Tag Archives: new york times

keep your joy

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How do you keep your joy? How do you keep your joy in the face of unpleasantness?

It is very true that you cannot control the actions of others, you can only control your own actions and behavior.

As a writer and a blogger I have been a target of unpleasantness. It is nothing new, but that never makes it right. When you write, you are putting yourself out there. You will have fans of your writing as well as the detractors. Sometimes the people are those you know, but a lot of the time they are just strangers.

When people love something I write, or a photo, or a recipe it is such a nice feeling. That is what makes blogging so fun. It’s a very neat connection at times.

I am blessed with meeting some very cool people throughout the years I have been writing. I have also had some unpleasant experiences. The two topics that seem to cause unpleasant experiences always seem to get whittled down to two topics: politics and animal rescue. That is why I don’t write about these two topics very much any more.

One of the newer topics I have touched on a couple of times now, and will continue to cover is cyber bullying and cyber stalking. It’s real, it happens every day. It happens to kids and adults alike. It is an unpleasant side of the Internet.

I have been a victim of this welcome to bizarre-O world behavior for a while now. It began a couple weeks before my 50th birthday. The people doing this to me used to be in my life. They left my life of their own accord years ago. Only they didn’t really leave. They have tracked me via the Internet.

It is sad and disturbing at the same time that these people have nothing better to do. They pore over blog posts looking for ways to twist topics I have written about. They skew and oddly sexualize things. From a psychological perspective it’s obvious they need help, and a lot of it.

For the most part, I ignore the whole thing. You see it is pretty simple why they persist: they are miserably unhappy people who want to steal the joy of others and pervert it. It’s sad and stuck all at the same time. But I can’t control their actions, I can only control my own. And I choose to be the better person in the equation.

But what this experience has done in addition is spurn an interest within me. Cyber bullying and cyber stalking is a very timely topic in this country. Today I read about U.S. Senator Al Franken (D-Minn) and his efforts to do something about cyber stalking.

In a Canadian publication I found the story of a mom crusading for most simply put, respect. You see, her teenage daughter committed suicide after being cyber bullied by a thirty-five year old man.

In The Providence Journal in late May there was a very thoughtful editorial on cyber bullying. The writer points out the high profile cyber bullying cases we hear about are the ones that lead to suicide and so on . Basically, if the case is dramatic and flashy, it gets attention.

The thing is this: I am an adult. I can consider the source and tune it out. My rational mind knows that it is the handiwork of truly messed up people. But not everyone can process cyber bullying pragmatically for lack of a better description, especially in a lot of the cases, the young.

There is a fascinating editorial in the New York Times today. Here is an excerpt:

The Opinion Pages / OP TALK New York Times : Rise of the Internet Hate Machine
By JAKE FLANAGIN JUNE 16, 2014 11:37 AM

Welcome to the age of Internet hate, when “it’s never been easier to send an anonymous death threat,” writes Jack Shafer for Reuters…..The Internet and social media have drastically altered the conventions of traditional bullying, threatening and harassment. Phenomena once thought native to playgrounds and high school locker rooms are now a bug of human interaction through technology — for children, teenagers and adults alike.

Has the Internet made us more hateful? Or has the Internet simply made it easier for us to exercise our in-born spite?…..”I was so puzzled by people who were telling us that anonymity was the reason there was so much vile meanness and attacks online,” said the Canadian journalist Paula Todd in a video interview with the National Post. ….Ms. Todd is the author of “Extreme Mean,” which examines “motives and machinations behind cyber-abuse — tormenting, trolling, harassment, cyber-bullying, stalking, and sexual extortion — and the toll it is taking on children, youth, and adults around the world.”

….In a cover story for the January 2014 issue of Pacific Standard, Amanda Hess relayed her own personal encounter with cyberabuse: a Twitter account set up for the express purpose of issuing threats — like stalking, rape and decapitation — to the popular Slate staff writer. “I felt disoriented and terrified,” she recalls. “Then embarrassed for being scared, and, finally, pissed.” She continued, “headlessfemalepig was clearly a deranged individual with a bizarre fixation on me. I picked up my phone and dialed 911.”….But online misogyny need not always be wielded by men. There are countless examples of women utilizing the Internet and social media to spread hate. …..Women victims of Internet hate also aren’t limited to progressive ideologies. Ms. Hess is a celebrated feminist writer with a largely liberal readership, but conservative women are no less exempt…..

