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BILL TINKER said since the world will be ending this weekend, he'll kill his pets.
David Bolling/Index-Tribune
Bill Tinker, the apocalyptic prophet of Boyes Hot Springs who believes the beginning of the end of the world will arrive Saturday with a cataclysmic global earthquake, has decided that since his pets can't go where he's going, he intends to have them put to sleep.
"I don't want them to be suffering if the earthquake doesn't kill them," he said Thursday, outside his chaotically cluttered home on 1st Avenue.
The Bible-quoting proselytizer owns two parrots, three cats and a small dog.
Word of Tinker's plans reached the Index-Tribune from two different neighbors, one of whom has witnessed and worried about his lifestyle for decades. Marti Bryant, who lives up the street from Tinker's compound, said she has watched as drug addicts camp in Tinker's empty lot while loads of garbage are stored in the beds of abandoned pick-up trucks and trash mounts on all sides of the group of homes Tinker owns.
Bryant said the county has placed up to 40 liens on Tinker's property to abate various nuisances, but that somehow the conditions persist.
"They (the county) keep saying they're going to do something," Bryant said, "but if they go any slower they'll be going backwards."
Bryant emphasized she has no quarrel with Tinker's end-of-the-world message. "I am totally supportive of all religious beliefs," she said. "Do what you want to do, but leave the animals alone."
Both Bryant and Joe Holiday, who bought the house adjoining Tinker's lot in February, said they have contacted Sonoma County Animal Control regarding Tinker's pet euthanasia plans. And Kenneth Crane, the county's supervising animal control officer said Thursday that his staff has met twice with Tinker. "An officer inspected the animals and found them all to be in good health," said Crane in an email message. "An offer was made to Mr. Tinker to allow our department to take possession of the animals, and then return them to Mr. Tinker after Saturday, however Mr. Tinker declined."
Crane added that while it is against the law to intentionally maim, mutilate, torture or wound a living animal, there is no law against a private individual having an animal "humanely euthanized."
Tinker insisted putting his pets down was humane. "I think that's fair, don't you? He asked rhetorically. "When the earthquake gets rolling and it's destroyed all the world? I'm not going to kill them until it gets to Denver."
Asked why he doesn't give the animals to someone else to care for, Tinker insisted that wouldn't be fair to his pets.
"How are they going to survive the earthquake. There will be dead people everywhere." Tinker said that by 2 p.m. or 3 p.m. Friday, "We'll get the knowledge," and evidence of the global earthquake will have started near the international dateline in New Zealand. He said he expects to "put the animals down sometime Saturday morning when word arrives that the earthquake has reached Denver.
Asked what will happen if he's wrong, if there is no end of the world, Tinker replied, "I can't believe it isn't going to happen. When New York and Chicago and Denver go down, my animals will go down."
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Hey, everybody, if we survive the foretold earthquake, you're all welcome to celebrate at the Family Barn Dance this Saturday! (Somehow our press release didn't get printed.)
No partner or experience necessary!
This is probably the easiest kind of dancing ever because the caller teaches every dance before the music starts and then calls it while the musicians play. Even third graders can do it! Ah, the music! Real musicians play Irish and/or Blue Grass, which means it's impossible to be grumpy. We’ll have circle mixers and reels – which are long lines where your partner is in the other line.
When: Saturdays, May 21 & June 18
7:00 to 10:00 pm
Where: Sonoma United Methodist Church, 109 Patten Street
$5 adults
$2 youth (12-21)
Under 12 -- free
Take a look at what contra dances are like, here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pK1JkDy_eW8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3dQkJ_ElBI
Clearly as evidenced by the conditions of his property and the fact that He is willing to kill his own pets, this isn't just a case of respecting someone's religious beliefs. This is an individual who is not well. His family needs to step in and if he has no family to help, then adult protective services should be called.
