05 October 2007

It Can Be Worse - Just Not By Much...
Yesterday was like any other fall day in Northeast Philly, except that around 8AM at the Roosevelt Mall in that part of town, a lone gunman quietly donned his gloves, and then strolled 700 feet to an ATM machine where two former PPD officers (working in the employ of Loomis Armored Carriers) were removing the deposits from the machine that were made the previous night.

The robber approached the truck from behind shortly before 8AM, shot one guard in the chest, then went around the other side of the truck and shot the 2nd guard three times, killing them both. The robber (seen here emptying the ATM right after the murders) was driving a black Acura TL and got away with an undisclosed amount of cash. Both guards never even had a chance to unholster their sidearms.

A third guard was injured by flying glass when the robber tried to shoot through the armored truck. He at least went home to his family after being treated at a local hospital.

The mall was closed, and several schools in the area were locked down. Motorists leaving the area were stopped as police searched for the gunman. The schools and mall reopened by midday.

At least the ATM camera got a good picture of the robber, as did another business surveillance camera. The brazen perp was listed as being in his early 20s and black (big surprise, eh?) in a relatively white neighborhood (which is in a state of societal flux now with multiple ethnicities moving in...sound familiar?).
If the attack on the armored-car guards had happened just a few minutes earlier, the sidewalks would have been filled with children on their way to school, many people noted.

It's a subdued walking community of broad streets, with brick-and-stone twins with sloping front yards and off-street parking in back. My friends and I rode our bikes along the same streets ages ago. It was a neighborhood we would have loved to live in (the houses were not rowhouses like ours).

But that was a kinder, gentler time.

Kathy Paul, 44, who lives nearby, initially thought the shots were firecrackers, she said. She soon realized differently as sirens filled the air.
"In this neighborhood, anything can happen," she said

Like I said...a kinder, gentler time.

The media is being "kind" when it refers to this as a robbery. "He just came out and essentially assassinated them," Police Commissioner Sylvester M. Johnson said.

My sympathies go out to the two former officers that were slain.
My heart goes out to the families & friends of these men as well.
And I know the whole PPD feels likewise, as they are always considered the "second" family" of ANY officer...even long after you retire.
Rest easy, men...we have you 10-42.

I suppose we in Fort Wayne can thank our lucky stars we're not living in a city that has several HUNDRED homicides PER YEAR. And Philly's murder stats make INDY look like a really NICE place to live by comparison (which any decent person would say is a lie from the git-go). Still, the heinousness of this crime will echo far after all is said and done. We in Fort Wayne can liken this to the Tasty Pizza man who was gunned down in the store late last year.

It's not about robbery, per se. It's about domestic terrorism...right here...right now.

I know this mall very well, as well as the neighborhoods surrounding it. It reminds you of many of our south side neighborhoods...before THEY succumbed to the criminal element. The mall was like a second home to my family, friends and me. (this strip mall had everything, and was as nice as Glenbrook, only outdoors) I know the armored car company in Pennsauken, NJ, and I know the 7th District police station (my father-in-law worked out of there), so this "hits home" for me on many levels, and only serves to reinforce all that I've been saying about crime not only HERE in THIS town, but around the nation in all of our major cities.

We need to get a helluva lot TOUGHER on these criminals, because they're having way too much "free reign" on our streets and taking too many lives along their merry way. If those in charge cannot dredge up the courage to make the hard decisions and make our streets safe, then we, as citizens need to step up and make OUR voices heard and invoke some changes ourselves, because it's OUR friends...OUR relatives...OUR children who are AT RISK, thanks to the status quo.

And no amount of political hand-holding "rehabilitative" rhetoric will change this picture anytime soon. We need to start making punishments EQUAL to the crime committed. It's not the best way to deal with this, but it IS the ONLY way (for now).

Like Kathy Paul stated: "In this neighborhood...anything can happen".
The difference is that here in my neighborhood, it usually DOES!

DO have a SAFE weekend.

04 October 2007

Good Morning? It's ALL "Relative"...
Anyone familiar with M.C. Escher's work will no doubt recognize this LEGO version of his work "Relativity". and that is the basis for this post.

((Caution: Educational Alert! - You MIGHT LEARN SOMETHING yet again here))

It's morning...you HAVE to get up and get on with the day's vicissitudes. There's just NO getting around it. So after punching out the alarm clock for disturbing you from your reverie, and stumbling downstairs, where you proceed to put the coffee on, get the paper to find out how extremely F$CKED UP the REST of the world has become overnight, you notice something ODD out front of the house.

