actually like! LOL Great show and I hope it stays on the air for another decade!
Chuck gets an A because it's Chuck! I just love the show. Characters are fun and engaging and I love them all--just wish Ellie wasn't quite so WHINY! That makes me crazy!
Supernatural--like Chuck, it's on the A list because I love the show. I'm really looking forward to seeing where it goes this season, especially since it was supposed to have ended last year. Getting back to some good old-fashioned monster butt kicking will be great! And I hope we get to see the Ghost Facers this season!! I love those guys!


New shows added to my A list are a bit of a surprise to me actually. Chase, Nikita and No Ordinary Family are all shows I watched (online) with a hint of 'bet I will hate this' in the back of my mind only to be shocked and surprised when I loved the shows. Each offers something different and while I will most likely still catch episodes of them online (especially those up against my other more established A list shows) I will still watch.

My B list shows (meaning they are good and have the potential to grow on me) are The Whole Truth and Detroit 1-8-7, both those shows have a lot of promise. I enjoyed both pilots and I'll stick with them as long as they continue on the same route. Detour too much and I might stop watching.

Honorable mention goes to The Event and Undercovers. These shows still haven't proven they are 'don't miss' worthy, but I haven't written them off completely yet. The Event has one thing going for it--Blair Underwood. But the fact the network is touting it as 'if Lost and 24 had a baby, it would be The Event' is enough to make me cringe. The pilot left me feeling just like Lost did--with more questions than answers and a little bit duped by the hype. I'll give it ONE more episode. If it isn't a lot better than the pilot, then I'm afraid even my love for Blair Underwood will not be enough to keep me watching.
Undercovers is a fairly decent show. The characters are engaging and I do love Gerald McRaney. I liked it for the same reasons I like Chuck. This one has me interested. As long as they stay on track, I'll keep watching, but if I miss an episode here or there, I won't be too upset over it.

Shows that got lower scores are Hawaii-50. This one had me saying 'give me a break' and 'OMG!" over and over again. It is so far from the original series as to be a slap in the face to anyone who remembers loving it. If you can't IMPROVE on a classic, don't try. But when you try and fail this miserably, at least have the decency to cank it before you let folks see how badly you screwed the pooch! Those too young to remember the original and those who like to see things blown up and cars running through buildings might watch this one and if there are enough of those, this one may be on the air longer than I would like, but it will go on without me. While I disliked most of it, I didn't dislike ALL of it. There were some funny one-liners--not enough to get me to waste another hour of my life on this show, but enough to keep it off the FAIL list. I give it a D.

Raising Hope gets the first official F List nod. This one was so bad, I turned it off after 6 minutes. The jokes are juvenile and only fans of Jackass and Borat could possibly be impressed by them. As I said, 6 minutes and that was as much as I could stand. Definitely an F- in my book!

Some other shows I'm still anxious to see this season are MEDIUM and FRINGE. I've enjoyed the last couple seasons of both and do not expect this season to change that opinion much at all.

So how about YOU? What grades are you giving this season's line up? Have any new favorites? I'll update my list as the season wears on. Some may be added to the list, others may fall off of it. Only time will tell for sure.

Until next time folks,

Laine

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Spring Has Sprung---with a vengeance!

The pollen count is the highest it has been in the last seven years here in Eastern North Carolina. Experts say that is possibly related to the longer winter we had and trees that normally flower earlier and just now getting around to doing so, thus more pollen. All I know is my husband's red car was more of a peach color yesterday and the Kid Unit is suffering greatly from the effects.

However, the warmer temps do bring a lot of opportunities for enjoying the great out of doors and that is a welcome treat. There is just so much to do here when the weather is cooperating--contrary to some of the more widely held opinions of the area.

I'm really looking forward to the first rain, knocking some of that pollen out of the air and giving us a better chance to enjoy the outside.

The winter blahs are over---bring on SPRING FEVER!! :)

Until next time,
Keep it between the lines.

Laine

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Passing on a good thing...

My pal Marta Stephens is committing to writing something new on her blog every day this year. And not just any old thing, but her thoughts and ideas and hardships and JOYS (here's to hoping for loads of those) as she goes through her writing process. I don't know about you, but for me, that will be a blog worth reading!! :)
In case you want to follow her as well, here's the link:
http://mstephens-musings.blogspot.com/

GOOD LUCK MARTA!! I look forward to reading all about it! :)

Until the next wild hair,
Laine

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

WOW..Time Flies When You Get OLD...

Mercy Me! Where did 2009 rush off to in such a big fired-up hurry? I have heard about how your life flashes before your eyes just before you die, I hope this is no indication of how my 2010 is going to go! LOL

This time of year I like to reflect on new things I discovered, or interesting places I've been (or hope to go) or just life in general. I've come to realize that as I age the things that in my youth were of ultimate importance to me are really of no great consequence and the things I never considered to be important in my youth are really the only things that truly matter.

As a child, I was told to be nice and share and hold my temper until I got all the facts. I was having none of that! Now that I'm older, I see why that is really important and even though those are not always my first responses, I am happy to report that I tend to get there eventually--most of the time.

As a teen, the opinions of other people had about the same affect on me as water on a duck's back. My opinion was the ONLY one that mattered. To a degree, this is still the case, however I have learned to appreciate the opinions of others, even if I don't always agree with them. I have learned that just because I don't agree with another person doesn't always make either of us WRONG. It simply means we come from different places and our journeys have lead us down different paths to the same spot. Because our paths were different, so is our perception. I try to learn from the differences and if it changes my perception and my opinion, then my path is different for the rest of my journey. I just hope for nicer scenery.

Now the things that matter most to me are not always tangible. Time is very precious to me. I try not to waste so much of it on frivolous ventures that go nowhere. I try to look for the positives in every situation. Sometimes the only positive is the fact that I have moved on in my life and that situation is behind me. I try to learn from my mistakes because otherwise I will only repeat them.

I can only hope that 2010 is a great year for all of us.
My very best wishes to you and yours,
Laine

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Who is stalking me?


Dragonfly

Dragonfly

Dragongly Symbolism

Dragonfly symbolism crosses and combines with that of the butterfly and change. The dragonfly symbolizes going past self-created illusions that limit our growing and changing. Dragonflies are a symbol of the sense of self that comes with maturity.