Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Cop tries to shoot dog, misses, hits 10-year-old boy
The Free Thought Project ^ | July 12, 2014 | John Vibes

Posted on 07/15/2014 7:21:35 PM PDT by null and void

A ten year old boy in Georgia is lucky to be alive after he was shot by a police officer who was firing his gun at a dog. According to multiple reports, the police officer was in pursuit of a robbery suspect at the time of the indecent. A dog crossed paths with the officer and he decided to shoot at it.

His shot missed the dog and the stray bullet struck the young Dakota Corbitt who was playing nearby. It is still unclear as to why the officer felt the need to shoot at the dog in the first place, and there is no indication that the dog approached the officer in a threatening manner.

The bullet entered from the back of the knee and exited out of the front of the child’s leg.

Janelle Rich, Corbitt’s sister, told reporters of the horrific experience of her brother’s attack, and said that the officer seemed to have no remorse about what he had done.

“I ran out the house with one of my kids and saw my little brother on the porch pouring blood. He [the officer] was sitting there like he didn’t have a care in the world.” Rich said.

The officers name has not been released, nor has any information about his disciplinary action.

After the Dakota was shot he was rushed to Coffee Regional Medical Center and then transferred to Savannah Memorial Hospital where he was held for several hours for surgery.

The family waited in the hospital all night thinking that their son would need surgery. Luckily, hours later after lengthy examinations, they were told that the boy would not need surgery because no vital arteries were hit by the bullet. The full extent of the wound is unknown, and it is likely that the child will be traumatized for his entire life.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was called to investigate the shooting, however since that is just another state institution it is doubtful that the family will see any justice.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption
KEYWORDS: banglist; donutwatch
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 last
To: armydawg505
Hmmm? Do you think I'm the author? Am I required to censor the stories I post to avoid bruising your tender sensibilities?

I hope you are correct, I hope the GBI does a thorough and honest investigation, and I hope officer hotshot is given the opportunity to pursue other career options.

But based on the results of entirely too many "investigations" of frankly horrific officer abuse, that's not the way to bet.


61 posted on 07/16/2014 5:48:36 AM PDT by null and void (If Bill Clinton was the first black president, why isn't Barack Obama the first woman president?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 58 | View Replies]

To: null and void
Reckless endangerment, assault with a deadly weapon, attempted murder, deprivation of civil rights under color of law ...

This idiot with a gun and a silly costume needs to spend a few decades in prison.

62 posted on 07/16/2014 5:51:26 AM PDT by NorthMountain
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Talisker; armydawg505
Why wasn’t the cop applying emergency medical care to the little boy he shot?

Why indeed?

He [the officer] was sitting there like he didn’t have a care in the world.”

Maybe he knows something about the GBI the rest of us don't?

63 posted on 07/16/2014 5:57:03 AM PDT by null and void (If Bill Clinton was the first black president, why isn't Barack Obama the first woman president?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 47 | View Replies]

To: OneWingedShark

“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. They may be more likely to go to Heaven yet at the same time likelier to make a Hell of earth. This very kindness stings with intolerable insult. To be “cured” against one’s will and cured of states which we may not regard as disease is to be put on a level of those who have not yet reached the age of reason or those who never will; to be classed with infants, imbeciles, and domestic animals.”
— CS Lewis

That should be posted on every mirror, every refrigerator door....

Thank you for posting it.


64 posted on 07/16/2014 6:06:14 AM PDT by old curmudgeon
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 49 | View Replies]

To: OneWingedShark

“on every refrigerator door”

After posting that, I remembered seeing on TV this morning that the government is devising ways of encouraging us to purchase foods that are good for us in the grocery stores.

Only a matter of time until those on government checks will be strictly regulated as to what they can purchase.

I am not talking about beer or candy bars, but lettuce instead of hamburger,; carrots instead of white bread, etc.

How they deserve it.


65 posted on 07/16/2014 6:19:41 AM PDT by old curmudgeon
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 49 | View Replies]

To: null and void
Fourth Rule Of Gun Safety (by Jeff Cooper)...

...

IV. BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET - Know what it is, what is in line with it, and what is behind it...

But, hey. Let's put this in perspective. As long as the Officer got home safely for dinner that night, that's all that matters, right?

66 posted on 07/16/2014 8:02:48 AM PDT by Gritty (Obama's governing as president of a Latin American republic, where only the president matters-MSteyn)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: VerySadAmerican; Colofornian; Tennessee Nana; Elsie
Mormon Missionaries don’t shoot dogs.

You clearly haven't been reading the THREE MINUTES' HATE threads.