((warning: this only happens in "blighted" areas of any major city))

There is some strange car you've never seen before...sitting there, engine running, like he's waiting for something or someone. So you do what ANY responsible citizen would do...you get the description and tag number, because for all YOU know, this could be a child predator (and it IS nearly time for the kids to head to the bus stop).

The car doesn't have any kids inside of it...just the driver. Then it dawns on you as to what this could be. Sure enough, another vehicle (again a stranger to the area) pulls up BEHIND the first car, and waits while the first driver gets out and walks lazily back to the second vehicle.
It's a DRUG DEAL...before SEVEN- f$cking AM...on YOUR street...with kids going to school.
(Wonder where the police are anyway? Shift change perhaps?)
So you grab your trusty one-million candlepower spotlight and "go Hollywood" on them, turning night into day at the blink of an eye.
And what do these morons do?
The first driver merely walks lazily BACK to HIS car, and they both drive DOWN the block to where they "think" you can no longer "beam" them effectively. And after the obligatory "transaction", lasting all of a minute or two, they both drive merrily off...until the next time.
The End.

Now I said all that to say this:
These types of scenarios occur with alarming frequency, especially at THIS time of month (de welfare checks is here, bitch), and sadly occur with relative regularity. And it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what is going on after you've seen it a few times. These people aren't swapping recipes, looking up old friends, nor returning hymnals to church members.
No way.
Not at these hours, and certainly not in such a clandestine manner.

Now I would like to "think" that our Vice & Narcotics team is all over this like white on rice, but to honest, I'm just not seeing it. When I can produce evidence of TWO deals a month JUST on MY block on a regular basis, something is wrong with some of the methodology being employed by the local police. Maybe some parts of this city ARE too bad to "bother" with. I know back in Philly, there ARE places where police response is slower than molasses in January, as the officers don't want to go into the "Badlands". They'd much rather have the perps kill each other off.
And to a degree, that's not all that bad an idea.
Fewer druggies=fewer crimes, I suppose.

Still, when this type of activity goes down near YOU, would you not be concerned about YOUR kids? These people are so brazen that nothing short of putting "one over their heads" would even begin to deter them. Personally, I would just drop them where they stand and let the pieces fall where they may, calling it MY version of "Urban Renewal" in the process.

I feel it's time that the city police turned up the heat a notch or two, and get a LOT tougher with these "drive-up" dealers. This ain't Mickey D's, people...we're talking about a situation where innocents can be at risk because of a "bad deal" that goes down at the drop of a hat. And we surely don't need schoolkids caught in ANY type of crossfire between druggies and their "turf wars".

We KNOW where the drug HOUSES are...that's the EASY part. The HARD part is being able to track and nail all these MOBILE druggies (and their dealers)...and do it with the same intensity as you use when closing the houses down. It can be done...the question is will it? And if it IS being done, WHY are we STILL seeing deals on the block year after year with no cessation in activity?

These are questions that everyone needs to concern themselves with. It can come to YOUR neighborhood as surely as it has been entrenched in mine, and it's time the city DID something about it.

Time will tell if the city cares enough about ALL of it's populace, no matter what section of town they happen to dwell.

03 October 2007

Time To Pick Some "Nits"...
Yeah, I dusted off my copy of the Nitpicker's Notebook about something that everyone that drives should find disturbing, if not downright pathetic.

So buckle up...you might learn something.

When it comes to automobiles, there are those of us that really do pay attention while we're driving. We're NOT on the cellphone, or eating, reading, screaming at the kids, singing along with the CD, applying makeup (definitely NOT me), or doing something OTHER than driving. We're watching the road ahead, behind, and alongside us. We're paying attention to traffic signals and patterns, and we're watching other drivers and what they're doing. We're listening to the sounds the car is making, and know what sounds the car should NOT make. If we notice a bulb burned out, we replace it...no big deal. If we notice a soft tire, we check for leaks, rather than continue to drive on it, and either have it plugged or replaced.

We keep the fluid levels up. We change the wipers when they stop performing their designed task. We like to keep the vehicle looking nice, because it usually cost us a nice piece of our paychecks and bank accounts (the 2nd highest outlaying of money next to your house). We also make sure the insurance is current, and that we have adequate coverage so some drunked-up buttwipe doesn't turn us into a pedestrian OR a statistic. We can't cover EVERY eventuality, but we at least try to. And there will always be the "unforeseen" instance, waiting to spring at us.
All we can do is try and avoid that as best we can, and having a vehicle that is properly maintained is a damn good start.

My Dad always said: "If you take care of your car, it will take care of you". And those are good words to put into practice. He also said that: "Driving is your SECOND job".

