06 April 2008

Monday Musings...
There are three major stories I'd like to touch on today, not the least of which is the one I knew would eventually arrive, namely the passing of actor Charlton Heston...an American screen icon for over 5 decades.

Moses has finally met God.
Heston played a myriad of "epic" roles in films such as El Cid, Ben Hur, The Ten Commandments.

I personally enjoyed so many of his moveies whether it was Will Penny, 55 Days at Peking, or even The Omega Man.
And who could forget Soylent Green or Planet of the Apes?

He had also been president of the Screen Actors Guild, as well as president of the NRA (1998).
Heston was diagnosed with Alzheimers in 2002,
You can view his entire film history at IMDBs website.
Here's the link:
And the link to Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlton_Heston
Heston was 84.
Truly, the stuff of legends. He will be missed.

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Our second story focuses on the JG article (Sunday) regarding property assessments in Allen County over the past several years.

And since we ALL know you simply cannot have any type of ASSESSMENT without an ASS somewhere in the mix, let's take a peek into the story presented yesterday.

It's not a bad read, and many of you in rich neighborhoods might even find it a bit humourous. I'm not laughing, in case you were wondering.

Here's the link for the assessment lookups (name/address):

This one didn't actually catch me off guard (you quickly learn to be ON GUARD a lot down here), when I read that LOWER INCOME NEIGHBORHOODS were the "recipients" of HIGHER assessments. I KNEW as much...and said so (for all the good that has done).
Our "assessed value" shot up 102% from 2000 to 2004 alone, and we weren't the worst one hit by this (only went up a mere 4% this year...big whoop), and all in a neighborhood that saw a LOSS of most every other decent home OWNER, a new crop of RENTALS popping up (as a result), and increased criminal activity (associated with the human vermin occupying these once nice houses, turning them into HOVELS). But it's not like I haven't said ANYTHING about that HERE....I have and quite frequently.
Curiously, in nearly EVERY case, the homeowners that MOVED AWAY from here, were...WHITE, while the renters that subsequently came into the area were almost ALL...BLACK (along with some white trash). Now it's interesting to note that with the advent of ETHNIC DIVERSITY in our neighborhood comes all the BAD ELEMENTS...and this is supposed to make MY property value go UP?
Cripes, I haven't had a good night's SLEEP in 7 YEARS!
But my house is "worth" MORE (just don't think of selling it for the assessed "value").
How the hell is THAT possible? How can MY property suddenly be worth so much more (on paper anyway) when everything else around us is coming apart like a cheap sweater?
Gives "worth-less" a whole new meaning.
Well, the answer I came up with is that WE ARE WHITE...and WE OWN the house we LIVE in. Anyone else in our "unique" position would see the same thing. Nice bit of "trending", eh?
It's just a quaint way of telling US we're not really wanted in this area any longer (although the city surely appreciates the TAX MONEY we cough up every damn year); that WE need to move, so our house can become just another rental.
Sorry, that dog just ain't gonna hunt.
WE are the ONLY reason this area looks even close to "nice". WE are the white drop of milk on an otherwise black driveway. WE stand out...and alone. And WE are PAYING for it in more ways than one, thanks to improper assessing.

I can now say that my wife and I are now the official "unofficial" Monarchs of our neighborhood, as we now have THE highest "assessed value" property (a man's home is STILL his castle, right?) in the entire area. Not bad for having vermin all around us, hmm?
Hell, I'd LOVE to be able to get $74K for this place, or even the actual value of $40K (I think it's worth more, considering the cost of housing), which is what WE paid for it 11 years ago, but we'd be lucky to get $35K (more likely even less) thanks to ALL the damn rentals pulling down the values around here.

