If At First You Don't Succeed...
Scrappers have been a problem in our part (S/E) of Ft. Wayne for some time (as well as a national bane), and the police have been diligent in trying to halt these guys with nothing to do but break into a house (abandoned or not), and "relieve" themselves of any and all copper tubing, piping, wiring, etc.
I know for a fact that the companies that receive scrap metals are being monitored, and records of exactly "who" is dropping "what" off are being kept.
As to what effect that will be on these predatory lowlifes, no one can say just yet.
It is nice to note that one of my very few decent neighbors (those would be the ones that don't use drugs, sell drugs, or are involved in some other dubious activity about the area) managed to thwart a scrapping attempt yesterday. he even managed to get a partial plate number.
Damn shame I wasn't there, but I had nodded out, and my wife (bless her heart) didn't want to "wake me". I told her if something goes down around here, PLEASE wake me. I promise to not shoot first...lol! And yes, there are some people that wake up with an abruptness that might cause others to shy away. I knew one buddy in the military that must have had one helluva dream or flashback, because when his wife went to wake him, he tried to attack her. Yeah, some memories never really go away. Last time I saw him, he was doing great, and no further problems with his sleeping or waking.
But I digress...
Two FWPD cars came on scene (3 officers), and checked the property out. One car remained while NCE came to board up the window to the house,. How much that will keep these guys away, I don't know.
It wouldn't stop me, I do know that.
Using a STEEL PLATE would be a lot better (imho). I've seen boarded up houses around here (and we have way too many) that vandals have simply ripped the plywood away to get into a garage or the house itself.
(Ed. Note:) These two pictures shown were taken in MINNESOTA, just you get an idea of how much damage these guys can inflict.
Yeah, it's an ongoing problem down here (as are many, and which ALSO never get resolved).
Still, the two men (oh, I didn't mention...they were black) got away...for now.
One was in a dark minivan and he drove off. The other took off across the alley to the next street over (where the minivan probably looped around to meet him and pick him up).
And that's another issue we have in our area:
We have TOO many ways for the WRONG people to get away (I tend to prefer 3 ways OUT to one way INTO any situation).
By that, I mean very few properties have proper fences (we happen to have both wooden and chain-linked) on our block or the ones adjacent to our street. And people are ALWAYS meandering through, like it was their own PERSONAL pathway (which it apprently is). Then again, when you see too many people in vehicles using the alleys for "auxiliary streets", you wonder to yourself WHY this issue is another one that is NOT being addressed by law-enforcement, or some other city agency.
I recall a time when Dawn Ritchie (formerly head of Waste Management for the city) took a "tour" of the alleys, because the Serv-All trucks couldn't get the hell THROUGH. Well, we still have that problem. Some routes have been changed to STREET pickup, as the alleys are no longer navigable for the trash trucks.
And if trucks won't pick up trash in the alleys, guess what manages to accumulate there?
Right. TRASH.
Well, it IS a good place to "get lost" when you need to, as well as a great place to get a head job (already been witness to that), and it makes for an ideal place to transact drug deals (drop offs or pickups) especially after dark.
When you see strange vehicles that DO NOT belong on your block motoring up and down the alleys to all hours, that should send up a lot of red flags.
Well, it did to the FWPD...for a time.
Two years ago, an officer was just sitting in the alley, looking for people cutting through. I mentioned him in a former posting, so feel free to check the archives. Suffice it to say, I haven't really seen any officers since, aside from the infrequent drive through (when they're usually looking for someone of "interest"), which tells me that yet again, the police have returned to a more REACTIONARY stance, as opposed to being PROACTIVE.
I've said that the ONE thing we need around here is more ALLEY PATROLS, and I even went so far as to notify Captain Becher (our quadrant chief) that the house that was hit yesterday (which makes at least THREE within the past YEAR) WOULD be hit...and soon. I wasn't being prophetic in any way.
I just KNOW the (type of) people around here, and once you know that, you are WAY ahead of the game.
Now...will chasing away these scrappers make a difference? Well, in an ideal world, I'd have to say YES. But we're about as FAR from "ideal" as East is from West in that regard, so I will only state that it has put them "off their game"...for the time being. They WILL be back, and probably at night. That's what I would do. hell, I wouldn't have even TRIED to scrap a house in broad daylight. That must tell you these guys are DESPERATE...or stupid as a bag of rocks.
I know most of the "junkmen" pickups in the area, and they do the "routine", namely canvass the alley for anything people place out for trash. But they tend to come down the alley EVERY DAY, and that makes me wonder about them casing houses for occupancy or people that have left for WORK (THAT number is VERY FEW).
There are those that I believe are scoping "prospective" houses for scrapping, and let's face it, if you really wanted a CLASS operation, you would NEED eyes on the streets. And of course, you KNOW they already have cell phones, or 2-way radios and a police scanner, along with all sorts of cutters, and some good gloves to keep from getting cut.
Hell, if I ran a setup like this, I'd put a few people on the "payroll" checking out who's moved, who's at work, on vacation, how long people leave the house for, patterns of behavior (certain days people go places), and the like. And it would worth my while to toss a little green at those people I "employ" so I can have a much easier time getting in and getting out with all that precious metal.
Business is business, right?
But I will say that my neighbor sure gave these two scrappers THE business yesterday.
Let's hope that this type of dissuasion coupled with the knowledge that they MAY be under surveillance by someone at any time will be a good deterrent.
I know *I* will be watching and waiting for them.
I don't plan to "miss" them again.
(And I've been practicing my point shooting...just in case)
Like I say...helluva way to live, eh?

