06 August 2010

Friday Follies...
Made it to another summer weekend...
Hazy, hot, and humid was the order for the past few days, sprinkled lightly with some needed rain showers.
And yet, it never ceases to amaze me when I read the papers or watch the news on TV (FOX news...where truth still seems to reign), about how MUCH this nation has changed...and continues to change daily, and sometimes on an hourly basis.
Glenn Beck summed it up nicely yesterday, when he wondered WHAT PLANET he woke up on.
I know I've said that for YEARS...seems like....BIZARRO WORLD.
You remember that from the older Superman comics - a place where it LOOKS like the Earth we know, BUT...everything is ASS-BACKWARDS.
And the inhabitants speak a bastard form of English much like my "neighbors"...LOL!
*** Take for example the fact that while we, the people were being distracted with education "reform" (and all that other governmental smoke and mirrors), Kevin James was finally appointed to our SUPREME COURT!
Yeah, I know they say it's ELENA KAGAN, but we all know better. I mean if you're going to portray a FARCE in the highest court in this nation, why NOT get a person who is a damn good COMEDIC ACTOR, right?
I mean, what this government is doing is downright laughable...and also pathetic at the same time, don'cha think?
Or...maybe, just MAYBE, Kevin and Elena were just separated at birth...hmm?
*** The Chinese have a new missile, called the FENG 21D (how very phallic of them) they claim is capable of sinking an aircraft carrier (like the George Washington).
It has a range of 900 nautical miles and can reach speeds of MACH 12!
(that's some serious ass-haulin', folks!)
Geez, at this rate, Beijing could be the next leading super power.
Now where do you suppose that will leave US?
(besides standing about with our crotch in our hand)
*** Well, whatever the case may be when it comes to the MAIL, it might not be easy to send that Christmas gift to a loved one during all this, as the USPS may be going BROKE by 2011.
The $3.5 BILLION dollar loss in the last fiscal quarter is attributable to reduced mail volume and health-care costs for retirees.
Now who said the government doesn't know how to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
I don't suppose ANY of that leftover $421 BILLION dollars that was never used for that FIRST "stimulus" plan could be applied, could it?
Nah...better to sit on that and spend even more to bail this agency out.
*** And who'd have thought that Fannie Mae needs more money (again) AS WELL?
They're "requesting" ANOTHER $1.5 BILLION dollars for financial aid.
Okay...the line for the NEXT round of bailouts forms to the LEFT. (doesn't it always?)
*** Right, so we're not the ONLY nation having a heatwave. Russia also is having a sweltering summer.
And...get ready for THIS one...it's going to cost US more money at the grocery stores.
Yeah, go ahead, say it....
(W...T...F...???)
Between the heat and wildfires there, wheat fields have taken a huge hit, and that will cause prices to rise.
Whatever happened to those "Amber Waves of Grain" we lauded in THIS country?
(Amber waves of Stalin's? Doesn't sound as inviting)
And with higher WHEAT prices will follow higher CORN and SOYBEAN prices.
Wow...what to do...
Should be EAT, or keep dumping all those commodities into "alternative fuel sources"?
SO many decisions...SO little time.
*** The Connecticut shooter that killed those people in that beer distribution place, had a chilling 911 call, stating he "took care of that racist place".
Here's the link:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/connecticut-shooter-omar-thornton-chased-victims-beer-distributor/story?id=11322281
Here's a guy with some chip on his shoulder that pitched a REAL fit after he was caught stealing beer and selling it to a THIRD party.
And HE'S the "victim"?
Tell THAT to the families of the ones he killed!
I better not hear ONE word about that.
But his white girlfriend probably will have a LOT to say about things.
Like I said, if there is to be ANY type of RACE war...uh, let me clarify and perhaps say "CLASS" war, it will not likely be a white person firing that first shot.
*** I was watching one of my FAVORITE shows on TV last night - Police Women of Memphis (Fort Wayne with a drawl) on TLC.
They had TWO new eps on,and it was a helluva "ride-along".
One call had two black "youts" (16 years old) who stole a car, and one jumped into a drainage ditch and booked, as the other one got caught. They DID get the 2nd boy and they were BOTH lying out their asses...with that "I didn't do that...wasn't me!" BS.
C'mon now...you got CAUGHT in the damn car. The one that ran has wet shoes - said he just WASHED them...((*blink"-*blink*)) - (a "Momma Fargo" moment) and that all the bruises he got (from jumping the fence into the ditch) were there "before".
THIS is EXACTLY the type of behavior all our police have to deal with...I've seen and heard it so many times.
As soon as they open their mouths, the lies start pouring out like Niagara Falls!
And the police are "supposed" to just say: 'Wow, so THAT'S what went down. Thanks for all your cooperation. We wouldn't have guessed that you were NOT the one who stole the car, even though YOU were behind the wheel. Have a nice day".
Well, that's what these people EXPECT from the cops...another ENTITLEMENT. The ONLY entitlement they DO (or ever SHOULD) get is named MIRANDA...and a nice shiny pair of "bracelets" that accompany that ride "downtown".
You see, when you GIVE enough to people who:
a) Don't deserve it.
b) Don't appreciate it.
They get REAL comfortable...REAL fast.
My Dad had a saying for it - "They think the world owes them a living".
And that sums it up nicely.
Trouble is...SOMEONE has to PAY for all this free sh*t...and GUESS who winds up footing the bill?
Just look in the mirror for the answer.
The time of entitlements to the undeserving and unappreciative needs to end...NOW.
This nation needs JOBS...and a much better sense of direction, if we are to remain at least as competitive as we USED to be.
Actually, I'd like to see us rise again to the top of the damn heap.