Oh, and there IS the crime (as in REAL...and NOT perceived). So we're stuck, unless we want a HUGE mortgage elsewhere. That's not MY first choice...not when we still have this place.
Of course, when you figure in the vandalism (eggs on the house, bricks through windows, BBs cracking the garage glass, etc), the disrespect by others because YOU want to have a nice place, and all they want to do is sell or use drugs and have parties, plus the reverse racial overtones shown to you because you're the ONLY island of sanity in a sea of chaos, you spend a lot of time wondering what the hell went SO wrong that things could DEVOLVE around you so damn fast.
We're certainly NOT finished with this.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Lastly, the homicide (murder pool) number in Fort Wayne is up to eleven, no...make that TWELVE now! , so all that prayer and talk of changing things around must REALLY be working...NOT!
Talk is cheap, prayer is for the righteous, and action is for those sick and tired of the status quo.
I personally like #3. I'm sure that employing some TOUGH action against these perps would do some real good, for sometimes, it TAKES BITTER TO DRIVE BITTER. We sure ain't catching many thugs with all this "sugar" now, are we? Currently, there have been NO ARRESTS. I'd like to ask for assistance (for our area) here, but I just KNOW I'm talking to a bunch of asses (because the heads are firmly in the sand).
Just yesterday, I asked a preteen girl, who was just "chillin" at my corner (she also smokes at the corner and hangs with gangsta wannabes) to NOT use my property as a hangout, and promptly got more attitude that I bargained for. I then went outside and told her straight up; "You want the police here to straighten this crap out? I can make it happen like THAT (snapping fingers). Your call, sister." She moved on, but I can easily tell that this will be far from over.
Oh, and she's part of the nice multi-racial (read dysfunctional) family that moved down the street into our latest rental (that I helped the owner, a former neighbor fix up after the previous druggie-renter had trashed). The newest addition to our area that makes MY property values go UP (not on a dare, people).
What a crock of BS!
I've got blacks on THREE sides of my (corner) house now, and while one house is basically unoccupied, the other two make up for it. The house behind us has kids that are trying to claim MY property as their own (when they toss balls that keep coming into my driveway and yard). I spoke to THEM about that. The ones across the side street with TWO sides of THEIR house to park along, have people over that park along MY property line, claming THAT as "their own". It's that "What's yours is mine, and what's mine is my own" mentality ALL over again. Talking to them rarely works due to that short-term memory thig they all suffer from, AND it can get a gun pulled on you (oh, am I EVER ready for that to happen again). Castle-Doctrine, baby!
Funny, I NEVER had issues like this when I had WHITES on those 3 sides of my house.
Wonder WHY that is? Must be "poverty" making all these people dumber than a bag of rocks. I never encountered people as bad as this even in Philly with all the neighboroods I lived in.
But, like I said before, when these kids are permitted to GROW UP with NO guidance, NO rules, NO boundaries, NO parenting, and NO real role models, it's little surprise that they wind up a bunch of low-life, unintelligent, disrespectful, hedonistic meandering miscreants. And that's being NICE about it.
Whew....I use to think that (as the song goes) Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down, BUT...those rainy days are actually a bit quieter (around here) than sunny days, and Monday in our neighborhood is like every OTHER day...nobody works, everyone hangs out, drives the hell around thumping loud music, and there are police sirens every 30 minutes as well as an ocassional drug deal...SO damn (according to Bob's "lexicon") ..."ghettotypical".
What's there NOT to "get down" about...right?
Summers are even better. (or would that be worse?)
Do have a safe week.
I'll be waiiting for "#13" (and maybe even Godot).

04 April 2008

It's a Weekend...


