Say Goodbye to November...

...And with it, the nice weather (we had in Fort Wayne, anyway). This weekend marks the beginning of NASTY WEATHER...the forecasters are talking about 2-5 inches "possible" (that means they don't have a frigging clue) with the chance of freezing rain (again, totally clueless). We could trust that they're "hopeful" of an accurate forecast, but that depends on all the "models" they look at on their computers (I'll wager they're more like VS models in most cases...LOL).

We're heading into December with less than favorable skies...great for shopping, eh? And naturally, people will have FORGOTTEN HOW THE HELL TO DRIVE IN THIS KIND OF WEATHER! We can expect the "slideoffs" galore, rearend smackups, skids, slides, and spins all over the place. I've always said this makes the BEST argument for NOT having 300 BHP under the hood of ANY personal vehicle (snowplows and other trucks are a different animal). Imagine having all that horsepower JUST to spin your wheels and go absolutely NOWHERE...neat, huh?

Of course hardly ANYONE knows about using LOW gear to get out of bad situations these days....that's what CELLPHONES are for. The young drivers will be the worst....after all, the movie "Fast and the Furious" never ran the cars on streets laced with wet leaves, snow, ice, or other moronic drivers, did they?

Yessir...the insurance companies are smacking their chops when this weather hits...you can hear the drool dripping for MILES! Add to that the wrecking companies AND the collision services ALL do quite well with these "early Chistmas gifts"...don't they?

A few things to do to help you on your way would be to carry an old piece of carpet in the trunk (for traction)...or a few 50 lb. sandbags if you're riding on "baloney-skins or Maypop tires"...lol. Top off your windshield washer fluid resevoir...VERY important! Also have some sort of snowbrush/scraper combo. Add to that your fully-charged cellphone and/or digital camera (makes for great instant pics during accidents...even if you're just a witness and not the victim). A flashlight , road flares, reflective "road hazard" triangle, and jumper cables are great to keep in the trunk. Cold weather will deplete a battery in NO time...trust me on this one. Even a CB radio is good to have if stranded. And keep a blanket in case that happens. and always TAKE YOUR TIME...better to be (the good kind of) late than DEAD (the BAD kind of "late")...right?

All I can say is to be AWARE of what's going on around you at ALL times in this weather...you never know when someone "from left field" will come at you for the sole purpose of merging their auto with YOURS. And unless you BOTH have like colored vehicles, the result won't be a pretty picture.

Remember...the life you save...might JUST be your OWN!

All Day Kindergarden...or All Day Babysitting?

The state of Indiana is looking long AND hard at shoving this ALL DAY kindergarden down our throats...and to what end?

Sure, we can see that fewer kids are eventually graduating, now that the state has (re)placed a more accurate way of tallying the ACTUAL numbers (the way we USED to do it). Does that mean that kids need to be in a school environment an entire day before they even get into FIRST grade? Does a full day of milk, cookies, picturebooks and naptime ensure we're going to produce a smarter class say, twelve years down the road? Personally, I don't believe so.

Now I'm one of those products of a NON-KINDERGARDEN mentality. I never attended, and my folks didn't see the purpose. They could do more for me at home...and they DID. Kindergarden was simply a "volunteer" venue, if you wish to call it that. And I would say that most of the attendees (back then) were those whose parents saw this merely as a way to not enhance what their children were learning at home, but take the place of what these kids could not get at home. Now I have no idea what the circumstances were, but I would wager that the LACK of parental involvement (for the most part) played a part in that, even way back then.

Sadly, we're seeing even more of that today. Sure the parents appear to be concerned (especially when their boy or girl is FAILING), and they love to get all up in the face of the school system, blaming THEM because their child IS getting left behind. The parents hold the educational system responsible. But whenever we use the "R" word (responsibility), aren't we talking about a TWO-WAY street here? I fully believe the schools hold up THEIR end of the "bargain" a lot more than either the parents of the students OR the students themselves. This is not to say that all students fall into this chasm...only those who are "at risk"...the chronically failing ones are the students I refer to. One thing I would be fascinated to find out would be "What do you do with those kids that FLUNK KINDERGARDEN"?...LOL!

Any school system (or district) is there for one sole purpose...TO EDUCATE. Anything else is an adjunct, an enhancement TO that educational process, and must never supplant the primary mission of that school system, which is ...(everybody now)....TO EDUCATE.

I see a mandated all-day kindergarten as just another "babysitting" service, freeing up more time these people (who pretend to be parents) seem to have in abundance already. What I've come to know is that on most any day (around my area), these "parents" ship their kids off to school, and then promptly go back to bed! Once in a while they "might" go out to snag a sale at a store (or even stay up to have the "drugs" get dropped off), but it never seems to be a productive nuance. They look at this all day gig as a godsend....(get those damn kids outta the house and leave me alone). That is NOT parenting by ANY stretch of any imagination. Neither is a lot of this so-called "daycare" out of peoples' houses....no "formal" anything about these places...just a license to babysit...no more, no less. Isn't that what the 12 year old girl up the block used to do for a dollar an hour once a week?

But I digress....

Sure, there are those that contend that we're a "2 income" society now...fine. I'm OK with that, WHEN it applies. What are we more concerned about...US raising OUR children, or strangers raising our children? Yeah, it's only ONE year, but a LOT can be learned in that year.

Whatever happened to having children entering the first grade who ALREADY knew basic numbers and letters? That was pretty much a given when we went to school. The old FLASH-CARDS...I knew them well! Seems the only FLASH CARD we see these days winds up in some DIGITAL CAMERA or THUMB-DRIVE for a computer. The children don't have to worry about not being left behind...their parents in many cases are making that possible before they even set foot into a school. We have kids in TENTH grade who can't read or write or even produce complete senteces when speaking. Can all day kindergarden erase that? Or can parental responsibility do the same job a lot better for a lot less?

Perhaps *if* the people producing all these children can be held responsible and accountable for any and all "pre-school" learning (and we're NOT talking about listening to 130 Db rap music, or hearing every swear word before the age of 4), all this full-day kindergarden funding could be better utilized to enhance the higher levels of education (grades 1-12).

When you allow all day kindergarden to TAKE THE PLACE of parenting for yet ANOTHER (formative) year in a child's life, you're basically saying that it's OK to be a lousy parent (in many cases)..ship them off to where-EVER, while the state babysits your kids.... As Devil's Advocate, I would state that the *up* side to this "might" be that these kids learn some civility and ethics at a younger age (lord knows they don't seem to be getting it at HOME), and that some of it actually STICKS with them...but even that's a long reach.

I would say that because of things like this, these parents have NO reason to gripe when the "state" begins deciding the HOWS, WHATS, WHENS, WHERES, and WHYS of their child's future....

After all, if the parents can't step up...we've got to fall back on the state, right?...and that could be one slippery slope.....

Dare we "test" our footing?

Cliques....Both Sides of the Street

After hearing a lot about this issue...I just have to weigh in on it.

Having been brought up during those "turbulent" 60s, I have to admit that the young adult societal bastion, quaintly known as a "CLIQUE" has come a LONG way since my time....and that is both a good AND a bad thing. In OUR day, you had the basically TWO camps; the JOCKS...and the NOTS. Of course the jocks had the subset of young honeys such as cheerleaders hanging on their arms, so we, the NOTS basically had little in the pond to fish for, yet we did alright with the ladies, depending on your persuasive abilities.

Being in a clique back THEN was not a priority to the NOTS for many reasons. Maybe we wanted to get our butts into a good job...or college. And many of what could be called a clique today was (back then) nothing more than a very loosely knit group of people that perhaps had one or two interests in common. We didn't worry about turf wars, the latest fashion trends, or who our team was playing this week. It was more about the Vietnam War, music, passing our classes...that kind of stuff. Our clique carried a much broader range of people, and although we never all met together AS a clique, our numerous sub-cliques kept everyone up to speed around and about our school. Our sub-cliques might consist of merely THREE people, but those three would also hang out with maybe 4 others, and they would hang with 3-6 more...and so on. ike I say, it was VERY loosely knit. In fact, if it were a sweater, it would fall apart at the first wearing...lol!

Flash-Forward about 35 years....today...right here, right now. What WE used to call cliques is about AS FAR REMOVED from today's cliques as East is from West.

There are more than just the two "encampments" from our day. We STILL have the JOCKS...always will. We now have the (dependant upon geographical locale) surfers, skaters, nerds, valley girls, geeks, goths, rappers, losers, outcasts, and hackers.....and THOSE are just the YOUNG ADULTS. We also have cliques for adults such as sewing circles, bingo players, soccer moms, and scads of other "buddy-friendly" venues. Sure we had them back "in the day", but society never really assigned a nomenclature to them. Now we HAVE to have some sort of "label" to distinguish us from everyone else (OR else).

In a society that preaches to us DAILY about the caveats associated with LABELS, here we are...placing everyone into some sort of niche....where we are expected to perform "as labelled" for the scrutiny and bemusement of the masses.

What is wrong with this picture?

Granted that in many ways, a LOT of the cliques young people are getting into serve no other purpose than to be a precursor to becoming a gang member. Conversely, there are just as many that tout substantive growth in our children, such as a chess club, a choir, or the school band. And yes, THEY are considered "cliques" as well.

What becomes bothersome is the "ritualization" attached to certain cliques...the rites of passage, initiations, and the like. For many of our kids, these are no more than stages for early sexual behavior, violence against peers or adults, vandalism, and assorted other crimes, not the least of which is drug and/or alcohol abuse.