Take the time to read the entire op-ed, it is fascinating. My bringing up cyber bullying on my blog will without a doubt cause a renewed flurry of bullying attempts towards me. I expect it, and I don’t care. Their behavior is theirs to deal with. But this topic of cyber bullying is garnering more attention every day and that is a positive thing.

Even the United States Supreme Court is getting interested in this with regard to Facebook in particular:

Huffington Post Politics: Supreme Court Will Hear Appeal Over Online Threats
| By By SAM HANANEL
Posted: 06/16/2014 10:05 am EDT Updated: 2 hours ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court will consider the free speech rights of people who use violent or threatening language on Facebook and other electronic media where the speaker’s intent is not always clear.

The court on Monday agreed to take up the case of an eastern Pennsylvania man sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison for posting online rants about killing his estranged wife, shooting up a school and slitting the throat of an FBI agent…..For more than 40 years, the Supreme Court has said that “true threats” to harm another person are not protected speech under the First Amendment. But the court has cautioned that laws prohibiting threats must not infringe on constitutionally protected speech. That includes “political hyperbole” or “unpleasantly sharp attacks” that fall shy of true threats.

The federal statute targeting threats of violence is likely to be used more often in the coming years “as our speech increasingly migrates from in-person and traditional handwritten communication to digital devices and the Internet,” said Clay Calvert, a law professor at the University of Florida.

Calvert, one of several free speech advocates who submitted a legal brief urging the court to use a subjective standard, said people mistakenly seem to feel that they can get away with more incendiary speech on the Internet, in tweets and in texts.

According to the Justice Department, 63 people were indicted on federal charges of making illegal threats in the 2013 fiscal year. That was up from 53 cases the previous year.

At the end of the day, it’s simple: don’t let people steal your joy. You know who you are and so do the people who love and care about you. There are a lot of sad and disturbed individuals on this planet, don’t make their issues yours. Also remember that God don’t like ugly and neither do most individuals with a conscience.

Thanks for stopping by!

cool gardening app

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Someone sent me an article from The New York Times a couple of weeks ago on gardening apps. So I tried the ones they discussed.

Two I found to not be helpful, but one very much so. It is called Garden Compass. It has it’s very commercial component (which tells you things like Waterloo Gardens in Exton and Devon still exist and doesn’t have nurseries truly local to us in Chester County listed), which I guess I should expect on a free app, but it has a very cool component: it lets you send them photos of plants and garden problems (like pests) you can’t identify.

So there is this plant that pops up in one of my gardening beds I can’t identify. I know it is a native plant, probably classified as a native wildflower, but I had no clue what it was. So I snapped a picture on my phone and sent it in. This morning, Garden Compass gave me an answer:

QUESTION:
Please identify this plant

CUP PLANT (SILPHIUM PERFOLIATUM)

ANSWER: June 13, 2014
Easily grown in average, medium to wet soils in full sun. Prefers moist, rich soils, but tolerates some drought once established. Somewhat slow to establish when grown from seed. Self-seeds in optimum growing conditions.

The photo I sent to them is the photo in the post. How cool is that?

Now I will admit I wonder how many cultivars “cup plants” have because I looked on a fellow gardener’s blog and her cup plants don’t look like mine. (Incidentally the blogger whom I do not know writes at Victoria Elizabeth Barnes and her blog is very cool.)

So we shall see.

This app is available in the App Store and again, it is free. I chose the app because it has a “Plant ID” and “Problem ID”, two tools as a gardener I find helpful. For other gardening apps to try, check out this other New York Times article.

Happy gardening!

carol’s story

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Happy horses grazing somewhere in Chester County

Happy horses grazing somewhere in Chester County

So way back in late October and early November when a friend saw these kooky Craig’s List ads and then I started looking on my own and asking questions about horse rescue, I have said it before, but it is the truth: I had no clue the craziness that would ensue.

