Katrina is on our doorstep!

Katrina is on our doorstep! The county and city schools have been closed and the ground is soaked. We received a good amount of rain yesterday and the ponds and bogs were already full. I took a picture of the catch pond behind our store which will mean nothing to anyone who doesn't know it's normal level.

Anyway, the drive in was unique. There was already a wreck at the intersection of 65 and Scottsville and the Plano Volunteer Fire Department was headed south on 65 for another one. There was small branches and leaves in the roads and the wind was pretty firm.

At the office, there is a leak in the roof and the parking lot is littered with tree debris and paper trash. I'm checking all my sites and server just in case I loose power and cannot monitor them during the day. I can tell... it's going to be an eventful day.

The Chamber of Commerce announced that all planed events for the week have been canceled. I heard from a friend that our buddies at Bluegrass Advertising had also canceled their ribbon cutting. That's good! I need to get some stuff done.

That's all for now.

Titans fall 20-17 to Bucs in preseason opener

Titans QB Steve McNair enjoyed a successful return to the field Friday night following off-season surgery that repaired his injured sternum.

By Teresa M. Walker The Associated Press

NASHVILLE, TN, Aug. 12, 2005 -- Steve McNair tested his surgically repaired chest and Tennessee's new offense, and he is very happy with the early results for both.

McNair scrambled and even took a hit that had fans holding their breath until he popped back up. But Matt Bryant kicked a 33-yard field goal 3:02 into overtime, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Titans 20-17.

MORE >>>>

Community Based Policing

Note: This blog entry is in reply to a Bowling Green Daily News "Sound Off" message board post I have been an advocate of beat style policing for as long as I can remember. I know it is an urban friendly style of law enforcement but would like to see it in action in suburban and rural settings as well. Here in the Commonwealth, we have extra tools with the Constable program, coupled with the Sheriff, the civil defense volunteers such as the Civil Air Patrol and Volunteer Fire and Rescue and willing volunteers in organizations such as neighborhood watch, Red Cross, and FEMA to name a few. I feel there is no reason a stable and organized beat patrol cannot be implemented. If communities came to truly know their law enforcement officers and the officers in turn came to know their communities, the interaction would be an amazing tool for law enforcement. People in the community would feel more confident and willing to assist, and police would be able to know when something is wrong either through tips from members of the communities or simple familiarization with what is normal in their beat patrol communities. The county Sheriff, Police department chiefs, and district deputies/officers could be the facilitators for introducing and supporting community patrol officers and they in turn would organize and facilitate community awareness campaigns, meetings and events. To me, it's a win win combination for law enforcement and members of the community. How nice would it be to know the name and phone number of your own patrol officer/s and know that they will be coming through the neighborhood at 3:30 pm on Wednesday afternoons? I think it would be great if my local Constable or Sheriff deputy would be willing to pull into my rural driveway once in a while just to say his and see how I'm doing. But I guess if Fred is right, then I am living in my own dream world of civil involvement and community based law enforcement. Too bad really. Just think if the beat patrol officer observed the neighborhood in Florida where the flight school of the 9/11 terrorists were training, or the apartment complex where they lived and conducted meetings. Would the neighbors or beat officers have been able to tell that something isn't right? Would the presence of the officer dissuade them from even trying such an act of terror? Would the flight school instructor have had an ongoing relationship with his beat officer enough to express his concern? I guess we will never really know, but I think things would have turned out much differently if the communities and law enforcement agencies had an open line of communication.

PS: I'm glad I read the article before I read the replies here. I did however go back and read Fred's article after reading things like; "Isn't it funny how the sarcastic left finds a way to slam conservatives (read the link) no matter the subject." I wondered to myself as I read the statement, "How can people reduce everything to right/left/conservative/liberal/republican/democrat political agendas?" I read the article and thought it was a good perspective. I also thought that while Fred might be right about policing strategies, it's a shame that good beat style patrolling is doomed.

Reference: http://www.fredoneverything.net/FOE_Frame_Column.htm