Tribulation, Perseverance, Character, and Hope
"we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us." Romans 5:3-5
I'm not the kind of person to start a blog. In fact, I'm not a public person by nature. I started this blog because, after much prayer, I had stood up for what I believed in and, as a result, was attacked in a very personal and public way by two people that didn't like what I believe.
Several years ago I was enjoying a quiet life in Watertown, Wisconsin with my family and my three dogs, when I heard that the city was considering banning certain family dogs based on their appearance. My dogs are shelter mutts, and although I'm a responsible dog owner and a law-abiding citizen, it was clear that they might be lumped into the category of dogs in the proposed ban. I attended the first public hearing that the Watertown Safety Committee held on the proposal. Over 100 people showed up to voice their opposition to the proposal. Here's the link, if you're interested:
Several years ago I was enjoying a quiet life in Watertown, Wisconsin with my family and my three dogs, when I heard that the city was considering banning certain family dogs based on their appearance. My dogs are shelter mutts, and although I'm a responsible dog owner and a law-abiding citizen, it was clear that they might be lumped into the category of dogs in the proposed ban. I attended the first public hearing that the Watertown Safety Committee held on the proposal. Over 100 people showed up to voice their opposition to the proposal. Here's the link, if you're interested:
The Safety Committee decided to ignore the recommendation from the public, and forward a breed ban -commonly known as breed specific legislation (BSL) or breed discriminatory legislation (BDL) -to the city council for discussion, and ultimately a vote. In the meantime, I researched the claims of the BDL-promoters that certain breeds of dogs were 'vicious' or 'ticking time bombs', as they had said. Their claims sounded like the canine version of a eugenics experiment. (See: War Against the Weak, Eugenics and America's Campaign to Create a Master Race, by Edwin Black) Still, I researched their claims to see if there was the tiniest shred of truth in them. They were false. It turns out that a small group of people, including website builder Colleen Lynn, and self-proclaimed dog breed expert, Jeff Borchardt, promote fear and banning of certain dog breeds (including dogs they call 'Pit Bulls') without credible evidence to back up their claims. This small group bases their position on a combination of folklore and 'statistics' compiled by Merritt Clifton. You can read about Mr. Clifton's 'statistics' here:
In the meantime, Jeff Borchardt and his little band of BSL-promoters made regular trips to Watertown every time the council allowed comment on the BSL proposal. Mr. Borchardt has no training as a dog bite expert. He's a DJ and carpet-installer by trade, but he presented himself as an expert to the council because his son, Daxton, had been killed by his babysitter's dogs in a tragic accident the police called 'the perfect storm'. The full story, one that we never heard from Mr. Borchardt in Watertown, can be found here:
I also spoke out in the Watertown council meetings. Mr. Borchardt screamed at me during the meetings, but his rage didn't stop there. He and Colleen Lynn have dedicated angry blogs and pages to my name, and have tagged my name in their online rants. Mr. Borchardt even claimed, in one of his online rants, that I killed his son. He seems to be determined to define who I am based on what he thinks he knows about me, even though it's been about a year since the Watertown city council finally voted against the BSL.
This blog is dedicated, not to Jeff Borchardt, or Colleen Lynn, but to the journey that God is leading me on because this journey ends in hope.
This blog is dedicated, not to Jeff Borchardt, or Colleen Lynn, but to the journey that God is leading me on because this journey ends in hope.