Dig out your Dave Edmunds album, dust it off and fire up the track: Here Comes the Weekend!
We made it...don't ask me how.
Last Friday, I spoke on VICTIMOLOGY, and since only a handful of you faithful readers took the time to peruse my astute observations, I'd thought I'd swim against the current (again) today and follow up on the incidents that occured this week in Fort Wayne (that would be all those shootings).
So sit back, relax, and be prepared to learn as well as become enlightened.
The final count for this week's mayhem is TEN, as the coroner ruled that the unborn fetus of the woman shot uptown was also a homicide.
TEN homicides in LESS than 30 hours.
Take a moment to let that sink in.
Now while I might say that perhaps "some" of the people killed had it coming to them by making some bad choices when it came to lifestyles, not everyone involved was guilty. And the fallout from the community meeting the other night "might" produce something positive around here.
But the problem is not totally about gangs OR drugs.
It goes much deeper than that.
Gangs and drugs are but a result FROM the root of the problem. They are the means whose ends are fully justified (if you can call that justification). The problem stems primarily with the manner in which many of these young people are brought up, and this again goes back to the multi-generational situation I mentioned in previous posts. The sub-cultural deviations from the norm are at the heart of many of the community's concerns. I just wish more people would wake the hell up and realize this.
While many would state that drugs and gangs are BIG problems here, no one seems to mention ANY of the much smaller, basically insignificant problems permeating the black community (and seeping into other white as well as ethnic communities now). These miniscule issues that go unaddressed are the seeds from which a crop of crime will soon bloom. And Lord knows there's plenty of "fertilizer" to help that along.
Yet like any problem, it's always the small ones that grow, fester, and propagate into the larger ones, and NOT the other way around. The only time a large problem becomes a small problem is when people step up to eradicate that large problem.
--When you have children that behave badly, and nothing is done to correct them - THAT is a problem.
--When children are brought up to ignore or despise authority (outside of their home) - THAT is a problem.
--When children don't follow simple BASIC rules - THAT is a problem.
--When children have NO role models - THAT is a problem.
--When children show contempt and disrespect for other people and their properties - THAT is a problem.
--When children are not taught courtesies, ethics or integrity - THAT is a problem.
Now all this can be as simple as teaching a child not to litter, or play on their OWN property (and not in a busy street). It can be as simple as teaching them THREE LITTLE WORDS: PLEASE, and THANK YOU. It can be as easy as supervising your children when they;'re outside, or walking them to the store, instead of letting them go by themselves (especially with all the predatory pedohpiles around).
If NONE of this is ever taught or even explained to these kids, they've been given the tools to fail in life miserably, and at too young an age. It's little wonder than roughly 30% of every class in any school is destined to fail even before their feet pass through the doorway. And in inner urban areas, those numbers are even higher.
Sorry, but you CAN'T blame the schools for that. The school had little if anything to do with the way a child was brought up at home, and how they behave on the streets after school.
It IS all about what passes for a "family" these days.
It is about ALL these single moms and irresponsible males that can't see past their next 40oz or blunt, and their wonderfully dysfunctional relationships, however.