To ensure that our kids do not fall prey to many of these enticing and oft times surreptitious behaviors, parents have GOT to step up to the plate, and start monitoring WHO (exactly) their children are hanging with. Sure this peer-pressure gig is hard to deal with, but being branded an outcast by NOT getting into a (bad) clique is much more preferable than winding up being "guilty by association", and many kids have to be made aware of that aspect to being in ANY clique. If you're hanging with a BAD crowd...EXPECT to be considered just AS BAD as the worst one in the bunch....that's the way life works.

Perhaps it's time we, as adults begin to lead more by EXAMPLE...than by mere words.
The old axiom: "Don't do as I do...Do as as I say." Just doesn't seem to be cutting it any longer.

Whether we choose to believe it or not, WE (the adults) do have a stake in everyone's future...all WE have to do is start walking the walk we have talked about all these years. If kids don't see US (either parents or adults in general) as people worth emulating...WHO do YOU think they'll fall back to?

I thought you'd say that...I rest my case.

I Wonder Whatever Happened To......?

I'm sure as you grow older, you ponder this question. Your first grade teacher may come to mind....or "the girl that got away" (a personal favorite of mine), or perhaps even a co-worker from a previous job. I often think about the myriad of people I've encountered along my "sojourn" on this planet. And you have to admit that there ARE those people that are damned hard to ever forget, for whatever reason. Maybe it as because they complimented you, as a person...or you them. Maybe it was that one boss that was SO much more than just a superior, barking orders. Perhaps a person had the qualities of what you feel a (personal) hero should be, and you latched onto that. Or maybe it was just someone that made SUCH an impression on you, that it just cannot be shaken so readily from your mind.

Whatever the case may be, you might have lost touch with these people, and when you care enough, you still keep trying, because they are people of value to you...they mattered in the grand scheme of things.

And sometimes fate steps in, an makes such a reuniting possible. And I've had just such a a situation this past week. A buddy that I worked with in another "lifetime" got in contact with me, after I saw his name and email on a website I was browsing a while back. It was really odd to just see his name appear on the site, as I NEVER expected to hear from him again after our lives went their separate ways. Suffice it to say, that time knows no boundaries. We're picking up where we left off, sort of. We've both been through a lot of trying times since the 90s, and who would think that we could reconnect and renew our friendship this way? It goes to show that as I stated in a previous post, that technology CAN be utilized for good things.

People say we have few friends in this world, but many acquaintances. I prefer to think we have friends with a "small F", and friends with a "capital F". My buddy is one of the "capital F" friends. After losing my dearest (and oldest) Friend several years ago about this time, it's nice as all get out to know that other Friends are there to step up, be there for you, as you were for them in times past. My buddy confided that he remembered that I was there for him during a traumatic injury. Well, that's what I do....or more properly put, that's what FRIENDS do for FRIENDS. It's like the guy in the trench next to you...you KNOW he's there for you...no words need be said...it's understood. And it's a mutual thing...a study in reciprocity within the human condition.

So yeah, you could say I got a nice Christmas present early...a rekindling of a good Friendship with someone I'd work shoulder to shoulder to again in a hearbeat...simply because of the person he is. To call someone you know a DEAR FRIEND is one of the best things that can be attributable to anyone.

The world could use a little more of that, don't you think?

The Technocracy Rolls On....

No matter HOW hard you try to avoid all this "high-falootin" technology, it finds SOME way to invade your life somehow... Now I'm not saying that ALL technology is bad...quite the reverse. There is SO MUCH utilized today that aids in child abduction recoveries, criminal investigations, Homeland Security...well, the list gets longer by the minute, it seems. But I'm one of those people that feels like consumers might just be biting off a wee bit more than we can chew (and certainly more than we can stomach). Take a look around you....I'll wait...

We have SO MUCH technology at our fingertips today and we just take it in stride, awaiting the next "new" thing on the market, and we're sacrificing a lot in the process...like etiquette...social intercourse (not THAT type...interaction with people talking mano y mano...that kinda stuff), and perhaps that's a large reason we're having the problems we're having like disrespect, irresponsibility and immorality...we're too busy having fun with whatever the hell gadget we just got at the electronics store. We don't need other people...(and believe me ..with some folks, it SHOWS).

OK, so we DO have technologies that HELP us around the house, and that's a good thing. But when it comes to something we call a ROOMBA...I just have to draw the line. With all the rampant overweightedness America suffers from, a little Eureka or Hoover shoving to get that carpet clean shouldn't KILL YOU...right?

HDTV....Just tell me WHY the hell do *I* "need" something like this? Do I REALLY want to play "count the pores" on the local newscaster's face anyway? And how much clarity do I want? I'l be the first to confess that unless I wear my glasses whenever I want to see things at distance...EVERYTHING is LOW-DEF...LOL! High def to ME means in focus (thanks to a good optometrist)....no big whoop!
Part of the joy of TV ownership in the old days was trying to find "the sweet spot" when it came to adjusting that "rabbit-ear" antenna sitting on top of the console! Then someone came up with the "Tenna-Rotor"...all you had to do was turn a dial INSIDE the home to turn the antenna on the roof and PRESTO...perfect picture. Cable took good care of all that. And with the imminent advent of DIGITAL signal propagation...you best HAVE a digital TV, or else you'll ned a decoder box to swap the digital signal back to analog. Satellite TV, radio and whatever else.... Now I used to work with these devices, and I can say from experience that UNLESS they find a way to have NATURE "look the other way"...this will never quite be AS GOOD due to things such as RAIN-FADE, SNOW-FADE, and WIND SHEERING...all of which play bloody havoc with satcom signals!

When it comes to cellphones...one thing (only) comes to mind....LACK OF PRIVACY! It's either someone wanting to bug YOU...or people around you telling their friends "Guess where I'm calling from"? I think most people that have cellphones deserve that privilege about as much as the one that places them behind the wheel of a vehicle. And these people should have a cellphone ONLY if it will be allowed to ONLY work when it's placed up their alimentary tract...And the only way to turn off the ringtones is to smack the user square in the face...Now that has some merit. Regular phones are still doable, as long as they don't wind up calling the police when I don't need them. The caller ID is fine, as is the answering machine and even the cordless handsets. All good tech..so far.

Video games....I can take them or leave them. I STILL have a PS1, and it works fine. I don't NEED to play it 10 hours EVERY damn day (like some people do), and the same can be said for the computer (and the associated games online). Someday (soon) I might get a PS2 for a few more games I have seen that can't be played on the PS1. It's coming down enough in price.

Automobiles....cripes, the technocrats REALLY balled this one up....making our vehicles more prone to a "computer glitch" than a damn thrown rod or busted linkage in the trans. I'd have to say that the only GOOD auto computer would be one that would DRIVE me where I'm going, get me there SAFELY, and never complain (oh wait...that's called a CHAUEFFEUR...lol). Taxis are about the same except the driver WILL complain about damn near anything...and YOU can always complain about the exhorbitant fares!

MP3 players...iPods and their brethren....Geezus....can't ANYONE do ANYTHING in life without having music pumped into their skulls ever waking moment of the day anymore? We used to call it HUMMING...or even WHISTLING...have they since become two more "lost arts" in this world?

And those damnable "navigational" devices like TOM-TOM...gimme a break! I suppose MAP-READING has also gone the way of humming a tune? Back "in the day", we either had a MAP (that our "shotgun" followed like a hawk and could be had FREE at ANY SERVICE STATION)..OR (and this is so old-fashioned it just might be the newest "fad" in a few years)....we PLANNED AHEAD and PLOTTED OUR ROUTE! And yes, REAL men don't have to ASK DIRECTIONS...because they KNOW how to get there in the first place. Anyone else is BS-ing you, and probably couldn't find their ass with both hands, even if you showed them!

I have to admit that the technocrats have even managed to suck ME into their clutches (so much for being the last holdout).....I've gotten a CD/DVD player (lack of cassettes at stores), am on my 4th computer (and I used to WORK with REAL computers before the advent of PCs and laptops...go figure)...and just got a mini-digital camcorder/camera (cheaper than film) that even plays MP3 tunes (btw..I can STILL hum AND whistle)....!!! I do like the camera aspect...no film to wait for, and if I don't like the pic...I delete it. The camcorder thing will take a little time...one has to CRAWL before one can walk. it's not those old, reliable, set on your shoulder, HUGE VHS camcorders of the early 90s anymore. And faggeddaboudit on the MP3 player....I don't "need" to hear my "favorite" songs THAT badly....That's why I have a cassette player in the car, and the CD player/cassette player/turntable at home!

I will concede that CDs are damn nice (take up less space), and that's coming from a vinyl enthusiast (the ORIGINAL compact disc...lol). The same goes for DVDs...they're cheap enough (now), and I can snag copies of all those long-lost GOOD shows I used to watch on TV before they gave us 500 channels of which 493 of them are relatively useless crap to ME.
Funny thing...when VCRs came out, I went with BETA (better picture), and BETA went away (marketing hype & market flooding of VHS did it in)...so I went to VHS (still have a perfectly functional BETA machine)...but DVDs cames out, forcing me to rethink things AGAIN....so I "had" to get a DVD player..and now they have the DVD/DVR out, as well as BLU-RAY tech (whatever the hell THAT is)....SO, how can you win (or at least keep some money in your accounts with this going on)?

Just when you seem to acclimate yourself to ONE technology...here comes another...and another...and one day, you wake up and find that when it comes to actually attempting to UNDERSTAND as well as stay abreast of ALL these new contrivances...that old axiom rears its head: "The Harder you try...the behinder you get"!