This nation has too much to lose, and yet SO much more to gain...IF we do the right thing.
And that needs to start with every single one of us.
Think of the E PLURIBUS UNUM phrase, if you ever doubt that.
(Out of many...one)
And that's ONE nation...UNDER GOD...INDIVISIBLE (incapable of being DIVIDED) with all that LIBERTY, and all that JUSTICE (and none of that "social justice" crap)...for EVERYONE (that is an American).
Just a little something to ponder...
Have yourselves a fantastic weekend. Be well, make a difference, and...
Stay safe out there, America.

05 August 2010

Answers Are Like Decent Paychecks...
...They are ALWAYS "forthcoming."
Now that I've got your curiosity stirred a bit (or was that the coffee kicking in?), let's take a little stroll around my part of the city, and search FOR some answers, shall we?
Be prepared, because this probably will not be all "butterflies and bunnies", but it WILL be truthful in content.
That you can bank on.
Let's get rolling, then.
Recently, the city had a "pow-wow" with south side citizens and business owners. This happened back on 29 July, and I found out about this when doing an archival search and stumbled across an article from 17 July that talked about the (then upcoming) meeting.
Tell 'ya, I'm STILL not getting all my memos...!
Anyway, the Southtown Area Advisory Board (SAAB? Isn't that copyright infringement on an acronym already in existence?) held this meeting about (as usual) how to IMPROVE this part of Fort Wayne.
Here's the link to the article:
http://www.indianasnewscenter.com/news/political/Southeast-Side-Group-Works-To-Improve-Image-99549579.html
Now, for those that haven't been followers of this blog since it's inception three years ago, let me say that a lot of what I blog about (besides the human condition AND common sense) is about WHERE I LIVE...or at least TRY to live.
I'm spent numerous posts decrying the conditions down here, and the apathy, and the slide into "blighted" status.
SO much of what I will relate in this article today will reflect directly on what I've stated for YEARS.
Let me quote from the story:
(( Board members say they have met for an hour every week since December 2009, aiming to usher in a major business development initiative on Fort Wayne's south side.
One of the highlights on Thursday's meeting was a crime statistics report given by Fort Wayne Deputy Police Chief Nancy Chamberlin.
She shared declining crime data, that drew a thunderous round of applause from an auditorium full of citizens and local politicians.
Chamberlin said crime in southeast Fort Wayne is down 25% over the past ten years.
She also pointed out that business break-ins are down 52% over the past 10 years.
She noted that crime has decreased 86% at the Eden Green Apartments since 1998.
She shared that gun violence was down in 2009. 107 fewer shots were fired in 2009.
Chamberlin also noted that in 2009 Fort Wayne experienced two fewer fatal shootings than 2008 and that 282 firearms were taken off city streets.
Chamberlin noted community tips leading to arrests were up and that six more drug houses were shutdown in 2009 compared to 2008.
Chamberlin also said the Fort Wayne Police Department is working with the ATF to convict criminals on federal firearms and drug charges.
She said 13 people with spend at minimum 85% of their sentence behind bars because of those federal charges.
Meanwhile, Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry called the South Side, Fort Wayne's "jewel."
However, Henry said community members need to convince people that the South Side is a good place to do business.
Other community leaders readily admit there is a stigma about opening a business in the African-American community, even though money talks.
"The southeast quadrant has the second highest disposable income out of the four quadrants here in Allen County," said Southtown Area Advisory Board Member Charles Hire.
"That's the first incentive to businesses. The second one is, where do you think the African-American community does spend their money? You think they don't spend money. They obviously have to travel to the other three quadrants to spend their money. From grocery stores, to food, to clothing, to cars, everything. They need
products, we all use products as humans,"
said Hire.
Meanwhile, the Southtown Area Advisory Committee is inviting the public to all future meetings.
The committee meets every Thursday from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. at the Public Safety Academy of Northeast Indiana.
))
Now, for MY observations, based on fact and what I see, because my senses tend to be privy to things some people just ARE NOT witnessing...for some strange reason.
** Okay, so if crime went DOWN 25% over TEN years, that's a yearly average decline of 2.5%, right?
And which SPECIFIC crimes were the basis of these numbers?
Were some crimes "reclassified" under another heading to make the tally look better?
(that's been done in the past)
** Business break-ins are down 52% for one good reason:
We have had over EIGHTY businesses that are NO LONGER HERE...they up and left because of the CRIME (that's been on the "decline").
We also had a MALL close, and that took a snotload of businesses with it, that we shall NEVER get back.
We had a Richards Restaurant close...people stopped coming because of the CRIME (that's been on the "decline").
** Nothing was said about the level of OCCUPANCY of Eden Green Apartments as a result of such a "drastic" decline in crime.
Has the tenant population DECREASED? Has it INCREASED? Inquiring minds want to know.
** I would wager that any decline in GUN VIOLENCE is negligible...at best. We can also wager that the 107 "fewer shots fired" were based on dispatch calls received, and not ACTUALITY. People around here have this amazing capacity to IGNORE things...like gunfire (unless it comes through THEIR house or car).
Then there are the fireworks which do a remarkable job of "masking" gunfire.
I wonder if anyone paid attention to NEW YEAR'S EVE...when it sounds like Kabul on a Saturday night, due to ALL THE GUNFIRE?
I'm just sayin'...
** I DO know that tips into police were up...I probably accounted for MOST of them...LOL.
There is not a month that goes by that I don't send along information to our captain...and you have seen the part of last month's email to her to bear that out.
** Those 282 firearms that were taken OFF the street only accounted for those 107 fewer shots fired???
Not hardly.