You'd think there was no evil deed they wouldn't stoop to.

67 posted on 07/16/2014 11:45:13 AM PDT by jimt (Fear is the darkroom where negatives are developed.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 43 | View Replies]

To: null and void

As usual with you, I’m laughing my head off.


68 posted on 07/16/2014 5:04:14 PM PDT by Shimmer1 (If chocolate fudge cake could sing, it would sound like Barry White.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: null and void
The officers name has not been released, nor has any information about his disciplinary action pending termination

One could wish....

69 posted on 07/16/2014 5:06:45 PM PDT by Popman ("Resistance to Tyrants is Obedience to God" - Thomas Jefferson)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: armydawg505

I know Null personally and I can testify that he does NOT hate law enforcement at all. Now wary and leery of them, yes. With excellent cause I might add.
Now into the dog house for you, and be careful if you see a cop!!


70 posted on 07/16/2014 5:09:24 PM PDT by Shimmer1 (If chocolate fudge cake could sing, it would sound like Barry White.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 58 | View Replies]

To: LostInBayport
98 minutes it was, IIRC. Less than 20 a day.

Not excusing it, and I think the number is a substantial increase from what it was, oh 10 or 20 years ago (as in "dogs shot per 100,000 incidents" or some other metric that ought to be stable as population increases).

71 posted on 07/16/2014 5:10:55 PM PDT by Cboldt
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Squeako

Like pulling the sword out of the sheath, it has to draw blood.


72 posted on 07/16/2014 5:13:40 PM PDT by Cboldt
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]

To: Popman

Coffee County Sheriff Doyle Wooten identified the deputy involved as Michael Vickers.

Vickers is 36 years old, according to his Facebook page. Information posted to the
page also said he is employed with the Broxton Police Department in addition to
the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Wooten Confirmed July 11th that
the boy, identified as Dakota Corbitt, had been shot during a manhunt for a suspect
wanted in the shooting of a Douglas Police officer.

http://www.walb.com/story/26012992/officials-release-name-of-deputy-who-shot-10-year-old


73 posted on 07/16/2014 5:15:39 PM PDT by deport
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 69 | View Replies]

To: old curmudgeon
Bear spray will stop a grizzly.


The National Park Rangers are advising hikers in Glacier National Park and other Rocky Mountain parks to be alert for bears and take extra precautions to avoid an encounter. They advise park visitors to wear little bells on their clothes so they make noise when hiking. The bell noise allows bears to hear them coming from a distance and not be startled by a hiker accidentally sneaking up on them. This might cause a bear to charge.

Visitors should also carry a pepper spray can just in case a bear is encountered. Spraying the pepper into the air will irritate the bear's sensitive nose and it will run away.

It is also a good idea to keep an eye out for fresh bear scat so you have an idea if bears are in the area. People should be able to recognize the difference between black bear and grizzly bear scat.

Black bear droppings are smaller and often contain berries, leaves, and possibly bits of fur. Grizzly bear droppings tend to contain small bells and smell of pepper.

74 posted on 07/16/2014 8:39:37 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: VerySadAmerican
Mormon Missionaries don’t shoot dogs.

See #53 for WHY...


