This morning I was treated to a lovely breakfast with two thirds of my sons, half of my grandsons and and one of my two daughters (in law but that’s just a technicality). I was showered with cards and really nice gifts that are thoughtful and useful. The one from the little boys is pictured here;
I am missing the one third of the sons, the other half of the grandsons and the other daughter (in law but that’s just a technicality).
And of course I am missing my own Mother.
I then began to think, after all this blog is called “my random thoughts”. Days like today evoke all sorts of emotions and memories and even though I miss my Mother I had the joy of loving her and having her with me for fifty-four years. Yes, I desperately want to squish that new baby face of my 2 month old grandson and play with his older brother in the meadow and hug my son and daughter but I look forward to all of that the next time I am with them. In the interim I know that I shall see them this evening via SKYPE. Thank you technology!
This is not the case for too many Mom’s. Today there are 21 Mommies in Sandy Hook that will not feel their babies’ arms around them nor will they smile through the tears as they read the handmade Mother’s Day Cards full of love tissue paper and smelling of library paste. There are children who no longer have a Mom to whom they can make and deliver a breakfast in bed of lumpy pancakes and truly dreadful coffee. There are Moms who shall see their daughters’ eyes shine back at them only in a picture on the mantle.
Closer to home, Mickel Sylvain’s Mom is struggling with fresh grief at the loss of her son just last Thursday in a cruel random vehicular crash. She will be choosing hymns and pall bearers on this Mother’s Day.
On Friday, the day he would have turned 13 years old, Matteo Mancini’s birthday was recognized at his funeral. This brave young man fought for life and lived it with a grace and dignity well beyond his years and while his Mom is proud and full of love she too will never forget this Mother’s Day.
As I write, the Mother of Tim Bosma waits for news of her son. Tim’s wife Sharlene is spending today holding on to their little girl and waiting.
Today we Moms celebrate how lucky we are to be Daughters and Mothers. We are fortunate and we are grateful.
As we eat half baked cookies and try to arrange broken stemmed flowers in a leaky vase made with loving little hands, maybe take a moment to send some kind thoughts to those Moms mentioned here and to others whose Mother’s Day is one of challenge or sadness or grief. Just for a moment, and then relish in the joy of your loved ones as will this Mother and Nana.
I continue to be a proponent of a No Kill philosophy BUT I continue to fear the “movement” (NKA & NKN) are more concerned with the optics of “clearing the books”, “getting them out the shelter” than they are about the welfare of the dogs and cats that are “cleared” and “transported”. I have asked and asked but to date no one has taken the time or made the effort to reply, Does anyone follow up on the dogs and cats that are transported or transferred to the numerous rescue groups? Does anyone know or care what happens to the dogs and cats that are sent to these rescue groups. Does anyone know or care to perform checks and on site visits to these rescue groups?’ How many dogs and cats are adopted,transferred yet again or just live a miserable, diseased, starving existence until they die either naturally or predated my those hungrier and stronger. Does anyone take the time or make the effort to care? BUT, they are not killed because this is No Kill – at all costs. Just another form of exploitation of innocent animals in order that others may write books, make speeches and garner donations.
This is the other side of No Kill, the “rescues” to which dogs and cats are sent in order to empty the cages at the shelters. They are gone, they are forgotten, out of sight- out of mind, they are neglected, they are abused but the shelter statistics are great and the public relations train just keeps on chugging. The law suits against those that have the audacity to disagree continue to be fought (with donor money) and the animals continue to rot in hell on earth.
For years Nathan Winograd, the guru of No Kill has ranted and raved against the cruelty, irresponsible behaviour, lack of ethics, and deplorable practices of the ASPCA.
Repeatedly, Winograd and his disciples have espoused that the No Kill equation is the only manner in which animals may be saved from “shelter killing”. Okay, I get it but how is it that Winograd’s virtual “right hand” , Bonnie Brown is working with the ASPCA? Ms.Brown is trotted out by Winograd at every opportunity to preach the gospel according to Winograd. She is at if not all then most of the No Kill conferences as a headline speaker regaling the no kill equation and the miracles that have been realized at Washoe County in Nevada and how she achieved a community wide live release rate of over 90% by dramatically increasing pet adoptions and engaging their community.
