Little Birdies Were Right!!!!

 FOR YOUR INFORMATION:     

An investigator from the Texas Attorney General's Office was in Bosque County, Texas, for several days beginning Monday, November 26th, 2007. The investigator was in Meridian and Cranfills Gap taking sworn statements and gathering evidence as part of an official investigation of a complaint against former Cranfills Gap School Superintendent Carla Sigler and Cranfills Gap school board members Kenny Wiese, Jeff Rose, Kathie Witte, Shelly Stuart, Virgil Tindall, and Ray Sorrels. That complaint, brought by Cranfills Gap school board member Sue Lee, concerned violations of the Texas Open Meetings Act that occurred during a May 25th, 2007,  board meeting concerning banned 2007 Cranfills Gap valedictorian Kaitlan Head.

Now all those little birdies that told me this was going to be happening can say I told you so!!!!!!! 

 

ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE TO INVESTIGATE CRANFILLS GAP SCHOOL BOARD

The following newspaper article appeared in the November 28th, 2007, issue of The Bosque County News:

ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE TO INVESTIGATE GAP SCHOOL BOARD

By Evan Moore                                                                             Bosque County News

Cranfills Gap-----Bosque County District Attorney B.J. Shepherd has referred an open meetings violation complaint against the Cranfills Gap school board to the Texas Attorney General's Office.

Shepherd said, after reviewing the complaint by board member Sue Lee, that IT MERITED INVESTIGATION.  The Texas Attorney General's Office normally prosecutes open meeting violations and Shepherd said he would refer the case to the state office.

AN INVESTIGATOR from the attorney general's office was expected to be in Bosque County on Monday, November 26th.  The complaint traces back to a board meeting on May 25th, when the board voted to ban high school valedictorian Kaitlan Head from graduation exercises and force her into DAEP classes.

These actions were the result of an altercation between Head and salutatorian Sarah Sellers on May 9th. In that incident, Head was struck with a book and Sellers was scratched with a pen. Head was suspended, not allowed on the senior trip and then-Superintendent Carla Sigler threatened to expel her.

The Head family protested Sigler's actions and demanded an open hearing before the school board on the matter.

At that hearing, however, the board TWICE WENT INTO CLOSED SESSION despite protests from Head's attorney, John Cullar, and the Bosque County News that their actions were in violation of the Texas Open Meetings Act.

During one of those sessions, said Lee, Sigler read from what she described as signed statements of witnesses to the altercation. In the second, Lee added, the board ostensibly went into executive session to consult with their attorney, but that attorney was never called and the Head case was discussed.

The complaint cites board members Kenny Wiese, Jeff Rose, Shelly Stuart, Ray Sorrels, Virgil Tindall, and Kathie Witte.

Under the Texas Open Meetings Act, Kaitlan Head and her family were entitled to an open hearing if they so desired.

Violation of the act is punishable by a fine of as much as $500 and a jail term of as much as six months or both.

****************End of Newspaper Article*****************

 

WITH MALICE: Megan Meier and Kailtlan Head

According to a newspaper column written by syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts that was in today's Sunday paper, Megan Meier--of the state of Missouri---was a gawky, thirteen year old adolescent girl---a heavyset, emotionally vulnerable child with Attention Deficit Disorder who also struggled with depression. Megan had a childhood friend, a girl who lived just a few doors down. Megan and this girl had been friends through seventh grade---best friends one day, feuding the next, as kids that age will do. Megan had finally broken off their friendship for good. The girls were no longer in each other's lives.

Not long afterwards, a hip, cool dude calling himself Josh Evans showed up on Megan's MySpace page, wanting to be added as a friend. Josh says he is cute, new in town, homeschooled, fatherless,  a musician--in short, a real "hottie"---and he wants to be Megan's friend. He says he thinks Megan----chunky, socially awkward Megan----is pretty!

A really great online friendship develops between Megan and Josh. Then one Sunday night, Megan gets this message from Josh:  "I don't know if I want to be friends with you anymore, because I have heard that you are not very nice to your friends."  Megan is shocked and dismayed by this comment.

The next day after school, Megan asks her mother, Tina Meier----who had restricted Megan's internet access----to log on so Megan can see if there are any new messages on her MySpace page. Megan is horrified to find more mean messages from Josh---and crushed to find out that Josh has been sharing Megan's personal messages to him on the internet with others.

Now a barrage of mean and ugly comments about Megan is posted online for all the world to see. The online community is buzzing with nasty invective:         "Megan is fat----Megan is ugly---Megan is a slut."    Megan is totally destroyed---- devastated--- especially after one last really hateful comment from her dear friend, Josh, that tells Megan she is a bad person, everybody hates her, and that the world would be better without her.  

SO MEGAN HANGS HERSELF LATER THAT NIGHT. 

How tragic!

Weeks later, the truth came out that Josh Evans was a fictitious boy created with the sole purpose of initially befriending and later causing as much emotional hurt as possible to Megan Meier. The lie of Josh Evans was created by adults Curt and Lori Drew, the PARENTS of Megan's former childhood friend, as retaliation--revenge, payback---- against Megan for perceived slights to their own daughter.  

 How despicable is that?!!!    Adults and PARENTS, no less!    This happened last year. Apparently, under Missouri law, these parents cannot be prosecuted for any crime, not even the crime of negligent homicide. (In Texas, one can be tried under a charge of negligent homicide in the death of another person, if that person died as a result of their unintentional actions.....Don't know if it would apply here or not--in my mind, it would.) 

However---like me---a lot of folks must believe that actions have consequences, and that you should be held accountable for your actions, as the Drews have received death threats and there are fears for their safety, once it became known that their actions contibuted greatly to a vulnerable young girl's death. People don't want these parents--these adults who should have known better--- who did such horrible, despicable things to a child ----to get off scot-free!

And that is as it should be. You must be held accountable for your actions, especially when your actions cause harm--- especially intentional harm, with malice aforethought----- to a vulnerable child or young person. There should be some kind of consequences for these parents who would knowingly cause great harm to a child.

 Though little can truly compare to a young girl's death, when I read about Megan, I was struck by the similarities between her and my niece, Kaitlan Head, the 2007 Cranfills Gap Valedictorian banned from campus and her own graduation--- with malice aforethought, as retaliation against an adult, Kaitlan's aunt---- by former Cranfills Gap School Superintendent Carla Sigler this last May.

 Kaitlan was also harassed and bullied from an early age for being heavyset  ("fat"and later "fat b---h" in the bully's words) and for being the smartest student and having the highest grades in class ("nerd", "dork", and worse in the bully's words)----all these harassing, bullying words meant to demean you,  make you feel worthless,  and not the bully's peer.

Supposedly, the bully feels better when he or she can make someone else feel they are not as good ----have as much worth--as the bully. If you call the bullies on their bullying, and you tell them bullying is unacceptable behavior, harmful to others, and will not be tolerated,  the bullies will tell you they are "only teasing", that they are "just playing". In the mind of the bully,  bullying is acceptable behavior, no matter what the consequences of their actions, no matter who they are hurting with their words or actions. And, to vulnerable young people, words can hurt a lot--perhaps, as in Megan's case, even to the extent of death. 

 Kaitlan--- like many other children--has heard a lot of mean and ugly comments through the years, and--- being older than Megan-- has developed her self-esteem, along with a protective "veneer", an outside show-to-the-world toughness that masked the hurt within. (Psychologists will tell you this "veneer" is a very human, protective measure, done by the victim of bullying to ensure good mental health as much as is possible in each individual case.) 

 However, I shudder to think what could have happened to Kaitlan--or any other child--- if she hadn't had this protective veneer, or high self-esteem, or if she had been much younger--- like Megan--- and just couldn't bear the agony and had chosen to end the misery by death.  Thankfully, Kaitlan chose life in spite of the terrifying, agonizing, life-changing ordeal Carla Sigler put her through.

The most striking similarities I see between Megan and Kaitlan are the intentional maliciousness---in legal jargon, malice aforethought--- and the vindictiveness of the methods that adults chose to hurt them, though in Kaitlan's case, the target of the retaliation was not Kaitlan herself,  but rather Kaitlan's aunt, Cranfills Gap ISD board member Sue Lee, whom Sigler had long perceived as a foe.

The proof that actions against Kaitlan were retaliation by Sigler are: 

 (1.) The appropriate and original punishment of one day suspension from school was meted to Kaitlan by Sigler, who--once she realized that Kaitlan was her foe's niece--- escalated Kaitlan's punishment excessively and beyond what the law and school policy called for, and 

(2.) No punishment----NOTHING-----not even being sent to the office----was meted to the other girl, Sarah Sellers, the 2007 Cranfills Gap Salutatorian, who was involved in the altercation with Kaitlan-----Sarah is the one who it took it to a physical level by striking the first blow rather than getting the teacher or other authorities involved.  Sarah escalated the altercation to a physical level by using force, but received no punishment at all.  

I  believe that Kaitlan, the same as any one, should be held accountable for her actions. However, I believe that punishment should be appropriate and fit the crime, at all times following the state laws of Texas and school board policy, and that was not the case under the decisions of Carla Sigler.    

Carla Sigler wanted to inflict as much damage as possible to Sue Lee by inflicting as much harm as possible to her niece, Kaitlan, no matter how much harm that Kaitlan--- a child and student in Sigler's charge and under her authority--- might suffer as a result. Kaitlan Head was to Carla Sigler just "collateral damage",  sadly, as all the little children in the daycare center of the Murray Building in the Oklahoma City bombing were to Timothy McVeigh--- who cared not a whit that innocent lives might be harmed or lost as a result of his retaliatory actions.

