By MARY MARGARET BROWN
Guest Columnist

(Editor’s Note: Sometimes you think you know someone and then you find out that you really do not. So we wanted to share the thoughts of a grieving aunt about her nephew. A view many of us never got to see. Though we rarely do this, I thought it was appropriate  to recognize a hero.)

His obituary read like this.

Major Danny Wayne Duffy, formerly of Stanton and now Lexington, passed away on August 10, 2015 at his home at 144 Londonderry  Drive, Lexington, of a cardiovascular heart infraction.  He was born in the Mary Chiles Hospital on November 16, 2015 in Mt. Sterling, Ky. He attended Mt. Sterling Elementary and Stanton schools where he graduated from Stanton High School in 1965. He was the son of Louise Brown Duffy Williams and Joe Duffy, who are deceased.

Danny was baptized into the First Baptist Church of Stanton as a youngster. He was buried with full military honors in the Stanton Cemetery.

Funeral services were held Friday, August 14, 2015 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Saturday August 15, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. with the Reverend Mary Margaret Brown officiating accompanied by Sam Brown, Wayne Fortney, and John D. Kelly.  Pall bearers were:  Danny Martin, C. B. Martin, Johnny Stewart, Chris Abner, Gary Abner, Kathyrn Cox, Ava Mae White, Nell Orme, and Larry Gene Brown.

Danny had several mentors while growing up in Stanton, beginning with his maternal grandparent, Ollie Brown along with I.D. Hearne, Arthur Williams, Rose Swope, Bill Orme, and others that I do not know.  He had his own dark room in a building at the back of his home that his grandfather fixed for him to develop pictures, which became a lifelong hobby.  He videotaped C. W. Fortney’s funeral for his good friend, Wayne.  At 18 or 19 he was encouraged  by I.D. Hearne to prepare for Vietnam and took his first solo flight in Lexington, where his experience enabled him to join the elite flying group of helicopter pilots, called the Huey Cobra, or gunships.  He was stationed at Pleiuku, where it was considered some of the fiercest fighting of the Vietnam War.  He was a member of the 361 Panther Division of helicopter pilots.

While in service, he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal: Bronze Star Medal for bravery on 28 missions; Army Commendation Medal; Good Conduct Medal; National Defense Service Medal )4 campaigns; Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal; Army Aviation Badge; Army Service Ribbon; Overseas Service Ribbon; Armed Forces Reserve Components Achievement Medal, in addition to numerous letters of commendations from a number of generals, presidents, etc.  He was commissioned  on the battlefield to Captain, and in California he was the Project Director of Fort Irwin, California Camp located near Barstow, California. He received a medal for an expert rifleman. He was in charge of the movement of millions of dollars of equipment moving from Los Angeles to Barstow.

After high school, he attended the University of Kentucky for a short time and was drafted into the Army.   While stationed in California he received his AA Degree from San Bernadino Junior College in business.  He attended the California State University in Los Angeles and Long Beach for 3 1/2 years with a major in Computer Science.  He held a private pilot’s license.  He received a certificate from the University of California for a Paralegal and had two years of law school from the same school.  He was a notary public in the state of Kentucky.

He attended OCS school and graduated as a second Lieutenant at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma.  He was the Director of a military installation, Ft. Irwin, in Barstow California, for several years, where large equipment was kept in the dessert to prevent rust.  This is the first time that helicopters were used in battle and he flew a Huey Cobra, a gunship.  The army at first wanted him to fly a reconnaissance helicopter but he went to the Pentagon and asked for the Heuy Cobra, the gunship.  A man in Lexington that was stationed at Pleiuku with him said, “Everyone  said if the ‘Duff’ came after you, you would get out.”

He was commissioned  as a captain on the battlefield. He had reached the rank of Major by the time he retired from the 6th  Army.  For several years, he was director of an army installation at Ft. Irwin at Barstow, Ca.  He also had an office in Los Angeles with another secretary, but we don’t  know what he did there.  He retired early to pursue a career of refurbishing buses used during the Olympics and chartering them to shuttle people from Barstow to Ft. Irwin. When the economy took a turn for the worst, he went to New York where he became a stock broker with J.H. Darby and Company and held that job for several years, in Montreal, Canada and also in Lexington.

He lived in Montreal, Canada for a few years as a stock broker and also opened a restaurant.  He returned to Lexington and Stanton and helped his Aunt Mary publish her first book as he did the graphics for two and found a publisher for the first.  He also assisted the aunt start her TV program and they later went into the property management  business.

He had three and one half years of college from the University of Southern California and two years of law school which he used to work for the former district attorney, John Cox of Stanton. A strong bond was developed between these ex-military  men.  John’s wife Kathryn told us she considered him as a second son.  She prayed for him every day and had Stanton Christian Church on their prayer list.

