Monday Musings...
What a Monday it is...NINE HUNDRED POSTS...I can barely believe it.
And our first (noticeable) snow showers this morning in Indiana as well...who'da thunk?
I didn't think I could find all that much to blog about, but many times, all we really have to do is look around us...and things will pretty much WRITE THEMSELVES.
Well, I always have to thank Tim & Andy, who nudged me into getting my own blog. They're still wondering WTH they created. They got me posting on their blog, and soon, some others.
Then, I figured why take up all that space on other folks' blogs...share and share alike, right?
I mean, I can waste space HERE, instead of somewhere else...LOL.
So, THIS blog is the result.
(Whew)...and it's been quite the journey thus far.
I will admit that there are days that I just want to roll over and steal a few more winks, but the cats see that never happens...(thanks guys...you don't know HOW MUCH I really appreciate it).
But like I said, all I have to do is look out the old window, or pick up the newspaper, or flip to a news channel, and there 'ya go...something to either comment or debase.
And that can be MOST liberating first up in the morning...trust me.
Next, I have to thank EVERY one of you who stop on by here, be it daily, weekly, or even monthly.
I have "met" some fantastic people right HERE (and at other blogs). Hell, I even met some people IN PERSON...and you KNOW who you are...(Bwahahahahaha).
But it's YOU people...the READERS that drive this "bus". Your comments serve as a catalyst for keeping me on MY toes.
I'm here only to pick out "points of interest" along this journey we all call LIFE.
Think of me as a tour guide to the human condition.
I think that meeting so many souls (in so many places) over these 57 years kind of allows me a certain viewpoint.
And I haven't even travelled all that much, geographically-speaking.
I'm saving all that for my NEXT life.
There are some that would view this blog as some narrow-minded, "racist", and overly cynical soapbox...
Fine by me, if that's what YOU believe...you're entitled TO that belief.
Others (including myself) know such is NOT the case.
Yeah, I tend to call people out when they NEED calling out, and I am certainly NOT "politically-correct"...(heaven forbid). I will only provide THE truth (and not "my" truth) here, and you readers probably have figured that out by now.
(And if you haven't, you bring over a pizza or two...and we'll chat. I have the refreshments covered).
I will admit to being cynical, but only where cynicism is warranted.
Face it, the world is a BIG place, and our universe even BIGGER, so a few cynics here and there aren't really going to change the scope of the whole infinite picture, are we?
When it comes to "race", we're all pretty much of ONE race, if you believe in the HUMAN race, or if you believe the religious perspective that says in the Bible that we ALL are part of the 12 tribes of Benjamin. Either way, there we are, hmm?
But know this...ALL races that walk this planet have THEIR OWN SHARE of terminally stupid morons running around.
NO ONE...is exempt. It's just that some races want to achieve a monopoly on idiocy, that's all.
And some are honestly getting it down pat...nothing succeeds like success, right?
But anyway, here we all are, on this digital landscape...nothing more than a crapload of "0"s and "1"s which bring us together almost daily. That itself is remarkable.
If there is one thing I really enjoy about life, it's that there are STILL things in the world that amaze me (aside from he aforementioned dumb-asses - they just make me laugh my butt off).
And there are just as many things (and people) that disappoint me.
The challenge is striking that balance...that accord with the GOOD...and the BAD.
We can learn from either. Many of our "bad" aspects are those that are part of our strength.
It's the tempering of our bad side BY our good side that produces the "final product", as it were.
We can never be ALL GOOD...and we can never be ALL BAD, either (although there are some out there trying their damnedest).
Knowledge, wisdom, morality, accountability, responsibility, honestly, loyalty...all these serve as our guides through life. There are more, and they usually are part of the facets of humanity I just mentioned.
In any case, when THESE are applied to oneself, it becomes the deciding factor between doing good...or doing not so good.
Without these traits, we are lost.
With them, we can not only help ourselves, but also one another.
Seems too simple...but it works.
Now...believe it or not...we do have other news.