Of course ALL of this technology can be rendered totally useless and absolutely NON-FUNCTIONAL in a heartbeat....all you need to do is detonate a nuclear device sufficiently large enough at a 400 mile altitude over the middle of the USA to cause an EMP...(electromagnetic pulse)...and TA-DAAAA...no more electronic anything (unless VERY heavily shielded AND turned off at the time of EMP deployment. But it's not like you even heard me say that in the first place....(nudge, nudge...wink, wink...say...no...more), right?

But of course that would only be a worst-case scenario if that were to ever occur. Yet, think of the ramifications of such a situation.... Still, that should set us straight about our increasing dependency upon all these devices.

"Everything old becomes new again", one person once said...maybe just a wee rest from all the "stuff" we surround ourselves with daily might just be what the doctor ordered. It sure as anything wouldn't hurt what sanity we still retain.

Thank the maker that GARDENING hasn't gone this route...yet.

Santa Claus Shaken Down In Lieu Of Possible "Threat"...

The Jolly Old Elf himself was detained yesterday by County law-enforcement authorities, who cited that on specified days of any given year, this man was seen illegally entering peoples' homes (witnesses say via the chimney) to "drop off presents".

Although this cannot be corroborated by officials, they nonetheless held Mr. Claus over for questioning. The contents of these "presents" has not been ascertained at this writing, but special K-9 units, expressly trained for such "situations" have been given a green light to sniff out any "items of interest". And since there was never any damage (per se) to any property he entered, and NO signs of forced entry, any and all burglary allegations were summarily dismissed.

An undisclosed source said in a confidential interview that they had heard this man was "making a list", and supposedly checking it twice. Whether or not this was a basis for a terrorist cell investigation remains to be seen. On the list were names in two columns: NAUGHTY and NICE. The FBI stated that "The fact that Mr. Claus is NOT a U.S. national has no bearing on the investigation whatsoever". A list however, WAS found in the "sleigh" Mr. Claus was said to be using as transport during his "clandestine" activities. The sleigh is currently in the County impound lot and should be remanded to Mr. Claus's legal staff with the next 48 hours.

The DNR is also looking into the eight Reindeer used to pulling the sleigh, as Mr. Claus did not have on his person the proper permit to use such animals in his possession for this specific purpose. The eight animals might have to be held in quarantine at a local facility until such time as proof can be shown that these reindeer indeed are the sole property of Mr. Claus, are healthy, and that he is considered a capable handler and care-giver to the animals.

There are those that insist that Mr. Claus should sign up with the Sex Offender registry in the state, but although he HAS been seen in the company of MANY young children (who were oft times perched on Santa's lap as they spoke in hushed tones to one another), the county sees absolutely NO basis to pursue such action at this time. Although his actions may appear "dubious" to some, there is simply not enough evidence to support any wrongdoing on Mr. Claus's part. As "Santa" has maintained repeatedly: "They're only asking me what THEY want".

As per his attorney, Mr. Claus will be released on his own recognisance, and will be closely monitored come the 24th and 25th of next month (the time when these sightings increase in frequency). At that time both local law-enforcement agencies, as well as Homeland Security will determine whether or not to raise the threat level, based on all data reviewed.

* * * * *

((Just goes to show....how "paranoid" we all "could" become...doesn't it?))
(made 'ya laugh...!)

Another Smoking Ban...Can't They Just "Butt" Out?

OK, so I'm one of "those" people...a smoker. Yeah, I know it's BAD for me, but I'm just trying to prove the lightning CAN strike THRICE...as far as cancer in my family goes. Now that might seem a tad fatalistic, and more than a bit "noir" in my personal appraisal, but that's how things go sometimes. Better to KNOW what you're going to (probably) die from, than to never have a bloody clue and never see it coming.

Now this new smoking ban (enforced by raising the ciggie tax yet again) is nothing short of taking away MY right to decide how I choose to shorten my life (others choose murder, drunk driving, and thereby inflict THEIR choice upon innocents in the process). What *I* do is for (and to) me alone, basically. And those who tout all that secondhand smoke rhetoric can't see the forest (fires) from the trees. They're blowing their OWN smoke from BOTH sides of their mouths. Do these same people refrain from BARBEQUES? Do they move from a neighborhood whenever there's a house fire? What happens to their psyche when something on the stove begins to burn? And we won't even get into vehicular EXHAUST. You're NEVER going to escape ANY kind of smoke TOTALLY, so get over it, hold your breath (ot whatever you prefer) and get on with life, people! It still is not a perfect world.

Time and again, all these politicians do is opt for the EASY way out...and this is no different. Why not take on DUIs..or RAPISTS...(with the same brio) or something OTHER than smokers. How about going after...ARSONISTS...don't THEY cause a lot of SMOKE?

I wonder how many people would take UP smoking if a "safe cigarette" were ever developed? Or if a cancer vaccine were administered to everyone, negating even the slightest possibility of contracting this devastating disease...would tobacco companies reap record profits? You bet you ever-loving arse they would...!

I have no problem with NOT smoking when I dine out...I actually prefer not to smoke (prior to or during a meal), as I enjoy the repast more. After I eat and leave the premises, I DO like having a smoke (and after a really good meal, a nice cigar works wonders). The same goes for any place where others might be offended. I acknowledge their right to NOT smoke, as I would expect them to reciprocate in kind. Live and let live, as I call it. But I suppose this doesn't matter when that damnable CELLPHONE goes off during a movie at the local cinema, or at a Philharmonic concert, does it "Mr. (or MS) Insensitive"? It's a TWO-edged sword in this respect.

By raising the cigarette tax again, isn't this opening the floodgates for more robberies at tobacco stores? And that would (only) be the tip of a very large iceberg. You just KNOW there are those that already do this (I'm thinking the Low Bobs on Lafayette St. which gets knocked over a few times every year by locals from the surrounding neighborhood), and will only "up the ante" when smokes become costlier.

Yes, I will concede that the money from higher ciggie tax *can* go for medical costs...IF indeed THAT is where it will go. Oft times we see things promised...with little or no results. I would point to the WELFARE system and the way it has failed miserably over the years while sucking more taxpayer money into it's cavernous maw as the perfect example.

I just see this as another attempt to be "molded" into something I am not. I pay my taxes, obey the law, never wantonly harm anyone or anything without a severe provocation (turning the cheek now and then), and do everything in my power to "lead or teach by example". Isn't that what defines a "model citizen"? And I smoke. It's MY choice, however bad it might be for me.

Let's not start something (else) that cannot lead anywhere but nowhere.

Another Interesting Conundrum...

I saw a post at Just4therecord (blog) about guns....(damn fine commentary as well as the links), and after reading and posting THERE, it got me to thinking more about this growing concern with many Americans. I agree with much of what Andy discusses, as well as those who responded. But dare we open so many cans containing so many worms?

Do we (in America) have TOO MANY guns...or just NOT ENOUGH guns in the PROPER hands? Are we, as a nation relying too much on guns to settle problems?
Personally, I think we are, and I speak solely about HERE, in the U.S. of A. On the global arena, wars STILL need to be fought with guns (wouldn't it be nice to play a game of CHESS instead?) and those who are trained to use them. But on our streets, which in many cases are becoming something akin to "O.K. corrals", we're seeing just too damn many guns being used for ALL the wrong reasons. Cities with tighter gun control STILL have gun-related homicides. On the other hand, cities or counties with things such as OPEN-CARRY laws are actually seeing a drop in gun-related crimes across the board. Granted, neither venue is changing by (dramatically) DOUBLE digits, but both sides of the "argument" warrant our attention.

Time was young boys loved playing with toy guns...now they play with REAL guns. They commit robberies with reckless abandon, and shoot each other, as well as classmates, teachers, storeowners, or whoever strikes their fancy. And many of them think no more of that than when these boys of an earlier time "shot" a playmate (who promptly got up and ran home when mom called for dinner). These kids have no apparent concept of the FINALITY of REAL gunplay, as well the obvious results. Dispensing ordinance from any firearm is like speaking words...once they're out of the barrel, you can't take 'em back...same with what you say to someone. You can never take back words spoken in anger, grief, or whatever other emotion you may feel. That alone should compel many to weigh their actions accordingly.

Therefore, do I feel that we should have stricter bans on firearms?

Hell, NO!

What we DO NEED is better enforcement of laws that keep guns out of the wrong hands...stricter, more severe (and mandatory) punishment for gun CRIMES...and harsh penalties for gun dealers that are involved with illegal gun trafficking. But for God's sake, leave the law-abiding gun owners ALONE. They are NOT the ones committing the crimes. They are NOT the ones breaking the laws. Cripes, aside from most collectors, gun enthusiasts don't engage in much more than time at the local range, unless they shoot competitively at some level.

Owning a gun (and knowing it's proper use) is just like having a car. BOTH come with the exact same RESPONSIBILITIES and CONSEQUENCES attached to them. Use them correctly...no problem. Use them incorrectly, and....well, you know the rest. The only difference is the SIZE of the items, but that in NO way detracts from the SCOPE of the responsibility you incur when you decide to use one OR the other. When you buy any gun, you ASSUME the responsibility that goes with it...same is true whenever you get behind the wheel of a vehicle. Whether it's 3000 lbs of metal, rubber and plastic or a 120 grain FMJ bullet weighing an ounce...BOTH can be (and often are) DEADLY under the right conditions in the wrong hands. Should we take this analogy further, we could state that a GUNS don't kill people...PEOPLE kill people. Same is true with cars and trucks. The vehicle doesn't kill a soul...it's the person at the wheel of one vehicle that (through whatever action) perpetrates a series of events that have only one result, namely death or injury. Guns kill people like flies cause garbage..how's that for another take on it?

