Another Weekend? Already?


Yessiree...It's FRIDAY. Time DOES fly (by) in the state of Indiana...must be all that quaint, rustic MIDWEST CHARM (he said with a hint of SARCASM). Hey, I can DREAM.
BTW, here's a gander at the "new" plate we're getting here next year (with my personal touches added for your enjoyment)...looks like the old style MUNICIPAL plates back in Philly...LOL!
You might also notice a "new" look to the blog...blame that on my inability to (want to) deal with HTML...I took the "safe" way out. I let the customize feature do the work FOR me. It didn't turn out all that bad. Hell, I'm 54 years old...cut me some slack.
I like it. What say you?

And now for a segue into a totally different direction...

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I'm seeing one very disturbing "trend" (if you want to call it that) in and around our city, and that is this recent number of HOME INVASIONS, especially with people who are elderly. Now forgive me for siding with the elderly (as I'm closing in on that realm myself), but I was always under the impression that you "respected" your elders. And after 54 years, I still hold that close to my heart. Hell, in Japan, they hold the elderly in a near-divine reverence. We could take a page from THEIR book in that regard.

How many of us recall our grandparents, or that older aunt and uncle our folks took us to visit regularly? There was this certain "aura" they had, and to some degree we were a bit awestruck with that. Maybe it was the immaculate way they kept their house and car...maybe it was the dog they owned that seems as old as they were. Maybe it was their infectious smiles. Or perhaps it was the manner in which they conducted themselves. There was an air of dignity with them, and we never forgot that.

But apparently today, many (criminals) see them as so much fodder for their particular form of entertainment. And it's not JUST breaking into their homes that's disturbing. It's the fact that these perps are beating the crap out of these older people as well. It's sad when a 91 year old woman is hospitalized with a fractured skull when some thug decides her purse is his ONLY means of "supplemental income". Then there was the couple who were beaten and robbed (of a rifle collection, their 2 cars, and some antique pistols...) just this week. This is just not acceptable. And it ought to make the rest of us incensed.

Used to be a time when a burglar was "content" to rob a place when NO ONE WAS HOME...such cannot be said now. In our modern day era of "No Fear", we're seeing this criminal with a mindset that says: "Well, since I'm committing a burglary, why stop here....I''ll just beat the piss out of everyone in the house." And in some cases, we're seeing teams or groups of "burglars", looking for that adrenalin rush of pummeling an older person into unconsciousness.

We worry about the threat from overseas terrorists (and deservedly so), while I also maintain we have a whole new crop of "home-grown" terrorists right HERE in our midst. We just haven't gotten around to CALLING them that yet, that's all. We still refer to them as "criminals".

Domestic terrorism (in ANY form) should be at the forefront of any and all protective aspects of our lives. Whether it's walking to our cars, sleeping in our homes, or shopping in our malls, we have to become more aware of what lurks nearby. We can become a victim at the snap of the fingers. The criminals must think that since we're all so concerned about what goes on across the oceans, we have no time to devote to what happens on our block.

If they are not mistaken now, they soon will be.

We should not just sit by saying it's terrible, but at least it didn't happen at OUR house...because it can...and might. We have to aid those elderly...be watchmen for them when they cannot adequately watch for themselves. We must be steadfast in protecting our past (through them), if we are to secure a future. And if that means doing whatever needs to be done to quell this domestic terrorism in our cities and on our streets...so be it. If we need to enact new laws to target crime, I'm all for it. And if it means I have to put some money (by some tax) to support it, OK then...at least it's not a frivolous expenditure. But I will take the necessary steps to protect MYSELF (and my family) in the meantime.

It was our vigilance, our preparedness, and our pursuit of freedom that help found this nation. It was people willing to stand and deliver that wrested a colony from tyrants and forged it into our nation. We can either hand this country over part and parcel to those who want nothing more than to have what we have worked long and hard for...or we can (and should) take back what is rightfully ours.

The choice is up to every one of us...young AND old alike.