Police Fail

The sheriff of Clinton County, Jim Guffey, draws a lot of controversy. Those who are protected by the system tend to think of him as a moral good old boy, those who aren't tend to think of him as a corrupt son of a bitch who should be behind bars. What the truth is isn't clear, like many things in Appalachia.

I mentioned in  a previous post about how he sent a large number of drug dealers to jail as soon as he got into office, but none afterwards. It almost seemed like he was cleaning out the competition for his friends, but it might have just been coincidence. Of course, most people would be inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt, unless they had to live next to one of the sheriff's friends. When said people run around screaming and brandishing firearms, when they weave down roads on four wheelers with one adult and three children clinging to it, when you're the subject of vandalism and get to fill out a police report on a post it note, you begin to think there may be some corruption going on somewhere. That or a level of incompetence usually not seen in the Western World.

One of my neighbors had it even worse. She stupidly moved in with one of these friends who was a known druggie. Of course, the relationship went like all such go, so I got to hear second hand reports of drugs and threats of violence against multiple people. Amazingly, even when these threats were made publicly, in front of witnesses, the law enforcement response was still, "meh". It ended in the usual way, with the neighbor getting a broken nose and the druggie saying that, "Jim Guffey would never put him in jail". So she called a deputy who did. She's lucky it wasn't worse. Whether or not Jim Guffey is corrupt or not is unknown, but seriously, when violent druggies claim to be under your protection, that really should be a red flag to the rest of the law enforcement community. This is especially true since about 6 months previously while witnessing possible druggie activity and talking with the state police, I told them that I had either wandered into one of their sting operations or they had some corrupt cops around here. Of course, not being a fellow law officer, they totally ignored me. Of course they also told me that I had reasonable suspicion, not probable cause and to call them back when I did. Silly me, I thought building a court case with documentation was what my tax dollars were paying for, I guess I was wrong.

Now we get to the fail. One of the main problems here is prescription medicine abuse. Pills seem to be more popular here than meth. Of course, the official police response is to try to get unused pharmaceuticals disposed of properly. To this end they create collection points where these drugs can be turned in and stored until being disposed of properly. Guess who is in charge of prescription drug collection in Clinton county. You guessed it, Jim Guffey. So, there are known pill heads who claim his protection and no one in law enforcement sees a problem with him being in charge of pills?

Of course, Jim Guffey may be what he claims, a hard working public servant, or he may be as corrupt as a previous sheriff of McCreary county. No one knows. The problem is, no one seems to care.

What is a citizen to do when all the police appear to be either corrupt or riding the short bus?

Noisy Neighbors

Last night was Halloween. A time of pumpkins and ghosts. It's also a time when my windows shake with the excessive bass of my neighbor's music system. When your windows are shaking from a building almost 1/4 mile away, you have to wonder about the eardrums and the respect for others that the originators of such music enjoy. This particular music wasn't so bad. It came from the local church and only lasted a couple of hours and they don't do it often. You have to wonder about Christian Rock turned up to that volume, but this is also the church that moves street signs to suit themselves, the church whose deacon was under investigation for narcotics peddling, and the church who bought their rec center with lottery winnings. Such is the Baptist religion.

Despite the title this blog is not about the music the occasion for it. Fall Festival. Yes, Fall Festival. No one here is allowed to use the words Halloween. That would be sacrilegious. When Christians tell you they don't want a theocracy, bear that in mind.  Admittedly, the thought behind the church fall festival is good. Get the kids off the streets and give them something to do to keep them out of trouble. That's all well and good, and they are well intentioned. Unfortunately, that's where it all falls apart. They set up a church fair in their rec center and let anyone in free, feed them, and even give goody baskets to the kids.

My first year here, when I went with my kids it was a lot of fun, although I did have some explaining to do about the comic book that showed knights fighting dinosaurs, because everyone knows they existed at the same time. However, that's in the realm of amusing local tradition, not a problem. No the problem is that as Clinton county has become more and more a center for antisocial behavior, so to has the churches fall festival. It was bad enough when 18 year old jocks from the high school were sent through rides with 5 year old kids and no one seemed to care, but when the drug dealers stop off there to get fed and set up connections before the rest of their night, there's a problem. The amusing part is the place has cops there for security, and the druggies are operating in plain sight, but no one will say anything. I guess Christians don't like to judge. Or maybe they're involved in the trade. I really can't figure this place out.

High School Confidential

As readers of this blog may know, Clinton County High School recently acquired a new principal. The fact that this person had been charged with a drug related offence in the past and was not certified to be a principal when they took the job was apparently not important. It didn't even warrant a search outside of the county. Then again, Clinton county doesn't like foreigners (this is defined as anyone from outside the county).