He was a unique man who was not one to boast but met all adversaries with a calm demeanor and logic.  He was the best lawyer you could get if he was defending his aunt and himself against lawsuits.

He is survived by his two siblings and a special bond with an aunt who has been with him during his several months of hospitalization  at the VA in Lexington.  His stay at the hospitals in Lexington was marked by the love and concern shown him when he left, by the VA staff.  We are thankful for their great care. We would like to give a grateful thank you to Congressman  Hal Rogers’ office in Somerset who worked tirelessly to see that his lost medals arrived in time for the funeral.

He was a unique individual who had great nurturing skills when he took care of his dying mother and made the quality of her life much better before her demise.  He had learned these skills earlier in taking care of his beloved grandmother, who suffered from migraines.  He sat with his Uncle Sam while he took his MRI, and held his hand so he wouldn’t be afraid.

His mentors in Stanton were Bill Orme, Arthur Williams, Rose Swope, and I. D.Hearne as he took an active part in school activities, and also his grandfather Ollie Brown taught him about livestock and living. He rode Uncle Cordis’ palomino horse and won ribbons for his horsemanship; he drove a truck for Sam his uncle as he grew into manhood.  Rose Swope told he was a great public speaker, had a wonderful voice and had won some ribbons speaking. He had an extremely high IQ, as one of the teachers came by to tell his grandmother, after he had been tested.  He was not arrogant but walked his own path with humility.

For those who knew him best, you would never hear him curse, lose control, or talk back to his elders.  He didn’t talk about people as his words were few and he chose them wisely.  He had an innate maturity about right and wrong from childhood, and helped many people find the right path.

He had traveled all over the world to Japan,  Australia, New Zealand and Europe and that was what he liked best, especially when he was in the air.  He bought a plane while living in California and flew into Stanton, where he took his 70 year old grandmother for her first and only air plane ride over the farm where we had lived in Mt. Sterling. She was delighted. She showed no fear as she was with her beloved grandson.

He was a most unusual man and lived his life on his own terms not according to the societal mores.  He had stepped out on another big business venture in Lexington but he could not complete that mission.  He was always learning and he was a whiz on the computers; building his own with parts coming in all over the world and helping others with computer problems.

While visiting him in California, he and his aunt had gone to a place where there were a lot of computers and we saw the newly elected Kentucky Governor John Y. Brown and his wife Phyllis. She wanted to introduce him to the governor but Danny was more interested in the computer than meeting a governor.

He never complained of pain or discouraged  by what came about and was always telling his aunt “don’t worry.” He said he would live for twenty more years and needed more to do.  He had been in the VA for several months and received excellent care.  Once he went to Good Sam and they were especially nice.

The pilots who served in Vietnam have formed an organization and they publish a magazine (Vietnam pilots Assn.) that keeps in touch with the members.  Danny had attended some of the meetings according to a former pilot who said he had met Danny in Washington. He wanted a copy of his funeral services brochure to take with him to the next meeting on Tuesday August 25, 2015.

As a member of the Brown family, our loss is great, because when will we find someone so unique and different.  He was a born leader of the young people and showed them how to harvest honey and solve problems.

His candle burned brightly for a little while but he could not complete his latest mission to develop a new business, as he had a stroke in 2011, when his beloved aunt Jean became ill. He marched to a different drummer but always with a positive outlook on life and what mission he could accomplish.

I believe he would want to thank the people of Powell County for all their love and support through the years and especially during the funeral.

Rest in peace Powell County hero. (August 18, 2015)

PAM DOOLEY
County Home Ec. Agent

With nearly two-thirds of Americans considered overweight or obese, many of us would love a magic bullet to help us instantly shed a couple of pounds so we can look and feel better.  Unfortunately, that magic potion or pill doesn’t exist, despite the various marketing efforts you see online or on television that promote products as weight loss cure-alls.

These types of cure-all products have been around for hundreds of years and contine to attract people looking for an easy way to improve their overall health.  The Food and Drug Administration considers any product to be fraudulent if it is misleadingly promoted as being effective against a disease or health condition but has not been scientifically proven safe and effective.

Not only do many of these products not work and are financially draining, but they also could cause serious health problems.  Recently, the FDA found more than 100 weight-loss products, illegally marketed as dietary supplements, containing the ingredient sibutramine.  This was the active ingredient in the prescription weight-loss drug Meridia, which was pulled from pharmacies in 2010 after studies showed it was associated with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

While it can be difficult to understand tricky marketing ploys, common marketing schemes or phrases that tend to send off warning signals include:

1. Personal testimonies

2. Products that offer quick fixes, such as “Lose 30 pounds in 30 days”

3. All natural

4. Products that claim to be miracle cures as a result of a scientific breakthrough, secret ingredient or new discovery.  If these claims were true, they would be widely reported by the media and not in a paid-for advertisement.

