Fort Wayne / South Bend’s Bishop Kevin Rhoades  — and all of the Bishops of the United States – find themselves in a culture war with the Obama administration in 2012.  Sometimes you run to the front, sometimes the front advances upon you. 

Find here a column in the local newspaper reflecting on the recent march for life in the Fort (see picture below) and the test that has now come to the Catholic Church in the United States. 

The column contains quotes from three US Bishops that would have been considered quite radical just a few months ago.  Read ‘em and muster for battle.

Kulturkampf has come to us, with Kathleen Sebelius and Barack Obama driving the tanks in the general’s ranks.  Definition here:  http://www.archangelinstitute.org/americas-political-class-intensifies-the-kulturkampf/

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My friend, Andi Udris, has resigned from the Alliance. I will miss him.

Andi Udris

To be clear, the abrupt resignation, which he did not signal to me when we breakfasted last week, looks more like walking the plank at the point of cutlass.

Perhaps the people who gave him the choice between jumping or being pushed had a good reason, perhaps, as was reported, it was a clash of personalities. I doubt anyone will bother to tell me. People in these positions use silencers.

Andi, to his credit, worked hard for this area and had big dreams for economic development. He clearly had begun to set down roots and bubbled of how much he liked Fort Wayne.

Somebody, apparently, didn’t care much for Andi, his ideas or his personality. You can see the members listed here on their website. They include the high and the mighty in Fort Wayne, as well as a couple who are moving on in life. They include people who are hired guns who will vanish in their own time from the local scene leaving very little, indeed, behind.

Udris grew up, as mentioned, in Cleveland, he was the son of a Democratic father and a Republican mother. His father immigrated after WWII from West Germany after fleeing his native Latvia. The Soviets had killed thousands in Riga just before the war and would kill thousand more, deport tens of thousands of Latvians to Siberia and would stifle Latvia for a generation. The elder Udris, who had fought the Soviets, fled with the retreating Germans and eventually found his way to Cleveland and a solid, well paying union job that promised a future and security. His union job delivered on that promise in a way the Soviets never did, nor ever would.

So, Andi would talk of hearing his father and mother argue politics at home. They both wanted him to get a nice, safe, middle class job as an engineer, but his first years among the geeks told him that he would rather be in the more fluid and political arena of economic development. To the chagrin of his “play-it-safe” parents, Andi transferred credits and graduated into the more political, more controversial world of quasi-government community development. After stints in other towns, after successes and failures, he brought to Fort Wayne and to his job plenty of experience, plenty of ideas and a sensitivity to the Republican side and the Democratic side of arguments, thanks to hearing his mother and father debate. Andi was not only willing to listen, but he also heard and understood what you might say. When we breakfasted he told me his concerns with the Right-to-Work bill, but explained why he supported it. I offered my concerns which he accepted. There was no rancor, no hyperbole, just an analysis and discussion. I might suggest that willingness to hear sat him apart from so many “leaders” who hear nothing and are just waiting for your lips to stop moving so they can pronounce their loftier thoughts.

What was equally interesting during our many conversations was the way Udris explained the problems confronting Fort Wayne’s economic development future. He had big ideas that would require significant change in local thinking and for some people and institutions to think of the community as well as their parochial turf. The big ideas complimented the standard, Economic Development 101 projects such as “shovel-ready” factory sites.

Perhaps it was his willingness to push, to confront the sedentary and to propose big ideas to little minds that got him in trouble and led to “spend more time with my family,” as they say.

It would, indeed, be a sad thing if Mr. Udris were to leave Fort Wayne for other digs. He contributes much to our area and is not afraid to rattle a few cages. In economic developmental sleeping dogs should not be let lie.

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This is in reference to Mr. Bartley’s latest rant on his closed door “town hall” for the Right to Work bill. Since Mr. Bartley loves labels, let me give you a few of mine.

My name is Monica Boyer. I am a Christian, social and fiscal conservative, Tea Party leader, Republican, a mom and a wife of a union member.

