Remembering Florence/"He Just Failed As A Dad"

Look for the TimesDaily to do a story on the Facebook page Remembering Florence. Larry Fisher tells us the article may be published as early as this weekend.

Related Links:

Remembering Florence

Larry Fisher: Real Person, Real Hero

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We're strong believers that those teachers who commit sex crimes should have their teaching licenses permanently revoked, but what about those guilty of domestic violence? Last week Muscle Shoals teacher/coach Jonathan D. Shirah was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence against his wife. Shirah has seemingly always been known for his affable manner with students, but what about at home?

His daughter has characterized him as having "failed as a dad," while Mary Elaine Shirah's aunt has commented, "I also know this is not the first, second or third abuse by Shirah. And you can see by so many nasty comments, why so many wives do not come forward about their abuse...Would your boss let you include in your job yelling, throwing things, hitting, punching, shoving, breaking things, throwing down a fellow employee like he threw his infant into a crib once upon a time...He got in her face after throwing her against the wall and started choking her until she saw stars and was passing out and he picked her up and threw her into a very thick glass topped kitchen table and it broke all to pieces and she landed on the floor with the broken glass covering her all over and three broke ribs among all the other bruises. If God had not protected her and she had not had on a thick turtle neck shirt and thick clothing, as she had just come in from the outside she would be dead today."

Elaine Shirah reportedly suffers from Crohn's disease, resulting in limited diet choices and loss of weight. In a 1997 paper, Dr. R. Horan Jones linked Crohn's disease to domestic violence. In other words, women who are the victims of abuse are much more likely to develop the disease, aka irritable bowel syndrome.

Does Shirah deserve to keep his teaching license? Elaine Shirah is filing for divorce. Without her to abuse, is it possible he will turn his anger toward his students? Our children deserve better...much better.

Related Links:

A Tale of Two Coaches

No Defense Here *

*This link is to Margaret's Musings. If you don't read her blog, you are missing out on one of the best writers in the Shoals.

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Local authorities are urging Shoals residents to refrain from driving until Thrusday. Please be careful if you have to venture out. Do so only during the day and remain on well-traveled highways and away from bridges. So far there have been few accidents in the Shoals; let's keep it that way.



Shoalanda