The American College of Sports Medicine details the four best ways to improve your nutrition.  These include:

1. Make small dietary changes to help you reach a healthy body weight.

2. Reduce your intake of saturated fat, trans fat, sugar and sodium.

3. Increase consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish and dairy products.

4. Be a conscientious diner when eating out.

Always consult your physician before starting a weight loss program.

Ag Notes

The period from late summer into early fall in Kentucky is the best time to establish the common cool-season grasses such as orchardgrass, tall fescue, timothy and bluegrass for pasture or hay.  These four grasses make up 95 percent of pasture acreage.

Many years of research have shown this time frame is the best opportunity for successful establishment.  Mother Nature has a hand in this because seed produced in late spring remains dormant until late summer and then early fall rainfall provides the moisture necessary for the seed to germinate.

To increase your success rate, remember these four points:

First, address soil fertility needs.  Take soil samples now to determine fertility needs and to give you enough time to supply the needed nutrients.  Inadequate levels of phosphorous, potassium or limestone can limit the success of late-summer seedings.  For pure grass stands, apply nitrogen at the rate of 40 to 60 pounds per acre.

Second, control competition.  Late-summer seedings most often fail from competition and lack of water.  When you control existing vegetation with herbicides or tillage, the emerging seedlings will have access to whatever water and nutrients are present without having to compete with weeds.

To maximize the success of seedings, use a burn-down herbicide to kill annual weeds.  Translocated herbicides can be used where labeled to kill or suppress perennials such as johnsongrass.

Remember to wait two to three weeks after spraying translocated herbicides before you plant in no-till situations.  This will allow time for killed weeds to dry out and for residual effects of the herbicide to decay.

Third, select high quality seed of an adapted variety.  Planting high quality seed is an essential step toward establishment and longevity of a pasture.  These seeds have high percentages of germination, low percentages of weed seed and freedom from noxious weed seed.

Certified seeds meets or exceeds minimum standards for purity, germination and quality.  The certified seed should be from an “improved” variety adapted to your farm.  “Improved” means the variety has been selected for improved yield, quality, persistence, disease resistance or other positive traits.

Varieties greatly differ in yield, persistence, disease resistance and cost.  Expensive varieties aren’t necessarily good, and the cheaper ones aren’t necessarily bad.

If you’re uncertain about a variety’s adaptation and performance, you can obtain information on the leading performers in the University of Kentucky’s forage variety tests by contacting the Cooperative Extension Service or by going to the following website http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Forage/ForageVarietyTrials2.htm.

Then scroll down to 2014 Tall Fescue Report; 2014 Timothy Report and 2014 Orchardgrass Report.  You can find reports as far back as 2001 on this site.

Fourth, seed at the proper time and depth.  You should seed legumes and grasses before mid-September.  Grasses are less sensitive to later seeding than legumes.  The major cool season grasses will not do well if you simply broadcast them onto existing overgrazed or mowed pastures.  Forages should be seeded no deeper than one-fourth to one-half inch.

Late-summer alfalfa seedings are susceptible to sclerotinia stem and crown rot.  If sclerotinia has been active in your area or farm, strongly consider waiting until next spring to seed.

Source:  Garry Lacefield, professor emeritus and extension forage specialist

Educational programs of the Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability, or national origin.

By HAROLD PEASE, PHD
Guest Columnist

Actually the games have been going on for some time as they do every four years when the mega rich essentially elect our president through their super packs and media outlets.  The “game” part of the process is how it is done causing the people to believe that they choose their president when they do not.

I have told my students for years that the quickest way to understand our political system is to watch the movie “The Hunger Games.”

The strategy is to herd all voters into their two camps called Republicans and Democrats excluding all other political parties, where there exist few real differences on foreign policy where the super rich have agreement.  Since they own all major media outlets, information for or against those they allow to elevate is managed.

The few astute enough to figure this out and learn of other choices are easily brought back into the fold by the siren call that they are throwing away their vote if going outside these “ordained” two parties.

Those disaffiliated with both establishment political parties, about 40 percent, called independents, are returned to the fold at election time still forced to choose from the existing approved candidates.  And thus only the faces change every four years.

I suppose that as a political scientist by profession this is more easily understood.  I write the Federal Elections Commission every October of every election year to find out who is running for president, which I have done since the early 1990’s.  Never has the list of candidates for president been less than 200 and never has the list of political parties, most offering a presidential candidate, been less than 20.

