Bill Self Reaction to Andrew Wiggins Signing with Kansas today

DEADLINES FOR MAY 15TH
If a class is full PLEASE put your name on the waiting list. We always do our best to accommodate everyone so if you are not on the waiting list and we add an additional class you will miss out!

TINY TAS (2-5 YEAR OLDS)
PLAY DOUGH & PICASSO
Train to be a GREAT artist. Our Play Dough Station will be used to sculpt your masterpieces! We will be using a variety of materials including washable tempera and glitter paint, stick and liquid glue, chalk and scissors. We will also take a look at some art books with pictures of Picasso artwork.
Entry Deadline: May 15
Entry Fee: $4.00
Held on: Session: 1 Wednesday, May 22
Session: 2 Thursday, May 30
Times: Session 1: 6:00 – 6:45pm
Session 2: 10:00 – 10:45am
Ages: Session 1: 3 – 10 w/adult
Session 2: 3- 5 w/adult
Location: Recreation Center
Limitations: Min. 5 Max. 15

TWEEN TAS (5 & OLDER)
PLAY DOUGH & PICASSO
Train to be a GREAT artist. Our Play Dough Station will be used to sculpt your masterpieces! We will be using a variety of materials including washable tempera and glitter paint, stick and liquid glue, chalk and scissors. We will also take a look at some art books with pictures of Picasso artwork.
Entry Deadline: May 15
Entry Fee: $4.00
Held on: Session: 1 Wednesday, May 22
Times: Session 1: 6:00 – 6:45pm
Ages: Session 1: 3 – 10 w/adult
Location: Recreation Center
Limitations: Min. 5 Max. 15

BABYSITTER’S TRAINING
This course gives participants the knowledge, skills and confidence to care for infants through school-aged children. Topics include safety issues, preventing injuries and illness, basic child care, first aid, rescue breathing care for choking, and age appropriate behavior. Each participant will receive a handbook, snack and other resources. Please bring a sack lunch with you.
Entry Deadline: May 15
Entry Fee: $25.00
Held on: Wednesday, May 22
Times: 8:00am – 2:30pm
Ages: 11 – 15
Location: Recreation Center
Limitations: Min. 5 Max. 12

THREE, TWO, ONE…BLAST OFF “4-H YOUTH DEVELOPMENT”
Come and join us for SpaceTrek 2013! We’ll explore space travel and make our special trek to Mars during this class! Try space food, build a model rocket, learn about the Mars Rover and what it takes for humans to survive on Mars. There’s an exciting world out there in space, come explore it during SpaceTrek 2013. Each participant will build a model rocket during this class. Model rockets will be launched at the end of the afternoon, weather permitting. Instructor: Susan Schlichting, County Extension Agent
Entry Deadline: May 15
Entry Fee: $12.00 covers rocket kit, engine, materials & snack
Held on: Thursday, June 6
Times: 1:00 – 5:00pm
Grades: 3rd – 5th
Location: Recreation Center
Limitation: Min. 5 Max. 12

YOUTH SPORTS
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL LEAGUE
This program will bring high school basketball players from across the area to Hays for summer basketball.
Entry Deadline: May 15
Entry Fee: $35.00 per player
Age groups: Grades 9 – 12 (2013-14 school year)
Play begins: Girls: June 2
Boys: June 4
Location: Girls: Hays Recreation Center
Boys: Hays High School Gym B
Play to be held: Sunday, and Tuesday Evenings through July
Times: 5:00pm start times approximately
Awards: All participants will receive a league T-shirt

MIDDLE SCHOOL BASKETBALL LEAGUE
This program will bring middle school basketball players from across the area to Hays for summer basketball.
Entry Deadline: May 15
Entry Fee: $35.00 per player
Age groups: Grades 7-8 (2013-14 school year)
Play begins: Girls: June 3
Boys: June 3
Location: Girls: Hays Recreation Center
Boys: Hays High School Gym B
Play to be held: Sunday, and Tuesday evenings through July
Times: 5:00pm start times approximately
Awards: All participants will receive a league t-shirt

14TH ANNUAL GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL & MIDDLE SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL LEAGUE
This program will bring high school volleyball players from across the area to Hays for summer volleyball. There will also be an end of season tournament for this league.
Entry Deadline: May 15
Entry Fee: $35.00 per player
Age groups: Grades 7 – 8, 9 – 12 (2013-14 school year)
Play begins: Thursday, June 7
Location: Recreation Center
Play to be held: Monday and Thursday evenings through July
Times: 6:00pm start times approximately
Awards: All participants will receive a League t-shirt

