Shipmate

A few days ago someone asked me why I was such good friends with a particular individual. I responded that the particular individual is a shipmate.

Shipmates understand that while we may not be close, we may not be best of friends, we understand that we are a brotherhood/sisterhood of individuals who have come together for a common purpose/goal. We understand that we will support each other, and if we must, take over and continue the mission. We have a bond that even our darkest enemies can’t break.

Shipmates know that it’s not about the individual; it’s about a team working together to accomplish the mission. Shipmates know that change of command will take place.  Shipmates know that if one person is holding the team back we must either work to bring them up to speed or cut them loose.

I struggle with knowing the greyhound community is willing to prop up an individual who committed first degree sexual assault crimes against two young girls.

Some in the community insist the individual has paid their debt to society. That term is hogwash. It only means the person served time in jail/prison.  The two young girls, ages 5 and 7 at the time of the molestation, will always be victims until they draw their last breath. They will never be able to remove “victim” from their life. Their life has been forever damaged and the memories of being violated will never wash away. Should the perpetrator be allowed to wash their name clean of the label of “convicted child molester” when the victims will forever be haunted by the violations done to them?

It is time for the greyhound community to be a shipmate and cut loose those whose crimes will bring harm. It is time for the greyhound community to be a shipmate and stop placing those with a criminal past in positions of trust. It is time for the greyhound community to be a shipmate and no longer be enablers.

Perhaps it is time to reflect and ask yourself what type of misconduct was done and to whom that caused others in the greyhound community and outside the greyhound community to dig deeper into the past of an individual.

Perhaps it is time to reflect and ask yourself what you are willing to risk by swearing your support of a convicted child molester you honestly know nothing about.

Perhaps it is time to reflect and ask yourself is it right for an individual to use greyhounds as a prop to wash away their sins.

The only damage that will come to the greyhound community is damage from accepting and celebrating individuals such as this. The damage can be controlled by removing the sore from our community. Those that make the choice to stand by and with these individuals are enabling them to classify their crimes as irrelevant and render the innocent victims trivial and inconsequential.

To those young girls and to those who have received veiled threats or experienced misconduct and felt the need to dig a little deeper– I will be your shipmate!

Not often do I preach but when I do, I have a message.

Today’s message is about forgiveness. 

When God grants forgiveness to a person seeking redemption, that individual must first repent and then change their heart. A person may continually point out the good they have done, seeking to sway others of their "goodness" yet if a heart is still as dark as it was the day two little innocent children were molested, God has not forgiven.

When the facts are documented truth via court records as to the actions of an individual and those facts are flippantly dismissed as gossip and innuendo by the individual, is that not an indication that the individual is untroubled by their crimes?

Acts of charity should be from the heart and done so without expecting anything in return. Charity done to convince others that a heart is not dark and a litany of charity is put before the public by the individual to garner praise and acceptance is not charity done by a repentant heart.

It seems the “God card" has been played too often over the years by many trying to hide the truth, performing charity to convince the public of goodness yet knowing full well the work done was accomplished by the financial donations of others.

Just for the record, a particular convicted child molester not only molested one girl 6 times, he molested another little girl while out on bond. The charges? First-degree sexual assault where the molestation took place includes sexual contact or intercourse without consent by threat or use of a dangerous weapon or what the victim reasonably believes is a dangerous weapon: and sexual contact or intercourse aided or abetted by one or more persons using threat of force or violence.

Before you take it upon yourself to bless an individual or if you think God posts a list of those he has forgiven on a chat board that we can all reference back to, perhaps you should be wondering what physical and psychological damage the 5 and 7 year old children have had to survive due to someone you perceive to be so amazing, so wonderful, so unselfish.

I only have one question - Exactly what makes convicted child molester acceptable to you?

***Note of importance – Not a single person that I know of  has advocated the ending of, ripping apart of any event – what is advocated is the removal of a person who is convicted of first degree sexual assault on two young girls. No person of this caliber should be in a position of group or event leadership – positions that unknowing families with children may look up to and trust because of the position!***

Does acceptance provide the next victim?

My passion is animals and in particular greyhounds. I care that all involved in the care and placement of racing and ex-racing greyhounds always do what is right and in the best interest of the greyhound. 