-- How about a NON-religious Christmas tree at the White House (how paganly politically-correct of them)...
-- Or how's about grading TEACHERS by STUDENT performance (rather then that nasty knowing the subject matter and teaching the syllabus stuff)? Remember, we're ALL "winners" in this New World Order being foisted upon us (except for the educators, who look to get the crap end of this stick). Well, according to this FEDERAL stimulus package for the states, if you want (your own) MONEY, you do as "they" say, otherwise, YOU "fail"...nice huh?
-- The Copenhagen Summit on Climate starts TODAY...(those wacky Danes...who knew that THEY are not really "green" when it comes to tossing their OWN trash out, hmm?)
So you can see, it's never all about THIS blog...we've got a helluva lot more fish to fry, and the pans are waiting to get filled.
Lastly, let's not forget that SIXTY-EIGHT years ago TODAY was the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Empire of Japan.
At the rate we're losing veterans of that attack (as well as the rest of WW2), it shall not be long before no on will be left to tell the stories that need telling.
Also remember that it was THIS attack which galvanized our nation into a war machine, out producing the rest of the world combined. It was a time when real Americans stepped up to the plate. They sacrificed personally, so that our troops (and allies) didn't have want or need as they beat back the Axis powers that sought world domination.
Again, we find ourselves "at war", if not in the Middle East, then on our very streets (and even with our own government) with similar powers of evil, intent on dominion over those who pursue such things as FREEDOM...and LIBERTY.
And again, we are called to sacrifice.
Even during a time of year when we are out buying presents, we should attempt to give to our fellow man, who might be in dire need of life's basics.
We might not need that Playstation as much as that family at church needs a loaf of bread, or a gallon of milk.
We might not need that 3G phone, as much as the homeless people at the shelter need some clothing to stave off the winter chill.
We might not need to buy that other expensive "toy", when there are folks out there whose only desire is to be fed...or clothed, or get warm...things most of us take for granted.
Let's not forget the four-footed friends among us as well.
A small donation, or a bag of dog or cat food to the local animal shelter goes a long way, too.
We CHOOSE (and pull belts a bit tighter) to do without, so that others do not HAVE to...that's what makes Americans great.
After 900 posts here, I think you know there are MANY of us that feel the same way.
And that keeps us strong in our beliefs.
So, here's to (hopefully) at least another hundred posts.
Have a great day, do good to someone, and...as always,
Stay safe out there, America.

Friday Follies...
Woke up this morning, and I just KNEW that "global warming" was a HOAX.
Baby, it's COLD outside...!
Well, it IS our first real day of freezing temps in the Heartland, but it's amazing how it always seems to "take you by surprise", even for an "easterner" like myself. And believe me, I've had MY share of COLD over the decades.
So, to keep warm, let's get a hot cup of chocolate, tea, coffee, or maybe some buttered rum (light on the butter), and get busy checking into those recently DE-classified files I've been keeping in my basement.
** From the "Follow-up" Department:
Before the missus got home yesterday, I had a man come to our door, asking for her.
Now, since I didn't think she had any boyfriends on the side, I asked what it was in reference to.
Turns out, it was the man whose car was struck by that reckless driver the other day. The guy that Mrs. Bobby G. "pursued" until the FWPD showed up and got him pulled over.
He wanted to THANK her for being a good citizen, and told me that when he wants to give her some money for her troubles.
Well spank me rosy!
See...I TOLD you we still had a lot of GOOD, black people around...(they just don't live near US)
I spent 15 minutes talking to Mr. Davis about everything from jazz, to bad blacks (he brought that up...I didn't...marvelous!), to people who just care enough about their fellow man, regardless of race. Now, Mr. Davis would make a great civic leader for this area!
It is always refreshing to talk to decent people, skin color aside. These are just GREAT PEOPLE...period.
Just like the friends I had back in school and on various jobs throughout my life, people like this actually give one some hope for the HUMAN race. And we can never get enough of that, can we?
