Hood County News from Granbury, Texas • Page 4

Forum Forum 4A Hood County News www.hcnews.com Saturday, August 31, 2013 MEMBER: National Newspaper Association Texas Press Association West Texas Press Association Texas Press Association Sign-in jail log to monitor county-paid attorneys I nmates in the Hood County Jail who perhaps have not seen or heard from their court-appointed attorneys in months (a frequent complaint we heard last year during summer-long interviews with inmates) may soon see that change. A log is now being kept at the jail to track the time that taxpayer-funded lawyers spend consulting with their clients about their cases. Sheriff Roger Deeds said he had intended to initiate such a log last summer after the Hood County News published an examination of the court-appointment system and how well attorneys are advocating for clients who are too poor to afford representation. Somehow, though, it slipped through the cracks. There is no legal mandate requiring the sheriff to monitor attorney visits at the jail.

The court-appointment system is overseen by judges. Nevertheless, Deeds and Pre- cinct 4 Commissioner Steve Berry are taking steps to better monitor that system. By doing so, they not only are making good faith efforts to comply with the law, but they are also keeping an eye on how well taxpayer money is being utilized. County Commissioners are being challenged by ever rising costs for indigent defense. It is only right that measures be taken to ensure that lawyers who submit invoices for court- appointments are actually earning that money.

It is fair to note that just because lawyers may not visit regularly with their incarcerated clients, it does not necessarily mean that they are not working on their behalf. But inmates who go for months having no contact with their lawyers have little reason to believe that the deck is not unfairly stacked against them. Berry recently brought the matter of no log-in sheets to attention, and Deeds acted immediately to correct it. In an email to the commissioner, the sheriff wrote: process was not what it should be, so as of this afternoon, there will be a written record on date, time, attorney and who they are at the jail to see. This will be put in the monthly records for Commissioners Court.

Sorry this was not fine-tuned a long time We appreciate swift action, as well as the willingness of commissioners to consider that perhaps indigent defense in Hood County is not what it should be. And it is a safe bet that those accused of crimes in Hood County will appreciate the increased contact with their attorneys that we suspect will occur once better monitoring is in place. An indicator of how well the system is or is not working will be right there in black and white. Not always what it appears In defense of those of us with handicap tags, our doctors wrote us prescriptions for them because of our health. As for me, I look healthy even though lost 45 pounds in the past few years because of stress.

Seventeen years ago an automobile wreck left me in a coma for 19 days, in the hospital 51 days and in rehab for some time after. My most serious injury was a head injury that left me with very little short-term memory and loss of a lot of long- term memory. I now have arthritis all over my body because of the many broken bones. Also, fibromyalgia. People like myself never know when we can even get out of bed from one day to the next.

By our looks, no one would ever know the stress we live in. Nadra Arnold Granbury not about getting over it In response to the Aug. 24 letter needs to get over slavery I offer the following rebuttal: I am deeply sorry the letter writer had such an unhappy experience watching the movie, written by a civil-rights conglomerate. not sure I completely know what was meant by reference to this particular conglomerate. Perhaps it was their racial composition; perhaps their political orientation; perhaps both; perhaps neither.

Regardless, those were extremely inflammatory times, as anyone who lived thru the civil rights era knows. This movie portrayed a time in history; as well as a growth and struggle to reconcile their own different philosophies regarding the civil rights movement. It was beautifully constructed, with actual news footage from the era. History teaches us to lest we repeat the horrors of the past. History is told in many venues and taught in many fashions.

Movies are a wonderful way to teach and to ILLUSTRATE. Not all images or stories depict a pretty picture. We owe it to ourselves and to our children to keep our history alive. We may over as far as the horror of the actual event; but it is forever etched into our being, and it is forever a part of history. We all need to remember how we would feel if our own civil rights were violated.

