- November 18, 2024
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I’ll have the Judge Craig defense, your honor
Dear Editor:
First, it was a right-turn violation, not a red light.
Second, who believes a judge would not know exactly who was driving his car?
Third, someone is going to take this as 16 mph through red lights are also okie dokie.
And fourth, and worst of all, all this judge (repeat: judge!) would have had to do was sign an affidavit that he was not driving, and he would have saved a room full of people and town full of readers from one sorriest whine-fest hearings in legal history.
Bonnie Bellin
Palm Coast
City is failing to take responsibility for its own election
Dear Editor:
Gary Holland's Oct. 23, 2013, email contains the answers on what was missed and whose plate it's on. Let's start with Holland's statements: "The Secretary of State has no jurisdiction over municipal governments.”
Really? So, Secretary Detzner is blowing smoke in his letter for public posturing. I am not surprised, as he was a beer lobbyist last year at this time.
Then we have the core issue: “The intent underlying the Election Code is that municipalities are responsible for their own elections absent an agreement with the county.” The city of Palm Coast, managed by Jim Landon, has total responsibility to hold its required election, not the county supervisor of elections. Since Landon missed the 2013 election that was listed in the City Charter for this past September, he better get it right this year.
But, if Landon fails again, they can just pass another retroactive ordinance. (“Retroactive ordinance” — does that sound right?)
The point here is that this is all on Landon’s plate. He was informed by Division of Elections attorney Gary Holland five months ago that the subcontractor (supervisor of elections) he could hire by interlocal agreement to hold the city election was under no obligation to do so. Then Landon hammers the only subcontractor option he has, with no backup plan. Looks like his passive-aggressive mode of operation has taken him off the cliff.
This is coming to a rapid conclusion. And keep in mind that the voters elected Weeks by a large margin, and Landon was elected by four councilmen and a mayor from the past — or soon to be past.
Dennis McDonald
Palm Coast
In defense of Second Chance Rescue
Dear Editor:
As a person who was recently bitten by a large dog that was wandering in my neighborhood in what was an unprovoked incident, I know firsthand how terrifying and traumatic the dog attack that occurred at Second Chance Rescue was for the victims. In lieu of the controversy surrounding the attack, I would like to share my own experience with Second Chance Rescue.
Last year, I decided I wanted to adopt a dog. I ended up stumbling onto the website for Second Chance Rescue. While perusing the pictures and stories of available dogs, I found several that sparked my interest. I filled out a detailed application and was contacted immediately. A volunteer, Dana Conway, spent a great deal of time communicating with me and examining all of the dogs I was interested in.
Since I already have a small dog, I expressed concern that I absolutely could not bring a dog with any aggression into my home. As a result, one of the dogs I had chosen was quickly eliminated, because Dana was honest and forthright as she explained that particular dog did not get along with other dogs.
My list was narrowed, with most of my interest focused on a pit bull mix named Gigi. Before she was taken into Second Chance, Gigi had been locked in an abandoned building and left to suffer a slow, painful death of starvation. By the time she was rescued, Gigi was so emaciated that the vet cautioned she might not survive. A meeting was scheduled, and I was introduced to Gigi, a happy, healthy, and friendly dog. Over the next few weeks, we had several meetings and also introduced Gigi to my dog. The volunteers handled the proper introduction of the dogs, explaining dog behavior to me while assessing whether the dogs would get along. The entire time, it was obvious to me that the first priority of the rescue was finding the best match and ensuring that their animals went to the appropriate home. I adopted Gigi and am pleased to say that I brought home a socialized, well-trained, and housebroken dog. Gigi the pit bull is now a cherished member of my family.
Without Second Chance Rescue, Gigi would not have survived. Second Chance takes in some of the worst cases of abuse and neglect, often bearing the burden of crippling vet bills. For these animals, Second Chance is not only a second chance — it is their only chance.
|I recently spoke to Dana about the dog-bite incident, and she was distraught. She was deeply concerned about the welfare of the family and had just visited them. Dana confessed that the tragedy was so unexpected that she still did not understand how or why it happened since the dog’s history was largely unknown to the rescue.
Dana was also understandably confused as to why the media was focused on sensationalizing the story as a pit bull attack when the dog’s previous vet documents listed the dog as a Lab/boxer mix. She also said that the victim of the attack was recovering and was heartbroken over what had resulted over the incident.
The victim bears no ill will toward the rescue and still supports Second Chance. My question is this: If the victim of the attack still supports the rescue, shouldn’t we?
Heather Andreu
St. Johns County
Hooray for red light cameras! But, beware legalized pot
Dear Editor:
I, for one, am very glad that we have red light camera enforcement in Palm Coast!
The other night at the intersection of Cypress Point Parkway and Palm Coast Parkway, the light turned yellow, and I immediately stopped to wait for the green light. Almost before that light turned, two kids on bikes who were in the median took off across the roadway. If I would have attempted to beat the light, I would have had a very difficult time not hitting them. Thank God for the law and the awareness it gives to us all.
Not only is the camera enforcement a good thing, It saves lives!
On the subject of marijuana legalization: I know there will be a referendum in Florida to approve marijuana for medical purposes. I can only hope that the law makes it very explicit on who can get prescriptions for its use.
I am all for marijuana use for medical purposes, but if prescriptions are given to anyone for any reason, then the referendum should be turned down.
Already the state of Washington is having a marked increase in the DUIs due to marijuana-high drivers being on the highways. The jury is out on Colorado, but enrollment to the colleges out there is up 30% since they passed the law legalizing the drug for recreational use. You can only imagine what this is going to do highway safety there.
Tom McMullin
Palm Coast