Now rumors are starting in the high school that the old principal was removed because he had a conflict with the superintendent's daughter, who is a high school student. Is it hard to imagine a student with such power that they can remove a high school principal? Not really, this is Clinton county and Charlotte Bernard is the superintendent. She already removed the middle school principal because she didn't like him. A removal which led to a lawsuit. Last year when the number of snow days became excessive, she refused to make them up during spring break because her daughter had vacation plans. So, yes, removing a principal on her daughter's say so seems par for the course. Of course the people of Clinton county just ignore this level of corruption and even support her. It's just the norm around here. It's probably also the reason they hate foreigners.

My questions are: How does anyone expect a school system to work with this level of corruption, and where are the state oversight agencies that are supposed to correct corruption like this?

Wild Dogs

Today, I woke up to a pack of dogs killing a cat in my yard. It was bound to happen. Hillbillies get the largest dogs they can find, they get lots of them, and then they let them run loose. It's the hillbilly idea of freedom. The result is that you get packs of semi-feral pit bulls and the like wandering freely. Animal control refuses to do anything, seeing their job as just a political perk that gives them a salary and a vehicle in return for knowing the right people. I can't shoot them because that's animal cruelty unless I can prove they were attacking me or endangering my livestock. I really need to get some livestock. Actually, the people I talk to here tell me that's the best option. Set up a legal excuse for killing them, and then kill them. Of course, I also hear the same thing about my neighbors. I really miss law enforcement. Hillbilly anarchy is not a realistic way to run a society.

Hillbilly Larning

Once again I'm amazed that some of my students feel prepared to take college algebra. I gave them a worksheet the first day and told them if they felt uncomfortable with it, they should move back to the previous class. I told them that almost all people who couldn't do that worksheet coming into class failed, while almost all those coming from the previous class passed without much trouble. Why set yourself up for failure? When someone can't do simple multiplication, they aren't going to succeed in college algebra. That's just reality. They don't listen of course.

The reason they refuse to listen is of course obvious. They came from a high school around here.

 

If your monitor is good enough, the above is a fascinating read. Okay, it's not high school level, it's 6th grade English, but the grade on this paper was 100%. That really tells you all you need to know about the school systems around here. All long as they can report good numbers and get federal monies, everyone is happy. The students know that you're not allowed to fail them and act accordingly. For some reason college comes as a real shock to them. All those F's that suddenly appear for formerly straight A students. Of course it never occurs to anyone to blame the high schools. They're under local control and giving out A's. A sure sign they know how to do their jobs.

They're Back

The other day or night, some piece of hill trash decided it would be a good idea to come over and randomly flip circuit breakers in my fuse box. I guess the no trespassing signs aren't working anymore. I'd ask Mr. 12 Gauge to help with the problem, but I work, and my welfare king neighbors and their horde of feral kids don't. That gives them a decided advantage when it comes to malicious behavior.

I went to the sheriff to report the issue. Stupid me. I had at least hoped for maybe an increased law enforcement presence in my neighborhood, but no. It is not to be. I did get told by the officer at the desk that if I got evidence, I should go to the county attorney, and he could get an arrest warrant for me. I always thought the police were supposed to do that, but I guess in this era of budget cuts, I need to do my own investigations, get my own evidence, and obtain my own warrants. Why do we even have a police force?

The best part came when I tried to fill out a report. They couldn't find any forms, so they had me fill out the information on a post it note. For some reason that does not give me a warm and fuzzy feeling about the professionalism of the Clinton County Sheriff's Department.

And people wonder why I have almost nothing good to say about Appalachia.

WTF?

The high school has a new principal. The fact that the police found marijuana in her fridge a decade ago is apparently no bar to employment in the educational system of Clinton County, Kentucky. Admittedly, she claimed the drugs were her husband's and she had no knowledge of them. But, honestly, if the police found drugs in your fridge, would you be able to claim that excuse? If she's that clueless, that her husband can hide drugs in her fridge without her knowledge, does she really need to be a high school principal? WTF people.

Why?

Last week the college held convocation. This is where faculty and staff get together to start the new year off on a common footing. This year when I arrived I found a book waiting for me. Apparently, we're supposed to use this book in our courses to help bridge the gap between the various departments. Of course, that's what I got from asking around. No one in charge had actually told anyone anything, which is kind of normal. If the book were by Hawking or even some worthy literature like Dickens, I'd support the idea. This book however, while probably a good and decent book, was a mass market, self help type book. Okay, not quite what I think of when I think of college level, but I guess we're supposed to teach to the lowest common denominator rather than expecting excellence from our students.

The why moment came before lunch, when the program finished 30 minutes early and the guest speaker hadn't arrived yet. Since the college has a distributed campus structure and a service area approximately the size of Connecticut, this is the only time many of us see our colleagues. You'd think this would be a golden opportunity to discuss professional issues. Alas, the powers that be hate not filling all time with something. They think it's inefficient, or they won't be able to fill out the block on their form that says they were performing professional development at that time,  or something like that. So they started to read the book to us. Now I liked people reading to me in the 3rd grade, but now, I find it a might insulting. Granted they'd only read a little bit and then ask us to discuss, but come on people, I wouldn't treat my students like that. If they do, I've found the reason why our enrollment keeps dropping.