Humpday Happenings...
In today's J/G is a little police brief that everyone should take a look at. It talks about a house that was shot at last Sunday morning around 0246 Hrs. (the FWPD blotter has it tagged at 0302 - I guess it takes a while to decide whether or not to really CALL the police). I know the correct time, because it woke me from my sleep.
The shots fired call occurred on Monroe between Sherwood Terrace and Maple Grove, and that's plenty close enough for me to hear it, believe me.
((Here's the entire story on the J/G website as reported by Abby Slutsky)):
Victim ties drive-by to ‘beef’ with gangs
The uninjured victim of a drive-by shooting last weekend told police it could be connected to gang activity.
Fort Wayne police were called to the 4600 block of Monroe Street about 3 a.m. Sunday to take a report from the family, who was home at the time. Two family members were outside when a blue Bonneville drove past. A passenger in the car pointed a handgun out the window and fired, hitting the house, a police report said.
A bullet went through a front window across the top of the couch and hit an interior wall before landing in the middle of the living room floor. Officers found a brass shell casing in the street, the report said.
The homeowner’s daughter told police she might have been the intended target. She was the victim of another attempted drive-by shooting at her home on Spatz Avenue recently, the report said.
She told police she has a "beef" with the Vice Lords or Mobsters. She believed one particular person was behind the shootings. She would not elaborate on why anyone would want to shoot her, the report said.
Now isn't it nice to know we're SO safe in our houses?
I'll bet that not one of these thugs is even thinking (as usual) about the "what if" factor, as in WHAT IF the bullet HIT someone you weren't aiming at (spend more time at the range, moron), or if the bullet ricocheted off in another direction, damaging property (it ain't my house, so screw it). And let's face it, we don't have 3 ft thick reinforced concrete walls on our houses, do we? Nor do we have Kevlar-impregnated ceramic composites making up our siding and shingles, right?
So we're not going to be stopping ANY ordnance that is .22 cal or LARGER now, are we?
And I'll be the first one to tell you that there is ONE tried and true saying that has held true since the wonderful world firearms was created, and that is:
Bullets are DUMB.
M'OK?
Bullets don't know any better when they leave the muzzle of whatever device is expelling them. They go where they are TOLD, and in the direction they are pointed (unlike many small children today), and will ONLY deviate from their path when acted upon by something that gets in their way (it's a little something we like to call physics). And just like any traveler suffering from jet lag, a bullet will do the exact same thing when it reaches it's destination.
It will COME TO REST.
So what if we DO have a GUN problem OR (even) a GANG problem in this city. It's (as some liberals would say) just an expression of the cultural nuances that have been suppressed by these people since the days of slavery.
Let's forget that what constitutes a real FAMILY, namely parents, has fallen on hard times and is dissolving faster than 2 Alka-Seltzer tablets in a glass of water.

Let's forget that time and again, the ONLY answer the black community seems to come up with is to gripe until ANOTHER funded program is placed in front of them to exploit.

Let's forget that the only "real" courage the community has is found in a bottle of cheap-ass brandy.

Let's forget that the same community fails to see the trouble in the first place, and when they do, all they can manage is a shoulder shrug (I guess ignorance is STILL bliss).

And let's forget that ANY level of authority is placed squarely in the realm of DISDAIN by such people. The ONLY authority is THEMSELVES, and that's the only person they seem to answer to. No responsibility, no accountability, and no subjugation from any HIGHER authority. They are their own ALPHA and OMEGA, or so it would seem.
Then again, we're talking about ANARCHY...and NOT any form of a DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC, right?
If CHAOS is left to reign, then the only ruling faction cannot be any form of ORDER.
And yet month after month, I send along my "statistics" to the FWPD in the HOPE that something can be done to keep crime at bay. And by the looks of things, I don't see much getting accomplished.

But drug deals are flourishing, and with the "one-step" cooking facilities for METH now being found in the back seats of cars (don't drive over that manhole cover - we might go BOOM) of the white trash brigade, it drives home the point even harder.

Now one would think that when a police department is supplied information concerning specific vehicles, times, people, houses, etc., something would (eventually) come of it. Funny thing, after all these years, I can't say I'm seeing ANY progress. And I measure that progress by having this neighborhood return to the way it USED TO BE about TEN years ago (and that would be a step UP). Sorry, ain't seeing it happen. If anything, it gets progressively worse, year after year.
Now if I were REALLY fatalistic, I could point out that every single one of us is only ONE second away from eternity. Well, that's actually more factual down on the SE side of town than elsewhere. I prefer to think of this as being REALISTIC.
If I'm sitting down, watching TV, I always have to have in the back of my mind that any second, something could come through a window or the side of the house. Because, as we all know, bullets never KNOCK FIRST (nor do bricks).
Now tell me how one can pursue this "quality of life" or this "quiet repose" that many city ordinances speak of, when MY police department cannot even enforce something like the noise ordinance? And by enforcing, I mean NOT to drive past and tell them (for the 647th time) to "turn it down". I mean take the damn stereo AWAY from them, confiscate the vehicle and call it done?

Perhaps the police are afraid of the ramifications...who knows?
Sorry, but when you have any law-enforcement agency that operates on a purely REACTIVE basis, you have to acknowledge that they will rarely (if ever) arrive BEFORE something occurs.

Now that might some a bit prophetic in nature, but with a police department that has a better grip on the neighborhoods (and the people inhabiting them), has a community NOT afraid to work with them (and not the occasional concerned lone wolf citizen), and is doing every thing it can to become PROACTIVE, then a lot of this can (and will) be avoided.
It's like I always say: "Community-Oriented Policing will ONLY work when a COMMUNITY gets involved".

Anything less, and the program, along with it's mandates means less than the ink used to draft it, as well as the paper it was written on.
Fort Wayne is a HUB (like on a wheel). Many cities can be found at the ends of it's "spokes", and those cities are at the tops of many lists, namely crime. We are a nexus for crime. Sorry, but that's the way the geography panned out. We are a way-station for thugs from larger cities who come here to ply their trades and practice their "vocations".
Now if you like having a house shot at, I suppose it's not such a BAD city. But it IS Fort Wayne...and not BAGHDAD.
Let's make that perfectly clear, in spite of all the locals walking barefoot down the middle of our streets.
We're the 2nd largest city in Indiana, and aside from the fact that we are definitely in the running for one of the TOP FIVE crime spots in the state, let's not all be so anxious to move closer TO the top of that list, shall we? We need look no further than Indianapolis to see how well things are going THERE, right?
Let someone else have that top o' the list "distinction", OK?
We deserve better...and should demand such from those running the show here.