I attended Sunday’s meeting because my family will be affected by Right to Work. I have been in politics for the last seven years, and I know how lobbying works. I know how fear tactics can be used (can’t say I’ve never used them myself), I know how talking points are used on both sides.

My family went to this meeting Sunday with no agenda but to find the truth. I’m a pretty opinionated person, but this day, I was truly on the fence, even leaning toward being frustrated with the Republican Party. I have been vocal about this, which hasn’t made any brownie points with my party.

What happened Sunday was nothing more than a hateful Republican bash session. There were no facts offered, just the pre-scripted talking points. No education, no counter points. We were told Republicans are evil. I learned right away that this was not a family friendly meeting, as “F” bombs were flying left and right.

When I removed my children, and came back in, some pastor was quoting Proverbs about how evil men must be destroyed, and those were the Republicans that must be destroyed. They speared our representatives, and talked about them being absent from this meeting. Not one time did Mr. Bartley mention he knew Dave Wolkins was in the hospital having medical tests. Tell me, how is that fair?

The kicker for me was as I introduced myself to the Democratic chairman, Mr. Bartley, and pleasantly told him that I enjoy hearing about the things their party is doing via email. He informed me he did not know how I got on their email database and that he wanted me removed immediately.

Is this how you attract new members to your party, sir, because if so, I now understand why our county has only seven Democrats!

I am not taking a public stand on RTW, and I support my husband in whatever decision he makes on this. I have no problem with a referendum. The union has treated us well, and we thank the Lord every day for our job. But shame on you, Mr. Bartley, for turning this into a party issue, and presuming to know how we feel about this topic.

Thanks to you, my husband, the conservative Republican dad and union worker, is now tagged and marked.

You know what I want? I want a conversation. Guns down, name calling put away, political party put away and all preconceived ideas put away; a conversation between both sides so I, as a Christian, a conservative, a Tea Party leader, a Republican, a mom and a wife of a union member can make up my mind with what is best for my family. It’s time to grow up and have this conversation.

If a TEA party leader can handle it … what is your problem?

Monica Boyer
Warsaw

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Click to enlarge

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Kristina Kennedy is the sister of Kurtis Kennedy, and is the ex-wife of Aliahna’s father Dawayne Maloney, who is the ex-husband of Tarah Souders. Maroney has Kurtis listed  as friends on Facebook. Kristina Kennedy and Tarah Souders are also Facebook friends.

In addition, Aliahna’s grandfather, James Lemmon apparently lived in the Centerville area. On April 10, 2005, James was extradited to Allen County, Indiana after being arrested in Centerville on a warrant issue from Allen County, Indiana for three counts of child molestation.

An interesting look at Tarah’s relationships of the past and present.

Aliahna as most of you know, is the daughter of Tarah Souders and Dawayne Maroney. She was previously married to Lyle Moser and has a 6 year-old child with Moser.

DaWayne Maroney

Lyle Moser

Note the tear drop tattoo under Moser’s right eye.  From Wiki: In the United States, it can mean the wearer has killed someone and the number of teardrops may indicate the number of killings. It can also indicate the number of years served in prison or the loss of a loved one or fellow gang member. It could however, mean anything.

Lyle Moser and Tarah Souders were divorced in 2009. Moser’s Facebook page is here.

Lyle Moser and Tarah Souder

Allen Souders and his first wife, Priscilla Brown

Allen Souders is the current stepfather of Aliahna, and father to her 6 year-old stepsister. It seems Kennedy may have relatives in Hagerstown, MD which is where Aliahna was enrolled in school earlier this year.

Kristina Kennedy was married to Dawayne Maroney, Aliahna’s father, and had child in 2009 (Aliahna’s half sister), and is the sister of Kurtis Kennedy, who molested Aliahna in 2010 (see above). To further muck up the waters, Kurtis Kennedy was purportedly once engaged to Tarah’s current husband’s ex, Priscilla Brown, (Facebook page) who is still Facebook friends with him, as well as Kristina Kennedy.