YOUTH VOLLEYBALL SKILLS & DRILLS
This activity will be a structured activity focusing on the skills involved to become a great volleyball player.
Entry Deadline: May 15
Entry Fee: $15.00
Age groups: 3rd – 8th (2012-13 school year)
Dates: Tuesday’s – June 7 – July 18
Times: 3rd – 5th grades – 6:30 – 7:30pm
6th – 8th grades – 7:30 – 8:30pm
Location: 13th Street Gym

SPEICAL POPULATIONS
To participate in these activities, a person must:
-be diagnosed with intellectual disabilities
-have a significant learning or vocational problem

To sign up for these activities by the deadline you can contact:
-Haley Nixon at HRC @ [email protected] or (785)623-2650
-DSNWK Members – Scott Stults @ [email protected] or (785)625-5678
-ARC Members – Gloria VonFeldt @ [email protected] or (785)628-6512
-Visit haysrec.org and sign up online!

Special Pops – MOVIE NIGHT
Bring a friend and enjoy an excellent movie, snacks, and great conversation. We’ll project the movie on the wall and pretend were lounging in the movie theatre! Movie will be chosen closer to date. If you have any favorites or suggestions let us know!
Entry Deadline: May 15
Entry Fee: $1.00
Held on: Thursday, May 16
Times: 6:30pm
Ages: All ages
Location: Recreation Center
Limitation: Min. 5 Max. 30

UPCOMING DEADLINES
May 22
Adult Summer Soccer
Coed Sand Volleyball
Social Dance Sampler
SP Bowling
SP Cosmosphere Trip
HRC 16th Annual ASA Fast Pitch Tournament

Moran’s Memo: Maintaining the Tradition of Charitable Giving

As millions of Americans filed their tax returns a few weeks ago, many took into account how much they had given to charities. According to Giving USA, Americans gave nearly $300 billion in 2011 to support important programs and services, from food pantries and medical research to youth programs and seed grants to start new businesses.

Because of the generous annual donations of millions of Americans, nonprofits have impacted the lives of countless individuals. Consider the impact made on the life of William Wilkerson, a 16-year-old Kansan. At age 3, William was diagnosed with moderate to severe bilateral hearing loss. After visiting several doctors, William was taken to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, where he was fitted with special hearing aids. He later put into words what he experienced that day, “With so many different things that I had never heard before, it was as if somebody had turned on the world!”

Hearing and Speech Clinic Manager, Denise Miller, said that because of their donor support, they can “fit the most appropriate hearing aids on each and every child, based on their own unique needs.” In 2011, the clinic fit nearly 500 patients with hearing aids – bringing the world of sound to their ears.

But Congress and the Obama Administration are now considering changes to the 100-year-old tradition of providing tax incentives for charitable giving. One such proposal, included in President Obama’s FY2014 Budget, is to cap the total value of tax deductions at 28 percent for higher income Americans – including the charitable deduction. According to the Charitable Giving Coalition, this proposal could reduce donations to the nonprofit sector by more than $5.6 billion every year. This cut amounts to more than the annual operating budgets of the American Red Cross, Goodwill, the YMCA, Habitat for Humanity, the Boys and Girls Clubs, Catholic Charities, and the American Cancer Society combined.

A reduction in giving of this magnitude would have a devastating impact on the future of charitable organizations in our country. Nonprofits are best equipped to provide assistance on the local level and can often do so in a far more effective manner than the government. Studies have shown that for every $1 subject to the charitable deduction, communities receive $3 in benefits. Americans understand the value and impact of the charitable deduction, which is why a recent

United Way Worldwide survey found that two out of every three Americans are opposed to reducing the charitable tax deduction.

Given our country’s current economic situation, more Americans have turned to nonprofits for help in recent years. According to the Nonprofit Finance Fund, 85 percent of nonprofits experienced higher demand for their services in 2011 and at least 70 percent have seen increased demand since 2008. Our country depends on a strong philanthropic sector to provide a safety net of services, especially given tighter local and state budgets.

In times of crisis, Americans also depend on services provided by organizations like the American Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity to help them rebuild their lives. In May of 2007, an EF5 tornado swept through the city of Greensburg, Kan., leaving 95 percent of the community destroyed. Diana Torres, a single mom, had lived in Greensburg with her two children for nearly seven years when the tornado destroyed the home they rented. Diana was faced with the likelihood of having to move out of state, when Wichita Habitat for Humanity stepped in to build a new home with 1400 volunteers. Because of special financing and donated supplies, Diana could afford to purchase the home for her family. Executive Director of Wichita Habitat for Humanity, Linda Stewart, said those who support Habitat “know they are making a difference in someone’s life that lasts for years.”

Since the founding of our nation, neighbors have been lending a helping hand to one another. The charitable deduction is just one way to encourage that tradition to continue. Any cap or reduction in tax incentives would have long-lasting negative consequences, not only to the generous donor, but to the millions of Americans who rely on the services provided by charitable organizations. With our economy still recovering and many still struggling to provide for their families, Congress should be encouraging Americans to give more, not less.