Day after day, week after week things just swirled about Off The Track Thoroughbred Rescue in Glenmoore (Oxford too?) and Parx Racing’s Turning for home.  I did not seek it out.  I even got comments from people as far away as Oklahoma. On and on, and drama swirled.   Facebook kamikaze to odd things happening at people’s homes. (Unless you think the state police showing up in full Ninja turtle gear is normal for Chester County mornings?). People getting followed, people feeling generally bothered, and lots of finger-pointing, and how nutty was all of it?  Even I received comments and such that could be interpreted as threatening or menacing, and wow, what did I do?  Ask questions? Care about animals in rescue?

When would it stop?

No one seemed to know.  And all it was to begin with was worry over horses entering rescue and how they were being cared for and where was LAPs in all of this?

Now from my perspective can it be said that Barbara Luna who is with Parx Racing’s non-profit Turning for Home among others has a lot of questions she should be answering versus dodging?  After all isn’t it Barbara Luna who helps shift these racehorses who have outlived their track usefulness off the track around here and into local rescue?  Still to this day, where is this woman’s accountability?  How did these horses end up across state lines without proper paperwork in some cases? And did some end up in that awful New Holland place in line to become god knows what?

Anyway, last week it was noticed that Off The Track Thoroughbred Rescue of Fairview Road in Glenmoore (and elsewhere?) was offline.  As in the Facebook page and website suddenly went dark. It had be active in both cases as of March 11, because they were advertising a yard sale to raise money for the rescue sometime this month, so why?  Why is the only thing left (probably until this post gets published) a tumblr page? Are they closing their doors or merging with another horse rescue?  If either occurs, what happens to the horses in this rescue?  And where are they?

So many unanswered questions.  But today, I have been asked by someone who says they were duped by Off The Track Thoroughbred Rescue to publish something.  It is her story.  She wants to go public because she is tired of being painted as a villain in a multi-act play.

Her name is Carol.  Below is what she wrote verbatim.  She owns her words and takes responsibility for them.  If Off  The Track Thoroughbred Rescue is indeed done, then perhaps Barbara Luna of Turning for Home can address this? Even  apologize?

Click on hyperlink for Carol’s Story.  carols story

A lot of this centers around Carol’s special needs daughter.  And anyone who knows horses or has worked with say Thorncroft or other horse therapy programs knows the power horses have for good in these situations.

Here is the text (there are photos and other things the author embedded in the document above):

In Jan of 1999 God blessed our family with a beautiful baby girl. Her birthmother loved her so much she actually came to our home with a weapon and ripped her from my arms.

My baby was lost to me for 3 months before authorities were able to bring her home. She came home very lethargic. I had my baby back but, she didn’t laugh, she didn’t coo, she didn’t even cry all that much. She simply laid there, a human baby with no light in her eyes. It was like holding a doll.

Doctors said she’d outgrow it…experts said that severely neglected infants become very withdrawn but love would heal that. I couldn’t just sit by and hope. I quit my job and devoted every minute of my life to bringing her back. She never left my sight during those first nine months. We bonded and slowly I began to see a spark in her eyes.

At 4, we learned she was on the autism spectrum. I watched my child struggle to fit in, to make friends, to be good at something/anything for years. The pain was incredible. Then in 2010 at the age of 11 she discovered horses and her whole world changed. She started taking lessons, she learned to ride and she found her voice. Finally she had friends, she was good at something and she liked her world. For months she saved every penny of her allowance, her birthday money and Christmas money. Her goal was to own a horse of her own.

Day after day she spent hours on dream horse trying to find a horse she could afford until the day she saw an ad placed by Jessica Troxell Basciano. Of course we took her to see the horse. Of course we let her buy him. What parent could say no to a child’s dream?

Never did we think anyone, much less a mother, would take advantage of a handicapped child but that is exactly what Jessica Troxell Basciano did. She said the horse was perfect for my daughter. She said the horse was sound and well trained. Jessica Troxell Basciano stood next to me, watched the tears rolling down my face as my only child lived out her dream on the back of that horse…and she lied.

Instead of a sound, well trained, suitable for a child, horse Jessica Troxell Basciano sold my baby a horse that had only been off the track for three weeks, had been recently gelded and had severe stifle issues.

