Washingtonians

[RonB]

Those of you who want to help Michael and can't, IT'S the thought that counts. The Lord knows our heart! those of you that don't want to help if he doesn't respond or come on BYC then Don't !!! you have to do what your gut or heart tells you too.
If I lost my job, the first to go would be my internet and cable TV. If we don't hear from Russ (that he went to Michaels) in 4 or 5 days I will go see him!!!! My plans right now are to give one bag of feed per month for 3 months and probably one gift card. that could change

well I see another coyote out in the field, got to go run him off!!

 

[KMHunter]

So, I am just going to throw this out there, What does everyone think of a post holiday party for any Washingtonians BYCers. Like in February. I am volunteering my house for the event. OR, we could wait until summer when the weather is nicer. What does everybody think? I am open to suggestions, I just wanted to start planning, if we wanted to do it sooner rather than later. We could also wait until a little later in the spring, so the pass would be clearer for anyone who might like to come from Eastern Wa.

Ron it was nice to meet you and your daughter, and all of your animals! Great chicken coop and Flock!

 

[Greg Richardson]

One crazy world we live in.............



Monroe honking case makes it to state Supreme Court

The argument over a woman’s use of her horn in Monroe goes to the state Supreme Court.

By Diana Hefley, Herald Writer

MONROE — A former Monroe woman once jailed over honking her horn during a neighborhood squabble over chickens is taking her fight against Snohomish County’s noise rules to the state Supreme Court.

Helen Immelt contends that the county trampled on her First Amendment rights when she was arrested in 2006 for honking her horn at her Monroe-area neighbors. Immelt was sentenced to 10 days in jail for violating the county’s noise ordinance after a three-day trial in Evergreen District Court.

She fought the conviction but the state Court of Appeals in June upheld the decision.

The court ruled that the First Amendment didn’t given Immelt the right to lay on her car horn for 10 minutes on a Saturday morning in front of a neighbor’s house or honk at another neighbor after she was warned by police she was out of line.

Immelt was accused of honking at neighbors because she was ticked off that they complained to the homeowner’s association about the chickens she had roosting in her back yard.

“Horn honking per se is not free speech,” Justice C. Kenneth Grosse wrote in the June opinion. “Horn honking which is done to annoy or harass others is not speech.”

Immelt was unhappy with the court’s decision. She asked the state Supreme Court to review the case.

Late last week, the state’s highest court agreed to examine the arguments.

“I felt that in their haste to fashion a witty opinion, the Court of Appeals failed to even address serious arguments that I had made regarding the Constitutional issues,” Immelt said. “I do feel that the Snohomish County ordinance criminalizes protected speech activities regardless of how people view what happened to me, and that is why I continue to fight on. The fact that the Supreme Court granted review recognizes that the issues I presented are both real and substantial but is no predictor of the final outcome.”

Immelt has argued that the county’s noise ordinance is too broad and vague. She contended she was honking her horn to express herself, similar to someone honking in support of U.S. troops or a sports team.

According to county rules horn honking is a public disturbance unless the horn is used for public safety purposes. Two violations within 24 hours can lead to a criminal citation.

A Snohomish County sheriff’s deputy warned Immelt not to honk at her neighbors after they reported that she laid on her horn outside the house of a man who complained about the chickens in her back yard. The homeowner’s association had sent Immelt a letter advising her to get rid of the birds.

The sergeant warned Immelt if she continued to blow her horn, he’d arrest her. Later he saw Immelt pull out of her driveway and heard three long blasts. He stopped her car. Immelt told the officer she was responding to a neighbor giving her a vulgar gesture. She was arrested.

Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Charles Blackman argued that Immelt’s horn honking wasn’t speech. She was using her horn to harm and retaliate against neighbors. The county ordinance doesn’t ban all horn honking, he said.

The state Court of Appeals agreed and found that under the circumstances Immelt’s horn honking wasn’t conveying a readily understandable message.

Blackman wasn’t surprised the higher court agreed to hear the case.

