Meet *My* Neighbors...
Or what's LEFT of them anyway.
Across the street from our house sits a nice VACANT house, formerly lived in by a nice guy in his 50s who rides a Harley, owns 2 Dachshunds, and works his tail off for a living. He also owns a nice trailer that he takes on trips across the state. He never bothers a soul, tended to his lawn and garden plot religiously, and was there to lend a hand. He MOVED recently, because" He has had it with this neighborhood". And he's a Vietnam VET (that thinks this area is bad). What's THAT tell 'ya?
Next to his house sits ANOTHER vacant house, formerly occupied by a nice couple. She was disabled (legally, too), and he was semi-retired. She had a garden that she kept looking REAL nice, and they wound up inheriting some money from a deceased person who appreciated the care they had given him in his last years. They MOVED because they didn't want to remain in the area...so they had a house BUILT...AWAY from the city.
Next to that house is a younger couple...never hear a peep from them, so it's only a matter of time before they become disenchanted with the area and leave.
At the end of that side of the street is our "pride and joy"...a FOUR-TIME DUI FELON, who is back out AGAIN after his latest stint in the Allen County lockup for 2"failure to appear" counts in court. This guy is the LOSER people warn you about....slovenly appearence AND behavior, always looking to do damn near ANYTHING for a buck (or a beer). He even cut his finger, smeared it with feces so it would become infected (and amputated) ALL because he didn't want to take a required DRUG TEST. Lord only know what types of crap he's been putting in himself. And in the 9 years I lived on the street, he has NEVER worked a job, unless you consider fencing stolen items a "job".
Moving across the street is another vacant hovel...been empty for a while now. The last person living there was a single black woman who only stayed there for a few months, then booked. The place had been trashed to the tune of $1500 (according to the "landlord").
Next to that house is a guy who has "The Eternal Flame" fire pit out back....he'll burn anything AND everything simply because he CAN...and will. He's got a boy there, but not all the time, so he's probably got visitation rights. At least he seems to be WORKING.
Next door to that house is the "druggie of the block"...a burnout from the 70s if EVER there was one. He USED to work for GM, but due to his be stioned (and drunk) so damn much, he LOST that job, so HE doesn't work anymore. Other neighbors have said that he sold guns for drugs, and that he used to GROW pot in his house. The police have broken up a few fights at his place, but can't seem to find the balls to put him away for a good long time.
Moving up the block is the hosue my friend and neighbor USED to live in. He and his wife had a house built ACROSS from a PIG FARM, 30 miles out of town, after HE came into some money when his parents were killed in a car crash. He NOW owns FIVE acres (enough for his 2 horses) with a pond and a basement large enough to have a bowling alley in. He doesn't mind the pig farm, saying "It's better than living in our OLD neigborhood". A single white mom moved in...and there is now a big black guy there all of a sudden (with his 1978 Lincoln Ghettosled). We can only guess as to how MANY the final talley will be.
Next to that house is another single mother of two, whose boys have JUST recently learned how "neat" GRUNGE ROCK can be (when played loudly). This house is a mere 20 feet from MY property line, so you know I get to "enjoy" the music. The woman there has been known to be a constantly recovering alcoholic/ druggie, and her deadbeat brother is now living there with them, having HIS jailbird friends over.
Next house is a small bungalow, owned and lived in by a retired German man...we rarely see him, except when he mows his lawn every other week. He's good about that. He doesn't bother anyone either, and basically lives with all the noise. But since he's not around all the time, that's a moot point.
And then we're back to MY house....so there you are...from a rowhouse block of over FORTY families to a block with ONLY TEN houses on it. Weird, huh? All the surrounding blocks are similar in housing, but most all other blocks are 80-90% black or hispanic. And we ALL know they LOVE their noise, whether it's mobile OR stationary. And with MOST retals...whoever moves into them curiously MULTIPLIES after a short time...from ONE tenant...to FIVE in 3 months. Amazing, huh?
So...what would YOU rather have? Would you like the 40 families who are better behaved in a decent neighborhood, or would you prefer a lot fewer people with a myriad of problems in a ghetto-esque neighborhood?
AS for ME? Well, those Amish way out of town are looking REAL good as far as neighbors go THESE days...aren't they "JACOB"? LOL!
31 August 2006
30 August 2006
Allen County Poverty Level Takes A Jump!
We've got MORE "poverty-level" people in Allen County these days....interestingly enough, we ALSO have more hispanics. Anyone care to do the math here? This is according to the statistics released by the U.S. Census Bureau in its 2005 American Community Survey on Tuesday. Funny thing...looking around MY neighborhood at ALL the new SUVs and autos...SOMEONE (make that a LOT of SOMEONES) is/are doing better than most "working" people (we DO still have a few around here that WORK...we really do)...and it's NOT because THEY are working...THEY are NOT. Hmm...must be all that DRUG TRADE nonsense we see going on (that others tell us is all in our imagination)...yeah, that's it! Crime's going down too...soon it will be NON-EXISTENT....and then we won't NEED police anymore...LMAO!
((Love to find out what THESE people that say this are eating, drinking and smoking))
Yessiree...THEY are those welfare grabbing, HUD house living, NON-working sub-class of people we see daily. THEY'RE doing JUST fine...at everyone else's expense. At least someone is making out on all this, eh? While the "median" income is about $46,300 (and most of our FWCS educators are WOEFULLY below that number, as are many police AND firemen), how many of us (individually) can say we're either AT that level, or above it...(show of hands...anyone?). Throughout Indiana, the poverty level has gone UP.....must be all those *new* welfarers (sic) seeking "de good life".
There IS good news....believe it or not...median household income went UP as well, from $42,565 in 2004 to $45,356 in 2005, a 6.6 percent increase. OK...so when does this take effect, because I'm just not seeing it. And I'm STILL waiting.
“Most of the people who leave welfare for work are leaving for jobs that pay $7 or $8 an hour,” said Joan Entmacher, vice president of the National Women’s Law Center, an advocacy group based in Washington. “Under the best of circumstances, they are just getting by.”
Aren't we ALL pretty much doing that already?
We've got MORE "poverty-level" people in Allen County these days....interestingly enough, we ALSO have more hispanics. Anyone care to do the math here? This is according to the statistics released by the U.S. Census Bureau in its 2005 American Community Survey on Tuesday. Funny thing...looking around MY neighborhood at ALL the new SUVs and autos...SOMEONE (make that a LOT of SOMEONES) is/are doing better than most "working" people (we DO still have a few around here that WORK...we really do)...and it's NOT because THEY are working...THEY are NOT. Hmm...must be all that DRUG TRADE nonsense we see going on (that others tell us is all in our imagination)...yeah, that's it! Crime's going down too...soon it will be NON-EXISTENT....and then we won't NEED police anymore...LMAO!
((Love to find out what THESE people that say this are eating, drinking and smoking))
Yessiree...THEY are those welfare grabbing, HUD house living, NON-working sub-class of people we see daily. THEY'RE doing JUST fine...at everyone else's expense. At least someone is making out on all this, eh? While the "median" income is about $46,300 (and most of our FWCS educators are WOEFULLY below that number, as are many police AND firemen), how many of us (individually) can say we're either AT that level, or above it...(show of hands...anyone?). Throughout Indiana, the poverty level has gone UP.....must be all those *new* welfarers (sic) seeking "de good life".
There IS good news....believe it or not...median household income went UP as well, from $42,565 in 2004 to $45,356 in 2005, a 6.6 percent increase. OK...so when does this take effect, because I'm just not seeing it. And I'm STILL waiting.