When Women Took To The Air...
Today's post will be short...and sweet.
And you might come to have a much better appreciation for women in the service of our nation.
Most people today will hear the word WASP and they immediately think of two things:
1) those nasty bugs that manage to screw up a picnic
2) White Anglo-Saxon Protestants
But there used to be another term that word referred to.
More appropriately, it was an acronym for the Womens Air(force) Service Pilots.
In a time where fascism reared it's ugly head across Europe, and the Axis powers sought to depose freedom and democracy in the global arena, people in America were a much different sort than we see today.
They banded together as a nation against these forces of evil.
They did without so our soldiers wouldn't have to.
And everyone pitched in, regardless of race, creed, or sex.
Didn't matter who you were.
You wanted to pitch in and get the job done.


Such was the stuff that the WASPS were made of.
Women who were aviatrixes from the 1930s; a barnstorming era where a female stunt pilot was much the novelty, volunteered to be trained in fighter, bomber, and cargo aircraft of the era, earning the qualification to pilot them, and then ferry them across the oceans to our servicemen awaiting their arrival, whether in the ETO (European Theater of Operation) or the PTO (Pacific Theater of Operation).
For more information on the history of the Womens Airforce Service Pilots, follow this "Wiki" link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_Airforce_Service_Pilots

A local aviation pioneer to our city, Margaret Ringenberg died Sunday night, in her sleep at the age of 87.
She was an aviatrix.
She was a WASP.
And she was remarkable.
Here's a link to our local paper's tribute:

http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080729/LOCAL/807290306

Now it goes without saying that women like Margaret were pioneers in MANY ways.
They braved "new worlds" by doing what they did.
They were not afraid to do what needed to be done.
And they did it to the very best of their abilities.
Perhaps the most notable woman in the service was Jackie Cochran (selected by none other than General Hap Arnold). Still, every woman was just as important to the service, for without them, their devotion to duty, and their passion for flying, our service men would have had a much tougher time fighting the enemy, and the war would have dragged on.
Funny how it took the womens liberation movement to provide the impetus for our nation to finally realize the importance of allowing women the same opportunities awarded to men, when women such as Jackie and Maggie were at the forefront of equality all those years. And we should not be so complacent as to dismiss this.
We have incorporated women into our military in every branch of our services, and they carry on the proud tradition of serving one's country, started by the WASPS.
We had women BUILDING the planes AND ferrying them overseas. How remarkable was that?
You can't have a much better tribute to the tenacity and uncommon valor these women provided this nation with, nor can you deny that their sacrifices during a time of war are never to be forgotten.
So let it be with women like Margaret
She has truly earned her wings...a SECOND time.
Sustineo Alas, Maggie.

Monday Musings...
Whenever I speak about my part of "da hood", I can't help but wonder what is going through YOUR minds.
Most (if not all) of you probably cannot fathom the daily grind those of us who remain here have to endure. And that's OK with me. I don't expect a lot of you to fully comprehend what we are privy to.
Many times I've been asked why I don't just leave the area, and that's a fair question.
There are THREE main reasons, but let me preface this by showing you a bit of our "slice of paradise" as one recent visitor noted.
We have a nice garden that we enjoy regularly, and it's populated with assorted birds and butterflies. It's not the RAIN FOREST exhibit at the zoo, but we do OK.
We can harvest the fruits of our labors there as well. take THAT, Taco Bell. We have tomatoes and jalapenos...how about YOU?
The best time to enjoy it is early in the morning, before the locals get out of the sack.
And there are many nights we can go out, and grab a few minutes of reverie before some boomcar (that the FWPD hasn't managed to catch in YEARS) thumps by, or some loud mouth kids from a neighbor's house shouts to someone a damn block away. Then, there are the gunshots. What we try to do is play a game to guess WHERE it came from, and how far away it was. You do that to minimize any angst. It's a survival skill.
But let's get back to "why we fight"...I mean why we stay here.
-One, it's about MONEY (isn't it always?).
In today's economy it doesn't make that much sense to willingly climb into bed with the devil when it comes to getting into debt. And let's face it, buying a house is the LARGEST SINGLE DEBT you will ever incur in a lifetime (unless you buy TWO houses, or a NASCAR race team).
-Two, it's about PRIDE.
We bust our asses to maintain this place, and we do pretty well considering the surrounding environs. We enjoy what we have, and recall a time when we HAD NOT. We are GOOD STEWARDS of what we are fortunate enough to receive. Sorry, that's just the way we were brought up. Be nice if more people felt that way these days.
-Three, it's about PRINCIPLE.
WE are the "good guys" around here. We are NOT the drug-dealing refuse that preys on others. We are NOT of the welfare-entitlement-the world owes US a living mindset. We don't believe that "What's yours is mine and what's mine is my own". We don't subscribe to abhorrent behavior, and will not tolerate it from others. We do not administer disrespect or disregard to others because of their ethnicity.
Basically, all "we" ask is to be left the hell ALONE.
Do whatever you want BEHIND a closed door, and no one will be the wiser.
But such is not the case in an area like ours.
This USED to be a nice neighborhood. It really was. But as the good one moved away, the bad ones moved in (chased from further north down south to US). And no one that has moved in over the last 10 years has done ANYTHING to better this area at all, with the exception of one couple, and even they have slacked off. They all do nothing (and do it quite well, I might add). In that they truly EXCEL. Talk about an UNTAPPED source of labor!
We, as the last vestige of reason around here, must remain vigilant for those that will take a mile if you so much as give them an inch. We are the checks and balances to an otherwise bad neighborhood. And we do all this because to NOT do it is anathema to our upbringing. We could just as easily cave in, be like the others around here, but we believe in Evolution. We like to think we can be more than the sum of our parts every day that we are allowed to draw another breath.
Now, taking all this into consideration, and given the prospect of the potential for a true renaissance or "regentrification" of this area, what is the alternative?
Sure, we can just BUG OUT, and call it quits, but that makes us no better than others before us that have done just that. Those that can't take the heat (or can't even cook) should never spend time in a kitchen. it's that simple.
Then again, others should not have to spend all their waking hours in a damn "combat zone".
It's a conundrum that is played out around here every day. Some days we are victorious, others...not so much. But we will not bend to "popular opinion" in this regard. We wont "cut and run" because of the color of OUR skin. We DO have a vested interest in THIS area (and apparently a LOT more so that the city itself), and will remain as long as is possible. And by some quirk of fate, we DO leave, it will be on OUR terms, not anyone else's.
Can't ask for anything better than that, can you?