We returned the horse to Jessica Troxell Basciano within 24 hours of purchase. Two years later we are still fighting to have my daughter’s money returned to her.

mooseThis is “Moose’.  In the background is my car and the tent we slept in next to Moose because my child refused to leave him that night. Below is Jessica’s response. We did not leave the horse alone at all actually. He never fell during the night and he didn’t have a soft tissue injury anywhere on his body.  He was not injured while we had him.

words

As for the vet bill:

  1. My husband is a well respected, highly intelligent engineer. To suggest he would offer to pay anything more to her is just insulting.
  2. What vet charges $300 to come look at a horse? No x-rays were taken. The vet came at 3:00 pm and Jessica started texting me to say the horse was perfectly fine at 3:05.
  3. She claims to have a bill and a letter. We have yet to see anything of the sort.

Jessica Troxell Basciano “re-homed’ ‘Moose’ to a young woman named Jenn Messner. Jenn is one of many young women who work for Jessica in exchange for free horses. Below is Jenn’s response:

words1

Please note that she says she wouldn’t have put my child on that horse but Jessica did. Also note she says he has stifle issues.

All I want is my daughters money back and for Jessica Troxell Basciano not to be able to do this to any other family. Yes, it IS about the horses but sometimes it’s also about the people who love them.

Carol Linares

apparently it is “fugly” out there with horse rescue?

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Someone sent me the link to a site called “FuglyBlog” and more specifically a link:

http://fuglyblog.com/2010/09/26/another-chance-to-avoid-actually-working/

But there is something fugly and funky going on about this website because for a fewdragrope from fugly blog minutes it came up and then it went down.

So the reason I was sent this post  was so I could see the apparent systemic problems with horse rescue within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Can we say it isn’t just Jessica Basciano, Barbara Luna, Turning for Home and Off the Track Thoroughbred Rescue that people need to have their eyes open with?

This manure pile that is horse rescue seems to have a lot of whinnying going on, yet the more I read about it, the more I wonder why PA’s Attorney General isn’t looking at inconsistencies and oddities in all of this from the end of those who are registered in PA as charities to criminal investigations having to do with animal rescues?  From how the horses leave the track and where they go to how the horse rescues run and if they meet to burden for animal protection and welfare let alone how these businesses and non-profits run doesn’t it just seem the questions are layered with questions?noassfqhamare from the fugly blog

And let me be clear, I am not just speaking about the two rescues blogged about up here before, but the entire business of horse rescue in Pennsylvania.  I heard a tale yesterday of a situation going on at another Chester County barn that seems just nutty.  I don’t own horses, never have, never will.  But am I wrong in saying that it seems the only consistency about horse rescue in Pennsylvania are the many inconsistencies? Is it just me who seems to feel that if there are hard and fast rules, there seems to be a lot of gray area for interpretation?

And lets talk about the group that is supposed to be helping being the eyes and ears of right, ok? LAPS or Large Animal Protection Society? I have been told repeatedly by those in animal rescue in general that these folks have badges or something?  That they can go in and do surprise inspections and if need be, remove animals? But is their judgement clouded because of personal relationships their ranks may or may not have with persons in the groups they are supposed to keep an eye on? (And before someone in LAPs gets in a lather, sorry but it is not beyond the realm of reasonable to ask questions is it?)  And what of all the people worried about horses in Chester County who have a hard time with LAPs personnel? Are they all bad people out to bad mouth LAPs or are they merely good people who keep going back to the well that is LAPs hoping they will actually do their job?

LAPs has on their own website:

LAPS Can Assist Other Humane Agencies

In addition to investigating reports of cruelty to large animals, prosecution offenders, and rehabilitating and placing animals in new homes, LAPS is always ready and willing to provide information and support to other agencies both within and out-of-state.  We have provided people in other counties with the means and knowledge to encourage their local law enforcement officials to step in when the local humane societies do not, and have many times supported the State Police in their investigations in areas where the humane agencies do not provide service.

Also, we are glad to help anyone wishing to organize a humane society in an area not currently serviced by one.   We have “been there, done that” and are more than willing to share the information you will need to get started.  Our knowledge of the way the system works has been hard-won over the years since 1988 we have been in existence.  If you need help, just call!

Pennsylvania’s law governing animal cruelty, Statute 5511.

Pennsylvania’s law governing disposal of dead animals

Pennsylvania’s law governing the marketing of animals.

