quarryshark's Blog

At a Wednesday evening meeting, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made major concessions to drop increases in food stamp and unemployment benefits in exchange for tax rebates of at least $300 for all people earning a paycheck, including low-income earners who make too little to pay income taxes. Families with children would receive an additional $300 per child, while those paying income taxes could receive higher rebates as well, a senior House aide said"

Sooo, now they want to give a "income tax rebate" to those that did not pay any income  tax in the first place?? Alrighty then...........

Sorry to "stir the turd", but I could not let the "be afraid" blog a could of days (political blog) back go, without a response.

Fear of George Bush
Fear that Bush is to blame for everything
Fear that Bush isn't to blame for everything
Fear that if you continue to blame everything on Bush, you won't actually figure out who really is to blame for your problems
Fear of Walmart
Fear of people who shop at Walmart
Fear that you might actually save money if you shopped at Walmart
Fear that Walmart has done more to help the poor than any social program ever created by our government.
Fear of all forms of energy except for the ones that don't work
Fear that low taxes actually do create prosperous societies

Fear (in secret) that tacos and burritos will someday soon replace hot dogs and apple pie.

Fear that a border fence will help support new generations of citizen seekers, instead of entitlement seekers.
Fear that people will find out what a hypocrite you are because you call for higher taxes while using tax shelters
Fear of judgmental people
Fear of appearing narrow-minded
Fear of intolerance
Fear that with your tirades against SUVs, Wal-Mart, meat, cigarettes, guns, whisky, and organized religion, you are the judgmental, narrow minded, intolerant one.
Fear of 3d ultrasounds that show fetal development
Fear of being judged in the afterlife
fear of being judged in this life
Fear of all country singers except for the ones that hate Bush
Fear that when they take away your anger there will be nothing left.
Fear of free speech when it mocks your beliefs.
Fear of free speech when it speaks back to you.
Fear of free speech when it comes from Christians.
Fear that your definition of free speech - that only you get to be heard-- won't fly with us Wal-mart shoppers.
Fear of a police state unless of course it actually is a police state, like, Venezuela
Fear of Hugo Chavez dying
Fear of Castro Dying
Fear of Communism dying
No fear of Hezbollah and their pleasure in blowing up citizens
Fear that your comments are default responses to people who already agree with you
Fear that maybe shame is a good thing
Fear of rightwing "Repuglicans"
Fear of "crackpot Christians"
Fear of losing the next election
Fear that people will realize that a record of no terror attacks on the U.S. in six years, and liberating 55 million people in two Muslim nations, is not so bad.
Fear of having to come up with a new dehumanization campaign for the next Republican president.
Fear that common sense is making a comeback
Fear of the death penalty actually being a deterrent.
Fear of a Marine knocking on your Prius's window to discuss your bumperstickers.
Fear of your conscience telling you even though you are supposed to like it, you really think NPR - especially its self serious whispering, wimpy bumper music and simpering anchors -- sucks.
Fear that your anti-Americanism is becoming even boring to you.
Fear that everyone will notice that other than incessant complaining you haven't come up with a single solution.
Fear of someone sitting you down and forcing you to deal with the fact that even if global warming was absolutely manmade and as bad as Gore says it is, that the threat of islamic terrorists getting WMDs and using them is far greater and imminent and requires offering at least moderate allegiance to the current president of the United States and Sen. Lieberman.
Fear of Nascar
Fear that even if the democrats win the 08 election, Europeans will still look down on us and Muslims will still want to kill us.
Fear that capitalism actually works better than any other economic system
Fear that America really is the freest country in the world

Now put THAT in your peace pipe and smoke it!

PHOENIX — Illegal immigrants in Arizona, frustrated with a flagging economy and tough new legislation cracking down on their employers, are returning to their home countries or trying their luck in other states.

For months, immigrants have taken a wait-and-see attitude toward the state's new employer-sanctions law, which takes effect Jan. 1. The voter-approved legislation is an attempt to lessen the economic incentive for illegal immigrants in Arizona, the busiest crossing point along the U.S.-Mexico border.