Every day innocent civilians are killed in warfare---they are not the target of the bombs or attacks, but they die anyway----and they are considered "collateral damage."  Apparently, in the minds of some, "collateral damage" is unavoidable and justifiable, if you want to hit your target. Even the fact that Carla Sigler would have to break the law repeatedly to inflict intentional damage on Kaitlan, a child, did not deter her from her intended target, school board member Sue Lee. 

Some folks are still saying, What's the big deal about Kaitlan? She did not get to participate in her graduation ceremony, but she did get to graduate and get her diploma and valedictorian scholarships, so what's the big deal?           

 Well, the big deal is this: 

 For one thing,  WITHOUT ATTORNEY INVOLVEMENT TO THE TUNE OF OVER $4000, Kaitlan would NOT have been allowed to graduate, get her diploma and scholarships. Sigler had illegally fixed it where that would be the result, and this was done with malice aforethought. This action was so malicious, few people would have believed it if you had told them.  

For another thing, the huge sum of money that Kaitlan's father, Charles Head, spent is nothing compared to the agonizing, truly terrifying ordeal that Kaitlan was put through by Carla Sigler beginning May 10th, 2007. Kaitlan was maliciously and intentionally denied her senior trip, the honors field trip, her baccalaureate service, all the senior parties with her childhood friends and classmates, as well as public recognition as Valedictorian by participation in the graduation ceremony.  Kaitlan's senior year ended on May 10th, 2007, and she might as well have been dead, as far as school and her classmates were concerned.

On May 16th, 2007, a disciplinary hearing was held at the Cranfills Gap school to determine what the charge and punishment would be for Kaitlan.   All of Kaitlan's teachers had been summoned by Carla Sigler, who stated in public and on tape that Kaitlan's teachers had asked to attend so they could state problems they were having with Kaitlan. However, Sigler was lying---no teachers had asked to attend--in fact, these teachers had no clue as to why they were there---the few who did speak, spoke rather favorably of Kaitlan, who was present, basically saying any problems were minor and could be said of any student, not just Kaitlan--certainly nothing to be disciplined for.

Teachers Reed Starnes, Sarah Doty, and Beth Ann Warrick had no comment at all--apparently they had no problems with Kaitlan or maybe just did not feel the need to speak about Kaitlan.  It was later revealed that no teacher had asked to attend or knew why they were there, so Carla Sigler had maliciously lied about that.  Many of the teachers felt this hearing was unfairly purposely degrading to Kaitlan and were shocked, dismayed, embarrassed, appalled, and truly ashamed of Sigler's obvious malicious actions toward a child, a student under her authority.

Carla Sigler then maliciously escalated Kaitlan's punishment to beyond what the law and school policy called for, ordering Kaitlan to attend DAEP, even though that was-- by Cranfills Gap's own school policy--- for repeat worst offenders and certainly not the appropriate or legal punishment for Kaitlan. Also, any DAEP time would have been cancelled out by Kaitlan's PERFECT ATTENDANCE for the last several years.  But you have to remember, Sigler was bound and determined that Kaitlan would not graduate, and Sigler did all she could to ensure that would happen.  

Superintendent Carla Sigler and the Cranfills Gap school board had refused to hold the regularly scheduled May meeting, at which Kaitlan could have appealed Sigler's decision to ban her and send her to DAEP.  Sigler and the board  had purposely set the next meeting for June 1st, 2007---SIX DAYS AFTER GRADUATION ON May 26TH.   By June 1st, Kaitlan's appeal would have been a moot point, as the graduation date and the end of school would have already passed, and Kaitlan would have been denied a chance to appeal Sigler's decision.

 However, Kaitlan's attorney, John Cullar, of Waco, Texas forced Sigler and the board to hold a special meeting on May 25th--- the night before graduation--to hear Kaitan's appeal. It was at this meeting where Sigler and the school board repeatedly violated the Texas Open Meetings Act by going into closed session TWICE, against the advice of experts and even their own Cranfills Gap attorney. It was in closed session that new evidence--in my opinion, fabricated and illegal-- was illegally presented that influenced the board to uphold Sigler's decision to ban Kaitlan.    

  Kaitlan did--- only with attorney involvement--- get her diploma and valedictorian scholarships and was allowed to graduate after all, but she was not allowed to participate in the graduation ceremony and remained banned from campus. Also present at this meeting was Teena Head, Kaitlan's stepmother--- who had previously had a rather rocky relationship with teenager Kaitlan. Teena--- a very astute lady and mother of three----- saw what Sigler and the board were trying to do to Kaitlan and made the comment, "These people are assholes!" From that moment on, Teena became one of Kaitlan's biggest supporters.

One more note on the May 16th Disciplinary hearing for Kaitlan:  

Kaitlan got through the May 16th degrading disciplinary hearing fairly well, only to be blindsided the very next day----a full week after the incident ---by a complaint of disorderly conduct (fighting) that was filed by the salutatorian Sarah Sellers, at the behest of her father, who--supposedly had been told by school authorities--perhaps Sigler herself--- that Kaitlan might try to stop Sarah from graduating, thus, Sarah needed to file charges, which Sarah did very reluctantly, according to the Bosque County Sheriff's Deputy who took her complaint.   

 This same Bosque County Sheriff's Deputy told Kaitlan she could file a counter complaint against Sarah, as Sarah was fighting also, but Kaitlan declined to do so. The complaint of disorderly conduct led to a ticket for Kaitlan of Assault, a Class C Misdemeanor. A hearing date was set for August 2nd, 2007, before a judge in Meridian. 

 So Kaitlan---- an honor student already accepted at Tarleton and planning to use her various valedictorian scholarships to enroll in the Fall Semester----- now had very serious criminal charges hanging over her. How would she ever hold her head up again, with people thinking she was a criminal? Would she have a record, a criminal history? Would Tarleton still want her? Would she even be able to go to Tarleton, or would she be in jail? Never having been in any trouble with the law, Kaitlan had no idea what might  happen. So, the threat of jail and not knowing what her once-bright future might hold,  hung over Kaitlan for THREE AGONIZING MONTHS!  That's ninety days of uncertainty, great emotional stress, and fear of the future that a child had to endure!

On August 2nd, 2007, at the hearing in Meridian,  County Attorney David Christian stated he felt it was a case of two eighteen-year-olds acting like twelve-year-olds, that Kaitlan had already been punished enough, and asked the judge to dismiss the charges. The Judge complied by fully exonerating Kaitlan of all charges.  

So now Kaitlan is free to go on with her life. Only---- as guidance counselors will tell you, once a young person's education is "derailed"--especially when under horrific circumstances such as Kaitlan's--- it is very, very hard---almost impossible ---to immediately get back on track. So much mental and emotional damage--the damage you don't see---has been done, that some young people never recover enough to get themselves "back on track"--- and no one can do it for them. It is almost impossible to follow all the excellent advice from those who care:   Just suck it up and go on------- Don't waste your brilliant mind----Don't let others stop you----It's not the end of the world (though at the moment in that kid's life, it IS the end of the world as they know it) ---You'll get over it!---And on and on and on!  All that great advice is pretty much useless until the necessary mental and emotional healing has taken place.

And that is where Kaitlan is right now. Hopefully it's not too late for her. Hopefully, Kaitlan will regain her focus, though it's possible she was knocked out of using her valedictorian scholarships due to time constraints.  Sadly,  Kaitlan is now just "collateral damage", all due to Carla Sigler's malicious and illegal actions to gain revenge against an adult.

And you know, none of what happened to Kaitlan ----just like what happened to Megan ----had to happen.  In Megan's case, I would bet the parents of Megan's former friend did not intend to have a hand in her death--I doubt they intended for Megan to really kill herself.  But they did intend to hurt her as much as possible------  Still an awful thing to want to happen to anyone, much less a child. 

However, in Kaitlan's case, Carla Sigler could have been stopped, and what happened to Kaitlan would not have happened. Carla Sigler was allowed to do many malicious things, especially the illegal things done to Kaitlan.  Cranfills Gap school board members Kenneth Weise, Jeff Rose, Kathie Witte, Shelly Stuart, Virgil Tindall, and Jackie Ray Sorrels could have stopped Carla Sigler, but these fine, upstanding citizens----most with kids of their own---were derelict, incompetent, and knowingly broke the law to uphold Sigler's retaliatory decisions.

 Only one Cranfills Gap school board member---a school board member for ELEVEN YEARS--one who cares enough to know the law and school policy and has always had the best interests of the students in mind---- had the courage to stand up to lawbreaker Carla Sigler. And for that,  school board member Sue Lee was publicly chastized, criticized, and ostracized for almost a year,  and, finally, was asked to resign by those incompetent hypocrites  Kenneth Wiese, Jeff Rose, Kathie Witte, Shelly Stuart, Virgil Tindall, and Jackie Ray Sorrels! 

Accountability means holding one responsible for one's actions. We ask that our children ---our students----  be accountable for their actions. We ask that our politicians and our elected public officials be accountable for their actions.  We ask accountability of many people in many areas of life. Why should these derelict, incompetent Cranfills Gap school board members be any different? They should be held accountable for their indefensible actions--- as willing accomplices to Sigler's malicious crimes-- just as anyone else would be held accountable.

 Where would you stand on the issue of Megan Meier, and where would you stand on the issue of Kaitlan Head----- if this had been your child or your friend's child------ and the tragic part is that it really did not have to happen?