The "me" generation has succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. They have managed to procreate a subsequent generation of people with no guidance, save for what they can find on the streets (usually in gangs), little caring, no sense of values and no real morality. We can add to that a blatant disrespect for anything save themselves and their immediate sphere of influence. We've got kids raising kids, a welfare system in shambles, dysfunctional people attempting to BS the rest of us into believeing that "they" are SO downtrodden and held back by everyone, yet every bit as worthy to live next to normal people, and everyone else seems to be OK with this.
Society winds up getting all the crime (and death) that comes along with this other baggage (and is a natural progression with issues such as this), THEN, and ONLY then do people cry out for a solution, when in fact they helped mentor the problem all along (by doing nothing).
Will gangs every go away?
Not totally.
There will always be some perverse "need" for some type of gang.
Will crime go away?
Never, especially not in this sense.
There will always be crime, for we will always be saddled with lawless people in some fahion.
But what CAN be done is to start some "zero-tolerance" policies when it comes to IRRESPONSINBILITY. If people who lack accountability are called on every single thing they do that's out of line, and we hold them to that, change will occur.
As a white man, it's not MY place to say what the black community NEEDS at this point (and they would NEVER listen to me anyway, no matter HOW right I was simply because OF my skin color), so that leaves it up to the black community ITSELF to take the reins and whoa up this runaway four-legged nightmare that is infesting their OWN neighborhoods (and mine) with what passes for families.
It's time to reintegrate people back INTO a familiy, and not continue this skewed reality of some loose tribal commune peer structure out for whatever good time comes down the street. With every choice in life comes some sort of responsibility.
--You are responsible for YOU, and that means all you do, say or think.
--You are responsible for the manner that you view and/or embrace your heritage, race, religion, and nationality.
--You are responsible for your actions as well as the consequences that come with those actions.
--You are responsible for providing a safe and healthy environment for any children you bear (that includes mental well-being and emotional stability).
--
You are responbile for maintaining a household (that means accountability in paying bills, cleanliness, and safety).
And that's just for starters... But taking only those few items I mentioned and getting people to at least practice THEM would go a very long way to changing things around. People in MY neighborhood wouldn't even KNOW what responsibility meant, if it came up and bit them all in their asses, for if they DID, I'd have a helluva lot less to gripe about, and probably a lot more people I could come to know as a friend.
It's not about me though.
I'm not the irresponsible one tossing litter on evryone else's property, or sitting in front of a house booming music that can be heard 3 blocks away, or honking my carhorn to get someone to come the hell out. It's not about that...or me.
It's about THEM.
It is ALWAYS is about them.
After all, they are the ones killing off one another, not I. And they are the ones that move into an area and promptly trash it, not I. Can some sort of equilibrium ever be accomplished? Maybe in a generation or two....maybe.
Until then, all the rest of us poor, lonely RESPONSIBLE people who have the ability to hold OURSELVES accountable, can ever hope to do is continue to educate those less fortunate (around us) by our actions as well as our words. We will teach (and lead) by EXAMPLE.
Just don't piss us off in the process.
"Aye...There's the rub..."
Keep your head down..
And DO have a safe weekend.