IF, Bonnie Brown is in fact working in cooperation with the ASPCA, then good for her. It is cooperative efforts that will make change not the constant ugly, vicious attacks a la Winograd that will ultimately save lives. The question remains how does this jibe with Winograd’s stance on the ASPCA?
The ASPCA provides free webinars for those interested in education themselves in the many areas of animals health and welfare. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that on April 25th, 2013, Bonnie Brown is conducting a webinar in cooperation with the ASPCA!!!!
I have heard Ms.Brown speak and found the experience very enjoyable, enlightening and definitely worth the listen. It will be interesting to hear if this particular presentation is peppered with the usual anti ASPCA, HSUS shots or will the talk be tempered in light of the sponsoring agency.
It is truly my hope that this is an indication of future cooperation between animal welfare organization and agencies. Maybe this is a precursor to greater understanding and enlightenment and a willingness to work together to save lives. Today Bonnie Brown and ASPCA, Tomrow Nathan Winograd and PEtA
Or not.
If I really am missing something or misunderstanding the situation then hopefully some one will “set me straight” in the interim……I am not holding by breath.
HERE IT IS FOLKS! THAT OPPORTUNITY TO ACTUALLY WALK THE TALK! STAND UP AND SAY NO TO PUPPY MILLS IN ONTARIO. WE ALL WHINGE AND WHINE ABOUT POLITICIANS DOING NOTHING AND HERE WE HAVE THREE THAT ARE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH WHAT WE ANIMAL WELFARE ADVOCATES CARE SO MUCH ABOUT.
A petition to “ENACT LEGISLATION TO SHUT DOWN ONTARIO’S PUPPY MILLS” was read into the Ontario Legislature on March 21, 2013 by:
As you all know, in the Fall the Ontario Legislature shut down… the above mentioned Petition is now in the hands of our Ontario Legislature. Let me add that his petition which HAD to be hand down (No internet or electronic versions) collected approx 15,500 signatures.
Here’s the thing now. The Legislature has 30 days to reply the the MPP’s who introduced the petition. So, NOW is the time to act to help close down puppy mills. Go to your constituency office. Lobby your MPP. Let him or her know that there are people in his/her riding who are passionate about this Legislation. If you’ve ever said you hate puppy mills… now is the time to act and visit, call, write, and/or lobby your own MPP. They have a vote…. let it be the right one to close down Puppy Mills.
It doesn’t get any easier than this. The heay lifting is being done by others all we have to do is lend some support. COME ON – NO EXCUSES- Let’s stop breeding for profit at the expense of innocent lives!
Please forward this post to anyone and everyone that you can think of that at anytime said “I hate puppy mills”
There’s a party going on! Yep, no doubt there will be much backslapping, cheering and mutual aggrandizing at LCHS today and deservedly so. Well done Strooband, Kushner, Davidson et al, you did it. You and your one minute one dollar proxies won the day.
We Did It! We Won!
CONGRATULATIONS, now let the killing commence
We lost
It had NOTHING to do with animal welfare, NOTHING. The LCHS AGM was all about sticking it to the taxpayers and donors of St Catharines. It was nothing more than a group of vindictive, immature, spiteful , egotistical, small minded, morally bankrupt individuals more concerned with maintaining a death grip on their pathetic “positions” than caring for the well being of animals.
The meeting had been choreographed for weeks and in the end, mission accomplished. Had this “operation been carried out with any degree of ethics or responsibility or with even an iota of decency I would not be as bothered but it was a case of pure and simple bullying. Apparently Roberts Rules of Order, the Ontario Corporations Act and a specific motion of City Council are of no consequence to the mighty demagogues of LCHS. Apparently there is one set of rules for we, the unwashed masses and then there is the golden rule for LCHS. “He who owns the gold rules and in this case the gold was the purchased proxies.
Sorry, I just cannot conjure up the energy to go through the whole charade again.
To those beautiful healthy, treatable dogs and cats that have been killed in the last ten years – OVER 25,000, think about it, TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND, we tried. To those thousands of healthy, treatable dogs and cats that will be killed at LCHS, we tried.
The Kushner Cocktail
We have not given up, we shall continue in our efforts to STOP THE KILLING!
