Even Angel Has a Fan...

We recently blogged on a local hospice that bills itself as non-profit. A friend mentioned that Helen Keller Hospital also describes itself as non-profit. Of course, HKH usually takes that designation just a little too seriously. We do have to wonder, given some of the hospital’s losses in recent years, how HKH can afford its ever growing army of attorneys to fight against the new RegionalCare hospital in Florence. Surely Huntsville Hospital isn’t helping to finance that fight?

*****

Sources say the woman at the center of some local nursing home fraud has passed away. No word on any lawsuit, but we will keep attempting to find out more particulars on possible sidelined narcotics. If you have loved ones in nursing homes, don’t hesitate to ask about their care. If nothing is being covered up, the staff should be happy to address any of your concerns.

*****

A recent commenter on Angel Gieske has championed Angel as someone who helped unite families—no matter if there were “problems” with her credentials or not. Well, gentle reader, the problems also extended to her using a fraudulent address for her non-profit “agency” and lying under oath about it all. We’ll add that if credentials don’t really matter, a friend of ours, plumber by trade, has expressed an interest in setting up a practice in neurosurgery. Any one out there want to give him a try? We’re sure he has the best interest of any patients at heart...

Shoalanda

Punishment for Those Band Members?

We’ve received several comments about the band bus incident. The high school has been named in various places, but we won’t add this blog to the list. We will say the school is one that the Shoals area should be proud of, but just not in this one instance. For all we’ve heard, we’ve not learned of any punishment meted out to these two students. Should there be?

When we were in high school a few hundred years ago, it was common for some to ridicule band members, especially the males, but in reality anyone who makes the band is extremely talented. Playing an instrument is not like singing—it doesn’t come naturally—it has to be learned, and that takes discipline. Factor in the need to master the marching, and you have to admit those who play in the band are much more likely to be a success in life than many of their classmates.

That being said, what kind of person, unless totally wasted, has sex in public? We can imagine in 2055 the female may be walking down a street when she’ll pass someone who can’t resist saying to a companion, “That’s the girl I went to high school with who had sex in public.” Sorry...it just doesn’t go away.

Our opinion? No matter how intelligent, these two (the male has reportedly been in some serious trouble before) seem like great candidates for the alternative school.

Shoalanda

Another Take on William Harold Kimbrough III

Our blog recently mentioned William Harold Kimbrough III, aka Trey, currently under arrest for possession and distribution of an illegal narcotic, namely heroin. Some felt our blog was too hard on Kimbrough and had him already wrongly “convicted.”

We don’t know what Kimbrough’s defense will be, but unless the families of his victims and local police have all lied or choose to recant, he will be going away for a long time. A friend of ours has suggested Kimbrough wasn’t your average dealer, but someone caught up in his own addiction, which he couldn’t seem to conquer. That may be true, but it doesn’t change the state laws concerning heroin distribution.

That brings us to his victims. We say “victims” since four of his customers died and one was at the brink of death for several days. These five were not forced to purchase this drug, nor were they forced to take it. Yet they didn’t plan on death being a side effect of a relatively short euphoria.

Yes, we’ve been sent names of those who died, and no, we won’t publish them here. If this list is correct, there is one victim which greatly disturbs us. Our mental health system may not be a total failure, but it fails many. Yes, many in the system have fought to protect us, but we continue to fail them miserably. Tommy Atkins lives today and he still fails to claim the respect he deserves.

Shoalanda

"Bro. Jeff" Has a Fan!

It seems whenever someone is arrested for a crime, there are those who defend them; however, the more heinous the crime, the fewer defenders they usually have. In the past we've received comments from those who support abusers of women, rapists, kidnappers, and even murderers. Yes, we know, it was either for a good cause or all the victims really deserved what they got. Let's see how far that argument goes with the judge and jury.

We've even seen a child rapist defended because his four year-old victim seduced him. As stated, those comments are rare; however, we've just recieved our second comment on a "Bro. Jeff" blog that implies most of the case against Jeff Eddie was based on "gossip."

So, to "Get a Life People," we say this: Jeff Eddie confessed his crimes. No one forced a confession, no one forced him to plead guilty, and no one forced Eddie to do what he did to innocent young men. He, and he alone, is responsible. While we don't like to think about such things, you can be sure there are many out there who do like children in a sexual way, but actually manage to suppress these desires...just as Shoalanda managed to turn down that double chocolate fudge cake at Sunday dinner...

*****

As an afterthought, are we sure this commenter was defending Eddie or does he simply support the clergy in general? We're pretty sure he supports Eddie in particular since he has not commented on two other recent cases of local clergy seducing children. There are much better ways for a true friend to support a person than to overlook such serious shortcomings.



Shoalanda

Hospice of the Shoals: Really Non-Profit?

We've received many inquiries over the years concerning so-called "non-profit" agencies in the Shoals and elsewhere. Recently, for whatever reason, we've received a few concerning Hospice of the Shoals. Is it truly "non-profit?"

The answer is yes and no. Confused, now?

Any business has to have income in order to function. We doubt the nurses, aides, office staff, etc. want to work for free. If any Hospice of the Shoals employees work for free, please contact us and we'll make a retraction on this point immediately.

Come out with 10K left over one month...is that profit? What about the next month when the hospice comes out 10K under what's needed to make expenses and payroll? It should even out, but one can never accurately predict expenses--just as you might not be able to predict what damage a storm might do to your roof.

So, should you donate to this hospice? If this is your charity of choice, we say you should go for it! There are no owners who receive huge incomes each month--this is the standard by which they are truly deemed non-profit.

Remember, if you or someone or the United Way does not contribute, this hospice if funded only by patients with insurance...and that's certainly not all of them. The uninsured deserve care as much as anyone else, at least when they're dying.

*****

Are all for profit hospices equal? No. See above comment about mismanagement by greedy owners. 



Shoalanda

Bad Heroin?/William Kimbrough

From a reader on our story concerning the four who died and one seriously damaged from a specific batch of heroin:

They didn't die from 'bad' heroin. They od'd because the heroin was more pure than what they're used too. We are hearing it's only being cut 2-3 times instead of 8-9 times. It's more potent not bad. They get what they used before but it's too much and they don't know til it's too late. Watch American Gangster you'll get what were seeing. Someone's gotten an almost direct line to a source and selling it dirt cheap. Yes the dealers should be held more accountable but not sure that will ever happen.

This is only too true, but we have heard of these drugs being cut with rat poison. Nothing would surprise us.

*****

The dealer arrested in those crimes was William Kimbrough III. With his ears he could give up drug dealing and run his own flying service. (We don't make it a practice to comment on the physical appearance of others, but we'll make an exception for a heroin dealer.)

William Harold Kimbrough III

Shoalanda

Why So Many Girls Missing?

We received the above question from a reader? Why? We don't know...each of these cases is different. We can say that with most law enforcement agencies on Facebook, these cases are out front and center almost as soon as they're reported. Some missing teens are "found" almost immediately and would previously never have made the media that published only every 24 hours.

Of course, monkey see, monkey do. Not that teenagers are monkeys or anything, but we pretty much think grounded for life is a satisfactory ending for most of these escapades.

*****

Check out both the Quad-Cities Daily and Pen-N-Sword for the latest on missing persons in the Shoals. Be sure to like them on Facebook as well.



Shoalanda