Odds N Ends...
Again, another day with so much "stuff" hitting so many fans, it's difficult WHAT to glean and WHERE to begin, but never fear. We'll sort all this out and get the day started off in good fashion.
** From the "Stupidity can come on TWO wheels as well" Files:
Passing attempt fatal as motorcyclist dies -
(Holly Abrams / The Journal Gazette)
A Fort Wayne man critically injured in a motorcycle crash on the city’s far south side Sunday has died.
Police found Charles Hawkins Jr., 43, lying on the pavement road aside his Suzuki motorcycle in the 6300 block of Decatur Road, south of Paulding Road, just before 9 p.m. Sunday.
Hawkins was taken to a hospital in critical condition and died shortly after his arrival, police said.
Police say Hawkins crashed during a failed attempt to pass another vehicle, also driving south on Decatur Road.
The motorcycle went into the gravel on the side of the road and crashed, hitting a sign near Brendonwood Park Apartments, off Hystone Drive.
Hawkins was not wearing a helmet.
Police say speed played a role in the crash.
The driver of the vehicle in front of the motorcycle was not struck or injured.
The crash remains under investigation by the Fort Wayne-Allen County Crash Team.
-Now forgive me if I don't shed a tear for this dumbass. And by the way, that IS a mugshot of the victim, so he must have been a (former) guest of the police..amazing coincidence.
You see, we have TOO many of these "crotch-rockets" (otherwise known as CAFE bikes like the one pictured here) speeding through our neighborhood as it is. Most every night, you can hear them "unwind" as they gear up to speeds in excess of SIXTY+ MILES PER HOUR...and all this in a RESIDENTIAL AREA!
I know of one house nearby (4602 S. Monroe) that had 2 of these obnoxious motorcycles out front, and I "hope" Mr. Hawkins was one of them. This is also the same house that my wife noticed a BULLET HOLE in the picture window at the house.
Guess you can figure it out as to WHAT KIND of "locals" can be found THERE, hmm?
Now I've ridden cycles for a few years (in times past), but ALWAYS with a knowledge of the "rules of the road" (not that other drivers didn't follow them and attempt to run me OFF the damn road).
Today, as with most everything else, people are just not WANTING to follow the rules, and this applies especially to these motorcycles and their owners. There is NO responsible behavior being displayed at ANY time. It's all about the "show 'n go" factor aka STATUS...anything to attract "the honeys"...well that, and maybe to mule drugs about at higher speeds, going where police cruisers find it difficult to pursue. And MY area of the city is replete with such places to "stash 'n crash", as it were.
Seems like AGES ago (close to FIVE years) when the quadrant captain of our area, along with the neighborhood liaison were talking with us conducting a "walk-through" of this neighborhood (along with a few city department people), so I could point out places of dubious behavior and code violations...
I'm STILL waiting for that to happen (but fortunately, not holding my breath).
** From the "That's One Helluva DUH-Factor" Files:
Drugs, not alcohol, impair more drivers
(Los Angeles Times)
Here’s a reason to stay home on Saturday night:
The latest national survey by federal safety officials of alcohol and drug use on the nation’s roadways found that 16 percent of drivers tested on weekend nights turned up positive for drugs, including marijuana, cocaine and prescription sedatives.
It was the first time the survey had looked at drug use, so it’s hard to know whether that number is increasing or decreasing. But Gil Kerlikowske, head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, called the results "troubling."
On a more positive note, the survey – conducted in 2007 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration – found that only 2.2 percent of drivers tested had blood-alcohol content above the legal limit of 0.08 percent. That was half the number of the previous survey, in 1996, and down from 7.5 percent in 1973, the first year the survey was conducted.
The number of alcohol-related traffic deaths has declined in tandem with alcohol-impaired driving, NHTSA said, although as a percentage of overall traffic deaths, they have leveled at about 20 percent.
The survey was conducted at 300 locations around the country. Participation was voluntary and anonymous.
Drivers who were found to be under the influence, either through voluntary testing or observation, weren’t arrested. Instead, they were offered a number of options to keep them off the road until they sobered up, including an overnight stay in a hotel.
Impaired drivers were not allowed to drive away.
-Who knew?
Okay, so all those DUIs are NOT really ALL alcohol-related after all!
COOL!
Love to hear from those who want to LEGALIZE marijuana and have them own up to THIS...!
But, again...it's all about RESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOR, isn't it?
I mean, if people didn't "think" they could pull one over on law-enforcement, as well as falsely "believe" they are "still in conrol", even when they're 3 sheets to the damn wind, they wouldn't try to DO this crap, would they?
(well, some still would, but they're the ones that should be sent away to a deserted island, FAR from the rest of society)
** Lastly...are you worried about the state of our economy?
Do you wonder about what our lives will be like in say...FIVE years?
Are you concerned about being able to pay for the STAPLES of life and being able to provide for the family?
If you answered YES to any or all of the above...you're certainly NOT alone.
Well, we ARE looking at a national debt that will soon encompass about a THIRD of our TOTAL GDP...(and that ain't good, kids).
And we are seeing the budget for this nation exceeding one TRILLION DOLLARS (move over, Dr. Evil...we got a new playa in the crowd).
We're also privy to ALL these "new" programs designed to BETTER our lives...
Really? Coulda fooled me.
National health care?
(sorry...doesn't work for other countries, so why would it work HERE any better?)
Government takeover of the auto industries?
(One word - LADA...Google it, and YES, it has ties to FIAT, the same people with their fingers pulling the strings of Chrysler...imagine that)
Government bailout of big business?
(It's called the death knell of CAPITALISM...that's what made this nation prosper)
And then there's those ACORN (who recently changed their name to Community Organizations International) people, taking the census, wanting to know the GPS coordinates of YOUR house. (they KNOW where you live...)
And also, a Supreme Court nominee who, all of a sudden, is concerned about FOLLOWING THE LAW, when she initially wanted to all but castrate white males...go figure. Guess she saw the "Obamalight"?
(got a feeling she's another Ginsburg...heaven help us)
And, with all this technology, why bother carrying it all around...when you can have it TIED DIRECTLY INTO YOUR BRAIN?
I don't make this crap up...there ARE people working on this as we speak (using the excuse for "helping" those who are blind, deaf, or otherwise suffer from sensory or physical disabilities). Therein lies the charade.
The Discovery Channel show BRINK had such a story last evening...scary stuff.
Let's not forget that we have technology ALREADY that most people either cannot figure the hell out, or are too damn irresponsible to properly manage the usage of it.
So what do we do?
We go the next mile...brain implants. It's about "control", but they will never call it that, just so you know.
Just "jack in" to your computer.
Got a tip for you...grab a copy of Michael Crichton's book THE TERMINAL MAN, read it, and THEN tell me you're not at all bothered by some of this technology...fair enough?
In the meantime...
Stay safe out there, America.