The Three Saint Landry Parish Church Fires & How You Can Help

Saint Landry is a Parish in the state of Louisiana.  The Parish seat is the town of Opelousas, which is about 60 miles west of the state capital of Baton Rouge, and about 30 miles north of Lafayette.  The population of Saint Landry and fluctuated over the years, and has been in a downward trend.  The 2010 Census showed a little over 83,000 people living in the parish.  At that time, the demographics of the parish were 56% white, 41% African-American, and a little over 1% each of both Hispanic and two or more mixed blood lines. Saint Landry Parish is the heart of the Cajun and Creole culture and heritage.  The per capita income for each person in the parish is only $12,042 per year.  The average income per family for one year is less than $29,000.
   Over a period of ten days - on March 26, April 2, and April 4 - three Baptist Churches were burnt, essentially, to the ground.  Each of those churches had been in existence for over 100 years.  Each church was a member of the Seventh District Baptist Association.  And each church has a mainly African-American membership.
   On Tuesday, 26 March, the Saint Mary Baptist Church in Port Barre was burnt to the ground.  On Tuesday, 2 April, the Greater Union Baptist Church in Opelousas was burnt down.  On Thursday, 4 April, the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Opelousas was also set aflame.  Each church was set on fire using gasoline as an accelerant, and gasoline soaked rags were placed to encourage the spread of the fire.  Luckily, all of the churches were empty at the times of the fires.  One couple had to be evacuated from their nearby home, though, when fire from the church blaze started a fire on the side of their home.
   Tuesday, 16 April, three weeks after the first fire, a twenty-one year old man from Saint Landry Parish was charged with the arson of three religious buildings, and at the hearing the state added three hate crimes charges, stating the fires were racially motivated.  The accused is white, and the son of a Deputy Sheriff in Saint Landry Parish.  Through his attorney, the young man gave a "not guilty" plea.  He was denied bail for two reasons: first, that he would set more fires, and, second, that he might flee. Jury selection has been set for early September.
   The case against the young man was made pretty clear in the hearing today.  His cellphone records place him at the scene of the fires each night; he has cellphone photos of the fires prior to the arrival of either law enforcement or fire officials; and he sent messages to friends claiming responsibility.  His truck was seen on several video feeds near the fires close to the time they started.  The prosecution has receipts where the young man purchased "cleaning rags" of the type used in the fires, as well as gasoline cans.  And there is testimony that he planned the fires out loud in front of his friends.

    The Seventh District Baptist Association is raising money to rebuild the churches destroyed by fire.  Retired New Orleans Saints tight end Ben (Benjamin) Watson has made a plea for people to send monies to assist in the rebuilding.  Hillary Clinton tweeted on Tuesday, asking people to donate to the effort to rebuild the three churches in Louisiana.  Before the Cathedral of Notre Dame caught fire yesterday, there were donations of $150,000 to the Saint Landry Churches.  They need an estimated $1.8 million to rebuild all three.  When I wrote this blog, donations on the Go Fund Me website had jumped to over $1,066,000 .....   There are two ways to donate for the rebuilding of the three Saint Landry Parish Baptist Churches - you can send a check (made out to Seventh District Baptist Association) to:
Seventh District Baptist Association
  Seventh District
P.O. Box 281
Ville Platte, LA  70586

...or you can donate on the Go Fund Me website at:
https://www.gofundme.com/church-fires-st-landry-parishmacedonia-ministry

I have already donated.

Here are photos of the Saint Landry Churches, before and after the fires...

Saint Mary Baptist Church, Port Barre

 I could not find a good photo of the Greater Union Baptist Church prior

to the fire; the first photo is early; the second is the remnants

Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, Opelousas

Screaming Cats

Apparently my neighbor Chris and his lady haven't been home before when Lovey has a screaming fit at the Harlequin. It happened last night, again - but the patio door was open and Nedi was outside. Lovey started to scream, and I went over to the door; the Harlequin was standing about three feet from the door jamb, and Lovey jumped up onto the cat tree when I walked by her and onto the porch. At that time, Chris came out, looking very spiffy (going out to dinner),and asked what was going on... so I had to explain and apologize. The Harlequin walked over to Chris and got petted and scratched, and while he was occupied, I called Nedi, who came running and slipped inside the apartment like a shadow. - I feel bad for the the Harlequin; he's a very friendly cat who wants love and attention (and Neel has said the cat lives in B building, to our south), but Lovey has become more and more territorial lately...