** From the "Back In The Saddle Again?" Department:
Seems you just can't keep a good suspect down, or in this case...in the hoosegow. Deangelo Bennett (left), has been RELEASED from the Allen County lockup after posting a $1500 bail for a misdemeanor he was arrested on.
He was ALSO wanted in connection with the shooting death of the pizza delivery man, Ian Crace (seen here), along with a second suspect, Andre Washington (still at large). Apparently the prosecutor's office didn't have enough to KEEP him locked up, so now he's back on the streets, free to cause more mayhem (because people like him can only do that sort of thing).
Believe me, I've seen it all before.
And I know how the detectives feel.
Don'cha just hate it when your gut tells you you're right, but without tangible evidence, you just have to turn guys like THIS loose?
Well, with so many loopholes in the judicial system that one could drive a freight train through (sideways), it's little wonder that the number of cases SOLVED never seems to diminish.
There are those that you keep arresting, and like the "Teflon Don" of years past, they keep wriggling loose and getting back out, until someone puts a bullet in THEIR head.
Sure makes a case for the families and friends of all those victims, doesn't it?
** From the "If You Build It...They Will Rob It" Department:
This kind of story bothers me, because you've got some young people working their collective tails off to make a difference, only to be rewarded with setbacks.
Here's the link to the entire story: http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20091204/LOCAL04/312049966/1002/LOCAL
Here you have students working on a project to rehab a house and then SELL it to further their school's program...great idea!
It teaches the students about teamwork, teaches them various trades, and makes the community nicer for everyone...
...Except the criminals.
Criminals love chaos. They thrive when people are always off-guard. They love it when citizens "feel" helpless.
Imagine sinking some serious "sweat-equity" into YOUR house, only to have it undone by thieves and vandals.
Doesn't make for too much "happy-camping", does it gang?
Now I'll be the first one to tell you we have scrappers in my area. We've got more than our share of men driving in old beat-up pickup trucks, wandering through the alleys and streets to see what they can "avail" themselves of.
I've seen one guy take the fallen gutter from a nearby house...talk about brass balls!
Down here, you HAVE to be watchful as much as possible, or something of YOURS will wind up becoming something of THEIRS.
I hope this doesn't dishearten these young men...they're on the "right track" in life, and I'd hate to see them get side-tracked as a result of some callous bastards looking for a fast buck at others' expense.
** From the "Never Too Big To Be Bailed Out" department:
The city and county will be "giving" our local GM plant (Fort Wayne truck assembly) about TWO MILLIONS DOLLARS (over 3 years).
here's the link to the story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20091204/LOCAL/312049972/1002/LOCAL
Now I find it amusing that BOTH the city AND the county want to pony up our tax dollars (well, where the hell ELSE did you think that cash was coming from?) just so they can keep the plant here (money to be used to upgrades and retooling).
How about coughing up a few bucks to keep ME here...send some cash MY way for a new roof, or a perimeter fence to keep the locals out, or some covert surveillance cameras?
I mean fair IS fair here.
You need OUR money to keep GM here, so why not attempt to keep your tax base here vis-a-vis the CITIZENS who bust their humps trying to eek out a living in this city and suburbs?
I'm just sayin'...if you can GIVE 2 million to GM, you should also be able to GIVE me about $10K for "upgrades" to my house...
Because should I and the missus ever decide to bug out, all that TAX money might just go along with us.
I mean we do have a "free & clear" house...no mortgage to anchor us here.
Just a thought, people.
** From the "Santa Can Always Use More Helpers" Department:
So you have a family member or friend stationed overseas, and the holidays are coming like a jail on wheels.
What's a person to do?
What are the deadlines for mailing stuff to our warriors anyway?
Good questions...glad you asked.
Here's the *4-1-1* on what to do, how to do it, and more importantly...WHEN to get it done by.