To the Citizens of Ellis County

From: Edward E. Bouker and Glenn R. Braun, district judges; Ross Wichman, Hays municipal judge; Thomas J. Drees, Ellis County attorney; and Ed Harbin, Ellis County sheriff

The Ellis County Commission is faced with the need to make significant renovations to our jail and courthouse in order to protect the safety and security of its citizens. The question now is how to pay for these projects — by using a 0.5 percent sales tax or raising property taxes? Ellis County voters will decide on May 14 what they prefer.

Our jail is at maximum capacity, and we house an average of 16 inmates out of county every day, at an annual cost of more than $200,000. Inmates are walked from the jail through the courthouse for hearings intermingling with the public, jurors, witnesses and court staff.

Most of these are felons with serious charges such as aggravated battery/assault, robbery, child sex offenses and distribution of drugs. They are using the same restrooms, hallways, and waiting areas as you and I.

The courthouse is a great building but after 70 years is in need of updating to improve security. The renovation project will give us one dedicated, staffed entrance equipped with a metal detector. The jail will be redesigned to add more cells and give jailers complete surveillance of all inmates. Holding cells will be constructed so that inmates will be separated from the public and moved from the jail to courtroom without use of the public hallways.

Anyone who has served on a jury or conducted business in the courthouse with inmates walking past understands the need for improved security. The public and courthouse staff deserve to be safe and secure. This project has been studied for over 10 years. Now is an opportune time to provide the necessary security improvements to the jail and courthouse.

The election on May 14 lets the voters decide. The sales tax, if passed, will sunset in five years, earlier if the bonds are paid off. The question is: Do you want to pay for these projects with a sales tax or an increase in property taxes?

—Edward E. Bouker and Glenn R. Braun, district judges; Ross Wichman, Hays municipal judge; Thomas J. Drees, Ellis County attorney; and Ed Harbin, Ellis County sheriff

Book Review: The Cobra Event (author Richard Preston)

Seventeen-year-old Kate Moran wakes one morning to the beginnings of a head cold but shrugs it off and goes to school anyway. By her midmorning art class, Kate’s runny nose gives way to violent seizures and a hideous scene of self-cannibalization. She dies soon after. When a homeless man meets a similarly gruesome — and mystifying — fate, the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta sends pathologist Alice Austen to investigate. What she uncovers is the work of a killer, a man who calls himself Archimedes and is intent on spreading his deadly Cobra virus throughout New York City. A silent crisis erupts, with Austen and a secret FBI forensic team rushing to expose the terrorist.

This book is very well researched and I often found myself wondering what was fact and what was fiction, whether it was the description of the nature of viruses, the extent of how they can be manipulated and forced to mutate, or if there are nations that have gone this far.

Scary for sure and made me think about the world a little bit differently, for better or worse. The book did read a little slow but really came to life in the three sections named Invisible History.      3 out of 5 stars.

Marleah Augustine is the Adult Department Librarian at the Hays Public Library

You can see more of her blog here    https://hayspubliclibrary.wordpress.com

Brownback Priorities

by Joan Wagnon, Chair Kansas Democratic Party

You can add children to the growing list of groups less important to Gov. Sam Brownback than his tax breaks for billionaires and big business. That’s because as part of his efforts to save the cratering Kansas budget, Gov. Brownback has proposed taking $9.5 million from an endowment fund set up to pay for early-childhood programs and transfer it to the state’s all-purpose general fund to help balance his underwater budget.

I have been an advocate for children my entire political career, and it angers me to see funds that were earmarked for children’s programs diverted to tax relief for the rich. Shannon Cotsaradis, Kansas Action for Children said it best:
“We are taking money from little kids to bail the state out,” Shannon Cotsoradis, president and chief executive officer of Kansas Action for Children, said Tuesday. “The governor’s amendment sidesteps the law and will ultimately hurt our youngest and some of our poorest Kansas children.”

Cotsoradis and other advocates for children should be furious. But no one should be surprised by the governor’s actions – it’s just part of a pattern that has marked Brownback’s time in office. The pattern: place the interests of billionaires and big corporations ahead of those of working Kansans.

That pattern first appeared when Governor Brownback made passing tax breaks for billionaires his top tax priority in 2012 instead of restoring funding to Kansas schools. In 2011, Brownback made the largest single education cut in Kansas history, cutting over $100 million from K-12 education. But instead of standing up for Kansas students and schools and restoring the cuts he’d made, Brownback let his priorities be known – tax breaks for billionaires before education for Kansas kids.