So tomorrow is the big day. When we all gather together March 20th, 2013 it will have been two years since the last Lincoln County Humane Society’s Annual General Meeting, which is seven moths longer than stipulated by the Ontario Corporations Act, but hey don’t let a few rules get in the way.
I am really not sure why I am making the effort to write this post other than I made a commitment to a lot of people and even more animals most of which are now dead and more that shall die that I would try my best to STOP THE KILLING.
It has become abundantly clear that for whatever reasons and I am sure there are many, those in whom I thought I could trust and depend have at best manipulated the truth and more likely lied to me and a great deal of people as we all “fought” together to reform LCHS.
For the record, I still maintain that the most effective, efficient, ethical and moral manner in which to resolve the present situation regarding animal welfare in St Catharines and area is through shelter reform and by that I mean the present Board of Directors and subsequently management at LCHS must go.
I do not believe it is the job of St Catharines City Council to “fix it”. Yes I agree that under no circumstances should one single tax dollar be allotted to the present LCHS facility and its employees. Not one dollar!
It is true that LCHS is a private, incorporated business operating in St Catharines but contrary to those who believe otherwise City Council cannot and should not have the power to control how a business is operated even when the business carries out brutal killings of perfectly healthy animals every day. Wrong, yes, illegal no.
It has been my personal opinion since October 19th of 2012 the only manner in which there would ever be resolution was through legal channels. I still maintain this is the case. LCHS Board of Directors and Management continue right up to this minute are in non compliance with more rules of the Ontario Corporations Act than cats they have killed this month!
In October of 2012 a highly respected Corporate Lawyer advised that Ann Davidson assuming the position of Chair in spite of her having allowed her membership to lapse is actionable.
Incredibly it could and should have all ended right then. Read the minutes of the October 20th secret board meeting. This is the meeting that was held behind doors prior to the AGM when 60 odd people crammed into a little room waiting for over and hour and a half to be recognized and heard. Look at the numbers, who was there and who voted for what. http://www.lchs.ca/minutes/LCHS-Minutes-Oct-17-2012.pdf What is wrong with this picture?
At this very moment there are two variations of By Laws in the public eye. One is one the LCHS website and another that has been mailed to various acceptable parties (of which I am not one)
The ByLaws on the website are pretty innocuous with just a few revisions as of February 20th 2012. The other version, which is a virtual copy of the OSPCA By Laws right down to wording re Class A Class B Class C memberships, is about as offensive and restrictive as a set of By Laws can be. to see http://www.lchs.ca/pdf/LCHS-bylawsAmendmentsMar26-11.pdf
Now herein lies the rub:
According to legal advice;
S.129(2) of the Ontario Corporations Act states the by-law passed by directors is effective until next meeting of members where it is to be confirmed or rejected.
Therefore, any and all changes that are being recommended by the B of D are useless until voted in by the PRESENT membership, which includes life members. AND does not recognize PROXIES!!!!!!
Heads up folks! All those proxies that Annie Fannie and Kevvy have been running around accumulating mean absolutely nothing until the PRESENT membership decides whether they wish to incorporate proxies in the by laws!
This is an opportunity for all of those volunteers that were granted memberships and all others to whom membership was bestowed to step up and say NO! No to restrictive memberships, NO to ridiculous rules for the nomination and elections of directors, This is the time for those same people to nominate directors from the floor. This is the time for all of these folks to STOP THE KILLING!
According to the minutes taken directly from the LCHS website the following people have the right to vote to make the right changes and to STOP the KILLING:
Drue Ellison,
Allison Noble
Michael Saunders
Alison Danecker
Karen Moncur
Linda Charley
Ann Davidson, Present President
MaryLou Davidson, Former Director resigned January 2012
Michael Howe, Former Directro resigned October 2012
Zeljka Worden
Elizabeth McGill
James Turpel, Former Director resigned, came back resigned
Heinz Probst, Former Director resigned and Present Director
Jennette Probst , Director
CHARLEY Robert
KLASSEN Ed, Present Director and Membership Chair (excuse the expression)
HAIST Albert
HAIST Judy
DANECKER Alison
PROBST Christine , Present Director
PROBST Jennette
GHOSAL Rita, Former Director TWICE last resignation October 2012 she’ll be baaaack
KLOKKOU Sarah, Former Director (for 3 weeks) appointed Jan 2013 resigned Jan 2103
KOBYLKA Nadia, former Treasurer Resigned January 2012
Chris Lamoire-Armes
Patricia Bye
Graeme Mcloughlin
Megan Pasche
There are many more that are not reflected in the minutes. Hey don’t ask me I just report what is available on the website.