And by all appearances, it's starting to work.

"People are calling me telling me about their friend, their cousin, their neighbors — they're moving back to Mexico," said Magdalena Schwartz, an immigrant-rights activist and pastor at a Mesa church. "They don't want to live in fear, in terror."

Martin Herrera, a 40-year-old illegal immigrant and masonry worker who lives in Camp Verde, 70 miles north of Phoenix, said he is planning to return to Mexico as soon as he ties up loose ends after living here for four years.

"I don't want to live here because of the new law and the oppressive environment," he said. "I'll be better in my country."

He called the employer-sanctions law "absurd."

"Everybody here, legally or illegally, we are part of a motor that makes this country run," Herrera said. "Once we leave, the motor is going to start to slow down."

There's no way to know how many illegal immigrants are leaving Arizona, especially now with many returning home for normal holidays visits. But economists, immigration lawyers and people who work in the immigrant community agree it's happening.

State Rep. Russell Pearce of Mesa, the author of the employer sanctions law, said his intent was to drive illegal immigrants out of Arizona.

"I'm hoping they will self-deport," Pearce said. "They broke the law. They're criminals."

Under the employer sanctions law, businesses found to have knowingly hired illegal workers will be subject to sanctions from probation to a 10-day suspension of their business licenses. A second violation would bring permanent revocation of the license.

Nancy-Jo Merritt, an immigration lawyer who primarily represents employers, said her clients already have started to fire workers who can't prove they are in the country legally.

"Workers are being fired, of course," she said. "Nobody wants to find out later on that they've got somebody working for them who's not here legally."

When immigrants don't have jobs, they don't stick around, said Dawn McLaren, a research economist at Arizona State University who specializes in illegal immigration.

She said the flagging economy, particularly in the construction industry, also is contributing to an immigrant exodus.

"As the jobs dwindle and the environment becomes more unpleasant in more ways than one, you then decide what to do, and perhaps leaving looks like a good idea," she said. "And certainly that creates a problem, because as people leave, they take the jobs they created with them."

Pearce disagreed that the Arizona economy will suffer after illegal immigrants leave, saying there will be less crime, lower taxes, less congestion, smaller classroom sizes and shorter lines in emergency rooms.

"We have a free market. It'll adjust," he said. "Americans will be much better off."

He said he's not surprised illegal immigrants are leaving the state and predicts that more will go once the employer-sanctions law takes effect next month.

"It's attrition by enforcement," he said. "As you make this an unfriendly state for lawbreakers, I'm hoping they will pick up and leave."

Right on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The announcement from the Hall of Fame Foundation also named The Dave Clark Five, poet and folk-rocker Leonard Cohen, singer-songwriter John Mellencamp and 60s surfer band The Ventures for the honours.

The musicians will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March during a ceremony in New York.

The nominees are chosen by a committee and are cut down to a final list of five by more than 600 music experts.

Artists become eligible for the honour 25 years after their first recording.

Madonna signed her first US record deal in 1982, and scored her first hit with Holiday in the UK two years later.

Mellencamp emerged from Bloomington, Ind., in the early 1980s with enduring, heartland rock tracks like Pink Houses, Rain on the Scarecrow and Jack & Diane. 

Cohen has been producing folk-tinged rock since the late 1960s, with tracks like Suzanne.

The Ventures are best known for instrumental rock evergreens such as the theme from Hawaii Five-O, Walk Don't Run and Perfidia.

The Dave Clark Five become one of the most successful British "invasion" bands of the US during the 1960s.

Last year's inductees were REM, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Van Halen, the Ronettes and Patti Smith.

Once inducted, the artists are featured in the Museum's Hall of Fame exhibit, which includes a computerised jukebox containing every song of each inductee and a film played on three big screens recounting their careers and music.