The pattern again emerged when the governor proposed raising taxes on middle- and low-income Kansans while handing out giant tax breaks to Kansans making millions. He followed this proposal up by signing a tax bill that did raise taxes on the poorest Kansans by eliminating the food sales tax credit and child care credit that help working parents afford care and food for their children. Why would any politician do this? Because the bill had massive tax breaks for special interests and billionaires, going so far as to eliminate taxes altogether on LLCs and other business forms. Once again, tax breaks for billionaires came before helping Kansas families.

Now Brownback wants to double down on his disastrous tax plan. Not only does he want even more tax breaks, he wants to pay for them by raising the sales tax on Kansas families and eliminating the home mortgage interest deduction on Kansas homeowners. Who cares if the cost of milk goes up or Kansans can’t afford their mortgage payments? Tax breaks for the rich come first.

And because of the giant budget hole created by the “worst tax reform” in America, services are going to have to be slashed too. It’s not enough that education will not be adequately funded. Brownback also wants to raid Kansas’s highway fund to pay for the tax breaks he doled out to his special interest backers. Clearly, maintaining the economic lifelines of Kansas communities pales in comparison to Brownback’s top priority.

If Governor Brownback has to resort to stealing from children to afford the tax cuts he promised his campaign donors, it begs the question: “what programs are safe?” We already knew Kansas students, workers, and roads all matter less to the governor that protecting tax breaks for the rich. Today’s actions demonstrate there may be no depths our governor will refuse to sink to protect his disastrous tax policy.

Congressman Tim Huelskamp Announces Local Staff Office Hours in May

(DODGE CITY, KAN.) – Congressman Tim Huelskamp’s Kansas staff routinely hosts office hours in locations across the First District. During these office hours, a staff representative will be available to listen to constituent concerns and to serve as a resource for those struggling to navigate federal programs and bureaucratic red tape. Constituents seeking assistance are encouraged to bring any relevant documentation.  For more information, or to schedule an individual appointment with staff, please contact Congressman Huelskamp’s Dodge City office at 620-225-0172.

Upcoming local office hours include:

SEASON POOL PASS EARLY BIRD SALE TILL FRIDAY AT 5PM
April 29 – May 3 will be our Early Bird Season Pool Pass sale!! Get your pool passes for only $35.00! After May 3rd passes will be $40.00.
Remember to bring your cards in from last year if you have them.

GOT TOYS?
Do you have toys your children have outgrown and are looking for a new home? Consider donating them the HRC!! They will be used in many of our children’s programs by hundreds of children! If you have questions please call Gail at 785-623-2650.

DEADLINES FOR MAY 8TH
If a class is full PLEASE put your name on the waiting list. We always do our best to accommodate everyone so if you are not on the waiting list and we add an additional class you will miss out!

TINY TAS (2-5 YEAR OLDS)
CELEBRATE MOMS
Bring your child to create a mother’s day gift for you while playing and interacting with their peers. You get to spend some time doing something special for yourself while your child will also be making lunch for you on your return. What a great way to have your child do something for you.
Entry Deadline: May 8
Entry Fee: $5.00
Held on: Friday, May 10
Times: 9:00 – 11:30am, Lunch at 11:00am w/mom
Ages: 3 – 5
Location: Recreation Center
Limitations: Min. 5 Max. 10

DAD & DAUGHTER PUTT-PUTT NIGHT
Girls grab that special dad, uncle, grandfather or anyone over 18 for this event. We will play a great game of putt-putt golf. Each participant will play 18 holes of golf. What a great way to spend some time with that special person.
Entry Deadline: May 8
Entry Fee: $5.00 per person
Held on: Friday, May 10
Times: 6:30pm
Ages: 3 & older w/ an adult
Location: Precision Valley Golf Center – 1500 W 27th

MESSY MONSTERS (INSIDE)
Bring your child in for a messy art experience designed just for them! Shaving cream, pudding paint and play dough will be part of the experience. Come explore the amazing world of art and leave the clean up to us!
Entry Deadline: Session 1: May 8
Session 2: July 24
Entry Fee: $3.00
Held on: Session 1: Wednesday, May 15
Session 2: Monday, July 29
Time: Session 1: 6:00 – 6:45pm
Session 2: 10:15 – 11:00am
Ages: 2 – 5 w/ an adult
Location: Recreation Center
Limitations: Min. 5 Max. 15

POTTERY AND BOOKS
Pottery and reading, what a great combination. This program will start off with a book followed by painting a piece of pottery that relates to the story. Kids will have a great time using their imagination to create a storybook character or related idea.
Entry Deadline: Wednesday before each class
Entry Fee: $13.00 per session
Held on: Tuesday’s – April 9 & May 14
Time: 1:00 – 2:00pm
Ages: 3 & older w/an adult
Location: Pottery Works – 126 West 9th
Limitations: Min. 5 Max. 10
Instructor: Pam Fellers