I mean, we are talking "stats" here, right? Yet, something doesn't add up with that, because we STILL have gun play on our streets, as is evidenced by the most recent double shooting a couple of blocks away from our house...in the middle of the damn afternoon!
Well, that's all I have to say about that...for now. I only wish ALL the information was forthcoming.
You see, I'm not all that into "lip service". I'm no diplomat, and am about as subtle as a brick through a plate-glass window, but at least with ME, you know where you stand...and where I'm coming from, right?
So, our mayor says that MY part of town is a "jewel"...
(rolls eyes)
Well, I suppose that ANY "diamond" DOES start out as an UGLY LUMP OF COAL...
And that's what we currently have...COAL.
You can't convince decent, law-abiding people that a crime-ridden area, full of Section 8 housing and generationally-endowed welfare baby-mamas and their "boyfriend" gangstas is a good place to do business...or even OPEN a damn business.
Business owners like to MAKE MONEY...it's a character flaw, I guess.
And the BEST way to make business is to STAY in business, i.e. not get robbed out the ass, or have your employees shot or otherwise placed AT RISK by the local "populace". Sound about right?
Not gonna happen with the status quo down here, sorry folks.
And yes, THIS quadrant DOES have the second HIGHEST disposal income level in the entire city...
(WTF???)





You heard me right...we're all just a bunch of "rich-bitches" down here, apparently (living in $40K of less homes)....who knew?
Not too shabby for a large part of the citizenry being on WELFARE...and getting "Gub'ment" money...and NOT WORKING...and DEALING DRUGS, isn't it?
Maybe, that's why some people drive HUMMERS down here...or JAGUARS to houses that don't even cost a THIRD of the price of those vehicles.
'Ya think?
Yep, all that DISPOSABLE income...
Now why would you think that the HIGHEST number of business robberies occur on the NW side of town?
If you said: "Well, Bob...because all the businesses are up THERE, instead of in the SE part of town"...give yourself a GOLD STAR!
Exactly my point.
Predators tend to go where all the "food" can be found...and it ain't down here, people!
And if crime is NOT addressed in the manner that it SHOULD be, it never will.
I've said so many times, that you get the deadbeat landlords the hell OUT....get the human refuse OUT, chase the crime OUT.
Then, and ONLY then will this part of town see a true revival.
Stop GIVING AWAY this part of Fort Wayne...and make it thrive through work and effort.
Get the drug houses CLOSED, and either torn down or renovated into something GOOD people want to live in.
If you can force a neighborhood into decline by allowing ONE house to go Section 8, then, by God, you can do the exact opposite with good, solid plans that would allow a lot more people with better principles and values to move back in.
Those people are out there, but as long as the criminal element is allowed to stake claim here, the good folks aren't going to come back in. And having Realtors steer everyone BUT the human flotsam into the SE isn't helping one damn bit, either.
You get yourselves a REAL partnership...and get those in charge tasked with making this happen.
Prayer meeting and business "get-togethers" alone will NOT end this slide downwards.
It takes ACTION...action against crime, action against those that do nothing but prey on everyone else.
I'm the "Lone Wolf" here...my allies are too few and too far between to effectively force the change needed.
But I am willing to work with anyone that thinks like-minded, and believes there ARE enough good people left that are willing to give a rat's ass to make this part of town a SAFE place...a place to raise a family...and a place worthy of being a jewel for the city, and not just that ugly lump of coal.
Now, that's my take on this, based on facts. It's what I see, what I hear, and what I have to live with.
Time for the city to get it's head out of the sand (or wherever else it might be residing these days) and get with the REAL program).
Or, we could just look to Detroit...for OUR future.
And we don't even want to consider that possibility, do we?.
I'm just looking for ANSWERS,by asking QUESTIONS people...not too hard to figure out, is it?
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America.

04 August 2010

Humpday Happenings...
Middle of the week, people, and as expected, we're in the middle of mayhem.
A few things I want to focus on today, but all meant to enlighten, encourage, and possibly even enthrall.
So, buckle up boys and girls.
It might be summer in the city, and the back of your neck might be dirty and gritty, but we've got the A/C on, and a tank full of time.
*** First up...the renaissance in model-building that I've recently undertaken (just to keep in practice, mind you).
I finished the RAF "Mosquito" night fighter variant, and it doesn't look that bad for never having been a "professional modeler".
The trouble came when I went to place the decals on it...(arggghhh).
There is a cover paper that protects the decals from damage, but for some reason known only to God, the paper bonded itself TO the decals, rendering them pretty much USELESS!
After looking about on eBay for replacements, I finally decided to contact the manufacturer (Airfix - in the UK) to see what can done to secure another sheet of those decals.
Now, in times long past, when a lot more people practiced ETHICAL behavior (Charlie Rangel and Maxine Waters...take note), whenever you encountered a problem with a purchased item, you got in touch (snail mail mostly..and the telephone) with whoever made the item, and after a brief time, they got back to you with a replacement part (sometimes for a nominal fee), or they just GAVE it to you.
It was their way of making good on your misfortune...it was called TRUST.
They stood by their product, whatever the hell it was, and wanted to make sure YOU were a satisfied customer.
Times send to have changed a bit since THEN, don'cha think?
How many times have we tried to get some thing that was NOT our fault rectified, only to be either stone-walled, shuffled from person to person (or recorded menu to recorded menu, eventually ending in a hangup), or worse yet...ignored completely?
It appears that some businesses don't give a rip about YOU (after you bought whatever from them).
The lack of honor among a lot of companies these days is pitiful at best.
No one wants to won up to whatever screw up presents itself.
And YOU, the consumer are left to scratch your head in bewilderment.