These are links that will get you ALL the intel you're gonna need to ensure YOUR trooper gets his/her goodies in time for the guy in the red suit to make his appearance:
Army News Service -
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1023324/posts
USPS website -
http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/localnews/co/co_wy_mt_2007_1207.htm
And even if you don't have a "particular" trooper in mind, how's about something like THIS?
Any Soldier dot com website -
http://www.anysoldier.com/index.cfm
You don't have to be related to "get acquainted", if you get my drift.
There is never a nicer scene than seeing soldiers get a package from someone they don't even know...because that person took the time to say "thank you". Two small words and some basic needs sent to someone thousands of miles from home (during the holidays) says so much...and costs us so little when you think about it.
I figure if THEY can't be HERE for the holidays...then WE can send a part of HERE...over THERE for them.
It's one of the best "OPS" you'll ever be a part of.
** Lastly, I just noticed I'm staring at another milestone for this blog, and I'll be talking about it on Monday (Good Lord willing).
I also noticed that we're becoming more concerned about our future...and with good reason.
The "unknown" scares us...always has, always will.
The future is nothing more than the projection of our past mingled with the actions of the present. THAT is what what we should consider to be the most determining factor as to HOW the future will play out.
If we learn nothing from the past, then, sometime in the future, we are destined to repeat it...that's one of those "universal constants" I always go on about. And I'm not the first one to say it.
You can look in a person's face and see a part of their future, based on the past that they've had.
Some few still have that starry-eyed look of optimism, while others have what we used to call that "thousand-yard stare" about them.
Whatever your case is, rest assured that the future WILL get here...and sooner than you might think.
How every one of you decides to plan for it will determine how well you enter into that future.
We can enter with anticipation, or enter as a scolded puppy.
I'd like to think we're cut from a similar cloth as those who took great care to secure those things that made this nation great.
Tomorrow is always another day, and learning from yesterday in order to make THIS day better is by far, the best way to produce a better you...a better me...and a better nation.
Have a great weekend, and, as always...
Stay safe out there, America.

Tales From the South Side...
Yes, boys and girls...time once again for another installment of why living in my particular part of Fort Wayne is a study in patience and self-control, as well as seeing all the reasons why our society has been in decline for decades.
** First up, Mrs. Bobby G. was on her way home yesterday from "baby-sitting" aka teaching the unwashed masses of youth who would much rather be at the mall, playing HALO, or out stealing a car or robbing an elderly person, when she became part of a police call.
When she called the house and explained the situation to me (why she would be a tad late), I had to smile a bit.
What follows is the tale of a concerned citizen.
Wifey was noticing a car weaving along the streets, stopping in the middle of intersections, and basically being a hazard on the road, so she did what ANY decent person would do...she called *911*.
When dispatch got on the horn, Wifey explained the situation, and said she was going to follow the person.
The driver of the car was going slow, and actually hit one vehicle parked along the street. Wifey continued calling out cross streets and giving a vehicle description.
When officers got on scene and pulled the driver over, the missus was asked to stick around for a statement...no biggie...it's just SOP with a witness, especially where property damage has been incurred.
Seems the driver of the car in front of her was elderly, and perhaps should not have been on the road.
Now Wifey didn't know if he was drunk, under meds, having seizures...or what.
She probably saved at least one person's life, as a result of her actions...perhaps more, considering that school had recently let out, and buses were also traversing the streets, along with kids walking about.
She done good...she done REAL good, as we would say.
Now, I have GOT to get her to a shooting range...and teach her some hand-to-hand, just in case there's an unruly kid in class...LOL.
Mrs. Bobby G. could have just as easily decided to NOT get involved, take another route home, and be done with it.
She could have also read where this person killed a child crossing a street.
But she made a choice to act...and act appropriately.
As a result, the situation was resolved with a minimum of problems and no injuries.
Now...if the FWPD ever needs a "veteran" of LOW-SPEED pursuits...I got your candidate RIGHT HERE at the house, people!
In a somewhat related story, check out THIS link about a man given BACK his license AFTER a (deserved) suspension:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20091203/LOCAL07/312039968/1002/LOCAL I find it interesting that Judge Fran Gull was the one who amended his felony down to a misdemeanor, so this drunk could get his license back...she dropped the ball GOOD on THAT one.