“Most of the people who leave welfare for work are leaving for jobs that pay $7 or $8 an hour,” said Joan Entmacher, vice president of the National Women’s Law Center, an advocacy group based in Washington. “Under the best of circumstances, they are just getting by.”
Aren't we ALL pretty much doing that already?
29 August 2006
Neighborhood Differences - Part Two
Recently, an online friend said that he and his fiance' were looking to buy a home in Fort Wayne. And aside from the fact that WE are thinking about looking to sell OURS after a LONG struggle to manintain our part of the neighborhod, and finding the system has played us like a cheap fiddle, I told him in spite of them getting a REAL nice house..ours is in a "distressed" area of this side of town, and I wouldn't want to piss someone off THAT much, should they move in and find the same problems we have...LOL!
The reality is this:
In Philadelphia, SO many of us grew up and wound up owning a ROWHOME. For those not familiar with this, it's basically a ONE family house, about 16 ft. wide and about 90 ft. deep (including yard if you're lucky). It's a 2 story house with basement/garage, maybe a small "lawn" (think patch of green stuff that can be "mowed" with electric grass shears) and maybe even a retaining wall (we had a white stone one with drainage holes...damn nice). And on ANY given block, you'd have about FORTY of these...20 per side per block. Nice tight accomodations, but hey...it was STILL a house. In SOUTH Philly, they're even SMALLER, perhaps 3 stories (called Faith, Hope, and Charity homes) with NO lawn, small backyard, and no garage (on street parking only). Your nearest neighbor is only SIX INCHES away...the thickness of the walls between houses. And when you were out front OR out back...damn near everyone on the block could SEE you. Privacy was relegated to INSIDE the house....But we DID have some great BLOCK PARTIES...!
In Fort Wayne...on most "typical" streets, you have anywhere from between 8- 16 houses, and these are ONLY stand-alones...no real "rowhouses" at all! Now you'd think that with ALL that space around and SO many FEWER families...that things would a LOT less stressful and a LOT more peaceful...
It depends on the "quality" of the people that are allowed to dwell in those houses. The worse the quality of the people...the worse the quality of life for everyone one ELSE! And that shit floats ANYWHERE, believe me!
If a neighborhood starts to decline, it's because ONE house started it all...ONE family, or even ONE person. Also...with FEWER families per block, you'd ALSO think there'd be FEWER cars (we're not on a "main-drag" like Robbins Av. or Levick St. back in Philly), and since we're off of the MAIN streets...traffic should be lighter...(excluding the city trucks or ulitilty vehicles).
We've got MORE traffic in ONE DAY on our street (which might include tractor-trailers or those HUGE dump trucks - both illegal according to city ordinances...we're NOT a truck route), than we had most WEEKS on streets feeding into Robbins Or Levick! And it was always busy (main street to Tac-Pal bridge). Some HOUSES on our block have MORE traffic in one DAY than most ALL other houses have ALL FRIGGING MONTH! We like to call them "Drug Houses" here. And deservedly so. SP one would think that with such traffic, we'd have the appropriate amount of POLICE cars to balance the equation...
All things considered, the respect level of having SO many people packed in on a Philly street went a LONG way to promote a sense of COMMUNITY (or else...lol). Then again...up in RHAWNHURST (which LOOKS much like OUR streets HERE in Fort Wayne), that same sense of community USED to prevail as well. Most of those houses were single or duplexes with detached single car garages. It was the PEOPLE that made the area nice, and kept it nice. Conversely, it's the "people" that will bring a neigborhood to the depths of despair. And we all know that when it comes to mankind...it is ALWAYS easier to DESTROY something than to BUILD it. Hell...back in Philly, anytime during the day OR night..you'd feel OK with taking a walk, going down to the store, strolling over to the local taproom, or just sitting out front. In MY neighborhood here...well, just mowing your lawn can be a study in "confrontationalism".
People will call you out JUST BECAUSE you're living on a street that they "think" should be entirely THEIRS! How DARE you try and make this area look NICER than they ever could? Being white certainly doesn't help your cause one damn bit either, so YOU can't play any type of "race card" like people of other ethnicities can seem to do with inpunity. I asked myself "WHY" do they feel this way? I''ve never bothered them one bit, kept to myself, always taken care of my house and lawns, and always tried to set a GOOD example of being a homeowner. It's the "good stewardship" thing from Sunday School. And then it hit me like a ton of bricks.... THAT is exactly WHY they want me (and others like me) out of here...I represent a "threat" to them (however ill-perceived). I represent a form of "control", "authority", and "structure" that they obviously both LACK and DESPISE. Now I don't even pretend to control anyone or anything (except my garden...I AM their "god"...LOL), and I have no authority over anything, save my own meager life (by MY CHOICES alone), so THAT can't be it either. It MUST be the "STRUCTURE" thing.
Since they have NO structure in THEIR lives (as is evidenced by their behavior alone), I'm placed on the very SAME list as the police (distrust of ANY authority) and the government (NO one controls THEM, even though they get a monthly CHECK from them)..and that makes perfect sense, even if it IS in some bastardized fashion. I have become an outcast where I chose to settle down, simply because of WHO I am, and what they "think" I represent to them.
The nice guy is forced to finish last again.
And sadly, this scenario is played out in cities all over this nation. That's what "white flight" is all about, but even others of the same ethnicity find themselves being driven out of neighborhoods because they (also) represent some level of (misperceived) "whiteness". Yet all these people want is the same as I want; to take care of what they have, enjoy a decent life with their families, and be bothersome to no one. The system is never there to aid the good people, only to discourage them. The same system rewards the bad people, gives them the houses WE used to live in, practically free, and gives them the means to perpetuate this process again and again.
Whenever I hear someone mutter the word "equality", usually spoken by some person of ethnicity, and probably by someone NOT of (at least the middle class)...I just have to laugh at the irony.
When decent people of ANY ethnicity are driven out of (once nice) neighborhoods, turning them into minor versions of major ghettos...that is about as FAR from ANY form of equality as you can possibly get.
Recently, an online friend said that he and his fiance' were looking to buy a home in Fort Wayne. And aside from the fact that WE are thinking about looking to sell OURS after a LONG struggle to manintain our part of the neighborhod, and finding the system has played us like a cheap fiddle, I told him in spite of them getting a REAL nice house..ours is in a "distressed" area of this side of town, and I wouldn't want to piss someone off THAT much, should they move in and find the same problems we have...LOL!
The reality is this:
In Philadelphia, SO many of us grew up and wound up owning a ROWHOME. For those not familiar with this, it's basically a ONE family house, about 16 ft. wide and about 90 ft. deep (including yard if you're lucky). It's a 2 story house with basement/garage, maybe a small "lawn" (think patch of green stuff that can be "mowed" with electric grass shears) and maybe even a retaining wall (we had a white stone one with drainage holes...damn nice). And on ANY given block, you'd have about FORTY of these...20 per side per block. Nice tight accomodations, but hey...it was STILL a house. In SOUTH Philly, they're even SMALLER, perhaps 3 stories (called Faith, Hope, and Charity homes) with NO lawn, small backyard, and no garage (on street parking only). Your nearest neighbor is only SIX INCHES away...the thickness of the walls between houses. And when you were out front OR out back...damn near everyone on the block could SEE you. Privacy was relegated to INSIDE the house....But we DID have some great BLOCK PARTIES...!