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

BREAKING NEWS

BREAKING NEWS!!!!!!!     

 An investigator from the Office of the Attorney General of Texas, Austin, Texas, will be at the Bosque County District Attorney's Office at Meridian, Texas, on Monday, November 26th, 2007, to begin an official investigation into alleged violations of the Texas Open Meetings Act by former Cranfills Gap Superintendent Carla Sigler and Cranfills Gap ISD board members Kenneth Wiese, Jeff Rose, Kathie Witte, Shelly Stuart, Virgil Tindall, Jackie Ray Sorrels, and Sue Lee. 

The investigation will focus on whether violations of the law--- namely illegal closed sessions and other allegedly illegal actions--- occurred at a May 25th, 2007, special board meeting for Kaitlan Head, the 2007 Cranfills Gap Valedictorian, who was banned from campus and her own graduation ceremony in an allegedly illegal decision by former Superintendent Carla Sigler which was upheld --also allegedly illegally---by the Cranfills Gap school board.

Note to readers:  

 Kaitlan Head is my niece and is also the niece of Sue Lee, the only Cranfills Gap ISD board member to vote AGAINST upholding the decision of former Superintendent Carla Sigler banning Kaitlan from campus and her graduation ceremony.  

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

   

  

NOT! NOPE! NADA!

A lot of folks are still being told that my niece, Kaitlan Head, the banned 2007 Cranfills Gap valedictorian, was going to graduate all along, that no one was stopping her from getting her diploma and graduating---she just would not be allowed to participate in the graduation ceremony. Well, guess what, folks! The answer is NOT!  NOPE!  NADA!   NOT TRUE AT ALL!!

The notion that Kaitlan would not be allowed to graduate is so incomprehensible to most folks, especially those who want to believe the best of people, especially if the people on the school board are folks you know and think a lot of, who were put there because they indicated they would be the best person to do what was in the best interests of the students----the children in the school. You think because they have a couple of kids going to that school--they have a vested interest in the school being a success---that they will really care what happens at the school and will do the right thing for all kids, not just their own. Yep, you think, they are the best person for the job and you really want to trust them.

 And you don't have to be a parent to be a good school board member, as long as you do the right thing for the students. Usually that means treating others as you would want to be treated, being fair, just, and not playing favorites, treating all equally under the law, and knowing the rules, regulations, and the laws that apply to school districts. And most school board members do just that. They do think of the overall interests of the school and the students. They have the vision to see down the road and realize that every single action has a consequence that could affect the school, the students, and the town, and therefore, they weigh every decison carefully to be sure it is the right thing for all concerned.

The same thing applies to the school superintendent, the one the district pays the big bucks for, the one who is to run the school on a day-to-day basis, take care of the discipline, the everyday nuts -and -bolts of the school, and the financial part, too. The superintendent is similar to the Chief Executive Officer in a large company--the CEO is the in-house boss, the authority figure who takes most of the actual running of the company on their shoulders on a day-to-day basis. The company CEO answers to the shareholders, just as the school superintendent answers to the school board.

 The idea is that the superintendent and the school board are responsible for running the school, so the community-- the town---can go on with every day life, and the students hopefully get a first-rate, enjoyable, and better-than-average education and can, if they choose, move on to higher education or get a good job. Schools prepare our young people to be the citizens of tomorrow.  

                                                                                

To be continued in a little bit

 

 

Foolish Paper Trail

Boy, Howdy! It doesn't take long to get a few facts! This post is for Another Norwegian:

Here is a factual update on former Cranfills Gap School Superintendent Carla Sigler who maliciously and  ILLEGALLY backdated Cranfills Gap ISD former employee Carol Nelson's health insurance, so Carol and her family would  not be eligible to continue her health insurance under COBRA.

Fact:  Carol Nelson DID have health insurance coverage as an employee at Cransfill Gap ISD. 

 Fact:   According to the Teacher's Retirement Service, aka TRS, an employee only has to work TEN HOURS A WEEK to qualify for health care benefits. To qualify for the district to pay a portion of the employee's health care benefits, an employee has to work FIFTEEN HOURS A WEEK to qualify as an uncertified position. 

Fact:   On December 12th, 2006, Carol Nelson received-- in her mailbox at work --a letter from her boss, Superintendent Carla Sigler stating that if Carol worked over the Christmas holidays she would not be paid for those hours.

Fact:   On December 12th, 2006--same day as above and in her mailbox at work---Carol Nelson received another letter from Carla Sigler stating that, as of January, 2007, Carol Nelson's health care will be dropped. 

Fact:   Carol Nelson replied to Carla Sigler in writing,  asking if Sigler had changed her  (Carol's) hours and inquiring why her health care was being dropped. Carol included a copy of the Texas Adminstrative Code on Eligibility for Membership, to remind Sigler that employees working only  TEN HOURS A WEEK  qualify for health care benefits; and to qualify as an uncertified position and thus qualify for the district to pay for a portion of the health care premiunms, employees only have to work FIFTEEN HOURS A WEEK.

Fact:  Carol Nelson received no written reply to her letter to Carla Sigler  nor was there any discussion of the matter between Carol and Carla.

Fact:     On January 18th, 2007--after the Christmas holidays and the new school semester had begun--- Carol Nelson received a letter ==in her mailbox at work== from Carla Sigler that said please accept this letter as termination of your employment.

Fact:    Health insurance premiums ---  hundreds of dollars paid by Carol Nelson--- were deducted as automatic payroll deductions from Carol Nelson's November 2006, December 2006, and January 2007 paychecks.

Fact:    When Carol Nelson came to school and picked up her last paycheck from Cranfills Gap ISD, Carla Sigler had Carol Nelson sit down and fil out all the COBRA paperwork (as required by law if you are eligible ==AND CAROL NELSON WAS ELIGIBLE FOR COBRA----for continued health care benefits that you will pay for yourself, rather than the company paying for your benefits.) The law is that COBRA must be applied for within a THIRTY DAY PERIOD OF TIME after termination date. 

Fact:    Carol Nelson received a letter from the insurance company notifying Carol that she and her family no longer had health care benefits, as they had been notified by her employer that her insurance had been cancelled in November 2006.  WONDER WHO DID THAT?

Fact:  Carol was now not only NOT eligible for COBRA but has been unable to recover any of her money -- hundreds of dollars ---that she paid for the insurance she unknowingly supposedly no longer had, as Carla Sigler had backdated her paperwork to show a cancellation date of November 2006.  

Wow! How malicious can you be?!?!! 

 Knowing these facts----true statements, not just opinion---I can understand how many people consider Carla Sigler the devil incarnate...I can just picture her and a few of her close buddies, all sitting in a circle, dressed in long, flowing robes, around a boiling cauldron, like the witches that Shakespeare wrote about in MacBeth---though more like Lady Macbeth, a villianess extraordinaire who lusted for power and was willing to do anything to get it, including murder. 

Golly, that's an eerily apt description of Sigler and friends.  I can just see these Lady Macbeths now-----sitting around, plotting their next revengeful, vindictive, malicious, evil----Have Mercy!!! Like many other folks, I have run out of adjectives adequate enough to describe Carla and her friends! 

Carla Sigler was not really all that wise either, or she would never have left such a well-documented paper trail of  some of her most despicable actions. And any fool should know that you don't leave an ugly,  threatening message on science teacher Michelle Dubay's answering machine that can be  played for the entire town, so they can hear for themselves what you are  really  like.

 Also, Carla, you shouldn't lie about things that can be easily verified,  like saying the school board fired Michelle Dubay at a board meeting, when it wasn't on the agenda and by law it had to be to even discuss it, and Michelle Dubay herself had been at that very meeting and knew you were lying, along with everyone else.  And how foolish when you  lied that the school attorney told you to send a letter to Michelle Dubay saying the school board had accepted Dubay's resignation. Lie upon lie upon lie!!! 

 Foolish! Foolish! Foolish! As the great Dr. Phil would say, "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!!!?????!!!! Ah, but that's just it.....you weren't thinking, or else you had gotten carried away by your thirst for revenge to protect lawbreaker Laura Rose, or so caught in your web of  lies that you couldn't remember which lies you had told.  And that does happen with pathological liars.

 Carla Sigler also used students and her staff as a shield--- often without thought for the privacy rights of the students--- using their statements and testimony to protect herself.  Students and staff should never be involved at any point as she involved them, but Carla Sigler had to do something to conceal the truth. 

As I have said before and will say again:                                                    

 I have known two people in this world like former Cranfills Gap Superintendent Carla Sigler---One is in prison for life without parole and the other one was murdered.

CARLA CRUELLA

I had never seen former  Cranfills Gap School Superintendent Carla Sigler until June 26th, 2007, when I attended the Cranfills Gap High School graduation ceremony. My sister, Sue Lee, and I went to the graduation even though our niece, Kaitlan Head, the Cranfills Gap 2007 Valedictorian, would not be able to participate or even watch the ceremony. 

The decision by Superintendent Sigler to ban Kaitlan from campus since May 10th, 2007, and to not allow her to participate in her graduation ceremony on May 26th, 2007,  had been upheld  (illegally)  by the school board in a meeting the night before graduation. Kaitlan's father spent over $4000 for an attorney to force the board to meet before June 1st--the date set by Sigler to hear Kaitlan's appeal---only problem with the June 1st date was that it was SIX DAYS AFTER GRADUATION! 

