I was there, of course, at Johnson Square, dressed in red and wearing a big smile. I wrote my name & contact info at several tables, including at a few STAR tables. But, no one's called me. And I'm not even allowed to read nor post in the STAR facebook page.
Here's a sad & inconvenient truth that no-kill advocates don't want to see: that animals are still dying in those communities. Yup, they're still dying. Sure, not inside those shelters, of course, so that their human advocates can feel good about it but, they're still dying somewhere.
And where are they dying?
They're dying outside, in the "waiting line," in the "waiting list," waiting for the vacancy light to come on but, that darn vacancy light hardly ever does come on anymore because the facility is now a no-kill shelter.
Ask any animal rescuer how many sick kittens, sick puppies, pregnant cats, pregnant dogs, cats in heat, dogs in heat, how many die a slow death or give birth outside covered in 3,000 fleas because ALL OF OUR RESCUE GROUPS ARE FULL and because even our low-cost spay/neuter clinics have a 4-6 week waiting time to spay a female cat or dog (by which time the kittens and puppies are already born. And who can afford even the low cost surgery price for the 50 dogs & cats that need it in just one square block of Savannah's most poor neighborhoods?)
Is it even possible to imagine how much worse the conditions in Chatham County would be if our County Animal Control Shelter suddenly stopped having open admissions?
Can we even grasp the consequences?
I can.
I can see people going back to the old ways of animal population control, to the old methods of extermination.
I can visualize mass poisonings with chemicals that cause excruciating pain for days on end before the animal dies.
I can visualize mass drownings.
I can visualize mass shootings of thousands of dogs & cats, something that doesn't only happen in India or China but, something that does happen right here in Georgia, not by the thousands but, mass shootings of unwanted cats & dogs is not that unusual.
So, what realistic choices are there for animal rescuers which don't include taking in 28 pregnant cats or dogs into your own home every year for 30 years?
Aaah, there it is again.
That inconvenient truth:
euthenasia VS. being alive in a tiny cage for months or years at a time.
Some call that "torture."
But it's perfectly legal.
To me, both choices break my heart.
But right now, there is no other place for so many of these sweet babies.
My heart is still racing from watching this. I've been a victim myself & being caught by surprise only escalates things. Being caught by surprise never diffuses a situation. These officers jumped on this man without warning. No wonder he was scared.
And even though we know that Charles Smith had a record (though not for things like murder or rape) I sit here in absolute shock at how the police officers didn't give this man even a few seconds to process what was about to happen (like "Excuse us, Mr. Charles, please don't run. But you are wanted for such & such. Please come with us peacefully. Please turn around with hands in the air, legs apart, please get on your knees, hands behind your back, please stand and come with us to be processed."). ----- Look, I like having a strong police force. I want them patrolling our streets. I was so happy to see them when I was mugged. And yet, to sneak up on anyone like they did to arrest this man makes even me scared of some police. --- Looks to me like they played a HUGE PART in escalating what could have been, should have been, a simple arrest.
I should mention that our 15 year old did complete her Freshman year in Johnson High in Savannah but, once there, we found out that she wouldn't be taking her advanced I.B. classes until 11th grade! We asked why she was only getting 15-30 minutes of homework per day & the principal said that about 3 years ago, the School Board had decided to "take it easier on Freshmen as they transition into high school ".
My reaction? My jaw dropped about 2 feet below my chin. Maybe I only rolled my eyeballs as I screamed "whaaaaat!?"
I don't recall. Anyway, my girl is now in another I.B. program, in St. Andrews, the same school where David Simons' kids go (he's another School Board Pres. Candidate.)
Oh, and now my kid gets more than 15 mins of homework per night. She gets over 5 hours per night's worth of homework. But at what cost?
We are paying twice: tuition PLUS taxes.
How is this fair to middle class families like us? We are going broke! The middle class always gets the Royal Shaft.
No. Totally disagree. We don't NEED another arts academy!! How many top notch artists exists per 35,000 kids? Very, very few. Almost none.
The fact is, that a very small percentage of kids (maybe 1%!!!) ever end up working in the arts once they graduate college.
