Don't Hire These Guys to Help You Move!

  "Leave It For Us Moving and Storage"

Mike Philips (right) sent his nephew, Nate and another guy to do the move. He was not present. The guys scratched up numerous pieces of furniture, including an antique coffee table that was a wedding gift to my parents. They broke a piece from the armoire and put the broken piece in a drawer. They scratched the top of my desk and damaged other pieces of furniture. They turned a file cabinet on its side and dumped the contents, within. I had furniture blankets, but they did not use them all and neglected to use them where they were needed. They also damaged the toaster oven and a desk top digital clock/thermometer. There is still more to unpack, so who knows what else is damaged.


When I brought these things (and others) to Phillips' attention, he accused me of being a liar and trying to get a free move.

He also claimed, "Halfway through the move, the customer claimed to have lost the payment code, and wanted to cancel the move and pay us cash in order to save money and us make more by circumventing the % movinghelp receives." While I did lose the code, I never suggested canceling the move and circumventing the percentage received by Moving Help. I did pay in cash for the over-time.

I sent Philips several photos via text showing some of the damage. In the Resolution Center, he stated, "The pictures you provided clearly show damage that has been there for years and is not fresh." By text, he responded by saying, "Any further messages from you will be forwarded to my attorney, as this is clearly an attempt from you to receive a free move, same as you attempted by claiming to have lost the payment code during the move."

This is outrageous! The damage shown in the photos is clearly fresh. I also sent a picture the damage to the finish on a hutch that Nate had taped shut, and a photo of the tape. He responded by saying, again, that I was "grasping at straws in order to obtain a free move. They would never use tape on any wood furniture." Well, they did.


IT IS BAD ENOUGH THAT THEY DAMAGED MY FURNITURE, BUT TO DUCK RESPONSIBILITY BY LYING AND ACCUSING ME OF LYING AND TRYING TO GET A "FREE MOVE" IS OUTRAGEOUS!

"Open-Carry Shopping Weekend" Planned Nationwide

Photo courtesy of NC Public Radio

Next weekend, September 13,14 and 15, marks the first annual "Open-Carry Shopping Weekend", in America. 

 

This event is in response to retailers such as Walmart, Kroger, CVS Walgreen (and likely others), who are now now asking law abiding citizens to no longer openly carry firearms while shopping in their stores.

The policy comes in the wake of a mass shooting at a Walmart in Texas and a mass shooting in Dayton's nightclub district, disappointing and angering many.  No one has yet to explain how an open-carry ban would have prevented the shootings, in question.

Organizers say the event is intended to remind retailers that the foundation of their customer base consists of law abiding gun owners who support the Second Amendment.

Participants are advised to make sure they are in compliance with any governing statues before carrying a firearm, anywhere.   Everyone is reminded that the purpose is to show businesses where their sales come from and that gun owner's business will effect their bottom line.   But most of all it is to show that gun owners are not a threat.   So, shop. Do your normal shopping, but shop.

And remember, you represent ALL other gun owners, so always be polite and courteous.

And remember, you represent ALL other gun owners, so always be polite and courteous.

Gun Fire Alleged to Have Disrupted Cell Service in Washington Court House

Image from GovTech.com

The cell phone tower, located on N. North St. in Washington C.H. was out of service from Friday, May 10th, until today, Wednesday, May 15.  According to a source, the reason for the outage was discovered, today, while DP&L was running new power lines.  It seems, according to my source, the outage was caused by someone shooting into it!

The Metro/T-Mobile store, located across from Kroger, closed early on Saturday and did not open at all on Sunday (and perhaps Monday and Tuesday) out of concern for the safety of employees.  More than one person, upset over the loss of service, entered the store and became belligerent.

Five different cell phone provider were effected.  This, all according to sources.

If anyone has information about this, please contact the Fayette County Sheriff's Department at 740-335-6170.

THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION

“Declaring Independence”
Hoot Gibson, 6/3/2014

The Declaration of Independence is the first time the Colonies referred to themselves officially as Free States. The newly proclaimed thirteen States had united in cause and committed to being independent from Britain. Written in the title of the Declaration is “…the thirteen united States of America.” This new designation of ‘States’ and “United States” carries forward to the title of the “Constitution of the United States” and most all other subsequent documents.

The document can be broken into six parts, though the original document appears to be one very long continuous paragraph. I recommend you read the Declaration of Independence after reviewing this article. It may give better insight to the structure and how the wording applies to later development of the US Constitution. http://www.constitution.org/us_doi.pdf

PART 1, Title: This section provides the date of the declaration and is a notice to the King that the decision to become independent was unanimous in Congress. It also is the first reference to “…united States of America.”

PART 2, Introduction: This portion proclaims the United States will separate from England.

PART 3, Declaration of Rights: This establishes that the United States is equal to England and explains the reasons for independence. The first sentence of this paragraph became much of the foundation and motivation for inclusions in the US Constitution.
 