The bright spot in all this was that most of the faculty just ignored them and kept discussing matters which were actually important. Still, to think you need to impose so much control in a room of college educators is just mind boggling.

Can you say corruption boys and girls....

Once again, I've heard someone say that it's common knowledge that my street is known as the go to place for your pharmaceutical needs. I used to think that this was odd, since one of the major churches in the area is right across the street. Well, I used to think that until one of their deacons got nabbed for giving an unnecessary narcotic prescription to an undercover officer. He's still allowed to practice until it's all sorted out, but he can't write prescriptions for narcotics. His office used to be full all the time. Now it's a ghost town. I guess the cops were right on this one.

But, back to my street...

Right before the recent election, a lot of signs went up on my street supporting Jim Guffey for sheriff of Clinton county. I thought this was odd because a lot of the houses with signs were the type of place you'd associate with the drug crowd. I didn't think much more about it until after the election in January 2015. Immediately, there were a large number of drug busts, and none since. Amazingly, none of the arrests were on this street. Also, amazingly, once the election and the drug busts occurred traffic and anti-social activity picked up on this street. Even more amazing, or maybe not, the new sheriff refuses to even put a presence into this area. It's almost like he eliminated the competition for his buddies. Is it just incompetence or is it time to use the c word.

Amusingly, the discussion threads about the sheriff that appear on Albany Topix also get pulled within 24 hours, just like those of the county clerk. It's nice to know they have the free time to police a discussion board to protect their good names.

Can you say corruption boys and girls...

No Gays or Discussion Allowed

Clinton County Kentucky is one of the 3 Kentucky counties refusing to give out marriage certificates since the Supreme Court okay'd gay marriage. In Rowan county, the county clerk has a lawsuit going. In Casey, the county government made a statement disagreeing with the county clerk's position. In Clinton county, no one has said anything and people are not allowed to discuss the issue. That's right, no discussion allowed. A guilty pleasure of many people in small towns is a site called topix, where people can gossip about things online. Clinton County's is here:

http://www.topix.com/forum/city/albany-ky

Since the Supreme Court decision, obviously, people have been wanting to post their views, but the posts about our county clerk are usually pulled within 24 hours. It seems that the Republican party in Clinton county has no use for dissenting opinion. Well, why not. They've effectively run this place like a third world pesthole of the haves and have nots for the last couple of centuries, why should they change now?

The amusing part about this, is how the Christians are coming out of the woodwork with prophecies of doom if same sex marriage is allowed. Think of the children. I'd be on their side if they could show me that their belief system had practical advantages, but I still remember how shocked I was on first arriving here when the school paperwork for my children never mentioned, mother, father, or parent. Simply, guardian. The reason being, there were so many children who had no idea who their father was and who were abandoned to live with grandparents or some other relative, that the words mother, father, and parent were considered offensive. Way to practice what you preach Appalachian Christians. I doubt a homosexual couple could do worse if they actually tried.

If You Can Take It, It's Your's

Appalachia has a greater degree of freedom than other parts of America. Unfortunately, it's not the freedom of independent individuals respecting each others rights to coexist. Rather, it's a total lack of equitable law enforcement. I say equitable, because how the law will respond to you will depend on who you are. For the most part, law enforcement officials here just want to be left alone.

While driving down a local road, I can across the following:

Now, I'm all for roadside produce stands. I just find it odd when they're actually in the road. Bear in mind that this is an actual road with actual traffic. I doesn't matter to your average Appalachian however. If the road is more convenient for them, the road it will be. Everyone else will just have to make due. It gets even more interesting when they have customers, since being Appalachians themselves, they just stop their cars and conduct business. Can you say third world way of thinking?

I would blame local law enforcement, but one of the favorite speed traps for the Kentucky State Police is within 100 meters on this road. I guess no one in Appalachia cares.

It does remind me of another story where a road between 2 neighboring counties was privatized. In one of the neighboring counties, there was 1 road that ran to a neighboring county. Without that road you had to run a circle through other counties. Strangely, trees were allowed to fall and block the road a couple of decades ago. No one thought that the county had the obligation to remove them, even though it is a county road and still listed on maps. It must be nice for the families that own farms there. Free maintenance of a private driveway several miles long, along with free utility upkeep over the same length of road. The really amazing part is it's on a straight run to a local tourist attraction. I guess someone got tired of all the traffic and had a talk with their buddy in county government. Mexico has nothing on this place.

House Cleaning

My neighbor recently decided to move from his trailer to the trailer next door to it. Of course that meant cleaning the outside of the house with a pressure washer. Also, of course, it meant not cleaning the entire outside, just cleaning about 2/3 of the front and then quitting. That in itself wasn't so strange. Pre-treating with Windex was, but I guess it was an okay idea. No, the amazing part was the fact that he didn't use a ladder, but why use a ladder when you have a mobile step stool and someone to drive it for you. I just found this to be totally amusing. I still don't understand why these people don't end up in the hospital more often.