Friday Follies...
Well, here we are again...at the start of another weekend.
Some weeks, you never quite know if it will get here. Then again, when you see so many people meander along your street, and the manner they present themselves screams:
"Future? What future? We HAVE no future", you just smile and thank the maker YOU'RE not part of THAT crowd.
In the meantime, Let's have some "fun" at other peoples' expense, shall we?
--Rapper "fiddysent" (50 CENT for the non-ebonics crowd) has SUED Taco Bell over an ad they made (without his permission). Guess that boy's got nothing BETTER to do than turn away a $10,000 donation to his favorite charity (that would probably be HIMSELF).
Now good old CURTIS (his real name) shouldn't be dissed for his lawsuit.
In fact, I think we should all get together and get him some free FRONT ROW SEATS for the upcoming 2008 BEIJING OLYMPICS. The ONLY caveat would be that we send him there on a very SLOW BOAT with a very LARGE LEAK. Oh, and tell him to bring AS MANY friends as he can ALONG WITH HIM.
And let's not forget THESE noteworthy tidbits:
--Brunswick mum on plant closures due to slipping boat sales.
(Betcha the canoe and sailboat crowd is LOVING this)
--Ford Motor Company posts LARGEST quarterly loss at $8.67 BILLION.
(I guess imitation still IS the sincerest form of "flattery", right, GM?)
--Comcast customers suffer outage last night in Ft. Wayne due to fire.
(Sure glad I have VERIZON now...how about you?)
--Kroger yanks jalapeno peppers
(They yank in other ways too (UNlike when SCOTTS owned the stores), such as NOT having ANY AMERICAN CHEESE - white OR yellow...c'mon, people...get with the program)
--National City, First Source, & Independent Alliance Banks take dip while Star Financial posts record 1st quarter.
(Someone reporting a case of the "financial hiccups" as "projectile vomiting". The banks are still OK, people...the sky is NOT falling as predicted by the MSM)
--Soy food use linked to lower sperm count.
(But on the good side, it has been know to make breast tissue enlarge - bad for guys on one hand, but good for guys on another, hmm?)
--Painkiller deaths top 1,000.
(On the plus side, those 1,000 people are NO LONGER in pain, right, so there must be something to that drug - note to self: stay away from doctors whenever possible)
And now, for something completely different...
--Two boys were arrested in connection with a robbery at our very own SUMMIT MARKET around 1929 hrs on Tuesday. Seems the owner AGAIN chased down the culprits (as he did earlier this year when I got some great pics of his van & the police catching them on my street), Now this store is not all that much for cleanliness, but I wouldn't f$ck with the owner...on a dare. Good for him. At least SOMEONE else gives a damn about CRIME.
The boys used a black handgun in the robbery, which turned out to be a pellet gun. Be nice to see someone call their bluff and wail the piss out of these thugs to wise them the hell up, and believe me, MY day to do just that IS coming. Be real nice to see all these "guns" that the FWPD has taken off of the streets as opposed to the REAL ones that are still out there. Must be a PEOPLE problem - NOT a GUN problem.
ANY reporters out there wanna do a story on LOOK-ALIKE weaponry?
Right before the robbery, a third teen told officers that the same two boys with (apparently TOY) guns took his bike, cell phone and cash.
Ah yes, sure is nice to take A BIKE RIDE on the SOUTH SIDE of town....plenty to see, like some young thugs pointing a weapon at you as they "relieve" you of your (obvious) burdens. Good thing we have SO MUCH police presence around (he said -tongue firmly in cheek). And so glad to have so MANY "concerned" citizens that always report such suspicious activity (he continued sarcastically).
Lastly, we had another house fire in Fort Wayne's SE side (this time the place was occupied) on the 400 block of E. Suttenfield. And no, it wasn't Phil's house. I checked. Glad to know that ALL Phil has said to the FWPD (as well as other federal agencies) is REALLY making a dent in criminal activity in HIS neighborhood.
Personally, I don't know HOW LARGE a piece of wood we need to obtain to smack against the heads of the city leaders to "motivate" them into some DEFINITIVE (not affirmative) ACTION.
But at least gas is back UNDER $4 a gallon, while milk is now OVER $3 a gallon.


Yes friends, to every YIN there is most definitely a YANG.
And remember:
If you want to take a nice bike ride in the neighborhoods on the SE side of Ft. Wayne...DON'T!
Just DON'T!
You'll thank me for it later, trust me.
Do have a SAFE weekend.

This Looks LIke A Job For...
CAPTAIN OBVIOUS!
I figure with all the superhero flicks coming out, and all the hype surrounding them, why the hell not join in the fun.