In Fort Wayne...on most "typical" streets, you have anywhere from between 8- 16 houses, and these are ONLY stand-alones...no real "rowhouses" at all! Now you'd think that with ALL that space around and SO many FEWER families...that things would a LOT less stressful and a LOT more peaceful...
WRONG!
If a neighborhood starts to decline, it's because ONE house started it all...ONE family, or even ONE person. Also...with FEWER families per block, you'd ALSO think there'd be FEWER cars (we're not on a "main-drag" like Robbins Av. or Levick St. back in Philly), and since we're off of the MAIN streets...traffic should be lighter...(excluding the city trucks or ulitilty vehicles).
WRONG AGAIN!
WRONG YET AGAIN!
All things considered, the respect level of having SO many people packed in on a Philly street went a LONG way to promote a sense of COMMUNITY (or else...lol). Then again...up in RHAWNHURST (which LOOKS much like OUR streets HERE in Fort Wayne), that same sense of community USED to prevail as well. Most of those houses were single or duplexes with detached single car garages. It was the PEOPLE that made the area nice, and kept it nice. Conversely, it's the "people" that will bring a neigborhood to the depths of despair. And we all know that when it comes to mankind...it is ALWAYS easier to DESTROY something than to BUILD it. Hell...back in Philly, anytime during the day OR night..you'd feel OK with taking a walk, going down to the store, strolling over to the local taproom, or just sitting out front. In MY neighborhood here...well, just mowing your lawn can be a study in "confrontationalism".
People will call you out JUST BECAUSE you're living on a street that they "think" should be entirely THEIRS! How DARE you try and make this area look NICER than they ever could? Being white certainly doesn't help your cause one damn bit either, so YOU can't play any type of "race card" like people of other ethnicities can seem to do with inpunity. I asked myself "WHY" do they feel this way? I''ve never bothered them one bit, kept to myself, always taken care of my house and lawns, and always tried to set a GOOD example of being a homeowner. It's the "good stewardship" thing from Sunday School. And then it hit me like a ton of bricks.... THAT is exactly WHY they want me (and others like me) out of here...I represent a "threat" to them (however ill-perceived). I represent a form of "control", "authority", and "structure" that they obviously both LACK and DESPISE. Now I don't even pretend to control anyone or anything (except my garden...I AM their "god"...LOL), and I have no authority over anything, save my own meager life (by MY CHOICES alone), so THAT can't be it either. It MUST be the "STRUCTURE" thing.
Since they have NO structure in THEIR lives (as is evidenced by their behavior alone), I'm placed on the very SAME list as the police (distrust of ANY authority) and the government (NO one controls THEM, even though they get a monthly CHECK from them)..and that makes perfect sense, even if it IS in some bastardized fashion. I have become an outcast where I chose to settle down, simply because of WHO I am, and what they "think" I represent to them.
The nice guy is forced to finish last again.
And sadly, this scenario is played out in cities all over this nation. That's what "white flight" is all about, but even others of the same ethnicity find themselves being driven out of neighborhoods because they (also) represent some level of (misperceived) "whiteness". Yet all these people want is the same as I want; to take care of what they have, enjoy a decent life with their families, and be bothersome to no one. The system is never there to aid the good people, only to discourage them. The same system rewards the bad people, gives them the houses WE used to live in, practically free, and gives them the means to perpetuate this process again and again.
Whenever I hear someone mutter the word "equality", usually spoken by some person of ethnicity, and probably by someone NOT of (at least the middle class)...I just have to laugh at the irony.
When decent people of ANY ethnicity are driven out of (once nice) neighborhoods, turning them into minor versions of major ghettos...that is about as FAR from ANY form of equality as you can possibly get.
Who Watches The Watchers????
One thing that becomes painfully evident (being a SOUTH side resident), is the fact that SO many eyes are always on YOU. You don't even have to look about...you can just "feel" them much like the mosquito that wants you to join him for lunch (and not in a GOOD way).
Now there ARE those that say "you're just paranoid", or "you're too sensitive", but I'll say THIS much...if you're NOT aware of your surroundings (and those within them), then you are just hanging a sign around your neck saying "Please rob me blind, burn down my house, and feel free to take any damn thing of MINE you want, because I embrace diversity and acknowledge YOUR right to be the asshole you are, excclusive of MY rights". Sound like something that SHOULD be said, but never IS? What I maintain is that when you have a person with no job to speak of (and "drug dealer" is NOT a job) with all damn day to wreak havoc upon those who are really supporting YOUR SORRY ASS anyway, thanks to all the gov't "give-aways" on their hands to cruise around and LOOK for someone to take advantage if...well, you will have these ctrimes of "opportunity". And sometimes the opportunity is forced into creation.
When you drive down ANY street on the SOUTH side of Fort Wayne, be expected to be stared, glared, and gawked at...by anyone AND everyone. And don't think they do NOT notice all they can about you. They might not read at a 6th grade level, but they WILL remember your car (and even what house it winds up parking at). They might be able to articualte a compound sentence, but they KNOW when you leave your house to go somewhere, and will be looking for a "routine" you might adhere to. They might not be able to speak in anything other than an ebonics-laden, monosyllabic slew of epithets, but they DO know what you look like, nd will remember if you call the police to he area for anything.
With that being said, it's no wonder that so many people have already left the area. I mean who wants to live under the pall of constant view by those whose only desire is to claim for themselves what is rightfully yours? Take the case of young gangs of boys stealing a bike from some other kid whose only crime was being in THEIR field of view. Or how abiout the senior citizen that is robbed of his/her SSN check because some perp KNEW what time of day on a given month they would be visiting the bank or ATM?
I am always impressing upon my wife (and friends) the fact that you should always be aware of your surroundings. never take anything for granted concerning these "people", because you are being watched...being scrutinized....evaluated for whatever "they" have in mind to satify their basal desires. These people who are watching you are rarely covert about it. And since there are SO many of them, the "network" they form works to their interests (in your possessions).
All this started with that "Broken Window Theory" we heard about all those years ago. If you park a nice car on some street with a broken window, it WILL become the victim of more crime, whether it's stripped, set ablaze, or even towed away to the local chop-shop. So it is around here. I've had things taken from my garage WHILE I WAS HOME....now tell me that nobody had been watching the house to NOTICE that, hmm? Somehow, someone KNEW when I was going to be IN the house, away from the garage (for a brief time), and thereby making it easy to "snatch and grab". Again...a crime of "opportunity", and someone knew when that opportunity would present itself. Watching them back serves little purpose, as the police will rarely act on anything you inform them of. And even if they DO act...it takes longer to make an arrest (unless the police catch the perp IN THE ACT), than it did to build the GREAT WALL OF CHINA (we can thank the ACLU a lot for that)!
The question then becomes: "Who DOES really watch these watchers"? If you're fortunate enough, the police just "might" watch them (especially if there's an election year available, or they have a QUOTA to meet). These perps will even watch each other, but that serves the average law-abiding citizen NO damn good at all. And most of us cannot effectively watch ALL of these "people" ALL of the time...(it's the whole life - job - family - sleep thing), so that won't be happening either. Basically, these perps will be left unfettered, because nothing has ever been put in place to change the BEHAVIOR that promotes what they do. As long as their sub-culture of crime is allowed to fester like an infected wound, we're all just going to have to watch EACH OTHER'S back, as well as not become creatures of "habit" vis-a-vis changing our routine to keep these "people" guessing. If THEY don't know what's going on...we've already made progress. It's when we make it easy for them that they WILL act on all that they view. Having enough people doing just that will work against crime...look at ANY nice upscale neighborhood. People CARE. People band TOGETHER. There is a REAL sense of COMMUNITY.