So LAPs if all this kerfuffle and conundrum concerning horse rescue has you down, can’t you all turn to other rescue groups for assistance?  Like the Humane Society and the ASPCA?

Anyway, back to what prompted this post – this Fugly Blog.  I pulled the cache on this one post (it is a couple of years old).  I turned the cache into a PDF that I found a fascinating and illuminating read.  (see upload of Fugly Blog cache ) It is about yet another horse rescue, Another Chance 4 Horses.

I will note that I went to www.GuideStar.org and pulled the most recent 990s I could find on Turning for Home, LAPs, and Another Chance for Horses.  I am posting them as they are public record and they are registered non-profits.  There are no 990s to be posted on Off The Track Thoroughbred Rescue because has anyone ever been able to actually find a business registered, a non-profit registered, or is it just a fictitious name registration?  Maybe that is why the judgement I found based on that recent court date is lodged against Ms. B? (See the links below, you can check the documents out yourself.)

Every time I say I am done with this cautionary tale the more that crops up.  Water seeks its own level, mold spreads, choose your analogy I have but one final question and that is when did it stop being about what is right for the horses?

Links:

Fugly Blog cache

judgement entered

turning for home PA 2011 990

LAPS PA 990 2011

Another Chance for Horse 2010 990

CBS Baltimore: Animal Rights Groups Angry After Sick Horses Found On Frederick Co. Farm (“A Pennsylvania man faces animal cruelty charges for the death of one of his horses in Frederick County.”

I think a non-profit rescue called the “Foxie G Foundation”  took in some of these poor beasts and apparently same person as involved in that case last year in Adam’s County  a guy named James Houseman. It is like hop scotch with horses. )

ABC27.com: 24 sickly horses seized from Dauphin Co. farm Posted:
Jan 14, 2013 3:47 PM ESTMonday, January 14, 2013 3:47 PM ESTUpdated: Jan 14, 2013 4:39 PM ESTonday, January 14, 2013 4:39 PM EST

By Sari Heidenreich – email (PALMYRA, Pa. (WHTM) -Twenty four horses, including four who are pregnant, were seized from a Dauphin County farm by the Humane Society of Harrisburg last week….Earlier this month, Kaunas said this is the first type of horse hoarding case she has seen.)

And from the LAPs website, “A Horse’s Prayer”:

Feed me, water and care for me,

and when the day’s work is done,

provide me with a shelter,

a clean dry stall large enough

for me to lie down in comfort.

Talk to me, your voice often means

as much to me as the reins.

Pet me sometime that I may serve you

more gladly and learn to love you.

Shoe me properly that I may serve you in comfort.

Never strike, beat, or kick me when I don’t understand what

you want, but give me a chance to understand you.

And finally oh master,

when my youthful strength is gone,

do not turn me out to starve or freeze,

or sell me to some cruel owner

to be slowly tortured or stoned to death,

but do thou, my master,

take my life in the kindest way, and

your God will reward you here and hereafter.

You will not consider me irreverent if I ask this

in the name of Him who was born in a stable…

Amen

a few words about manure

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horse headIn November when I first saw the ads on Craigs List and wrote about them, I had no idea we’d be talking about it now months later. Shall we review a couple screen shots of these ads again first ?

12-2 craigs-list-1a craigs-list-2

And wow people, this is my blog. When a person enters comments on a blog for the purpose of public display, he/she can be construed giving an implied license at least for that display and the incidental copying that goes along with it. So, if you don’t want everything published, don’t comment. If you don’t want everything published, don’t write threatening comments. If you don’t want to be known you are commenting…don’t comment.  But you can’t expect to write in and think we are just going to be pen pals.  When people deal fairly, I have no issue.  But I will not tolerate threats or bull twaddle.

I did not go looking for all this stuff about horse rescue, it was stumbled upon.  I have no interest in horse ownership or riding at this point.  I just happen to like horses and admire those who care for them well.  I also know a thing or two about how legitimate rescues work.  I have people commenting left and right so how can there not be something wrong?  If this was a giant non issue would everyone be talking about it?

You know what I want?  For this issue to be put to bed.  I know traditional media and others are looking at this, so it is only a matter of time until it all comes out.

