Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot (redux)...
Okay, so the latest prediction for NE Indiana weather has some freezing rain giving way to rain which will evolve into a significant snowfall within JUST the next 48 hours...!
This is a lot to process when you wake up (more coffee, definitely).
Schools today (here) are already on 2-hour delays...some have even closed.
The local prognosticators are "saying" between 4 to 10 inches of snow...by tomorrow evening.
Four inches of snow shovels pretty much the same as does six in MY book...TEN inches is a little bit different, though (here we go again, kids).
Somehow, I think that Punxatawney Phil got something wrong...
Or, MAY-BE he was BLINDFOLDED, so that it "appeared" that he didn't see his shadow.
I propose this possible scenario simply because I'm just NOT seeing this "early" Spring, unless we're waiting until ONE DAY before Spring to warm the hell up, calling THAT "early"...no, no, no, no, nooooo.
That's not early by ANY standards.
I'm seeing 3 (out of a possible SIX) more weeks of WINTER...so far (and yes, I am checking that calendar).
Now, this weather COULD change...it could get worse, or it could get better for us.
The "operative" word here is C O U L D thought, isn't it?
And that word would be nothing but COLD...without "U"...heh.
(fun with words...gotta love it)
Sure glad I didn't stow the shovels.
(note to self - Menards, more ice-melt, ASAP...lol)
And grocery shopping on Saturday morning should be "sporty" to say the least.
But, if push comes to shove, we're still good-to-go for at least another week, food-wise.
(I like to plan ahead when it comes to provisions...BE PREPARED)
So, while we await whatever weather is supposed to be coming our way, let's take a peek at "the rest of the news", as the late Paul Harvey would say.
*** Indiana dumocrats (sic) are enjoying their "stay" (read self-imposed EXILE) in Illinois, as a way to block bills from passing in the republican-controlled legislature.
Now, I've always believed that the BEST way to tackle ANY problem was HEAD ON...and NOT running away from it.
Here's the links to the stories:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20110224/NEWS07/302249984
And this one:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20110224/LOCAL/302249985
("WTF?")
Avoiding an issue doesn't simply make it all "go away", does it?
If *I* were running this state (the world is NOT ready for that, BTW), I'd strip these dems of their PER DIEM (first off), then, I'd find a method to WITHHOLD THEIR PAY, and if I could find some way to get away with it, I'd FREEZE their damn assets, too!
Hit them where it HURTS...in the old "Hip-National Bank"!
Hell, THEY do it US all the damn time, right?
I'm just sayin'...
I figure if you want to always grab someone's attention...there's TWO ways to do it:
1) Stick a loaded gun in their face.
2) Mess with their MONEY.
Either one will have them heeling like a trained puppy.
Hell, if it were possible, they should all be suspended without pay for a MONTH...just to teach them a lesson.
The "lawgivers" say they.re doing this in the BEST interest of THEIR constituents...really?
REALLY?
How does being (or going) AWOL help ANYONE...at ANY time?
Try pulling this stunt in combat.
Pvt Spokesman: "Hey sarge, the squad decided it was in the BEST INTEREST of the town's people here that the squad bug out and convoy over to the NEXT province."
Sgt. Gitterdun: (...*blink - blink*...)
(credit to Momma Fargo)
Somehow, I got a funny feeling that dog ain't gonna hunt.
(and that private will be peelin' taters for a LONG time)
Gee, and here I thought it was called "MAN-UP" for a reason.
*** A decent pot bust in Fort Wayne takes place (again).
Here's the *4-1-1*:
(( Published: February 24, 2011 3:00 a.m.
Pot raid collars alleged grower - Timed lights, guns seized
Jeff Wiehe The Journal Gazette
FORT WAYNE – A 4-year-old boy playing with a jar of marijuana.
That scene is what greeted Fort Wayne police Wednesday morning when they entered a home at 3311 Shoaff Park River Drive in a drug raid that led to one arrest and the discovery of a large marijuana growing operation.
Vice and narcotics detectives were tipped off that the boy’s 28-year-old father, Joshua T. Rose, was growing marijuana at the home. After getting a search warrant, officers found it in the basement, according to police.
There were 19 plants that had grown to a height of 4 feet. There were lights on rails and electric timers. There was a ventilation system that vented odors outside.