But does any of that automatically quantify giving the right to law-enforcement agencies to trade up for more lethal weapons which, if not properly employed, can result in even more harm to innocent civilians (or other officers), as well as damage to property? I would say that (provisionally speaking) whatever it takes for any law-enforcement agency to "get the job done" is OK with me. I'd much rather have a police department, properly outfitted with the best gear available and highly trained personnel protecting ME than to have the perps get all the "toys" for THEIR amusement. Anything less, and you're looking at an anarchistic state of affairs. All these criteria MUST be totally dependant upon those officers utilizing these weapons discreetly...and THEY must be held accountable to the letter of the law themselves when they are not used in that manner.

There is so much more that cries out for serious debate, and neither time nor space will allow it here (for now anyway). As a long time gun enthusiast, I cannot help but be biased against tighter "gun" control, especially when I can see that SO MUCH MORE must be done in the realm of "people" control...(and I'm not talking about Big Brother, either....). We have to get a handle on those aspects of human nature that CAUSE the problems in the first place. We have to address the flaws in both the judicial and penal systems and get those fixed. One analogy would be like whether the rancher needs to FIX THE GATE...or breaks all his cattles' legs so they won't escape from the corral WITH the broken gate in the first place. You can plainly see WHICH OPTION is the preferred of the two.

Would I own a gun for anything other than personal safety? Sure, I just like to shoot and although having it for home defense is a definite *plus* in MY neighborhood (actually a requirement if you choose to remain here...and remain alive, safe, and sane), but even if I lived in say...Whispering Meadows, I'd still go to the range and knock off a few boxes now and then. There is always a satisfaction that comes with any type of proficiency.

What we need to do is determine the BEST way to keep EVERYONE safe...and it's SURE AS HELL not by taking guns from the RIGHT people. You do it by denying guns to the WRONG people, by any and all means possible.

It CAN be done... but the question still remains: "WILL it be done"?

As Monty Python Used To Say...

And now for something COMPLETELY different...

Here's something you usually DON'T see in those nice, serene NORTHERN parts of our fair city...come to think of it, you usually don't see shit like this anywhere, really.

One of the homey/thug/gangsta (take yer pick) "boyz" staying overnight at a house in the next block up decided to help the USPS get more "up close and personal" with their deliveries in lieu of the holiday season which is fast upon us...

So...he SMACKS into the ass-end of the mail truck, and pushes it UP ONTO the sidewalk across the street. Luckily the mail carrier wasn't hurt, and (unfortunately) neither was the thuggie driver of the Chevy POS. I guess those flashing AMBER STROBES on the USPS truck didn't mean a DAMN thing...did they, (insert ludicrous ethnic first name here)?

I keep saying how bad it is to SPEED along these streets(limit unposted should be about 25MPH...NOT 40+)...and believe me, any one of these streets down here will get REAL narrow...REAL fast when parked vehicles are at the curb(s). In other words, there is absolutly NO room for "error"...(that's reckless driving to you uninitiated out there...lol).Apparently, some people don't think I'm right with my assessment...and that goes to show their arrogance as well as their ineptitude. This driver IS of that persuasion, folks.

I called the FWPD as soon as I heard the crash ( took the digicam pics), and they came FASTER than when I called *911* the other night for the granite chunk that escaped (from it's rightful owner) and came leaping through my window!!! (Who'da thunk?)

Oh..if you ever have to call dispatch for the FWPD...be prepared to play the HOME version of our city''s latest "game"...called (colloquially)...Twenty Questions (that are actually FIVE questions asked several different ways at various times 'cause the dispatcher isn't paying attention).

Now I'm all for believing in KARMA, and in this case at least, that driver's karma smacked into the USPS "truck-ma"...LOL! Serves that frigging moron right for speeding, or not paying attention..whatever.

Interestingly enough, this perp, as well as his "quasi-posse" have been photographed (by yours truly) DRAG-RACING down the damn street, as well as walking ALONGSIDE a car while it was rolling up the street on it's own power and no one at the wheel...Amazing how stupid works with these people (like quite well?), isn't it?

OK...pop quiz...How do YOU spell MORONS?
(hint: think 14th letter of the alphabet)

And gosh-golly-gee-whiz...these are the SAME people that have over several hundred "stop-bys" a MONTH at their "crib" (which has had a FOR SALE sign on it for the last 2 months), as well as BOOMCARS galore, blunt-smoking out front, and other "dubious" behavior...(wish to hell they WOULD move...SOON...to the Allen County lockup where they belong, because the ZOO wouldn't take them on a dare).

All of this...for the sake of "equal housing"..fairness..civil rights, call it what you will (I call it a drug house that needs to be raided). Some people just simply DO NOT BELONG living among NORMAL folks...they do not know HOW to conduct themselves in any sort of respectable, civil manner. And until we can address that issue with a VIABLE solution, I don't want to hear about race, equality or anything that's "supposed" to be working...'cause it's NOT...and I have the proof (see above) to back me up.

What I would state is that if we could corral ALL these STUPID PEOPLE up....and put them somewhere (far) away from everyone else...that would be a damn good start. And remember...STUPID is color-blind!

Everyone's DONE stupid THINGS...it's when it becomes an enjoyably CHRONIC condition that action needs to be taken.

But it's not I see this sort of thing every day...and speak from knowledge gleaned from their idiotic behavior...is it?

NAHHHHhhh...!

(Bill Cosby IS right, dammit!)

To Every holiday YIN...There is a YANG...


OK...WAL-MART finally got BACK on board and will be wishing holiday shoppers a MERRY CHRISTMAS once again. The flap LAST year over not even mentioning the word *Christmas* obviously brought the "Rains of Ranchipur" down about them, deluging the company with protests, boycotts, and a lot of other just plain pissed-off people. And who can blame them?

Isn't the Christmas season supposed to be ABOUT Christmas? Aren't they called CHRISTMAS TREES? Now I can see those secular-progressives rolling their eyes in disgust...fine, you don't like it...move to Botswana!

America was founded with certain TRADITIONS in mind, not the least of which is Christmas (that the Germans basically brought over with them to the degree that we enjoy it today). But still, this time of year has ALWAYS brought it's specific (and sometimes peculiar) nuances with it...and yes, it DOES make "help to make the season bright", as Nat King Cole would croon.


Yet, as we pat Wal-Mart on the back, we at the same time have to "spank" TARGET stores for not allowing the SALVATION ARMY people to stand out front of their stores. Oh sure, Target (quietly) handed over one MILLION bucks to the Salvation Army for the season (hush money?), but the fact remains...were these bell-ringers doing ANYTHING contrary to the season? Were they denying shoppers access TO Target stores? Were they infringing on the shoppers rights to spend only AT Target. The answer to all of these is an overwhelmingly loud...NO!

I suppose this is the secular-progressive way of achieving "balance" to their agenda, however skewed and misdirected it might be.

It's not as though this is a WEEK-LONG or even a MONTH-LONG venue...it's just ONE stinkin' day, people...it's CHRISTMAS. Hell, even Ebeneezer Scrooge found THAT much out, and claimed redemption for his former ways. And that was a win-win all around, wasn't it?

And *if* we pay attention real well...we just might rediscover the true meaning of the holiday in all of this...and that certainly can't be such a "bad" thing...can it now?

Who Might Be The NEXT Mayor Of Fort Wayne?



This is a question we should be asking ourselves in the Summit City...and deservedly so.The next year will be a study in perspicacity and potential leadership.

Looks like Allen County Commish NELSON PETERS has already hit the ground running, as well as MATT KELTY. This should provide a decent run-off for the Republican candidacy. The debating will be worth watching, that's for certain.

As for the recently "victorious" Democratic party...well, all I'm hearing is crickets from THEIR side of the street...Tom Hayhurst...not interested. Ditto for Tim Pape (thank the maker...I don't think much of his stint as the 5th distruct councilman thusfar....I much preferred Dede Hall...at least she had more "spunk"). Geoff Paddock is also not interested (financially-speaking)...and who can blame him? We're talking about a cool MILLION BUCKS to run a campaign for mayor here. One person I would really like to see run would be TOM HENRY...damn good councilman, businessman, has a decent head on his shoulders and asks the hard questions.

This could leave the door to the mayor's office ajar for the Libertarian party to slide their foot in...(if the other 2 parties don't SLAM IT SHUT first)... What I would be most interested in would be to hear exactly what their platform is. I want to know how they would want to see Fort Wayne in the next 5-10 years. Can they actually do MORE for the city with LESS? That alone would be a major "selling" point for MY vote.

But of any and all candidates from whatever party they align themselves with...what do WE...the voting public expect or want from our NEXT mayor?

Personally, I'd like to see the next person take the best ideas from the past administration (if any) and run with them. I'd like to see someone with the PROACTIVITY needed for infrastructure maintenance and improvements. I want someone with some plain old COMMON SENSE and a few ounces of FORESIGHT thrown in for good measure.
I want a mayor that will take the time needed to bring up the "blighted" areas of Fort Wayne to the same standards the OTHER parts of town maintain, and NOT keep moving the city further away from annexations out the wazoo.