 The last day of school was May 25th. Sigler planned to run the clock out and when Kaitlan did not get her diploma and graduate, she could say, well, we could not hear your appeal until June 1st, as that is the next scheduled board meeting. Sigler did not care that, by law, you cannot extend DAEP past the last day of school (May 25th) but had set DAEP for Kaitlan through June 1st---which was illegal!!  But Sigler did not care what the law was------she was bound and determined that Kaitlan would not graduate, even when her PERFECT ATTENDANCE canceled out DAEP. (It's a little complicated to keep it all straight--that's why you need to know the law!) 

And if you are really going to do what is in the best interests of the student, wouldn't you at least give them a chance to appeal your decision?  Have a little discussion about it, especially in unusual circumstances like it being the very end of the school year, and time was running out? But no, not Sigler. She was adamant that she could not hear Kaitlan's appeal until June 1st----too late for Kaitlan to get her diploma,scholarships, and even graduate, much less participate in the graduation ceremony. But only a few folks knew that Sigler had set it up this way, intentionally and with malice aforethought, so Kaitlan would not be able to graduate and get her diploma and her valedictorian scholarships.  

The attorney involvement allowed  Kaitlan to force the board and Sigler to hold a special meeting and give Kaitlan her diploma, her valedictorian scholarships, and be allowed to graduate. Most folks were not aware---and would not have believed it if you had told them,  it was such a malicious thing to do, especially to a child----- that Sigler had purposely fixed it to where Kaitlan would not graduate at all....though that is not what Sigler and some of the board members told her concerned classmates and friends--they were told=========   Why sure, Kaitlan is going to graduate! Don't you be concerned about your friend and classmate! ===========All the while knowing this was not true.

 And, do you know, some folks are still saying this today! They are still spreading this lie! ======Oh, yes, Kaitlan would have graduated without involving an attorney! She just was not allowed to participate in the graduation ceremony!===== Well, that is a lie, and they know it is a lie. Thank God for the attorney, John Cullar,  and that Kaitlan's father, Charles Head, had and was willing to spend the money to try to stop this injustice being done to his daughter. 

The afternoon of the Gap graduation ceremony, Sue and I had attended, with family and friends, a very nice-- though surreal-- graduation ceremony for Kaitlan at her church in Meridian.  It was still hard to believe that Kaitlan, though valedictorian and honor student, would not be allowed to participate in her own graduation as a result of a vindictive retaliation by Sigler and the school board members against Kaitlan's aunt, Sue Lee.

 (Note to reader:           I have previously blogged many entries detailing the shameful, malicious, and sometimes quite illegal actions of Superintendent Carla Sigler and Cranfills Gap school board members Kenny Wiese, Jeff Rose, Kathie Witte, Shelly Stuart, Virgil Tindall, and Jackie Ray Sorrels against many people and not just my niece, Kaitlan. You can find more detail in the Archives of this blog, beginning in May or June 2007. Many articles written by others appeared in the newspaper, The Bosque County News, found online at bosquecountynews.com, Archives beginning in February 2007, on the front page of the paper, PageOne.  

  The Bosque County District Attorney had been investigating whether the Cranfills Gap school board and Superintendent Carla Sigler violated the Texas Open Meetings Act at Kaitlan's May 2007 board meeting. Just recently, the District Attorney turned the case over to the Attorney General's Office in Austin for, as I understand it, further investigation and possible prosecution of Sigler and the Cranfills Gap school board members.  I cannot help but wonder why the District Attorney would turn the case over to the Attorney General's Office if no laws were broken as some folks in Cranfills Gap contend.)    

 Back to the Gap graduation: 

  Sue wanted to attend because she had not missed a Cranfills Gap high school graduation ceremony in many, many years--- she knew all of the 2007 graduates and had seen most of them grow up---and she was a member of the school board. Sue has lived in Cranfills Gap over thirty years now, and has lived right down the street from the school for most of those years.  

Sue had been an employee of Cranfills Gap ISD--- working as a custodian and in the cafeteria as well as driving a school bus--- for over fourteen years and had been on the Cranfills Gap school board for the last ELEVEN years. Both of Sue's children had graduated from Cranfills Gap, and until recently, all three of her grandchildren had attended the Gap school.

Sue had always been a big supporter of the school,  attending all home games ---both basketball and football. Sue had  supported every school fundraiser and  been present at all school events. Like many others, Sue also supported the town of Cranfills Gap.

Several years ago, Sue Lee and her late husband, Wade Lee, donated two acres of prime downtown land to the City of Cranfills Gap so the Sewer System and the Community Park could be placed there. So when you Gap residents flush your commode or you see kids playing in the park, remember Sue and Wade's generosity to the Gap.

Kaitlan had wanted me to get some of the graduation programs for her, as all of her classmates were listed and it showed that she was the valedictorian, even though she had (illegally) not been allowed to participate in the ceremony. There had been a fight between the valedictorian, Kaitlan Head, and the salutatorian, Sarah Sellers, on May 9th, 2007. As the boy who broke it up said, it was just a fight.

 Superintendent Carla Sigler had suspended Kaitlan for one day, but allowed her to come back to school the next day to take a test. Sarah, the salutatorian, also involved in the fight and who actually struck the first blow, was not punished at all--not even sent to the office.

 Kaitlan and Sarah apologized to each other on May 10th, 2007, the day after the fight, and both sat in the same small classroom for several hours taking the test, so obviously Sigler did not think either girl was a threat to themselves or others. 

 Later though, after Sigler realized Kaitlan was the neice of her perceived  foe, Sue Lee,  Kaitlan's punishment escalated to DAEP (a last resort for repeat offenders with a violent history, which was an incorrect, inappropriate, and illegal punishment for Kaitlan, and besides, Kaitlan had had PERFECT ATTENDANCE for the last several years and that cancelled out DAEP.) 

Sigler had told Kaitlan that she would have Kaitlan arrested if she came to school for any reason whatsoever.  Kaitlan has set foot on school property since May 10th, 2007, only once---and that was on May 16th, 2007, for a disciplinary hearing---- and to my knowledge, has never returned to the town of Cranfills Gap. Kaitlan had attended the Gap school and lived in the Gap most of her life--She was a GAP GIRL--- but had lived with her family at Meridian for the last few years. 

 Kaitlan showed great responsibility and maturity to get herself up every morning and drive the fifteen miles from Merdian to attend school in Cranfills Gap, while working a full time job in Clifton as well----she had her own vehicle now, and she needed gas money, like the typical teenager about to graduate and go on to college. Though the typical teenager does not have perfect attendance like Kaitlan had---never missing a day of school for many years, not just her senior year, as well as always having the highest grades in her class.   And Kaitlan was pretty much the typical teenager until she and Sarah got into that fight presenting the opportunity for Carla Sigler to retaliate against her perceived foe, my sister and Kaitlan's aunt, Sue Lee, by excessively and illegally punishing Sue's niece, Kaitlan. 

 

However,  the reason I wanted to attend the high school graduation was plain and simple---I wanted to lay eyes on this woman so many people had described with adjectives such as "evil, malicious, vindictive, inhuman" and on and on. Through the years, I had met only two people, both men, who seemed to compare with Carla Sigler------- one is in prison for life without parole and the other one was murdered. Yep, I wanted to see Carla Sigler "live and in the flesh."

While waiting for the ceremony to begin, Sue pointed out Carla Sigler to me.  I immediately exclaimed to Sue and the students and adults standing talking with us, "Oh, my God! She looks just like CRUELLA!  CARLA  CRUELLA!!!"   The students all understood immediately what I meant, as well as a few of the parents, but I had to explain to most of the adults just exactly who Cruella was.

For you who don't know, I will tell you.  Cruella is the evil woman in the children's movie, "101 Dalmations." She is the villainess who  does such horrid and cruel things in the movie.    Get it?           "C-R-U-E-L - La".   

 Everyone turned and looked at Sigler. She had long dark hair, lots of very dark eye make-up, and was wearing a dark brown, flowing robe all the way to the floor...She also looked a little bit like Merlin the Sorcerer in the Disney books--minus the Dunce cap--- but she really and truly looked exactly like the evil CRUELLA!!! 

 We all exploded in laughter, and the students continued to call her Carla Cruella all night long. And what an ironic and fitting name for someone who has done such despicable things!  So it turned out there were a few light moments at the graduation, after all.

Another Norwegian Gap Comment

Dialogue--if civil and reasonable--is good, especially when dealing with matters that folks feel deeply and passionately about. Sometimes, the only way to reach a solution to a problem is to find out why other folks think the things they do, and the only way to do that is to discuss matters.  I welcome any comment that is civil, reasonable, and not a personal attack.

A comment from a Gap area person--Another Norwegian ---was left at my blog entry titled, " Don't See Much Healing" . That commenter made several points I would like to talk about.

Another Norwegian stated that, as I understood it, Sandy McMahan, former Cranfills Gap ISD school secretary, was to be trained to also take care of a handicapped person and resigned on account of that job change.  I would like to point out that taking care of a handicapped student is not normally the job of a school secretary, but  is usually the job of the teacher or aide employed under Special Education. (In this case, would that have been teacher Laura Rose, who was teaching Special Education illegally without a certificate?   Laura is the sister-in-law of Kathie Witte, Cranfills Gap ISD board member and the best friend of School Superintendent Carla Sigler-- don't forget, nepotism is big at Cranfills Gap! )

Working with Special Education is not usually the job of a school secretary, which was Sandy's job title as listed on the official Cranfills Gap ISD website. I would be interested to know if Janet Cox--- who took Sandy's place and is now listed as school secretary--- was also trained to assist handicapped students and is Janet caring for handicapped students as part of her job duties?  Does Janet perform the same duties expected of Sandy in that position? Or was Sandy told that assisting  handicapped students was now part of her job and she was expected to do it ---- Either you do this or you can quit!---and thus, when Sandy objected, was she purposely and deceitfully forced out?  

