Montgomery County Sheriff John P. Durante Passes

It is with much sadness that we heard of the passing of Montgomery County Sheriff John P. Durante. While we did not know him personally we do know people who did and from heard and read about his deeds as a husband, fellow human being and public law official he was just a fine example of great human being - period.

For this man to have been taken by the Lord at such an early age brings to mind only one thing ... heaven needed him more than we did ... we are not sure how or why but the plans of our God is his own. We viewed the tribute Facebook page for Sheriff Durante (you can see it here) and it alone is testimony to the lives this man touched.

He leaves behind his a wife (he always introduced her as "as my beautiful wife") and fabulous family he was so very proud of! Rest in peace Sheriff Durante as we salute you as the finest example of a human being ... you were taken from all of us much too soon.

Fox Guarding The Henhouse

Where did the phrase, "Like a fox guarding the henhouse" start? Trappe PA? No, just kidding as here is what it means and and how it started.

DON'T LET THE FOX GUARD THE HENHOUSE - "Don't assign a job to someone who will then be in a position to exploit it for his own ends. Said to one who entrusts his money to sharpers. The proverb has been traced back to 'Contre-League' (1589) and is similar to the Latin: 'Ovem lupo commitere' ('To set a wolf to guard sheep.') First attested in the United States in 'Poet's Proverbs' (1924). The proverb is found in varying forms: Don't put the fox to guard the chicken house; Don't let the fox guard the chicken coop; Don't set a wolf to watch the sheep; It's a case of the proverbial fox guarding the chickens, etc. The idea is expressed in the old nursery rhyme: 'Sleep, my little one, sleep. Thy father guards the sheep'." From "Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings" (1996) by Gregory Y. Titelman (Random House, New York, 1996).

Now, what if we told you that Trappe Councilman Matthew Watson is now a Constable. Yes, during the recent election Mr. Watson won 100% of the vote. Why you may ask? Well, three (3) people voted (including Mr. Watson) as a write-in candidate. It appears that there is a lot of shenanigans going on in Trappe (duh!) but the collusion between Trappe Republican Committee Representatives John B. Pelosi and Theresa Pammer and certain members of Trappe Council is inexcusable. It is the job of the committee people to find qualified Republican candidates for the vacant positions. Obviously not only did the committee folks not find anyone qualified to do this position but they did not let anyone else besides Mr. Watson and a couple of his cronies know (perhaps collusion) to very quietly slip his name in as a write-in candidate.

So you may say 'big deal'?

Well here is the interesting thing - after looking into the background of Mr. Watson in our opinion he is not trust worthy and should NOT be in any type of law enforcement let alone hold public office! If he is the duly elected constable, he will be quite busy serving himself court papers. The following is a list of the legal problems (most recent first) that Mr. Watson has had (last year he and his family were evicted of their home) with a link to the courthouse for details.

1) Federal Tax Lien - filed May 2009 - details here
2) Mortgage Foreclosure - filed August 2008 - owes over $220,000 - details here
3) Capital One Auto Loan - filed June 2008 - Automobile Repossession - details here
4) Federal Tax Lien - filed July 2007 - details here
5) IRS Federal Tax Lien - filed June 2007 - details here
6) Discover Bank - filed January 2002 - see details here
7) Sears - filed April 2001 - see details here
8) Drivers License Suspended - filed February 1998 - see details here - who knows what this was for?

In summary, this man has serious financial problems and at the very least Mr. Watson needs to resign as a Constable and if he refuses then he needs to be removed. We think he needs to resign all public positions as a person in debt often does things out of desperation and a position of trust leads to temptations. Afterall, perception is reality.