  Today I'll arrive to walk Rosie at 10:15, so our walk will coincide with Remy's acupuncture appointment. Then I'll head over to Finn's house, and get reacquainted with him and Skippy. I just grabbed 5 books from the public library, so I should have enough to read for the next few days - plus I'll have access to the huge TVs and the computer while I'm there. I'll miss sleeping with Lovey and Nedi, but I can take naps with them in the afternoon...

  There was a brush fire in Parksley, Virginia earlier this week that is being examined to see if it's yet another in the long string of fires caused by the Accomack arsonist. That person needs to be apprehended and/or caught in the act. .... The Galena Wildfire, near Fort Collins, is completely contained, after burning 1500 acres. Investigators are still looking into the cause of that blaze. .... Two houses that I care for (house- and pet-sit) have been sold recently, both for over $1 million, so the neighborhood is going through some changes. And I'll be calling folks on my waiting list to see if they are still interested in my services. At least in Boulder, I never have to worry about finding employers!

Books, Fires and Critters

St. Patrick's Day was a quiet one in Boulder - and I read and relaxed a great deal of the time. I finished reading Bernard Cornwell's Excalibur on Saturday, and yesterday I read Bloodlines by Felix Francis; last night I started a new Clive Cussler novel, The Striker, and was immediately submerged in the world of coal miners in 1902 and the struggles of unionization. It's fascinating.

   Nedi's eye is back to normal, and was fine yesterday; so I'm assuming he was poked in the eye on Friday. Both kits had a ball over the weekend, as I kept the patio door open for most of the daylight hours. Last night, just as Vikings began on the History Channel, Lovey screamed bloody murder in my ear, and made me jump. The fluffy white cat with small calico markings (I call it the Harlequin) had appeared on the back of one of my wicker patio chairs and was glaring at Lovey, face to face - but, luckily, with the window closed in between them. So I had a cat-fight serenade going on while I watched TV for an hour. By the end of the program, the other cat left, and Lovey settled onto my shoulder in her Guardian position...

  The Galena Wildfire is now 75% contained, but high winds are expected today, so the fire may jump the lines. We're expecting an up-dated number on the amount of acreage burned around noon today. There were also several other wildfires scattered across Colorado yesterday. .... There were two more suspected arson fires in Accomack County, Virginia over the weekend. ... And, in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee a cabin caught fire and spread quickly throughout the area - multiple cabins and homes are destroyed, and I believe I heard that 250 acres are in flames.

  On the horse front, Rachel Alexandra is continuing to recover from her post-birth abdominal surgery. Rachel's filly is doing well on a nurse-mare. ... Zenyatta fans are still awaiting the birth of the Queen's second foal. Z12, her colt from last year, is growing in leaps and bounds. .... Black Caviar, the undefeated Australian mare, is looking to tie the world record for record straight wins. She's racing on Friday, March 22, down-under, to make another historic win.