And what exactly were these new job duties? What would you actually be doing if you assisted a handicapped student? Would this assisting be added to your present job duties? Would you even be doing the job you were originally hired to do, or had the job description changed so much that it was not the same job? 

 I refused a permanent well-paying job as a Special Education aide, because---among other things which were distasteful to me--- I would have had to lift the student--who weighed quite a bit more than me --from their wheelchair and place them on the commode--the toilet--remove a portion of their clothing, then----how do I delicately say this?---- after they were finished with vital functions, make sure they were wiped and clean before I replaced their clothing, and then lifted them back in their wheelchair. I would have had to do this as necessary, at least several times a day, and, with my bad back from lifting hay and feed all my life, I would have been physically unable to perform this job, and, even without the bad back, I would have intensely disliked this job.

This is what a nursing home employee's job duties entail, and this job would not be a good fit for me.  Not that I would not like the student---I just would not like the job, and if you don't like what you do, you cannot do it well for very long, and that would be a job I would hate. I would not be a good nurse, though I could do it if I absolutely had to, but again, not for long.  I am not a good fit as a nurse, as I am better at and prefer other ways of making a living. Like most folks, I could not love what I do for a living if I had to do things unpleasant or distasteful to me to make that living.

   As a small  business owner and a boss for many years and as an employee for large and small companies, I have heard objections from employees and even stated objections myself  in front of others when job duties were unexpectedly ---and sometimes unfairly--- changed. (Several times I discovered I was not being paid the salary I had been hired at.   Believe me, I was not a happy camper and became quite vocal!)  

Several times I have heard others say and have said myself that I would possibly have to find another job when job duties were changed---- others have heard me say that---- however, those statements did not constitute a resignation. As the boss of my own small businesses and as a boss at companies I have worked for, I have always required a resignation to be submitted in writing,so there would be no question of whether an employee resigned or was terminated (fired!), as often the unemployment office would consider it  hearsay or "he said--she said" in determining if unemployment insurance funds were payable by the company to the fired employee. 

Many companies approve unethical and illegal ways to keep from paying required unemployment funds to those who are entitled to them under the law in their particular situation----to save the company money and sometimes just out of spite and ill will toward a former employee. And then there are those companies who want to get rid of the employee that they makes it so hard on the employee that the employee finally throws up their hands in disgust and quits. Texas is an At Will employment state, and there are a lot of unfair and unethical ways to get an employee who has become undesirable-- for whatever reason-- to quit. 

Sometimes I could talk to my bosses and work out a solution suitable to both of us, and sometimes I could not. None of those--the boss or the bystanders who heard me voice my objections to job duty or pay changes ever thought I was resigning by hearing my statements at that time. I have also been a boss many times and have heard objections from employees about job duty changes. Never at any time did I consider their objections as an official resignation--rather, just what it was---an attempt for discussion about job changes, which is fair and reasonable to all parties concerned. 

Many times after discussion, it turned out that there was a better way to deal with it, and that really was not the best person for the job after all. At the very least, duiscussion got everyone on the same page. In my mind, voicing objections to job changes is not resigning from a job.    

As for the four teachers' statements saying they heard Sandy say she quit, I doubt that these four teachers just jumped up and volunteered to write statements as to what they heard about a co-worker and probably friend.  With the documented track record of Cranfills Gap School Superintendent Carla Sigler, I wonder if these teachers felt coerced--- felt they had to make those statements in order to keep their jobs ---or they also wanted Sandy out so Janet Cox could be putin---nepotism, remember? I would be interested to know if one of those teachers who submitted a signed statement was Laura Rose, who is kin to Janet Cox by marriage---"Aunt Janet" to Laura--and did any of the other teachers have a personal interest?

 The end result is that apparently Sigler wanted Sandy out to make way for Janet, and that is what happened. We can only surmise as to how it happened, as there is so much conflicting information.  Sandy has moved on to bigger and better things, but the way it was done certainly makes it seem like a decitful ploy to force her out.

Another Norwegian, you also stated that Carol Nelson was only a half-time employee as a Cranfills Gap custodian and would not have had health insurance as a result.  If that were the case, why would Carla Sigler have had Carol fill out all the COBRA paperwork and submit it,if Carol was not eligible? Did Carol ever have insurance? Why were health insurance coverage payments set up and being deducted from her paycheck if she never had the coverage? As I understand it, if you ever have coverage, you are by law eligible to continue it for eighteen months after you are no longer employed if you submit the proper paperwork, but it would be at your own and not the company's expense. Something here does not make sense.

As for Another Norwegian's statement that Michelle Dubay had ten jobs in ten years, how is that relevant to the fact that Laura Rose was breaking the law--committing the white collar crime of teaching without a certificate and drawing state funds as salary for that fraud---teaching two subjects actually, one subject without a certificate for many years? This is to say nothing of harm done to students by not having the certified teacher in the classroom as required by law.

Anyone-- even you, Another Norwegian-- could have accessed the teacher certificate website on the internet or through Texas Education Agency, as it is public record----Michelle Dubay just happened to be the one who inadvertently discovered it and was maliciously punished by the vindictive actions of Carla Sigler, while the real criminal,  Laura Rose, remained in place at the school, still breaking the law. Another Norwegian, if you had been the one who had discovered that Laura Rose was breaking the law, would your job history-- and any reputation you might have or not have --be relevant to the fact that Laura Rose was breaking the law? Of course it would not be relevant, and neither is anything about Michelle Dubay's job history.

Aother Norwegian, you may not be aware that many teachers and others in the education field change jobs yearly for many different reasons---  more money, a better professional fit somewhere else, family circumstances, etcetera. The majority are women who follow their husbands when they move to different jobs---the reasons are myriad.

  Master Science and Chemistry teachers--- like Michelle Dubay--- as well as math teachers-- are especally in demand, since Science and Math are what Americans score the lowest in on the required tests, and many teachers of these particular subjects are offered the opportunity to change jobs all the time.  The fact that Michelle Dubay has been employed over and over by the school system speaks volumes for her desirabilty as an employee.

In our mobile, global economy of today, it is unheard of to stay in one job forever. And, as I said before, Michelle's Dubay's background does not change the fact that Laura Rose was committing a crime and drawing a huge salary from the state.

I personally believe that Laura Rose should be punished and forced to make restitution to the state for her fraud. The huge amount of taxpayer money she was fraudulently paid through those many years, could be put toward Texas students' pressing needs, and not into her pocket as a reward for knowingly and willfully breaking the law. And if others knew about her breaking the law, especially if they were on the school board--as were her husband, Jeff Rose, and her sister-in-law, Kathie Witte--- those others should be punished also, as they would be an accessory to the crime. If her husband or others benefitted financially from this fraud,  they should also be forced to make restitution. State  money should be spent in the best interests of students, not to line the pockets of lawbreakers who rip off the taxpayers.

    And by the way,   Another Norwegian, when you find some of those folks who can tell you what I look like, please let me now what they said. Just Kidding!  Not that it would matter to me all that much anymore, as I am of the age to realize that it is not appearance that makes you who you are, it is what is inside you and how you treat others.           

GAP UPDATE

I am told that the little town of Cranfills Gap, Texas, is coming together to heal itself after the tenure of Carla Sigler as 2006/2007 Cranfills Gap school superintendent,that people have moved past all the bad things that occurred, and, as a result,  many good things are happening. 

My sister, Sue Lee, also tells me about the really great things that honest and trustworthy new School Superintendent James Scott has put in place. Sue says Superintendent Scott is a wise man with vision who believes in doing the right thing for the right reasons, and that his bottom line is the best interests of the students.

Sue supports the school and the town, has had nothing but praise for the community and the schoolls efforts to recover. Also trying to move on, Sue has said nothing negative about any of the townfolk. My own personal fear is that, no matter what is done, it will be "too little, too late" to save the school and thus the town. Time will tell.    

I am truly glad to hear that the Gap is doing good again. I hope the Gap can one day be the town it used to be, before Carla Sigler came along. Though I don't live there,  I have loved the Gap for over forty years. My mother died in a little house right down the street from the school. It takes all the townspeople working together to promote the good of the town and move past all the unpleasantness that has occurred in the last year. 

 However, I guess prominent Gap citizens Cindy Wiese, Kathie Witte (A Cranfills Gap school board member), and Sydney Thomason did not get the message of reconciliation, of moving on, putting it all behind them, don't keep bringing it up, don't dwell on it, just move past it and come together to help heal the town--- for the good of the school and the community.              

Very recently, these three ladies (?) were publicly calling Sue Lee a b----, heaping verbal abuse on Sue Lee, and contending that Sue Lee---and not Carla Sigler--- is the one to blame for all the damage done to Cranfills Gap...So, let's see----Carla Sigler is not and never was the problem-----it is all Sue Lee ----Sue Lee has been the problem all along, and Sue Lee is still the problem!!!  Now, folks, that's really coming together for the good of the school and the community, isn't it?

