Monday Musings...
Wow, talk about a lot of things to discuss today, hmm?
First off, I went 2 for 2 yesterday. I predicted the "Most Valuable "Puppy" during PUPPY BOWL VI (Jake the pug/Chihuahua) AND The New Orleans Saints, for winning their FIRST Super Bowl in their first appearance AT the event in over FOUR decades!.
And the reason that I was SO "on" with my game yesterday was that I didn't have ONE RED CENT bet on anything!
If I had bet anyone anything, it would have quite a different story, and I'd probably have a lighter wallet.
Funny thing was, I didn't even watch the Super Bowl....I did see the post game show (and that was plenty for me).
I said to the missus yesterday to NOT be surprised if the Saints win...your first SB showing always makes you just a bit "hungrier" for that championship. I've seen it so many times before in the past.
Now the PUPPY BOWL was another matter...!
I really thought the bunny "cheerleaders" was a hoot.
I did not know they were going to have an "aerial" view of the event, especially in a "blimp" that was piloted by HAMSTERS...LOL!
Did anyone else who watched noticed that they originally started out with TWO "pilots" and by the end of the event, they had about SIX in the gondola? Someone wasn't watching the game all the time, were they?
So, to all the Saints fans out there...Congrats, people. You certainly have EARNED it after 42 years!
To the Colts fans...hey, there's always NEXT year, and besides, you guys won already.
But here, in the Summit City (Fort Wayne), it wasn't anything close to being all "sunshine and lollipops", boys and girls.
And it had NOTHING at all to do with the Super Bowl...
*** (( Armed robbery leads to shooting - Victim hospitalized in critical condition
(Updated: Monday, 08 Feb 2010, 7:20 AM EST -Published : Sunday, 07 Feb 2010, 12:21 AM EST -WANE)
Fort Wayne police are working to get more information about a shooting victim.
They say the man was injured during an armed robbery that led to a shooting Saturday night.
He's in the hospital in critical condition suffering from gunshot wounds.
Police said at around 10:33 p.m. Saturday, they received a 911 call from a cell phone reporting a shooting victim. Using cell phone coordinates, police traced the call to the 1500-block of Hurd Street.
As officers were responding to the Hurd Street location, another call came in reporting a shooting victim near the intersection of Anthony Boulevard and Pontiac Street.
That's where officers found the shooting victim in a car. There was a woman in the car as well, who is being interviewed. But a police spokesman didn't know at the time if she was the driver or passenger.
The man and woman were near Bowser Park near the intersection of Fisher and Reed Streets when a man in a black hooded sweatshirt went up to the car to rob them.
The man showed a gun and shot the man in the car. The robber took off running.
Right now police don't have any suspects, but they are still interviewing witnesses.
They hope to learn more about what happened Monday. ))









This comes on the heels of another shooting that I told you about on Groundhog Day last week.
What amazes me about this is the sheer AUDACITY of the perp(s).
It was on a damn FRIDAY, around 1600 hrs (and schoolkids are still coming home) in broad daylight!
Astounding.
These predatory knuckle-dragging bastards have no shame apparently, but plenty of false bravado, and just a few TOO MANY ILLEGAL guns, don'cha think?
There was also a call that went out later into the weekend about a person (black man...who else?) knocking on doors. God only knows what he wanted, but I was slightly hoping he'd wind up on my steps...just so he could "wind up" on my steps, if you catch my drift.
And last night around 2335 hrs, we heard TEN shots go off (rapid fire)...somewhere within a 3 block radius of our house.
I was immediately at the windows (covertly, mind you) to see if I saw either a suspect vehicle, OR a police cruiser criss-cross the area.
I saw NEITHER...!
That's not a real good thing when it comes to "protecting and serving".
Now, I am going on the assumption that the FWPD DID receive a call about this, and they WERE checking the neighborhood, but to an untrained eye, this would tend to give a person a less than "warm n fuzzy" feeling when it comes to being safe in one's house.
The proof of a call placed to dispatch is here:
(10F016201 23:43:55 113 SHOTS FIRED 48XX HANNA ST S & PETTIT AVE E)
So, I was right again with this being within a THREE BLOCK RADIUS.