Though it's been years since his racing career ended,
Niatross is still a powerful horse. Taller than most men, he
weighs half a ton, with a broad chest and chiseled muscles
that ripple under a rich bronze coat.
A racing legend, the champion Standardbred racehorse
won 37 of 39 races in 1979-80 and over a million dollars. No
horse could pass him once he got the lead.
In 1996, when he was 19 years old, Niatross made a 20-
city tour across North America. For 16 years, Niatross had
done little more than romp in his paddock and munch hay and
oats. Now he'd have a rock star's schedule, with press
conferences and photographers in every city, a strange stall
to sleep in and thousands of fans wanting to pet and fuss
over him. As his tour manager, I traveled with him.
Niatross greeted fans from Maine to Illinois, in big
cities and county fairs, in scorching heat and chilly winds.
Niatross endured it all with grace and almost eerie
intelligence. He was always able to sense what was expected
of him and do it.
One night in Buffalo, New York, Niatross pawed and
stomped his feet as he waited for his cue to pace down the
racetrack for a photo session. The big horse, in his
impatience, reared up on his hind legs, pulling his handler,
a 6'6" man, off his feet, before lunging on to the track.
But the outburst was over quickly and soon he stood to be
photographed, once again the obliging star.
After his track appearance, Chris, his handler,
unharnessed Niatross and brushed his lustrous coat. As the
two rounded the corner from the barn to the grandstand where
a crowd of fans waited, Niatross rolled his eyes and stopped
in his tracks, as if to say, "Oh, no. I have to do this
again?" But with a gentle tug on the lead rope, Niatross
moved ahead to take his place of honor.
For two hours, he was petted, stroked, prodded and
swooned over. I was silently thanking Niatross for another
night of patience with us when out of the corner of my eye,
I saw a moving, buzzing blur zipping across the pavement
toward Niatross. As it drew closer, I could see that the
blur was a child in an electric wheelchair. The child had
his chair going full throttle and before I could caution him
not to scare Niatross, he came to an abrupt halt under the
horse's nose, mere inches from his powerful front legs.
Clearly startled, but maintaining his poise, Niatross
widened his eyes and craned his neck to peer down at the
tiny blonde boy, who was around five years old and looked
like a doll in the heavy, motorized chair. I said hello to
the child, who perhaps because of his handicap, was unable
to speak. The fingers of his right hand were clutched around
a button that propelled his chair; the fingers on the left
hand were frozen around a Niatross poster. He looked at me
intently, his eyes burning a hole through my face.
"Would you like Niatross to sign your poster?" I asked.
With great solemnity, he nodded his head yes. I pulled the
poster from his fingers, tapped Niatross' foot to get him to
lift it, placed the poster beneath it and traced his hoof.
"There," I said, slipping the poster back between his
fingers, "Niatross signed his name for you." The child said
nothing, but continued his fixed gaze at me.
"Do you want to give Niatross a pat?" I asked. Again,
he solemnly moved his head up and down. Yes.
A mild panic came over me. How could we do this?    The
boy couldn't extend a hand or unclench his fingers, his arms
were frozen at his side. How could he reach up to pat a
horse? I turned to Chris, not knowing what to do, but
knowing we couldn't disappoint this child.
"Chris?" I said, hoping he'd have an idea. Without
hesitation, Chris placed his hand a few inches beneath
Niatross' soft muzzle. Niatross lowered his velvety nose
into Chris' hand. Slowly, cautiously, Chris moved his hand,
with Niatross following, lower and lower, past the boy's
head, past his tiny shoulders. Chris pulled his hand away
and Niatross, closing his eyes, rested his head in the boy's
lap.
The boy's intent expression melted into a faint,
tranquil smile. The tension gone from his frail body, he
laid his head alongside Niatross' powerful head, the same
head that jerked a man off his feet just hours before. The
two were secure in the only kind of embrace a horse and a
wheelchair-bound child could have. Boy and horse looked like
old friends, exchanging a wordless greeting understood only
by them.
Slowly, steadily, Niatross lifted up his head to look
down at his new friend. With a flick of his finger, the
child spun the wheelchair around. Still smiling and sitting
a little taller now, he disappeared as quickly as he'd
appeared, into the chilly night.

There is no love like the love of a pet. Please remember them in the coldest of months that is our holiday season.  If your are considering a new family member (ok, maybe you don't have room for a horse :)) Remember your local animal shelter has many loving dogs and cats that need a home.