The drunk driver, Brian Mansfield, killed one person (on Rt 24) and sent another to the hospital on 24 November, and had a BAC of 0.37 (FIVE TIMES the legal limit). It's called the judicial system.
Flawed?
You tell me.
Better yet, tell the family of the dead mother of the teenage daughter in the hospital.
** There is more info coming out regarding the latest homicide in town.
((Suspects in pizza driver slaying ID’d - Michael Zennie / The Journal Gazette
Two men who have been in police custody before are suspects in the robbery-slaying of a pizza deliveryman late Sunday, Fort Wayne police announced Wednesday.
Andre A. Washington, 20, and Deangelo M. Bennett, 18, are suspected of shooting 32-year-old Ian Jacob Crace to death in the 2800 block of Schele Avenue, police said.
Police were already looking for Bennett (seen on left). He is wanted on a warrant after failing to appear in court in September on a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge filed in August, court records said.
On Tuesday, detectives released his name and photograph, calling him a "person of interest."
He is now a suspect, and police are hoping the public can help find him.
Police arrested Washington (seen on right) – also wanted in connection with the killing – in February 2008 on a robbery charge, though it was dismissed five days later, according to court records.
Detectives believe the pair robbed Ian Crace, a delivery driver for Pizza By Vito, of his pizzas and shot him to death about 10:30 p.m. Sunday.
Crace graduated from North Side High School and attended Indiana University in Bloomington, according to family members.
His killing was Fort Wayne’s and Allen County’s 20th homicide this year.
Police ask anyone with information about the whereabouts of Bennett or Washington to call
Crime Stoppers at 436-7867.))
(( Editor's note: An update to this story - one suspect in custody. H/T to Leo Morris @ Opening Arguments blog. Here's the link:
http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091203/NEWS/912030331 ))
Maybe the police should also check out some of the "cribs" I've got in MY area...seems we have too many people crammed into too FEW houses. And many of them are what I term "newbies" to the area.
Getting a description of men like this is difficult, as they all wear SIMILAR CLOTHING (baggy pants, athletic shoes, dark-colored hoodies...you get the idea)...part of the "dime a dozen look" crowd...what a cool way to "express your individuality"...by all dressing ALIKE.
Also, maybe a THOROUGH search of the ALLEYS in the area, complete with checking out open or broken garage doors, backs of vacant houses, etc., might be a good idea as well.
Anyone care to check out the car that was "abandoned" on my block since the shooting took place?
It was tagged by Parking Control...(I'd impound it and dust for prints, but that makes too much sense).
There are just WAY TOO MANY places for someone to "get lost" around here, and it would behoove the department to investigate these places, and have Code Enforcement follow right behind, to board them up.
It wouldn't surprise me one damn bit to find out that Bennett or Washington (or both) are in my area.
You WILL both be caught, guys...consider it one of life's INEVITABILITIES.
** Lastly...I'm not much of an advocate of "global warming", so I'm laughing my ass off at the recent developments concerning this HOAX against the people of this planet. This actually makes the Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot believable!
So that makes me an "enemy of the state", I guess...fine by me.
Listen, I've said this many times right here...Mother Nature takes care of her own, and especially when it come to her very own WORLD.
Our planet walks a fine line when it comes to our "locale" in the universe. Just a few degrees in another direction as we orbit about our sun, and our ecosystem will change. A few hundred miles farther away from the sun...again, things WILL change.
If the moon shifts IT'S orbit...things change. If the sun tosses off a few solar prominences, things change.
And WE, as the human race, are relatively HELPLESS to do anything about it...except sit back, grab some popcorn, and watch it happen.
Besides, we've got plenty on our collective plates as it is.
We've no shortage when it comes to crimes, wars, famines, disease...we got it all.