Now here in Indiana, I've noticed that a lot of people don't really care about the car, truck, or SUV they drive.
And how do I know this? Simple.
Look at the vehicle as they drive past. Notice the cornucopia of dents, dings, and crumpled sheet metal? Check out the amount of rust. How about the burned out headlight? Does that broken tail lamp lens just make you all warm and fuzzy when it comes to Hoosier car care?

Sorry, but red cellophane tape does NOT a tail lamp lens make.

For example, In my neighborhood on ANY given night, I can see AT LEAST 50+ vehicles with NO (functional) LICENSE PLATE BULB. That's right...that plate is darker than most Stephen King novels, which gives the FWPD about 6 kinds of angst. They have admitted to me that they have trouble reading them when it's light out. And although about 80% of these (mostly POS) vehicles are driven by blacks, every other ethnicity IS non-exempt from the mix. I thought it was a "cultural" thing (as most societal aberrations I've seen here appear to be), but it's apparently not.

People in general just don't care.

Now call me crazy, but when it's still DARK out, doesn't the road look a tad "ill-lit" when the headlights aren't functioning? Try it sometime. As you approach your house, turn OFF the lights, and tell me you can see AS WELL (if not better) than when they were ON. Yet people around HERE thinks it's "all good" (hell, they think burglary and drugs are as well...what's that tell you?), and do it day after day. Same goes for the license plate bulb, which (by law) is REQUIRED vehicle illumination (as are headlights...DUH).

The plate bulbs don't cost THAT much (less than $2 at ANY auto store or K-Mart, and a HELLUVA lot less than replacing the front end of paying a ticket!), so it can't be a question of PRICE. And when you see NEW vehicles that don't have that bulb working, don't try to jive me into thinking it's a "manufacturer's defect". That dog won't hunt for me. I have a car almost TWENTY-FIVE years old, and have NEVER replaced that bulb (and it still works fine). My wife's car is ELEVEN years old, and HER bulb works fine. But it must be a "white" thing. Well that, and we give a shit about not being stopped for something stupid like a bad bulb.

So what's up with all this?
Easy...people are pulling the bulb (or just interrupting the circuit)...on purpose. Reason being is they DO NOT want to be easily ID'ed when they come thumping down the street, or making a drug buy out front, or when they're speeding down a city block. Makes a great case from bringing BACK mandatory VEHICLE INSPECTIONS when you re-register your vehicle yearly...doesn't it? Now that's a small price to pay for being able to safely journey from *A* to *B*, right?

Funny thing about all this, is that the FWPD doesn't seem to be as proactive trying to call attention to this problem. Sure, they will get the occasional traffic stop (and Sgt. Bonar gets HIS grants to set up checkpoints all up NORTH), but with ALL the vehicles with inoperable lighting, there is a veritable GOLD MINE to be had on the SOUTH side of town, should they avail themselves of it. I'm sure they look the other way when it comes to the black community, citing the fact that they would be unjustly called to task for pulling over ALL these black people because they are BLACK (when they are just stupid, but happen to BE black). But that's a whole OTHER post for another day.

I've been trying for years to get the FWPD to nail these people that practice unsafe driving skills, and I don't think I'm being all that unreasonable. Considering the cost of repair, the cost of insurance, or even the cost of a vehicle, we are talking some serious change here, and that's money I don't want to HAVE to lay out (in ever-increasing amounts) due to another person's inattention to THEIR vehicle's needs. Safety is for EVERYONE, and those not wishing to ante up their fair share to ensure that safety should NOT be driving anything in the first place. With their apparent lack of concern behind the wheel, they'd better serve the community by taking the bus (better yet...take a long walk off a short dock).

Don't leave it all to the mechanic....he's not driving your car nearly as much as YOU are, is he? Take a few moments, walk around your vehicle, check things out, and ask yourself if you're doing everything to make sure YOU are promoting safety on the streets and roads that you travel.

And if not...why not?

It's not only YOUR life at risk...it's everyone else that shares the road with you.

02 October 2007

Closer Than You Think...
We've still got about 80-some days until CHRISTMAS (what...already?), and one would think the stores are too busy with HALLOWEEN to bother...

Think AGAIN.

K-Mart has ALREADY set up their "seasonal" area, replete with pre-lit trees, ornaments galore, and the yearly Christmas Bear they have produced since the early 90s. Now I don't know about YOU, but it's nice to think of that time of year...even in early October. It takes away from all the crap we read and hear about daily. So we're not going to be bitching THAT much in this post.