You just want what was wrong to become right again...and get on with your life.
If you notice, most ALL electronic devices are offered with an "extended service policy".
Ever wonder WHY???
Mostly, it's because the companies really don't like to FIX things anymore.
Most every time, they will "swap out" the defective item.
Doesn't matter if it's an iPod, a flat-screen TV, or even your car's alternator.
Change it the hell out.
Seems like such an "easy" way to get something done, and maybe not the "best" way (some parts are swapped with "remanufactured" items - others that failed...nice, huh?).
Well, repairs DO take time, and we all know time is a commodity is such short supply these days, even though we still have the exact same number of minutes to every frigging hour, right? Time never changes, except to move FORWARD. And at the same rate...it hasn't sped up (although when you get older, it sure as hell FEELS that way).
Make me wish I bought a DeLorean all those years ago....just in case time needs a "tweak".
I am hopeful that Airfix will make good like they have many years ago. I'd really like to totally complete this model.
As to all the other things that might need a repair of manufacturer's attention...well, we shall see, won't we?
*** Now this story is typical is too many ways...
Here's the link:
http://www.wthr.com/global/story.asp?s=12914386
Be careful if you're thinking of having a birthday BBQ, especially if it extends AFTER midnight (in Indianapolis)...
Doesn't matter if this woman WAS trying to help her neighborhood...these thugs PREY on one another with relative impunity.
And when they can't find their OWN to prey upon...Lord help whoever else they manage to find as the next victim, especially if they're white.
I've always thought that IF we ever had some sort of "race war", it would NOT be whites who "fired the first shot".
And I always pray that I am WRONG as far as ANY type of race war goes.
But leave it to whatever radical element on either side to foster such an agenda.
We ALL have to be on guard.
*** And if you happen to work in Connecticut at a beer distributor, better watch your back.
Here's the story link:
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/70469
Again, we hear RACE being involved, although it's also being denied.
We've grown accustomed to having the race card played, and hearing the word "racist" tossed about like a beach ball. A few commentators on FOX have mentioned (rightly so) that this is like CRYING WOLF. You use this at the drop of a hat, and when people become desensitized to hearing it, when it REALLY comes along, no one's going to be paying any attention to it.
I know I've seen my share of "race-baiting" by playing THE CARD (some never leave home without it).
This is a ploy utilized by those with a victicratic mentality.
Think of the entitlement gravy-train. Well, this "race card" is nothing short of the engineer ON that train.
Perhaps it's time we thought about changing out the railroad "personnel"?
*** Now this story speaks volumes...if you read carefully.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-08-03-louisiana-teens-drown_N.htm
This is about six teens that were drown in the Red River.
While this IS very sad, one has to think about the story BEHIND the story.
NONE of the teens knew HOW TO SWIM.
And we have a case of more UNSUPERVISED activity.
For God's sake, if you KNOW your kid can't swim, why the hell let him (or her) go near an area that they can't get out of, should they encounter trouble?
And why the hell did your child NEVER LEARN to swim in the first place?
I mean, the "Y" has courses (as does the Red Cross)and I'm sure the welfare brigade has some FREE thing around somewhere at some public pool.
Perhaps if the PARENTS (or parent, as is often the case) knew how to swim, THEY could teach the kids...that's what GOOD PARENTING is all about anyway, right? Such is never the case in areas where people are so entitled.
Be nice to see some of that "gub'ment" money got for swimming lessons for the young....just a thought.
Because this sort of thing happens whenever you live anywhere near areas of that clear liquid stuff we like to call WA-TER...kapeesh?
I admit to not knowing how to swim all that well on the surface (gimme a mask and fins, and I'm pretty decent UNDERwater), so I rarely venture into ANY scenario that might place me "at risk".
I almost drown once...NOT a good experience, believe me.
If I'm on a lake or river, I wear floatation vest. And I have no desire to sail "the ocean blue", so that's a non sequitor.
All it takes to figure this whole thing out is...(all together gang)...COMMON SENSE!
Be nice if more people dabbled in that.
*** Lastly today, I mentioned the NATIONAL NIGHT OUT AGAINST CRIME (to which I had my VERY blue bulb outside...doesn't light much up, but did make the front of the house eerily inviting...lol), and the SOLIDARITY that communities need to have WITH law-enforcement.
Let's take a look at the flip side, though.
In neighborhoods we used to call "The badlands" (yeah, like my neighborhood...and Phil Marx's..and North Philly...those marvelous places), there is little REAL sense of "community" as many come to know it.
What you basically have are small pockets or cadres of random individuals. Many might be related somewhere, even from another city.
And they tend to practice their OWN unique form of what it means (to them) to be something like a community.
They have their OWN value system, their OWN sense of justice, their OWN sense of possession (what's yours is mine, and what's mine is my own), their OWN way of bringing up kids (have a few grandmas to shove the kids at...like some ad hoc "daycare"). If none are available, then just let the kids run wild...either some neighbor (like me) will chase them back home, or the police will round them up when they find them wandering the damn street, half-naked and crying.
All the while, the police are viewed as "the man"...the bad guy...the one who "puts them down".
From little on up, the children are taught that the police are not to be trusted. The "community" has it's OWN set of rules, anyway.
Police are only to be called in when they can't handle a situation THEMSELVES...or there is another race involved.
They basically USE law-enforcement...like some toy they play with for awhile, and then discard.
You watch ANY police reality show, and see HOW the police are spoken to, and how little respect they receive from such people, when they were caught RED-HANDED in whatever act they were doing when the officers rolled up.
Too many times these days, I see MOBS of such people doing whatever they want, and the police take the hits, and look to be outnumbered.