So, don't you think that for us to involve ourselves in the affairs of Planet Earth and it's "Gaia", if you will, is becoming a bit arrogant, as if WE can change the universe in it's course?
Mother Nature could toss us aside as easily as the dinosaurs.
And our sun probably WILL burn this rock to a cinder in a few million years.
It's noble to believe that we can keep the current ecosystem totally intact on this planet, but to pursue wasteful alternatives that will return little if any real value back to the planet is folly.
We have to strike an "accord" with the Earth...
We need to stop trying to change something we simply cannot.
And we should try to become better stewards of that to which we have been entrusted.
The Earth will warm and cool at it's OWN rate, and in it's OWN good time.
We, as inhabitants here are expected to adapt...or perish.
It's that simple.
Now, get out there and get some Christmas shopping done...we've ONLY got about THREE WEEKS left. Santa needs some helpers.
Have yourselves a good day, and ...
Stay safe out there, America.

Humpday Happenings...
Finally, our beloved President got on the stick and decided to send about 30,000 troops to Afghanistan...about damn time, too.
Now, before we let the pigeons loose and sound the hurrahs, let's back up a bit.
Don't think that those 30,000 troops will be over there TOMORROW...ain't gonna happen.
See, you have to follow a process known as LOGISTICS.
You have to assemble the troops from all over the place, as well as see where you can already draw them from elsewhere.
THEN, they're going to need a little something we call SUPPLIES...!
Yeah, the basics like BULLETS...FOOD...T.P....WATER...simple crap like that which makes staying ALIVE (and killing the bad guys) a whole lot easier.
And, you're going to need other EQUIPMENT such as VEHICLES to move the troops around.
I really wouldn't trust the public transportation systems in country...but that's just me.
Troopers need trucks...LOTS of trucks...and trailers...and tanks, APCs, fuel trucks, COMMS trucks, repair trucks, Stingers...well, you get the idea.
And toss in some ARTILLERY while you're at it. Gonna need some cool things that go BOOM really well.
Then there's the rest of the QM (quartermaster) stuff, such as guns (for all those bullets), uniforms, underwear, boots, gloves, goggles, knee & elbow pads, body armor, helmets...medicine and medical equipment...yeah, that list goes on.
Finally, you're going to need someone to hump all this stuff OVER there, aren't you?
Call in the Air Force for transport (used to be called M.A.T.S. - Military Air Transport Service)..gonna need a LOT of planes to get all this stuff over there. And get some ships, too. Some things just can't be airlifted overseas that easily.
Did I mention you might need some BARRACKS to house all these brave warriors?
And we're going to need sandbags (plenty of sand to fill em with there already, thank God), and some concertina wire...a sh*tload of that.
Yep...like I said..."just the basics".
(that's only for the "ground-pounders"...didn't say anything about AIR and SEA stuff, did we?)
And in the wonderful world of logistics, THIS is where you separate the wheat from the chaff.
We "could" have everyone and everything "in place" within say...EIGHT MONTHS, if things follow true, even if we start rolling out today.
But it IS the military, and the phrase "Hurry Up and Wait" takes on a whole new meaning here.
Think maybe within a YEAR...(or a bit more) we might have all the "goods" over there.
Damn shame FED EX or UPS can't definitely, positively have our troops and equipment over there TOMORROW...(think of the bill for that). Then again, this administration would MUCH rather blow the wad on flawed health care bills and "cap and trade" (aka crap and tax), and bailouts, instead of being concerned with achieving any sort of real VICTORY in theater.
Funny...I don't remember even HEARING that word (VICTORY) in last night's speech...did you?
It does bug me when I hear about our "possibilities" of winning this war on terror.
There should NEVER be anything concerning a "possibility"...leave that to the guy who is going to LOSE.
...Or the weatherman, as in a "possibility of showers later today".
Our military is the best damn one on earth, and we have NEVER lost ANY war.
The POLITICIANS would lose them for us, instead.
In Vietnam, there was not ONE engagement or battle that OUR forces did NOT win...and yet...WTF happened?