Funny, how I didn't see any police cruisers, and I was looking outside for a good 15 minutes after the shots occurred.
Must be some REALLY good "undercover" officers in the area.
Now, I don't want anyone to feel I'm castigating the department. They do the best they can with what they have to work with, and that includes the disrespectful and entitlement-driven masses known as "the citizenry" (down here).
What I am saying, is that trends that I have mentioned to the department for quite some time are STILL in place here, with obviously no cessation or abatement.
I stated to the FWPD that we were seeing the type of "behavior" that was indicative of neighborhoods further north, coming down here, like a rising tide. And with certain behavior, comes a certain expectancy of other actions.
If you've ever been privy to this, you know what I'm talking about.
You KNOW who the "enemy" is...know precisely WHO they area...HOW they will act or react, and WHERE they are at a given time.
And you know what to EXPECT from them, as their actions will betray them to those with a keen eye.
I've stated here (in my archives) EXACTLY what these "people" are like, and how they behave. I can spot a trouble house as soon as the newbies move in. I can tell you how they will act by the items they will bring INTO that house. I can tell you how respectful they will (or will not) be, JUST by the car they drive, or the clothes they wear.
After you've acclimated yourself to knowing what to look for, it becomes second nature, much like riding a damn bike. You never really forget HOW to do it.
You also learn to keep your head on a swivel, whenever venturing outside, because you never know who will be driving past and strolling by, and what THEIR motive is.
You learn to take NOTHING for granted, and to question EVERYTHING.
You ONLY give a benefit of a doubt to those living under YOUR roof...no one else's.
It's just practicality and common sense that makes each day bearable.
Still, the police department COULD be doing more...MUCH more, if only they were allowed to. Proactive policing must not be that high a priority in our area.
Such basic practices as patrolling an area repeatedly would help to no small degree.
We called it "orbiting the block" to keep checks on dubious goings-on.
But you simply cannot patrol effectively when you are so busy answering one radio call after another with no break between calls.
I had an instance about 9 years ago when an officer came to my house because I had a gun pulled on me (I was unfortunately unarmed) out front by some snot-nose, punk-ass black kid (when I asked him to remove the trash he tossed on my lawn, of all things). As the officer was talking to ME and getting my statement, he had ANOTHER (radio) call up the block and had to assist on that. I told him I'll be here when he gets back (which he did). Never saw that kid again (lucky for him).
But this is typical of what I see every day, when the wrong people are allowed to infiltrate and basically take over a neighborhood. And the really scary thing, is that this COULD happen in YOUR area...it's just a matter of time before these Section 8 vouchers allow such human flotsam to "purchase" (read rent from a deadbeat landlord) a house in YOUR neighborhood.
We all know that Section 8 is there to help THOSE who NEED help, and not allow vermin to infest an otherwise good neighborhood, turning into the next slum-ghetto for the city.
Time and again, we've seen good upstanding citizens refusing to take a stand, and instead opting for moving AWAY from the problem.
Trouble with THAT is that the problem will follow along...might take a while, but it WILL inevitably ride up into a driveway down the street from you, and you're back to square one, aren't you?
If Fort Wayne was really concerned about such issues, they would have shut down a helluva lot more of these problem houses in neighborhoods that have been on the decline for decades. I mean, just look at the tax revenue this city has lost over the years, thanks to allowing the "wrong" people into good areas, devaluing houses, bringing crime and filth in their wake.
Be nice to also see the (so-called) "black community leaders" get their heads out of the sand, or out from their asses and take some REAL action. It's THEIR people causing most of the problems.
It's no wonder our cities are seeing RED in their accounting ledgers, isn't it?
Well, this is a place where REAL, definitive CHANGE can make a HUGE difference.
All any city has to do is get off of their elitist mountain top, and agree to take back ALL of their city.
It can be done, it SHOULD be done, and it certainly NEEDS to be done.
No man or woman should ever have to spend their lives EXISTING, when they have a God-given right to LIVE their life.
Finally, we've got another snow "event" headed our way in the Midwest, so keep your shovels handy, the boots near the door, and the pantry stocked. We're not out of this yet, kids!
Do well today, make a difference, and...
Stay safe out there, America.