With this in mind let me share some observations with respect to the first Republican Party Debate of the 2016 presidential race.  Donald Trump’s immediate surge to the top was, and is, due primarily to extensive initial media coverage and to his defiance of the political correctness which is admired by most (it also has an entertainment aspect).  Enemies even liked it because they hoped to see him self-destruct.  “It has been a breath of fresh air to have someone tell it like it is,” said many.  Most politicians are so afraid to commit they almost say nothing.

Most wonder about his conservative credentials having once been for abortion, a single payer healthcare system, and a proponent of continued funding of the non-abortion parts of the Planned Parenthood, but the entertaining “tell it like it is” aspect is so strong.

One favorable aspect of electing Trump is that he is not purchased by the rich–other than himself.  Others must mold their rhetoric and action to please their financial bosses, not the people.  This leaves Trump uncontrolled and the establishment (the other mega rich) cannot have that, thus their early attempt to faze him out by Fox News.

Remember the “double whammy” questions, first by Bret Baer, aimed right at Trump, asking all candidates who might consider running as a third party candidate were he not to get the Republican Party nod, knowing full well that Trump was the only one who had suggested such.

The second question, from Megan Kelly, asked him, almost in an accusatory manner, about his position on women.  Had these questions come from any other network journalists, other than Fox, such might have been expected.  Predictably both were intended to damage Mr. Trump.

Clearly the favorites of the establishment (mega-rich) in the Republican Party for many months have been moderates Jeb Bush and Chris Christie.  It is never a real conservative.  Ben Carson, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Carly Florina, all with excellent performances in the debates, are in place partially to show the diversity of the party as opposed to the serious absence of diversity on race in the Democratic Party.  All of these, and Scott Walker, can be molded by their financial bosses with the exception of Ted Cruz who they despise and will work to faze out later.

Remember, as intelligent as any of these persons are they will be responsible for the placement of hundreds in a new administration and will rely largely on the opinion of those already in place which is largely the establishment view.  Ben Carson and Carly Florina are especially vulnerable with respect to this.  They know little with respect to the workings of the Federal Government—or any government.

Marco Rubio’s cave two years ago on immigration policy left him damaged with the more conservative element of his party but at the same time viewed as more pliable to the establishment bosses.  I expect him to continue to do well because they like him.

Mike Huckabee, as a Council on Foreign Relations member, and Rick Perry, as a former guest to a Bilderberg conference, will not be acceptable to Republicans against the New World Order.  Huckabee had an outstanding debate, however, but did not get the traction that I had expected from the performance.  Perry may have offended the establishment bosses by his sincere desire to close our southern border, something that the rich oppose because they are working for the “new” North America like the European Community, with open borders.

With respect to the Constitution, a document that cannot take further mutilation as has happened under George W. Bush and Barack Obama allowing us to remain free, the only presidential candidates to reference it in the debate of the top ten were Ted Cruz and Rand Paul both despised by the bosses.

Nothing any of the others said tells me that they have any understanding of the Constitution and I am certain that it will not be first consideration in any policy that they derive later.

It would be a serious mistake to pick a next president deficient in this area.

 

Dr. Harold Pease is a syndicated columnist and an expert on the United States Constitution. He has dedicated his career to studying the writings of the Founding Fathers and applying that knowledge to current events. He has taught history and political science from this perspective for over 25 years at Taft College. To read more of his weekly articles, please visit www.LibertyUnderFire.org.

PAM DOOLEY
County Home Ec. Agent

‘There has been a lot of talk, news and magazine articles and questions about the health benefits of coconut oil.

For many years, the high saturated fat content of coconut oil made the oil a no-no for individuals looking to lose weight or live healthier lifestyles.  Recent scientific reports have said saturated fat may not be as bad as once thought or as bad when compared to trans-fat.  This has allowed coconut oil to gain popularity.

Coconut oil has a wonderful taste and is being used by cooks as substitutes for butter, shortening and other solid fat sources in baked goods like pie crusts.  It’s also commonly used by movie theaters to make popcorn and is a requirement for preparing authentic Thai dishes.

With that said, there are some savvy marketers looking to take advantage of coconut oil’s newfound popularity.  They claim the oil does everything from shrinking waistlines to helping reverse Alzheimer’s disease.  Still, these claims should be taken with a grain of salt, like most products that claim to be cure-alls for a variety of conditions.

Coconut oil contains about 90 percent saturated fat, which is a higher concentration of saturated fat than butter and lard.  Too much saturated fat in a person’s diet tends to raise the LDL “bad” cholesterol levels.  Coconut oil is unique from other products high in saturated fat, because it has shown it can raise a person’s HDL “good” cholesterol levels too.  In addition to containing fat, plant-based oils like coconut also contain antioxidants and other substances.  However, coconut oil’s effect on a person’s health cannot be determined by a cholesterol reading alone.  Some in the medical community suspect that coconut oil may promote atherosclerosis, which is a buildup of fat, cholesterol and other substances in the arteries that restricts blood flow.