And believe me, when it comes to the state of "obviousity", it would seem that the human race in general and our city in particular knows NO bounds.
(from WANE)
A new housing development in Fort Wayne is causing some construction headaches.
Developers are busy building new homes to attract people back to the core of the city, but the project's causing some problems for people who already live there.
Making room for new homes in Renaissance Pointe is causing some growing pains for people like Linda Brooks. She's lived in the area for more than ten years.
Linda's driveway is now smaller, and she and other residents are dealing with the extra mess construction brings. "All this dirt and stuff, this comes in our houses. This gets on our vehicles and stuff like that, we have to wash them more," says Linda.
Developers hope to revitalize the Hanna Creighton area by building hundreds of new homes and fixing up dozens older ones. It's an effort that has the city pouring in millions of dollars for things like new sidewalks and streets.
City spokeswoman Rebecca Karcher says, "There's some dust in the air, some trucks roll by. It can be inconvenient for people for awhile, but the end result is so, good, so positive."
She says she hopes people will keep that end result in mind and be patient. "Most folks understand and it's easy to be a little irritated when you're inconvenienced about something. We understand that and we hope they cut us some slack since we're working towards the same thing," says Karcher.
Despite her troubles, Linda understands that. And even with all the mess, she isn't ready to give up on the neighborhood. "I still want to stay here because this where I live. This is my community and I like my community."
Since NewsChannel 15 interviewed Linda, the city has contacted her to say it'll fix her driveway and return it back to its original size.
Work in the area will continue for several years.
More than 300 new homes are expected to be built.
(my turn now)
Yo, Linda...be THANKFUL that something GOOD is happening in YOUR part of "da hood". AT least YOU are seeing some major IMPROVEMENTS to YOUR block. The only "improvements" I get to see are some newbies being busted for drugs when I call in a suspicious vehicle...or some new renters (that are worse than the last bunch of Aborigines), or ANOTHER "new" BOOMCAR thumping the shit out of my house.
it's just some dirt, for cripe's sake, and a little noise. Help the county by building a damn bridge and get the hell OVER it, will 'ya? Hell, I'd be thanking every deity imaginable if that was ALL I had to deal with on MY street! The only improvement I could see happen in MY area, would be a mass RAZING of all these damn hovels where the druggies, scrappers, and otherwise useless pieces of human excrement reside.
You apparently DON'T know a GOOD THING when you have one.
(From WANE)
ADAMS COUNTY (WANE) - Bellmont Middle School Assistant Principal, Chris Hakes was sentenced Wednesday for shoplifting from the Decatur Wal-Mart.
Hakes was arrested on July 14. According to court documents, Hakes stole a $79.97 mini flash drive from the store's electronics department.
Hakes appeared in the Adams County Superior Court, Wednesday, for an initial hearing.
Hakes filed a plea agreement.
"I plead guilty to an offense, which I am guilty of," said Hakes.
The agreement amended Hakes' original charge of Theft, a Class D Felony. He plead guilty to Conversion which is a Class A Misdemeanor. Hakes was sentenced to 1 year probation.
In an exclusive interview, Hakes told NewsChannel 15 that as a public figure, he must face his mistake.
"I had to admit what I did and I'm trying to deal with the consequences of that... As I tell kids when I deal with them, we all make mistakes and you have to be honest about them and you have to tell the truth. You have to go on, and that's what I tried to do with this," said Hakes.
As part of his probation, Hakes has been banned from shopping at Wal-Mart for a year. While it's not a court order, it is Wal-Mart's policy to ban convicted shoplifters for life.
(My turn)
WTF were you thinking, you stupid dumbass?
You make a CRAPLOAD more than my wife who's a (mere) H/S teacher, and yet YOU go and steal a damn FLASH DRIVE from (of all places) Wal Mart? Cripes, you can BUY a damn 2Gb flash drive for only TWENTY freaking dollars at K-MART, and could have avoided this entire debacle. What a shit-for-brains. And then he gets to PLEA-DEAL his sorry ass into a misdemeanor. Good "role-model", ace!
Bet the kids will learn a LOT from this escapade...like how to bend the system to fit THEIR needs and wishes.
(From the Journal Gazette)
WASHINGTON – There’s no one culprit to blame for the bag of groceries that’s gone from $30 to nearly $40, Purdue University researchers said Wednesday.
Because there are multiple factors involved in higher food prices, economist Wally Tyner said at the National Press Club, the food-vs.-ethanol debate is too narrow.
Tyner and other Purdue economists reviewed more than 25 studies and concluded that reasons for higher food and crop prices fall into three categories:
1-Higher oil prices – When petroleum prices skyrocket, more corn is funneled into the production of ethanol because there is more demand for alternative fuels, Tyner said. If more corn isn’t grown, the price goes up. Also, fertilizers and fuel for tractors are derived from petroleum, so when those prices go up, the cost of growing corn also increases.
2-The weak U.S. dollar – "The U.S. trade deficit is an important driver," he said, adding that U.S. crops are priced in U.S. dollars but sold in local currency. When the U.S. dollar is weak compared with the euro or other currencies, it means, for instance, more corn can be bought for the same amount of euros.
3-Worldwide supply and consumption trends – During the 1980s and 90s, there was a surplus of farm commodities. For various reasons, those supplies have evaporated.
(my turn, now)
Someone's been playing with their DOMINOES again, haven't they?
As long as OPEC runs the show, foreign oil will be driven by whatever wind blows up their ass...it's that simple. SO unless we can find a lot more alternative sources for fueling our demand for crude (or even alternative fuels themselves), we're stuck in this mud hole with no tow truck on the horizon.
And as a result, our dollar WILL be weak (damn that trade deficit), which means if all these U.S. companies hadn't sought cheaper labor in countries that are increasing THEIR demand for oil, we wouldn't be having this conversation in the first damn place.
Oh, yeah, and as we farm out ALL these jobs and companies to the other "two worlds", some of THOSE people might need to EAT as well, just so they can keep providing that growing deficit I just mentioned for America. So we need more room to grow CORN that makes a lousy alternative fuel, is AS COSTLY as petrol, and we'll STILL have to find enough to eat OURSELVES, feed the world, AND our cattle (unless we all expect to become vegans very soon).
And lastly, label this under the "SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE" category.
A break-in on the 7200 block of Lakeridge resulted in three men (one armed with a black automatic) making off with a couple's wedding rings and a playstation.
Oh, did I mention that this happened at WILLOW CREEK CROSSING apartments?
The very same place WE were broken into when we lived there. The FWPD dusted for prints but nothing eve came of it (naturally).