Accomack Arsonist, Books, and Home Details

We had about 9 inches of snow fall here in my apartment area, and about 11 inches up in north Boulder at the Munsinger's. I had to shovel a path out to the back yard's grassy areas 4 times yesterday, so the Shih Tzu's wouldn't have to "swim" through the snow to relieve themselves... Someone was supposed to come shovel the front walkway and the drive yesterday, but I never saw hide nor hair of them. I shoveled the front walkway this morning, so the house cleaner would be able to get inside without having snow up to her knees. The house was put on the market, for sale, on Thursday; it was shown once on Thursday, twice on Friday,and twice on Saturday. The first people who looked at the house had financing already in place (the house sold for $1.19 million), and they signed the contract on Saturday. Now the Munsinger's have to find a place to move into until they decide where they are buying to "down size."
  Our apartment inspection is Thursday, and I still have a lot of trash to throw out, so the place won't look so cluttered. And I bought a new fire/smoke detector alarm system to put in the hall way. The existing one is wired into the ceiling, but it started going off for no reason during a 3-day weekend over a year ago, and one of the neighbors said he knew how to "turn it off." I allowed him to do so, not realizing until the next day that he had totally cut the wiring. So at least I now have an up to specifications combination smoke, fire, and CO2 alarm system. I just put it up.
  The kits were happy to see me this morning - more to get outside than anything else, but they've been stymied with the snowfall. Nedi has been jumping in and out of the snow and chasing imaginary whatsits, while Lovey is sitting in the sun on the corner of the patio looking regal. Yesterday I spent with Aiko and Yoshi, reading and giving belly rubs; this morning I need to give my kits some love, having already fed them, giving them fresh water, and cleaning their potty boxes. I finished reading all 917 pages of Uther, and have now started the story of Clothar, The Lance Thrower. Then, once I read The Eagle, I will have read all nine of Jack Whyte's books regarding the Chronicles of Camulod. And I am really enjoying this man's writing and ideas of how the story of Camelot came about. The books are fantastic!
  There was another fire near Wachapreague, in Accomack County, Virginia Sunday night. If it is confirmed as arson, this will mark the 53rd fire since November 12. The person or people responsible for these fires must be caught. Any unused or abandoned building in Accomack County seems to be within the perpetrator's grasp. This causes higher insurance costs, fire department costs, and policing (both city and county) costs. It's crazy. Let's pitch in to catch this pyromaniac!

Today Is...

Today is many things... It is Sunday, the seventh day of the week in the United States, and the first day of the week in most other countries. Today, during the televising of 60 minutes of American football, advertisers will pay $4 million to have a 30-second long commercial played. In other words, today is Super Bowl Sunday. And, 54 years ago today, it was "The Day the Music Died" with the loss of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper in a plane crash in Iowa (and I am still thankful that Waylon Jennings was not on that plane as originally planned).
  It is once again a beautiful day outside - my kits have been playing inside and out for the past two hours. They've finally decided it's nap time again, so I can close the patio door. I did have a surprise last night; I was lazy, and dropped my jeans on the bathroom floor instead of placing them in the clothes hamper. I wandered back in a few minutes later, and just about freaked out when my jeans ran away from me... Lovey always used to get inside a pants leg and do this, so I laughed and said something, using Lovey's name. She burbled at me from the second shelf in the linen closet, so I had to giggle and talk to Nedi, who had finally poked a paw out of the leg...
  Let's see... bits and pieces of news: The past two nights have produced two more fires by the arsonist in Accomack County, Virginia. Friday night, an empty airplane hangar outside of Onley was burned, and last night, an abandoned barn near Parksley went up in flames. That's 45 arson fires since 12 November. .... Three hundred and sixty nine thoroughbreds have been entered into the early Triple Crown pool. All have paid their $600 early entrant fee. Only twenty, or fewer, will actually qualify to run, and will have kept paying entry fees by the first Saturday in May. Only one horse from a years crop is eligible to be a Triple Crown winner, out of the thousands born each year. .... Chris Kyle, a retired Navy SEAL and renowned sniper, was shot and killed at a rifle range in Texas yesterday afternoon. When I first read the news, all I could think of was, how, in the Old West, any man who was known to be good with a gun always had to be on the look-out for someone wanting to be known as the killer of so-and-so (fill in Jesse James, John Wesley Hardin, Billy the Kid, whoever). I wonder what this killer's motive was. .... And, I've been avoiding writing about the surreal hostage situation in Alabama. Why - what reason can be given - for kidnapping a 5-year-old boy with Asperger's Syndrome and hyperactivity, and holding him hostage in an underground bunker? The man who did this killed the school bus driver, in order to abduct his hostage. The child is, apparently, of no relation to the abductor. The abductor, according to his neighbors, doesn't like children. What is it that drives a man to such an extreme? What about the little boy? He must be frightened; and I don't believe that he can grasp why this is happening to him. I know that I just can't comprehend it....
   Addendum:  While Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow in Pennsylvania yesterday, Flatiron Freddy (here in Boulder) did see his shadow - which means six more weeks of Winter in Colorado.