And for all those inquiring minds out there, Bosque County District Attorney B.J. Sheppard has turned over all documentation and evidence in the investigation of former Superintendent Carla Sigler and Cranfills Gap ISD school board members Kenneth Wiese, Jeff Rose, Kathie Witte, Shelly Stuart, Virgil Tindall, Jackie Ray Sorrels, and Sue Lee to the Attorney General's Office and is awaiting a decision as to what the Attorney General's Office intends to do.  If no laws were broken by Sigler and the Cranfills Gap school board, why would the District Attorney have taken the case to the Attorney General's Office? 

Note to Gaplionlover:    No statements of minor students were presented at Kaitlan's May 25th hearing, and the statement of Sarah Sellers, the salutatorian, a student also, was read in open session. Was Kenny Wiese concerned about Sarah's privacy rights?

 The statement of teacher Sharla Knippa, an adult with no rights under FERFA, was presented in the illegal closed session when it should have been presented in open session. Sharla Knippa's statement was apparently in the handwriting of Carla Sigler, apparently was signed by Carla Sigler, and did not match Sarah Sellers' statement of the incident.

By the way, Charles Head, Kaitlan's father, and Kaitlan's attorney, John Cullar, had legally requested any and all documentation pertaining to Kaitlan's case and had received NOTHING--not one thing--as Carla Sigler illegally refused to provide anything! They received nothing until this Fall, and that was teacher Sharla Knippa's statement--- which neither Charles, Kaitlan, nor the attorney had seen until then---from new Superintendent James Scott.  Unbelievable, but true!   (I will go into detail about how the law was broken several times on May 25th, 2007, and other dates in a future blog entry.) 

As for Kaitlan, she is rather up in the air right now...not sure what she will end up doing--Kaitlan overcame a lot of obstacles growing up...She loved school and learning, always having perfect attendance while working a full-time job and, living miles away from the school, showing great responsiblity, getting herself up and driving herself to Cranfills Gap, just to attend school....  then, she was so emotionally hurt by Carla Sigler, the school board's actions, and some people in Cranfills Gap...Kaitlan had already been accepted by and planned to go to Tarleton this Fall....her bright future was all mapped out.....then, as guidance counselors say, Kaitlan "was derailed", sadly, with malice in a vindictive retaliation against an adult.  It is a fact that once a student is "off-track," they may never get back "on-track." That is where Kaitlan seems to be right now, so that once-bright future is pretty dim.   Those who had a hand in purposely hurting her should be real proud of themselves.

I have documentation for all my facts. Dialogue is good. There is a lot of misconception and misinformation out there. Anything you dispute that I have said, please let me know, and we can discuss it. I could also be misinformed and mistaken. You seem to be a reasonable true Christian person, and I wish you and your family the best. Thanks again for your comments and please keep in touch.         Sincerely,   ALittleRanchGal

Don't See Much Healing

Gap Lion Lover ---( So named for the Cranfills Gap Texas ISD mascot)--- left two more comments under my blog entry, "Rethunk and Tyrants."  I appreciate his or her comments and it's nice to know that someone is reading my blog. I don't ask anyone to agree with me or disagree--that is your choice.

Gap Lion Lover's comments pretty much said that I should be going after former Cranfills Gap Texas Superintendent Carla Sigler and leave the town alone and let it heal, that with former Superintendent Carla Sigler gone back to Alaska (but coming back visiting friends), things were better and the community was healing.

Well, I have not seen or heard much healing, and I am paying close attention.  It has been five months now since intentional harm with great malice was done by Superintendent Carla Sigler and the Cranfills Gap school board to my niece, Kaitlan Head, a child and the 2007 Cranfills Gap valedictorian, in order to retaliate against an adult.  It has been over a year since Carla Sigler first came to town and willfully ignored school policy, played favorites, and did all those under-handed, harmful things to a lot of people, not just my niece, Kaitlan, to whom it is possible irreparable harm has been done.    

Cranfills Gap is still a town divided just about in half by Carla Sigler and friends, and her friends are still there. I haven't heard a single one of them say or heard of a single one of them who has said , "Hey, I'm sorry. Maybe I was wrong. I could maybe have done some things differently. It's possible that my actions may have hurt someone, and for that I did not mean to and I am sorry."

As for the school board members who are still there in Cranfills Gap.... Carla Sigler did not force them to do things---- they chose to do things, many of which were very harmful.  Most were done with extreme malice, as in the cases of Kaitlan Head, Sandy McMahan, Carol Nelson, and Michelle Dubay, just to name a few. And Carla Sigler did not do it by herself all the time. In some instances, she had a lot of help.  

  And the malice is still there:  Take for instance Shelly Stuart, the childless board member-- who is still--- to my knowledge--doing as she has done all along--- basically rewriting everything that happens in the school board meetings to reflect her own biased viewpoint which is usually nothing like the facts--some would say she is lying or twisting the truth to her, the school board's, and Carla Sigler's advantage.  The school board---all but one---heartily approves it and has approved it for a very long time without question. That alone tell you things have not really changed and are not likely to change. Indefensible!

And Kenny Wiese-- upstanding man you say-- is the school board president who TWICE--in spite of VEHEMENT objections by experts and even when told it was illegal to go into closed session by his own Cranfills Gap ISD attorney----ordered the  school board into illegal closed sessions and used illegal evidence to make an illegal decison, also with malice, this time with malice toward a child. Indefensible!

And what about Kathie Witte, the board member who just happens to be big buddies with Carla Sigler--whose son, Justin Witte, though he had the FOURTH highest grades, just happened to be given the Highest Academic Achievement Award and there was no mention--NOT A MENTION---- of the valedictorian or the salutatorian by Sigler at the Academic Awards banquet.  An academic banquet and awards are to recognize those who had the greatest academic achievements, so why would you never even mention the highest and second highest academic achievers, Valedictorian Kaitlan Head and Salutatorian Sarah Sellers?  Indefensible!

 Kathie Witte, in her official capacity as a board member and trustee of the Cranfills Gap Independent School District, was given a statement of support for Kaitlan Head, written by teacher Sarah Doty,  who asked that the statement of support for Kaitlan be read at the school board meeting in May, but Kathie Witte intentionally withheld that statement of support.  How unethical is that? And does that harm a child, one of the school district's own students? And Kathie Witte says it is all about the best interests of the students. What a hypocrite! Indefensible!

And Virgil Tindall....who stammered and stuttered and ignorantly asked other board member, Jeff Rose, what are we voting on and please tell me how to vote on whether to allow Kaitlan to graduate or not.  It could be argued that Virgil Tindall and Jackie Ray Sorrels were led, but maybe they HAD to be led, as they had no clue what they were doing, and why in heck are you even on the school board if you don't know what you're doing???? Oh, wait a minute----that was the plan--fill the board with folks you can tell how to vote, and --Guess what?!---you will get your way every time! Indefensible!

As for Jeff Rose, I find it hard to not call him a real hypocrite for standing up all those many times in the school board meetings and reading all those many statements chastizing and critcizing other board members for what he considered UNETHICAL actions, when he knew or should have known that his wife, Laura Rose, was illegally teaching and had been for years, not to mention taking huge amounts of state money for that white collar crime of fraud --whether prosecutable or not--it was a white collar crime! And these two are supposed to be the church-goers, the pillars of the community, the Christians. Indefensible!

So, these folks are the ones Gap Lion Lover thinks are ok and not all that bad..  Were all these things they did done unintentionally?  Did they do anything with malice? Why not, just one time, exercise caution when making a decision that someone thinks might possibly be illegal? Why not take a little time and listen to the experts who are saying this might not be the right thing to do for the reason that it is not what the law calls for? Why not check it out first, expecially when making possibly life-changing decisions, especially involving children?  That is what people interested in doing the right thing would do.

Oh, I forgot! I don't think these school board members were really into worrying about doing the right thing. As long as good old Carla said it was Okay, they could do whatever they wanted, whether within the law or not. I think Kenny Wiese, Jeff Rose, Kathie Witte, Shelly Stuart, Virgil Tindall, and Jackie Ray Sorrels all--every single one--- should be held accountable. They were incompetent and derelict in their duty as school board trustees.  

I don't think it is fair to blame it all on Carla Sigler, to make her the long-gone scapegoat. Carla was the catalyst and the driving force, but she did not use pysical force on them----they were willing accomplices to about whatever Carla wanted to do--right or wrong. Somehow Carla was fulfilling their personal agendas and kept them all in line with whatever she wanted to happen.  All the facts about the district under Carla's tenure are not in yet, and I believe, in time, more is to come out. So folks may not be off the hook yet on those matters.

 Also, what about Carla Sigler and the Cranfills Gap school board currently being investigated by the Bosque County District Attorney? Everything is on tape, so it should not be too hard to ascertain the truth of whether or not the law was broken at Kaitlan's hearing in May. Will there be consequences as a result of illegal actions by theGap school board at that meeting?

I don't believe it is possible to separate what Carla Sigler did from the actions of the school board members who backed her. And as for forgetting about it, it reminds me of the White House, when adminstration officials "outed" CIA agent Valerie Plame, saying, "Well, it's done, there's nothing you can do to change it, even though we committed a crime of high treason against the government and it was a national security breach of the highest order, let's just move on, without any consequences for us at all."

 And that is not holding people accountable for their actions. They should have thought of how it would affect the community and the people in it when they were dreaming up all their despicable actions.

As for the students currently in Cranfills Gap school now, what about all the kids forced by Carla Sigler's actions to go to school someplace else? Was it fair to them? Gap Lion Lover, are they any different from your own two kids? Not really, I'd bet-----they were just the kids forced out by Sigler, while yours kids got to stay.