I'd like to see a person with the fortitude to take a tough stance on public safety...screw partisanship, race, or even socio-economic class...make the city SAFER FOR EVERYONE, period...no matter what it takes. THAT will get developers lining up at your door in a hurry. And THEN you WILL have downtown revitalization the like of which would be the envy of much larger cities ( without some ludicrous baseball stadium we don't really need).

Find me a mayor that is cut from the same cloth as Rudy Giuliani...does what is NEEDED for the betterment of ALL the citizens... He dropped crime by over 25 PERCENT with his hard stance on public safety. Programs as simple as the "Stop & Frisk" which targeted "hotspots" in NYC did wonders to reduce crime overall, removing a lot of the illegal guns being toted about by thugs. Hey, now THERE is something we could do HERE with a mayor that tells all these special interest groups that this is not "how it is", but rather "how it will be from now on". You have to admire someone like that.

And I'd love to see a mayor that has the values, business savvy, and concern for every man, woman and child within the city limits, and not for monetary or political gain, but because being honest and up front is just the type of person he or she is.

I do say he OR she...as I don't give a hoot or holler in hell what gender the next mayor might be. Nor do I care about whether they're Black, White, Asian, Hispanic or whatever...(although being PLAID might be a tad ostentaious...lol). Just be a person for ALL the people, and not just for those lining your pockets. And don't be afraid to appoint people whose opinions might differ from yours...that's where fresh thinking and ideas well up from.

That's about it...it's not a laundry list of "wishes", but rather some things I would look for in ANY political candidate...and as I have said...I always vote the person AND their issues...screw the party lines and the "charisma" factor...((Hitler had charisma, and look where THAT went, eh?))...we don't need a "politically correct" mayor...or a handsome/cute mayor...we just need a GOOD mayor.

Although finding someone like this might not be impossible...it will, in all likelihood be very improbable. But then again...isn't ANY election kind of like shooting craps in Atlantic City?

You "could" win BIG...but usually you just break even, or mostly lose.

Isn't that a bit cynical?

Nah...just practical, with a hint of realist mixed in.

Storming My Bastions...?

Well, I never DID get to see the end of NCIS last night, as we were interrupted about 8:50PM by a huge chunk of pink granite that came through our family room window, knocking over a lamp, and sending glass shards in every direction. One would think with all the VACANT houses around here, that THEY would be a "more likely" target for some deranged vandal...I guess not. This perp KNEW which house to "choose". Funny thing....not one OTHER house was bothered (in our area anyway), so that means that those houses occupied by BLACKS were not touched. Could this be not just vandalism, but a HATE CRIME against whites? Or is this a "retribution" against ME specifically?

Having initially thought a shot was fired through the window (and calling *911* to say as much), we composed ourselves quick enough to see this nice large rock lying on our floor, next to our lamp. Basically, the windows exploded...no other way to phrase it. It was THAT sudden and loud.

One curious thing...the perp was NOT on foot OR in a car...how do I know? Easy...I noticed bicycle tracks going onto and leaving the lawn. That's right....this jerkoff had the balls to ride onto the property, UP the incline to our window, do his "bidness", and then leave off the lawn. Amazing the audacity of these aboriginies, isn't it?

I love the FWPD officers that came out (after FIFTEEN minutes for a 911 call w/ gunshots mentioned) finally. I think we need MORE warm bodies on this side of town...pronto. They looked around, and basically said there was nothing they could really do. I didn't feel "warm and fuzzy" after hearing that....what I REALLY felt was a distinct lack of concern and just a smidgen of apathy from both the hispanic office and the black officer (like THEY, the law-enforcement agency of this city can actually STOP crime...(they just gave me that "why are you still living here?" look)... Sadly, this does not bode well for those (especially whites) that choose to REMAIN in this area (and like neighborhoods). These "people" want YOU out of their 'hood'.....they want YOUR house, YOUR property, and nothing short of terrorist activity on their part will suffice for them. I will admit that my house does ofer a distinct advantage...you can spot a cop coming for blocks in ALL directions...make for a damn nice drug crib, doncha think? What would have been more appropos would be for me to deliver this rock to it's "rightful owner"...with gusto!!! I hate when people can't manage their "pets" properly, don't you?

I told the officers straight up...."I catch ANYONE not authorized to be IN this house tonight...they will NOT be leaving by the 'usual" means....it's called Castle Doctrine, gentlemen...and that IS a promise". I guess they could tell I was not amused by all of this. They said they'd ride around and look for anyone suspicious. Hell, I can do THAT much people! And after 25 or so minutes, this perp will be LONG gone, even on frigging foot...he'd be "well outta here". ANd although forensics doesn't "do windows...lol...I would bet the farm that they would sure as hell find a $hitload of stuff on that piece of granite...sweat, skin cells, trace fibers....a veritable cornucopia of evidence...damn shame about that. We COULD nail this bastard...."if only"....!

Now I don't "bother" anyone (that plays by the rules...not MY rules and therby doesn't require bothering), but just because I provide info on suspected DRUG HOUSES, report BOOMCARS, call in illegal BONFIRES, and shine a spotlight on cars with NO license plate bulb....that sure as hell makes ME the "bad guy" now....yepper! Cripes, I'm doing MORE for this neighborhood than anyone else, INCLUDING the FWPD.....I just don't have the "license to kill" aspect as much as I would desire.....oh, and DO I want it ever...especially now.

People say we don't need anyone with a "Batman" or "Punisher" mentality....I beg to differ. When those forces that act at will upon those unfortunate enough to just "be in their way", all for the sake of doing nothing but harm to others and their property...there NEEDS to be someone, anyone that will stand up for the average guy (and gal). If believing in that causes me to be labelled a vigilante...so be it. I'll still sleep at night knowing that quite well, thank you. I like to think that believing in that causes me to be somewhat a patriot. This IS America after all...not some third world, backwater, dirt road province in bumfsck Ghana...and I'm sticking UP for my neighborhood and my country!

I only wish I were about 25 years younger......with the attitude I have developed in Fort Wayne over these past nine (long) years...Let me rephrase that...the attitude that THOSE ASSHOLES LIVING AROUND ME have sought to plant and nuture over these past nine years....that's more accurate a description. I wasn't always like this...those around here have provided me with the "education" needed in the fine art of THEIR behaviors. And I am a "quick study....I retain that which I learn. I recall that tried and true saying....a little bit of knowledge IS dangerous. There you are.
Welcome to "ME", people.

So...to ALL those Barbarians at my gate, I would issue this cautionary warning: Be careful what you create...be mindful of what you have developed...and be sure to look over your shoulder.....I might just be there...smiling. Thanks to all of you morons, I don't scare easily at all anymore. Never start something you can't possibly finish...for I will...trust me.

This AIN'T Your Father's Library Anymore...

The recent story about the ACPL should be sending some shockwaves all around the area for some time.
Seems that we've got some pervs that go there to SPY on kids, look up porn on the internet, and even spend some "quality time" doin' a tally-whack at a damn terminal! And it was caught on TAPE...for like THIRTY minutes...(such stamina)!!

WTF ever happened to the only offense incurred at a LIBRARY was an OVERDUE BOOK???

Now (if I had children), I'd be hard pressed to send any of MY kids to ANY library at this point, except if I go with them...cripes, we've got pedophiles in the stacks next to Shakespeare, Twain, and Hemingway...what's next?

Oh, I'm sure some fringe radical group will come to these people's defense, saying they simply "can't help themselves" or that "society doesn't understand them".

Yeah Right.

NEWS FLASH: I just checked my BIRTH CERTIFICATE...and yesterday's date was NOT on it!

They CAN help themselves (they just don't WANT to)...and society understands them ALL TOO WELL, people...that's why we LIKE judges that toss these people in a deep dark cell somewhere for a LONG time.

"Well these pedophiles have the same right to go to a library"....(replete with children doing schoolwork, research, etc)...yeah, nice idea. That will go a LONG way to "aid" these pedophiles with their" recovery", won't it? That's if they don't plea-bargain thier ass into a much lighter sentence ...and the judges and prosecutors doing THAT should be tarred and feathered (just as the perps should), and THEN ran out of town on a rail...THERE...how's THAT for an "opinion"?

((Hint...if these can use the internet for PORN...why not STAY HOME and use it like they would if they went to a library in the first place -like for READING, and stay the hell away from the kids, hmm?))

Cripes almighty...our children can't even feel safe doing schoolwork at the frigging library anymore...that is just disgusting....free library? free child voyeurism you mean.

And to think of ALL the hours I spent with my dad going there when I was in school....(hell, that's how I got to read the *original* Ian Fleming 007 books...the "racy" stuff..as well as all those National Geographics)! And yes, I DID spend time researching term papers as well, but back then, predators like the aforementioned had their place, and it WASN'T in libraries stalking schoolkids.

Just another reason to be wary of these persons of questionable behavior...if it's not at the playgrounds, it's at the library...or a store...or a parking lot. Hell, the ONLY place kids would feel safe today would be back in the damn WOMB!

At least the ACPL has cameras up....and they're doing some good. The ACPL has already busted some sexual offenders (wow...that info really IS PUBLIC DOMAIN....I guess thosw radicals aren't going to call the FBI on WANE TV, are they)? The ACPL says they are going to add more cameras...as well as better filters for the computers (cause we all know that any innocuous word can sometimes lead you to a damn porn site....)

Some may claim that "Big Brother" is watching them, thereby fulfilling a literary prophecy....I say that if the shoe fits (and it's doing the right thing)..then leave it on and just wear it....

After a while, you WILL like the way it feels!

The Skinny on GPS, GAPS, and GAFFS...

