Reading Darrell Robertson’s atrocious guest column (Globe, Feb. 26) it’s evident he has a giant chip on his shoulder. In disbelief he obnoxiously and wrongfully attacks Judge Richard Copeland and chastises others for their charity work in raising funds to construct a new animal shelter.
Robertson displays contemptuous mockery of the virtues of the Fur Ball fundraiser. He bellyaches about the $60 ticket and pre-ball cocktail party — believing the money should go to the homeless humans rather than the much needed animal shelter. Sorry Darrell, it’s not your money to give away as you see fit.
Much of his write-up focuses on the homeless, primarily veterans. He goes into a tirade about the homeless veterans. Admittedly, this is a concern to the public but more importantly and sadly, the majority of the homeless are children. Sometimes people end up homeless (including veterans) due to the poor choices they make in life, e.g., drugs, alcohol and crime. Children have no options.
One of the most common complaints of a disabled person is having to wait for someone to pick up a dropped object, for a push, for a helping hand. Working as a team, man and dog can overcome many of these limitations. Seeing-eye dogs trained to help mankind is God’s gift. Customs Canine Enforcement Program adopts 100 dogs annually from animal shelters and trains them to detect drug smuggling. Also dogs are taken from animal shelters to be trained to assist both veterans and non-veterans to live a more fuller life. These are proven facts.
Mistakenly, Mr. Robertson is under the illusion people giving to animal shelters don’t give a hoot about homeless individuals. Unbeknownst to Darrell many of these individuals generously contribute to charitable organizations, i.e., the Salvation Army, Red Cross, Souls Harbor, United Way, etc.
Stop blaming animal lovers for the lack of homeless human shelters. If you want to help, drive to Joplin and donate your time and money to assist homeless veterans. Better yet, start a fund drive to support the homeless people and most of all attend some anger management classes.
Jim Williams
Joplin