I guess we'll all just have to live with the consequences of our actions, and let the chips fall where they may!

 

 

 

Gap Lion Lover Comment

Someone calling themselves Gap Lion Lover ----obviously from Cranfills Gap, Texas,  and famliar with the Carla Sigler fiasco as the 2006/2007 superintendent of the Cranfills Gap school---left a comment on the blog entry "Rethunk  and Tyrants" . I then left them an answering comment. If you would like to read these comments, they are both at the end of the blog entry , "Rethunk and Tyrants".

 It is interesting to hear what local folks have to say about the shameful Gap happenings.  However, anyone is mistaken if they think I have hatred in my heart for the Cranfills Gap school board members.... I have no hatred for anyone, not even Carla Sigler---I only feel pity and disgust for them all. And as for my seeking revenge, I don't have to do a thing. I have faith that the Lord will take care of it.  "Vengeance is Mine",  saith the Lord.  And I trust the Lord to take care of it. I just hope He lets me know the where and the when and the how. .

And if the Cranfills Gap school cannot be turned around, it won't be the end of the world. There are other schools nearby, and the town itself would survive, though a hollow shell of itself. If that were to happen, it can be laid at the feet of Carla Sigler and her buddies. It would be sad, but there are a lot of sad things in this world, and somehow we still keep on going. The one constant in this world is change, and sometimes, that is just the way things are.     

A 1918 Armistice Day

Today is November 11th, 2007, and  Veteran's Day. I can only imagine what that first Veteran's Day in 1918--known then as Armistice Day and signifying the end of hostilities in World War I--"The Great War" and "The War to End All Wars"---- might have meant to most American families, especially if you had a loved one who was off fighting in a foreign country.   

 In my mind's eye, it is November 11th, 1918.  My grandfather, John William Head---called Billy Head and born in 1886 in Booneville, Tishomingo County, Mississippi---would more than likely that day have been at work in Cameron Park, Waco, Texas. Billy had hired on at the park for the City of Waco as a gardener in 1914 and, after 42 years, retired in 1957 as an assistant superintendent.

  Billy had brought his family from the Big Sandy/ Chapel Hill /Winona area near Tyler, Texas, where they grew roses and farmed. At that point in America's history, the majority of its citizens were farmers who lived in the country or in very small towns made up of a few buildings. Not many Americans lived in the big cities. 

At that time, Billy and his wife, Sally Lee Allen Head (my grandmother) had four boys:  My Uncle Perry (Perry Allen Head), my Uncle Odie (James Odia Head), my Uncle Red (David Rankin Head), and my daddy, Ralston Cecil Head (also known as Uncle Goober to all my cousins).  Ralston was born February 8th, 1917, and would have been a baby not quite two years old on that first Armistice Day.  Ralston's two sisters, my Aunt Sister (Juanita Blanche Head) and my Aunt Toots (Alma Louise Head) were not born yet, and neither was the baby of the family--- another boy, my Uncle Son (Durward Allen Head).  There had also been an oldest child that was stillborn, making Uncle Perry the oldest living child of my grandparents, Billy and Sally Head.  

The Heads at this time would have lived on St. Charles Street, across the Brazos River from Cameron Park and in East Waco, most likely near the old historic home we know today as East Terrace.  Ralston was born  in the St. Charles Street house in 1917, and the Heads did not move until 1921 to the old house at 2224 North 4th Street, just across the street and right by the Herring Avenue main entrance to Cameron Park. I know the house that Ralston was born in has not been there for many, many years, and wasn't there when I was a kid.

The old house at 2224 North 4th Street was probably built not long after the Civil War. The man who tore it down in 1969 thought that the square nails and the wonderful old timbers, still salvageable, used in its construction dated it to at least a hundred years old. This was the house I remember so well, as in 1948, Ralston built a house right next to the old house,  for his own family--- his wife, Marie Ellison Head; his first-born, a daughter (Me---Dorothy Marie Head) born in 1946; and his second child, also a daughter (My sister, Sue Ellen Head) born in 1948, the year the house Goober built was finished and we moved in.  My little brother who was born in 1958, Charles Lee Head, was named for Daddy's dear childhood friend and World War II buddy, Charles "Chick" Fox,  with the Lee part of Charlie's name being for my grandmother, Sally Lee Allen, who had been named in honor of Civil War General Robert E. Lee in a nod to her Southern roots and the Confederate veterans in our family.   

My grandparents would each have been about thirty-two years old in 1918.  Billy and Sally, both born in 1886,  were close childhood friends who had married in 1905. Ways of living at that time and place on the first Armistice day in 1918 would have been very similar to what I remember of life at 2224 North 4th Street.

My grandmother, Sally Head, raised chickens for the family's meals for meat and eggs and kept about two hundred in a large flock. Most ran loose during the day, but were penned in a large chicken coop at night to protect them from marauding dogs, raccoons, and foxes. Mama Head sold dozens and dozens of fresh eggs to neighbors and local stores.          

  I have many "chicken memories"---of chickens as pets---- a white hen called Henrietta, fancily named for the girlfriend of my cousin Pereugene, and another white hen called Anastasia, another wonderful name....I know that to tell if an egg is good to eat or cook with or if it is rotten, you put the egg in a pan of water and  the good, usable egg will go to the bottom of the water, but the rotten egg will float, so you would discard the egg that floats.........deviled eggs, scrambled eggs, fried eggs, eggs used to cook with....white eggs and brown-shelled eggs.....many precious, cheeping yellow baby chicks---of killing chickens and dressing them.....and then eating them as fried chicken, roasted chicken, baked chicken, chicken and dumplings, or chicken noodle soup which was really tasty when you were sick. 

 I remember a chicken "eating" my gold baby ring that I accidentally dropped out a window when I unlatched the windowscreen, the ring fell off my finger, and the chicken below gobbled it up like a bug---never did find that ring!.....of sitting on the back steps, eating a piece of warm and crunchy Cinnamon Toast my mother had just made for me, when a big white hen ran up, grabbed the toast, and ran off with it in her mouth, leaving me scared and crying--I was very little when this memory happened, and I was rather afraid of the big  chickens who were fairly aggressive toward me and anyone of a small stature......besides, I was sitting on the bottom step, and that old hen looked me right in the eye before she grabbed my toast and scared me half to death!.... and I still have the scars from a tyrannnical old rooster who chased me and then "spurred" me on the leg when I turned around and kicked at him---I think my mother, Marie, made sure that particular chicken got put into the cooking pot!

 The Heads had several cows they milked. Sally, also known as Mama Head, usually did all the milking and took care of the garden, the chickens, and the stock, as well as did all the household chores, made butter and  homemade soap and handsewed beautiful quilts, made clothes for the family, washed over an open fire in the yard using a huge black, iron kettle, and did all the cooking and canning of vegetables from the huge garden.  To say the least, Mama Head was a busy lady who worked hard, as most women did in those days.  

 I remember black and white cows-- which I know now were Holsteins used  for milking--- eating hay and feed in the old barn that was originally one of the Mule Barns for Cameron Park. The concrete watering trough for the mules, built around 1910, is still there in the little barn lot, right next to the garden plot..  (The current owners of the property are so very gracious to let the Head clan "visit" this revered spot, to--- as my sister, Sue, so eloquently puts it--- "Renew our souls". We try to go there and to Cameron Park as often as we can.)

 I remember a wonderful garden one very rainy year and treasure a photograph of my grandparents, Billy and Sally, standing with me and their dog, Mickey-- a Jack Russell terrier--- in that same garden with the twelve-foot tall corn rows and over-sized okra plants. It always amazed my parents and the aunts and uncles that I remembered that amazing garden, as I was only three or four years old at the time. In 1918, most food consumed by the family was either grown in the garden or raised. Seldom was anything bought at the local store, and then it was only coffee, salt, pepper, sugar,  flour and cornmeal--the most basic staples--whatever you couln't grow, raise, or make yourself, though sometimes steak and other meat was bought from the butcher if no beef cow was on hand to fatten.   

If you tired of eating homemade biscuits or cornbread made in an iron skillet in the hot oven of Mama Head's wood-burning cookstove, you could buy loaves of freshly baked and already sliced Jones Fine Bread at the store and make yourself a ham sandwich, using thick slices of ham from the hog that you or a neighbor had butchered. Add a few dill or sweet pickles canned from your own garden, sliced tomatoes, a little onion, and lettuce from that same garden, and you had a feast--a real treat--a change from the delicious everyday fare of fried chicken, pork chops, and chicken-fried steak.

 Many of my daddy's childhood friends, especially Louie Lee, told me the best chicken-fried steak they ever ate was cooked by my grandmother, Mama Head, in an iron skillet on that wood-burning cookstove. I also remember Mama Head making a between- meals snack for me, Sue, and all of the cousins using that wonderful store-bought  "light bread" and homemade grape, fig, or plum jelly.

 Even without our modern day methods of communicaton like television and the internet, word of the Armistice would have spread rapidly throughout the countryside and cities. I don't know if city dwellers would have had electricity then, so I don't know for sure how word of it would have spread---person to person, on the radio, or by telegraph or telephone. If there wasn't electricity, did the lamplighters come around to light the street lamps? Probably the lamplighter was way before my grandparents' time, and the cities would have had electricity in 1918, so most folks probably first heard it on the radio.

  I remember my mother, Marie, telling me about her older brothers, Irving and Marvin Ellsion, climbing up the telephone poles----why I can't remember exactly--perhaps to listen in on the neighbor's conversation---I think the boys got into trouble for it....so they probably had telephones in the city  in 1918.  ( Note: Someone older than my sixty-one years will have to answer these baffling questions!)