When all equal in this world, as we are in the eyes of the lord, than we can write another chapter in history; and those images when portrayed on screen will not be inflammatory. Elaine Allan Laguna Vista LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Are people mature enough to own their dog? ast week, an 8-year-old Lipan girl was attacked by a dog that was a mix between a Rhodesian ridgeback and a pit bull. been told a very bad combination of breeds. The Rhodesian ridgebacks, apparently not in abundance in the U.S., were originally bred to hunt lions in southern Africa. The little girl was bitten on her back, thighs and arms, and was treated and released at Lake Granbury Medical Center.

thinking lucky to be alive. My efforts to contact her family have been unsuccessful. The owner of the dog, who lives a couple of streets away from where the girl was when she was bitten, will be issued a citation for violating the leash law, according to Hood County Animal Control Sergeant Kelly McNab. FRIGHTENING NUMBERS The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website says 4.7 million people are bitten by dogs each year in the U.S., and 800,000 seek medical attention. An average of 16 people die from dog attacks in the U.S.

each year. A July 1987 Sports Illustrated cover story stated that in the 18 months prior to the article, 12 of 18 confirmed dog-related fatalities in the U.S. 67 percent were caused by American pit bull terriers a breed that, at that time, was only 1 percent of the dog population. The website DogsBite.org reported that from 2005 to 2012, pit bulls killed 151 Americans ranking No. 1.

Rottweilers killed 32 to rank second. Even sadder is the fact that of the total number of children killed by dogs in 2012, 79 percent (15) were age 2 or younger. The American Veterinary Medical Association cited online in 2012 the following breeds as being the highly represented in biting German shepherd, pit bull types, mixed breeds, Rottweiler, chow chow, Jack Russell terrier and others including collie, springer spaniel, Saint Bernard and Labrador retriever. The Association for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) states online that can refer to as many as five breeds and a wide array of mixed breeds. That Sports Illustrated article stated that defining pit bulls can be difficult the pit bull is not a specific breed.

Rather, it is a kind of dog, a genetic catchall like hound or retriever. The breeds most commonly referred to as pit bulls are the American Staffordshire terrier and the American pit bull FIGHTING TENDENCIES That article also noted important differences in the fighting tendencies between the Staffordshire terrier and the American pit bull terrier, noting that, the years the Staffordshire has been bred to show, rather than to So-called sportsmen who allowed dogs to fight each other or be used for bullbaiting or bearbait- ing, bred these athletic dogs to have exceptionally powerful jaws paired with what was referred to by one breeder as a to and the trait of fighting The ASPCA website states that such dogs originally used to control large livestock later were bred for the matching them against bears and other large animals. The dogs usually maintained their grip until the animal became exhausted from fighting and loss of The breeders wanted those traits, and what they got. The ASPCA website states pit bulls not give warning before becoming aggressive, and less likely to back down when clashing with an opponent. To make matters worse, irresponsible owners interested in presenting a tough image often encourage their pit bulls to behave aggressively.

If a pit bull does bite, far more likely to inflict serious injuries than most other breeds, simply because of his size and But the claim that bites by pit bills are likely to draw media valid. What triggers a news story about an injury is almost always its severity. And if a toddler is attacked by a pit bull or similar animal, chances are the injury is going to be severe. And face it, tiny Chihuahuas who also have a reputation as biters simply kill people. ATTACKS A MYSTERY Who knows exactly why dogs suddenly go off on a young child? Maybe some of them poke the dog in the eye or bother them while they were eating.

And, as many claim, likely many vicious dogs were trained to participate in illegal dogfights, or sadistically abused in other ways. But when it comes to protecting society and helpless children, the reasons for dog attacks on humans as important as dog owners having enough maturity and common sense to take responsibility for their animals. Dogs that are both large enough and powerful enough to kill should never be allowed alone with a child, and must always be kept in an enclosure 100 percent secure. And that should never include chaining the dog, which can also contribute to biting and full-blown attacks. If people provide that, they buy a potentially dangerous dog.

I have no desire to ban breeds. But if people responsible or mature enough to keep their animal contained, then they act surprised if arrested and face stiff felony charges if it inflicts severe injuries on someone. If that soak through the noggin, how about doing it for the sake of the next innocent little 8-year-old girl who might find herself in way? m.wilson@hcnews.com 817-573-7066, ext. 254 One book, two greats en Hogan once said, learn something new about the game almost every time I step on the My dad, thinking that was not enough for himself, probably spent the equivalent of a four-year private college degree learning everything he could about the game of golf. He subscribed to numerous golf magazines, and bought all the latest books and videos to improve your driving, your fairway shots, your putting, your short game, your drive, your golf psychology, etc.

He was usually one of the first to buy the latest equipment, you know, the ones that are supposed to make your ball go straighter, longer, change your game and even change your life. Golf was what my dad and I had in common, and he taught me how to play at a young age. We played as much as we could during the Minnesota summers while the course was open between the snowy seasons. He was a good coach and never said, doing that Instead he would say, you try it this way next He always pushed me to be better, and like a proud father, was my caddie during many golf tournaments while I was in high school. He passed away two years ago I recently went home to visit my mother and two sisters.