03 April 2008

OK, So Here's The Plan...
Community leaders were moved to have a meeting last evening in lieu of the six shootings that have occurred over the past few days, and although in concept it would appear that there still ARE people willing to get involved, I have to wonder as to the efficacy of meetings such as this.
Having been behind the pulpit several times, as well as in the pews, I have a perspective that is a bit more unique from the average person's.
I also happen to live within a mile's radius of four of those six shootings, and I have seen the best AND the worst these neighborhoods have to offer, so again, that does give me a unique perspective. One other thing that adds to this "uniqueness" is the fact that in 55 years, I have never been part of the judicial system vis-a-vis incarcerated, arrested, or even visited anyone in any lockup. So, from a LAW-ABIDING aspect, I feel I can be more objective than most anyone else that has already spoken to this matter.
With that said, I'll say what I feel needs to be said, and I apologize in advance if I say anything that I have ALREADY said here or on anyone else's blog. But some things DO bear repeating.
Having this meeting is fine, but having a room full of citizens distraught, disappointed, dismayed, and otherwise disillusioned, does nothing but provide a place to blow off some steam. And although that's all well and good, it's not really addressing the problem, but merely addressing the result of not having a solution TO the problem.
The problem, as we all have seen time and again is drugs...and gangs.
Fort Wayne DOES have a DRUG problem.
Fort Wayne DOES have a GANG problem.
And Fort Wayne DOES have a cultural disconnect problem in it's black community.
As I've stated previously, the black community is divided against itself, and what did Abraham Lincoln say about a "house" divided against itself?
It cannot stand.
Welcome to the south side of Fort Wayne.
The "old order" is fast fading into the sunset, and by that I mean the elderly black patriarchs and matriarchs of REAL families; families that were UNITED...bound by their heritage and culture, and not subversively fragmented by whatever wind the media blew up their collective asses. These are the people that knew what a FAMILY was, but sadly, they're passing from us all too soon, much like the vets from a past war. And their legacy to our future has been trampled into the dirt beneath this generation's feet.
Case in point - A "typical black family" down here consisting of 3-4 people (no real father for the 2 kids - he's just mama's boyfriend THIS month). Mom might work a menial job to make sure the WIC keeps flowing and HUD pays a chunk of the rent of the hovel that Section 8 stuck them into. They also pretty much rent everything in the house, and the "beds" consist on mattresses on a floor in what is supposed to be a bedroom. No curtains on the windows, but sheets, a nice newer car (or SUV) out front (and hopefully insured), children that have no respect for other people or their , and basically have the "run" of the neighborhood to all hours, even on school nights. Mom never seems to cook, but has take-out fast food every night (when the kids aren't running to Speedway for some "hot fries" and orange drink). The kids are most likely failing or at best doing below par in school, and mom (who never seems to have time to get involved) hasn't a clue as to WHY the kids are doing badly. And the boyfriend is probably selling (or at least DOING) drugs so he's got some "walkin' around" money to get his "bling" on.
How am I doing so far?
Sound familiar?
Welcome to the south side of Fort Wayne.
So this meeting is "supposed" to find solutions to violence. Well, when you have small groups of people instead of a FAMILY massed in primarily in ONE "exclusive" (read blighted) part of town, one societal aberration will eventually lead to another. And violence is but one part of this complex equation.
Sure these people are frustrated...and angry. But it's the victimology in them that's doing it. Somewhere along the road, they forgot what it is to be motivated, opting instead for having their hand out to anyone and everyone willing to fill them. That doesn't teach people anything, but how to become a neighborhood of governmental panhandlers and how to successfully BEG!
"Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; TEACH him to fish and you feed him for life" is the way the saying goes.
This of course is predicated upon the fact that this man wants to motivate himself into getting off his ass, picking up the rod and reel and heading for the nearest body of water. it's much easier to grab a gun and hold up a store or a person, right?
Welcome to the south side of Fort Wayne.
The black community seeks an end to gun violence. Do they really, or can this just be a case of NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard)? "As long as MY child isn't shot, I don't care all that much", seems to be the order of the day. Is the black community willing to go against the "status quo", make some VERY tough decisions (which will most likely piss off a lot of their OWN people), and do what is right for themselves AND their children? Is the black community willing to accept help from the OTHER communities in the city? Or the city law-enforcement agencies? Can the black community overcome this "need" to police themselves, and in doing so, break down the walls of the sub-culture that has pervaded their neighborhoods for the past several decades?
Time will tell.
In the meantime, one thing I would do is to find SOME way to reinstate a CURFEW. If people are in the wrong place at the wrong time, $hit WILL happen, especially when there are predatory thugs roaming to all hours on our streets. And if this curfew need apply to not JUST young people, but everyone else (for an interim time), so be it. I don't really need to be ANYWHERE at 0330 hrs except watching the insides of my eyelids!


Like I said, it will take generations to UNDO the mess we currently have here, and it's going to have to be a JOINT EFFORT with the black community wanting to affect change in their neighborhoods.
But praying alone won't change anything, nor will having meetings or forming committees. It WILL take hard work, dedication, and a SINCERE desire to settle for something a LOT better than what currently resides on our streets.
No one ever said that THIS type of change would be easy, but the end result will be dividends for the future we can only imagine now.
We shall see what the level of sincerity within the black community will be in the weeks and months to come....long after these six victims have been in the ground and people have gotten back to their daily routine.
We'll see if change for the better is truly sustainable.
And while I wish these people well with this endeavor, I won't be betting the farm on this, nor holding my breath.

02 April 2008

Humpday Happenings...
Whatever happened to OUR GANG?
No, I'm not doing an expose' on the Spanky/Alfalfa crowd from the 1930s, although in retrospect, THEIR antics were a lot more palatable to our society than the recent spate of shooting deaths.