The 911 call came from a Pasadena, Texas resident, who alerted police to two burglary suspects on a neighbor's property. Before he hung up, two men were dead by his hand.

Joe Horn, 61, told the dispatcher what he intended to do: Walk out his front door with a shotgun.

"I've got a shotgun," Horn said, according to a tape of the 911 call. "Do you want me to stop them?"

"Nope, don't do that - ain't no property worth shooting somebody over, OK?" the dispatcher responded.

"Hurry up man, catch these guys, will you? 'Cause I'm ain't gonna let 'em go, I'm gonna be honest with you, I'm not gonna let 'em go. I'm not gonna let 'em get away with this --."

Shortly after, Horn said he sees one suspect was standing in front of his house, looking at it from the street.

"I don't know if they're armed or not. I know they got a crowbar 'cause that's what they broke the windows with. ... Man, this is scary, I can't believe this is happening in this neighborhood."

He gets more agitated. The dispatcher asks if he can see the suspects but they had retreated into the target's house, out of view: "I can go out the front [to look], but if I go out the front I'm bringing my shotgun with me, I swear to God. I am not gonna let 'em get away with this, I can't take a chance on getting killed over this, OK? I'm gonna shoot, I'm gonna shoot."

"Stay inside the house and don't go out there, OK?" the dispatcher said. "I know you're pissed off, I know what you're feeling, but it's not worth shooting somebody over this, OK?"

"I don't want to," Horn said, "but I mean if I go out there, you know, to see what the hell is going on, what choice am I gonna have?

"No, I don't want you to go out there, I just asked if you could see anything out there."

The dispatcher asks if a vehicle could be seen; Horn said no. The dispatcher again says Horn should stay inside the house.

Almost five minutes into the call, police had not arrived.

"I can't see if [the suspects are] getting away or not," Horn said.

Horn told the dispatcher that he doesn't know the neighbors well, unlike those living on the other side of his home. "I can assure you if it had been their house, I would have already done something, because I know them very well," he said.

Dispatcher: "I want you to listen to me carefully, OK?"

Horn: "Yes?"

Dispatcher: "I got ultras coming out there. I don't want you to go outside that house. And I don't want you to have that gun in your hand when those officers are poking around out there."

Horn: "I understand that, OK, but I have a right to protect myself too, sir, and you understand that. And the laws have been changed in this country since September the First and you know it and I know it."

Dispatcher: "I understand."

Horn: "I have a right to protect myself ..."

Dispatcher: "I'm ..."

Horn: "And a shotgun is a legal weapon, it's not an illegal weapon."

Dispatcher: "No, it's not, I'm not saying that, I'm just not wanting you to ..."

Horn: "OK, he's coming out the window right now, I gotta go, buddy. I'm sorry, but he's coming out the window. "

Dispatcher: "No, don't, don't go out the door, Mister Horn. Mister Horn..."

Horn: "They just stole something, I'm going out to look for 'em, I'm sorry, I ain't letting them get away with this --. They stole something, they got a bag of stuff. I'm doing it!"

Dispatcher: "Mister, do not go outside the house."

Horn: "I'm sorry, this ain't right, buddy."

Dispatcher: "You gonna get yourself shot if you go outside that house with a gun, I don't care what you think."

Horn: "You wanna make a bet?"

Dispatcher: "Stay in the house."

Horn: "There, one of them's getting away!

Dispatcher: "That's alright, property's not something worth killing someone over. OK? Don't go out the house, don't be shooting nobody. I know you're pissed and you're frustrated but don't do it."

Horn: "They got a bag of loot."

Dispatcher: "OK. How big is the bag?" He then talks off, relaying the information.

Dispatcher: "Which way are they going?"

Horn: "I can't ... I'm going outside. I'll find out."

Dispatcher: "I don't want you going outside, Mister..."

Horn: "Well, here it goes buddy, you hear the shotgun clicking and I'm going."

Dispatcher: "Don't go outside."