The Rules

  1. Learn and obey all missionary rules.
  2. Keep your thoughts, words, and actions in harmony with the gospel message.
  3. Read only books, magazines, and other material authorized by the Church.
  4. Don't debate or argue.
  5. Center your mind on your mission.
  6. Dress conservatively. Elders: white shirts, conservative ties, and business suits. Sisters: conservative colors and skirts that cover your knees. No floor-length skirts or dresses.
  7. Cut your hair regularly.
  8. Keep your hair clean and neatly combed at all times in the approved style.
  9. Be neat and clean.
  10. Bathe frequently.
  11. Use deodorant.
  12. Polish your shoes.
  13. Iron your shirt and business suit.
  14. Arise at 6:30 A.M.
  15. Study for 2 hours every morning.
  16. Proselytize for 10 hours between 9:30 A.M. and 9:30 P.M.
  17. Turn off your lights at 10:30 P.M.
  18. Exercise regularly.
  19. Write in your journal regularly.
  20. Follow the "Missionary Gospel Study Program" (31157) for your personal study.
  21. Regularly study the Missionary Guide and the Discussions.
  22. Attend Sunday priesthood or Relief Society meetings, Sunday School, and sacrament meeting.
  23. Attend the general session of Stake Conference.
  24. Attend general conference broadcasts if available.
  25. Avoid all other church meetings unless you have a special assignment or are brining an investigator.
  26. Proselytize as much as possible on weekends and holidays because this is when you'll find people home.
  27. End your preparation day at 6:00 P.M. and proselytize from 6:00 P.M. to 9:30 P.M.
  28. Wear your missionary uniform in public on preparation day while not engaged in recreational activities.
  29. Arise at 6:30 on preparation day and study for 2 hours from the approved books.
  30. Take care of your physical preparation for the week on preparation day: wash your clothes, clean your apartment, wash your car, get your haircut, and shop for groceries.
  31. Write to your parents every week on preparation day.
  32. Write less frequently to your siblings, friends, and acquaintances.
  33. Don't communicate with any friends or acquaintances that are within or close to your mission boundaries, except as a part of official mission business.
  34. Plan safe, wholesome, and uplifting activities for preparation day.
  35. Stay with your companion during all activities.
  36. Do not go on road trips.
  37. Do not leave your assigned area without permission
  38. Do not watch television.
  39. Do not view unauthorized videocassettes.
  40. Do not listen to the radio.
  41. Do not listen to unauthorized audiocassettes or CD’s.
  42. Do not participate in musical groups.
  43. Do not participate in athletic teams.
  44. Do not sponsor athletic teams.
  45. Do not engage in contact sports.
  46. Do not engage in water sports.
  47. Do not engage in winter sports.
  48. Do not engage in motorcycling.
  49. Do not engage in horseback riding.
  50. Do not engage in mountain climbing.
  51. Do not embark on a private boat.
  52. Do not embark in a private airplane.
  53. Do not handle firearms.
  54. Do not handle explosives.
  55. Do not swim.
  56. Do not play full court basketball.
  57. Do not play basketball in leagues.
  58. Do not play basketball in tournaments.
  59. You may play half-court basketball.
  60. Never be alone.
  61. Seek advice from your mission president if your companion is "having difficulties".
  62. Be loyal to your companion.
  63. Ask your mission president for help if your companion doesn’t obey the rules.
  64. Pray with your companion every day.
  65. Study with your companion every day.
  66. Plan your work with your companion every day.
  67. Take time at least once a week for companionship inventory.
  68. Seek to be one in spirit and purpose and help each other succeed.
  69. Always address your companion as Elder or Sister.
  70. Sleep in the same bedroom as your companion.
  71. Do not sleep in the same bed as your companion.
  72. Do not arise before your companion.
  73. Do not retire after your companion. (apparently, being together is more important than getting the correct amount of sleep that your unique body requires.)
  74. Frequently study with your companion the Missionary Guide section on companions.
  75. Never be alone with anyone of the opposite sex.
  76. Never associate inappropriately with anyone of the opposite sex (conversely, they don't mention whether or not it is against the rules to associate inappropriately with anyone of the same sex).
  77. Do not flirt.
  78. Do not date.
  79. Do not communicate via phone or letter with anyone of the opposite sex living within or near mission boundaries.
  80. Do not visit a single or divorced person of the opposite sex unless accompanied by a couple or another adult member of your sex.
  81. Try to teach single investigators in a member’s home or have missionaries of the same sex teach them.
  82. Always follow the above rules, even if the situation seems harmless.
  83. Use the commitment pattern to get referrals from members.
  84. Keep your dinner visits with member briefs and during the customary dinner hour in the area.
  85. Remember to say thank you to those who feed you.
  86. Visit members and nonmembers only at appropriate times.
  87. Do not counsel or give medical treatment.
  88. Do not stay in the homes of people when they are on vacation.
  89. Only write letters to family members and friends at home.
  90. Do not telephone parents
  91. Do not telephone relatives.
  92. Do not telephone friends.
  93. Do not telephone girlfriends.
  94. Contact your mission president in case of an emergency.
  95. Take problems and questions to your mission president.
  96. Do not write to the President of the Church or to other General Authorities. Letters from missionaries to General Authorities are referred back to the mission president
  97. Respect the customs, traditions, and property of the people who you are trying to convert.
  98. Obey all mission rules.
  99. Obey the laws of the land.
  100. Do not get involved in politics.
  101. Do not get involved in commercial activities.
  102. Do not give any information about the area.
  103. Respect the customs and cultures of those who you are trying to convert to your own customs and culture.
  104. Respect the beliefs, practices, and sites of other religions.
  105. Do not say or write anything bad about the political and cultural circumstances where you serve.
  106. Do not become involved in adoption proceedings.
  107. Do not suggest or encourage emigration. (This rule is a bit ironic, given the now-defunct doctrine of gathering the believers to Zion)
  108. Be courteous.
  109. Provide community service.
  110. Do not provide community service that isn’t approved by your mission president.
  111. Do not provide more than 4 hours a week of community service.
  112. Do not provide community service during the evening, weekend or holidays—those are peek proselytizing times.
  113. Your mission president must approve your housing.
  114. Keep your housing unit clean.
  115. Do not live with single or divorced people of the opposite sex.
  116. Do not live where the spouse is frequently absent.
  117. Your living unit must have a private bath and entrance.
  118. You may occasionally fast for a special reason, but generally the monthly fast is sufficient.
  119. Do not fast longer than 24 hours at a time.
  120. Do not ask friends, relatives, and members to join in special fasts for investigators.
  121. Maintain your health.
  122. Eat a healthy diet.
  123. Sleep from 10:30 to 6:30.
  124. Follow the approved exercise program.
  125. Keep your body, clothes, dishes, linens, towels and housing unit clean.
  126. Dispose of your garbage properly and promptly.
  127. Follow the safety rules for all of your stuff.
  128. Seek medical care if you are in an accident or become sick.
  129. Be immunized.
  130. Spend your money only on things relating to your mission.
  131. Budget your money carefully.
  132. Keep a record of what you spend.
  133. Do not spend more than your companion.
  134. Do not loan money.
  135. Do not borrow money.
  136. Keep a reserve fund of $50 to $100 at all times for transfers.
  137. Pay your bills before leaving an area.
  138. Pay cash for all resale literature and supplies ordered from the mission office.
  139. Do not waste money on souvenirs.
  140. Do not waste money on unnecessary items.
  141. Be a frugal photographer.
  142. Do not accumulate excess baggage.
  143. Obey custom laws and regulations.
  144. Pay fast offerings each fast Sunday to the bishop or branch president where you serve.
  145. Pay tithing on outside sources of income (i.e. interest) to your home bishop or branch president.
  146. Evaluate your funds a few months before the end of your mission. If you have more than you need, ask that less be sent so that you can return home without excess money.
  147. Do not drive without a license.
  148. Drive only Church-owned vehicles.
  149. Do not drive members’ cars.
  150. Do not drive nonmembers’ cars.
  151. Do not give rides to members or investigators in Church-owned cars.
  152. Use cars only on approved mission business.
  153. Use cars only within the assigned geographical area.
  154. Be conscious of safety at all times.
  155. Drive defensively.
  156. Wear your seat belt.
  157. Pray for the Lord’s protection while driving.
  158. If your companion is driving, assist him or her.
  159. Do not tamper with the vehicle’s odometer.
  160. Know bicycle safety rules.
  161. Use extreme caution on your bicycle.
  162. Do not ride your bicycle after dark.
  163. Do not ride your bicycle in heavy traffic.
  164. Do not ride your bicycle in adverse weather conditions.
  165. Go directly to your new area when transferred.
  166. Find your new companion without delay when transferred.
  167. Have a maximum of two suitcases and a briefcase.