There were five handguns, more than 4 pounds of marijuana, more than $1,000 in cash and more than 3,000 rounds of various ammunition.
And there was Rose’s son, who while playing with the jar of marijuana remarked to officers that it "belongs to my daddy," according to police.
Rose was arrested on charges of dealing marijuana, marijuana possession and possession of paraphernalia.
He was being held at Allen County Lockup in lieu of $13,250 bail. ))
("WTF?")
Yes friends, ANOTHER stellar citizen of this fine city gets the orange jumpsuit and flip-flops!
The drug-dealing SOB had a damn NICE-looking house, too, in what appeared to be a decent neighborhood.
Oh well, 'ya play...'ya pay, right?
And junior might get a REAL toy to play with out of THIS "deal:"...
*** I found this story a bit "disturbing", given my penchant for digging deeper into things and "reading between the lines".
Here's the story as presented:
(( Published: February 24, 2011 3:00 a.m.
Hit-and-run crash delays rape trial; accuser hurt
Rebecca S. Green The Journal Gazette
FORT WAYNE – The rape trial of a 31-year-old Fort Wayne man was delayed until June after the alleged victim was injured in a hit-and-run car crash on her way to the Allen County Courthouse.
Richard Jamar Charlton, of the 3300 block of Reed Street, was to stand trial Wednesday on a single charge of rape, stemming from a March attack reported by a woman he knew.
He is accused of calling the woman and having her come over to his home. When she arrived, he asked her into the bedroom, locked the door and pushed her down on the bed, according to court documents.
The woman told Charlton "no" and asked him to stop, but he said he wanted to continue, and then had sex with her, according to court documents.
According to Allen Superior Court Judge Fran Gull, the jury was being brought into the courtroom when the deputy prosecutor handling the case received a phone call from the victim and her mother, saying they would not make it because of the crash.
According to Fort Wayne police, the crash occurred at 10:20 a.m. Wednesday at Winter and Colerick streets, just west of South Anthony Boulevard. The victims were taken to the hospital in fair condition, and officers were unable to find the other driver, who fled the scene on foot, according to police.
Officers and a police dog followed footprints to a house on Lillie Street, but no one came to the door, according to police reports. ))
I find this disturbing because of the AREA involved...the "ghettohood".
And, I've stated here many times, that a lot of these dubious people have NOTHING to do all day, but drive around, and "scope out their territory".
So, don't you find it REALLY suspicious that THIS particular woman suffered injuries from a "hit& run"?
And JUST as she was supposed to go to trial?
I mean people KNOW each other down here. In fact, they make it their BUSINESS to know each other (because drugs and crime ARE the business down here), as evidenced by the manner these people behave whenever they move into a rental.
What starts out as a single mom or a "couple" turns into a MEETING HOUSE real fast, replete with all the trappings of a problem house in the making (and many times a DRUG HOUSE or BROTHEL).
Trouble is, I see houses operate in like manner, pass it onto the command staff of the FWPD...and the houses remain open and occupied.
("WTF?")
Yeah, apparently, some neighborhoods in the ghettohood are like the TEFLON DON...nothing seems to stick to 'em (like criminal charges).
I guess they "know" someone....or a LOT of someones.
Must be nice...
*** Finally today, as gas prices keep on rising, that means everything else is rising in concert as a compenmsatory manner.
Doesn't matter if it's groceries, clothes, whatever...it's ALL going nowhere but UP in price for the time being.
Now, if our dollar hadn't been devalued thanks to flawed "stimulus" plans that did little if nothing to IMPROVE our economy, which made the FED print MORE money to "cover the costs", we'd probably be a little better off today.
But that doesn't mean all is truly lost...not by a long shot.
We can do what our parents (or grandparents) did...we can make due with what we have at hand.
We can scrimp, save, and cut corners where we need to.
We can find within us all that "pioneer spirit"...that AMERICAN spirit.
We can find the faith to believe that better times WILL be coming, and that we WILL enjoy them and provide something for future generations that THEY will thank us for. We do need courage to stay the course, however.
And we also need persistence. We can rest, but we never give up...or give in.
Slow and steady wins the race, and we should all be in THIS one to win it.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America.