County farmers and ‘Church Community Services’ join forces to feed the hungry

by: Marilyn Odendahl
modendahl@etruth.com

GOSHEN — Saturday morning under a cloudless blue sky and welcoming sun, a small group of volunteers labored in a farm field, pounding thin wooden stakes into damp soil and planting leafy tomato seedlings alongside.

A few rows away, a knot of people were piercing small holes in the ground and dropping in green bean seeds.

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Elkhart County plan commission to try again to pass ‘controversial’ zoning ordinance

Mike Yoder: “Community input reflected in Draft E”

by Jerry Goshert

When the Elkhart County plan commission tried unsuccessfully a year ago to adopt a new countywide zoning ordinance, some people said the proposal, known as Draft E, reflected what Mike Yoder wanted, not what the community as a whole wanted.

Yoder, a county commissioner and plan commission member, had supported the zoning plan as it moved through various revisions (Draft E was preceded by drafts A, B, C and D) and ultimately to an emotion-filled public hearing in mid-April.

Of the 30 or so speakers, all but one spoke against the proposal. Some accused Yoder, a Middlebury dairy farmer, of pushing a farmland preservation agenda at the expense of growth.

Yoder defended Draft E, saying it would have grandfathered-in existing uses, was friendly to Amish businesses and, for the sake of reducing rural-urban conflicts, limited residential development in agricultural areas.

Critics, including the Elkhart County Farm Bureau, said the restriction on development would have lowered property values. On the other hand, Yoder said it would have given farmers a buffer from nearby homes.

That night, after a lot of finger pointing in Yoder’s direction, the proposal was defeated.

Now, as planners try again to pass a new ordinance, Yoder will be part of the process. But he wants the public to know that he is not pushing a personal agenda.

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Will You Do It? – Asks ‘ American Cop’ Magazine

‘American Cop’ posed this question to law enforcement in the June edition of its magazine: “WOULD YOU, personally, go out and confiscate firearms from law abiding citizens — even if it goes against your personal opinion regarding the constitutional rights of citizens — on the order of an administrative leader of your agency? Would you put your foot down and say, ‘No, that’s not legal, it’s not right, and I won’t do it’ — all the while risking being disciplined or fired? Or would you simply do your duty, as it were? ‘I was only following orders.’

“Don’t think you could never be in such a position, just look at New Orleans after the hurricane, when the city cops, following orders, did that very thing.”

Some of the responses from members of law enforcement:

“I would quit first. Unlawful orders are not to be obeyed.”

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“I would refuse. Further, I would order my officers to disobey such an order. We have no responsibility to obey unlawful orders.”

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“I don’t think it would be as simple as all that. Illegal orders are either done gradually and incrementally, or are cloaked in some distracting emergency, so they seem to have at least some legitimacy. Overlapping authority, even military involvement is not out of the question. The people who would do such a thing are nothing if not crafty. By the time you realize they are out to get you, they have got you.”

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“Absolutely I would and for several reasons.

1st. my job is on the line. I may not like it, but I will follow orders. If I don’t and someone is killed because of my inaction to follow orders, I may be left high and dry by my dept.

2nd. I have a gun. I will get to keep my gun. Nobody will take my gun home because I am the law. I will take your gun. See #1 above.

3rd. I believe in the Constitution, but it is a living document. With the way gangs and illegals are today, I want all the guns off the street. Only law enforcement should own guns. You don’t have the ability or desire to train and be proficient with a weapon. A single shot shotgun is about all you need for home defense and I’m really pushing my comfort zone to accept that.

4th. I will confiscate any weapon I find. You have a gun? You have a permit? Your gun is mine. I’ll let you spend a few thousand dollars with the judge to get your gun back if you really want it that bad. It doesn’t cost me a thing to confiscate your weapon, but it will cost you lots of time and lots of money to get it back. If need to depending on the weapon I may add charges even if I have to make them up to keep you away from the gun.