In today's papers (and TV news), I found some interesting stories that kind of just make me want to shake my head...whether in disgust or ackowledgement is still up for debate.

First off...the FWPD is talking about getting GPS locators for their patrol cars (and the Fire Department will follow suit). In light of recent events at the Health department, this should be a no-brainer...I mean as long as there are "take-home" vehicles, it would make sense to see WHERE they might be *if* they are needed ASAP, right? Makes good sense. I mistakenly thought the FWPD already HAD them...silly me. I did know that the FWCS had the locators on their buses, but that is used (primarily) for tracking routes and times (but would get the cavalry comin' in a hurry should a driver have a situation on board too).

It would have been nice to have a few already ON patrol cars so theFWPD could "evaluate" them...and we know there's grant money for stuff like that in abundance. Same could be said of the FWFD. AT about $500K for the FWPD, the investment will be worth the cost.

* * *

In both the JG and the NS, there are stories related to the "gap" between races when it comes to education, houseing, and income....

Asians rank #1, Whites 2nd, Hispanics 3rd and Blacks 4th. No surprise to me in that front. What I do find curious, id the fact that AFTER all these "programs" were instituted to help minorities (mainly blacks & hispanics), and after ALL these years dumping said monies into those programs...WHERE is the "return" for the "investment"...and WHY aren't we seeing one yet?

If this were treated as a business...it would be chronically in the RED...and what company loves to operate or could even afford to stay solvent under THOSE conditions? Are these programs failing our poverty-stricken, or are the poverty-stricken unable to utilize these programs? If they are failing, then please DO NOT go dumping MORE money into them....either start over or FIX the current programs so they DO work...unlike a LOT of people on the SOUTH side of Fort Wayne (and NO...drug dealing is NOT a business..there, I said it yet AGAIN).

What about education? Well, you have to SHOW THE HELL UP to even LEARN, let alone graduate. Add to this a "return" to the way graduation rates USED to be tallied (like back in MY day...say 35 years ago)..yeah, they're REINVENTING the wheel again, folks. This will certainly play hell with the ISTEP results, and will put us more "in step? with other states (that have similarly LOWER graduation rates). How's THAT for progress?

One of the "fixes" seen in all of this is HOME OWNERSHIP....(rolls eyes)...here we go AGAIN! You seriously cannot tell me truthfully that you want to place "people" into houses they will "buy" (with added assiatance no doubt from the tax-paying public) when they can't EVEN handle living in an APARTMENT (or a rental house) without being a nuisance to a neighborhood. Why not TEACH them how to BEHAVE...how to ACT...how to ASSIMILATE themselves properly into society FIRST...THEN worry about "giving" them a house to live in, hmm?

This kind of "fix" is what has take too many of our neighborhoods across the nation and truned them into breeding grounds of incivility, disrespect, crime, and death. But hey, don't believe me...just drive through some "bad" parts of town...any town...doesn't have to be Ft. Wayne. You'll beciome a believer REAL fast (if you make it out OK that is).

* * *

Lastly...The Mayor (King Richard) wishes to allow himself the opportunity for a nice THIRTY PERCENT raise....that's a 3 with a nice 0 hanging on (which would put HIS salary more "in step" with other mayors). Expect CIty Council to blow this through, unlike better ordinances for US...the ones paying the civil SERVANTS' wages...

(BTW...City Council is looking at a 3% raise...might be passed as a "package"...in case you're wondering what TYPE of wool is being pulled over your eyes).

Tonight, the NAACP will be holding elections to see *if* they're going to have a new president (guess Rev Mike wasn't doin' that swell a job, eh?). Vince Robinson, although he doesn't *want* to be president, just feels they need a CHANGE at the NAACP...and I could not agree MORE. I would have liked to seen Rev. Bill McGill take the helm, but he's not running. Vince will do a good job, Ithink. He's got the personality, and was once was spokesperson (pre Andy Downs?) for the city a while back I think.

So there you have it...just another "typical" day in and around our "fair" city....

And always remember.....if a burglar tries to escape...shoot him again, and THEN drag him back INTO the house...it'll be worth the price of a carpet clean...trust me !

Out With Bling...In With CHA-CHING!

Todays' Fort Wayne Journal gazette had a VERY disturbing story in it:

http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/living/16000346.htm

Seems we have yet another bunch of Michael Moore "wannabes" in our midst....and this time the "documentaries" are all about....Da Gangsta Life! (rolls eyes)...

These direct to DVD assaults of decency and NORMAL human values are the latest attempt to make a quick buck....by glorifying the entire hip-hop/gangsta rap crap.

The article goes on to say how these DVDs grant "intimate access" to the gritty and violent underworld of America’s street gangs.

Yeah right.

Like I, or any OTHER decent person NEEDS "intimacy" such as this...I think not.

Now I must admit that I am a tad bothered by all the "Girls Gone Wild" crap I see....young girls (maybe YOUR daughters) at some after hours beach party, or mardi gras soire' bearing it all for the camera (and the "filmakers" bank account.). And I NEVER think of these as a "documentary on Spring break". But now we have "Bum Fights", "Street Fights" and their associated ilk, produced under that staid moniker of "free speech" (wrongfully, I will concede) and being peddled to whatever video-voyeur the need dictates.

These are NOT documentaires...Ken Burns makes documentaries. Werner Herzog makes documentaries. Ross McElwee makes documentaries. Errol Morris makes documentaries. Cripes, even Michael Moore makes documentaries.

I would bet the farm that *if* Spike Lee had his name attached to this stuff somewhere...it would at least have the "street cred" to be called a "documentary"....I suppose...maybe...perhaps, but that's a huge stretch.

The history channel ran a REAL documentary about the history of street gangs...and that's disturbing in it's own right. But now we have the "purveyors of puke" masquerading as FILMMAKERS (since when does several drunk dudes who flunked out of their college's media class with camcorders constitute filmmakers?...gimme a damn break), dishing up another order of garbage for that all too diminuitive portion of our population...and getting away with it....for now anyway. Hey, maybe they DID graduate...but they are SO FAR from being a REAL filmmaker it's not even funny (Preminger , Welles, and Hitchcock are rolling in his graves, I'll wager).

The journalist who wrote the original AP article ( Andrew Glazer) is one brave fellow, IMHO. Bringing this to the forefront, letting people KNOW this crap exists out there, and showing us that the FEDS are getting involved makes just another valid point about anything taken to extremes. It's simply NOT beneficial to the majority of the populace....period.

Says Kevin Epps, a Frisco (where else BUT California could crap like this occur?) "filmmaker"... ((“This is something the news can’t get and Hollywood can’t get,” said the San Francisco-based filmaker. “I would like to believe that (the films) are benefiting mankind, I would like to believe by telling the truth about the conditions, all the poverty and the fights, it makes us take a look at ourselves and see all is not good.”))

Yo Kevin...people ALREADY frigging KNOW life SUCKS in "those" parts of ANY city....and THEY have to deal with it or move away every damn day, you idiot. Stop overstating the OBVIOUS....(putz)... And the people that DON'T live in those parts of town KNOW about it JUST AS WELL....they see the NEWS...they read the PAPERS...and they have Federal, State, and City agencies out the wazoo that are trying to HELP the situation...they don't need YOU to make a DVD showing it (to fleece your pocket, I might add). Benefitting mankind my ARSE! You want to benefit mankind? Support the agencies trying to take down the drug dealers that pump poison into kids....volunteer at a halfway house to help those that NEED help (oh wait, that might not involve making any $$$ wouldn't it?)...just do something CON-structive...you might even like it.

People have been taking looks at themselves as long as GLASS and WATER have been around....and with all that ( sometimes narcisisstic) self-viewing going on, you'd THINK more would be changing for the better....well, we're still waiting, aren't we?

The UCLA professor quoted in the story makes the best point of all...she wonders what will come next...rape?....pedophilia? I can see the DVDs now...."Child-Stalkers Gone Wild"...or how about "Rapers Delight" (with apologies to the Sugar Hill Gang)?

If we do allow this, we're merely opening the floodgates of much more perverse activities...just so a small part of our society can get their "kicks"...while the MAJORITY of the people have to endure this and wait for the next debauchery to come along. We have to establish a precedent NOW. We have to draw the line. Rome found out the HARD way what can happen with all of that...

Let's hope we never become that depraved as a society...for future's sake.

George Orwell...We Never Quite Knew Ye...

I was trying to get my latest *fix* of FORTWAYNENEWS.COM when I noticed that access was no longer possible. After searching my fellow bloggers sites, I found out that FWN and AWB's site was "removed" over some sex offender material he had posted. The visual of the "Thought Police" coming to take AWB away passed through my mind's eye....

I read the original post and the responses and I find nothing wrong with AWB's stance and opinions. After all, isn't THAT what these blogs (as well as the FIRST AMENDMENT) are all about in the first place?

Sure there are tons of people who make our teeth itch and our skin crawl JUST by making ONE post. Conversely, there are JUST AS MANY who offer insight, make thought-provoking debate, and provide information the media would have us in the dark over. THAT, my friends is what FREE SPEECH is all about.

The main gist of the questionable posting concerned sex offenders...you know...those child predators who drool at playgrounds and schoolyards when YOUR kids walk by...yeah, THOSE people. Some people became offended and relatively incensed with AWB's comments. Like I said, I saw nothing wrong with his post, but sure as the sun will come up, there will be those "other people" who, if you as much as look at them the "wrong" way, become offended.