Sadly, there is nothing approximating that on the SOUTH side...only scattered individuals, like survivors of some holocaust, trying to be heard...trying to live.
One thing that becomes painfully evident (being a SOUTH side resident), is the fact that SO many eyes are always on YOU. You don't even have to look about...you can just "feel" them much like the mosquito that wants you to join him for lunch (and not in a GOOD way).
Now there ARE those that say "you're just paranoid", or "you're too sensitive", but I'll say THIS much...if you're NOT aware of your surroundings (and those within them), then you are just hanging a sign around your neck saying "Please rob me blind, burn down my house, and feel free to take any damn thing of MINE you want, because I embrace diversity and acknowledge YOUR right to be the asshole you are, excclusive of MY rights". Sound like something that SHOULD be said, but never IS? What I maintain is that when you have a person with no job to speak of (and "drug dealer" is NOT a job) with all damn day to wreak havoc upon those who are really supporting YOUR SORRY ASS anyway, thanks to all the gov't "give-aways" on their hands to cruise around and LOOK for someone to take advantage if...well, you will have these ctrimes of "opportunity". And sometimes the opportunity is forced into creation.
When you drive down ANY street on the SOUTH side of Fort Wayne, be expected to be stared, glared, and gawked at...by anyone AND everyone. And don't think they do NOT notice all they can about you. They might not read at a 6th grade level, but they WILL remember your car (and even what house it winds up parking at). They might be able to articualte a compound sentence, but they KNOW when you leave your house to go somewhere, and will be looking for a "routine" you might adhere to. They might not be able to speak in anything other than an ebonics-laden, monosyllabic slew of epithets, but they DO know what you look like, nd will remember if you call the police to he area for anything.
With that being said, it's no wonder that so many people have already left the area. I mean who wants to live under the pall of constant view by those whose only desire is to claim for themselves what is rightfully yours? Take the case of young gangs of boys stealing a bike from some other kid whose only crime was being in THEIR field of view. Or how abiout the senior citizen that is robbed of his/her SSN check because some perp KNEW what time of day on a given month they would be visiting the bank or ATM?
I am always impressing upon my wife (and friends) the fact that you should always be aware of your surroundings. never take anything for granted concerning these "people", because you are being watched...being scrutinized....evaluated for whatever "they" have in mind to satify their basal desires. These people who are watching you are rarely covert about it. And since there are SO many of them, the "network" they form works to their interests (in your possessions).
All this started with that "Broken Window Theory" we heard about all those years ago. If you park a nice car on some street with a broken window, it WILL become the victim of more crime, whether it's stripped, set ablaze, or even towed away to the local chop-shop. So it is around here. I've had things taken from my garage WHILE I WAS HOME....now tell me that nobody had been watching the house to NOTICE that, hmm? Somehow, someone KNEW when I was going to be IN the house, away from the garage (for a brief time), and thereby making it easy to "snatch and grab". Again...a crime of "opportunity", and someone knew when that opportunity would present itself. Watching them back serves little purpose, as the police will rarely act on anything you inform them of. And even if they DO act...it takes longer to make an arrest (unless the police catch the perp IN THE ACT), than it did to build the GREAT WALL OF CHINA (we can thank the ACLU a lot for that)!
The question then becomes: "Who DOES really watch these watchers"? If you're fortunate enough, the police just "might" watch them (especially if there's an election year available, or they have a QUOTA to meet). These perps will even watch each other, but that serves the average law-abiding citizen NO damn good at all. And most of us cannot effectively watch ALL of these "people" ALL of the time...(it's the whole life - job - family - sleep thing), so that won't be happening either. Basically, these perps will be left unfettered, because nothing has ever been put in place to change the BEHAVIOR that promotes what they do. As long as their sub-culture of crime is allowed to fester like an infected wound, we're all just going to have to watch EACH OTHER'S back, as well as not become creatures of "habit" vis-a-vis changing our routine to keep these "people" guessing. If THEY don't know what's going on...we've already made progress. It's when we make it easy for them that they WILL act on all that they view. Having enough people doing just that will work against crime...look at ANY nice upscale neighborhood. People CARE. People band TOGETHER. There is a REAL sense of COMMUNITY.
Sadly, there is nothing approximating that on the SOUTH side...only scattered individuals, like survivors of some holocaust, trying to be heard...trying to live.
27 August 2006
An Army of.....(only) One?
It's far from easy these days to defend what is YOURS, whether it be YOUR property, YOUR integrity, or even YOUR rights. With our lawsuit-happy-go-lucky mentality which pervades this nation in general, it becomes clear that most any deck you find yourself shuffling will most certainly be (pre) stacked against you. Case in point...my current residential status in the city of Fort Wayne (ahh...you KNEW I was going there, didn't you?) which will invariably be subject to change sometime in the future. I've lived in this city of 223,000+ for the past NINE (excruciatingly LONG) years, and all during that time, I have maintained what many could call a "low profile".
MY nature has always been to:
1) live your life, and not merely "exist"
2) live by EXAMPLE
3) bother no one until bothered BY someone
4) turn a few cheeks now and then
5) defend yourself when needed, be it for your life, your nation, or your honor.
6) and speak up for that which NEEDS speaking up for.
Simple stuff really, right?
It might be considered a bit Victorian, but yet it DOES make for a sound sleep most nights, thanks to a clear conscience. Gee...maybe THAT'S why I have no criminal record..... Keeping your nose clean...whatta concept, eh? However, within those NINE years, people, total strangers in fact, have sought to thrust themselves upon MY life to no small end. And I didn't even ASK them to. These purveyors of mayhem have actively chosen to inflict THEIR lifestyles on me and my family, in spite of my repeated attempts to dissuade them. And forget about ignoring them...they won't allow that. You know the people....everything from the loud boomcars that shake you from your sleep at 4 AM on a Wednesday morning. Or maybe it's the guy down the block whose daily late-night beerfests can be heard the length of the block. Perhaps it's the barking dogs, the honking cars (they do STILL make doorbells...I've seen them at Menards), gunfire (never knew we had OUTDOOR pistol ranges in THIS part of town), unsupervised kids ruining your flower beds, or the frequent drunk that meanders up the street at 8 AM, already 3 sheets in the wind.
Now I must NOT be the ONLY person that not only notices these aberrations. I just can't be. And I surely can't be the ONLY person that thinks that THIS sort of behavior is not only typical, but OK with everyone else. But given the fact that no one else seems to want to DO anything about it says a lot about not only the state of our city and society, but also speaks to our degree of involvement to reverse this trend. Whenever I have sent a letter to the editor noting such things in our neighborhood, NOBODY responded either in kind, or in contrast. Whenever I have had an article in print ABOUT our neighborhood, NOBODY either defended my assessment OR decried it. In essence...NOBODY gave a rat's ass. Not ONE person came forward and said ANYTHING...AT ALL. And that seems to be the REAL problem with the South side of Fort Wayne. Where I seem to have drawn "a line in the sand", everyone else seemed to line up and place their head IN the sand BEHIND that line.
