Monday Musings...
Welcome to another fun-filled week (all depends on what YOUR idea of "fun" really is, though), right?
There are some interesting stories to discuss, not the least of which is that our very own Fort Wayne hockey team (Komets) have won their THIRD CONSECUTIVE TURNER CUP.
Granted this is minor league hockey (IHL), but it's STILL one helluva feat.
Consider it akin to the Stanley Cup of the majors.
And in some ways, minor league hockey beats the "pros" hands down. It's more like the way the sport used to be played.
Yes, the Midwest does hold onto some nice traditions...
But, it's not ALL sunshine and lollipops out here, kids...
There are more disturbing aspects here in the "Heartland".
Let me preface them by citing an excellent editorial in today's morning paper (The Journal-Gazette).
Here's the link to the article:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20100517/EDIT05/305179996/1021/EDIT Now, Bob Aldridge seems to be pretty much "on the ball" with his assessment that I have mirrored here all too often.
"WHEN SECONDS COUNT - THE POLICE ARE MINUTES AWAY".
And that is why YOU are always your FIRST, BEST defense.
It's a good read, and worth a few minutes of your time.
And he has his own website:
http://www.iftnra.com/
Feel free to peruse it at your leisure.
Now, as always, I said THAT...to say THIS...
I live in what could be called a "combat zone", in that it can go from ZERO to FATAL in a heartbeat, and not by MY own hand.
It's the OTHER PEOPLE that make this area "hot"...and at the drop of a sideways-worn ballcap.
So, you HAVE to be alert almost ALL the time...and that can wear on one's psyche.
But, it doesn't have to be that way.
It only has devolved to this degree by a perverted sense of "tolerance", by those in authority.
They tolerate the "small sh*t", erroneously believing that the people behind it are just "expressing their culture", or that "they're just blowing off stream", and that this "fad" will wear itself the hell out.
Wrong.
Tolerance in such things gets people KILLED...businesses ROBBED...women RAPED...well, you get the idea.
By allowing little things to go unnoticed and unpunished, you allow the proverbial "foot in the door" to bigger things, such as dealing drugs.
When you turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to things like littering, noise, loitering, and the like, you are basically saying to these people that it's OK to "express yourself". Well, that's how parts of a city become "blighted", right?
Now, take this "upstanding" citizen...with obviously nothing to do and plenty of time to do it.
Well, the other day, he decides to park his ass on MY steps as he conducts whatever business on his cell phone. He's been pacing back and forth in front of our house for the better part of an hour, so when he sits down, I lean out the door and say "Excuse me, but this is NOT a PARK BENCH". To which he said "I'm sorry", and I thanked him.
But this is not the first such occurrence, and I will follow up on this in tomorrow's post, so stay tuned for that.
I just wanted to show you an example of the "small sh*t".
This next story is an unfortunate tragedy that happened in an area replete with people such as "Mr. park bench".
A 7 year old girl was killed during a police raid in Detroit.
Here's the link to the story:
http://www.suntimes.com/news/nation/2280080,detroit-girl-killed-home-search-051610.article
Now, I've got some questions regarding this, and I can only speculate on the rest. For example...WHY do many media sources quote that a seven year old child was SHOT BY POLICE, when it appears as if (clearly) the officer's gun ACCIDENTALLY DISCHARGED during a physical confrontation with a woman immediately inside the front door?
Why was this woman CONFRONTATIONAL instead of COMPLIANT?
(nature of the beast?)
Saying that police "SHOT" this young girl makes it sound a lot more PURPOSED than accidental, does it not?
And does such descriptive wording in fact lead many to believe that this girl was merely "collateral damage"?
Of course it does, and that's just WRONG.
When police enter a structure on a warrant (for a murderer of all things), they don't go in "with the safety on"...that leads to disaster for any officer. They go in "HOT", which means at the first sign of ANY weapon being raised to attack an officer, the response will be swift...and final.
Also, when police tossed in a FLASH BANG, why didn't "baby-mama" go to PROTECT the young girl, instead of attacking the entry team?
That would be the FIRST CHOICE of any DECENT mother...to protect her child, right?
(must be a cultural thang)
Could such a tragedy been avoided?
Damn right it could have!
Was it the officer's fault?
I don't believe so.
Accidents DO happen, and usually at the worst possible time.
It was more "mom's" fault for trying to escalate an already volatile situation.
Maybe, if "mom" wasn't harboring a murder suspect in the FIRST place, this little girl would be getting on the bus and going to school this morning, and the police would have never showed up at that house.
But, as is always the case, we can chalk this up to another BAD CHOICE made by someone.
And speaking of BAD choices...
A Fort Wayne citizen, believing he was going to be attacked, fired what was called a "warning shot", and struck another person.
(( 1 shot on Taylor Street after attack
Updated: Sunday, 16 May 2010, 3:30 PM EDT
Published : Sunday, 16 May 2010, 3:02 PM EDT
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - According to the Fort Wayne Police Department, a man told officers while he was walking on Taylor Street near Electric Avenue around 2:30 p.m. Sunday, he felt he was being attacked.
That was when he pulled out his weapon and fired a 'warning' shot and hit one person.
The victim suffered only minor injuries.
FWPD officers were set up at a nearby Marathon gas station at Brooklyn and Taylor Streets to question witnesses. ))
Now, one of the CARDINAL RULES of safe firearms ownership (and handling) is:
"ALWAYS SEE BEYOND YOUR INTENDED TARGET".
That means that when you draw with the intent to shoot, you MUST KNOW what lies beyond the point to which your round will wind up.
Even at a gun range, it pays to KNOW what's beyond the target. If you're in doubt, you "hold up", until either instructed to fire, or stand down completely. You never fire AT something you don't intend to hit, and certainly never fire "randomly", thinking that round will "know" NOT to hit anything it's not supposed to on it's journey.
If you are in a "situation" where you DO draw a weapon, but don't intend to fire, you hold it "at the ready", about 30 degrees low in front of you, ready to bring it up to bear when (and if) needed. Finger is NEAR the trigger, but not ON it (at this point).
Warning shots in the air aren't much better - whatever goes UP...must come DOWN.
Sorry, but that's the way the "law" (of physics) works, people.
Firing into the ground is a bit more dangerous. The shot can ricochet back up into something or someone, with disastrous results (unless you're firing into a body of water at least 3 feet deep).
This is NOT rocket science, boys and girls...it's just our old friend COMMON SENSE.
And in these cases, it pays HUGE dividends, in that lives CAN be saved in the process.
We call it RESPONSIBLE gun ownership and safety for a REASON.
We hold the power of life and death in our hands EVERY single time we wield a firearm.
Same can be said for every time we get behind the wheel of a vehicle.
It's one helluva responsibility.
And, as was once said in (of all things) Spiderman Comics:
"WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY."
To that I can only add that those who are RESPONSIBLE will prevail.
Those that are IRRESPONSIBLE are destined to fail.
In that, we call take some solace.
Have a great week, be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America.