Now, It's "Official"...
Fort Wayne had two shootings (what again?) yesterday, and one was fatal, bringing our running total (now) to SEVENTEEN homicides. And although the police haven't called this latest death by gunshots a homicide, let's be honest, it most likely IS.
The first shooting occurred at the SAME BP station at S. Anthony and McKinnie that has seen this before, and not all that long ago. And it was on the SE side of town (big surprise). A blue SUV was seen leaving the area, and is a "vehicle of interest".
The second shooting, which resulted in the death was on the NORTHeast side of the city near Coldwater Road and Coliseum Blvd at a small apartment complex. A dark-colored SUV was also seen leaving the gas station.
DO we have someone with too much time on their hands? Apparently so.
Now before you begin worrying, we're still on track to make *my* magic number of THIRTY (30) homicides by year's end, so please keep track in your betting pools at work.
On the "up" side to this, we're almost at the SAME number that San Francisco saw for ALL of 2006 (13), but then again, that city IS pretty n much a "socialist state". Yeah, they might ban fast foods, and allow people to place sexual organs in one another's mouths, but at least CRIME is down, right? Makes you wonder why then, are SO many people LEAVING the city? That's THEIR problem, not ours.
Our problem is becoming quite easy to see, even to Stevie Wonder & Andrea Bocelli!
We have a people problem.
NO, it's not a gun problem...I said PEOPLE problem.
It's people (with guns) that are causing the shootings. Guns are not driving about the city in SUVs shooting people. It's just like the city NOT having an alcohol problem. It's the people that over imbibe that causes the DUI-related accidents and fatalities, so you can stop watching that bottle of Chivas Regal for suspicious behavior.
When the city deals with the PEOPLE behind the problems, the problems WILL get solved, and not before.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch...
Fort Wayne City Council is looking at an ordinance to mess with peoples' floodlights on their property. Now I'm all for MORE light at night. hell, I can't see anyone unless they smile, or are wearing some over sized white t-shirt, so I'm motivated to keep MY house and garage well lit. Of course there ARE people who, like CLARK GRISWOLD (at Christmas) have to have every frigging inch of THEIR house lit up like the surface of the sun! That's a tad bothersome, to the neighbors. So I can understand where the city is coming from.
But think about this...
If the city starts to regulate the amount of LUMENS a property owner can have, isn't that creating a slippery slope? I mean they already have an ordinance that LIMITS the amount of NOISE people can produce, and yet, every damn day, I have scads of VIOLATORS mocking the city ordinance AND the FWPD by driving around with a bass report as loud (in decibels) as an F-16 engine ramping up for takeoff.
But at least it's been PROVEN that excessive loud, low frequency noise IS harmful to the human body, so we're covered on that aspect.
And aside from having someone's flood shining in your window, there's little (if any) REAL harm being done (except to the moth that strays too damn close and gets fried on that spotlight bulb).
This could be one of those ordinances that is more problem than solution, but at least it's not "NOT ENFORCEABLE"...like the NOISE ordinance (in my neighborhood, anyway).
So, with that said, it's time to get ready to "take two" to the auto repair shop (already made the appointment) to have the wife's car looked at.
The A/C clutch has been clicking in and out, so that tells me it might "just" need a recharge (freon does leak out after 12 years). And since most newer cars depend o the A/C system to run the DEFROST system in winter, it is important to have the system working, unless you LIKE having NO defroster on those nasty days.
I miss the old days when we didn't NEED a "defroster"...we just redirected the HEAT from the switch panel
I'll be crossing MY fingers on this one.
It's not the money that worries me...it's the expertise and alacrity of the people on duty that will have MY attention.
We shall see...