Kristina Kennedy pictured with Aliahna

Other things to ponder. Tarah and her children were in Iowa last year, and moved to Hagerstown, MD, where she enrolled Aliahna in school. However, her Facebook page states she was in Chambersburg, PA from February through May of this year. I cannot account for the gap just yet, but I’m looking into it. UPDATE: As someone pointed out, that’s only 25 miles from Hagerstown. And I thought I was pretty good at geography.

Tarah Souders Facebook page

In addition, it’s being reported Plumadore may have owned or lived in this house at in the early 2000′s in Jupiter, FL.

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The nation turned to our town this week and screams in sickening horror with us over the murder and abuse of a child. Why do we care? Why do they care?

It goes beyond tabloid shows and egotistical media hunting days after the disappearance for a story. It goes beyond headline grabbing Facebook profiles. It goes to the heart of where we walk and drive and live and breathe.

We care because we are horrified evil lives among us.  We care because we have few answers. We care because we are screaming for a life raft after the ship has sunk.

We are aghast that a child, once in our midst, suffered for years and those in charge of her care not only caused, but also contributed to her demise.

We surged through our holidays focused on the perfect gift for someone on a list. We have angst over the right color of socks to wear with pants. And, seemingly, out of nowhere, we have discovered utter pain and the worst, unimaginable crime has taken place where we live. We suddenly are staring at a shattered perspective in our community’s mirror.

There are friends who will never be with her again. There are teachers, and bus drivers, and other 3rd graders who will be forever untouched. There are police and firemen and medical professionals who have been on the front line of the crime. We care because we know so many are grieving.

We are scared for the other two children involved.

We turn to our own children and have to explain that there are people who do horrible crimes when all we want is to tell them life will be O.K.  And we know it doesn’t always turn out that way.

We want answers as a society to try to understand how we can possibly, ever so possibly, prevent this from ever coming close to happening again.

We can point, now, to the awful judgement her mother and many others showed towards Aliahna. But it is not enough to shout out our disdain.

We  must make demands of our prosecutors, our judges, and our lawmakers to do everything we can to keep sexual predators and offenders away from our children. We know the penalties for dismembering a body are no where near what they should be. We are not doing enough.

“Only people who are capable of loving strongly can also suffer great sorrow, but this same necessity of loving serves to counteract their grief and heals them”. — Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910)”

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From the Daily Iowegian.

In a 2010 case, Aliahna is listed as the victim of a sexual assault. Kurtis Allen Kennedy, age 19 at the time of the crime, was originally charged with second degree sexual abuse. He was later arraigned on a charge of indecent contact with a child, an aggravated misdemeanor.

Kennedy plead not guilty to the original charge on April 16, 2010. On July 9, 2010 he entered a guilty plea to the indecent contact with a child charge. According to a complaint affidavit signed by Centerville Police Officer Jeremy Cole, during a Jan. 21 interview with Kennedy at his home, he confessed to his acts on Jan. 2.

“On Jan. 21, 2010 at approximately 3:20 p.m., DHS case worker Sarah Baker and I [Jeremy Cole] interviewed the defendant [Allen Kennedy] in his home, during the interview Kennedy did admit to partially disrobing Aliahna Lemmon, a seven year old child, and placing his hand on the child’s bare buttock, while the child was in his case on the evening of Jan. 2, 2010,” the affidavit said. “The defendant did so for the sole purpose of self-sexual gratification. The victim, Aliahna Lemmon, confirmed the defendant’s admission.”

As reported in a July 26, 2010 article in the Daily Iowegian, entitled “Prison sentence suspended to probation for Centerville teen,” Kennedy was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended to two year probation and a fine and surcharge, also suspended. Kennedy was ordered to register on the Iowa Sex Offender Registry for 10 year and to complete one of the residential correctional facilities operated by the Eighth Judicial District Department of Corrections.

Kennedy was sent to a halfway house in Ottumwa; however, he was involved in a fight on Oct. 11 inside the facility where he received a simple assault charge from the Ottumwa, Iowa Police Department. He was later transferred to Oakdale Prison in Iowa, where he is currently serving his prison sentence.