Most of the research that has been conducted to this point has examined the short-term effects coconut oil has on cholesterol levels.  There have not been any studies that examine coconut oil’s effect on heart disease.  A few small studies have shown that coconut oil may help shrink waistlines.  Even though a person’s waistline may be smaller, the use of coconut oil did not also lead to significant weight loss or a lower body mass index for those individuals.  While many claims exist that coconut oil provides other health benefits including helping reverse Alzheimer’s disease, there has been no concrete scientific evidence to support those claims yet.

The take-home message is coconut oil can be used in cooking but should be used sparingly to maintain optimum health.  The best, most effective way for weight loss continues to be exercise and following a healthy diet.

Educational programs of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability, or national origin.  

By HAROLD PEASE, PHD
Guest Columnist

Hundreds of articles and broadcasts recently have been written or aired posing the question, “Should Congress pass the Iran Deal?”  All demonstrate a lack of constitutional knowledge and the establishment media, ignorantly or knowingly, omits the constitutional perspective in the proposed Iran Treaty, which we give here.  Were the Constitution actually used as intended by the Founders, and as used for 150 years, the Iran Treaty would be dead on arrival.  Unfortunately the perversions of the constitutional treaty-making process allow faulty treaties to become reality.

The typical definition of congress, and the one used by the media, includes both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives.  For the House to have a vote would be unconstitutional, as the Constitution clearly gives this function to the U.S. Senate alone.  Article II, Section 2, Clause 2 of the Constitution says that the President “shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur.”

The advice function is performed during the creation of a treaty and the consent function is thereafter, once an agreement is presented to the Senate.  Many presidents have not sought the advice of the Senate when they created treaties and certainly Barack Obama has shown no tendency to do so either, preferring to prepare a treaty without any advice from it.  So this part of the treaty-making process has effectively been handed to the executive branch some time ago.

Obama’s violation of the Constitution goes even deeper.  In calling it a “deal,” rather than a treaty, he hopes to blur the difference and bypass the Senate roll required by the Constitution.  If treated as a law, rather than a treaty, he is only required to obtain a mere majority vote of each house which is infinitely easier to get than 2/3rds of a senate controlled by an opposing party.  He than can override an opposing vote should it come.  This would give a president, any president, far more power than intended by the Framers.  The Senate function has no presidential veto and stands on its own.  The treaty must get the approval of 67 senators or it is dead as it stands.  Knowing this a president is far more likely, from the beginning, to work with the Senate to vastly improve a favorable outcome.

Throughout history a treaty has been defined as any agreement between two or more countries.  Presidents, anxious to expand their powers beyond constitutional limits, began to look for ways of doing so and their obedient followers gave no resistance.  Probably the first to intentionally do this was President Franklin Delano Roosevelt who began calling treaties, that he feared might not get the required 2/3rds Senate vote, executive agreements, a term not mentioned in the Constitution but uncontested by his vast following.   He could now unilaterally approve everything internationally that he did.  This was one reason that after his death his own political party supported the two-term limitation on the length of time a president served.  Presidents become too powerful, but the precedent of avoiding the term treaty in favor of agreement and going the back door route for implementation continued.

President Bill Clinton, realizing that on NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement) he could not get a two-thirds vote for treaty confirmation in the Senate as required, purposely used the word agreement rather than treaty, thus treating it as a law, which then required only a simple majority of both houses of Congress for confirmation.  He used the same unconstitutional technique on his second major treaty of his two terms in office, GATT—General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.

So constitutionally deteriorating has our treaty making process become—even for Americans—the U.S. Senate last March felt they needed to advise the Iranian government that promises of any president required confirmation by them.  And if bypassed, which the Senate feared might happen with Barack Obama in office, a predecessor could reverse such.  We are different from most countries in the world in this respect.  The leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran were advised by the letter of the separation of powers in the Constitution between the executive branch, which makes international agreements, and the legislative branch that must approve such; that a treaty must be ratified by two-thirds of the Senate; and that without this majority vote of Congress it is merely an executive agreement and potentially meaningless after, in this case, Obama leaves office.   It ended: “We hope this letter enriches your knowledge of our constitutional system and promotes mutual understanding and clarity as nuclear negotiations progress.”