And they got my old wedding rang, our playstation and about $500 worth of sundry possessions in that burglary. And they did have time top go to the bathroom...on our CARPET. We had to have a cleaning team come by that specializes in hazmat to remove the fecal matter and get things set to right.
Nice to know that they STILL have steel entry doors...on WOODEN JAMBS at that place, and that crime has NOT GONE DOWN ONE DAMN BIT.
Word to the wise...if you can find another apartment complex, DO IT. That is, unless you enjoy having teens urinate between your cars outside, or watching people smoke weed at the poolside. And let's not forget those idiots who can't navigate a stove to save their life (not the structurally best apartments around, for too many reasons.
The best place to live there is IN that damn BIG RED CABOOSE!
And before I forget, take a stroll over to the FORT WAYNE READER (see link)

http://www.fortwaynereader.com/home.php?issue=106

website to see a damn fine article on one of "my" favorite local heroes - Phil Marx.

It's an extraordinary story about an average guy doing a remarkable job in HIS neighborhood, and if you don't read it, you're missing a TON of truth about OUR part of Fort Wayne.

I've met the man, and he's really GOOD people.

And in THIS city, I don't say that lightly. We could use a lot more Phils around this city.
THAT you can take to the bank, people.

And that's the way it is...

Believe It...Or Else...
Well friends, it appears as though Indiana makes yet ANOTHER list. And, as is usually the case, it's not an *A* list (unless you're of the perversely pessimistic persuasion).
--Indiana is SEVENTH on the list of "people who spend the most income on fuel costs".
A wonderfully dubious distinction, yes?
And like any good oil company will tell you, you have to go where the "cash cow" lives. That also explains why we enjoy higher prices than many other states.
But you do have to figure in the fact that Indiana DOES place a SALES TAX on every gallon of petrol at our pumps.
And we're one of a handful of states that still do that (lucky us).
Now before you get your undies in a bunch, never fear; New York and California still lead the way.
The weird thing is that National Research Defense Council (who did this study AND is a non-profit organization that I have ever heard of before) cites that families that are hit hardest pay more from their incomes (duh).
Well, how EXACTLY does that explain people (in my neighborhood, for example) that DO NOT work AT ALL, but are "on the dole", as it were, STILL have puh-lenty of money to spend on gassing up that shiny new SUV they somehow managed to get (on a more frequent basis than working people)?
And what about buying illegal DRUGS? Doesn't that figure into how much one will spend on gas? You can't be high all the damn time AND have the resources to purchase fuel (or even food for that matter), right? I mean, what about their kids?
I dunno, but someone's getting a LOT of "something" for nothing here, don'cha think?
Kinda makes me wonder about the TRUTH involved in that list made years ago stating that Fort Wayne was one of the DUMBEST cities. Seems there still IS a smattering of credibility here.
And if that isn't absurd enough for you...
--Oil companies have spent MORE money, but not on drilling, or even new technologies. No, sir...they've been blowing the wads on BUYING BACK SHARES! Nothing says "We care" more than dissing the consumer for the profitability factor of the shareholders, eh? You just have to love that.
Not laughing your ass off YET?
How about this...
--Vehicular deaths have dropped NINE PERCENT!
Yepper, we can "blame" that on this oil crunch we're mired in. Just like the 1970s embargo, whenever people are strapped for gas, they don't drive as much, so fewer people take to the roads, ergo, we have fewer fatalities.
I LOVE the logic here, don't you?
Then again, people will leave their vehicles HOME when a city (any city) has DECENT PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION. That's simply a no-brainer, folks! Good news is that here in Indiana, we are beating the statistics. We are actually seeing a TWENTY-SIX PERCENT drop in vehicular fatalities (homicide is quite the other story - no high fuel prices involved there).
And while congress might soon be urged to pass a "national speed limit" (yeah, I CAN drive 55), I wouldn't be holding my breath THAT long.
And while we're at it...
--Mayor Tom (It's Good To Be King) Henry wants to borrow $30 MIL for road repair and other infrastructure needs. Gee, and this comes RIGHT on the heels of a property tax REDUCTION of (perhaps) 30% to many homeowners in Fort Wayne. Sorry, your majesty, but we ALREADY have our money spent (wisely, I might add).
And I'll bet you people recently annexed are just LOVING this, right? Although it was said that property taxes would NOT be used, the money is "expected" to come from "county economic development INCOME taxes".
And since we NEED streets for people in my neighborhood to WALK down the middle of (instead of the city-supplied SIDEWALKS), it should behoove the city to keep them in good repair.
And while infrastructure maintenance is ALWAYS good, maybe it's time to take a page from the Sheriff Joe Arpaio handbook on the utilization of at-hand resources, and get those lazy-ass jailbirds OUT of the lockup and onto the streets, but NOT in a "return you to society because we think you're rehabilitated" way. Let them get out there in the sunshine to FIX OUR STREETS AND ROADS! They can enjoy some refreshing H2O, have a BOLOGNA sandwich while wearing their cute jumpsuits (which should be changed from ORANGE to PINK), sing some spirituals, and (maybe even) LEARN A DAMN TRADE in the process. Nothing makes people penitent MORE than good, hard labor. You can't commit crime when you're too damn tired at the end of the day, can you?
--And lastly, people are touting some of the "benefits" of not driving everywhere during this fuel crisis (and it IS a crisis, face it).
We're advised to take public transit, walk, or even bike about the city to do what we need to do, just so we can save gasoline.
Well, I've got something to say about all that, living on the SE side of our fair city.
1) You CANNOT walk on many streets around here, especially after the sun goes down. . And it's not because Mathias and his band of nocturnal zombies want to kill you (although there ARE parallels to Matheson's novel I AM LEGEND). It's because you might get SHOT. But it's not a "gun" problem; it's a "wrong people WITH a gun" problem, and until such time as the city can effectively address this AS such, nothing will change.
2) Yeah, I'd LOVE to ride my nike, but there is one problem.
To WHERE?
I have to drive TO the River Greenway (that is supposed to be SO nice) so I won't be accosted on the WAY there on my bike, first off. And if I want to ride my bike to a store, exactly WHAT STORES do I have to choose from? (answer: not many at all) And when I get TO that store, where the hell can I lock my bike up where it WON'T be stolen, forcing me back into "pedestrian mode"? I don't see ANY bike racks near ANY stores around here (some scrapper stole THEM, too).
3) Take Public Transit?
What are you...nuts?
In MY part of town?
Get serious.
If I ever want to "hob-nob" with society's flotsam, all I have to do is walk less than a block, or even go outside my house. It's THAT bad, people. I don't need to climb onto some urine-scented, diesel fume-belching monstrosity, and pay $1.25 to "get my jollies" and visit the homeless, the indigent, and the despondent.
So...we take the car wherever we have to go, with the hope that some thug won't want to practice his car theft trade when we park in a lot
Helluva way to live, right?
But not all that bad...for a HUMPDAY.