For example, when you submit information to the police department, and all that comes from it is MAYBE one arrest after several YEARS, you've got to wonder to yourself what the f$ck is going on here. When you send lengthy letters to the MAYOR, and all that comes of it is a nice reply condoning and praising your passion for making your area better, and NOT ONE THING else gets done, you just have to wonder. When the ONLY positive response you get is from either CODE ENFORCEMENT or SOLID WASTE, that makes you wonder. But at least THOSE 2 departments are doing something, right? Such cannot be said for all the others, with the possible exception of ANIMAL CONTROL.
You do find out that the police are "complaint-driven". OK...big f$cking deal...so is NCE and Solid Waste and Animal Control, but at least THOSE departments are making PROGRESS!I used to be a very staunch supporter of the FWPD (coming from a police family in Philly), but over the years, I am getting more and more reticent about their intentions overall. Sure they make some busts, and keep the city "safe", relatively speaking. But when there seems to be absolutely NO "proactivity" in keeping smaller crimes from developing into larger, more heinous crimes...well, it makes you wonder even MORE. It's small wonder that so many people have a preconceived notion about the police here...hell, the police seem to foster that notion to no small degree, and I find that alarmingly disquieting.And to "corral" all the undesireables into MY part of town and THEN tell me the city wants to "revitalize" this area...yeah, right....I don't wanna buy THAT bridge in Manhattan THAT bad. Who's bullshitting WHO now? And why even bother to revitalize...it's only going to be a "nicer" ghetto for a few years anyway before it devolves back INTO that same ghetto. I have your answer to "revitalization"...but no one will allow me the courtesy of applying MY 12 gauge solution to the problem.
Suffice it to say that I've gone from a "platoon-sized" group in our area, to a "lone wolf", thanks to all those that have moved away to seek greener pastures, less stress, (and some quality sleep). There is always "safety in numbers", yet today, that safety is all but gone.There are no more "numbers" to speak of. And I suppose I can thank the city for all of it's "Non-Intervention" policies. In a block of ONLY 10 stand-alone houses, I am the ONLY homeowner left (aside from one retired guy who is rarely home) that is trying to hold the high ground (well, the house does sit up on a slight hill). My wife and I are the ONLY ones left on the block that have ANY idea of what it's like to own a house, take care of it, and bother no one. I have sign in my garage that says: "The Ghetto Stops Here". Noble sentiemnts indeed, but I fear that nothing will halt this ever-rising tide of disrespect and human vermin from COMPLETELY washing over and inundating this once nice area. It is a fight against a subculture that is rendering asunder the fabric of our society. And I seem to be the ONLY one (still here) that sees this. That's simply AMAZING!
So often we all but ignore the "last man standing"...the anachronistic individual, the "Mr. Everyman" that attempts to do what is right by holding his ground, instead of bugging out. Yet there does come a time when all that person does goes for naught, simply because of the sheer numbers of antagonists he might encounter. And since any form of today's justice favors the greater number (in many cases unjustly), our staunch defender becomes lost and devalued by that system.What HE does doesn't matter. Who HE is becomes inconsequential.
The right to have a home, raise a family, enjoy a walk or a bike ride, and even sit in one's living room talking or watching some TV are ALL in dire jeopardy on the South side of this city. When that lone wolf is all that is left of a neighborhood that once included caring parents, working-class folks who DID work, and people that took pride in their houses and property, we have to stop and ask ourselves WHEN will it end...and WHERE will it end? Who can we turn to when no one is there? What can we do when there is nothing LEFT to do anything with? Where can we go when there is no place left to go to?
That pretty much sums up my current residential status in my neighborhood.
Never thought I would wind up being that "Lone Wolf".
It's far from easy these days to defend what is YOURS, whether it be YOUR property, YOUR integrity, or even YOUR rights. With our lawsuit-happy-go-lucky mentality which pervades this nation in general, it becomes clear that most any deck you find yourself shuffling will most certainly be (pre) stacked against you. Case in point...my current residential status in the city of Fort Wayne (ahh...you KNEW I was going there, didn't you?) which will invariably be subject to change sometime in the future. I've lived in this city of 223,000+ for the past NINE (excruciatingly LONG) years, and all during that time, I have maintained what many could call a "low profile".
MY nature has always been to:
1) live your life, and not merely "exist"
2) live by EXAMPLE
3) bother no one until bothered BY someone
4) turn a few cheeks now and then
5) defend yourself when needed, be it for your life, your nation, or your honor.
6) and speak up for that which NEEDS speaking up for.
Simple stuff really, right?
It might be considered a bit Victorian, but yet it DOES make for a sound sleep most nights, thanks to a clear conscience. Gee...maybe THAT'S why I have no criminal record..... Keeping your nose clean...whatta concept, eh? However, within those NINE years, people, total strangers in fact, have sought to thrust themselves upon MY life to no small end. And I didn't even ASK them to. These purveyors of mayhem have actively chosen to inflict THEIR lifestyles on me and my family, in spite of my repeated attempts to dissuade them. And forget about ignoring them...they won't allow that. You know the people....everything from the loud boomcars that shake you from your sleep at 4 AM on a Wednesday morning. Or maybe it's the guy down the block whose daily late-night beerfests can be heard the length of the block. Perhaps it's the barking dogs, the honking cars (they do STILL make doorbells...I've seen them at Menards), gunfire (never knew we had OUTDOOR pistol ranges in THIS part of town), unsupervised kids ruining your flower beds, or the frequent drunk that meanders up the street at 8 AM, already 3 sheets in the wind.
Now I must NOT be the ONLY person that not only notices these aberrations. I just can't be. And I surely can't be the ONLY person that thinks that THIS sort of behavior is not only typical, but OK with everyone else. But given the fact that no one else seems to want to DO anything about it says a lot about not only the state of our city and society, but also speaks to our degree of involvement to reverse this trend. Whenever I have sent a letter to the editor noting such things in our neighborhood, NOBODY responded either in kind, or in contrast. Whenever I have had an article in print ABOUT our neighborhood, NOBODY either defended my assessment OR decried it. In essence...NOBODY gave a rat's ass. Not ONE person came forward and said ANYTHING...AT ALL. And that seems to be the REAL problem with the South side of Fort Wayne. Where I seem to have drawn "a line in the sand", everyone else seemed to line up and place their head IN the sand BEHIND that line.
For example, when you submit information to the police department, and all that comes from it is MAYBE one arrest after several YEARS, you've got to wonder to yourself what the f$ck is going on here. When you send lengthy letters to the MAYOR, and all that comes of it is a nice reply condoning and praising your passion for making your area better, and NOT ONE THING else gets done, you just have to wonder. When the ONLY positive response you get is from either CODE ENFORCEMENT or SOLID WASTE, that makes you wonder. But at least THOSE 2 departments are doing something, right? Such cannot be said for all the others, with the possible exception of ANIMAL CONTROL.
You do find out that the police are "complaint-driven". OK...big f$cking deal...so is NCE and Solid Waste and Animal Control, but at least THOSE departments are making PROGRESS!I used to be a very staunch supporter of the FWPD (coming from a police family in Philly), but over the years, I am getting more and more reticent about their intentions overall. Sure they make some busts, and keep the city "safe", relatively speaking. But when there seems to be absolutely NO "proactivity" in keeping smaller crimes from developing into larger, more heinous crimes...well, it makes you wonder even MORE. It's small wonder that so many people have a preconceived notion about the police here...hell, the police seem to foster that notion to no small degree, and I find that alarmingly disquieting.And to "corral" all the undesireables into MY part of town and THEN tell me the city wants to "revitalize" this area...yeah, right....I don't wanna buy THAT bridge in Manhattan THAT bad. Who's bullshitting WHO now? And why even bother to revitalize...it's only going to be a "nicer" ghetto for a few years anyway before it devolves back INTO that same ghetto. I have your answer to "revitalization"...but no one will allow me the courtesy of applying MY 12 gauge solution to the problem.
