Monday Musings...
It's another "fun-filled" week on planet Earth, replete with all the trappings you've come to expect.
Then again, I suppose it all boils down to YOUR particular definition of the word "fun", doesn't it?
Still, let's see what's been shaking...
** House narrowly passes Health-Care bill.
((Amazing how some people just can't get out of the way of an impending train wreck, isn't it?))
** Fort Hood investigations continue.
((I'd really hate to be the head of the psychiatric department there, wouldn't you?))
** Hurricane Ida heads toward the Gulf coast.
((Is beachfront property REALLY worth all this crap every year?))
** People flock to Cleveland's "House of Horrors".
((The level of duplicity people are willing to exhibit amazes me. On the one hand, you have "mourners" leaving the memorials at the house while an ongoing investigation takes place, and on the other hand, you have the curious onlookers also milling about...and to think this same city is considered to be an entrepreneurial "heaven"...yeah, right.))
These next stories peaked my interest:
** Milestone for balance in schools.
Here's the link to the entire article:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20091108/LOCAL04/311089930/0/FRONTPAGE Now it basically addresses racial balance in Fort Wayne schools. (high schools were not included)
This has always been one of "those" topics, as I firmly believe that busing kids cross-town serves no purpose other to justify bloated budgets within out educational systems (across the nation).
One part of the story I found "interesting" was that the ONLY races involved in any sort of "balance" were WHITES and BLACKS. That's it. Nothing about the Hispanic population, the Burmese, Asians, etc.
I guess since THEY don't have any problem, they don't have a say, right?
But that was just ONE thing I found "wrong" with the story.
Another parameter that wasn't included (wonder WHY?) was the PERFORMANCE of all the schools mentioned.
Did the predominantly WHITE schools do better?
Did the predominantly BLACK schools excel?
Has performance been lagging at schools where racial balance was increased?
There was just way TOO many questions left unanswered by the article, and I'm not even an educator (I just married one...lol).
Be nice if the author revisits this topic and provides the much needed statistics.
And it would interest me to see "if" those stats bear out my belief in a flawed system worried more about "balance" than real education.
(and figure in those entitlements, too)
** Man dies while playing Russian Roulette.
Here's the link to the story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091108/LOCAL07/311089919
((This is one DEAD dumb-ass SOB...makes me wonder if he didn't want to use an auto loader instead of a revolver. And maybe, he should have spun the chamber of the revolver before putting it under his chin...THAT is how you REALLY play the game, like in The Deer Hunter, but dead IS dead, and he died a stupid person))
This last story happened close to our house. (don't they always?)
** Driver dies from spray of bullets from black pickup truck.
Here's the link to the whole story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20091109/LOCAL07/311099977/1002/LOCAL Funny how I didn't hear any shots fired yesterday around 1300 hours. Guess the wind wasn't blowing right. This takes the Fort Wayne homicide count to 19 (for those betting the dead pool at work or play).
The victim's name was Michael Lamont Causey, 20.
Now, I can say we've got plenty of black pickups in the area. Hell, there's one guy come past every day around 0640, and HIS windows are tinted as well. Going to be fun to hear about all the people driving like vehicles that are pulled over "just to check".
Witnesses said they couldn't get a better description of the vehicle....amazing.
And the people differed on WHICH WAY the shooter's truck went...again, amazing.
This is ALL thanks to the generational desensitization in this part of the city (where most ALL the minority groups can be found).
The area of the shooting IS populated, and by people much like those in MY neighborhood (several blocks away).
Most all don't work, have all day to do nothing (and do it well), but plenty of money to get guns...and bullets...and booze...and drugs.
You all have heard me talk about these people a lot right here.
Police don't believe this to be a random act of violence, and I hope they're right on this. I'd like to reserve judgment on this one until a few more facts come to light (if they even do).
Granted, this part of town DOES see it's share of drug-related crime and death, as well as gang-related violence, but it's not like our police chief DOESN'T know about this, and is taking steps to eradicate it, right?
(MY personal thought is that "as long as they're killing ONE ANOTHER, they're NOT killing innocents" is in play). But that train of thought DOES have it's critics. Innocents DO (and will) get caught in the crossfire. Criminals WILL target randomly whenever they see an opportunity...that's how predators function.
What I really find astonishing is HOW this can occur on a SUNDAY...in BROAD DAYLIGHT, no less.
I guess my question is:
Where are the PATROLS at?
Used to be a time when good solid police work entailed PATROLLING...yeah, it's boring most times, and your ass gets sore sitting for the better part of a shift (or your feet back in the REAL OLD days), but it let's the community KNOW that you...are...there.
A lot of crime was stopped in it's tracks by patrolling officers, and the venerable BEAT COP knew his "territory" like the back of his hand...and knew "all the players" in that area to boot.
With today's' technology and the relatively "instant" transfer and acquisition of data, one would THINK that patrolling a "beat" (or in this case a sector or a district) would come second-nature, and that a lot of the crime down here WOULD be averted.
But in Fort Wayne, all too often, the LEOs on the street are always busy "chasing the radio".
A rethink of specific mission statements IS in order.
I also believe we have too few officers to cover the population adequately.
It would be great if we had one officer for every 500 people....
Here, it's more like one officer for every 800-1000 people (or even more, given certain specifics).
And the root cause of crime should be followed, and by that, I mean PROFILING.
Now this opens a huge can of worms with "certain" people...
This is when the race card is played...a lot.
It's not RACIAL profiling...it IS CRIMINAL PROFILING.
We don't speak to races, but rather PATTERNS OF BEHAVIOR...period.
Just because certain RACES exhibit those "patterns", it should never be an excuse to EXEMPT them...that's nonsense.
But in many cases, that is what occurs.
Can't pull THAT person over...he might sue the city, 'cause he's BLACK.
That only rewards bad behavior and tells the community "someone" doesn't care. And this is the same thing that caused the Ft. Hood shooting...a failure to recognize a PATTERN OF BEHAVIOR.
Wonder how all that figures into the new government "health-care" plan, hmm?
This nation is not a nation of cowards...nor is it filled with apathetic people, (although some might argue the latter), but it's high time we ALL started to pay the hell attention to what goes on around us.
We are (as I always say) our OWN, BEST, FIRST DEFENSE.
We have the chance to reverse trends in crime...every single one of us.
What we need to do is put down the cell phone, iPod, the LG plaything, the Wii, the X-Box, and whatever the hell else is taking up way too much of our time, and get to know ourselves again.
That will allow us all to better know one another.
Face it, you spend a helluva lot of time with YOU, so who better to start with when it comes to getting to know ANYONE, eh?
Try it...you might like it.
Stay safe out there, America