Everything Costs Something...
Welcome to the FIRST day of WINTER.
Yeah, I know SOME of you have been feeling like winter's been here for at least a MONTH already, as have I, but today IS the shortest day of the year.
And, wouldn't you know it...it was wonderfully OVERCAST last night, so that TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE didn't happen for us here in Fort Wayne.
We only got a dusting of snow from that cloud cover...what a waste.
And to think I've been waiting for this for the past 432 years...LOL.
Chances are, I won't be around for the NEXT one in 2094, and neither will you...(dammit)!
Don'cha just HATE when that happens?
Anyway, today I want to chat to you all about COSTS.
If you've been to the gas pumps in the past 48 hours (and who hasn't?), you've noticed the prices there have jumped (yet again) by over TWENTY CENTS (just in time for the HOLIDAYS, as usual).
Now some "say" it's because of the whole "supply and demand" gig...but they'd be WRONG.
Gas usage has actually gone DOWN of late...imagine that.
And you won't hear anyone mention the Mexican pipeline explosion that killed 27 back on 19 December, either.
Here's the story link:
http://www.necn.com/12/19/10/Mexican-pipeline-explosion-kills-at-leas/landing_nation.html?blockID=376471&feedID=4207
Now THAT will raise prices faster than George Soros wanting to collapse another economy.
And it's because we get a LOT of oil from...(all together, kids)...MEXICO!
We all pay for it...sooner or later. We pretty much have to pay for everything.
Like the title of today's post says...everything DOES cost (us) something.
Either in time, or effort, or money...you name it, and it will cost us eventually.
I suppose that's why being frugal with our spending is SO important these days.
Most of us DO comprehend the aspect of the whole "cause and effect" game.
We understand the COST of things, tangible or not, and more so around Christmas.
(at least we do AFTER the bills for all we bought roll in, right?)
But what about those things we don't see at all?
What do all the unseen things in life cost us?
Well, let's take a look, shall we?
*** Case in point...this story about a 20 year veteran of the FWPD:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20101221/LOCAL07/312219976
FWPD officer Diane Rogers, 51 was booked into the Allen County lockup for a misdemeanor charge of operating a vehicle while intoxicated.
The "up" side was that she was on vacation when this occurred, and NOT on duty or in uniform.
Now, I will grant you that situations such as this happen all too often in law-enforcement.
Relationships are strained, substance abuse can occur, and so on...
The JOB will do that to you...I've seen it happen.
What YOU, as a law-enforcement PROFESSIONAL need to realize that it DOES, and it can happen a lot closer to home that you might want to believe.
No one is superhuman, can leap tall buildings in a single bound, and can shrug off problems like this when they surface, but whenever something like this DOES happen, the first step is acknowledging the problem EXISTS..and then take the steps necessary to alleviate the problem and get back to making a lot more of those "good" decisions both on the job and at home...period.
There is plenty of help available out there, and a great support system should it be needed.
There is no sense to tossing away a 20 year CAREER as a result of a misstep in judgment.
Today's society brings challenges that are unique, that's for sure.
And today's law-enforcement officers need to always be a cut above society, as an example for all of us to follow.
*** Then there are situations like THIS story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20101221/LOCAL0201/312219998
The city's 28th homicide happened yesterday...at the hands of the FWPD.
(ANY shooting resulting in death is considered a homicide)
Yahree Cavin, age 23 (who was alleged to have had a handgun) opened his door when the FWPD came to his house at 2020 S. Harrison St yesterday, still brandishing the pistol.
When police told him to drop the pistol, he raised it and pointed it at them (not the best choice, was it?), and was tased by Officer Chuck Volz at approximately the same time Sgt. Mark Dolezal fired his duty pistol.
The man was taken to the hospital in serious condition and later died as a result.
Turns out the pistol was an AIRSOFT P99 look-alike.
Now, the LEO has to live with THAT on his conscience...
Everything was done BY THE BOOK in this scenario (imho).
The FWPD chief even commended the officers for their actions...and rightly so.