Suffice it to say that I've gone from a "platoon-sized" group in our area, to a "lone wolf", thanks to all those that have moved away to seek greener pastures, less stress, (and some quality sleep). There is always "safety in numbers", yet today, that safety is all but gone.There are no more "numbers" to speak of. And I suppose I can thank the city for all of it's "Non-Intervention" policies. In a block of ONLY 10 stand-alone houses, I am the ONLY homeowner left (aside from one retired guy who is rarely home) that is trying to hold the high ground (well, the house does sit up on a slight hill). My wife and I are the ONLY ones left on the block that have ANY idea of what it's like to own a house, take care of it, and bother no one. I have sign in my garage that says: "The Ghetto Stops Here". Noble sentiemnts indeed, but I fear that nothing will halt this ever-rising tide of disrespect and human vermin from COMPLETELY washing over and inundating this once nice area. It is a fight against a subculture that is rendering asunder the fabric of our society. And I seem to be the ONLY one (still here) that sees this. That's simply AMAZING!
So often we all but ignore the "last man standing"...the anachronistic individual, the "Mr. Everyman" that attempts to do what is right by holding his ground, instead of bugging out. Yet there does come a time when all that person does goes for naught, simply because of the sheer numbers of antagonists he might encounter. And since any form of today's justice favors the greater number (in many cases unjustly), our staunch defender becomes lost and devalued by that system.What HE does doesn't matter. Who HE is becomes inconsequential.
The right to have a home, raise a family, enjoy a walk or a bike ride, and even sit in one's living room talking or watching some TV are ALL in dire jeopardy on the South side of this city. When that lone wolf is all that is left of a neighborhood that once included caring parents, working-class folks who DID work, and people that took pride in their houses and property, we have to stop and ask ourselves WHEN will it end...and WHERE will it end? Who can we turn to when no one is there? What can we do when there is nothing LEFT to do anything with? Where can we go when there is no place left to go to?
That pretty much sums up my current residential status in my neighborhood.
Never thought I would wind up being that "Lone Wolf".
Maybe that's why I enjoy the full moon so much...
26 August 2006
Neighborhood Differences - Part One
One of the most BLATANT differences between where I grew up (in mostly lower-middle-class areas) in PHILLY, and here in FORT WAYNE (just PLAIN middle class, at least it WAS before the RENTALS took over), is the lack of items (we call them...TOYS) for the kids to play with. Back in Philly, we had white metal cheap-ass capguns, armymen (only the GREEN ones will do), pimple balls (and a stick if you were old enough to play in the STREET), tricycles (NO...we didn't just give a HUGE bike to a 4 year old and tell him/her to "work with it"), and that as about it for toys. Sure we played TAG, RED ROVER, DODGE BALL, and such (all most likely BANNED in TODAY'S world), but by and large we still had SOMETHING. No matter HOW "financially-challenged" your folks might have been, you had something to amuse you. Here in Fort Wayne (in MY neighborhood anyway), all I see are about THREE "items", four if you count that HUGE(probably stolen) bike for the 4 year old:
1) STICKS (branches will do in a pinch)
2) STONES (rocks...ditto)
3) BASKETBALLS ((note: less than ONE PERCENT of ALL college bound B'ball players will EVER make it to the "bigtime", so parents, guardians, and whoever the hell is minding these kids today...don't waste your money on a damn BASKETBALL when there is not ONE DAMN PLACE TO EVEN PLAY THE FRIGGING GAME ON OUR STREET, OK?))
I suppose the video game thing MUST be a passing fad. Funny, but when we were broken into at WILLOW CREEK CROSSING, the thieves STOLE my PLAYSTATION....so I would have "thought" that SOME little schmuck would have been satying INDOORS, playing MY games...silly me....what the HELL was I thinking???
Still... *IF* you have the voracious desire to FORCE your kids to play WITH a basketball (notice I didn't say PLAY basketball), tell them to NOT bounce it off of cars going by or use a LAWN for a court, you dipshit excuse for a mother (or father). Just load them into your damn 1978 ghetto-sled and DRIVE their asses (yours as well) to a REAL court...with REAL hoops and REAL painted lines, so they can get a REAL understanding of what the game is (since they're probably NOT going to have to scholastic scores to even GET to college in the first place, thanks to YOUR comprehensive tutelage and exceedingly POOR parenting skills)!
Speaking of "parents"...(and I use the term referencing OUR neighborhood ever so loosely)...um...where the f$ck ARE they anyway? I mean who's watching to see if that 4 year old is constantly riding their mini-big wheel into the nearest intersection WITHOUT KNOWING HOW TO LOOK FIRST? Back in Philly, you never had to worry about anyone NOT looking out for you. Hell, EVERY parent of every child "had your six", and made sure you (and any other kid) wasn't doing ANYTHING you weren't "supposed" to be doing. And God help you if YOU did... It used to be called "getting your ass whupped" (yes, outside..in FRONT of everyone). And crying WAS mandatory back then, because parents did what they did best...namely...PARENTING! No one ever got SUED for placing the "Board of education" upon the "Seat of Knowledge" with intent to TEACH! By the way...belts, razor strops, and a good calloused palm of a father's hand worked wonders too! It was called DISCIPLINE. But that's a whole OTHER post.
Here in Fort Wayne....my neighborhood...mostly "single" (as in a member of the "Boyfriend of the Month Club") moms trying to do 'de best de can", as THEY would say. Well, if THAT is your "best"...thank GOD I don't have to see your WORST. NO ONE in their right mind turns kids loose on a street with drug deals happening several times a month (we're not THAT bad...yet), speeders zooming up, down, and over the street, drunks wandering about, and sex offenders heaven knows where (this city seems to be a MAGNET where that's concerned)...or DO they? I guess being a RESPONSIBLE single parent doesn't figure into today's equation like it USED to.
In Philly, you RESPECTED other people (MISTER Smith, or MISSUS Jones...please, thank you...you know...all the words you NEVER hear today), You respected THEIR property, and woe to you if you didn't. Yep...another ass-whupp. But you LEARNED from that, didn't you? In Fort Wayne...the premise goes soemthing like this for kids (and their disrespectful older quasi-parenting units)..."What's YOURS is MINE...and what's MINE is MY OWN". Your property is JUST as much a playground for their kids as a FORMAL park, or their lawn, or Science Central. So if you're trying to grow flowers out front...FAGGEDABOUDIT! If you're thinking of doing ANY type of "curb appeal" to the frontage of your property (on the SOUTH side)...just string some BARBED WIRE between the trees, plant some PUNJI sticks, and cover them with a nice ground-hugging IVY. I can truthfully say it worked QUITE well for me..BWAHAHAhahaha.
So next time you're watching your children play outside in your comfortable suburban setting, complete with the idyllic landscaping, remember us in the OUTLAND....And try NOT to piss yourself laughing...