Tales From The Southside...
Yes, friends...time once again for more of the impossible, the improbable, and utterly inept. So pour another cup, sit back and let me take the wheel for a few miles. I promise it won't ALL be rough road.
--The 40th TRF ends in brawling.
Curiously, the only place I saw mention of this was on the TV news.
Apparently, scores of teens saw fit to end the "festivities" of our Three Rivers Festival by running through the throngs of people exiting, shoving them and their children to the ground.
This is called fun.
NOT!
Here's the link to WANE:
http://www.wane.com/Global/story.asp?S=8711610&nav=menu32_2

No reason was given for the display of "youthful exuberance" by these mini-thugs, but since the FWPD had plenty of officers THERE (and not in my area of course), they employed a taser and pepper spray, arresting 8 of these teens in the process. Now forgive me if my eyes deceived me, but it sure looked like a lot of black teens were involved. I somehow cannot imagine a bunch of Aboite teenagers taking to pushing people to the ground for no reason other then they CAN. The display of these kids looked a lot more like TNB to me.
Ah yes...flexing their adolescent "muscle" and sending notice to the city..."We are not going away, so get ready for all out war in a few years".
Yeah, that sounds the message they wanted to send. Must be some truth to the latest study regarding genetic preponderance for violence coupled with failed family lives.
--Another story that didn't make the printed page was this meeting downtown with city council members and law-enforcement over the violence in our city. Tim Didier stood before the cameras, but that was about IT.
At least WPTA had this story:
((FORT WAYNE, IN (Indiana's News Center)---A community meeting was held on Monday evening to address long standing criminal activities in and around Fort Wayne's 3rd District.
City Council member Tom Didier (R) 3rd District hosted the meeting inviting residents from his district along with Chief Rusty York of the Fort Wayne Police Department.
The meeting was an open forum where residents were able to ask questions, voice their opinions, and find solutions to some of the problems they may have come across or encounter.
Representatives from the Police Department admit that the biggest criminal activity in North West Fort Wayne is theft.
Said Chief Rusty York, " Where the North West area might not have a lot of violent crime, I think as far as property crime theft of vehicles, they're probably the higher end of the spectrum throughout the city because they have so much retail."
Tom Didier's goal for the meeting was to make sure that residents in his district were aware. People who attended the meeting were able to learn what to look out for to keep their neighborhoods safe.))
Yeah, Rusty...we USED to have such retail DOWN HERE, but CRIME drove it away.
Wow...Amazing how people in the NW area are concerned with THEFT, while we on the SE side wallow in a lot more VIOLENT CRIME, such as MURDER.
Where are OUR councilmen ...on vacation?
Oh, BTW, I already DO my part in working with the FWPD (as do people like Phil Marx), and we're still waiting for that "change for the BETTER", thanks to OUR constant and timely assistance. But several people cannot do it all by themselves.
We are simply outnumbered.
Helluva way to live, right?
--A firefighter outside of St. Louis was shot and killed when he arrived in scene to put out a house fire. I suppose in such areas we'll be needing to send in SWAT first to assess the situation, establish a workable security perimeter so the firefighters can THEN attempt to put of a fire. We just had a fireman and newscamerman in Indy shot with a pellet gun last week. WTF is going on?
Again, a helluva way to live, right?
And a brand new study says that "my" generation (baby boomers) is becoming a generation of WHINERS.
(ahem)
Excuse me, but we have EARNED the right to bitch, piss, moan, gripe and otherwise become the curmudgeons that subsequent generations have created by screwing the hell out of everything we hoped to pass on with a level of legacy to our kids.
Granted, there were a lot of my generation that dropped the ball, but many others have planned for their futures, only to see their hopes dashed to the ground by mismanagement, economic upheavals, resource depletion, burgeoning crime waves, and the like.
And, if I remember correctly, the "squeaky wheel gets the oil", and if you want to call it whining, fine. At least it's a helluva lot better than the APATHY we see around us today, isn't it? Better to gripe someone into action than to sit around on your ass doing nothing. Just don't bitch at US when we decide to take action ourselves when everyone else can't be bothered.
One good thing is that many of our grandparents aren't alive to see how mucked up all this turned out. Perhaps if they were still around, they'd be doing even MORE "whining" than we are alleged to be doing. So, if whining means pointing out the OBVIOUS to those without CLUE ONE...fine by me.
Maybe my generation was just supposed to roll over, drop dead and let everything just ride along to hell all on it's own. I'd like to think we're a bit better than that, generationally-speaking.
Until things become more in tune with what we would expect from something we called PROGRESS, be it socially, technologically, ethically, morally, or even philosophically, we will continue to rant, rave and effect whatever changes we can for the betterment of all, and the preservation of what we were brought up to believe America was all about.
Or we could sit on our porch, suck down some lemonade, and get a duet going with Mr. Banjo Squirrel here.
So there...take THAT, you researching study-maker people, you from the PEW organization.
(LOL...named pew...as in it stinks?)
Makes me wonder who studies the people that make up these studies.
Should be some serious GRANT MONEY in something like that, eh?
Can I get an "Amen" from the people?