In less than THREE days, we've had SIX homicides (running total is now 9), and that even beats some of the murder capital rates (should this continue unabated). Even the FWPD are astounded that THIS could happen, as no one can seem to recall anything like this in recent history in this city.
It could be worse...it could be Philly, where the homicide rates typically are in the 400+ range. Oh, wait, we're not THAT LARGE a city, are we? We're barely over 250K, and nowhere near anything close to 2 MILLION. Still, if one looks at the per capita rate of homicides, we're closing in on the national averages real fast.
And why the hell IS that, you ask?
1) It could be the lack of boots (police) on the ground, but it's certainly NOT a lack of dedication. More police presence is warranted, that much is certain.
2) It could be the "race dance" that law-enforcement agencies have to ante up to whenever a specific part of the city is "watched" for CRIMINAL activity. The ACLU and the NAACP have seen to that, by allowing the police department to tip-toe on every shift, rather than walk steadfastly and perform good policing.
3 ) It could also be the fact that much of this city has been in denial over drugs and gang activity. If one were to do a lookup on the DOJ website as recently as 2000, one would SEE that gang threat activity (and drug threats) in Indiana has been assessed a LOT more correctly than our HOUSES have been. We're basically playing "catch-up" at this point in time, trying to defray a problem that has been allowed to become firmly entrenched. I guess we can thank Moses and Helmke for much of the societal debacle we currently "enjoy".
4) It could be the lack of motivational involvement by the black community to get their OWN people under control, and chase out the bad elements. NO amount of Prayer can take the place of some good community LEADERS that canvass neighborhoods, handing out literature, and otherwise educating their people to the destructive behavioral patterns exhibited by the youth in those areas (as well as many adults). This is now a multi-generational problem, and it will take as many generations to UNDO this clusterf$ck.
5) It could be the apathy by everyone else in problem areas that either can't be bothered to get involved, or are scared or intimidated into non-involvement by these thugs.
6) Or it could be a combination of ALL of the above.
And most likely IS.
Even Rev. Michael Latham is playing catch up, vowing to go into the neighborhoods and to the families seeking an end to this violence. Prayer alone ain't cutting it, Rev...time to try things differently. Chief York has already mentioned that FWPD intervention was tried at one victim's house (and since he is NOW a victim, we all know how well that was received).
People are all saying how unfortunate this is. Personally,
I think the opposite.
This is quite fortunate.
It's fortunate that these people are killing EACH OTHER at this point. What would be UNFORTUNATE is when they start shooting INNOCENT men, women, and CHILDREN (as occurs in cities with gang populations rivaling small towns). THAT would be very unfortunate.
If the general public had access to criminal records, they would find that (probably) ALL the victims had a "history" in the system. Contrell Brown (he was such a good boy) had a history (guess that open warrant is now closed), as did Adrian Carswell (another "good and loving person") who just happened to have 4 convictions of cocaine possession since 2002. Spare me the sobbing, people.
I said it before in many other posts right here...more drama than mama in their lives. Crocodile tears and homages on YouTube and MySpace...helluva legacy and epitaph for that gravestone, eh?
The FWPD has gone on record saying that 2 shootings WERE gang-related, but I would add that ALL of these killings have "some" tie-in to gangs.
Let's get real here; drugs are at the root of several of the shootings, and gangs are very much into drugs (and guns, cars, money, and women), so logic dictates that there MUST be an ancillary connection.
I recall a former "neighbor" (transient renter) that wore RED and BLACK exclusively, as did his "friends", and they fit all the parameters of what a drug house is. Never saw them busted once. In fact, they moved in the MIDDLE OF THE DAY last year...and they got out in a hurry. Wonder why?
We currently have another house in the area, also displaying signs of drug activity (like smoking blunts boldly out front in broad daylight). They also have people from out of state and Indy frequenting the house (let's say they've had hundreds of DIFFERENT vehicles at the place over the last year or so), and specific days of the month are busier than the rest. They displayed the SAME "MO" as a house occupied by the Thomas brothers (another popular drug name in Fort Wayne as are the Amours and the hardys). At least THAT house was closed down, and THOSE boys were gone from the area (maybe into yours).
You'd THINK when information is provided for FREE (detailed with cars, colors, etc) from CONCERNED citizens, that something would come of it eventually (drug investigations DO take more than the 44 minutes shown in a TV crime show...at least 6 months). Haven't seen anyone from any federal agency or local agency chatting them up for YEARS. Wonder why? On the one hand we have a city that WANTS people to come forward, while on the other hand we have a city that (apparently) summarily dismisses information provided on a regular basis. And that doesn't even include those who actually KNOW things but will not come forward. That's a whole other animal.
Case in point - on the Masterson St. shootings, there were two dead, one wounded, and the 2 killed are "John Does"???
WTF is wrong with that picture? The third guy DIDN'T KNOW them? C'Mon now, people. We're smarter than that, right? You hang with people and DON'T KNOW THEIR DAMN NAMES?
Curiouser and curiouser.
No amount of cajoling, pleading, or even threatening at this point will stop what has transpired in the past 72 hours, and it certainly cannot REVERSE it. If anything, it will steel the resolve of these gang members into doing more of the same. It might "cool down" for a spell, to defray suspicion, but much like the Hydra of Greek mythology, whenever you sever ONE head, another will return to take it's place.