With ALL the recalls and lead paint problems from CHINA (the seemingly ONLY supplier of every frigging toy in creation these days), it might become problematic when selecting that "special" toy for the kids this year. But never fear, as I've come across some items I found (made HERE in the USofA) that I'm sure will please the kid in ALL of us, no matter what age.

For the youngsters:

The Anti-Predator Happy Ball:
It works for hamsters, so why NOT for kids? Keep your child safe from sexual predators as they roll their way to school, the corner store, around the house, or just to have fun with the other kids in the block also in their happy ball. And don't worry if they roll into the street. These devices can withstand a 25 MPH impact. I knew they'd find a use for all those things from American Gladiator.

For the girls:

Britney Doll:
Comes with court orders denying custody of the children (sold separately), will gain weight when you "feed" her, has trouble dancing to old routines, and has her very own sports car (with pop-off fenders for all those nasty accidents with people who won't get out of her way). Also comes with 3 wigs to cover the shaved head. Not to be confused with the Lindsay Lohan revolving door rehab center playset.

Rachel Ray Hells Kitchen Playset:
Imagine the possibilities when your young daughter not ONLY becomes a culinary master, but can tell everyone to just "()@%&@$% bugger off" in the process (including YOU, mom). Comes with white chef's smock and hat with assorted guest stars to cook for, as well as simulated steel prep area, assorted plastic knives and play food to toss at everyone. Hours of enjoyment for the entire family...and maybe a meal or two in the mix. Bugger off and buy one before they're all gone.

Paris Hilton Doll:
Doesn't really DO anything (just like the real thing - how lifelike is THAT?), but DOES come with a Martha Stewart-inspired prison jumpsuit and small dog (that barks until the batteries run down).

Hillary Clinton "Da Prez" Figure:
Push HER button, and she says over 20 statements, most of them contradictory, designed to cheese off anyone, Democrat OR republican. Comes with Bill Clinton figure and sax. I have a feeling this one will only become a collector's item.

And for the boys....

Liberal Politician Action Figures:
Now your son can make like the "big boys" with this set of senators and congressmen designed to encourage creative playtime. Just fire up the SMOKE generator and set up the funhouse MIRRORS (both included with 2AAA batteries) around him and listen to the microchip say over 50 phrases designed to encourage government spending like there's no tomorrow. Collect them ALL.

Easy-Make Ethanol Plant:
We've taken the old CHEMISTRY set one step further. Now your son can become his OWN alternative-fuel making company with this little gem. Comes complete with all the items he will need to make a pint of ethanol that he can sell (to you, his parents) for a profit. Imagine the hours he'll spend pouring canned corn into the hopper and with the help of the 40 watt bulb (included), in less than an hour, he'll be spewing ethanol faster than you can say EXXON SUCKS. And if he enjoys THAT, he's sure to love the Easy-Make Soybean Bio-Diesel Fuel Center, complete with government-sponsored land grab and tax abatement.

GM Auto Plant Playset:
This reminds one of the old ARMY MAN and COWBOY sets we had as kids, but it goes one step further - it is all automated (some assembly required). Just plug in the powerpack (included) and watch the robotic arms build one of several models of gas-guzzling vehicles YOU design (can be adapted for use with the Ethanol Plant above). This playset is a large 15x15 feet square and can be made even bigger with accessory packs (sold separately), and has over one hundred "employee" figures (complete with picket signs and burn barrel) that you can place out FRONT of the plant as they strike for better health care benefits.

Border Patrol Shoot 'Em Up:
This includes a 5 foot length of southern border, complete with fence, patrol vehicles, fake shrubs and "tunnels" underneath. It also comes with a clip-fed rifle that fires nerf bullets, designed to "take out" those illegals whenever they pop their heads up from one of 5 different tunnel openings when trying to illegally enter OUR country..
It's Whack-A-Mole all over again...but with tons of fun, and a lot more ATTITUDE....!

Simon Rios Death Penalty Playset:
Let your child's imagination think "What If?" with this playset that comes with all the things you need to put a societal monster to death (and not by old age). An electric chair, complete with "shaking action" and smoke-effects, a gallows with real neck-snapping sounds, and a gas chamber with imitation green "gas" that fills it....There's even a LETHAL INJECTION chamber with smiling witness figures. YOU decide the BEST way to rid humanity of a person like this. I'll bet it'll be hard to get THIS away from the parents to let Johnny play with it! (Plea-bargaining prosecutor sold separately).