The Obama deal would require a 2/3rds negative vote of both houses for override and defeat.  Under the Constitution his treaty would require a two-thirds vote for its approval.  The constitutional way is much more difficult to obtain and improves the probability of better treaties.  Both political parties must return to the constitutional treaty making provisions.  Again, the Constitution as used for most of our history would leave the Iran Treaty dead on arrival because if it could not get the 2/3rds vote of the Senate confirming, it ends.  The Senate, not the president, has final say.

 

Dr. Harold Pease is a syndicated columnist and an expert on the United States Constitution. He has dedicated his career to studying the writings of the Founding Fathers and applying that knowledge to current events. He has taught history and political science from this perspective for over 25 years at Taft College. To read more of his weekly articles, please visit www.LibertyUnderFire.org.

JAMES COOK
Times Editor

Events can be very important to people for many reasons.

Last weekend I celebrated my daughters second birthday of the year. She turned four. Of course, she is actually 18, but most you know the story of her rattlesnake snakebite on July 25, 2011. God moved and she is alive today. I celebrate that everyday!

It was and still is a special day for us. So we celebrate a little and give God the glory for what he has done. Because we should give credit where it is due.

God gave me my baby girl back. When doctors tell you the next few hours will be important, when she swells so much she doesn’t look like the little girl you love and her skin turns that gray color, you know it could be the end. But God had other plans.

In two weeks I’ll be taking her to college and God will watch over her there too.

• This weekend is special because the 26th Annual Corn Festival will be held. Very few people thought 26 years ago it would last long. But despite it all, we will crown another Corn Festival Queen and a corn eating contest winner.

The festival, which I still believe should be renamed the Powell County Corn Festival so maybe we can get more people to see its importance and join in, is a chance to bring in some tourists, show off what we have and have fun. But that’s my opinion, others may differ.

That was the general idea 26 years ago and I believe it remains the general idea today. We have to give all of those who were involved on day one; all of those who have worked to keep it going and even those who run it today their due. They have worked hard and they have tried to make it a special occasion.

In recent years we have seen attendance fall off and that includes even local people. We want to draw people into our county to show off what we offer as a community, but we need for our community to jump in too. If they don’t then the festival may die. If that happens then we may have to work on something else to promote our community.

Remember when one of us prospers we all can, if we work together. So how about coming out and having some fun!

The festival has made it this far. Wouldn’t be great to see the 30th, 40th and even 50th Corn Festival if the Lord tarries? I don’t know about you, but that would be quite a showcase of how a community works together for the good of the community.

I’m just saying . . .

By KIMBERLY BLAKER
Guest Columnist

On July 9, Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA) appealed to congress, “Let’s no longer turn a blind eye and instead help those who need it the most.” Murphy pointed to the 200 deaths per day by suicide and drug overdose, and the uncountable “slow motion deaths” of millions with serious mental illness (SMI). He asked congressional members, again, to co-sponsor the bipartisan Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act of 2015, HR-2646.

The two broader problems with treatment for the seriously mentally ill (SMI) are laws and funding.

Laws created to protect the rights of SMI individuals didn’t take into account that those with SMI, particularly schizophrenia, are often unable to recognize their illness and therefore unwilling to seek treatment, resulting in inability to care for themselves. This is seen in that 35% of the population receiving federal disability insurance benefits is mentally ill.

Moreover funding has dwindled severely. Hospitals shut down while insufficient public funding has impeded development of adequate out-patient programs.

The continuation of these problems stems in part from lack of public understanding of SMI.

There are 3.5 million people in the US with schizophrenia alone, a fate often worse than death. My son, Caleb, was diagnosed three years ago, at the age of 19. His adult life has been spent inside a living hell–literally. The early stage was marked primarily by delusions and paranoia: there was a government conspiracy against him, Lil Wayne and Drake were writing derogatory songs about him, and pimps were trying to kill him. This was only the beginning of a downward spiral.

The first year of treatment showed only mild success. Antipsychotics are relatively fast acting, and if monitored, can be quickly adjusted or changed. But with a shortage of psychiatric beds, he was in and out of the hospital within days, still in psychosis. Further hindering recovery, he was allowed only one 30-minute psychiatric appointment per month.

It should be noted, each episode and the longer in psychosis, the more damage done to the brain resulting in increasing severity and reducing the likelihood of recovery.

This has proven true for Caleb. A year into his illness, he received a message to cut off his ear or toe or to break a leg. In the middle of the night, I awakened to his blood curdling screams. He had jumped 15 feet from a tree fracturing his back. Just prior to this feat, he attempted, unsuccessfully, to silence the commands. He branded his arm with a fork, a scar that remains today. He was admitted for psychiatric care, but released within 7 days with little improvement.