I am not a parent or grandparent however I am disgusted to the core by any acts of violence done to an innocent child. 

Any person who would prey on the most vulnerable is truly disturbed and many of you may feel the same way.  Any person that molests children, robbing them of their innocence, is not a person I wish to associate with either in my personal life or in the family oriented greyhound adoption community and many of you may feel the same way.

Did you know that convicted child molesters are not allowed to use Facebook? Now I'm sure someone who would sexually degrade an innocent child would no doubt change the name of their account or lock it down if they felt they might be exposed or perhaps have enablers make posts for them.  What if such an individual, a convicted child molester, was a part of the greyhound adoption community, perhaps being involved with national family friendly greyhound events that you, your greyhounds and your children or grandchildren attend? Do you feel this is an acceptable situation?

We need to not only do the right thing for our greyhounds but also for the children and grandchildren who will be the adopters of future generations of greyhounds.

Do we know us……………..

Years ago the greyhound adoption community adopted the home visit as a standard to learn about the home and family life first hand in order to ensure greyhounds were adopted into good, safe homes. In reality the concept of the home visit started because a group adopted dogs to a “home” only to find out later the “home” was not a home but was a bogus address.

As time has gone by, debate about adding additional checks (example: background check, financial check, etc.) to the home visit.

What have we done, or should do, to ensure the self-proclaimed hero’s, leaders, volunteers in our organizations are on the up & up? Do we do anything to ensure the individuals we give our dogs to are indeed the good individuals they say or perhaps we determine the quality of the individual by their Internet persona? 

Would you place a greyhound with an individual who has a history of using animals for dogfighting?

Is it wise to elect an individual in the position of group treasurer if they have been fired from jobs due to embezzlement?

Can someone with an unaddressed drinking problem truly be able to evaluate the personality of a greyhound?

Should a convicted child molester run meet and greets or have any participation in family friendly greyhound outings?

If individuals are drug tested as a requirement of their jobs, shouldn't those in the greyhound adoption community or non-profit advocates who receive a salary or draw a salary from donations also be drug tested?

Are there ways to improve the knowledge obtained prior to placing a greyhound with an individual?

Will new procedures be enacted to make sure group volunteers and leaders have no criminal backgrounds that would present a liability to a group or event?

How can you claim to truly know everyone you have never met that you friend in social media?

What risks are you willing to take with someone you do not know?

 

Summer times here and that means we need to remind the “humane advocate protector/profiteers” to not use dogs as props in the heat!

I know - It's pretty sad that we have to remind the "humane advocate protector/profiteers"  who claim to be speaking for and protecting the greyhounds how to actually protect and  care for a greyhound!



“humane advocate protector/profiteers” Crazy From The Heat


“humane advocate protector/profiteers” Busted protesting at a pace that may kill?

Stop hiding – show us them TATs………..

Now that the greyhounds of TGP that some claimed to be missing have been proven beyond a shadow of doubt to be 100% accounted for and never once missing (except in the minds of those who accept lies as gospel)  – how about showing us them tattoos – requested over a month ago – you know to make sure that dog is not missing!

"humane advocate protector/profiteers" hiding truth about a greyhound?

Be smart or be scammed

With the “humane advocate protectors” getting caught red handed in the last year with the truth about the past, and even more recently telling a big lie about a photo then altering it to hide the truth, you might wonder how can so many people be snookered into donating money when the lies are so obvious.

We all have received those poorly written e-mail scams and I know most of us see it for what it is – a scam. 

From working in the information security field, I find the answer is quite simple. Those performing the scam realize that a percentage of the thousands they target will fall for a heartstring tugging scam e-mail. The scammers also know they can spend less time by focusing on (aka suckering) the people who, for whatever reason, fail to understand that it is a scam and happily send in their donations. 

Scammers prey on those who do not realize the pleading e-mail will only benefit the scammer, much the same way the “humane advocate protectors/profiteers” need enough people who fail to see through the lies, fail to question their statements and continue to send them money.

The next time you plan on hitting that donate button to send money to the “humane advocate protectors/profiteers”, please realize they have no respect for you because they view you as being of value to them only because of the money you continue to send them and are amused at your continued gullibility at the malarkey they shovel your way.