On the tape of the 911 call, the shotgun can be heard being cocked and Horn can be heard going outside and confronting someone.

"Boom! You're dead!" he shouts. A loud bang is heard, then a shotgun being cocked and fired again, and then again.

Then Horn is back on the phone:

"Get the law over here quick. I've now, get, one of them's in the front yard over there, he's down, he almost run down the street. I had no choice. They came in the front yard with me, man, I had no choice! ... Get somebody over here quick, man."

Dispatcher: "Mister Horn, are you out there right now?"

Horn: "No, I am inside the house, I went back in the house. Man, they come right in my yard, I didn't know what the -- they was gonna do, I shot 'em, OK?"

Dispatcher: "Did you shoot somebody?

Horn: "Yes, I did, the cops are here right now."

Dispatcher: "Where are you right now?"

Horn: "I'm inside the house. ..."

Dispatcher: "Mister Horn, put that gun down before you shoot an officer of mine. I've got several officers out there without uniforms on."

Horn: "I am in the front yard right now. I am ..."

Dispatcher: "Put that gun down! There's officers out there without uniforms on. Do not shoot anybody else, do you understand me? I've got police out there..."

Horn: "I understand, I understand. I am out in the front yard waving my hand right now."

Dispatcher: "You don't have a gun with you, do you?

Horn: "No, no, no."

Dispatcher: "You see a uniformed officer? Now lay down on the ground and don't do nothing else."

Yelling is heard.

Dispatcher: "Lay down on the ground, Mister Horn. Do what the officers tell you to do right now."

Two days later, Horn released a statement through an attorney.

"The events of that day will weigh heavily on me for the rest of my life," it said. "My thoughts go out to the loved ones of the deceased."

The identities of the men killed were released Friday.

They are Miguel Antonio Dejesus, 38, and Diego Ortiz, 30. Official records show that each of them had a prior arrest in Harris County for drug offenses.

The men were reportedly shot at a distance of less than 15 feet.

A woman who lives nearby who asked not to be identified told CBS News affiliate KHOU correspondent Rucks Russell that she always saw Horn as a grandfather figure. "He is the guardian of the neighborhood," she said. "He takes care of all our kids. If we ever need anything, we call him."

But according to Tom Lambright, Horn's attorney and a friend for more than four decades, he's the one in need now. "He just needs everyone to know he's not a villain, he's not a bad guy," Lambright said.

He went on to say that Horn voluntarily gave an extensive video statement to police immediately following the shooting.

Horn was not taken into custody after the shooting. A Harris County grand jury will decide if charges are to be filed.

Lambright says Horn acted in complete and total self defense and has nothing to hide.

The incident may prove a test for a new law recently passed in Texas which expands the right of citizens to use deadly force.

Under Texas law, people may use deadly force to protect their own property or to stop arson, burglary, robbery, theft or criminal mischief at night.

But the legislator who authored the "castle doctrine" bill told the Chronicle it was never intended to apply to a neighbor's property, to prompt a "'Law West of the Pecos' mentality or action," said Republican Sen. Jeff Wentworth. "You're supposed to be able to defend your own home, your own family, in your house, your place of business or your motor vehicle."

Both were Columbian Illegal imagrants. One had been deported  10 years eariler for a violent crime. Horn has received many death since the incident. details to follow.

Over the past year or so, every time the phrase "immigration reform" was uttered in Washington, the American public knew to brace for the worst. No matter what we said, it appeared that our "leaders" weren't listening. The wishes of Americans were clear: border security first, no amnesty, and enforce existing laws. It's not rocket science.

Now, it appears that Congress may actually be listening. With all the time wasted on "comprehensive" immigration reform, a new plan moving through the House of Representatives has garnered bi-partisan support, and it addresses immigration reform from a border security perspective.

Known as the Secure America with Verification and Enforcement (SAVE) Act, the plan was introduced by Immigration Reform Caucus Chairman Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-CA) and "Blue Dog" Rep. Heath Schuler (D-NC). As noted by Human Events, "The bill emphasizes an e-verification program, which requires federal agencies, contractors and employers to verify the eligibility of all employees within one to four years, depending on the size of the company. In the process, identity fraud wrought through fake social security numbers and stolen credit cards would be downsized significantly."

