What a difference a week and 20-degree warmer temperatures make. Following several previous days of near-zero weather, Saturday’s conditions during the 2009 Lions Club Perch Derby at Chenango Lake seemed almost Spring-like. And the anglers came out in droves because of it and the chance to pocket some prizes and cash.
In all, 646 registered anglers tried their hand at catching the first tagged perch, and although many perch were caught, none wore the special tag. So the $1,000 donated by NBT Bank, was given away by a drawing of registered anglers at the end of the derby. The average length of the largest perch measured every 15 minutes was 11 7/8 inches, while the largest perch of the day was 14 _ inches, caught by Shawn Cummings who received a $150 prize. The largest pickerel of the event was caught by Hunter O'Connor and measured 25 _ inches. Hunter’s toothy catch also won him $150.
Winners in the special NBT drawing were: Carter Brightman $500, David Brisock $250, John Nober $100, Jeff Pendorf $75, Andrew Beach $50, Daniel Thall $25. Winners in the raffle were: David Houseknecht--$200 Savings Bond donated by Wilber National Bank, Stanley Myers--$100 Cash donated by Sidney Federal Credit Union, Mary Ellen Sherman--$100 Cash donated by NBT Bank, Crystal Lackos--$100 Gift Card donated by Fred's Inn, Cindy Rutherford--$100 Gas Card donated by Valero/Blue Ox Corp., Tim Francisco--$100 Gift Card donated by Mayhood's Sporting Goods, Roger Monaco--$100 Gift Card donated by Bartles Pharmacy, Tim Bickford--$100 Cash donated by Visions Federal Credit Union.
The derby was successful in large part due to the generosity and support of area businesses and the community, including Preferred Mutual Insurance Company who donated $500 toward any second tagged perch that might be caught. With net proceeds from the event of approximately $4000, the Oxford Lions Club will be able to continue to provide financial support to those in need of eye exams and glasses, and for many other community programs and projects. The Club would like to thank all who supported the 2009 Chenango Lake Perch Derby. For more information or to get involved with the Oxford Lions Club, contact Mike Mayhood at (607) 334-2001.

More Stupid Gun Control Bills Being Considered
I grow ever so weary of our legislators, both state and federal, trying to legislate away violent crime by trying to pass ever more useless and stupid firearms laws. It’s never worked in the past and it’ll never work in the future. Criminals, both present and future ones, by their very nature and intent, will care less about laws, which is why---Hello?—we call them criminals.
If only the politicians would consider facts and not the hysterical myths generated by anti- gun fanatics, they just might understand the folly of their thinking. But there are not many things harder for a politician to do than to admit defeat, and to admit that passing any more laws truly doesn’t and won’t result in criminals throwing up their hands, turning in their illegal armament and becoming law-abiding citizens. To quote an old but getting more-tired-by-the-years saying “Laws are made for honest people.”
Once again, several bills are in the state legislature that would greatly affect all firearms owners, or should I say law-abiding owners. The stupidest is the continuation and expansion of the COBIS bill, which is intended to be a DNA type “fingerprint” that would identify a casing that has been fired from “every” gun in the state.
With over 205,000 guns registered in over 7 years; N.Y.’s COBIS or “Gun DNA” program has been a total failure. With a cost of between $14 1/2 to $28 Million, not one gun has been connected to an unsolved crime and “hits” of only two guns have been made. Neither hit led to an arrest or any criminal prosecution. And now, in a time when N.Y. is billions of dollars in the red, one would think that this expensive and worthless program would be ended, but instead, the anti-gun members of the NY legislature want to expand the program to include rifles and shotguns.
Our good neighbors to the north, Canada, have learned just how effective stricter gun laws and mandatory firearms registering are. After ten years and $2 billion (1,000 times the original cost estimate) being poured into it, the only crimes that have ever been solved by information in the CFA gun registry is the artificially created crime of not having registered your gun in the gun registry. Meanwhile, the Canadian violent crime rate has quadrupled, and now exceeds that of the U.S.
Another example is in England where gun bans were supposed to evoke “a kinder and gentler world” --a social paradise concocted by politicians who believed that civilized society could only be made crime-free through the confiscation of all firearms. The results have been as tragic as they were predictable. A litany of failures were apparent as early as the year 2000, when CBS News reported that law and order in Britain was deteriorating at a rapid rate, while the country was experiencing a crime surge much more severe than any recorded within the United States. The chances of being mugged in London are now approximately six times greater than in New York City.
If the founders of this nation could see where our elected leaders are trying to force us to go, they would no doubt wonder what went wrong and where is the evidence of the Constitution they worked so hard in creating to keep just such lunacy from occurring.