Six More Weeks Of Winter...
As it was told today on Gobbler's Knob, Pennsylvania by none other than the prognosticator extraordinaire, Punxatawney Phil...our favorite iconic groundhog.
Well, considering the several million watts of power driving ALL those lights, I'm not surprised Phil didn't see about FORTY shadows...which would mean we're heading for another ICE AGE...LOL.
Now, I know I very much detest having myself dragged out of the sack, so I can empathize with Phil here.
Dad once rousted my butt up around 4AM to go FISHING...
Just once.
Face it...it's COLD outside. It's warm and toasty in bed.
It's DARK outside. It's dark in the warm bedroom, too, so why do I need to go OUTSIDE to get what I already have INSIDE, hmm?
Far be for me to take anything away from Phil. He (and his predecessors) have been around longer than I have, and that little guy has got one helluva sweet gig working for himself.
He gets taken care of ALL year, and only has to come out in the cold ONE DAY a year...not bad at all.
And, he has all these guys around with wearing dark topcoats and black top hats. He get handled with white gloves, and gets his "3 hots and a cot" the whole year. Who wouldn't like THAT deal...I ask you?
Not to mention, the animal world also has Phil's "six"...
It would be scary if some of our "furry friends" started packing heat...








Having my cat put a gun in my face and hand me a note saying "change my litter...NOW" would have a tendency to all but ruin MY day.
Fortunately for US, many species do NOT have opposing thumbs that could properly grasp a weapon...
We dodged a bullet on that one (pun intended).
Of course, PETA would much rather see Phil turned back into the wild, and substituted for a ROBOTIC "groundhog"...
Think of it as an audio-animatronic, Disney type of groundhog.
Somehow, that just doesn't seem right. You simply cannot take an animal that has been raised and cared for by HUMANS, and plop his furry butt BACK into Mother Nature...he'll get KILLED. Back, off, PETA...you're barking up the WRONG tree here.
And a "robotic" groundhog? Are you people serious?
You need to get off that "medical marijuana" you've been tokin' on from San Francisco, and get back to REALITY.
Leave the little guy ALONE.
Go chase after those people killing dolphins in the Pacific, will 'ya?
Leave winter to run it's course, and leave Phil alone so we can enjoy his company and predictions every year, OK?
(but you can still send me those free address labels for wanting me to join PETA ...which I haven't)
In other news...
*** An update to yesterday's story about a man shot in his CAR on Reed St. in Fort Wayne:
(( Homicide victim ID’d as felon, 32 Shot behind wheel on Reed St.; police lack motive, suspects
Holly Abrams - The Journal Gazette
A Fort Wayne man who was shot to death Sunday night has been identified, and his death ruled the city’s fourth homicide of the year, according to Allen County Coroner’s Office.
An autopsy performed Monday identified the victim as Michael Andrew Green, 32.
He died shortly after being shot in the 5200 block of Reed Street, on the city’s southeast side, about 8:30 p.m. Sunday, according to Fort Wayne police.
Meanwhile, police have no suspects or motive in the slaying, said officer Liza Thomas, a police spokeswoman.
Thomas was unsure whether drugs or gang activity might have played a role in the slaying.
Police said Green was driving a blue Pontiac Bonneville south on Reed Street when he was shot.
A 911 caller initially told police there was more than one person in the car, but officers did not find any passengers at the crime scene, Thomas said.
After the shooting, Green ran from his moving car to a home on Reed Street for help. The Pontiac, with a shattered driver’s-side window, continued moving south until it struck a parked car in a driveway on Roosevelt Drive, police said.
Thomas said the Pontiac was not registered to Green.
She said Green’s relationship to the vehicle’s owner was unclear.
Green was taken to a hospital in critical condition. He died shortly after arrival, police said.
A police dog searching the area led officers to Winter Street but failed to turn up any evidence, Thomas said.
According to the Indiana Department of Correction Web site, Green was sentenced in March 2000 to prison for an Allen County conviction of escape. He was released in September 2001.
Allen Superior Court records show Green was also formally charged with residential entry in 1998. He was sentenced to probation in that case.
habrams@jg.net ))
It would seem that Mr. Green, although having been a former felon was pretty much keeping his nose clean of late, but it does raise questions as to the WHY in this case.
My take would be that if you're going to take down some felons, start with the WORST ones in the city, and leave those not causing any trouble at the moment the hell alone.
But gangs and drug dealers don't always "follow script" in situations like this.
We can take from this the fact that "if you're not playing the game" in this part of town...things can happen to you.
I've always said that it's a bad idea to keep people that have a penchant for criminal activity TOGETHER.
Our city leaders (and rental landlords) MUST think differently.
For example, you NEVER keep all your prisoners grouped together, nor do you keep all your hostages together. You divide them up so they can't conspire to attack you, escape, or evade.Being able to restrain them properly can negate that, however.
People down in this part of town are FAR from being restrained...they basically run rampant, as is evidenced by the amount of CRIME we have here.
And their community sticks up for them, blaming the usual suspects such as poverty, oppression, and the like.
Their community SHOULD (instead) be taking a good long, hard look in the MIRROR and see the REAL reason things devolve to such a state. They aren't SOLVING the problem, so they must be fostering it. It's that simple.
In their eyes, those that would have a level of authority, or otherwise enforce the laws of the land are the ones viewed with contempt...and scorn...and distrust.
Talk about your screwed up priorities in life...
But situations like Mr. Green's shooting will continue, until someone wakes the rest of the folks up, and shows them what the hell is wrong with the status quo.
All the rest of us can do is hope we're not caught up in any collateral damage that might be incurred when such people fight amongst themselves with the impunity they currently enjoy.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got six more weeks of winter to deal with (as do you)...
And watching a light snow fall upon the patio...you gotta hand it to Phil.
He's looking pretty damn correct in his call...at least TODAY.
Stay warm, don't over-exert yourselves, and do well today.
But above all...
Stay safe out there,America.