The Hill reports that in addition to employment enforcement through the e-verification program, the plan also focuses on interior enforcement and increased border security. In other words, this plan actually addresses some of the main problems America is facing from illegal immigration.

The Shuler-Bilbray bill would also close existing loopholes that allow illegal immigrants to use the same Social Security number and will require information-sharing between the Department of Homeland Security, the Social Security Administration and the IRS.

In order to increase border security, the bill seeks to provide an 8,000-agent increase for the U.S. Border Patrol and an expansion of the investigative abilities of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

NumbersUSA has come out in support of the plan, saying it will "broaden and enhance border security and interior enforcement."

With a number of border security Democrats and Republicans already agreeing to co-sponsor, this bipartisan effort may be Congress’s best chance to achieve substantial immigration reform this Congress.

Immigration reform stalwarts such as Tom Tancredo (R-CO) and Duncan Hunter (R-CA) have signed on as co-sponsors of the legislation.

After countless efforts by Congress to grant amnesty and ignore the real problems stemming from uncontrolled illegal immigration, this plan appears to be a bright light at the end of the tunnel. We must secure our borders and crack down on the hiring of illegal aliens. This is a step in the right direction.

IMO, I don't think its strong or swift enough. I believe we need proactive legislation, and this appears very weak to me. This is a slam dunk issue. Most Americans want this bleeding stopped, the fact that we have an open southern border coupled with the fact that millions of hard earned tax dollars are going towards supprting these aliens is beyond obsurd.

Not to mention the security risk many of them threaten us with.  We need to stop pussyfooting around and put our elected officials on notice. The constant unchecked flow of  NONCITEZENS entering this country ILLEGALLY must be thwarted.

You like the comfortable lifestyle you current have? Then consider this issue long and hard! It is time for this country to grow some backbone and take control of it's destiny.

Get these illegals out of here!!! 

President Bush did make a bad mistake in the war on terrorism. But the mistake was not his decision to go to war in Iraq . Bush's mistake came in his belief that this country is the same one his father fought for in WWII. It is not.

Back then, they had just come out of a vicious depression. The country was steeled by the hardship of that depression, but they still believed fervently in this country. They knew that the people had elected their leaders, so it was the people's duty to back those leaders. Therefore, when the war broke out the people came together, rallied behind, and stuck with their leaders, whether they had voted for them or not or whet her the war was going badly or not.

And war was just as distasteful and the anguish just as great then as it is today. Often there were more casualties in one day in WWII than we have had in the entire Iraq war. But that did not matter. The people stuck with the President because it was their patriotic duty. Americans put aside their differences in WWII and worked together to win that war.

Everyone from every strata of society, from young to old pitched in. Small children pulled little wagons around to gather scrap metal for the war effort. Grade school students saved their pennies to buy stamps for war bonds to help the effort. Men who were too old or medically '4F' lied about their age or condition trying their best to join the military. Women doubled their work to keep things going at home. Harsh rationing of everything from gasoline to soap, to butter was imposed, yet there was very little complaining.

You never heard prominent people on the radio belittling the President. Interestingly enough in those days there were no fat cat actors and entertainers who ran off to visit and fawn over dictators of hostile countries and complain to them about our President. Instead, they made
upbeat films and entertained our troops to help the troops' morale. And a bunch even  enlisted.

And imagine this: Teachers in schools actually started the day off with a Pledge of Allegiance, and with prayers for our country and our troops!

Back then, no newspaper would have dared point out certain weak spots in our cities where bombs could be set off to cause the maximum damage. No newspaper would have dared complain about what we were doing to catch spies.

A newspaper would have been laughed out of existence if it had complained that German or Japanese soldiers were being 'tortured' by being forced to wear women's underwear, or subjected to inter rogation by a woman, or being scared by a dog or did not have air conditioning.

There were a lot of things different back then. We were not subjected to a constant bombardment of pornography, perversion and promiscuity in movies or on radio. We did not have legions of crack heads, dope pushers and armed gangs roaming our streets.