What does amaze me in all of this is Mayor Henry's "Lip service to the populace" speech. Maybe ten years ago this was a fairly nice place to live, but not any longer. The ONLY "nice" thing about MY neighborhood is that my pistol is on my hip, and my shotgun is within reach...and woe to those who decide to screw with me...period!
In South side neighborhoods like mine (and Phil's) we SEE this crap going down regularly, with a blatant arrogance and cavalier attitude shown by these perps. And it will continue to NOT be this "nice" place until the foothold these gangs have in Fort Wayne is all but eradicated. And that will NOT happen overnight, even AT the pace these thugs are killing one another.
THAT is also unfortunate.
Whether it's the D-Boyz, the Eden Green Thugs, the Seven Figs, the KOD (Knights of Destruction), or even the Goon Squad (all local gangs), there is a higher "authority" at work in this city that these people aspire to emulate, and it most likely has affiliations to Chicago and/or L.A. gangs. It could be UBN or the BLOODS, or another of over THIRTY active gangs in Indiana.
And don't think they're limited to the inner city; that's just where all the "action" occurs. These people are moving into the suburbs at an alarming rate. The person living next door with the nice, new car, the "questionable" job and friends is probably into some serious $hit...you just don't know about it yet.
Now you can either be part of the solution, as in doing whatever is needed to get them OUT of YOUR area, OR...you can be part of the problem by doing nothing...or worse, moving away, and letting THEM win (and people ask why I stay here...lol). I will move when I am damn good and ready, and NOT when these thugs decide for me. And I will gladly provide them with a free visit to the nearest funeral home to back that up.
Sooner or later this cycle of violence will end, only to be supplanted with another.
The best that you can hope for is to NOT get in the way when these neophyte marksmen take to the street looking for their next victim, because incoming fire will ALWAYS have the right-of way.

It's not fatalism...it's REALITY.
And we ALL have to spend some time there...like it or not.