ACTIVELY 55 CLUB
DON KRACHT’S CASTLE ISLAND – FULL, please put name on waiting list.
The castle, some 40 feet tall, sits back amid lushly landscaped terraces, a mad mix of not quite life size towers, battlements, and hand -made suites of armor, reminding us of a miniature golf course castle that’s gone out of control. We will stay in Junction City for some afternoon activities. Lunch will be at Cracker Barrel. Your meal is not included in your fee.
Entry Deadline: May 8
Entry Fee: $22.00
Held on: Saturday, May 11
Time: 7:00 – 6:30pm
Ages: 55 & older
Depart from: Recreation Center
Limitations: Min. 5 Max. 15

LET’S DO LUNCH?
Break up your busy day with a relaxing, lunch at the Recreation Center. The social scene starts at 11:30am with a fun game and conversation lunch served at noon. Hang out until 1:00pm for a guest speaker.
Entry Deadline: May 8
Entry Fee: $5.00
Held on: Monday, May 13
Time: 11:30am – 1:30pm
Ages: 55 & older
Location: Recreation Center
Limitations: Min. 6 Max. 15

BICKLE-SCHMIDT SPORTS COMPLEX
NBC BASEBALL POINTS TOURNAMENT
NBC boys baseball 9-14U open class tournament. 3 Game Guarantee.
Entry Deadline: May 10
Entry Fee: $200.00
Held on: May 18 – 19
Location: Bickle/Schmidt Sports Complex

UPCOMING DEADLINES
May 15
Mom & Me Cupcakes
Babysitter’s Training
High School & Middle School Volleyball
High School & Middle School Basketball
Play Dough & Picasso
Scavenger Pursuit
SP Movie Night
Squishy, Messy, Sticky Art
3,2,1 Blast Off
Volleyball Skills & Drills

From the Kansas Room, By: Lucia Flaim, Kansas Room Librarian, Hays Public Library

It’s hard to believe that May is already here. May is a great month. Most students and teachers will agree that May might just be the best month as it signifies the end of the school year and the beginning of summer vacation. For those of us who do not reap the benefits of summer vacation, May marks the return of federal holidays, there having been a dry spell between Presidents’ Day (February 18) and Memorial Day (last Monday in May).

This year, May is especially exciting because I’m getting married at the end of the month! I’ll still be your Kansas Room Librarian, but I will be out of the library between May 27 and June 13. The Kansas Room will be open, so if you have questions just leave me a note, drop me an email at [email protected], or leave me a voicemail by calling 625-9014.

In spite of the wedding, May will be a pretty busy month for the Kansas Room. On Saturday, May 4^th the Kansas Room has teamed up with local birder Terry Mannell to do a bird walk at Frontier Park. We’ll meet near the shelter house located in east Frontier Park at 8 AM, which is a prime hour for bird watching. Bring your cameras or binoculars and be prepared to see and learn a little more about birds.

In partnership with the Center for Life Experiences, the Kansas Room will also be hosting a community issues forum on Sunday, May 5 from 2 PM to 4 PM. The program will focus on how to find hope and healing after a friend of loved one has committed or attempted suicide. If this is an issue you are facing, consider stopping by the Schmidt Gallery of the Hays Public Library this Sunday to learn more.

Every family has a story and on May 11^th at 10 AM the Kansas Room, along with Ellis County Historical Society and Forsyth Library will be sponsoring a Family History 101 program featuring Grady Birdsong. Grady Birdsong recently published his own family history A Fortunate Passage. Mr. Birdsong will not only read from his book, he will give a presentation on how to research, write and publish a family history. There will be an opportunity for questions and answers followed by presentations from the historical society and Forsyth Library on some of the research materials and special artifacts available in their facilities. This should be a wonderful opportunity for anyone who is interested in writing and passing down their family’s story.

Last, but certainly not least, the Kansas Room will be hosting its second trivia night on Tuesday, May 21 at Gella’s Diner!  Liven up your week and your brain with an evening of trivia. No registration is required and there’s no cost, just bring yourself and maybe some friends to play along with you. Trivia will begin at 6 PM but feel free to enjoy some dinner, appetizers or drinks while you play! Here’s a free question (find out the answer and you’ll be one question closer to winning): Before the 17^th century, carrots were what color? Good luck!

It looks like I’ll be pretty busy right up to the week before my wedding. I’ll probably stop by the Mindfulness workshop being held at the Hays Public Library on May 22^nd at 6 PM…

The Kansas Room is located in the basement of the Hays Public Library and is open from 9 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday.