Now excuse me for being of the "sticks & stone may break my bones, but NAMES will never hurt me" persuasion, but I would have THOUGHT that after all these millenia of evolutionary PROGRESS, that we (as people) would have AT LEAST made it far enough to let things such as this become like so much water off a duck's back...

I guess not.

Hell, in a perfect world, we wouldn't HAVE sex offenders in the first place, so none of this would have ever occured...but people, it sure as hell AIN'T a perfect world....and so we have people that keep us "alert" to problems IN this world, be they from people, governments, devisive organizations...whatever!

Granted there IS a lot of dubious material out there....things that would subvert the fabric of our society, all for the sake of a quick buck I might add. And I agree that there is material out there that needs to be controlled, reigned in or what have you. Is my belief (in that) an impediment to "free speech"...I don't believe so, as the items I feel need to be removed from society do nothing to PROMOTE growth, enlightenment, or progress. These things ONLY serve to debauch, debase, and demean our society and it's core value systems. THAT cannot be tolerated. THAT is not free speech...that is subversion.

And I applaude those who have the cajones to stand up, be counted, report the FACTS, speak the truth, and still believe this nation can remain as great as it should be. And like I have found out...you immediately become a target for some lame-ass radical with some even more radical beliefs, which serve no other purpose than to bolster that individual's perverted sense of "pride". You will be called things that are simply NOT true, but that doesn't stop these "hate-mongers" from their inslaught.

Those that merely wish to besmirch people that HAVE those cajones I mentioned are counter-freedom...counter productive...and counter America. THEY are the ones who need watching and monitoring...NOT the ones that "shoot from the hip", speak the plain truth, and truly have something to say.

AWB...you keep on keeping on...we're here for you...in greater numbers than many realize.

The TRUTH is still out there.....screw all the obfuscation.

A Few Thoughts On VETERANS' DAY...


My father used to take me downtown every year to watch the Veterans' Day parade (yes, we had them way back then) in Philly....and although it was a bit colder to stand along the Ben Franklin Parkway than say...Memorial Day, it was ALWAYS fun to watch soldiers of every service march by, along with military vehicles, flying flags, and an overall sense of REAL patriotism among all in attendance. Dad always packed a thermos of hot chocolate....!

My father NEVER viewed Veterans' Day as a day to go shopping, or watch any sports (and he loved his football). That day was for him to receive THANKS for his time in the military. Mom made his favorite dinner (usually roast beef). It wasn't a day to get falling-down drunk either. He used to talk about his days in the CBI during WW2, and even if I heard the story before, it NEVER got old...there was always something *new* I discovered with every telling of a tale.

If we did go anywhere else, it might be to a cemetary to see a loved one's gravesite, or at least to watch the armed services tend to all the vets' graves by placing flags on them. The VA usually had some memorial service around noontime, complete with color guard and rifle salute. I will say that Veterans' Day in Arlington National Cemetary is really something to see or be a part of, if you ever get the chance.

Somehow, times have changed, as I find this hallowed day brimming with "VETERANS DAY SALES" and pre-Christmas shopping bargains. Now I will be the first one to admit that some places that give veterans additional money off on items is a damn nice way of showing gratitude for service and sacrifice. Still, the commercialism that has infested other major holidays is now closing it's grasp on this special day.

Here's an example of how times have changed:
During WW2, if there was a soldier (any branch of the military) travelling anywhere...they NEVER had to pay for anything, as some citizen would buy them dinner, a drink, or whatever. How many soldiers do we see today that even receive a handshake and a "Well Done" from anyone (aside from immediate family and friends)? I'll wager the number is staggeringly LOW by comparison. How many "strangers" would walk up to a serviceman or woman and offer to buy them dinner (or even a damn hotdog)...JUST BECAUSE they are serving our country?

During 'Nam, we had soldiers returning home being spat upon, called baby-killers just because they were serving in the military.Many of these same servicemen had even served in WW2 and Korea...and that's a far cry from getting a free drink at the local pub, isn't it?


Listen up folks....ANY serviceman or woman, simply because they are NOT fighting an enemy on OUR OWN soil, should NEVER be denegrated or diminished in ANY way....they are STILL fighting for OUR liberties, OUR freedoms, and OUR nation. We in America, far from many madding crowds never fully realize the bigger picture on the GLOBAL arena.

We also have to take care of our vets, and that means keeping the VA facilities OPEN that care for those who no longer can adequately care for themselves. Our nation's vets are not some "disposable commodity" that we use and then discard...oh no. We need not close any hospital that would care for these veterans and provide the services they need...we OWE that much to them.

If anything, we should hold them ALL in a higher esteem...they have kept this nation safe...defended our flag....protected our people. We need not recall every name and face...but we should expect a rememberance of their sacrifices in their service to America...now, and for generations to come.

My flag will be flying on Veterans Day...How about YOURS?

It's FINALLY Over...

All the politics, the elections (or as they say in Japan...the erections...lol) are done with this year, and now we get to sit back and see whether our choices were on target or missed the mark by a country mile!

I suppose all those that have lived for this and have spent numerous hours bashing this party or that will have to look elsewhere for entertainment now.

As for me....having not affiliated myself with any political party still has it's merits. I look at the PEOPLE...the ISSUES, and what's in the BEST interest for ALL concerned...screw the special interest groups et al. I'm just going to be watching them all....

We have a new Sheriff...(no big surprise there with Ken)...Souder kept his job a while longer (crosses fingers), so he better tow the mark now. The DEMS have control of the house (oh joy), and the man formerly known as Prince...I mean Carl Johnson has been replaced on the FWCS board. That was a good thing...it gives Kweku (Carl) more time to devote to his program with the urban kids...a good thing. It didn't bode well to miss a THIRD of the FWCS board meetings anyway now, did it?

We have a new assessor in Allen County...let's hope SHE can properly charge the homeowners the correct rate of taxes on their properties NOW. And we still have the same Prosecutor....Karen Richards ran unopposed. I hope she begins to slide away from all this plea-dealing that's been going on lately. One thing's for sure...she "ain't no SHARK"...LOL!

One thing I did notice was P.J. Smith....he came in a distant 3rd in the sheriff's race, but he spent NOTHING (as in zero dinero) on his campaign, and STILL got SIX PERCENT of the votes....remarkable. And after he voted, he STILL showed up and pulled his shift on the streets in his squad car...he sure was a man of his word. No frills...all business....you just have to admire his integrity.

SO now we all sit back and "armchair-quarterback" what went right...and what went wrong. Those that won will be doing the "in yer face" gig, while those that lost will be crying "foul" for a while longer. It's nice to see some things never change.

Yet seeing changes for the better might be just what we need...we'll be watching
...and waiting
...and hoping.

THIS Is Why I WON'T Sit On A Jury...

In today's News-Sentinel, I found this nice little display of justice being not only BLIND (but deaf...AND dumb to boot)...


(( PLEA AGREEMENT LEADS TO TWO-YEAR SENTENCE IN HOME INVASION
(by Nicole Lee)
Antwain James Hines, (at left) 21, was sentenced Monday in Allen Superior Court to eight years in prison for carrying a handgun without a license. Under a plea agreement, prosecutors suspended all but two years of the sentence.
They also dropped two counts of pointing a firearm and residential entry.
Hines, with a man and a woman, entered a home in the 500 block of East Masterson Avenue on July 6, 2004, and attacked two of the three people inside, according to a probable-cause affidavit.
Hines pointed a handgun at one of the men and “yelled for him to get on the floor,” a witness said. Hines was upset with the man for “saying bad things about him,” according to the affidavit.
The woman entering the house with Hines took a box cutter and cut the same man whom Hines forced to the floor.
Hines and the woman fled the house when a neighbor knocked on the door, according to the affidavit. Two of the three people inside the house positively identified Hines as being at the scene.
He is considered a serious violent felon due to a robbery conviction in 2001.
With good behavior, Hines, who was credited with 284 days already served, could be out of prison in less than three months. He also was ordered to pay $1,447 in restitution and undergo substance-abuse treatment and a psychological evaluation. After he’s released, Hines will be on probation for four years.))

Now this kind of crap just pisses me off to NO end...another perp with nothing to do all day, no job, no frigging future just goes around, invades a home, basically terrorizes the people there, and THAT is all he gets? This is damn near a slap on the frigging wrist!

ANYONE that ever invades MY home better make sure THEIR life insurance is paid the hell up...period. Trespassers WILL be shot...and survivors will be shot AGAIN...!

The people in the story above didn't seem like they WANTED to be "invaded"...did they? They sure didn't want their lives turned upside-down by some punk-ass perp with too much time on his crime-ridden hands, hmm?

This kind of activity makes a GOOD argumanet for keeping doors SECURED, as well as windows. Perps like "Antwain" (sounds like a rail line for insects...ANT TWAIN...or maybe Mark Twain's uncle's wife...ANT TWAIN)...damn stupid-ass moolie name. It's not ANTWAIN...or AUNTWAIN, or even ANTWANE...it's ANTOINE...frigging damn FRENCH, you remedial assholes...get the damn spelling CORRECT (oh wait..you have to be IN SCHOOL and PAYING ATTENTION to do that, right?).

But I guess we can't expect anything from someone whose name was bastardized so damn badly...come to think of it, he probably IS a bastard in his own right...(put's a whole new meaning to "Hoosier Daddy", doesn't it?). And to think this jerkoff will be BACK on the streets within TWO years...and we ALL know he's going to break his 4 year probation in SOME manner...people like him always do somehow. It's called RECIDIVISM, folks!