We "lost" the war...so say the pundits...and the historians.
Well, we all know what the truth of the matter was....it was POLITICS.
Didn't seem that way with WW2, though.
And it should not seem this way in the Middle East.
We either fight TO WIN...or we get out, and let the people fend for themselves.
I prefer the former, rather than the latter.
If we choose the latter, we should do it with a provision...that we, as America, become a bit more "isolationist", and monitor who comes and goes from our shores.
Now, that doesn't come without it's OWN set of issues, such as leaving the rest of the world to deal with problems we could solve with our intervention and assistance.
And, then there's the problem of more nations falling to radical and fascist beliefs, forming larger antagonists to bother us down the road.
So it is in OUR best interest, as a nation, to set the standard for how warfare should be waged, and how you DO achieve victory, to the betterment of those countries involved.
One has to look at Japan and Germany to see our rebuilding efforts AFTER we won WW2.
Aside from Germany being split by the USSR, the Western part of that country did okay, and we all know how WELL Japan fared after the war...can you say economic mega-power?
But those nations had something going for them that a lot of the Middle East does not...CIVILIZATION.
Neither Germany nor Japan was considered anything close to a "3rd-world country".
They were CIVILIZED, and understood how to bring themselves back from the ashes of defeat into global prominence again.
With Iraq and Afghanistan...not so much. There's not a helluva lot THERE to begin with...that we can work with, whether it's the natural resources OR the people.. We're kinda dealing with a blank slate here.
It's like we're trying to rebuild a nation stuck in the 4th century...with 20th century weapons and the balls to use them, even if they don't fully fathom the reasons for doing so. We're talking a very few cities, surrounded by a lot of sheep-herders, farmers, and markets that you'd see in some sword and sandal flick, along with people dressing like they're still searching for the Christ child in the first century.
But hey, we're still sending 30,000 troops over there...
And we simply cannot allow these radical terrorists to grow in numbers nor can we afford to succumb to another 9/11.
That applies to every free nation on the planet, as well.
American does not have a monopoly on freedom...our fight to maintain it for ourselves, as well as others is evidence enough.
Freedom isn't free...that's been said all to often.
You can't just go out back and pluck some from a tree.
You can't ask for a 1/2 pound of it at the local deli.
And you certainly cannot attain it by NEVER fighting for it.
Everything in life has a cost...even life itself.
What we are willing to "pay" will determine the amount of freedom we shall embrace.
That's just the simple truth...
And the truth will always set people free.
Stay safe out there, America.

Times Such As These...
We live in a remarkable time...no getting around that.
Instantaneous communication, travel that damn near shoots us around the globe at the speed of sound, and the technological marvels that bring all this to us at the touch of a button...
Simply amazing.
And yet, with ALL of this seemingly at our disposal, we're still troubled by the most basic instincts and carnality that humankind can muster. We see it every day.
It's a global problem for sure, but it's also a problem that can occur right at your very own home...or city.
Whether it's terrorism, or crime of another sort (white collar or otherwise), we become a victim of it at one time or another.
Maybe we don't have a gun placed to our head, or even have our heads cut off by some radical in a 3rd world nation, but we are victims, nonetheless.
Something as innocuous as shop-lifting has far-reaching effects...it costs ALL OF US in the end, make no mistake about that.
Ditto for robberies or burglaries...everyone pays something for this at some time.
As to the more "personal" crimes...that's handled on a one-to-one basis.
But the ripple effect is felt in the communities involved...
Doesn't matter if it's a rape, a homicide, a car-jacking, or anything else a thug can dream up.
We're ALL involved to some degree.
And if we're not involved at one end of this spectrum, we SHOULD be involved on the other end of it.
It has often been said that "If you're not part of the SOLUTION...you must be part of the PROBLEM".
Words that ring all too true these days.
Does this bell toll for you...or your neighbor...or even a politician in D.C.?
That should make you stop and think a bit...