I want Barbara Luna and Turning For Home and Parx Racing to stand up and explain how they are caring for horses and to show that every horse that leaves the track for any  rescue is o.k.  After all, what legitimate animal rescue doesn’t have copious records?  She gets paid to do a job, so this should be no big deal, right?

I so wanted to give Jessica Basciano and Off The Track Thoroughbred Rescue the benefit of the doubt, and can it be said part of me still hopes she can explain it all?  I still believe she got into rescue for the right reasons, but is she now in over her head?  And if she is in over her head, isn’t it o.k. to say so and call in other horse rescues to help her out?

And why can’t she open up to the public on the horses she has rescued?  Where did they all go? Do they have all their paperwork and records?  Are they all safe and cared for? Did she check references on those adopting horses? Were home visits conducted to see if the horses were doing o.k. after moving through the rescue?  Is there paperwork for a non-profit? Is there incorporation of this rescue as a straight up business? How does this rescue train their volunteers and prospective adoptive families? How many rescue horses leave her organization and cross state lines?  How are out of state adoptive families vetted? Are there special rules for shipping animals like horses across state lines?

Animal rescue is serious business, and the larger the animal the more expensive and often all the more serious. If horse rescue were all so hunky dory, people like that Deborah Jones I have read about would have nothing to do but sit home and eat bon-bons.

But as the weeks go on, there are no answers out of either of these rescues.  But people are getting harassed and threatened for asking questions aren’t they? And that would be on the blogs, bulletin boards and in real time, isn’t that correct?

If horse rescue were so cut and dry, Joe Drape from The New York Times would have nothing to write about. I mean do you think they are only talking about horse rescue in Chester County and on this blog?  Ok, then check out this article from January 23rd out of Lousiana:

Rescuers rally behind starving horses

Written by Vickie Welborn Shreveporttimes.com

NATCHITOCHES — Dozens of emaciated horses are in the care of the Louisiana Horse Rescue Association after being surrendered by the owner of a Natchitoches Parish horse breeding farm.

For two, the rescue was too late as they died at the organization’s quarantine facility shortly after arrival. Others are in such poor shape their survival is questionable, according to Sunny Francois, volunteer director of the Louisiana Horse Rescue Association.

Could more have been done to prevent the deaths of those horses and perhaps dozens more evident from skeletal remains and shallow graves on the grounds of Ryder River Ridge Farms? That’s the question of rescuers who have bombarded local, parish and state agencies in recent days with complaints about the horses’ condition and lack of enforcement action…..The day before is when photographic evidence was provided to investigators by Donna Keene, owner of Remember Me Rescue in Burleson, Texas. Keene rented a helicopter and flew over the Ryder property to document emaciated horses standing in the pastures, along with scores of intact and scattered horse skeletons. The ground was marked with what appeared to be shallow graves, some of which had skeletal remains partially exposed through the dirt.

If these two horse rescues, Turning for Home and Off The Track Throughbred Rescue are on the up and up and every horse can be accounted for with all proper paperwork, all those coggins things, medical records and so on and so forth, why do people keep complaining out there?  Is it really a giant conspiracy theory come to life and attack of the zombie mean girls or is it where there is smoke there is fire?

And just to be fair, check out these comments about Turning for Home off that Deborah Jones’ public Facebook posts:

deborah Jones 1 deborah Jones 3

deborah Jones 4

So I don’t know this Deborah Jones person but she seems to be a major media outlet darling, so I have to ask, is she being unfair?  Is she making stuff up? Are all of the other posters of comments about these rescues anywhere and everywhere making it all up???  Really???  And what about the people who have supposedly have court things pending against these horse rescues?  Are they making stuff up too? Will everything be deemed made up when the following things move to court:

  • Docket Number: MJ-15306-CV-0000001-2013, Civil Action Hearing 02/12/2013 1:15 pm,Magisterial District Judge Michael J. Cabry III
  • Docket Number: MJ-15306-CV-0000205-2012,02/05/2013 10:00 am,Magisterial District Judge Michael J. Cabry III

(These came right off the public docket sheets, did not pull them out of thin air)

Prior posts on the topic and all the glorious comments:

wading into a potential manure pile

the funny thing about asking questions about  horse rescue…

horsegate…oh, the drama!

more ad naseum about horse rescue: along came a comment from oklahoma

but wait….there’s more happy horse scheisse

I have to ask is there so much drama surrounding ferret and cow rescue? And oh yeah who is confusing this whole drama with the coziness of who do you know in Caernarvon Township?  File under ToTo you’re not in Kansas anymore or on the board of auditors whatever that is?

horsegate…oh, the drama!