I'm sorry, but no judicial system would want ME (Mr. hang 'em all...let God sort 'em out) on ANY jury. The way the world is today with it's myriad loopholes for criminals to wiggle through, it's little wonder that we even bother with the entire "innocent until proven guilty" gig any longer (seems more like innocent until PROVEN innocent)....should be more like GUILTY until proven INNOCENT (like in the UK). Take all this damn "plea-agreement" garbage and stick it where the sun NEVER shines, people! He was GUILTY!

Beyond reasonable doubt....shadow of a doubt....call it what you will, it's much easier to instill SOME sort of doubt in at least ONE juror to get some perp off the hook...and that makes justice all the more "blind". And in those cases where you catch your child in the cookie jar, lid on the counter, chocolate on their lips, smelling like cookies....it's damn hard to convince yourself that they're INNOCENT in ANY way, shape or form.

We used to say "If it LOOKS like a duck...and QUACKS like a duck...it MUST be a duck". Sadly though, our present day judicial system falls over itself trying to convict (guilty) people when in fact they have allowed the exact legal contrivances that are getting the perps off to take root in the system, basically rendering it more ineffective by the year.

When I hear the phrase "Justice for ALL"...I take it literally...as in for EVERYONE, and that most CERTAINLY includes the VICTIMS of any crime. In fact, I would go so far as to say it means the victims of crime SOLELY. When the victims receive justice, the perp will automatically (and by default) receive his or hers. After all, one person's justice is another person's sentence, hmm?
It's when the one committing a crime gets nothing by way of REAL punishment, that the victims get even less than that. And I can't feel good in any manner over that.

Laws are for EVERYONE..or they mean nothing. When the judicial system begins to entertain THAT notion once again...maybe I'll think about sitting on a jury...but for now, I'll pass on jury duty...let someone that "thinks" the system works as intended be on the jury instead...
....Let them dream a while longer.

How Can I Top That?

After reading the positive comments on the last post, I found myself in a bit of a quandry. I thank those that felt that what I had to say not only needed to be said, but that I mirrored in some manner what THEY think as well. Yet my problem remained...how can I best myself in my writing prowess?

Then it hit me...I don't have to best myself...I'm a CURMUDGEON...LOL!

I don't rightly know WHEN it happened...I imagine somewhere along my trek through this life, something struck me, bit me, hit me, tripped me, or maybe even kicked me in the ass...but there "it" was...

But what exactly was "it", you ask?

The signs of being a curmudgeon...I had them.

Now I would be the first to tell you that being a curmudgeon isn't all that bad, really. You say what you feel, don't care too much about what others might think (unless they think the same), and approach things from there basal aspects. You look at things in black and white...screw all this "gray area crap"...that's for those that can't see the forest for the trees. And although many would see us as chronic complainers, we actually ONLY gripe about things that NEED griping about. We just gripe a lot more often, and many see that as confusing to them. We don't piss & moan for "pissing & moaning sake"...oh no...we do it with a purpose. We do it because if WE don't...who the hell else will?

After doing some research into my new-found "curmidgeonness", I'm sure as hell NOT alone...there is a curmudgeon handbook, curmudgeon music, curmudgeon ale, curmudgeon movies, and even curmudgeonly attire (no, it's NOT high-waisted plaid pants). There is even a "curmudgeon.com" now. Seems I've fallen into a much larger club than I could have ever imagined.

There are curmudgeons for EVERY holiday, and every venue. There are SERIOUS curmudgeons and comedic curmudgeons. They come in all shapes, sizes, races, religions, and political affiliations. We're kind of everywhere...and into pretty much everything and anything.
So what were my telltale signs of "curmudgeonism"?

I started to pay a lot more attention to the nuances in life...all those things that most everyone else glosses over becasue they're in some dumb-ass hurry to do something they don't want to do in the first place, but have to do it because if they don't someone else probably will, and then they'll look like a smacked ass in the process. Yeah, that about sums it up nicely. Think of that "stop and smell the roses" gig...only I now purchase and plant and raise those roses SO I can smell them.

I started seeing a lot of things for what they REALLY were...like the media...and politics...and the judicial system. Severely flawed as they are, they DO bear scrutiny if we are to evolve as a species, rather than DEVOLVE into some hedonistic anarchy, replete with every debauchery there is. THAT is the curmudgeon in me talking...lol!

I began to really care about things others don't seem to all that much...like litter....and speeding....and making sure every bulb that came with my car WORKS...ALL the time, unlike all those I see around me that could care less in their pursuit of the next transitory fad that would pass along by next week. I don't carry a BLACKBERRY...I pick mine off the bush and eat them with with my cereal...! Curmudgeons might be tech-savvy, but we only embrace it when we have no other option. We might not own the newest car, but by God, we know EVERY noise it's supposed to (and not supposed) to make, and can find EVERY screw, bolt and cog ON that car, so we don't need a legion of computer geeks scratching their heads over WHY the "check engine" light won't go out on that *newer* vehicle...!

Curmudgeons think that the ONLY way to fight any war is to FIGHT TO WIN! We think anyone that defaces our flag should be "defaced" as well. Curmudgeons think tattoos only belong on NAVY / MARINE personnel. We're not auditioning lead roles for a remake of THE ILLUSTRATED MAN, people. Body piercings belong in the sideshows, next to the fire eater, the wolf-boy and the bearded lady. Curmudgeons like to work, and hate seeing their jobs go overseas or south of the border. The ONLY thing that should go overseas are EXPORTS from THIS nation (and troops stationed at bases there). Curmudgeons hate people that do nothing all day, every day while others bust their humps making a living. Funny thing that, seeing as many curmudgeons are retired and DO find things to do all day, every day anyway.

And one major thing every curmudgeon begins to realize...their MORTALITY. When you're a "young turk" of about 22, you have NO concept of the end of life (unless you wrap your car around a utility pole at 80 mph in a drunken stupor, in which time you have all of about .025 seconds to "think" about it). When you can say you have more years BEHIND you than in FRONT of you....you think about things...a LOT. When you attend funerals for more relatives AND friends than you'd ever dream of....you think even more. And when you look in the mirror every morning...does the face staring back seem less familiar?

Many think being a curmudgeon is nothing more than a old, stodgy fogey with complaints issuing from every orifice of his (or her) body. I will admit that it's part of it, but there is the traditionalist, the idealist, the rebel, and even the pragmatist aspect of being a curmudgeon...we just happen to take all those things, mash 'em about a bit...and make it WORK for us, that's all.

Still, after all is said and done, I wouldn't want to trade my curmudgeon status for anything (right now)...it's the correct place to be at THIS point in my life. In many ways, life itself has a meaning that transcends the "here and now" rhetorical babble we are bombarded with daily. Live for the moment they say.....forget the future...it's not here yet, and might never arrive. I say think about it...long and hard. Take measures to make your time here humanly productive in the long run. Think about things that NEED it...dismiss those that don't.

The future might not be here YET...but rest assured...it IS coming.

They Call It "WAR" For A Reason...

The latest postings for the casualty rate in Iraq are out (from October)...we lost 100 fine soldiers in that month. And the anit-war mongers are saying how "terrible" this is.

Without question, ANY loss of life IS tragic, but so many of these bleeding hearts (no pun intended) fail to see a much BIGGER picture...

Compare the last FIVE years in Iraq with almost any FIVE years we spent in 'Nam, and the truth will be known. We have lost far FEWER men (and women) in Iraq than in Vietnam.

And let's not forget Normandy, where we lost 1465 men in ONE DAY!

We lost over 13 THOUSAND men in the Mexican War, and over 116 THOUSAND men in the "War to end ALL wars"...WW1. Over 405 THOUSAND service personnel lost their lives in WW2, and over 13 THOUSAND died during the Korean war. Vietnam cost us over 58 THOUSAND lives, and the American Civil War cost America over 400 THOUSAND of her husbands, sons, fathers, and brothers!

Now I'm certainly NOT trivializing the 2800+ men and women lost during this war....as I say, ANY loss of life is tragic, as the loved ones left behind will testify. The "perfect" war would be waged with NO loss of life at all....but sadly, we're not there YET. Not too many world leaders would wish to settle global disputes with a football, soccer, or boxing match.

What I am saying is that compared to past wars, we are doing damn well in Iraq. In NO other conflict have we suffered AS FEW losses as in Iraq. The radical SP media sees it differently. Apparently, THEIR math is different from the math all the normal people use.

And I will not waste time over John Kerry's flawed statement over education and the military...that's for other bloggers to debate. Today's combat soldier has MORE information AND technology as his or her disposal than OUR GENERALS did during the first world war! And they can apply where it will do the most good (or harm, depending on your POV).

We have won EVERY SINGLE major engagement in Iraq and the same was true in Vietnam. And people got killed...and will continue to get killed...that's what the hell WAR is all about, people! Like Patton said: "War is not about dying for your country...it's about making the OTHER poor dumb bastard die for HIS country".

Instead of trying to read things into the war in Iraq that are just not there, as the media loves to do, why can't we all just SUPPORT these men and women who think enough about OUR country, OUR freedom, and OUR flag to go and fight an enemy that thinks no more of us than a common cur in the street, and would kill every one of us as we slept, JUST BECAUSE we're AMERICANS!

Each and every one of these patriots that serve in our military in any capacity deserve, no DEMAND our alliegence and support. We need to be there for them.

To do anything less would denegrate their honor and integrity by their service and sacrifice. And what would that say about US...as a society...as Americans?

The world is watching...and some are taking notes.