5th. I am sick of the .gov is coming after us. I know barrel jerkers like so many gun nuts are hoarding guns and ammo. Keep it up, because when we do come for them, I already know your neighbors won’t support you. Why? Because I am the law. You are guilty till the judge tells me you are not.”

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“If you think I’m going to let my wife and kids go hungry because I got fired rather than round up some redneck’s high powered assault weapons, you’re a dumba**”.

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Nope, no way. My agency made me swear an oath to the constitution when I hired on, and I seem to remember something waay back in the academy even in which the “I was only following orders” excuse was given drubbing it deserved.

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“I would recommend everyone read John Ross’ Unintended Consequences to get an idea of how to deal with ‘public servants’ who have forgotten who there masters are.”

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“Thank you all for your comments. So far, I confess they are going as I anticipated, except for the posting by “Omar Little.” If indeed he is an officer, his is the response I fear the most. The sense of entitlement I’ve noticed among some officers does not bode well for the future. “I have mine, so to hell with you” seems to be the common thread among them.

The founding fathers did, indeed, risk life and property (and many lost both) in their quest to found this country. I’m honestly not sure some (many?) of today’s LE officers are made of the same stuff. Apparently, from the tone of a few of these posts, it seems they are not.

I too think if it comes (as it is happening all the time) gun confiscation will arrive quietly in the form of taxes, garnished wages, utilities taxed until guns are turned in, ammo with 5,000 percent tax added, and who knows what else they’ll think of. I honestly doubt cops will ever try to physically confiscate guns … there would simply be too many dead cops, too fast. They’ll back-door it. But as officers, I wonder, will we watch it happening and sit idly by? Too afraid to lose our wave runner in the garage, or our paid vacations to say, ‘Hey wait, you can’t do that.’
Your thoughts?

I’ll follow-up in a future issue with some of the posted comments.“

Roy Huntington
Publisher ‘American Cop’

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Read the original article and comments HERE.

Sunday’s ‘Celebrate America’ Fireworks Show in Goshen Cancelled

Goshen’s annual Celebrate America program and community fireworks originally scheduled for Sunday has been cancelled, according to Celebrate America President Gregg Lanzen. There will be no make-up date.

Lanzen said hot and dry conditions in Goshen were the reason for the cancellation.

Now in its 21st year, The annual Celebrate America program routinely attracts between 10,000 and 20,000 spectators each year.

Richard Mourdock on Obamacare Standing

Richard Mourdock vows he will NOT let Obama care stand. Richard Mourdock for Senate

Jackie Walorski: “The Supreme Court has upheld Obamacare, supporting the individual mandate and the largest tax increase in our nation’s history.

“I will continue to advocate for the full repeal, help me fight for you.”

Jackie Walorski for Congress.

Supreme Court lets OBAMACARE stand

Jb's Sanctuary

What has the SCOTUS told us?  That it’s not their job to determine what kind of country we live in.  They seem to parse every court case to the point that no real outcome is ever attained.  No case is ever really solved.  But maybe that’s their purpose. They’ve pushed this fight back to the politicians.  We’ll get what we deserve.

In the mean time here’s a little Bill Whittle.

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Supreme Court Fails America On Health Care

U.S. Debt: Real Time

Try to keep up with this clock!

Elkhart Flotilla and Fireworks to be held July 4

This year’s Upper St. Joseph Flotilla will have a new theme as well as a new time of display.

The event will take place at 9 p.m. Wednesday, July 4. The theme will be “Light the Night;” that’s why coordinators decided to change the time of the event.

The flotilla will form at 8:30 p.m. at Bulldog Crossing and will go down the river following a lighted path along the south bank of the river. Some bleachers will be placed at Martin’s Landing on Jackson Boulevard that evening for spectators.

At 10:15 p.m. the participants will be asked to turn off their lights if there is a fireworks display.

Andy Jones, one of the coordinators of the event, said the flotilla will take place despite whether the city will have the fireworks display or not.