Welcome To The Weekend...
It's Friday, June 6...the anniversary of the invasion of Normandy by allied forces, otherwise known as D-Day. Take a moment to reflect on all the brave men who never returned from that battle.
Their numbered losses on that ONE day were greater than the losses we have endured in Iraq and Afghanistan combined over the last 7 years. But regardless of where or when those lives were lost, know that they were given in the name of liberty...and freedom.
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Two top officials at the US Air Force, Secretary Michael Wynne and Chief of Staff Michael Moseley, were fired yesterday by the Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. The Air Force leadership has been involved in numerous recent controversies including an incident in which live nuclear bombs were flown over US airspace and for steering a contract to a retired general. The "last straw" however, according to one defense official, was a screw-up that resulted in nuclear fuses accidentally being sent to Taiwan.
Gates decided to ask for the resignations of the two officials in the wake of a blistering, and still classified, report on the Taiwan screw-up, in which four MK-12 fuses were accidentally shipped earlier this year.
"This incident represents a significant failure to ensure the security of sensitive military components," Gates said today. "More troubling, it depicts a pattern of poor performance that was highlighted to us following last year's incident involving the improper movement of nuclear weapons between Minot AFB and Barksdale AFB."
((Personally, I think someone in "middle management" needs to have their ass wailed, but since we are dealing with "protocol" here, the buck always stops AT THE TOP. The slip ups might have been as simple as a communication breakdown at the BASE level. I'm not all that concerned that a B-52 was carrying 4 nuclear-tipped cruise missiles...they probably weren't even armed))
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Local Urban League Ends Summit:
Time to see if the "rubber will meet the road" when it comes to stemming youth violence in our city. With Fort Wayne on track to meet "last year's quota" of 25 murders, members of the Urban League have skulled out plans to reduce the violence, and have met with concerned parents, city officials, and citizens. A website will be forthcoming with ways people can input their comments and ideas.
((I'd like to see LESS talk...and MORE action. But I've been saying that is exactly what has been needed around here for YEARS. You can pray until your knees wear out, and you can talk until you lose your voice, but until you get your butts OUT ON THE DAMN STREETS, and canvass an area, going door to door, your impact to reduce violence and crime ON that area will be negligible at best))
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Housing Market Roller coaster Continues:
We've got a greater problem with the housing market than first realized. It's not JUST about foreclosures per se, but much of the reasons BEHIND WHY these houses are being foreclosed on. We can point to job losses at one example. But the latest "word on the street" (pun intended) is that whatever EQUITY you might have built up over the years just isn't worth what it once was. People are paying more and getting less equity. Not a good sign. Many rely ON that equity to amend their retirement or rainy-day funds.
((We can't BUY a house because it costs too much, and we don't want to hock our lives away. Conversely, we can't SELL our house either, because we'll be getting NOWHERE NEAR what is even fair market value. And we'd be depending on what we THOUGHT we were suppose to get for the first house to pay for the second. A marvelous Catch-22 if ever there was one. This "fair market:" will be artificially "amended" to reflect the housing situation.))
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People locked out of Northside High Graduation.
Tempers flared to near riotous proportions Thursday evening when over a hundred people were denied access to Northside High School's graduation ceremonies that were held at the Memorial Coliseum. It was pre-arraigned as to WHEN the doors would be locked, and that's a school policy with Northside.
((I call it more like LOOK AT YOUR DAMN WATCH, MORON. You KNOW what time you need to be there to see your child graduate. Do THEM a service and be PROMPT. By getting yourself locked OUT of the ceremony, you just sent your child a very nasty message that they WILL remember for years to come.
Come to think of it, the manner of dress most "parents" display at graduation leaves much to be desired, as opposed to back in *my* day. It's a GRADUATION - a once in a lifetime event. Don't go dressed like you're headed to Beerfest 2008, or a BBQ on the southside of the city for God's sake. And leave all the damn LASER POINTERS, AIRHORNS, and other annoying "devices" intended to make you look like the asshole you apparently wish to be known as AT HOME. Have a little respect for the importance OF the damn event. There's a LOT more here than meets the eye with this procedure of lockouts. Gang-related? Maybe. But we've not scratched the surface as to WHY ti was done.))
With all that said, you now know the news.
It's going to be a steamy one this weekend. Dress appropriately to avoid the sun and heat (Bedouin gear will work, but will also get you noticed by too many people).
Drink plenty of fluids.
That doesn't mean liquor, soda and beer,
They won't quench a thirst nearly as well as plain old water or juices. And then there's MY favorite - POWERADE (preferably in some BLUE or PURPLE hue).
And above all else...
DO have a SAFE weekend.