My home in Austin, the home where we grew up, has over 50 years of accumulation. Most people up there have basements which oftentimes make it easy to collect things over the years. We started going through a very large bookcase in the basement. not sure which of my parents was the biggest book hoarder my dad and his golf books, or my mom and her cookbooks. In an attempt to clean out that part of the basement and find new homes for the books, I started a pile for the library and a pile for myself because I am a borderline book hoarder.

Must be genetic. Dad always tucked notes and magazine articles inside his books, and I had to open each one to see what might be inside. What seemed like the hundredth golf book I touched, I opened Ben classic Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Inside the book were more notes to himself tucked away with several more magazine articles. I happened to flip to the inside front page of the book and saw To Terry Meany (my dad) with all good wishes for better golf. Ben Hogan.

I believe my dad had this treasured book all these years, and I know about it. Even my sisters and mom know about it. Most of his close friends are now gone. So we may never know the story. The only thing we could think of is that he might have gotten it during the years he served on the board of directors of the Minnesota Golf Association from 1980-1992.

This book was written by one of the greatest golfers of all time and was signed to one of the greatest fathers of all time. of course, have proclaimed it mine now. 817-573-7066, ext. 257 FULL CIRCLE Nancy Pricer Staff Writer EDITORIAL An if-only, what-if, high-school-jock story or my senior year at dear old Teague High, we moved from Class A to AA. Our enrollment was 210, and our district had these schools: Mexia (290), Hillsboro (340), Ennis (380) and Waxahachie (410).

Those numbers are educated guesses from decades-old memory, but the numbers and difference in size of the schools are pretty accurately reflected. Neighboring Mexia was a natural archrival, and while the two schools played in a number of years, the match-up renewal was greatly anticipated by fans in both cities. Hillsboro was just a place that rang a of those bigger registration in Teague minds. But Ennis and Waxahachie towns, they were by-gawd CITIES! Our pre-district schedule in that fall of 1954 was pretty typical of a Class A school, but not of one competing in Class AA. Prior to the four district games, we played five A teams and one AA school.

Orange and White Lions began promisingly enough by going to Madisonville and beating the Mustangs 20-0. Then a hyped match against another longtime archrival from the immediate past Class A district county seat Fairfield, on the Eagles home field on the BIG ROAD, U.S. Highway 75 (pre-IH-45). A penalty-filled (mostly against Teague) game was really not much of a contest as the Lions prevailed 19-0. Confidence began to grow, but the next foe was again from the old district and that pre-season favorite, the Groesbeck Goats.

Fortunately, it was played in Teague, and the Lions eked out a 7-6 win. Another former Class A district opponent, Mart, fell next 21-12. Then came the first AA opponent, Rusk, which ended in a kiss-your-sister 6-6 tie. Grapeland, favored to win (and did) its A district, was nudged by my Lions 20-14. Then, the first district game.

Teague visited Hillsboro for that debut, a decided underdog, but edged the Eagles in a 13-6 struggle. Hillsboro threw three passes, all of which were intercepted by the Lion safeties. That kept the Lions undefeated and once-tied, 6-0-1. Teague fans were going crazy. It was the first real winning season in years.

The stage was set. It was homecoming in Teague where the stadium capacity was about 3,000, give or take a few seats, and the foe was district favorite, Waxahachie, 7-0-1. More than 5,000 fans crammed into the stadium, forcing folding-chair-seating on the sidelines. Runs and tackles on the sideline were dangerous, not only for players, but fans as well as we went crashing into the sidelines several times. Teague received the kickoff and marched the length of the field and scored but missed the extra point.

Back came the Indians with a score and point after for a 7-6 lead. Then three Lion fumbles broke the dam, producing a 47-6 Waxahachie win as they bulled to a state quarterfinals playoff spot before losing. Teague recover from that landslide loss and dropped a controversial 7-0 game to Mexia, then lost the season finale to Ennis 26-0. However, several very unproductive prior seasons were reversed with the respectable 6-3-1 mark, and Teague began a steady progression through years to competitiveness and respectability. And, it created bittersweet memories for young men bent on being winners.

Willis Webb is a retired community newspaper editor-publisher of more than 50 years of experience. He can be reached by email at net. MARK MY WORDS Mark Wilson Staff Writer GUEST COLUMN Willis Webb WRITE E-mail letters to news.com or mail to P.O. Box 879, Granbury, Tex. 76048.

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