One of the most BLATANT differences between where I grew up (in mostly lower-middle-class areas) in PHILLY, and here in FORT WAYNE (just PLAIN middle class, at least it WAS before the RENTALS took over), is the lack of items (we call them...TOYS) for the kids to play with. Back in Philly, we had white metal cheap-ass capguns, armymen (only the GREEN ones will do), pimple balls (and a stick if you were old enough to play in the STREET), tricycles (NO...we didn't just give a HUGE bike to a 4 year old and tell him/her to "work with it"), and that as about it for toys. Sure we played TAG, RED ROVER, DODGE BALL, and such (all most likely BANNED in TODAY'S world), but by and large we still had SOMETHING. No matter HOW "financially-challenged" your folks might have been, you had something to amuse you. Here in Fort Wayne (in MY neighborhood anyway), all I see are about THREE "items", four if you count that HUGE(probably stolen) bike for the 4 year old:
1) STICKS (branches will do in a pinch)
2) STONES (rocks...ditto)
3) BASKETBALLS ((note: less than ONE PERCENT of ALL college bound B'ball players will EVER make it to the "bigtime", so parents, guardians, and whoever the hell is minding these kids today...don't waste your money on a damn BASKETBALL when there is not ONE DAMN PLACE TO EVEN PLAY THE FRIGGING GAME ON OUR STREET, OK?))
I suppose the video game thing MUST be a passing fad. Funny, but when we were broken into at WILLOW CREEK CROSSING, the thieves STOLE my PLAYSTATION....so I would have "thought" that SOME little schmuck would have been satying INDOORS, playing MY games...silly me....what the HELL was I thinking???
Still... *IF* you have the voracious desire to FORCE your kids to play WITH a basketball (notice I didn't say PLAY basketball), tell them to NOT bounce it off of cars going by or use a LAWN for a court, you dipshit excuse for a mother (or father). Just load them into your damn 1978 ghetto-sled and DRIVE their asses (yours as well) to a REAL court...with REAL hoops and REAL painted lines, so they can get a REAL understanding of what the game is (since they're probably NOT going to have to scholastic scores to even GET to college in the first place, thanks to YOUR comprehensive tutelage and exceedingly POOR parenting skills)!
Speaking of "parents"...(and I use the term referencing OUR neighborhood ever so loosely)...um...where the f$ck ARE they anyway? I mean who's watching to see if that 4 year old is constantly riding their mini-big wheel into the nearest intersection WITHOUT KNOWING HOW TO LOOK FIRST? Back in Philly, you never had to worry about anyone NOT looking out for you. Hell, EVERY parent of every child "had your six", and made sure you (and any other kid) wasn't doing ANYTHING you weren't "supposed" to be doing. And God help you if YOU did... It used to be called "getting your ass whupped" (yes, outside..in FRONT of everyone). And crying WAS mandatory back then, because parents did what they did best...namely...PARENTING! No one ever got SUED for placing the "Board of education" upon the "Seat of Knowledge" with intent to TEACH! By the way...belts, razor strops, and a good calloused palm of a father's hand worked wonders too! It was called DISCIPLINE. But that's a whole OTHER post.
Here in Fort Wayne....my neighborhood...mostly "single" (as in a member of the "Boyfriend of the Month Club") moms trying to do 'de best de can", as THEY would say. Well, if THAT is your "best"...thank GOD I don't have to see your WORST. NO ONE in their right mind turns kids loose on a street with drug deals happening several times a month (we're not THAT bad...yet), speeders zooming up, down, and over the street, drunks wandering about, and sex offenders heaven knows where (this city seems to be a MAGNET where that's concerned)...or DO they? I guess being a RESPONSIBLE single parent doesn't figure into today's equation like it USED to.
In Philly, you RESPECTED other people (MISTER Smith, or MISSUS Jones...please, thank you...you know...all the words you NEVER hear today), You respected THEIR property, and woe to you if you didn't. Yep...another ass-whupp. But you LEARNED from that, didn't you? In Fort Wayne...the premise goes soemthing like this for kids (and their disrespectful older quasi-parenting units)..."What's YOURS is MINE...and what's MINE is MY OWN". Your property is JUST as much a playground for their kids as a FORMAL park, or their lawn, or Science Central. So if you're trying to grow flowers out front...FAGGEDABOUDIT! If you're thinking of doing ANY type of "curb appeal" to the frontage of your property (on the SOUTH side)...just string some BARBED WIRE between the trees, plant some PUNJI sticks, and cover them with a nice ground-hugging IVY. I can truthfully say it worked QUITE well for me..BWAHAHAhahaha.
So next time you're watching your children play outside in your comfortable suburban setting, complete with the idyllic landscaping, remember us in the OUTLAND....And try NOT to piss yourself laughing...
25 August 2006
Can nuts get ANY more numb???
Laser pointers...fun cat toys, right? Hell, even DOGS like 'em...and they're easily purchased, cheap enough, and provide some fun for you and the pets on those banal evenings (and we all have them once in a while)...
BUT...there are those certain people out there that just HATE them...namely the boomcar drivers that crack my plaster walls, scare my cats, drown out the BATTLE OF THE DEATH STAR on my TV, and piss me off to NO end.
MOST of these audio-vermin aren't really even bothered by having a laser shine into their ghetto-sleds. Some of them DO turn it down though (or even off completely).
But there is ALWAYS that ONE "special" driver...the one that thinks the world revolves around HIS ethnic a$$..the one with his hand firmly ensconced upon his "nether-regions" as he shuffles down the middle of a city street. The perpetual bad-ass buck with NO job, NO future, NO self respect, but PUH-LENTY of what I like to call "Badditude"...
Now, according to Indiana law..the ONLY caveat pertaining to laser pointers is the ordinance (IC 35-47-4.5-4), that states that a citizen cannot shine a laser at:
(1) a state police officer;
(2) a county sheriff;
(3) a county police officer;
(4) a correctional officer;
(5) an excise police officer;
(6) a county police reserve officer;
(7) a city police officer;
(8) a city police reserve officer;
(9) a conservation enforcement officer;
(10) a town marshal;
(11) a deputy town marshal;
(12) a state university police officer appointed under IC 20-12-3.5;
(13) a probation officer;
(14) a firefighter (as defined in IC 9-18-34-1);
(15) an emergency medical technician; or
(16) a paramedic
With that being said, everyone else is "fair game", and since these are LOW power lasers (650Nw), it should be a given that it's not going to harm anyone (unless the village idiot does a "stare-down" with one).
Still, all this goes to show that "some" people think although it is PERFECTLY FINE to inflict their "music" (?) to anyone withing THREE city blocks...it's NOT OK to shine a quiet low intensity laser into their boomcar....yeah, right!
These audio-morons "think" it's Hollywood.....and I have a GUN pointed at them. Ok, fine...if that's what they "think"....at least it shows they ARE capable of thought, no matter HOW basic and primitive it may be. And it shows they watch TV..then again, my cats watch the TV when birds are on ANIMAL PLANET...so much for THAT train of logic, eh?
Long story short....."Mr Badditude" is seeking a RESTRAINING ORDER against me (and my laser)....
Well, Mr. "B"..I got some news for YOU....
When you threatened me by saying you were going to kick my ass, and when you threatened to come in my house and "f$ck" my old lady (gee..sounds like a RAPE there)...YOU committed:
a class A misdeameanor...
a class C felony, AND...
a class D felony.
Now...who's going to see who in court...Hmm????
Maybe you should just take your boomcar, and drive back UNDER the rock you came from, kapesh?
Justice might be BLIND...but I'll wager her HEARING is better than EVER!!
Laser pointers...fun cat toys, right? Hell, even DOGS like 'em...and they're easily purchased, cheap enough, and provide some fun for you and the pets on those banal evenings (and we all have them once in a while)...