So here I sit and wait. I have received a summons to do my civic duty by appearing for Jury selection at the Superior Court.
Unlike the 99.9% of the people waiting with me I find the whole thing quite interesting. Actually, I rather think it would be a great life experience to sit on a jury. I think most of the grumblers would agree but whine and chew because it is the “accepted” reaction to receiving a summons. Hey, Law and Order isn’t the longest running and largest franchise in TV history because people are not into courtroom drama.
I have no idea of the procedure in which I am now involved. My first exposure was literally that, standing outside in the cold in a very long line inching my way forward to enter the building. Once inside the doors, we are all asked to empty our pockets, remove coats and hand over purses and or briefcases in order to be searched. Once again, whining from the masses. Me? Hell if it means that I will not be shot by some deranged lunatic while doing my civic duty, a strip search would be fine with me.
Next we are told to sit in the waiting room until we are called into the courtroom. No phones, nothing on our heads including glasses. Huh? If one wears glasses they are to kept off the top of ones head. Okay, no idea but there must be some explanation.
We are then herded into the very nicely appointed courtroom where we are advised that we would be called by roll number to be seated in the jury seats and then questioned if required by the lawyers for the plaintiff and the defense. The case is a civil matter involving a car and a truck incident that took place in 2006 in London. Oh and by the way the case will take 6 weeks. An audible gasp could be heard or rather felt throughout the courtroom.
The Judge explains that while it is a duty as a citizen that we embrace the opportunity to sit on a jury there are those for whom doing so would be a hardship and the court does not wish that to be the case. Also in order to be a jurist one must a) be a Canadian citizen b) must understand the English language spoken in the courtroom c) must be able to hear what is being said in the courtroom by all parties.
Now the real entertainment begins as one by one numbers are called and people make their way to the front of the courtroom where they are asked by the presiding judge if “there is any reason that you feel you are not be to sit on this jury”. The litany of excuses is absolutely incredible!
“I am the only person that can do the job at work”
“ I am Power of Attorney for my very ill mother.” “Is she ill, asks the Judge” “Well no but she is in a Seniors’ home”
“My religious beliefs forbid me to pass judgement on others”
“I work shift work”
“I have children”
“I have a doctor’s appointment”
I counted nine “I am a teacher”. Obviously they don’t teach civics class.
In the course of two hours no less than thirty people were stricken deaf or hard of hearing and yet had absolutely no difficulty in hearing the Judge say, “you are excused.”
Another gentleman explained he had a number of reasons he was unable to be on a jury. He runs two businesses, he has a family, apparently the whole world would come crashing down if he was “out of commission for the duration of a trial and then finally was honest by stating “and frankly I don’t want to do it”
One gentleman upon being asked if he felt there was any reason he would not be able to sit on the jury replied, “No Ma’m, I would be honored to do my duty”. It was all I could do to not jump up and give this fine man a one person standing ovation!
While sitting and listening to literally dozens of people trying to formulate excuses to “get out of jury duty”, it occurred to me how awful it would be to know as a plaintiff or a defendant in a court case that the people that were deciding your fate were chosen for doing so because for the most part they had the least viable excuses of those from the selection panel. How sad to think that one’s fate can rest in the hands of those who do not give a damn and would go to just about any lengths to avoid performing their civic duty.
Truly is it any wonder that police officers, lawyers, courtroom staff become tired and jaded when they listen to the very people they work to serve insult their efforts by turning their backs on their responsibility? I would hazard a guess it would be these same people that do everything they can to weasel out of jury duty that cast aspersions and make remarks about “lenient” sentences and “letting them get away with murder”.
So, my “day in court” was a good experience. The court staff were pleasant and so very courteous. I met some very nice people, enjoyed a couple of really good laughs and to top it all off received a lovely compliment from a fellow panelist who kindly offered that upon seeing me this morning thought to herself what a classy woman I appeared to be. Well, all I can say is there is a trial taking place without the benefit of a very intelligent and observant jurist. Thanks Darlene.