Fortunately for everyone concerned, the police prevail.
But what would happen IF our police were not as fortunate?
How would cities across America cope with such an out-of-control portion of the general populace?
If could occur...and in a few cases has come close to happening...scary-close!
Think about the ramifications of such a scenario..think about it the NEXT TIME you hear about some police department in America laying off officers, or (as in San Carlos, CA) disbanding the ENTIRE DEPARTMENT.
Let us pray we never even come close to anything like that where we live.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America.

03 August 2010

Tuesday's Tidbits...
Gonna spend a little time today shaking the NEWS tree...and see what falls the hell out, fair enough?
Right, then. Let's get started, shall we?
*** I know there are many of you out there that remember SING ALONG WITH MITCH.
Well, all good things DO come to an end.
(( NEW YORK (AP) - Mitch Miller, the goateed orchestra leader who asked Americans to "Sing Along With Mitch" on television and records, has died at the age of 99.
Miller was a key record executive at Columbia Records in the pre-rock 'n' roll era, making hits with singers Rosemary Clooney, Patti Page, Johnny Mathis and Tony Bennett.
"Sing Along With Mitch" started as a series of records, then became a popular NBC show starting in early 1961. Miller's stiff-armed conducting style and signature goatee became famous.
The TV show ranked in the top 20 for the 1961-62 season, and soon children everywhere were parodying Miller's stiff-armed conducting. An all-male chorus sang old standards, joined by a few female singers, most prominently Leslie Uggams. Viewers were invited to join in with lyrics superimposed on the screen and followed with a bouncing ball.
An accomplished oboist, Miller played in a number of orchestras early in his career, including one put together in 1934 by George Gershwin. "Gershwin was an unassuming guy," Miller told The New York Times in 1989."I never heard him raise his voice".
Miller began in the recording business with Mercury Records in the late '40s, first on the classical side, later with popular music. He then went over to Columbia Records as head of its popular records division.
In recent years, Miller returned to his classical roots, appearing frequently as a guest conductor with symphony orchestras.
In 2000, he won a special Grammy Award for lifetime achievement.
"He was absolutely himself up until the minute he got sick," said his daughter. "He was truly blessed with a long and wonderful life."
Miller was born in 1911, in Rochester, N.Y., son of a Russian Jewish immigrant wrought-iron worker and a seamstress. He graduated from the Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester.

A memorial service is planned for the fall. ))
One might say that Mitch Miller "invented" what we now call today...KARAOKE!
***The MOST stolen vehicle is still the ESCALADE.
(and what DO drug dealers LOVE to own and drive into blighted neighborhoods?)
So, if YOU'RE in the market to "trade up" your trusty steed for a "ThuggieBling-Mobile", take heed.
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20100803/APF/1008030505
What this article fails to mention, is that in SOME neighborhoods, thieves will take damn near ANYTHING they can turn around for folding money!
And remember, the LARGER the trunk space...the BIGGER the kicker box and bass speakers, just so you know.
So, maybe holding onto my '83 Firebird might have some "benefits" after all?
'Ya never can tell...
*** Ever wonder if those floods that are devastating Pakistan, and have killed about 1,500 while placing another 100,000 at risk of disease might just be God's way of saying "You people suck and need to stop this war mongering BS"?
*** An update to a previous story...
(( 1 gunshot victim released; 1 critical / Journal Gazette
Fort Wayne police have released the identities of two men wounded in a Friday shooting, one of whom has been released from a hospital.
The shooting was reported just after 3:30 p.m. Friday near East Sherwood Terrance and South Park Drive, on the city's southeast side.
Derrick White, 52, and Dana Jones Jr., 24, were in a Ford Taurus when an Oldsmobile pulled up alongside their car.
Police believe people in both cars knew one another, and that the cars stopped so the people inside could have a conversation.
At least one person in the Oldsmobile then began firing at the Taurus. The shooting caused the Taurus to sideswipe a parked car along the street and then hit a tree in the front yard of a home in the 900 block of East Sherwood.
A neighbor said White, the Taurus driver, got out of the car and fled to a nearby home for help. White, whose age was initially reported to be 61, and Jones were both taken to a hospital in critical condition.
White has since been treated and released. Jones remained in critical condition Monday, police said.
Officer Raquel Foster, police spokeswoman, said detectives have no suspects. Anyone with information on the shooting should call Crime Stoppers at 436-STOP
))
It IS a known fact that over 75% of ALL shootings involve people who know, or have known each other at some point.
Interesting enough, some of the nations with the LOWEST gun-related homicide rates are Switzerland, Qatar, Singapore, Slovenia, and Ireland.
Wonder what THOSE countries are doing that we SHOULD be doing, hmm?
I mean the Irish and the Swiss have LONG traditions when it comes to GUNS...and they seem to be doing a lot better than we are.
Maybe they PUNISH those a lot more who use guns to kill PEOPLE?
*** More on the K2 situation here in Fort Wayne...
Here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20100803/LOCAL/308039959/1002/LOCAL An interesting side note to this.
The other day I heard on the police radio that a girl was being treated for K2 usage. Somehow, THAT didn't make the papers OR the evening news. I held off mentioning it, because I "thought" they would carry the story, or at least follow up on the radio call. Yeah, news rooms DO have police scanners these days. That's how they get to scene almost as fast as the officers...and have to be corralled behind those "thin plastic yellow lines" by the THIN BLUE LINE.
Apparently, more teens ARE doing this, and the media isn't letting concerned parents in on it. This should be all over the news.
I mean this crap doesn't even smell GOOD enough to use AS incense (the original intent of the substance).
It smells like someone tried to cover the month-old gym socks odor with a can of GLADE (ocean mist)...seriously!