As for me...all I want for Christmas is a RAP4 P99 paintball marker pistol. This .43 caliber CO2-powered, ten-shot pistol is the latest in paintball tech, and is a spitting image of the gun James Bond uses. And it's priced right at under $200. It also fires .43 caliber RUBBER BALLS at between 250-350 FPS (and that will sting like hell). Not to mention, it's going to make a DAMN fine way to "tag" all those annoying vehicles (or people) in MY part of town...BWAHAHAHA.
(("Yeah, officer, the car that came by here with the loud-ass stereo is the one with all the PINK paintball splotches on it...make it easier for you guys to find"))

Yeah...there ARE lots of good toys for the kids today. And every one of these is designed with your CHILD in mind. It spurs creative thinking, and doesn't just plop them in front of the TV to play HALO 3 on their X-BOX until they gain 50 lbs and their thumbs fall off.

But better hurry, I hear these toys are gonna be hard to find...really hard.

01 October 2007

Times Never Realized...

Today is October 1st. Not a big deal to many people. Why, in a mere 30 days, it'll be time for the "yearly beg-a-thon" aka Halloween.
But today would have been the 58th wedding anniversary of my folks. And to me, that's important for many reasons.

First off, it they hadn't gotten married 58 years ago TODAY, you most likely wouldn't be READING this blog...LOL.
Yeah, people were a lot more "old-fashioned" back then...they got married, and THEN had children...not the other way around.

Second, no matter what situation came their way, they met it head on, and with style. If Dad's work went on strike, we got by (don't ask me how). If I got sick, I got better thanks to their care. And with the hospital time I spent growing up, you'd think they'd be broke forever. Times were a lot different then. You could actually PAY OFF a child's hospital visit in YOUR OWN lifetime.

Next, they were ALWAYS there for me, whether it was to read a story to me, play catch (Mom didn't have a "candy arm" either), or even take me to the playground (this was before I was old enough for school). Amazing what you recall when it MEANS something, isn't it? And even when I attended school, they were STILL there, regardless of what was going on in THEIR lives. They would put that aside and attend to whatever problems I was having. And those wee the days when your parents actually UNDERSTOOD the subjects you were taking (like MATH and ENGLISH). Yeah, they did right by me. They may have demanded that I do my homework BEFORE I go outside to play, but it was a small price to ante up. Least I wasn't failing any subjects!
And we always had a SIT-DOWN dinner AT HOME. Eating at some restaurant wasn't the "norm", but more of a family "reward" for some obscure reason. Not to mention that MOM was a lot better cook than anyone else (sorry if my bias is showing). Luckily, I managed to glean some of her culinary skills while she was alive. I just wish I kept her recipe book...she made a MEAN-ASS Dutch apple pie! Sunday dinners were fantastic. You couldn't get better eats anywhere. Her ROAST BEEF was to DIE FOR! And although she didn't have one Italian bone on her body, she made a spaghetti sauce that bested most every other Italian family I ever knew. Not bad for a farm-raised girl from upstate Pennsy.
As for Dad...he was THE ROCK of the family (hardly missed ANY time at work), but wasn't afraid to show emotion. And nothing was too much trouble for him. He'd give 'ya the shirt off his back...that's the kind iof man he was. It was really hard to catch him in a "bad mood" (unless work was really a chore the previous night), and even then, he blew the mood off quick enough. And as long as he had his case of Schmidt's in the basement, all was fine. When he tied one on, he never EVER became belligerent. If anything, he became a better DART PLAYER...LOL! I recall a few time we both got a bit "happy", and while trying to go up the steps to the house, he told me: "Don't tell your mother we were drinking". Well, we REEKED of beer (we always drank at a local bar/restaurant, and were doing boilermakers that fine winter day), so the first thing Mom proudly proclaims (arms folded in THAT manner) as we go inside was "You two been drinking...haven't you?" At that point, Dad and I lost it and laughed for about 15 minutes!
They also had their share of arguments...hell, everyone does. They just never went to bed angry. There is the BIG difference if you want to sustain a marriage.!
Yeah, they were two of MY best friends, the best parents I would ever want, and I couldn't have loved them more if I tried, yet through the punishments (I deserved), and through all of the ups AND the downs of our life together as a family (and believe me...we had OUR share)...I wouldn't trade ONE damn moment of it for anything anywhere at any time.
I just wish they had been around a little longer, because there are ALWAYS things you wanted to tell them (again), and never got the chance. The damn shame of all this is that THEY never got a chance to grow (that) old together. Dad never reached his retirement age, and Mom was left alone for 20 years until she passed. She missed him every day of those twenty years...I know...I was there and saw it. And I miss them both to the same degree every day since they have passed.

But as long as I (and others) remember them, they will NEVER be truly gone...just absent.