Scioto Legal and Enforcement

What is the current state of our legal system and its enforcement?

Many years ago I received a warning complaint from the city stating that someone (anonymous) had called the officials about our dog barking. We kept this dog, a small breed, inside, and, of course, we let our family pet out in our fenced backyard for the calls of nature. Always vigilant to the dog's activity, we let her in whenever she might alert us of any outside discomforts or of her finished "business." To put it mildly, I was amazed when I found the complaint in my mailbox.

The warning stated the date, the charge, and the stiff penalty that would be automatically applied upon the next alleged "barking incident" but failed to state the name of the complainant. Feeling it necessary to know our accuser, I called the department in charge. In no nonsense terms, the official explained that if a stranger (or vagabond) walking down our street complained, we would swiftly be complied to pay the $50 penalty with no recourse. I protested that anyone the slightest bit perturbed could "make up" such a charge, but I was flatly told, "This is the law."

Lately, a man, quite obviously disturbed about our group opposition to a pain clinic in which he works, began to post derogatory information about me (calling me "stupid" and a "liar," a lover of "young girls," and referring to my private body parts) on his commercial Internet site, supposedly used to promote his nearby dragway. He also challenged me to confront him, a known security guard, at his home and business address. In addition, he defaced my character as a longtime teacher in the county school system.

Feeling thoroughly within my rights to expose his libelous attacks, I went to the Scioto County Sheriff's Office with my copies of his commercial Internet affronts to my character. I was told that the words, under no definition, were reason for inquiry or enforcement. In other words, short of threatening my life, he had the right to say whatever he wished about me without interference. My only recourse is to follow the legal system and sue him with legal representation. Of course, this action requires money - the expense of hiring a lawyer. I do not have this kind of money to spare, especially to fiddle with this troubled man, so he continues to rave.

Is it any wonder people question the state of their welfare under the law? One cannot help but wonder what collusion first extended the rights of freedoms of speech and expression to advertising on the Net. Mind you, his blatant display has resulted from our group's protest to the pill mill where he is employed, a pill mill daily dispensing opioids in a county that suffers one of the worst prescription drug problems in the entire state and in the entire nation. Is he blind or too challenged or too used to bullying to find reason to stop?

Never be satisfied with the condition of your local, state, and national legal and enforcement communities as long as this type of nonsense exists. In our county, the strings that extend from top to bottom are often pulled to the advantage of the greedy and the wicked. Citizens know the truth and try to deal with corruption within legal limits, but they are frustrated and are now demanding a microscopic look at the big picture of control and manipulation. Money equals power and power equals control. Unfortunately, huge amounts of money are garnered by those in the illegal rx drug trade. They offer this money to those in high positions -- some take the bait and run with it. We all know these people, and the rocks they hide under are transparent.

Many of the prime witnesses to the corruption are people who have been lucky enough to live through the abuse, threats, and ruthless addictive activities forced upon them by the greedy. I think these people suffer long after their addiction because (1) They have been used by the dealers, by the owners, and by the manipulators, and (2) They have been used by the legal system to expose contacts and to bare themselves. Quite frankly, many of these ex-addicts are my heroes for their courageous actions, yet so much more "dirt" has been left to accumulate and spiral out of control. People who live in fear have to deal daily with this filth.

We need to make it easier for the suffering citizen to get help. We need to be less concerned about the staggering (and often ridiculous) personal rights afforded to the big wheels who run and manage the distribution system. The only conclusion a sane person can make when he confirms this misuse of power is going on is that too many knowing people are involved. The right person in the right position can effect change for the common good just as the wrong person in the wrong position can become blinded by injustice. Scioto County is notorious for its blindness.

Greed and careless power are sinful attributes. The Judas effect is extending from adults into impressionable youth. Try to teach kindness, mercy, and righteous action to the young. Good luck. I hold myself responsible for the lack of some of these attributes in my society due to a lifestyle that demands a focus on material possessions and money, but I hope I have never put these things above the lesser, more important virtues needed for meaningful coexistence. To love and protect children, parents must be proactive and active: parents must teach about addiction and must be ever vigilant to report its operation, even if that means fighting the system.

And, finally, why must we always be told to ignore the ignorance and the corruption? I have never conquered a problem that I have ignored. I have successfully put off facing such a demon, but I have never overcome one by saying, "It's OK. Just let it all go." To refuse to defend your personal good beliefs is to let someone run roughshod over you. In fact, an old football coach used to remind me that "You're better than that" and "90% of victory is your mindset." To not follow through on a religious conviction results in the personal soul death of inactivity. Sitting quietly on the fence is not working - it breeds cowardice and inactivity.

If you are a Christian, I ask that you pray for the deliverance of your enemies into the light of goodness. I pray the man who chooses to libel me can look closely at himself and decide to confess his sins to God, the FBI, the DEA, the Ohio State Patrol, and the Sheriff's Department. I could care less if he apologizes to me. I would rather have him use me as a vehicle that spurs him to uncover the deceit and the actions in the killing fields of Southern Ohio to save his own and many other souls. God bless him. I hope he realizes time is fleeting. Godspeed to a second life. Many need to take advantage of counting themselves on the side of right and not the side of indecision.

"When you are right you cannot be too radical; when you are wrong, you cannot be too conservative." -- Martin Luther King Jr