No, President Bush did not make a mistake in his handling of terrorism. He made the mistake of believing that we still had the courage and fortitude of our fathers. He believed that this was still the country that our fathers fought so dearly to preserve. It is not the same country. It is now a cross between Sodom and Gomorra and the land of Oz. We did unite for a short while after 9/11, but our attitude changed when we found out that defending our country would require some sacrifices.

We are in great danger. The terrorists are fanatic Muslims. They believe that it is okay, even their duty, to kill anyone who will not convert to Islam. It has been estimated that about one third or over three hundred million Muslims are sympathetic to the terrorists' cause...Hitler and Tojo combined did not have nearly that many potential recruits.

So...we either win it - or lose it - and you ain't gonna like losing.

Oh ya, the "ain't" was for you rickyw.

Pit bulls kill pony that was given to cancer patient..........

A Shetland pony which was a Make-A-Wish gift to a 4-year-old cancer patient was attacked and killed by two pit bulls Monday afternoon at a Pampa home.

Gray County Sheriff's Office received a call at about 2:45 p.m. Monday concerning two pit bull dogs which had attempted to attack a man and had killed a pony in the 1100 block of Clark Street, according to GCSO Lt. Joe B. Hoard. Pampa Animal Control officers were also notified of the call.

“When deputies arrived to assist animal control, they found the dead pony lying in the yard, two pit bulls running around the area and a man in a tree,” Hoard said. “The two dogs had tried to attack him, and he was forced up the tree to avoid the dogs.”

Animal Control Supervisor Sandy Burns confirmed that the man, the father of the boy who is the cancer patient, was attacked first by the dogs.

“Then, when he went up the tree, they went after the horse,” she said.

The boy was not at home at the time of the attack, she said.

One of the two pit bulls was captured by animal control officers and placed in the city's animal shelter, but the other eluded officers and then charged one of the deputies at the scene.

“He shot the dog,” Hoard said. “The deputy said that as he approached the dog, which he had spotted in a nearby field, the dog charged him. The deputy was in fear of his life.”

It is not known whether the shot found its intended mark, Hoard said. The dog ran away and has not been located since the time of the incident.

It is unknown who owns the dogs, Hoard said.

The boy had had the pony for about two months, Burns said, and had ridden it the Saturday before Monday's attack.

“He was all smiles. He was going to ride it again this next weekend,” she said. The family's home and surrounding property is within guidelines for them to legally have a pony or horse at their residence, she said.

“I'm working on trying to find out if the horse will be replaced,” Burns said. “One lady said that if Make-A-Wish didn't, she would. We're going to work out something so that kiddo has a horse.”

Calls about pit bulls are nothing new for animal control and law enforcement officers in Pampa, Burns said.

“In a given month, 25 percent of the dogs that come through the animal shelter are pit bulls,” she said. “They're here as a result of our having to pick them up. The majority of calls we respond to on stray dog complaints are about pit bulls.”

Burns thinks it may be time to pass stricter ordinances concerning the dogs.

“I'm going to approach the city to do something about these pit bulls -- some type of registration, heavier fines,” she said.

As of Tuesday afternoon, no one had claimed the pit bull which was captured at the scene of Monday's attack and is being held at the animal shelter. Anyone with information concerning the incident is asked to call Pampa Police Department at 669-5700.

Odds are that animal control officers will continue to have to deal with pit bulls, Burns said.

“The population's growing faster than we can deal with them,” she said.

Gotta just love these nasty animals. People really deny that these animals ( and owners) are out of control? As long as irresponsible people overwhelmingly own these animals, bans on them will (and should) come down.

Do not, and I repeat do not go after our young folks for doing their jobs in this most important war of our time.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070924/ap_on_go_ca_st_
pe/us_iraq_snipers

Our enemy could care less about the Geneva Convention and we need to approach this with the same mentality. Get the Washington post the hell away from these kids. They are just going to get them killed. Great job mainstream media, tell the enemy what we are doing and how we are doing it!!!!!!!!!!!