Consumer Corner: Moving this summer? Check out your moving company before you take off
By Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt

Summer is a busy time for families to relocate. Often, this requires the assistance of a professional moving company. Most movers are legitimate and provide quality service, but a few unscrupulous operators seem to turn up at this time of the year trying to scam consumers. Whether you are a college student moving back home for the summer or a large family relocating across the country, you should expect and receive fair treatment from the company you hire to move your belongings.

There are a few warning signs you should look for that could tip you off to a questionable moving company.

Payment demanded first. If the moving company demands full payment or a very large deposit before starting the job, you run the risk of not seeing your money – or the movers – again.
No Inspection. Beware of movers who give you an estimate without coming to your home to inspect the items being moved. Often a blind bid sounds too good to be true, and it usually is.
No local address, license or insurance. A company operating without local facilities or appropriate insurance is most likely not going to provide the level of service or protection you want for your property.
No Federal Registration. Moving companies are required to obtain and display United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) numbers on all of their commercial vehicles. The company is also required to be registered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Rental trucks and no company name. If the moving service has no official company name or operates with generic rental trucks instead of fleet vehicles, the operators will be more difficult to track down if you have complaints after the move.
Always demand a detailed written estimate before agreeing to any services or payment. At the time your mover provides a written estimate, the company is required by federal law to provide you with a copy of the U.S. Department of Transportation publication titled “Ready to Move?.” Before your mover finalizes the order for service and shipment of household goods, your mover must also furnish you with the following four documents:

“Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move” – a federally produced booklet.
A concise, easy-to-read, accurate summary of your mover’s arbitration program.
A notice of availability of the applicable sections of your mover’s tariff for the estimate of charges, including an explanation that you may examine the tariff sections, or have copies sent to you upon request.
A concise, easy-to-read, accurate summary of your mover’s customer complaint and inquiry handling procedures, Including the mover’s main phone number and contact information.
If you have additional questions about moving companies or possible scams, please contact the Kansas Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at (800) 432-2310 or www.ag.ks.gov

This is Joan Jerkovich and welcome to my show. We are all very concerned about the bombing in Boston at the Boston Marathon. It got me into thinking about “why”. Some people were talking in the news reports that they were happy that suspect number two was captured alive. Maybe some of the people who were traumatized by this can hear some of the “why”. Why did these two young men decide to pull off this mass murder?

This blog is taken from “The Joan Jerkovich Show” radio transcript and edited for easier reading. Listen to the Podcast and post your COMMENTS at https://joanjerkovich.com/2013/04/30/why-mass-murderers-kill-telling-baby-mama-got-girl-pregnant-man-abused-by-girlfriend/

I’m titling this piece “Why Mass Murderers Kill”. The quick and easy answers that I found are usually revenge, envy, or rejection. Let’s look a little bit deeper into that and, let me tell you, I’ve researched a number of scholarly research articles about this and pulled out some facts to share.

One of them came from Knoll, writing in the Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law titled “The Pseudo-Commando Mass Murderer – Part One – The Psychology of Revenge and Obliteration”. This author-researcher is calling this pseudo-commando type of mass murderer, the one who likes to kill in public during the daytime, the ones who do plan their carnage well in advance. They’re the ones who show up with a powerful arsenal of weapons. These type of perpetrators have no escape planned and expect to be killed during the incident.

This isn’t necessarily true of the bombers that we saw in Boston, but many of these mass murderers; the shooters at Columbine, at Newtown, and even in Aurora oftentimes not only commit the murders but then commit suicide.

So what are these murderers driven by? They’re driven by really strong feelings of anger and resentment. Many of these perpetrators believe that they are being personally persecuted and that they’re grossly mistreated in some way. They have this mass murder in mind in order to have their own personal agenda of payback.

Another researcher, Mullen, writes in “Behavioral Sciences in the Law” an article titled “The Autogenic (self generated) Massacre”. He was able to review five cases even though a lot of these do commit suicide, but in these 5 cases they happened to survive.

He found that most of them are almost stereotypical and had a lot of common traits. The perpetrators themselves had a common trait of social and psychological disabilities. They’re often times very isolated loners who are bullied in childhood. They rarely establish themselves in effective work roles as adults. When you think about the personality traits, as the author says, what these people have in common is that they oftentimes are marked by suspicious personalities, they’re very obsessional, and they have feelings of grandiosity. They also harbor feelings of being persecuted against and oftentimes might even become somewhat delusional (which is a true psychiatric disorder in my opinion). Here’s their intent: their intention is to kill as many people as they can and then kill themselves. They don’t expect there to be survivors. Mullen was lucky to find five survivors to actually study in depth.

