On the Horizon: Pharmacy Danger

I have never had a gun put in my face, but in talking to those who have, I hear a recurring theme; no matter the caliber, when you are starring down the barrel it looks like a cannon. Something I thought of when I learned of the conviction of an Oklahoma City pharmacist last week.

Jerome Ersland was given a life sentence for the first-degree murder of would be robber 16-year-old Antwun Parker. The 59-year-old pharmacist shot the youngster six times during an attempted armed robbery in 2009, leading jurors to decide he had acted beyond the limits of self defense.

Dramatic surveillance footage shows Antwun Parker and an accomplice running into the Reliable Discount Pharmacy in South Oklahoma City and pointing a gun directly at Mr. Ersland. Ersland then shot the 16-year-old dropping him to the floor. After chasing the accomplice from the store, Ersland then gets a second gun before shooting Parker another five times.

I wonder if when Mr. Ersland went to pharmacy school, he could have imagined he would find himself in such a life and death situation.

When asked why he robbed banks, bank robber Willie Sutton is reported to have said…”because that is where the money is.”

That same principle applies in a disturbing trend of pharmacy hold ups. Criminals not looking for money, but for drugs. In today’s video blog, Oklahoma Horizon’s Courtenay Dehoff introduces us to another Oklahoma pharmacist who was on the wrong side of drug store violence.

 

Pharmacy Danger from Alisa Hines on Vimeo.

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B.N.F.M.K.

I’ve spent a lifetime involved with educational systems, and I don’t just mean as a student.  My dad was a school teacher and administrator for over 20 years, and I have worked in higher education administration for 13+ years.    Suffice to say, I’ve seen some of what goes into trying to make it all work; making the sausage, you might say.

Few things are as important to a society as their educational systems.  And yet, it is an area where American society does not always invest as much as might be optimal or even necessary.  Good school systems or bad, it comes down to personal commitment and relationships.

Commitments at home.
Commitments at school.

Commitments to learning.
Commitments to discipline.
Commitments to the kids.

As constituents of our educational systems, we don’t always agree with decisions, directions, and disciplinary actions by the schools and their agents.  Or, maybe we agree with many policies, actions, or individual decisions, BNFMK: “But not for my kids?”

Regardless, when the smoke clears and another school year is in the books, we should be thankful for those in the trenches with the scores of energetic and hormonal kids for a day, a week, a month, a year…or even 39 years (the Edmond years of service record, I believe). It is a higher calling.  Commitment indeed.

So, thank you, teachers.  Thank you, principals and administrators.    Thank you, parents.  And thank you, kids!

And now, school’s out for summer!  Enjoy!  The learning opportunities may be temporarily ending for some…, BNFMK(s):

Vicksburg, here they come!

Note from the Editor:  We’re pleased to introduce Jeff Bingham, RDC’s newest contributor, to you.  He’s a thoughtful numbers-cruncher and I’m sure will have lots to offer our community.  Welcome, Jeff – it’s good to have you aboard. ~ RDK

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Meanwhile, Back at The Ranch: We’re Back!

It wasn’t until I had lots of empty ground to fill with my choice of plants that I learned the difference between annuals and perennials.  Now, that we are starting on our fifth summer in our own house in the country, we are enjoying the fruits of our labor; the perennials are back and they’ve brought friends.

Perennials on the bank
Our Junipers are filling in the sunny part of the bank. The Snapdragons on the right come back and had a little color right before the shaded Vinca Vine.

The bank has been challenging to landscape.  Part of the 200 foot long bank gets full sun while the rest is shaded by a tree line.  When we add in the factor of a steep slope, we are limited in the choices that will thrive in that environment.  We have been experimenting with several varieties of shrubs and vines for the last five years.  Just this year I have noticed how much our perennials have grown and spread.

It takes some work.  I spend the early part of the growing season checking on the placement of the new branches of the Junipers, so I can get maximum coverage.  I also placed some rocks in the banks to prevent water creating ditches in the bank.  I am not always successful.  This morning I noticed a couple of missing plants washed away by the recent heavy rains. Continue reading Meanwhile, Back at The Ranch: We’re Back!

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Silent Sunday: Indian Taco Championship, Pawhuska, OK

Last weekend, my husband and I joined Mark and Cathy Hinderliter on a Northeastern Oklahoma roadtrip to Pawhuska.  The Indian Taco National Championship festival was being held and we decided to check it out.  These photos are shots of downtown Pawhuska, the festival activities, and the people around town.  Have a peaceful Silent Sunday…enjoy! [kelly] Continue reading Silent Sunday: Indian Taco Championship, Pawhuska, OK

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Barbershop Theology: Mortality, the Mortician, and Me

It was cold. I remember that.

I had just started my part of the closing routine in Caldwell’s Barber Shop, sweeping clumps of hair, filling the lather machine, and straightening up the magazine tables. I was at the barber shop following a day at school. Mainly, I was just killing time and hoping we could close promptly at 6:00. I was anxious to go home.

The barber shop door opened and I turned to see Mr. Crews entering. I figured he would sit and wait. He would be the final customer of the day.

Mr. Crews owned the funeral home in Apache, Oklahoma. In fact, these many years later, it’s still Crews Funeral Home located in the middle of town. I always thought Mr. Crews was a really nice guy. But the funeral director didn’t sit. He walked over to my dad and said something, Dad nodded his head. Mr. Crews left.

Dad finished the haircut, thanked his customer and said, “thank you, come back.” (He always said that.)

Then Dad unplugged his clippers and wrapped them in a fresh towel. He placed a pair of scissors in his breast pocket, turned off the lights and as I was already moving toward the door. I ran to jump in the pick-up truck. I started the vehicle since the keys were right there in the ignition.

I slid across to the passenger’s side as Dad climbed in behind the steering wheel. We drove all of a half a block and stopped at Crews’ Funeral Home.

“What are you going to do?” I asked, though I could have guessed.

“Just wait in the pick-up,” he said.

“Are you going to cut a dead guy’s hair?” Continue reading Barbershop Theology: Mortality, the Mortician, and Me

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Showcasing Red Dirt culture ~ authored and managed by contributors with connections to the great state of Oklahoma.