“As a society we are concerned about the First Amendment rights and not chilling them. Courts will consider First Amendment issues in the abstract even when the facts of the particular case don’t seem to warrant it,” Blackman said. “There’s nothing wrong with a society paying special attention to the First Amendment because we value open and free speech so much.”

Blackman is expected to face off against Immelt for a third time. She plans to represent herself again.

“Needless to say as a non-lawyer, I am both excited and scared to death by the prospect of arguing this case before the Justices of our Supreme Court,” Immelt wrote.

 

[RonB]

February and summer time sound GREAT to me!!!!

Egg dishes are ok !! BUT NO CHICKEN DISH's !!!!!

My daughter watched one of my Leghorns lay TWO eggs at the same time today. But they were rubbery. hardly any shell. Chicken Expert "Kim"

says it probably from stress. She was one of the two girls that were chased by the coyotes yesterday.

I'm starting the potluck list
(1) RonB : baked beans

& butterflake rolls (from work)

Kim it was great to meet you too!!! only six or seven more to go!!

 

[crazychickenluver]

Just bugged;

Just to let you know that there have been a couple of phone conversations with Michael as well as email contact. He is very humbled by what has been offered and sometimes it is hard for people to show their face when they have had to ask for help. I have been in the same situation, try and be a little patient with him. As far as if he is going to join us, the offer has been made, I do not know his who story but maybe we will see him here one day. Russ has also had a conversation with him so he is not avoiding us, just may be a little hard for him to contact everyone.






I am up for a party too!!!! Maybe I can bring jumbalaya!! or however you spell it

 

[RonB]

crazychickenluver
Right on, I agree with you/ I TOO talked to Michael the first night. He was very surprised and humbled by our response

Remember two things (1) he asked for alittle bit of chicken food if someone had extra. NOT for weekly or monthly help !
(2) he NEVER asked for help for his family, that was our idea!!!!!!!

Make that THREE things (3) he has offered to work to pay for the chicken feed.

 

[weaveagarden]

Not to temper anybodies flame of generousity. But sometimes these things can snowball and roll right over someone who just needs a little bit of help.

I had been wondering how to add my two cents worth, without hurting anybodies feelings. I have an idea. What about starting a group/fund to help people who may need it with their poultry this year. Don't target one person, just start the ball going and help people as they crop up. And they will, I am sure. This difficult time is hitting lots of folks.

 

[weaveagarden]

Regarding the get together, I am in with a dessert. I will be coming from a long distance, and am not sure where I will be staying while up there, so I may not have a refridgerator. But I know lots of yummy desserts.

 

[justbugged]

Quote:
I am so sorry to feel that I have cause offense.

I had not read anywhere, where anyone had actually spoken to Michael.

I don't want anything from him. I do not need thank you to given, (and I have given.) I believe that gifts should be given without the expectation of thanks, or return of anything.
I am humbled to know that several of our members have spoken to him directly. I was under the impression that no one had spoken to him directly, or at all.

I feel some contact was necessary to go further with our plans. I clearly understood that he only ask for a little chicken feed, that he was willing to work for.

But to able to help him further we needed to know that he was willing to accept more help, or even wanted it.


I am more than willing to donate to others that need help and like the idea of a fund to do so. I was in banking for 5 years and I am willing to open a small saving account with another member that requires 2 signatures to access. And we could use this account to fund further donations to others by way of using the account to buy feed at the closest feed store to that particular person, as needed, and as voted on by all members. Is anyone interested in the idea?

I am willing to bring Baklava, and Meat and Tater Pie. It's made in a 9x13 dish or larger. Jambalaya sounds really good. I can't spell either, I just have a really good spell checker and pray that it's right. I edit a lot for grammer and spelling. I have to reread thing over several times to fix things and then pray I found all the mistakes.

 

[crazychickenluver]

Just bugged. No problem, I was not trying to sound harsh at all. I just know that for some people it is extremely hard toask for help then when you do it is hard to accept it thinking you cannot provide for yourself. I just wanted you to know that there were people who had actually spoken to him. Russ actually lives several blocks from him n the same street and has actually driven by his home.

As for your spell checker...more power to you, mine never seems to catch the misspelled words!!!!!

Looks like we are all planning a PARTY!!!