There were several research articles that talked about looking at these perpetrators and maybe even doing a test for sociopathy. I’m not going to get into a lot about the criteria associated with sociopathy because I do want you to go back to my website, joanjerkovich.com. I did a complete video interview, a very in-depth study, with a counselor who was on Nancy Grace at one time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZZ3hEWHAIg

The risk factors associated with sociopathy, or psychopathy, is someone who comes from a family with a history of abuse or ineffective parenting having a history and childhood of setting fires, hurting animals, being sadistic, self-centered, and most importantly they lack compassion and lack empathy.

Several of the authors mention this as if you could have taken these mass murderers and given them this sociopathy test and they would have scored high in this category.  This would be one way of maybe predicting future behavior. Then again, as we can imagine, that would be quite a task to undertake and we have personal rights to be concerned about.

Let’s go back to the researcher Knoll who wrote in the Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, where he writes, that some of these mass murderers take special steps to send out one piece of final communication to the public or the news media. He’s making a case that these really need to be scrutinized carefully.

Let me go back quickly and say that all of these pieces I’m quoting from were written before the Boston bombing. As we know, there has been some information coming out about what those two perpetrators either said or posted on Facebook…those are real clues to what might be their motivation, and their next steps in these areas of perpetrating these acts of violence against the public.  Watching for any of these and having a heads-up alert for any of these types of communication might have helped us identify these violent offenders before their violent acts take place.

He talks to about these revenge fantasies that many of these pseudo-commandos have. They have this horrifically, mortally wounded self-esteem and ultimately that enables them to commit these mass murders and suicides.

I have to add this other piece of research here because of the debate over gun laws and especially over the background checks, mostly to kind of see if we can not only keep the criminals out but someone who might be mentally unstable. This was by a Phillips and printed in the “Virtual Mentor” predicting the risk of future dangerousness. He says this dangerousness is not always the result of mental illness. Many individuals who commit violent or aggressive acts often do so for reasons completely unrelated to their mental state, and the vast majority of violent people do not have any kind of mental illness whatsoever.

We have this very small portion of the violent people in our society that might also be mentally ill. Let’s really think about that when we are trying to cull out the mentally ill people for a violent attack, although I do think it’s very critical to not get guns in the hands of those who are possibly suicidal. He goes on to say that violence is not a diagnosis. It is not a disease and the potential to do harm is not actually a symptom or sign of mental illness but it must be a central consideration when we’re assessing someone who might be potentially dangerous in the future.

I really like this piece put up by J. Reid Meloy, who is a PhD Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California, and president of Forensis, Inc. Forensis, Inc. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to forensic psychiatry and psychological research. He put up several blogs in the Oxford University Press in September, 2012. This would’ve been before the Newtown incident even occurred. I’m going to go through some of those blogs and the Newtown timing will be critical, with one of them being relative to weapons used in these mass murderers… in particular, assault rifles. He starts the blog by saying, For the past fifteen years, my colleagues and I have conducted research on mass murder.

Myth number one: they snap. Research on this shows that these mass murderers don’t just snap, on a whim, and perpetrate this violence. They actually do a lot of research, a lot of planning, a lot of preparation… for days, weeks, and even months. This becomes like a fantasy that they’ve been incubating in their mind for years. It starts the clock, when they finally come to the point, where they have enough detailed preparations, that they actually are ready to carry through. However, there’s no evidence that they actually have a high state of emotional arousal when the killings occurred. Witnesses who have seen the mass murderers who survived, talked about them being cool and calm, and very deliberate… lacking in complete emotion, relative to the violence that has happened.

For example, when we see a video of the Boston bombers or any of these other perpetrators taken into police custody, they’re like blank slates. They’re not very emotional and they’re certainly not showing any remorse.

Myth number two: They can easily be divided into psychopaths, psychotics, and depressives. I talked about sociopathy earlier, but he’s saying this is very complex. Their motivations are complex. Their psychopathology, if they have it, is very complex. One thing they have is self-centeredness. They are also very grandiose and have a lack of empathy. They’re chronically indifferent toward others and very detached from their emotional life as well. This would stand to reason that when we find them and catch up with them, they’re just kind of blank slates. They don’t seem to care, one way or the other, that they killed people, blew their legs off, and changed their lives forever. They just don’t have it in them to even feel that…

Myth number three: Incidents of mass murder are increasing. This author says, “No. It’s a very rare phenomenon and it’s neither increasing nor decreasing in the US.”

Myth number four: Banning assault weapons will lower the frequency of mass murder. Meloy writes that the most popular weapon chosen by mass murderers is a 9 mm pistol, oftentimes a Glock, but they usually do bring two or three firearms to the scene. Assault weapons, such as the AR 15 and AK-47, are generally not utilized. Remember though, this was written before the Newtown massacre, where the bushmaster that was used in that incident, did fall under the 1994 assault weapons ban legislation. This author had made the case that it’s no surprise that between 1994-2004 when that ban was in effect that there was no decrease in the average number of mass murders per year in the US.

