Disturbing

You talk about some disturbing news the past couple of days.

It appears that we have the next Ed Gein or Jeffrey Dahmer living on the northside of Oshkosh.  That would be the person who set a cat on fire Monday in the area around Hazel Street.  Research into the criminally demented find that many started out torturing animals before turning their efforts to humans.  Of course, those claiming to be more "humane" than the animal abusers are already flooding the comment sections of our Facebook page and those of the local TV stations with the "we should set whoever did this on fire as well to teach them a lesson."

And then you have the arrest of 48 people allegedly involved in a heroin and cocaine ring in Oshkosh.  It's scary to think that we need to have that many drug dealers in one city to meet the demand for hardcore drugs.  Even more disturbing is the amount of money that was taken in by these people.

Think about it, $4.5 Million was spent on something that destroys our community and provides ZERO positive influence.  And I'm guessing a large percentage of that cash actually came from those of us not involved in the drug trade.  Many of these people had prior convictions for petty theft--stealing from others in the city to pay for the drugs they used themselves.  And I'm guessing that those using heroin, cocaine and crack aren't members of "Hardworking Wisconsin Families".  These are the people who are selling their Foodshares cards on Facebook and Craigslist.  These are the chronically unemployed or underemployed--because who really wants to have a heroin addict on their staff?  There were fathers and mothers arrested this week--probably with kids on Badgercare and who are getting free and reduced lunches at school.  Yet their parents somehow found $4.5 Million dollars to shoot into their veins, to snort up their noses or smoke through a pipe.  Kind of gives new perspective to the term "the most vulnerable in our community".

And perhaps most disturbing of all, there is a group of another 48 people eager and willing to fill in for the four dozen currently sitting in the Winnebago County Jail.  Special Agent Brad Dunlap said himself at the press conference on Wednesday that the people involved in the drug trade do not fear going to jail or prison--given the lucrative nature of their "business".  While you are building up your "outrage" today for the "cat burner" why not work some up for the pothead, the cokehead and the junkie who are really destroying our community.