Over the next two years, he is hospitalized with increasing frequency, always released within days. He is paranoid and live in constant fear with the belief his family and friends want to kill him. He hallucinates I say such horrific things to him as, “I’m going to chop off your head”, or “I’ll bury you alive.” He has spent nights sitting on his bed prepared to bolt if I break down the door to kill him.

Six months ago, the television told him he is Jeffrey Dahmer, and the President told him to kill me. My son isn’t violent. But statistics speak for themselves, and psychosis often leads to violent and tragic acts. It was a several day battle to get him hospitalized, and he was released in 3 days in the same condition.

For a few months, his psychosis finally improved. But this rarely lasts. With his paranoia that doctors, pharmaceutical companies, and his family are trying to poison him, he often refuses medication. Recently, Caleb took another downturn. He cannot not comprehend real conversations because the hallucinatory voices are so overpowering. He carries on arguments with these voices, tells the news anchors on TV to shut up because they are talking about him, and is angry with the Pope for something the Pope is doing to him. He insists he is traversing. As a result, there are now two of him, or maybe three, and he doesn’t know which is the real him. He becomes confused and doesn’t know where he is and pleads with me to get him home. I try to reassure him, “you are the real Caleb, and you are safe at home.” It is heartbreaking.

But we aren’t alone. This plays out for millions of SMI people and their families day-after-day, week-after-week, and year-after-year as loved ones spiral further into the abyss.

HR-2646 is far from a complete overhaul of our poor mental health system. But it makes several meaningful improvements. Family access to information about the diagnosis and prescribed treatments for their mentally ill adult loved ones has hindered families’ ability to protect and care for the sick member. This bill will clarify HIPAA so caregivers have access to necessary information.

Also crucial, the bill will require states to authorize assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) for the state to receive Community Mental Health Service Block Grant funds, and expansion of civil commitment criteria.

Other needs are also addressed including the shortage of psychiatric beds, greater use of criminal diversion programs, greater emphasis on evidence-based care, and alternatives to institutionalization.

This bill should not be shelved or watered down. Certain groups are making concerted efforts to remove crucial components. These include anti-psychiatry groups, and organizations focused on general mental wellness rather than treatment for the seriously mentally ill who are the most under served and for whom this legislation was intended.

Kimberly Blaker is an author and freelance writer and the mother of a young adult son with schizoaffective disorder (schizophrenia and bipolar).

JAMES COOK
Times Editor

I was hoping to make this just a short column to discuss a few things on my mind. So bear with me just a few minutes.

First of all I want to say that the school board meetings have been, shall we say, more exciting of late. With more of the public showing up and staying to watch how the board works, or even just to voice their opinion, it has been a new experience.

Of course I have heard terms I usually don’t hear at meetings and there is the ever increasing sense that a more watchful public may be getting involved, but that is OK. That is what should happen art every meeting for every council and board. The voters asking questions and demanding answers from their elected officials. And those officials should have to listen, as long as things are within reason.

With that said, let me move on to an issue we should have seen coming. This week at the Stanton City Council meeting the Fairness Ordinance will once again be discussed. And though I try to remain neutral on most issues for the newspaper’s sake, this one I have to speak out on.

Now don’t get too excited. You may not like what I have to say.

First of all, since the Supreme Court’s ruling two weeks ago about same-sex marriages, there has been a lot of bitterness and intolerance on both sides. That has to stop. NO good can come from constant bickering, it never has.

But with that said, please try to follow my reasonings here for my next comments.

The main issue for such an ordinance is that the LGBT groups do not feel like their civil rights are recognized. I have even had members of those groups tell me this. But with the ruling and listening to constitutional attorneys discuss the issue, it seems that the civil rights recognition is now settled. So that, in my mind, would seem to defuse any need for a Fairness Ordinance, after all if the law says they can marry its going to be pretty hard to discriminate in most other areas as well.

But my biggest point is this and I have told many of my friends this same thing. On our Devotional Page each week is a list of churches. If I counted correctly, there are 55 of the 61 churches listed that sit inside the borders of Powell County. That is a lot of churches and Christians, as I assume those who attend those churches are Christians. That would make this “Christian County” one would think.

But there is also too much division between the churches over denominational issues or theologies. The simple answer to those problems is this: there is one God and one Bible. As long as we follow that, how can we go wrong. Sure we’ll make mistakes and commit sins, the word says we will. But forgiveness and love is what God is all about.

One sin is no worse than any other, God sees them all, wants us to move away from those ways and come to Him. That means we have to be able to show love as well, to everyone – yes I said everyone.

The main point I am trying to make is this: If we truly showed the love of God to others, treated others like the Bible says we should and truly become a God-fearing, Christian county, than we would be treating everyone fairly anyway. Therefore a Fairness Ordinance would not be needed at all.