 I would think that celebrations would have taken place all day and most of the night, with many people out on the streets, gathering together and rejoicing with their neighbors that hostilities between Germany and the Allied nations had truly ceased and praying their boys could now come home.  I am sure folks were thankful, hoping and praying that the armistice would hold, and it did. Another time of celebration was June 28th, 1919, when an official peace treaty--- The Treaty of Versailles---signed in France--- officially ended World War I .

The World War I Armistice went into effect on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month--November 11th, 1918. Americans would have probably listened to President Woodrow Wilson deliver an address commemorating Armistice Day on the radio or read about it in the newspaper on November 11th, 1919, the next year.

I can imagine all the Heads and other families gathered around their radios, listening to President Wilson's 1919 address to the American people, which began, "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in this country's service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations...".

Originally, Armistice Day was observed with parades, public meetings, and by businesses briefly suspending business at 11AM.  Three years later, in 1921--the year my mother, Marie Ellison, was born--an unknown soldier from World War I was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in the now famous "Tomb of the Unknown Soldier". In 1938, Congress made Armistice Day an official  holiday--"A  day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace."

 In 1954, to honor World War II and Korean War veterans as well as those from World War I,  Armistice Day was changed to Veteran's Day. Until the day they died, all my older relatives--the grandparents, parents, aunts, and uncles---always referred to Veteran's Day as Armistice Day. And I usually do, too. Congress proclaimed that Veteran's Day was "a celebration that honors America's veterans of all wars for their patriotism, love of country, and sacrifice for the common good."

The family of my mother, Marie Ellison Head, had an up-close-and-personal connection with World War I.  My mother's "Uncle Budge,"  one of the Jones boys and my grandmother Annie Belle Jones Ellison's favorite older brother,  was a soldier who was a casualty of the 1918 Spanish Flu epidmic that killed so many people worldwide. Ann was only twenty-two years old at the time, married with children.  Beloved  Budge had lived with them a while, so his death had to be tragic for her and her family.

I can just imagine the joy and hope for world peace on that first Armistice Day! The world was a simpler place and time then, without many of the modern ways we humans have of killing each other today.  The horror of war stayed with the veterans in my own family. My father, Ralston Cecil Head, was forever changed, as he was a Medic in World War II---an  assistant to a surgeon who saved wounded soldiers lives by cuting off their arms and legs. (None of his children...me, Sue, or Charlie... knew this until many, many years later, and it explained a lot of why Daddy was like he was.) When the Army wanted my daddy to become a doctor after the war, he told them , "NO!"   He had seen too much blood and death to be a doctor. Ralston instead became a skilled carpenter who created lovely things and built beautiful homes.

My Uncle Frank  (Frank Curre, Jr., married to my daddy's baby sister, Alma Louise Head Curre--nicknamed "Aunt Toots") is one of the few veterans still alive today who survived the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on that day "that will live in infamy", December 7th, 1941.  This surprise attack forced America into World War II.  My parents had been married only a few months, and, like most Americans--- young and old alike-- my parents and family members put their lives on hold for their country.

 My Uncle Frank is living history.  Only in the last few years has he been able to talk openly about his memories of being a Pearl Harbor survivior. (My daddy, Ralston, who died in 1989, could never talk about the war and suffered greatly from post traumatic stress syndrome, which is now treated, but wasn't back then.) Uncle Frank is a deeply emotional, sincere speaker who talks to schools and other groups. Later generations need to hear his story, as it is an important uniquely American story.

  My Uncle Frank is honored to be this year's Grand Marshall of the Veteran's Day Parade that will be held tomorrow beginning at 11 AM in Downtown Waco.  I am so proud of my Uncle Frank and all our veterans, living and dead, who have sacrificed so much to keep America free. 

 

"Rethunk" and Tyrants

I have "rethunk" a recent action of mine. Being a Leo with Aries rising,  I am supposedly prone to being very bossy -----which I agree is usually true---- as when I had my little grocery store in the '80's, my own children called me the Master Sergeant! Apparently, I wasn't all that bad, as every kid in the neighborhood wanted to live at my house!

The best part, however, was that, due mostly to my "bossy" insistence, high expectations, and perseverance ---(that old-fashioned thing called, "Staying on their butt!")--- all three of my children became fine adults and citizens who learned right and wrong, responsiblity, how to deal with the public, and to do the right thing.  Many people through the years have asked what was my secret for raising such great young people. I am glad I was able to have a hand in raising Jon Marie, Jimmy, and Bobby, my children of whom I am so very proud to be their mother.

 I also agree that I am supposedly prone to being an action person who is somewhat impulsive, and perhaps--you note, I said, "perhaps"---do something I later think might have been okay to leave as is.  It is hard to admit it though, like my first husband-- actually a wonderful and always confident man in many ways--- who thought he was wrong ONCE, but later found out he was mistaken!

Seriously, I have decided---remember, I am "The Decider" on this blog, as it is MY journal---that the comment that Crazyolnorwegian left Saturday night on the blog entry,  "Archives and Apology", is acceptable and appropriate as he or she wrote it, and if they would please leave it again, I will not delete it this time. It is really difficult without being face-to-face to know what is meant by a comment, so I always delete any comment I am in doubt of or contains anything inappropriate.

 However, on second thought, I'm not sure Crazyolnorwegian meant the comment the way I took it, and I am sorry I deleted it.  No comment left by anyone really matters, however, as I will never be able to say enough about the despicable actions and lies of former Cranfills Gap School Superintendent Carla Sigler and Cranfills Gap school board members Kenny Wiese, Jeff Rose, Kathie Witte, Shelly Stuart, Virgil Tindall, and Jackie Ray Sorrels, when they purposely harmed a child and knowingly broke the law to cause that harm.

 Forever is a long time, and I have been compared to that elephant who never forgets. I can forgive, but some things are so egregious they should never be forgotten. And there may actually be a few brave folks in the town of Cranfills Gap, Texas, and the surrounding area who agree with me on the sad saga of Carla Sigler, but, like some of the Germans in Nazi Germany--and there were some Germans who were appalled by Hitler's actions and considered him a maniac----- are afraid to say so, and that's okay. I don't need anyone's approval or disapproval to express my own disgust and dismay that anyone would be allowed to treat other human beings so badly, especially in this spiritual nation and this supposedly enlightened time in our history.

Perhaps it is just my turn to stand up and shout to the world, "Look at what these people did! What an injustice! They need to be held accountable for their despicable actions!" And if my little blog helps hold them accountable in any way, so be it.

Throughout the years, many attorneys and even a few judges have told me I would make an excellent lawyer or judge, as I have a keen sense of justice and fairness and believe that wrongs should be righted, restitution made, if possible, and the perpetrators brought to justice.

 Just before he died in 1989, my daddy, Ralston Cecil Head, ( "Uncle Goober" to all my cousins), urged me to become an attorney or a judge. However, I was a single mother (with children and financial concerns--meaning very little money on hand) who had a business background, a great job with a wonderful company, and wanted my life to go in that direction. I have often wondered what my and my children's lives would be like today, if I had followed Daddy's advice and pursued that legal career path. For sure, I'd be making a lot more money!

Many folks have e-mailed me to tell me about their own less-than-perfect dealings with school boards, teachers, and school officials through the years. What came through on all the communications was that if someone doesn't take a stand, make an outcry, or take some type of action, then offenders-- like Hitler in Nazi Germany-- will become almost unstoppable because their behavior has been tolerated from the very beginning. I think the old line is something like, "When good men do nothing", etcetera. We all would rather let someone else take the risk of rocking the boat, all the while hoping that things will work out on their own, and we won't have to move out of our comfort zone to try to set things right.

However, many times what happens is that the person in authority becomes so powerful and accustomed to getting their own way-----no matter whether their way is right or wrong, or in the best interests of others as well as themself----this person becomes a tyrant, a despot. A tyrant or despot is defined as an authority figure who abuses their authority and becomes cruel, oppressive, unjust, harsh, and harmful. This authority figure can be a teacher, a spouse, a boyfriend, a girlfriend, even a parent----- anyone who has authority can be a tyrant if they choose to be.

 Throughout history, tyrants and despots have been the rulers----kings, queens, princes, lords, barons, and czars---the monarchs who have been given or have taken power and authority for themselves and then abused the trust of those they ruled. Even with horrific World Wars fought, rulers still try to usurp power in our modern world. Some people think our own President George W. Bush and his administration, based on the ideas of Watergate-era Vice President Dick Cheney, is close to being tyrannical.  (NOTE:   This is just an observation--I will not discuss politics on my blog!)

There are many other countries in the world today that, without question,  have despotical tyrants as rulers who mistreat their people for their own selfish interests. Tyrants consider themselves dominators, masters and overlords who think they know better than you what is best for you. To justify their actions, their thinking is along the line of  "I'm doing this for your own good--I know better than you what is good for you!" And, all along, they are really doing what is in their own best interests. If their best interests and yours happen by chance to coincide, that's great--but if they don't coincide, well, that's just too bad!

Today, we Americans are fortunate to live in a democratic republic--- without a  monarch, king, or queen---  where a power grab or attempted overthrow of democratic rule would be not be allowed. It is sad that, for whatever reason, many Americans believe our great country is on the wrong track. Oops, there's that dang politics trying to sneak in again! Time to end this entry. I leave you with part of the comment left by Crazyolnorwegian:   "Enough said!"