Now...as usual...I said all THAT...to say THIS:
** The four officers that were executed at a coffee shop in Tacoma Washington have some closure to their deaths.
The shooter, Maurice Clemmons was killed by police earlier this morning. Here's the link to the updated story:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,578292,00.html
Personally, I'm damn happy, but also bothered that this psycho can ONLY be killed ONCE...
Be nice to have a bit more atonement for the FOUR officers he killed.
At least he won't be killing ANYONE else.
Let THIS be a lesson to our very flawed JUDICIAL SYSTEM...
Better yet, let this be a WAKE-UP CALL.
Uphold the damn LAW, people. Reinstate (and USE) the death penalty in every damn state, and off animals like this whose sole purpose in life is to bring sorrow and pain to innocent people.
Stop with all the "wheeling and dealing" in the courts...save that for the damn CASINOS and back-room political bargaining...say what you mean, and mean what you say for God's sake.
None of this "hand-holding", trying to "understand" the mind of such creatures...just get them the hell AWAY from the public...and the farther, the better.
Like I said above, something like THIS affects ALL of us.
Every LEO out there now has to watch for something like this coming...and it won't be advertised like some neon or LED display on Times Square. It will come as stealthily as possible and if we, as a people don't act to prevent, or otherwise cut this off at the pass, it will happen again.
And 'ya know...the last time I checked, police officers were STILL...REAL PEOPLE. They have families and lives OUTSIDE of the department, but because of something like THIS, they've got the added stress of having to watch constantly for this now.
Nothing like nutjobs such as Maurice Clemmons to take stress to the next level, hmm?
In another update to a local homicide story:
** The pizza man who was gunned down the other day might have been robbed JUST for the PIZZAS!
Here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20091201/LOCAL07/312019965/1002/LOCAL
My wife and I are VERY wary to ORDER pizzas for delivery...I don't want to see someone robbed because WE had to order something.
We pick up at Little Caesars...and only have to hope we don't get car-jacked.
This is not the first time a pizza delivery person was robbed, and knowing these animals down here, it won't be the last. A favorite tactic is to call in an order to a "vacant" house...(and we've got plenty around here, because NO ONE in any city agency is RAZING THEM). When the delivery person arrives, they jump him/her....end of story.
I have vacant houses on THREE sides of me...2 houses north, 2 houses south, and one house west of our place.
Talk about an island of reason in a sea of chaos...!!!
Feel more like a drop of white paint on some tarmac!
But crime is STILL active down here, as evidenced by this:
Here's the link to the story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20091201/LOCAL07/312019938
Again, we see TWO knife-wielding thugs robbing another business...oh, did I mention that in ALL THREE robberies, the perps were BLACK MEN...(Advanced Auto, Dairy Queen, Nail salon) that followed the same M.O.
And they left every robbery ON FOOT, but the trail was lost by K-9 units. Must have had a car nearby....maybe the SAME one that was "deserted" on MY street Saturday night...with the window down...that no one has come to claim...after it rained...for several days. Amazing how the car appeared after the robberies later that day.
Called the police...apparently nothing wrong with the car. called parking Control...they gave me a case number...???
Well, we'll see HOW LONG it takes someone to move the damn thing, before it gets stripped (anyone need late 90s Olds 98 parts...call me...LOL).
Now these robberies affect US ALL...
This "abandoned" car affects...US ALL.
It sends a message to every one of us, and if we're paying the hell attention, we'll get it.
It sends a message of being personally responsible..of being accountable...for understanding that actions ALWAYS have consequences, no matter what the situation.
It demonstrates that some people prefer to live in squalor, while others, such as myself, refuse to knuckle under to a sub-human lifestyle, and the crime associated with it.
And perhaps being a bit more demonstrative is something we all need to practice when it comes to upholding traditional values and principles...you know, the things that MADE this nation.
Like I said...there ARE remarkable times we live in...and we can be an active part of it...or just a spectator.
We can decide NOT to be victims any longer.
The choice IS...as always...OUR OWN.
Stay safe out there, America.