Tarah Souders, the mother of Aliahna, has traffic tickets from Appanoose County and Monroe County dating back as far as 2005, according to online court records. Souders was also listed on an April 5, 2010 Centerville City Council meeting agenda. Souders was requesting to “bring a dangerous dog into the city for her handicap daughter.” The topic, however, was not discussed as Souders did not attend the meeting, according to the meeting minutes.

In 2005, her address was listed in court documents as 213 East Wall St., Seymour, IA 52590.

Aliahna’s grandfather, James Lemmon, also spent an unknown period of time in the Centerville area. On April 10, 2005, James was extradited to Allen County, Indiana after being arrested in Centerville on a warrant issue from Allen County, Indiana on three counts of child molestation.

James may have lived at 649 North Park in Centerville, according to court documents.

I’m doing some digging now on the relationship between Kennedy and Tarah Souders, and just how he gained access to Aliahna.

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• The week-long flu story that Tarah Souders claims in my opinion is suspect. Did she see a doctor, and if so, who was it?
•  Did Tarah Souders and Plumadore have a physical relationship? Why would he be in Centerville, IA at the same time Aliahna and her family were last year, and come to Fort Wayne this year, as they did. I think it’s pretty convenient to say it was to take care of Tarah’s father, and while that may have been part of it, it doesn’t eliminate the fact they were all in Centerville, IA at the same time. In addition, Dawayne Maroney, Aliahna’s biological father stated he knew Plumadore through Tarah Souders.
• Why was Aliahna living in Hagerstown, MD this year, and was Plumadore present? I found over 20 people with the last name Plumadore in Hagerstown. I looked, and I’ve not been able to make a connection between them and Michael Plumadore. From what I’ve gleaned, Souder and her family returned to Fort Wayne in late June or early July of this year.
• Where was Tarah Souders last Friday between the hours of 10:00 a.m. when she purportedly called Plumadore and 8:30 p.m. when they finally reported Aliahna missing?
• When Tarah showed up at a candlelight service earlier this week, she was in a wheelchair that likely belonged to her father. She allegedly was suffering from “temporary paralysis.” Hard to believe. She’s walking around fine today.
• How did Plumadore pay his bills? He made $200 a month selling plasma. How did he pay for Internet access, lot rent, electricity and his cigars? There had to be another source of income, likely an illegal source.
• I understand people have different ways of handling grief. I still question why Tarah Souders removed an entire pickup truck load of items from her mobile home, stating she couldn’t handle being around Aliahna’s possessions.
• If he in fact killed her on the porch, there would have been blood splattering all over the place. I don’t buy that, it likely happened somewhere else. I was going to attempt to get close enough to the trailer porch today to take pictures, but the prosecutor’s office is moving the trailer to an undisclosed location.

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Tarah Souders

At a candlelight vigil held Monday, Aliahna’s stepgrandfather stated she had suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder brought by abuse she suffered on two different occasions last year in Iowa.

Below is a case against Michael Plumadore in Centerville, Iowa from November 2010 for domestic abuse against a juvenile. During this time, Aliahna and her family were also residing in Centerville, which is  where her biological father, Dawayne Maroney resides.  Maroney has acknowledged he knew Plumadore. Was Aliahna a victim of Plumadore’s in Iowa?

Plumadore was also  a registered sex offender in North Carolina. I’ve since found out this was an erroneous report, according to Corinne Rose from Indiana News Center.