75 posted on 07/16/2014 8:42:06 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 43 | View Replies]

To: jimt; teppe
You clearly haven't been reading the THREE MINUTES' HATE threads.

Dang!

You now showing up BEFORE some Mormon FACTS are presented?


Ok then; just to make you happy...



Questions put to Joseph Smith: "'Do you believe the Bible?' [Smith:]'If we do, we are the only people under heaven that does, for there are none of the religious sects of the day that do'. When asked 'Will everybody be damned, but Mormons'? [Smith replied] 'Yes, and a great portion of them, unless they repent, and work righteousness." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 119).
Joseph Smith: "for the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible" (from Pearl of Great Price 1:12). "What is it that inspires professors of Christianity generally with a hope of salvation? It is that smooth, sophisticated influence of the devil, by which he deceives the whole world" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.270).
 
 
 
Brigham Young stated this repeatedly: "When the light came to me I saw that all the so-called Christian world was grovelling in darkness" (Journal of Discourses 5:73); "The Christian world, so-called, are heathens as to the knowledge of the salvation of God" (Journal of Discourses 8:171); "With a regard to true theology, a more ignorant people never lived than the present so-called Christian world" (Journal of Discourses 8:199); "And who is there that acknowledges [God's] hand? ...You may wander east, west, north, and south, and you cannot find it in any church or government on the earth, except the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" (Journal of Discourses , vol. 6, p.24); "Should you ask why we differ from other Christians, as they are called, it is simply because they are not Christians as the New Testament defines Christianity" (Journal of Discourses 10:230).
 
 
 
Orson Pratt proclaimed: "Both Catholics and Protestants are nothing less than the 'whore of Babylon' whom the Lord denounces by the mouth of John the Revelator as having corrupted all the earth by their fornications and wickedness. Any person who shall be so corrupt as to receive a holy ordinance of the Gospel from the ministers of any of these apostate churches will be sent down to hell with them, unless they repent" (The Seer, p. 255).
 
