Still Feels Like a Monday...
Yeah, I know it's TUESDAY, but it IS the actually "beginning" of an abbreviated week, nonetheless.
Which, in some aspects makes it SEEM like Monday.
The good news, is that we're only FOUR days from the weekend, instead of FIVE.
As for how we spent the weekend at the Bobby G. "Fortress of Solitude", we had ourselves a nice cookout Sunday, and I have to admit, I really did a decent job with the boneless ribs we had, as well as the beef franks.
And I even made a can of Bush's Baked Beans taste better...without adding alcohol...astounding!
Maybe it was the fact that the area was quieter than usual...(always a good thing), or perhaps it was a general feeling about Memorial Day, and remembering my Dad and those really good times we shared as a family.
Whatever the reason was, it was very nice.
I know I played a LOT of John Philp Sousa's marches...LOL!
And one of the TWO drivers I picked to win the Indy 500 did win. Dario Franchitti won his 2nd race at the brickyard. I had to go with him to win...he's a SCOTSMAN! And I have to give Tony Kanaan credit - came from the tail end of the field to finish 11th (he was even higher uop earlier).
And if it means anything to anyone at the racetrack, I CAN do a damn fine impression of JIM NABORS singing "Back Home Again in Indiana", should he ever decide to step down...I'm just sayin'. And I'm born and bred in Pennsylvania...go figure.
But, all good things must pass...
(the locals woke up and began to prowl the area)
Late Saturday night, we had "Mr. Loud-Ass" come by around 2200 hrs, and he damn near parked at our corner, so I wised his ass up by ripping off 3 (CO2 powered) BBs at his car. He backed up, sat for 30 secs., and then sped off (I was monitoring the scanner - police were in the area for another call).
Three shots - three hits. Still got it.
Then, right after that, another REALLY loud car came past, and I lit him up w/ the green laser pointer. Well, HE also backed up and one of the several black males in the car got out and began to waddle (saggy pants of course) up ONTO the property (I got out the REAL pistol for this bird, just in case).
His friends called him back to the car and they also drove off in a huff (looked more like a white Buick, though...lol).
I was sure a FWPD officer would come a'knockin' at MY door...but nothing.
I look at it this way...you don't want a confrontation (or potential damage to your vehicle), then shut the f$ck up and stop shaking the crap out of my house, you freaking moron...fair enough?
I told the deputy chief these assholes WERE getting bolder (that's what happens with enforcement that is lacking).
Anyway, this weekend was not without other "fun" things, such as these.
(( One person injured in shooting Near the intersection of Lafayette and McKinnie
Updated: Monday, 31 May 2010, 11:11 AM EDT
Published : Monday, 31 May 2010, 11:11 AM EDT
FORT WANE, Ind (WANE) - One person is hospitalized after an overnight shooting in Fort Wayne.
The shooting happened just after 2:15 Monday morning near the intersection of Lafayette and McKinnie Streets.
One person was injured and was taken to the hospital in serious condition.
The incident is still under investigation. ))
Again, this location is well within WALKING distance from OUR house (and the "locals").
I knew this intersection would be a hot-spot after they put in (yet another) gas station/convenience store...that's just the way these people like to "play". Nice to know some things never change.
How about this...right on our very street?
'Ya gotta love it when people that pass (badly) as parents don't know HOW to raise a child, never supervise them, and allow them to roam wild and become "creative" with their playtime...and not always in the best of ways, right?
I know I've always said that the times I miss most from being a child were:
a) Sitting in the middle of the street like a jerk.
b) Finding some beat-ass tire full of stagnant, mosquito-laced water to roll down the street
(OK, that was some serious SARCASM there, in case you were wondering)
Still, it's nice to know that Fort Wayne isn't the ONLY city with issues when it comes to a specific portion of it's populace.
And here's the proof...
('Ya gotta look REAL hard for these stories, because the MSM has buried them damn well)
This happened in Baltimore over the Memorial Day weekend:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/bs-md-homicides-0531-20100530,0,7549182.story
In this case, ONLY seven were shot...with FOUR fatalities.
Now THIS happened in (of all places) CHICAGO:
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/05/2-wounded-in-separate-shootings.html
In the windy city, they had TWENTY-TWO shootings (that's double deuce - 22), with three fatalities.
One man was shot as he entered his home (by burglars), and another was shot in his car.
(shot in his car...WOW, that sounds JUST like Fort Wayne a month or so ago)
No arrests have been made so far in either city, and witnesses are not really coming forward in droves (snitches get stitches?).
Police believe this could be gang/drug related in many of the instances.
Gee...'ya think?
Why is there always the overstatement of the OBVIOUS in these cases?
--Couple this with NYC trying to push through a "shoot-to-wound" policy for their officers, and you have all the makings of anarchy in the inner cities, do you not?
it's what I've said here so often...LET the police do the JOB we have hired them for, kapeesh?
WTF is so hard about cracking DOWN on crime, especially when you KNOW where it's at, who's involved, and why it's happening?
I told the missus the other day that THIS city (Ft. Wayne) is only ONE "situation" away from something "big" letting go.
You can see it down here all too often in the faces of the "locals"...they're spoiling for a fight.
Think of them like a large cat at the zoo, briskly pacing back and forth in it's cage, ready to spring at the slightest hint of provocation or fragrance of blood in the air.
If our city were ever to have such an event, and the "unwashed masses" down here decided to get REAL nasty, the police might find themselves a bit overwhelmed, and the reason I say that is not to detract from the ability of the officers...it's a NUMBERS GAME.
Ideally, we've got about ONE officer for every 700 citizens, but with command staff and admin exclusions, staffing issues, limited duty, vacation, suspensions, etc...that number changes to about ONE officer for every 900+ citizens.
Wasn't that long ago when we had NINE shootings within several days (a little further north of us, thankfully), and we still have shots fired most every damn night down here, so we DO have all the makings of a serious scenario that could unfold.
Benjamin Franklin stated that to get people out of POVERTY, it was important to make those people UNCOMFORTABLE within their "poverty".
I maintain that you CAN do likewise with CRIME.
Make people feel UNCOMFORTABLE with committing crime, and it WILL diminish.
Here's some thoughts about LAWS from other people:
-- To make laws that man cannot, and will not obey, serves to bring all laws into contempt. - Elizabeth Cady Stanton
-- Where law ends, there tyranny begins. - William Pitt, the Elder
-- Man, when perfected, is the best of animals, but when separated from law and justice, he is the worst of all. - Aristotle
-- We must reject the idea that every time a law's broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions. - Ronald Reagan
Now if that doesn't cut it, I don't know what can.
It's a new month...and another new beginning of sorts.
Let's all try to make the best of it, and become better than we were last month.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America.