Title: SMITH, C L ETAL VS PLUMADORE, M L
Case: 08041 DAEQ003656 (APPANOOSE)
DA – Petition Dismissed – Not Enough Evidence at Trial WILSON DANIEL P 11/23/2010 11/
DISMISSED PER COURT WILSON DANIEL P 11/23/2010 11/23/2010 11/23/2010
ENTERED IN ERROR
RETURN OF SERVICE – OTHER APPANOOSE COUNTY SHERIFF DEPAR TMENT 11/17/2010
Comments: SERVED PLUMADORE ON 11/12/2010
OTHER ORDER SCIESZINSKI ANNETTE J 11/12/2010 11/16/2010 11/16/2010
Comments: ORIGINAL ORDER SETTING HEARING
ORDER SETTING HEARING SCIESZINSKI ANNETTE J 11/10/2010
Comments: ON PETITION 11/23/10 @ 10:30 AM
Petition for Relief from Domestic Abuse 11/10/2010
Comments: JUVENILE

Under Indiana code, it states the following, (complete publication is here).

IC 35-46-1-4
Neglect of a dependent; child selling
 Sec. 4. (a) A person having the care of a dependent, whether

assumed voluntarily or because of a legal obligation, who knowingly or intentionally:
        (1) places the dependent in a situation that endangers the dependent’s life or health;
(2) abandons or cruelly confines the dependent;
(3) deprives the dependent of necessary support; or
(4) deprives the dependent of education as required by law;
commits neglect of a dependent, a Class D felony.
(b) However, the offense is:
(1) a Class C felony if it is committed under subsection (a)(1), (a)(2), or (a)(3) and:
(A) results in bodily injury; or
(B) is:
(i) committed in a location where a person is violating IC 35-48-4-1 (delivery, financing, or manufacture of cocaine, methamphetamine, or a narcotic drug); or
(ii) the result of a violation of IC 35-48-4-1 (delivery, financing, or manufacture of cocaine, methamphetamine, or a narcotic drug);
(2) a Class B felony if it is committed under subsection (a)(1), (a)(2), or (a)(3) and results in serious bodily injury;
(3) a Class A felony if it is committed under subsection (a)(1), (a)(2), or (a)(3) by a person at least eighteen (18) years of age and results in the death of a dependent who is less than fourteen (14) years of age;

Operating under the assumption that Aliahna’s mother, Tarah Souders was even remotely aware of Plumadore’s past, should the above apply? After all, Souders’ stepfather was aware of abuse in Iowa against Aliahna This is beyond consequential in my opinion.

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Pray for Aliahna and her sisters.

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Michael Plumadore: Photo from his MySpace page, click image go there.

Let me preface my comments by saying I’m not accusing him of any crime. However, this guy is not someone any parent should leave her children with. For starters, he lived with the children’s grandfather, James Lemmon, a convicted child molester who died on December 3rd of this year.

JAMES E LEMMON

James Lemmon

Last Known Address: 9435 N CLINTON ST LOT 20 FORT WAYNE, IN 46825

Race: Caucasian
Sex: Male Eyes: Hazel
Height: 5’8 Hair: Gray
Weight 145 lbs. Age/DOB: 66
Offense or Statute
Offense/Statute: 35-42-4-3 – Child MolestingDate Convicted: 06 March 2006

Local media reports 15 registered sex offenders at the park. Four weeks ago I guess that number was 16. One has to wonder how Plumadore and Lemmon hooked up. The trailer where Plumadore lives was purportedly owned by Lemmon. A month after his death, Plumadore still lives there.

Some facts about Plumadore. An arrest warrant was issued in Allen County 04/27/2007 for forgery and auto theft. The facts seem to indicate Plumadore fled Indiana for his home state of North Carolina. He was apprehended in 12/27/2007 in North Carolina.

From Watauga County North Carolina, December 27th, 2007.

Michael Len Plumadore, 35, of 302 West King St., Boone, was served with a warrant for arrest as a fugitive from justice. He was placed in the Watauga County Detention Center and is scheduled to appear in district court on Jan. 22 in lieu of a $10,000 secured bond.

And the following month here in Allen County, (January 2008).

Michael Plumadore, 35, of the 400 block of West Washington Boulevard, was booked into the lockup at 3:35 a.m. Jan. 4 on charges of forgery and auto theft. He was being held without bail.

Upon his return to Allen County he was deemed a flight risk, and a $25,000 bond was ordered. The case went to trial in April.

04/21/2008 Converted Event (Judicial Officer: Surbeck, John F, Jr. )
AGAINST: PLUMADORE MICHAEL L
PREVAIL: STATE OF INDIANA
COUNT 01: DEFENDANT SENTENCED TO THE INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION FOR A PERIOD OF 3 YEARS; 1 YEAR SUSPENDED. PROBATION 1 YEAR. DEFENDANT ASSESSED COURT COSTS. DEFENDANT IS GRANTED CREDIT FOR 127 DAYS SERVED IN JAIL.

He also had a battery charge against him. I could not find details on that case.

The Journal Gazette has this:

Plumadore, 39, told The Journal Gazette on Sunday that he left the three girls in his mobile home about 6 a.m. Friday and went to a gas station about a mile away to buy a cigar. Authorities have said the store’s surveillance video shows him there about that time.

“I had deadbolted the door,” he said. “When I got back, all the girls was here.”

Who in their right mind would leave three small girls alone, in a mobile home? And, on top of that one that is located in a mobile home park that has 15 registered sex offenders living in it?

He said he smoked his cigar and went back to sleep about 6:30 a.m. He woke up about 10 a.m. when Aliahna’s mother called. After that call, he realized the door to the home was unlocked and that Aliahna was gone. He said Aliahna’s sisters, both 6 years old, told him that Aliahna had left with her mom.

Also, who goes out at 6 a.m. to get a cigar, comes back and smokes it and then goes back to sleep? Seems very odd to me. Then again, that got him in front of a surveillance camera, and then he claims he then slept from 6:30 until 1:30 p.m.

Plumadore believed them, so he locked the door and went back to sleep until about 1:30 p.m. He said that when he woke up, he and the two other girls went about their day until about 8:30 p.m. That’s when he talked to Aliahna’s mom and learned that Aliahna was not with her, and authorities were notified.

Having raised 4 children, there is no way I would have just gone back to sleep. I would have confirmed the whereabouts of a 9 year-old child who had vision and hearing problems and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and attention-deficit hyperactive disorder.

His Facebook profile lists him as self-employed. Makes me wonder, why so tired that you needed to sleep more than half the day away? Maybe he works nights? If so, who was watching the kids all week if he did in fact work nights?

The 39 year-old Plumadore has over 600 friends on Facebook, and seems obsessed with having young girls for Facebook friends, with over 90% of them girls, and many of them young girls. Some of them are still in high school. Examples are here, here, here, here, and here. He also seems to be obsessed with fake Facebook profiles. He has over 100 friends with the word “fake” for “fake busters” in their profile name, as seen here, here, and here. Well over 75 of his Facebook friends have profile pictures like those seen here, here, here, here, here, and here.

I’m not by any stretch jumping to conclusions or trying to imply anything. I’m just pointing out some facts.

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Back in July, I reported that Michael P. Quirk, chairman of the Delaware County Democratic Party was driving his pickup 101 mph westbound on Covington Road. He drove the vehicle through the end of Covington, across Brooklyn Avenue, crashed through a fence, and then into a garbage dumpster. His blood-alcohol was 0.36 percent, more than four times the legal limit.

The speed limit on Covington is 35 MPH.

Here we are now, 6 months later. From the Muncie Star Press via FWOb.

The wheels of justice apparently turn especially slowly in Allen County.

Last week, more than five months after that July 1 traffic accident in Fort Wayne that seriously injured Democratic Party Chairman Mike Quirk, related criminal charges were finally filed in an Allen County court.

The timing aside, it’s hardly a surprising development, given the details of the one-vehicle accident that were released last summer, and the public apology a recuperating Quirk issued soon after.

The four charges — two counts of driving while intoxicated (both stemming from the same incident), criminal recklessness and criminal mischief — are all misdemeanors.

A preliminary hearing is set for Dec. 30.

Quirk is an attorney, and a partner in the Muncie, IN firm, Quirk Rivers & Hunter.

You won’t read about this update in the local media.

H/T: Fort Wayne Observed.

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