What Savannah needs is more high schools where white & black parents can send their kids into a culturally mixed setting and not have to pay $20,000 per year to do so. Right now, Savannah Arts is the only mixed school. The rest? Well, they are mostly all totally segregated. Even Black & Latino parents don't like this. We NEED integrated GOOD, not HOOD schools. As for art schools? Our kids need good academics, period.
Loved the article!
Except that one really important point was not included:
The "made to order concept," like Subway does, in front of the customers.
The "create your own" concept is THE IDEA designed & being marketed by Matt Andrew, the founder of this franchise.
Recent Comments
Why not?
Don't they like short people?
Can you post a link to the event?
And where are they dying?
They're dying outside, in the "waiting line," in the "waiting list," waiting for the vacancy light to come on but, that darn vacancy light hardly ever does come on anymore because the facility is now a no-kill shelter.
Ask any animal rescuer how many sick kittens, sick puppies, pregnant cats, pregnant dogs, cats in heat, dogs in heat, how many die a slow death or give birth outside covered in 3,000 fleas because ALL OF OUR RESCUE GROUPS ARE FULL and because even our low-cost spay/neuter clinics have a 4-6 week waiting time to spay a female cat or dog (by which time the kittens and puppies are already born. And who can afford even the low cost surgery price for the 50 dogs & cats that need it in just one square block of Savannah's most poor neighborhoods?)
Is it even possible to imagine how much worse the conditions in Chatham County would be if our County Animal Control Shelter suddenly stopped having open admissions?
Can we even grasp the consequences?
I can.
I can see people going back to the old ways of animal population control, to the old methods of extermination.
I can visualize mass poisonings with chemicals that cause excruciating pain for days on end before the animal dies.
I can visualize mass drownings.
I can visualize mass shootings of thousands of dogs & cats, something that doesn't only happen in India or China but, something that does happen right here in Georgia, not by the thousands but, mass shootings of unwanted cats & dogs is not that unusual.
So, what realistic choices are there for animal rescuers which don't include taking in 28 pregnant cats or dogs into your own home every year for 30 years?
Aaah, there it is again.
That inconvenient truth:
euthenasia VS. being alive in a tiny cage for months or years at a time.
Some call that "torture."
But it's perfectly legal.
To me, both choices break my heart.
But right now, there is no other place for so many of these sweet babies.
And even though we know that Charles Smith had a record (though not for things like murder or rape) I sit here in absolute shock at how the police officers didn't give this man even a few seconds to process what was about to happen (like "Excuse us, Mr. Charles, please don't run. But you are wanted for such & such. Please come with us peacefully. Please turn around with hands in the air, legs apart, please get on your knees, hands behind your back, please stand and come with us to be processed."). ----- Look, I like having a strong police force. I want them patrolling our streets. I was so happy to see them when I was mugged. And yet, to sneak up on anyone like they did to arrest this man makes even me scared of some police. --- Looks to me like they played a HUGE PART in escalating what could have been, should have been, a simple arrest.
My reaction? My jaw dropped about 2 feet below my chin. Maybe I only rolled my eyeballs as I screamed "whaaaaat!?"
I don't recall. Anyway, my girl is now in another I.B. program, in St. Andrews, the same school where David Simons' kids go (he's another School Board Pres. Candidate.)
Oh, and now my kid gets more than 15 mins of homework per night. She gets over 5 hours per night's worth of homework. But at what cost?
We are paying twice: tuition PLUS taxes.
How is this fair to middle class families like us? We are going broke! The middle class always gets the Royal Shaft.
The fact is, that a very small percentage of kids (maybe 1%!!!) ever end up working in the arts once they graduate college.
What Savannah needs is more high schools where white & black parents can send their kids into a culturally mixed setting and not have to pay $20,000 per year to do so. Right now, Savannah Arts is the only mixed school. The rest? Well, they are mostly all totally segregated. Even Black & Latino parents don't like this. We NEED integrated GOOD, not HOOD schools. As for art schools? Our kids need good academics, period.
Except that one really important point was not included:
The "made to order concept," like Subway does, in front of the customers.
The "create your own" concept is THE IDEA designed & being marketed by Matt Andrew, the founder of this franchise.