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.

Hating the Confederate Flag

Appalachia has a way of making you hate things that you once thought were good. Like the Confederate flag. Yes, I know, the Confederate States of America never used it as a flag, it was the naval ensign. I've never figured out why they use the flag they do and not the correct one and no one seems to know how using the naval ensign got started.

When I first moved to the southern parts of America, I really liked seeing the Confederate flag flying. It was a sign of small government, local control, take pride in your culture people. It was a good thing. Then I moved to Appalachia, which in general supported the North during the war. Here the flag means illiterate, inbred, meth dealer, who thinks they can do whatever they want because "they have rahts". Here the flag is used to justify poor, often illegal behavior. Interestingly, in other parts of the south, the Confederate flag was accepted by just about everyone, in Appalachia, only the lower classes accept its use. There is nothing good about the Confederate flag as it is used in Appalachia.

Of course, I now feel the same about the Christianity and "rahts", two things I thought were very good before seeing what hillbillies have done to them. I guess the moral of the story is, no matter how good something is, hillbillies will find a way to fuck it up.

Corrupt County Officials

Last weekend one of my neighbors decided to do some yard clearing, which of course included burning everything. Kentucky allows the burning of yard trash, such as leaves and tree branches, but the trash burning here doesn't seem to fall into that category. After an hour of this I called the county who sent someone from the fire department out who reported that it was just yard waste. Of course the neighbors did change their behavior, they moved to burning at night when pictures couldn't be taken.

 

 

So, for an entire weekend a pall of burning plastic and chemicals hung over the neighborhood, and every call to the fire department resulted in a "yard trash" report. Almost to a person, the people here that I've told about this have told me that the fire department didn't want to annoy their suppliers. I don't know if I'd go that far, preferring to think that it was just gross incompetence, but this county did have a large pot farm with it's own helipad operating on a main road, just a few miles from the courthouse and no one seemed to notice, so I guess it is possible. This neighborhood does have a reputation as the go to place for all your chemical needs.

 

 

I'm still wondering why a 3 day burn, in that location, didn't result in a trailer fire. I can't deny it. I was really hoping for one. Why is God so insistent on protecting the stupid?

 

Paranoia, part 2

Last weekend I had the privilege of supervising the ACT test for a group of aspiring college students. The ACT has a group of students called talent search candidates. These are basically talented middle school students. They are exempt from the photo ID requirement of the ACT but they do need to bring in an official talent search letter.

This time, for some odd reason, only about 25% had this letter. Thankfully, they all had photo ID's or it would have gone badly. A lot of them did have a bunch of useless paperwork from their schools. It makes one wonder. I've been told repeatedly that I don't belong here and that the teachers from the local high school can and should take over the classes at the local community college. The argument being that the pass rates would be much higher. Admittedly, not that many people are saying that, but it doesn't take many when you see the local high school playing nasty games in order to keep the students counted as theirs so that they don't risk their monies.

It all leads one to question whether this paperwork mix up was just that, or whether there was more behind it. It probably was a completely innocent mix up, but... Since the school board does have a corruption lawsuit going right now

http://clintonnews.net/pages/?p=14729

and I've seen them do worse in their quest for educational hegemony in the county, it makes one wonder. That's the worst part about this place. It makes one hopelessly paranoid.