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

-life: living without the constant fear of death by other than natural means
-liberty: living without oppressive restrictions imposed by authority or tyranny
-pursuit of happiness:
--pursuit; unrestricted by authority, the ability to follow or go after…
--happiness; a sense of confidence and quality of life, not to suffer due to
government

PART 4, Grievances: The Founding Fathers include a long list of injustices and reasons for declaring independence from England.

PART 5, Resolution of Independence: The last two paragraphs state to the King that the United States of America will have its own powers to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances [foreign nations], establish trade, and other acts as the United States…a separation nation.

PART 6, Signatures: There were 56 signers on the Declarations of Independence. As stated in the last sentence of the Resolution portion, each signer mutually pledged “…to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

The Declaration of Independence was approved by the Second Continental Congress on July 2, but dated and declared publicly on July 4, 1776. Though Thomas Jefferson is credited with writing the document; as a committee Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman were all authors of the document.

SUMMARY
The revolution for independence had already begun. This document, in essence, declared that the now United States is no longer a part of England and war will continue. During the Second Continental Congress, Benjamin Franklin made this statement regarding unity of the States and People, “We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.” Benjamin Franklin was the eldest signer of the Declaration of Independence and later a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1787, developing the US Constitution.

The Colonies are no longer colonies; they are now the United States of America. The Colonists are no longer colonists; they are now Americans.

©Hoot Gibson, 2014 - 2019

Hoot is a retired USAF Master Sergeant.

9/11 First Responder Interview

Photos from the 2017 9/11 Memorial Ceremony.

Discussion with Harry Wright about the future of WCH

Interrupted by a Reds game!

Guard

Photo from Politico

A guest column by Mike Peters, Vietnam Veteran

Edited by William Boylan

Days on missions were spent searching for the enemy in what the army labeled, “Search and Destroy” missions; fairly basic terminology, really, and self-descriptive.  There was no mistaking what the army expected of us.  We were given an objective for the day and if in the process of reaching that objective we encountered the enemy, engaged them and got a body count, then it was a successful day.  If we didn’t reach the objective because of engaging the enemy and in the process lost some of our own men as well, then that’s just the way it went.

The days were long, arduous, and full of angst as peril was always just a step away.  Whether it was the rainy season or the dry season, the heat was oppressive and unrelenting in its design. We would sweat until it seemed like we could sweat no more.  Water was the key to our survival and we had to caution ourselves not to drink too much at any one time.  Although we were supposed to get re-supplied every two to three days, it didn’t always happen and we had to ration water until we did get re-supplied, adding additional stress to our already overly stressed bodies.  Our fatigues, once olive drab in color, would turn to rags and transform to a sandy tan color from the sweat and dirt of our daily toil.  Ultimately, they were destined for the fire pit on our return to the firebase.  At the end of each day, we would set up in an ambush perimeter, putting out trip flares and claymore mines around our position and wait for the enemy to come to us.  Each flank of the four sides of the perimeter had a guard on duty all night long and we would all share in the guard in two-hour increments throughout the night. If we were lucky, we might get 4 to 5 hours sleep per night.

Most nights on guard were uneventful and welcomed breaks from the discord of the day.  However, guard duty could be an intensely lonely time, as well, since almost everyone was asleep.  There was no one to talk to except for God and I must admit I talked to him many a night.  The only other being about was Death, lurking in the jungle, sprawling before us.  He was there; he was always there.

PTSD - The Beast

Image from Fireengineering.com

A guest column by Mike Peters, Vietnam Veteran

Edited by William Boylan

It’s August, 1974 and we’re walking through a large open field of deep grass that is being utilized as a parking lot for the Canfield Fair in Youngstown, Ohio.  There are quite a number of people heading toward the fairgrounds.  Not too far in front of us, some kids set off some firecrackers and the smell of gun powder permeates the air.  The grass is thick, long and somewhat moist from a thunder storm that had passed through the area in the early morning hours.

With each step, the grass rolls over my shoes and rustles beneath my feet; a hauntingly familiar sound that begins to trigger something in my psyche.  The odor emanating from the combination of wet earth, grass and gun powder further stir my senses and heighten the angst I am now feeling.

I have been here before, not here; not Youngstown, but on this walk and I desperately want to be away from it; to be as far away from this field and this smell as I can get!  But, I cannot leave, not without having my fiancé and my friends think I’m crazy.  So I continue on, and once inside the fairgrounds, the feeling subsides.  I realize what it is and try to shrug it off, telling myself that perhaps it was something I ate for breakfast and had a reaction to.

But deep down, I knew it wasn’t; “It” was back. That same feeling I experienced every day some five years prior, in the jungles of Vietnam.  It was supposed to stay there in those jungles, in that horrid war torn country.  Everything after that year of hell was supposed to be gravy.  That’s what the lieutenant said one day as we waited on the choppers to pick us up for what was to be a long and dangerous mission; “All gravy!”

Now it was back. The Beast was back.  In reflection, I now knew what it was that rousted my father from sleep those years I was growing up.  He was an infantryman with the 26^th Infantry Division in the Battle of the Bulge, in World War II.