The stupidity and ignorance shown by some folks over this ranks up there with the lead paint gig.
When parents care so little about their children, and care so much about getting their OWN high on, that the kids gnaw on window sills for sustenance, because baby-mama is too damn stoned to open a can of (welfare bought and paid for) Spaghetti-Os, or Ramen Noodles...something is FUBAR with our society.
A blind man can see this stuff.
*** Lastly...tonight is the NATIONAL NIGHT OUT AGAINST CRIME (as I was reminded by fellow blogger, Slamdunk yesterday), so on our trek to Menards, I got us a CFL BLUE bulb to use in our front light this evening. And at $5, it should last the remainder of my lifetime...LOL The reason for the CFL was that the wattage is equal to a 60W incandescent bulb while burning at only 7W...a real bargain (rolls eyes).
Now, Lord knows I really appreciate the night out concept....as it was conceived.
Get to "know" your neighbors...yeah, right.
Don't think that's ever gonna happen around here with me.
In a NICE neighborhood, that makes sense....but not around this neck of the "Badlands".
If I got to KNOW my neighbors, I'd be in cahoots with drug dealers, drug users, people committing welfare fraud, check fraud, Medicare fraud, along with sex offenders, burglars, scrappers, rapists, and other assorted human flotsam.
That's just not on MY "bucket list" these days...
To me, EVERY night is a night out against crme.
I just don't go out after dark, like any SANE person, and if I do, it certainly is NOT on foot, and definitely NOT unarmed.
Hell, I don't go ANYWHERE on MY property w/o packing heat.
And I don't give a rat's backside as to WHO knows it (or not).
I'll open-carry on my property whenever the mood strikes me.
But I digress...
The National Night Out is a good thing for ANY community, but one must HAVE a "community" to begin with.
We don't have that around here.
I'm in a scant number of citizens that actively views all law-enforcement as a FRIEND...and NOT "the enemy".
Sure, I might bust on the "admins" and top dogs in the department wearing all the gold braid, but with good reason.
They're pretty much pushing paper...not perps into the backseat of the cruiser.
The guys and gals doing the street-beat daily are the ones that take most all the flak from everyone.
They're the ones the "locals" will target for lawsuits. And they are the ones that get sniped in cities like Oakland.
They are ambushed, shot at, cursed, spat upon, ridiculed, and lambasted by an uninformed public.
They are the wall (between us and crime), to which so much needless crap is hurled at.
And these people do this every single day, because they WANT to.
They have to make that difference...to uphold the laws...to protect the innocent, and to serve the public.
To me, THAT is a more important reason for the night out against crime...
It's a show of SOLIDARITY, between the citizenry and law-enforcement.
We are united in more ways than you can imagine...
Every one of us has the capacity to make our neighborhoods better, whether we wear a shield of not.
Those that choose to help...will.
Those that do not...will not.
It's that simple.
So, take some time to day to acknowledge what the police have to endure, just to fight crime.
Put that BLUE bulb in that porch light...just for tonight. If a cruiser passes you by, give a friendly wave.
Show them YOU care...it's what this nation is known for.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America.

02 August 2010

Monday Musings...
Here we go...another new week; another new month.
And in my part of the multiverse...probably a lot of the "same old"...
*** First, let me start out by saying that my heartfelt thanks goes out to Ann T. Hathaway.
Over at her blog yesterday (link at left), she provided me with a marvelous "e-birthday"... I mean, how the heck could I expect muscle cars AND mariachis...at the same "bash", hmm?
I still have 20 days to go to the real deal...and I can't even begin to come close to Ann's party, so I won't try.
Meanwhile...back at the "ranch"...
*** Death comes to fort Wayne.
Well, it's not what you would EXPECT...a wild rabbit was run over a few days ago, along our side street, by some jerk that wasn't paying attention.
I didn't see it happen, just the result.
I know the way others drive (read speeding) around here, and how many are traveling UNDER some influence, be it liquid, inhaled, or snorted.
The GOOD news is that it wasn't the one in our garden "hutch", so I've still got my buddy coming 'round every day for his vittles.
Now, if only Mr. Nuthatch and Mr. Woodpecker would drop on by...haven't seen either of them for some time now.
And, like a good neighbor (and friend) I worry about their safety...it's the St. Francis in me, no doubt.
*** More shootings in Fort Wayne.
At least SOME things don't change all that much, do they?
This pair of shooting occurred the next bock up, and a couple of blocks over...in the middle of the damn afternoon.
(( Published: July 31, 2010 3:00 a.m.
Shooting critically wounds 2 - Driver, grandson hit as mid afternoon chat between cars ends in gunfire
Jeff Wiehe Swikar Patel The Journal Gazette
Medics put one of two shooting victims into an ambulance Friday afternoon at South Park Drive and Sherwood Terrace.
FORT WAYNE – Rachel Hicks hopes to work in the medical field someday, but the south-side resident has already received an unexpected crash course in treating bullet wounds.
Two men inside a dark-colored Ford Taurus were shot and critically wounded Friday at East Sherwood Terrace and South Park Drive, just down the street from Hicks’ home. The shots rang out just after 3:30 p.m., disrupting a yard sale Hicks and her family were having.
Seconds later, someone down the street was yelling for a towel. Hicks grabbed one and headed for the 4600 block of South Park, where she found a man bleeding from his arm and lying on the porch of a home.
"He kept saying he was diabetic," said Hicks, who noted that she’s attending school at Ivy Tech to become a medical assistant. "He said his blood sugar was low and he was going to pass out."
Soon, Fort Wayne police officers were next to Hicks. She and the officers continued to help the man by applying pressure to his wounds while they waited for medics to arrive, she said. In that time, she heard the story the man gave to police:
He was driving his grandson in the Taurus. When his grandson saw a group of people he knew, he asked him to stop the car to talk. Someone in that group began firing a gun at the car, shooting the man and his grandson multiple times, Hicks said.
Fort Wayne police offered a similar story:
Two men were driving the Taurus north on South Park with a white Oldsmobile, made in the mid- to late-1980s, behind them. Police have not identified the men in the Taurus but listed one as 61 years old and the other as 24.
Both cars turned west onto Sherwood, with the Oldsmobile pulling up next to the Taurus. Police believe people in both cars knew one another, and that the cars stopped so the people inside could have a conversation, according to officer Scott Tegtmeyer, police spokesman.
At least one person, maybe more, in the Oldsmobile then began firing at the Taurus, Tegtmeyer said.
The shooting caused the Taurus to sideswipe a parked car along the street and then hit a tree in the front yard of a home in the 900 block of East Sherwood. The driver of the Taurus got out of the car and fled.
Police believe as many as four people might’ve been in the Oldsmobile, Tegtmeyer said. No arrests have been made.
Witnesses told police there were six to eight gunshots, while Hicks said she heard from 12 to 15.
"It was pop, pop, poppoppoppoppoppop," she said, imitating the sound.
Hicks helped the driver of the Taurus. She said he had a bullet wound in his forearm and another in his biceps area. The bullet that tore his biceps appeared to have shattered the bone, exited from the underarm area and ended up lodged in his chest near the collarbone, Hicks said.
"The way that arm was moving, no way it was in one piece," Hicks said.
The man kept asking the officers treating him about his grandson, Hicks said.
Moments after the shooting, police had cordoned off the entire intersection. Residents of the neighborhood began flocking to the scene from all sides. Many said they heard the gunfire from blocks away, but few were willing to give their names when discussing the shooting or the neighborhood.
One woman said kids often played with firecrackers in the neighborhood and that it was sometimes hard to tell whether those loud bangs were gunshots. Hicks, who moved to the area in April, said she has heard some firecrackers and the sounds of some scuffles, but nothing like she heard Friday.
Another woman who came to the scene wondered aloud what ever happened to young people using fistfights to solve problems.
"You’d fight each other, and then two hours later you’d be best friends again," the woman said.
Hicks said that after the shots rang out, she saw a group of people race off in a white car. She believes that the car belonged to the shooters since it was the only other car in the vicinity. It did, though, have one characteristic not released by the police.
"It had green racing stripes along the top," said Hicks, who gave her statement to police at the scene.
))
Well, now...couldn't see this coming, could we?
Typical animalistic behavior, perpetrated against two people. Don't need a reason these days, do you?
At least the Olds will be REAL easy to spot...and I WILL be looking for it.
What amazed me about the shootings, was that I SHOULD have seen more than JUST TWO (unmarked) police cars criss-crossing the area in the aftermath.
And those cars only came by once each...nothing more was seen around our neighborhood.
I SHOULD have seen some FWPD cars going up and down our alleys, because so many are overgrown to the point where you COULD actually hide some cars. But I saw nothing.
One has to also consider the FACT that this part of town is the repository of OLDER cars.
(a garage-kept 1983 black Firebird owned by me notwithstanding...lol)
And they're all not the older cars YOU would come to know in times past.
forget those really cool muscle cars and classic autos they way they USED to look.
Down here, you get an older car because of the SIZE OF THE TRUNK, as in "how much stereo can I cram into it, so I can annoy the neighborhoods?" type of cars. Add some goofed-up "30s" with some wide ass rubber on those rims, paint it up in some garishly ghettoed-up, gag-a-maggot color (or colors), toss on a few graphics promoting some product, or better yet, the car's NAME (because the idiots behind the wheel don't know what the hell they're driving). It's like putting huge letters that say IMPALA on that...well, Impala. These morons are definitely in the running for membership in the "Department of Redundancy Department".
(must be a "cultural thang")
As you may or may not know, I send along a monthly "report" to our quadrant captain, advising her of certain problem houses, cars, and the like.
Today, I want to include a portion of the email I'm sending along, just so you can better understand the situation and my specific feelings regarding the status quo down here...so here goes.
(( I suppose the ONE thing I find incredulous as far as my understanding of city ordinances is WHY noise is not regarded as "important"?
It's been PROVEN that NOISE is the NUMBER ONE pet peeve in most ALL major cities. It's been proven to affect the learning ability of children, place people at risk for accidents, and seriously affect health conditions whether you have a pre-existing condition...or not.
Maybe THAT'S why the kids down here all seem to have learning DISABILITIES?
I can't call this ignorance of all this noise by the city embracing ANY form of "cultural expression"...it's NOISE, damn it, plain and simple.
So let's start busting and citing these acoustic morons, shall we?
I'm all for STATISTICS...when they PROPERLY REFLECT the actuality of the reasoning behind them.
We can have over FIVE HUNDRED noise citations a YEAR in the city, and at first glance, that looks pretty damn impressive...BUT, when you stop and consider that we have damn close to THAT MANY boomcars passing OUR house EVERY DAMN MONTH of that year, the original "500 a year" for the city becomes very insignificant...very quickly. Wouldn't you agree?
I've suggested ways to CATCH these noise-makers...and nothing.
I've expressed personal concerns about these morons...and nothing.
I've done everything I can, short of taking care of these people by myself, which would appear to be the only option after all other resources have been exhausted or never even implemented. Now, if someone "at the top" was paying ANY attention to ANY of the crap that goes on down here for the last 10+ years, they'd have figured out (by now) that the department is simply being improperly utilized...all for allowing certain groups' self-esteem to remain intact for diversity's sake.
That's all well and good...EXCEPT for the victims of violent crime down here, right?
The department has allowed too much of the "small crap" to go unnoticed, unenforced, and unresolved...so naturally, with the manner in which the police are treated AND viewed by the "locals" down here, it's ONLY natural that we're up to our collective hips in all this BIG CRAP...such as the robberies, break-ins, and homicides and shooting, isn't it?
If the department wants quotas and "numbers" when it comes to citations, I vociferously maintain that you have MORE MONEY to be had DOWN HERE than anywhere else in the city...all the department has to do is "grow a pair" and start making it happen.
If I have to put up with some loudass that thumps through my neighborhood for MONTHS, if not YEARS, or goes for MONTHS with no license plate bulb or a blown out tail lamp, then there is something SERIOUSLY wrong with the department's priorities when executing traffic stops.
Maybe officers need to chase after THOSE people?
On most ANY day around here...like CLOCKWORK, the noise becomes a LOT more constant RIGHT after 1500 hours.
It's like someone flipped a damn switch and set ALL these assholes loose at once.
It just surprises me that B & C shifts are simply NOT catching ANY of these people. I would have expected AT LEAST a few, but NONE???
Sure, these idiots can turn their stereo down, but how's about having the police look a bit CLOSER at these (known) lawbreakers. You'd probably be surprised in what you'd find if more of these morons were pulled the hell over, cited for noise violations and have the damn car impounded.
While we're at it, you can also have (or should already have) ordinances that DISALLOW the extreme WINDOW TINT (safety issue to law-enforcement), the OVER SIZED WHEELS (safety issue on the streets), the "PERFORMANCE MUFFLERS", and other related items that have absolutely NO place in a residential setting.
The amount of LITTERING has also gone UP (big surprise there) including ALCOHOLIC containers (missing a few DUIs around here, aren't we?), so that must be another ordinance that is NOT being strenuously enforced.
It MAY Interest you to know that among the flotsam that winds up being tossed on our lawn, from all the passing "diversity" last month was, of all things...a K2 WRAPPER! I kept it for future references...JUST like that brick that came through our window AND that bottle bomb that was tossed on our lawn about EIGHT years ago...in case ANYONE in the department EVER needs some forensic "examples".
NONE of this is about ANYONE'S "culture", or freedom of expression here.
Not by a LONG SHOT.
It IS about a culture of apathy (by others)...a culture that rewards bad behavior, and apparently also gets a free pass when it comes to disrespecting law-abiding citizens that watch THEIR neighborhood decline around them.
It IS about a person's right to PRIVACY (mine), and MY right (along with a lot more people that either have no voice, or are too afraid to speak up) to that whole "QUALITY-OF-LIFE" thing this city wants to be SO on-board with these days, because frankly, I'm just NOT seeing it, definitely NOT hearing it , and NOT really feeling it ONE DAMN BIT.
Fair is fair here.
Decent people should be allowed to live where they want and NOT have to be privy to such noise...OR crime.
They should NOT be forced to move due to the lack of city intervention.
More PROACTIVITY is warranted.
Less reactivity is required as a result.
You can't protect and serve all that well when you're coming on scene AFTER things go wrong all the time, can you? I call it "chasing the radio", instead of good, solid PATROLLING a problem area. More visibility IS needed. A better rapport with the community is needed, and an understanding that the police is NOT "the enemy" of minorities (only the lawless) is also required.
It could ALL be accomplished...WITH a concerned effort by ALL law-enforcement agencies...that is, if they cared about those who pay all those salaries of the departments.
It's just a thought...and a damn good one, if you ask me.
))
This is fairly typical of the emails I send along every month. And I am in no way smacking down the "grunts in the trenches" here...the street-beaters do a fantastic job, given the situation.
The only things that I provide are numbers of vehicular visits to problem houses, any drive up drug buys and include descriptions of people and vehicles involved in suspicious behavior (along with pictures when obtainable).
Personally, I'd take something like this coming across my computer every month a godsend, especially in some blighted neighborhood. Police departments NEED as many eyes on the street as they can get, and as many boots on the ground as they can find when it comes to neighborhood allies.
I don't remain anonymous, nor do I seek any special favors or "glory" from this.
And I certainly don't expect ANY monetary compensation for ANY of the work I do, or information I provide.
I do all this because I'm one of those "old farts" that believes in something too many neighborhoods lack these days...
It's called JUSTICE, and the last time I checked it was still for ALL.
It's about being FAIR and being EQUAL, as in I have JUST as much right to LIVE my life, and not merely exist, especially in a neighborhood that I've lived in a helluva lot longer than ANY of these transients.
It's about caring for one's environs, making sure that crime isn't on the "buffet" that's being served daily down here.
It's about following the LAW...doing the RIGHT thing, because doing otherwise often has dire consequences.
And life, as we all know, is too damn short to screw around trying to get unf*cked from self-created issues and problems.
Life should be a "forward-moving" journey, and while it's perfectly okay to look back from time to time, we must always keep our eyes fixed on what's up ahead.
Just try walking a hiking trail while NOT looking forward to see what lies ahead. Bet you wind up on your butt sooner than you think.
We can ALWAYS get back up though, and refix our eyes FORWARD so as not to repeat that fall.
We are too often distracted in today's world, and too soon forgetful about what does lie ahead of each of us.
Fortunately, we can "relearn" and reteach ourselves to focus our attention where it needs to be.
That's what a large aprt of life is all about, anyway...the quest to learn.
Through learning, we become better than the day before, and that prepares us for the day tomorrow.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America.