More study needs to be done because this type of weapon was used in Newtown Connecticut with the killing of the young children.

Myth number five: Psychotic individuals cannot plan in a precise and methodical manner. They say the majority of adult mass murderers are psychotic which means they have broken with reality and perceive the world in an idiosyncratic and often paranoid way. So, yes, they can plan and carry this out in a methodical manner.

Myth number six: It must be the drugs that they’re abusing. It is very true that the violence that occurs in the general population most often does involve drug use and particularly alcohol, but in mass murderers, drugs are minimally used. They think that’s because the mass murderer doesn’t want drugs to cloud their consciousness at the time. It would mess with their planning and preparation and their goal of getting this carried out…their goal is often to maximize their casualty rates. Research has found two cases where the mass murder actually used therapeutic amounts of an illicit drug to help him remain calm during the shooting.

I’m going to wrap up this piece by talking about the final myth, number seven, that mass murder can be predicted and can be prevented. This author says…it’s not going to happen. It’s too rare, and as I mentioned earlier there are too many of the murderers who commit suicide, so we can’t study them after the fact. There’s also the concern that we can infringe on individual rights and freedoms by trying to profile everybody. We already have that issue in our society.

There is one thing that this author holds out as a little piece of hope that he says can probably mitigate the risk of such events. That is that all of us have a responsibility to pay attention to the behaviors of people we see and hear. These mass murderers oftentimes give us warning signs, such as leaking their intent to others, or posting something on the Internet that might raise concerns. It can be very overt, like “I’m going to kill my supervisor tomorrow at work”. Or it can be covert, such as “don’t come to work tomorrow, you’re my friend, but watch the news you might see me there”.

Our logical reaction should be initially that it doesn’t feel quite right, or something in your gut is telling you to tell somebody in a position of authority. The truth is, most of us, even if we feel that gut reaction, don’t do that. We need to start alerting the authorities.

There are people out there that suffer the guilt of feeling that something was wrong. They knew something was up with a suspicious person and didn’t speak up. Can you imagine the survivors’ guilt you would feel if you knew you could’ve averted a tragedy? The author writes that sometimes we will say, “I just didn’t think he was serious”.  Don’t just use this rationale of passivity.  Trust your emotional reactions. Trust the anxiety you feel. Trust the wariness and fear and report it to law enforcement and let them do their job of investigating.

I actually got to talk with someone, not from the bombing at the Boston Marathon, but someone who was in the crowd that escaped in a panic when shots were fired by gang members at the 4/20 event in Denver Colorado. This person was shook up. It really brings to mind that we not only have care and concern for the people who were killed, the people who lost family members, those that were wounded and injured, but also those that are injured from a psychological stance by being bystanders at these tragic events.

I heard some news reports of people that said they walked up to people at the Boston bombing wanting to provide help and they just couldn’t stop because they saw limbs that had been blown off. They were thinking how unqualified they were to be there and left the scene. There is a huge trauma involved with that as well.

So, what do we do with the people who have been so traumatized by being in the proximity or even directly involved with these acts of violence?

If you follow me on my website then you know that once a day I put up a life coaching question. One of these questions was from someone who was a witness to the Aurora shooting. They were saying that every time they looked at the news and saw anything about Boston, or see something about Newtown, the traumatic event just all comes back to them. They are almost re-traumatized. When I addressed this person I told them this question was out of the realm of life coaching. If they’re this severely affected by this then they may want to consider professional help.

However, I did put up some information that I reprinted from the Mayo Clinic website on post traumatic stress disorder, as we often call it PTSD, and this info very specifically states when to see a doctor. The Mayo Clinic said that it’s normal to have a wide range of feelings and emotions after a traumatic event. You might experience fear and anxiety, lack of focus, sadness, changes in how well you sleep or how much you eat, and crying spells that catch you off guard. You might even have nightmares or be unable to stop thinking about the event. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have a post traumatic stress disorder, but if you’re having these disturbing thoughts and feelings for more than a month, or if their severe or you’re having trouble getting your life back under control, talk to your healthcare professional and get treatment as soon as possible. You can see that information on my website at JoanJerkovich.com.

https://joanjerkovich.com/2013/04/18/joan-jerkovich-bcc-your-life-coach-2/

If there’s any take away from today’s show it’s that I want all of us to be very aware that if we see something or hear something that we think is dangerous or someone who is unstable then please report it to the authorities and let them do their job of checking it out. Let’s also be mindful of the people who witnessed these types of traumatic events and the symptoms they may incur from post traumatic stress disorder. If we see or know someone with PTSD symptoms and they don’t get better, like it said in the Mayo Clinic posting, and it persists for over a month, encourage them to get help. Help them get to their doctor or other healthcare professional.