There should be NO self-incrimination.
But, undoubtedly, there will b some...people are not invincible when it comes to emotional distress.
None of us are, except for those few sociopaths out there with a head full of bad wiring.
I had a post HERE about look-alike weapons (in schools) about FOUR years ago...
Check the archives of this blog on 24 October 2006.
I have a LOT of airsoft, paintball and BB pistols at my disposal, and I also have 3 airsoft rifles.
See, I grew up with toy guns...when you could actually PLAY with them...OUTSIDE...without getting the police to shake you down.
Arguments back then were settled with FISTS...not guns.
Fewer stores were robbed with guns, ditto for people. Knives were the weapons of choice.
I'm proud of my "arsenal"...damn proud of it. Wish I had even MORE.
There's a BB full-auto rifle out there I want SO damn bad - several hundred BBs per minute.
That's what I'm talking about.
I still have my Johnny Eagle .45 and M-14 (the rifle doesn't function anymore...damn) from the 1960s.
I own a lot of lookalike guns.
And I own several REAL ones.
I can shoot ANY of them just fine.
I have a basement shooting gallery for my BB pistols and airsofts.
And I have FUN down there whenever I get "stressed" from the ghettohood.
Now, I don't know WHY this man decided to NOT drop the "weapon" when officers told him to...I wasn't there.
And if I'm answering MY door around here, it's usually with something on MY hip, holstered but ready-to-go.
If I never saw the person before, and don't them from Adam, I might even have the 9mm on me.
So, if they're intimidated by this...that's on them.
I just play it SAFE down here...you have to living among these creatures.
Now, I COULD say that I would probably have noticed if that pistol was a REAL one or not when I knocked on the door, but again...I wasn't there.
I can make any airsoft weapon look a LOT more real that it is...already done it.
You just have to know HOW to do it...and I do.
One thing you have to consider is that weapon RECOGNITION is very important.
It can mean the difference between getting shot, or not.
And tunnel-vision during a tense situation doesn't help one damn bit.
You need to see the WHOLE picture, and at the speed of thought...not easy to do, but possible in most cases.
If a person is as good as me, that airsoft pistol will look almost EXACTLY like the real deal.
if not, then cut marks on the barrel are a giveaway as to (actual) lethality, as is the "finish" on the weapon.
A TENEFER finish and ABS plastic are NOT that dissimilar, but a chrome handgun and silver plastic are very different.
Another thing to consider...a Walther P99 sells for about $800 (and change), and isn't the typical pistol of choice on the SOUTH side of the city, trust me.
Even I can't afford one (yet), but I am hopeful.
If I saw that in someone's hand down here, I'd probably be correct in my assessment that it was, in fact, a look-alike pistol and not the real one.
If it were a RUGER...or a JENNINGS, or (especially) a HI-POINT...THEN I might worry a bit.
Could this man come away from this police-action-shooting and still be alive?
Perhaps, but this man did everything wrong he could do.
And the police reacted based on the man's ACTIONS...
But, I do think that more weapon recognition should be implemented, for EVERYONE' S safety.
There should be a class in lookalike "firearms".
What I don't think needs to be done is another dumb-ass BAN on such items.
You can't even get an airsoft in New York or Chicago, (many stores won't even SHIP there) and you can't ship one to Philly (but I did years ago to my buddy as a Christmas gift...no problem).
This is a case where more education can never be enough...and I'd wager that a LOT of store and bank heists in the city are being done WITH fake guns.
Trouble is, no one (civilian OR police) wants to take that chance, because they can't tell the difference.
Better to err on the side of caution...for now.
You see, everything costs someone something.
Dumb choices can cost a career...non-compliance can cost a life...and so on.
It's the holiday season...so what better time to resolve to make a few more of those GOOD choices, hmm?
And always make whatever cost comes along something you can AFFORD.
Lord knows, it might even catch on.
Good things like that NEVER get old...do they?
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America.

((Only 4 shopping days left until Christmas))