 
 
Orson Pratt also said: "This great apostasy commenced about the close of the first century of the Christian era, and it has been waxing worse and worse from then until now" (Journal of Discourses
, vol.18, p.44) and: "But as there has been no Christian Church on the earth for a great many centuries past, until the present century, the people have lost sight of the pattern that God has given according to which the Christian Church should be established, and they have denominated a great variety of people Christian Churches, because they profess to be ...But there has been a long apostasy, during which the nations have been cursed with apostate churches in great abundance" (Journal of Discourses , 18:172).
 
 
President John Taylor stated: "Christianity...is a perfect pack of nonsense...the devil could not invent a better engine to spread his work than the Christianity of the nineteenth century." (Journal of Discourses , vol. 6, p.167); "Where shall we look for the true order or authority of God? It cannot be found in any nation of Christendom." (Journal of Discourses , 10:127).
 
 
 
James Talmage said: "A self-suggesting interpretation of history indicates that there has been a great departure from the way of salvation as laid down by the Savior, a universal apostasy from the Church of Christ". (A Study of the Articles of Faith, p.182).
 
 
 
President Joseph Fielding Smith said: "Doctrines were corrupted, authority lost, and a false order of religion took the place of the gospel of Jesus Christ, just as it had been the case in former dispensations, and the people were left in spiritual darkness." (Doctrines of Salvation, p.266). "For hundreds of years the world was wrapped in a veil of spiritual darkness, until there was not one fundamental truth belonging to the place of salvation ...Joseph Smith declared that in the year 1820 the Lord revealed to him that all the 'Christian' churches were in error, teaching for commandments the doctrines of men" (Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 3, p.282).
 
 
 
More recent statements by apostle Bruce McConkie are also very clear: "Apostasy was universal...And this darkness still prevails except among those who have come to a knowledge of the restored gospel" (Doctrines of Salvation, vol 3, p.265); "Thus the signs of the times include the prevailing apostate darkness in the sects of Christendom and in the religious world in general" (The Millennial Messiah, p.403); "a perverted Christianity holds sway among the so-called Christians of apostate Christendom" (Mormon Doctrine, p.132); "virtually all the millions of apostate Christendom have abased themselves before the mythical throne of a mythical Christ whom they vainly suppose to be a spirit essence who is incorporeal uncreated, immaterial and three-in-one with the Father and Holy Spirit" (Mormon Doctrine, p.269); "Gnosticism is one of the great pagan philosophies which antedated Christ and the Christian Era and which was later commingled with pure Christianity to form the apostate religion that has prevailed in the world since the early days of that era." (Mormon Doctrine, p.316).
 
 
 
President George Q. Cannon said: "After the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized, there were only two churches upon the earth. They were known respectively as the Church of the Lamb of God and Babylon. The various organizations which are called churches throughout Christendom, though differing in their creeds and organizations, have one common origin. They all belong to Babylon" (Gospel Truth, p.324).
 
 
President Wilford Woodruff stated: "the Gospel of modern Christendom shuts up the Lord, and stops all communication with Him. I want nothing to do with such a Gospel, I would rather prefer the Gospel of the dark ages, so called" (Journal of Discourses , vol. 2, p.196).

76 posted on 07/16/2014 8:45:48 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 67 | View Replies]

To: <1/1,000,000th%

So, chasing a white guy wanted for shooting a pig would have made him less likely to shoot AT a random dog and injure a kid instead?


77 posted on 07/17/2014 4:54:33 AM PDT by jospehm20
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: null and void
The cops in Georgia have declared war on children.

They kill them when they answer the door. They throw hand grenades in baby beds with babies in them. They shoot children on the street. Next, they will fit their SWAT vehicle with twin .50s and drive up and down the streets macinegunning them.

78 posted on 07/17/2014 5:03:21 AM PDT by sport
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SkyDancer

To the cops, all peasants are targets of opportunity. They would like it to be where there are just targets and us [cops], but the politicians and politically are off limits.


79 posted on 07/17/2014 5:06:27 AM PDT by sport
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: LostInBayport
Are they taught to hate dogs at the police academy?

Nope. Just taught that civilians [I don't think that the word "Citizen" is politically correct any longer] who are not politically connected are the lowest form of life in the universe. Their only use is for your enjoyment, entertainment, and take out of your frustrations on. Watch a few episodes of COPS and you will get the picture.

80 posted on 07/17/2014 5:13:59 AM PDT by sport
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson