I hope that most people here are upset with the poaching charge, and it sounds like the majority are, and that pleases me to no end.

Cruelty to animals or any other living thing really gets me going, and I lose it, big time. So when I read the article about the Morse poaching incident, that was the last straw.
My partner & I were (maybe still are) coming to Fl in the spring for a look-see of possible retirement places, and I have been reading your most interesting boards to get an idea of what the place is like.
In the past, I made the mistake of answering a posted question, politically orientated, and was called some pretty harsh names, especially by one poster. That plus some other recent comments (not to me) about the habits of those less fortunate, make me really wonder if I would fit in here. No nasty cracks please! LOL
I strongly believe that we all have the right to express our opinions, but not insult each other while doing so. That's what America is all about.

Thanks to all of you who have been positive in your remarks, to the others....... what you put out, you always get back. I hope to continue to post here & maybe even visit your place in the sun!

I will be more than interested to know the legal outcome of the poaching charge.

Dear Mermaid.

No place and no group of people are perfect. There is a little bit of bad in the best of us and a little bit of good in the worst of us.

We cannot expect to see eye to eye on every issue. We cannot have the same values and we cannot agree which values are the right ones to have.

This place is such a happy place for me. I see more smiles and more sunshine and hear more wise statements here than in any place I have ever lived.

As my grandmother said when cleaning her house, "If you are looking for dirt, you will find it".

What you see here is a place like any other. Only in my opinion it is better.

Come down and see.

Hugs,
GG

:agree:

A visit will allow to see how beautiful TV is and you might be blown away in that it might be right for you.

With members of my family, I say, "for those who want to get together and have a good time, lets make plans. For those who want to make things miserable for others, stay hame to enjoy your misery".

Mermaid, I think you need to understand that poaching is illegal, not necessarily cruel to animals, unless you of the opinion that hunting is inherently cruel. Mark Morse, his family and friends hunted on their lands without the proper hunting licenses. There is NO charge of animal abuse. Waste of carcasses, yes. Cruelty to animals, no.

I can understand wanting to wait and see the outcome of the IRS issues. I can understand someone being hesitant to move here because of the past acts of the developer and the recent settlement of a major lawsuit because of those past acts, but to say the poaching charges would make a difference makes little sense to me.

To judge TV by TOTV also makes little sense. The anonomity makes it easy to say things you would never say to a person's face. Sadly, some people just can't stop themselves or really don't realize how hateful and hurtful their words are.

I have said repeatedly that the best thing about TV is its residents. There is a generosity here that I've seen nowhere else on this earth (and I've seen a lot of this beautiful planet). I don't agree with the majority of conservatives in TV and that's okay. I love 'em, anyway, bless their misguided little hearts.

I don't care where you end up living, you'll never find a place that is 100% to your liking. No one (not even Gracie) does. You won't like every neighbor, you won't like every restaurant or golf course or ..... Just isn't in human nature to like everything. So, if you're going to judge TV because of TOTV or the poaching incidents, then I'd say TV really isn't right for you. Those two things seem to have soured you to our little slice of paradise and that attitude is pretty hard to overcome.

Redwitch is 110% right in her post.

Mermaid had better do some checking on the meatpacking and poultry packing plants as well as dairy farms and egg farms in the US. Look at them and you will see all types of animal cruelty. Chickens are de-beaked and live their lives in tiny cages to produce eggs - and killed for stew chicken or cat food when egg producing stops. Dairy cows are made pregnant every 2 years so they produce milk - and the newborn calves are made into veal. The cows are then slaughtered at about age 6 or 7 for stew meat or dog food when milk production slows down.

The charge against the Morse family is hunting without proper licenses on their own land. This is NOT animal cruelty. It is punishable by a fine - IF found guilty.

Redwitch says it perfectly it is foolish to judge The Villages or any community on the basis of a talk forum. However, if you do that and think the thinking is not to your liking, you probably would not be happy here. There are a lot of other communities in the US. Make your own choice and do not rely on a talk forum to do it for you.

There are more/or less 80,000 people in TV. Have you read 80,000 negative posts?? I would wait until you have visited before passing judgement.....based on TOTV postings.