Overstating the Obvious...
If there is one thing that can be said about living in Fort Wayne, it's that when it comes to things that are as plain as the noses on our faces, this city is an overachiever.
Take the article appearing in yesterday's J/G right on the very first page:
Bypassing the Bypass - After 20 years, Interstate 469 remains a lightly traveled loop.
Now I'll be the first one to tell you that loops around cities are not for the faint of heart, especially when one has to DRIVE on them. And it's bad enough being a passenger while watching someone ELSE drive them.
Fortunately, Philadelphia can't have one of those...it's located along the Delaware River, but one can always point to Columbus, Ohio or (my favorite) Washington, D.C.
Columbus was never all that bad, but considering that it DOES involve driving more miles to save less miles makes it impractical through about 40% of it's circumference. If you happen to live on the WEST side, it's not bad at all - just more congested. And although the EAST side has seen growth in retail and housing over the last decade, you can't ever have ALL the compass points thriving (that would be the NORTH and SOUTH sides).
So it's a mixed bag at best.
Then, there's D.C.
If the other drivers aren't bad enough on that stretch of circular highway. then the SIGNAGE will most certainly be.
Just when you got in the right lane (and aren't trying to be driven off the damn road), you spot YOUR exit sign...several lanes over to the RIGHT (or it can be to the left as well). And of course, you can enter this "wheel of torture" and wind up going in the WRONG direction, which provides hours of fun trying to get off then back on again.
And this is NOT during "rush hour".
Those times of day are even worse, as traffic can grind to a halt (try negotiating THAT clusterf$ck when trying to exit from 4 lanes over).
Yeah, engineering at it's WORST, that's for sure.
But then we come to Fort Wayne, and after driving most all of OUR loop, I find it curiously refreshing, in that I can find my way ON or OFF, have a LOT fewer idiots to dodge, and basically can get from *A* to *B* with little trouble.
And that's along the north and west areas (the most heavily developed).
Which brings me back to the article...and the SOUTHERN portion of this highway.
When we visit my buddy out in Harlan, we take I-469 north to Rt 37 and hang a right, and in all the times we traveled that road, it was like something from a Twilight Zone episode. There were VERY few cars. It felt like one was "not in Kansas" (or Indiana for that matter) any longer. There was the occasional semi hauling something, and maybe a speed freak or two, but by and large, it was relatively DESERTED.
It suddenly became FUN to drive once again. Roll those windows down, let the breeze smack you in the kisser and LIVE a little. And this is during the height of SUMMER. In winter, it's even MORE desolate (Barrow, Alaska comes to mind).
Amazingly, there has been a veritable GOLD MINE in the potential for development (there are some exits along this stretch that don't EVEN have a damn GAS STATION nearby, so check the gauge).
Then it hits me - it's this "top-heavy" syndrome to the NORTH and WEST that drove development AWAY from the SOUTH and EAST. And while all areas did not initially have any infrastructure to speak of, they had to run water/sewer lines north and west to accommodate this "master plan" the city/county fostered.
Why then was the south and east areas denied the very same access to amenities that have made the north and west areas so damn popular? Well, one idea (that no one wants to admit to) is that you need to have all the indigent, criminally-driven and "poverty-stricken" SOMEWHERE...why not keep them in the south and east parts of the city and county?
So while the "developed" regions of our I-469 loop need frequent repairs, the UN-developed portions are damn near AS NEW as when they were first built...not a bad trade-off, eh? AND the city/county gets to "watch" where the bad folks are, because it was part of "the plan" all along.
There was a time when the city floated the idea of a north-south highway cutting through the city directly, but some people turned that down, citing too blatant a "division" on people, especially those in the budding ghetto area of Fort Wayne (south and east), so that plan went bye-bye in lieu of the loop. Better to go AROUND these people than go THROUGH them anyway, right?
The 469 loop is just another part of how the city and county summarily dismissed one part of town for the sake of over-developing another. And those people who bought up north and west of the city now are able to enjoy the CROWDED confines that they sought to evade in the first place. Lucky them.
All I get out of this is ghetto living at it's best (or is that worst?), and little to NO development. Menards and Wal Mart are not "development", but rather RE-development as we used to have a very nice and viable mall until crime took hold and chased it into oblivion.
On the good side, we DO have a nice drive down to Decatur (or anywhere that is SOUTH and away from this city), or out to Rt 37, or even around to Jefferson Blvd (through the back door, as it were), and we still have acres and acres of...acres and acres to view along our sojourns.
On the down side, those of us down here have to STILL DRIVE anywhere else to shop (exception being grocery or home improvement or cheap-ass stuff - just don't stop to watch the clientele...it's scarier than hell).
So when I see an article like this, I commend the writer for having the cajones to get this in print (although there are gaps in the story that we will never hear about for the obvious reasons - some of which I have eluded to here), but I do have to say that to me, this IS like preaching to the choir.
Overstating the obvious?
Sure...why not, eh?
It's what the city excels at (when we're not being lied to) anyway.