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Photo courtesy of Off The Track Thoroughbred Rescue and their public Facebook Page

Photo courtesy of Off The Track Thoroughbred Rescue and their public Facebook Page

Here I was minding my own business, moving onto other topics, taking care of my family, seeing a dog through chemo and WHAM!  I get sucked back into Horsegate, not yet a movie.  As in Much Ado About Off The Track Thoroughbred Rescue.

When last I heard about all this stuff, I heard from the owner of Off The Track Thoroughbred Rescue, Jessica Troxell Basciano. It was 12/8/2012.  She sent me comments she asked me not to publish.  I decided to honor her request for the time being (as in not forever).  I am beginning to regret that as it seems this blog is being contacted by her posse, her protégés, her employees or her pals? (Just a hunch, yes?)

I am generally speaking an experienced blogger and tolerant and understanding when people get upset or heated about a topic.  I also know when to call a spade a spade when comments cross the line.

Yesterday the comments on “the funny thing about asking questions about horse rescue” exploded.  So I nosed around the horse community and someone tells me there was some sort of court date yesterday?  Possibly near Oxford PA? (I am asking because I don’t have the docket so can’t say definitively – if I did have the docket which is indeed public information I would post it.)

Anyway, comments from a Christina, Alice, and I don’t remember who.  At first I thought they were comments threatening towards me for writing about this in the first place.  That in and of itself kind of pissed me off in the whole First Amendment of it all.  I saw crazy ads on Craigslist, so why couldn’t I write about and ask questions about them and a horse rescue? But the comments as per a clarification by the poster Christina (thank you for apologizing to me by the way), were directed at someone else – someone who must have testified in court.

I said to “Christina”:

I wrote about this topic, I have moved onto other topics and for a topic that is purportedly such a “non-issue” it seems to be a problem. ….If you took in horses on the up and up, have all the records, have those coggins things people talk about and so on and so forth you are good, so why respond to anyone anywhere in a threatening matter?

I have been patient with people on both sides of this issue and have tried to be fair to whomever this Jessica is.  As a matter of fact at her plea, I did not post some comments she left when obviously upset.

Then there was a post by someone named “Heather” who told someone else she wasn’t angry and couldn’t care less (but she still felt the need to comment.)

Alrighty, quite the tempest in the stable teapot don’t you think?

My Spidy Sense is tingling and if there wasn’t something funkalicious going on, why would people keep leaving comments?

Jessica Basciano and Barbara Luna what say you on this?  The horses start with Barbara and Turning for Home before coming to Jessica and Off The Track Throughbred Rescue right?

Again, if this Off The Track Thoroughbred Rescue ends up being totally legit with a good non-profit status, etc, etc I will update the posts.  Just like if this Off The Track Thoroughbred Rescue doesn’t end up being legit and isn’t really a non-profit, etc, etc I will update the posts.

But it is four days before Christmas and I am sick of the happy horse manure quite frankly.

I do not take threats lightly, and I live in a part of Chester County with very helpful and friendly law enforcement.  More importantly, a lot of people read my blog, including fairly influential Chester County folks any rescue or rescue owner might wish to cultivate.

So rein it in ladies.  I don’t do girl fights and intimidation.  I am a lot of years out of high school, so let the mean girl of it all go.

If this is supposed to be about the good of the horses, then stop making it about the people and personalities.

And media out there that I know watches this blog a story on this would be nice as it is getting to be a bit much in the drama of it all, don’t you think? Besides since it is in some court room somewhere in Chester County there might be something to all of this after all, maybe?

And for you true horse rescue types, here is yet another Craigslist Ad that makes me scratch my head – it is out of Douglassville, which I have no clue where that town is:

horse ad

For those wondering who is on first, let alone who is on third, here are links to the posts and comments….except the ones I am withholding for the time being that is:

wading into a potential manure pile

the funny thing about asking questions about  horse rescue…

not snapped to anyone’s lead line