BUT...there are those certain people out there that just HATE them...namely the boomcar drivers that crack my plaster walls, scare my cats, drown out the BATTLE OF THE DEATH STAR on my TV, and piss me off to NO end.
MOST of these audio-vermin aren't really even bothered by having a laser shine into their ghetto-sleds. Some of them DO turn it down though (or even off completely).
But there is ALWAYS that ONE "special" driver...the one that thinks the world revolves around HIS ethnic a$$..the one with his hand firmly ensconced upon his "nether-regions" as he shuffles down the middle of a city street. The perpetual bad-ass buck with NO job, NO future, NO self respect, but PUH-LENTY of what I like to call "Badditude"...
Now, according to Indiana law..the ONLY caveat pertaining to laser pointers is the ordinance (IC 35-47-4.5-4), that states that a citizen cannot shine a laser at:
(1) a state police officer;
(2) a county sheriff;
(3) a county police officer;
(4) a correctional officer;
(5) an excise police officer;
(6) a county police reserve officer;
(7) a city police officer;
(8) a city police reserve officer;
(9) a conservation enforcement officer;
(10) a town marshal;
(11) a deputy town marshal;
(12) a state university police officer appointed under IC 20-12-3.5;
(13) a probation officer;
(14) a firefighter (as defined in IC 9-18-34-1);
(15) an emergency medical technician; or
(16) a paramedic
With that being said, everyone else is "fair game", and since these are LOW power lasers (650Nw), it should be a given that it's not going to harm anyone (unless the village idiot does a "stare-down" with one).
Still, all this goes to show that "some" people think although it is PERFECTLY FINE to inflict their "music" (?) to anyone withing THREE city blocks...it's NOT OK to shine a quiet low intensity laser into their boomcar....yeah, right!
These audio-morons "think" it's Hollywood.....and I have a GUN pointed at them. Ok, fine...if that's what they "think"....at least it shows they ARE capable of thought, no matter HOW basic and primitive it may be. And it shows they watch TV..then again, my cats watch the TV when birds are on ANIMAL PLANET...so much for THAT train of logic, eh?
Long story short....."Mr Badditude" is seeking a RESTRAINING ORDER against me (and my laser)....
Well, Mr. "B"..I got some news for YOU....
When you threatened me by saying you were going to kick my ass, and when you threatened to come in my house and "f$ck" my old lady (gee..sounds like a RAPE there)...YOU committed:
a class A misdeameanor...
a class C felony, AND...
a class D felony.
Now...who's going to see who in court...Hmm????
Maybe you should just take your boomcar, and drive back UNDER the rock you came from, kapesh?
Justice might be BLIND...but I'll wager her HEARING is better than EVER!!
Now...On to the "good stuff"....
Living in Philly as opposed to living in Fort Wayne, Indiana:
What's good?
What's bad?
What's the same?
What's different?
Wow...now THERE is one LOADED bunch o' questions!
Let me preface any and all responses by stating that for the first 45 years of my life, I lived in Philly. SO, with the last nine years having been spent as a "Fort-Wayneian", I think I might have some kind of handle on the GOOD...the BAD...and the UGLY on both sides of the geographical fence.
Therein lies the PA-IN "connection", or as I lke to call it...The ERUDITION*.
(*yeah, that IS a real word....get a REAL GOOD dictionary and see...LOL)
I'd like to say that the past 9 years in Fort Wayne have been great....that's what I'd LIKE to say...
Just the opposite is true, provisionally speaking (I have had some good moments, but all to few).
In Indiana...I own FIREARMS because I NEED to.
In Philly...I shot a LOT of firearms, but never owned one...didn't NEED it.
In Indiana...I make sure EVERYTHING is locked at night...several times.
In Philly....I left the door unlocked a few trimes...no biggie, no breakins.
In Indiana...I've been illegally "relieved" of possessions TWICE.
In Philly...I GAVE possessions away to those less fortunate...or to friends.
In Indiana...I call the police several times a MONTH.
In Philly...I called the police less than TEN times in OVER 25 YEARS.
In Indiana...I live in a single house (stand alone)...ten houses per block.
In Philly...I lived in a ROWHOUSE...40+ FAMILIES per block.
In Indiana...I have TEN TIMES more crime than in Philly.
In Philly...I had TEN TIMES less crime than Fort Wayne.
In Indiana...I have those who hate me because of my skin color.
In Philly...I had MANY friends of EVERY color.
So you can see that there are some VAST differences between two cities of wide population numbers (Philly - 2+ million / Fort Wayne - 250K). It must be the weather that's to blame.....it seems to get "dark" around here much sooner...ROFL!
Oops.....my bad...that might be construed as a "racial" statement....yeah, big f$cking deal. The truth be told (which it will on THIS blog anyway)....race DOES matter.
And we'll explore that topic soon enough, among other things of interest.
Catch 'ya on the flip side!
Living in Philly as opposed to living in Fort Wayne, Indiana:
What's good?
What's bad?
What's the same?
What's different?
Wow...now THERE is one LOADED bunch o' questions!
Let me preface any and all responses by stating that for the first 45 years of my life, I lived in Philly. SO, with the last nine years having been spent as a "Fort-Wayneian", I think I might have some kind of handle on the GOOD...the BAD...and the UGLY on both sides of the geographical fence.
Therein lies the PA-IN "connection", or as I lke to call it...The ERUDITION*.
(*yeah, that IS a real word....get a REAL GOOD dictionary and see...LOL)
I'd like to say that the past 9 years in Fort Wayne have been great....that's what I'd LIKE to say...
Just the opposite is true, provisionally speaking (I have had some good moments, but all to few).
In Indiana...I own FIREARMS because I NEED to.
In Philly...I shot a LOT of firearms, but never owned one...didn't NEED it.
In Indiana...I make sure EVERYTHING is locked at night...several times.
In Philly....I left the door unlocked a few trimes...no biggie, no breakins.
In Indiana...I've been illegally "relieved" of possessions TWICE.
In Philly...I GAVE possessions away to those less fortunate...or to friends.
In Indiana...I call the police several times a MONTH.
In Philly...I called the police less than TEN times in OVER 25 YEARS.
In Indiana...I live in a single house (stand alone)...ten houses per block.
In Philly...I lived in a ROWHOUSE...40+ FAMILIES per block.
In Indiana...I have TEN TIMES more crime than in Philly.
In Philly...I had TEN TIMES less crime than Fort Wayne.
In Indiana...I have those who hate me because of my skin color.
In Philly...I had MANY friends of EVERY color.
So you can see that there are some VAST differences between two cities of wide population numbers (Philly - 2+ million / Fort Wayne - 250K). It must be the weather that's to blame.....it seems to get "dark" around here much sooner...ROFL!
Oops.....my bad...that might be construed as a "racial" statement....yeah, big f$cking deal. The truth be told (which it will on THIS blog anyway)....race DOES matter.
And we'll explore that topic soon enough, among other things of interest.
Catch 'ya on the flip side!
SO I'm standing around in my back yard, thinking about HOW many times people (on other blogs) have told me..."You should get your OWN blog"...and so...here we are then.
Now...what to blog ABOUT...?
Well, there a shitload of things that can be taken to task....politics, media, people...so much to consider...so little time(?)....LOL!
Expect this blogger to rant...because there is a TON of crap that NEEDS to be ranted AT.
Yeah, I might be 54 years "young" (it's the glass half full thing)...so?
Anyway...here's to ALL those that thought this was a good "gig"....hope I manage to NOT disappoint ANY of you...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)