Dear Mr. Bolling:
I read your article in today's paper regarding Mr. Bill Tinker. I found your article to be demeaning, disrespectful, and derrogatory to Mr. Tinker. First, Mr. Tinker is certainly NOT a prophet. He has not claimed to have received a revelation from God; he is simply committed to believing, following, and broadcasting the false teachings of the false, self-proclaimed prophet of doom, Harold Camping. I am not writing to protest the false prophecies. I am writing to express my displeasure at the way Mr. Tinker was ridiculed and his character assaulted in this article. I was Mr. Tinker's pastor for several years, and I can tell you that, though admittedly a bit eccentric, he is a strong believer in God and salvation through Jesus Christ His Son. He loves his family, loves his animals, and is generous beyond belief. Bill was accused of having "drug addicts camping on his lot," when in actuality he has a heart for the homeless and does what he can to help them. The article brings up the "loads of trash" and old vehicles in his yard. While this may in fact cause concern amongst his neighbors, the fact is that the condition of his yard and accumulation of vehicles have absolutely nothing to do with his proclamation of Harold Camping's heresy. I firmly believe that you could have written this article on a religious issue without spreading unverified gossip about Mr. Tinker's efforts (or lack thereof) to maintain his property and the "up to" 40 liens on his property. These issues have nothing to do with the subject, and only serve to ridicule a good man (and a veteran) who unfortunately been deceived by a false prophet. And unless the article was about his relationship with his neighbors, then his neighbors' opinion of him also have nothing to do with the subject and should not have been published.
The Sonoma Alliance Church has committed an entire 24-hour period to fervently pray for Mr. Tinker and any other deceived souls following Mr. Camping. We have also extended our arms of welcome to anyone deceived by the teaching of the earth-ending event this Saturday when such misleads wake up Sunday morning the 22nd and find that nothing has changed.
Rev. John R. Wayne
Assoc. Pastor, Sonoma Alliance Church
jrwayne@comcast.net
Mr Wayne. Mr Bolling writes for a newspaper and so is charged with writing about current events and people. Mr Tinker has made a thorough spectacle of himself what he believes to be a truth that affects all of us. That puts him square in the public eye. As to the horrible conditions he lives in, he has no concern whatsoever regarding the disgusting conditions that he imposes on the people who are his neighbours. Would you personally be so devout in your beliefs if you had to live next door, down the street or close to such? There are not just 'homeless' unfortunates living there, there is drug dealing and slum behaviour that he has no right to impose on his neighbours. As a harmless eccentric he still has a responsibility to be a good neighbour. "May in fact cause concern"? Are you kidding? The place is infested. A man so deluded that he wishes 'euthanasia' on his pets. That's someone who needs to be treated with care and away from those who he may endanger with his twisted ideas of religion and rapturous ascent. And on Sunday aka 'the day after' he will merely adjust his predictions and timing to suit a new apocalypse as has Camping for 17 years now.
Mr. Tinker is on his own.
Sonoma Alliance Church should commit a few hours to “fervently pray” for Tinker’s pets and then rescue them.
David,
I'd first like to thank you. If I needed another excuse to hate pretentious, self righteous journalists, you supplied me with one.. Talk about character assassination. Did Mr Tinker piss in your Cheerios? Well, based on the obvious intent of you third rate article, it seems so.....
It's a pity when we all wake up on Sunday am and Mr Tinker is still here (with the rest of us) dealing with the fall out of your clearly bias article that you will most likely have even less compassion in your follow up article. I'm not saying that small town journalists like yourself would do such a thing. Oh, wait, I am... If you want to have an opinion, write a blog genius. It seems to me no one ever learned you up with a "journalist code", as you apparently have no clue that when you POST something on a NEWSPAPERS website, that some (or most) of the sheep out there take it as gospel. Amazing, your lack of compassion for this poor guy....
The point of your job is to be objective, which you clearly have no concept of. Must be awesome to get thousands of hits on this page with headlines like "Tinker plans to kill pets". That will keep your bosses happy in your lingering, yet all to long career. Way to see the forest for the trees. Opinions are like assholes, and well....
As the great Stan Lee would say, Nuff said.
Erik Sjoen
San Francisco CA
Mr. Tinker is on his own.
Sonoma Alliance Church should commit a few hours to “fervently pray” for Tinker’s pets and then rescue them.
CJ