"Make Washington Court House Great Again"

By William Boylan - Guest Columnist

  Originally published in The Record Herald on Sept. 12.

---

From February of 2016 to January of 2017, the illnesses and subsequent passing of three family members, and the attendant matters that from which arose, it was necessary for me to spend more time in Washington Court House than I had in the previous 10 or 15 years, combined.

The more time spent here, the more it seemed as if I was being “called” back. After a 40 year absence, I returned in April of 2017.

I grew up in Washington CH in the 60’s and 70’s and remember when the community was thriving.
Downtown was a center of commerce; a bustle of activity. There were three jewelry stores; Boylan, Ross and Gossards. There were two pharmacies; Risches and Downtown Drug. Pittsburgh Paint and Glass, French’s Hardware, Boylan and Cannon Electronics, Steen’s, Craig’s Department Store and a Florsheim Shoe Store were there, along with a theater and several restaurants.

Also contributing to the economy were NCR, Armco Steel, Mac Tool and at least two lumber mills. The Record-Herald was printed here. Pennington Bakery, Alkier’s Bakery, Orthmeyer’s Pastry and Cudahay’s (sp) produced food products.

Today, all these things and more are gone and a good third or more of the buildings downtown are empty. Others have been torn down; rendered into vacant parking lots.

The common theme among those with whom I talk is; “There is nothing here”.

For decades, the best and brightest have been leaving Fayette County. There is little reason for our expatriates to return. There is little to keep others here, let alone attract new residents and businesses.
In spite of memories from the 60’s and 70’s, after a 40 year absence, I am an outsider and see things today through the eyes of an outsider. What I see is as unsettling as what I do not see; there has been little growth and a great deal of deterioration.

Were I just a passer-by without roots, here, I would take one look and just keep going. But, my roots are here; and when one is “called” to something, it is for a purpose.

Maybe my purpose here is to help affect change and “Make Washington Court House Great, Again”.
It is my hope that this series will stimulate discussion, encourage others to share their ideas and stir people to action.

Future articles will address issues that hold us back from growing good jobs, including some statistics; and offer some ideas for making our community a destination point for arts, entertainment and business; and for making it a more desirable place to live, work and raise a family. The natural resources are here, we just need to steel our resolve and determine to do it, with the realization that it is a long-term process.

William Boylan is a Washington Court House native.

Are Barking Dogs Driving You Crazy . . .

. . . don't bother calling the WCH Police Department.

This afternoon, around 2 PM, I called the police department to make a complaint about a barking dog at the residence of Tony Sword, 932 S. Main St..  This isn't the first time I've complained about Mr. Sword's dog; the history goes back for well over a year.

It is no wonder the dog barks; "it's a outdoor dawg", according to his wife, and it is kept outside, day and night while their "indoor dawgs" get to stay inside.  Dogs are social creatures and need to be a part of the pack.  This dog is neglected and is lonely for companionship.

A few minutes later, an officer drove slowly by the house, and dept on going, even though the dog was barking.  I called back and asked the dispatcher why the officer did not stop.  She told me that the dog was barking behind the neighbor's house, and not the one I had called about.

First of all, I've listened to that dog bark for over a year and know exactly which house it is coming from.  Second, there is an ordnance against barking dogs and the officer should have stopped, anyway.  When I tried telling this to the dispatcher, she put me on hold.

After a few minutes, Sgt. Shoopman gets on the phone and tells me a different story.  He said the dog was barking at the neighbor and her dogs, who were in the back yard, at the time.  Someone isn't being straight, here.  Apparently, I told him, his officer doesn't think a barking dog complaint is worth bothering with.

For one thing; where the barking dog is kept, it cannot see the neighbor's back yard.  For another, it doesn't matter for what reason the dog is barking.  And, how would the officer know how long the neighbor had been there with her dogs, if even that is what was causing the other dog to bark?

When I tried to explain this to Shoopman, he told me not to yell at him.  When I told him to stop making excuses for his officers, he hung up the phone!

Apparently, he has very thin skin and a contemptuous attitude toward the residents of the community, who's tax dollars pay his salary.

It seems some police officers in Washington Court House have an exceptionally high opinion of themselves; they are too important to be bothered by something as trivial as a barking dog complaint.  Perhaps they think of themselves as Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot, when Inspector Clouseau would be a more appropriate comparison.

Last year I made dozens of call complaining about Tony Sword's dog and others.  The police did nothing about it until one day, one of the dogs was left barking outside all day.  They then wrote a simple warning ticket.

One officer, Philips, told me he has dogs and they bark, too; so he wasn't going to write anyone a ticket for it.  I got that on video, which you can see, here: https://youtu.be/tmtXyMs9T10

One of my neighbors told me he had complained about this particular dog, but quit calling the police because they never did anything about it!  This is intolerable.  This is a quality of life issue; one supported by city ordinance.  Police need to understand they are engaged to serve the public in all capacities, not just to write speeding tickets and give out Narcan injections.  And whether or not they like a citizen's attitude, they should listen and not contemptuously hang up the phone.