Arson, Gold and Guns

Lovey and Nedi allowed me to stay in bed until 7:30 this morning - after I showered and dressed, fed them and cleaned their litter boxes, I headed off to the PO to send a package to Michele in Wisconsin, and I picked up a couple of boxes so I can send stuff to Carolyn and Greg and my granddaughter. I stopped at the store on the way home and got fresh fruits and veggies for today's meals. The kits are chasing each other through the melting snow in the back yard and enjoying the sunshine, and I am looking forward to seeing Person of Interest this evening. I also have two different research projects to work on, as well as all of my new books to read... I'm in heaven!
  At the beginning of this week, another arson-caused fire destroyed the forty-third building in Accomack County, Virginia. The first fire happened on 12 November; generally they occur at night and the buildings are not in use and without occupants. This is getting to be a little crazy. I realize that there are hundreds of old farm sheds, cow barns and out houses scattered throughout all of Accomack County. It's an old, established farming area and there are many wooden buildings falling into ruin. However, I would think, that after 43 instances of arson, The Fire Marshall and Sheriff of Accomack County would have some idea of who is using what to start these fires....
  It was announced yesterday that a ninth golden wreath has been found in a tomb/crypt during excavations along the route of the Thessaloniki subway to the new Republic station. This wreath was found encircling the head of a woman in a 2,500 year-old Macedonian grave. The wreath is made in the shape of an olive branch, with leaves and berries. I suppose it's an everyday thing to find ancient treasures in excavations in Greece - but I had not previously heard of the other eight wreaths, nor of the necklaces and earrings found in other graves that lay along the subway route. ... In Dublin, Ireland, during the renovation of an ancient pub, a thicker concrete pad was needed for supports during an enlarging process. In digging below the previous slab, the construction foreman found a cache of 81 gold coins from the reigns of Charles II, James II, and William and Mary. The coins were declared and handed over to the closest Gardai post. They are now being evaluated at a local museum.
  Yesterday, too, while ex-Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was testifying before a Senate Judiciary Hearing on Gun Control, it seemed surreal to hear of multiple shootings occurring at the same time in Phoenix, as well as the shooting of a Deputy (in the hand) here in Denver during the delivery of a warrant. Having been shot in the head by a gunman in 2011, and having to learn everything all over again - walking, talking, reading, etc. - it was extremely moving, to me, to hear her state, "Too many children are dying" and, "This must stop." I hope that the Committee will listen to her, and judge her words as being weightier than those of the President of the National Rifle Association.

American Wildfires

Today there are 48 uncontrolled wildfires and 10 totally contained large wildfires burning in the United States.  An up-dated map of all the large wildfires may be viewed at:  http://activefiremaps.fs.fed.us/lg_fire2.php#   The one large wildfire in Florida, in Volusia County, is totally contained; proceeding west, the next wildfire is in Arkansas; and almost 90 new small fires have been reported in the past 24 hours. That's frightening.  And, last night, while lying in bed, I thought of the roly-poly 5-inch long earthworm that I had moved from a concrete brick and back into a grassy area.  Then I wondered how deep in the dirt a worm would need to be to escape being cooked by a wildfire on the surface?  I mean, think about it: during one of our recent wildfires, the flames were spreading (with the help of the wind) at a speed of 40 feet per second; if you can actually see the flame, just visible red flame burns at 980 degrees Farenheit, or 525 degrees Celsius - a visible deep orange flame burns at 2,000 degrees Farenheit, or 1,100 degrees Celsius. 
  The damage to flora and fauna from a wildfire is immense.  Unless the creature is buried deep in the earth, or lives underwater, it is going to succumb to a fast-moving wildfire.  Worms, grubs, insects, flies, dragonflies, butterflies, reptiles, amphibians, and slower moving mammals cannot escape a wildfire.  Birds that are nesting loose their eggs, either in trees, or on the ground.  Rabbits and prairie dogs are roasted.  Older, or injured, animals cannot outrun a fire - heck, if it's moving at 40 feet per second, I can't escape it.
   I realize that fire from lightning strikes is inevitable - but fires caused by humans are not.  Fire caused by lightning has a purpose of renewal; the Forestry Service's planned burns, to clear out brush and help older trees, are a good thing.  But arsonists are extremely dangerous to our livelyhoods, our economics, our health and our happiness.  I am, generally, pretty much a pacifist, but when I look at the destruction an arsonist has caused, I want to burn that arsonist to death (with an accelerant, of course, so they wouldn't suffer too long).....