Now this is just my opinion, but I believe the “Love Thy Neighbor” lesson I have been discussing here can be found in Matthew 23:39 and Mark 12:31.

We do not have to support things we do not believe in and we do not have to condone anything. We may be ridiculed, called intolerant or hated because we stick to our faith. But we have to exercise love at all times. Because we do have to follow God’s commandments and what is that old saying, “If Jesus said it, I believe and its so.” There are no exceptions to the commandment or God’s love.

I’m just saying . . .

By H.B. ELKINS
Guest Columnist

Every January, a professional organization of which I’m a member hosts a meeting at which the biggest public relations blunders of the previous year are discussed. One of the sources of those blunder lists tends to include as many goofs by conservative political figures as possible. Most of the events referenced are from elsewhere other than Kentucky, but there’s a very good chance that will change when the lists for 2015 are compiled.

Had Agriculture Secretary and former Republican gubernatorial candidate Jamie Comer better handled the brouhaha over allegations that he was in an abusive relationship with a college girlfriend, he might be planning how to push his winning primary campaign forward into this fall’s general election. Instead, he’s licking his wounds after his narrow primary defeat three weeks ago and is most likely staring at the end of his political career.

The story is well-known by now. A Lexington resident named Michael Adams heard rumors of the incident and started a concerted anti-Comer movement, establishing a blog and a Facebook page to spread the story. Once the mainstream press picked up on the subject, months after the blogger began his efforts, the woman in question felt compelled to speak out. A number of reporters had been trying to contact her about the matter, but she chose to send a letter to The Courier-Journal’s Joe Gerth in which she confirmed she’d been in a physically and emotionally abusive relationship with Comer.

That led Comer to issue a blanket denial, which in turn led others to come forward to confirm the ex-girlfriend’s account. Comer also lashed out at election rival Hal Heiner, accusing his campaign of being behind the blogger’s actions and claiming Heiner had paid the ex-girlfriend to fabricate her story. Comer’s wife penned a column in his defense for the C-J which was riddled with factual inaccuracies. Comer’s supporters began mirroring his statements and accusations on social media and on comment sections of news stories about the matter. The ex-girlfriend even began getting messages from strangers, accusing her of selling her soul for politics.

Heiner had led in most polling prior to the election, but Comer had been considered the frontrunner since he was sworn in as agriculture commissioner four years ago. Political observers didn’t give Matt Bevin much of a chance of winning until the battle between Comer and Heiner got ugly. The acrimony between Comer and Heiner allowed Bevin, previously known for his failed attempt to “primary” Mitch McConnell last year, to claim an 83-vote victory over Comer. The outcome didn’t change after a recanvass, Comer opted not to proceed with a formal recount, and Bevin became the nominee.

If Comer hadn’t acted so angrily, it’s entirely possible that he could have persuaded a few dozen more people to vote for him, and he could have won the gubernatorial primary.

What if Comer had stated that he had sometimes acted in an immature and ungentlemanly fashion in his youth? (Didn’t we all, at one time or another?) What if he had said that he regretted the way he may have treated her at times? What if he had apologized to her for any pain he may have caused her, and said he was sorry that she had been pulled into the middle of the election by a blogger operating on his own agenda? What if he had directed more of his ire toward blogger Adams, who started the whole thing, and less of it toward Heiner or Gerth? It’s quite likely that enough of the electorate would have accepted his statement to give him the victory, even if he didn’t directly answer questions about whether or not he’d been physically abusive to her.

Comer’s position toward his ex-girlfriend changed during the process, which didn’t endear him to a lot of people. He originally said he thought she was a good person and wouldn’t have been involved in Adams’ campaign against him. But when she finally spoke out under duress, he claimed that she had been paid to make up the stories. His lawyer also was hostile to her in comments he made to the media. The lawyer also threatened to sue the C-J over the story, but no libel suit has yet been filed as of this writing.

The public values sincerity and honors honesty. We’re a forgiving bunch. A little admission and contrition from Comer would have gone a long way. Instead, he remained defiant, choosing instead to blame others for the situation instead of taking some responsibility for his own role in it. And that, more than anything he may have done two decades ago as a college student, is what led to his downfall.

“It’s not the crime, it’s the coverup.” How many times have we heard that statement since Watergate? Something similar applies here. “It’s not what you did, it’s how you respond to it.” Comer responded improperly, and paid a price for it. His blunder should be a cautionary tale for politicians on how not to handle such a situation.

(H.B. Elkins is an award-winning former editor of the Clay City Times who now works in public relations. All opinions expressed are his own and do not represent the views of his current or any former employer. Reach him at hbelkins@gmail.com. Read more at kentuckyvalleyviews.blogspot.com.)