01 April 2008

There's NO Fool Like An APRIL FOOL...
What a difference a day makes, eh?
There are days that make you happy to be alive, and days that make you curse the day you were born. There are days that make you feel ten feet tall, and other days that have you running for a nice deep hole so you can yank that real estate over your head.
Then there are days like yesterday...that are just plain OK for ALL the right reasons. And you have to love them, for they don't come along all that often, and especially NOT when you're wanting (or needing) them to.
I have to hand it to my wife, I must be rubbing off on her (after 10+ years), and that really makes me smile. Yes, a ray of hope in an otherwise banal existence.
Yesterday's weekend fiasco fallout had me all but beside myself, and yet, my darling wife managed to NOT ONLY take the ailing computer out to STONE way up North (The "initial" prognosis on the old-dog 'puter is that a "component failure" is the primary cause of the problem, and hopefully, by this Friday, we'll have things back in hand...only a lot more operational.), BUT ALSO...she :
1) got smokes for the week,
2) got her car an oil change and a lube job, and
3) got us BOTH lunch (mmmmm.....Wendy's)!
Yeah, I was thinking "wow" too.
Talk about efficiency!
Sounds like something I'd do...
(Damn good reason to keep her for at least ANOTHER year...!)
She managed to achieve (in a few short hours) the best use of resources at hand, combining all these trips into ONE and she was STILL back home for the noontime lunch hour! And let's face it, even with gas hovering in the low $3 range, ANYthing you can do to save a gallon or two is worth it (just a damn shame no one REWARDS you for your diligence).
So I decided that since we were on this "winning streak" (as opposed to the last day or so), I'd go into the (loft) "crawlspace" over the family room addition, and scope out the insulation (I had been wanting to amend the "R" factor in it for some time to save heating/cooling costs). And since today's temperatures were marvelously moderate, we got it in gear and tooled up.
We got out the 2-ways, my trouble light PLUS my headband light (one can NEVER have TOO much light in a closed, dark area), and it was time for "Tunnel Rat Bob" to go and get it done. I will say this: Anne Frank would have found the accomodations up there rather spacious ( Das ist eine Comfort Inn, Fraulein?)...
After about an hour of crawling, lying, stooping, and some more crawling about, I did reinsulate certain parts where it was lacking near the eaves of the roofline (and put some nails into the joists so I could hang my light as I went). Then, I figured it was time for MY "Great Escape"...all I needed was Charles Bronson behind me and Steve McQueen in front of me...LOL
As a finish to the "project", I added some weather stripping around the access door (at the top of the stairs) to the "roof/loft" area, as well as a knob for easier opening, replaced the dresser in front of it, and called it all done...finished...complete. (Miller Time, gang)
"A simple job for a simple person", as Dad used to say!
And if the women don't find you handsome, they should AT LEAST find you handy.
Words to live by.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the city...
Is it homicide #4?
No make that homicide #s 4,5,6,7,8.
At least it's sure looking that way. Goes to show you that what's OK for some (me), isn't OK for others (and their families OR the police department).
The FWPD had it's hands full as well yesterday when it was investigating 5 shooting deaths in the city. Looks like the Coroner's Office will be pretty busy this morning.
Two women were found dead from gunshot wounds in a home on Blum Drive, another man was shot near McKinnie and Lillie Streets (one of the "better" and not in a good way neighborhoods down here), and two men were found dead in an apartment in the 200 block of W. Masterson St.
Seems that some people just LIVE for nicer weather (and the chance to deny life to others in the process).
Now I had "officially" went on record (in a post a few months back) as saying that we'd wind up around 25 homicides AGAIN in this city, and it's looking better every day, thanks to people who are giving gun control advocates lots of "ammunition" (pun intended) for their case. I will also go on record as saying that every one of the guns used IN these latest homicides were NOT "at fault", but rather the people behind the sights, pulling the triggers are the ONES TO BLAME.
At least former mayor Paul Helmke is smiling.
Gee, I wonder what all these deaths have in common with homicides in other cities with similar "diversity"?
Sure glad it's NOT the fact that we have so many black, brown, and white trash sitting on their asses every day with nothing to do and plenty of time to do it (all bought and paid by the taxpayers of this fair city).
I'm also glad it's NOT the fact that drugs are rampant in many areas around this city.
And I'm also glad it's NOT the fact that we are emulating much LARGER cities when it comes to drug and gang problems (at least it sure looks that way from where I sit).
Remember...crime IS going down (and it WENT DOWN...in at least THREE neighborhoods yesterday).
Helluva "April's Fool Day", isn't it?