29 August 2011

Monday Musings...
We've a decent amount of ground to cover this AM, and I'd love to jump right into it...
But first, this "Public-Service announcement":
*** You know, every person in their lifetime encounters someone who seems to suffer from some sort of oppositional defiance disorder ( O.D.D. - how "odd", eh?), and that's pretty sad when someone's sole purpose in life is to denigrate others WITHOUT reason or purpose.
Now I piss, moan, gripe and bitch with the best of them, but at least I'm making a damn point.
Hell, we ALL do it from time to time...and it's because we see injustices in the world and have to speak out.
The problem comes when some people will just want to say black when you say white...or wrong when you say right.
Now, I have this lurker ("anon" now there's a name we rarely come across), that just always has to point out how WRONG I am, and how I ALWAYS speak out on the SAME THINGS...CONSTANTLY...ALL THE TIME.
A few of you out there know me personally, and you know that I know a good deal about a great many things...hey, that's what happens when you've been around as long as I have. I'm one of those people that pays attention as I travel through life.
And travel always BROADENS the minds, as they say.
The rest of you know me only through this blog, and you know for a fact that I don't always harp on the same stuff.
I've spoken about alternative energies, the electric motorcar, fuel costs, the weather, history, and even some politics.
I do believe I have a unique perspective when it comes to urban conditions, and that's why I focus on that topic frequently.
I've been on a lot of streets in many cities, traveled both good AND bad neighborhoods, saw some of the best as well as the worst that society has to offer...and I PAID ATTENTION as I walked and drove those streets.
So, when I make "note" of certain specificities in MY ghettohood, it's because I KNOW what the f*ck I'm dealing with and talking about...period.
I know the PEOPLE, the "lifestyles", and the mindsets that drive them to do whatever it is they choose to do on any given day to whomever they wish.
And I consider myself a better person for knowing such things.
It gives me an "edge" when it comes to how I "handle" them...which is as infrequently as possible.
I CHOOSE not to associate myself with transients, indigents, drunks, druggies, thugs, and the like.
This (one) "anon" commented last Friday as follows:
(( Hi Bob, In a perfect world everyone would have parents like yours who sacrifice for their children. But obviously that isn't the case. This gives us choices to make as community citizens.
You can choose to roll up your sleeves and back up your talk by working on the problem, like Evert Moll and his tutoring. Or you can sit in your "fortress" and bitch about it in your blog while pointing a gun at kids who dare step in your yard. Which of these choices gets us closer to the world where you grew up? By Anonymous on Friday Follies... Well, here we are, rolling into... at 11:07 AM
))
(( "WTF?"))
Now let's "dissect" what this (obviously uninformed) person had to say, shall we?
1) - I NEVER said I grew up in a perfect world, or that I had perfect parents or a perfect life...EVER.
(got it?)
I did grow up with parents that GAVE A FREAKING DAMN, and that wasn't some anomaly as parents go...a LOT more parents back then WERE in fact, JUST AS CARING and gave the same amount of "damn" when it came to raising THEIR children!
2) - REAL PARENTS WILL SACRIFICE...often to the denial of themselves..."if" they care enough.
You DON'T require a "perfect" world in order to make that happen. In times past, it HAS happened and during some of the worst times in our history.
3) - You can ALWAYS be a citizen, but you have to first have a VIABLE COMMUNITY in which you can effect change AS that citizen to make it work.
Ever hear of LEADING BY EXAMPLE? If you read this blog, you already have...several times over!
4) - I work on the "problems" in this area EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.
You don't HAVE to be a tutor like Evert. That takes some courage.
But you DO have to also have the courage to pick up a phone, or to email a city department, or even to keep your property looking nice in spite of what others would have you do, which is nothing (as they already do).
Do you recall in the Bible where it says "We are all called according to our talents and abilities"?
I'm paraphrasing here, but it's (NT) Romans 12:6...look it up. YOU might LEARN something.
As different as we ALL are, so are our "gifts"...our abilities.
5) - I sit in my "fortress" because it's MINE and I can do what I choose to do when I want to do it. That, my friend is called FREEDOM and LIBERTY.
I also have the right to be let alone (according to Supreme Court Judge Louis Brandeis), and if that means I stand on my "bastions" and decry the fact that the area is going to hell in a handbasket, that's MY decision.
And it's also something that OTHERS need to realize, before it's too late.
SOMEONE has to be the person out there "crying as a voice in the wilderness", to get the message out.
6) - While I HAVE had a gun pulled on me by some black "youf" (when I ASKED him politely to remove the trash he dumped on MY lawn), I have NEVER pulled a gun on ANY kid that was EVER on my property. The ONE time I did go outside was with a spotlight and bb pistol to chase a bellicose tribe of ADULTS off the property when they were attempting to run someone over with a damn CAR after 10-freaking-PM...!!!. AND yes, they DID leave promptly.
But, if you REALLY followed this blog, you would have already KNOWN about that incident...
Doing ANYTHING to better the world, no matter how small you start, is ALWAYS preferred.
Sometimes, you can kill 'em with KINDNESS...sometimes, you kill 'em with whatever else WORKS.
It certainly is NOT anything close to a perfect world (which might even be a tad boring for a lot of us), but you DO whatever you NEED to do...in order to retain and extend YOUR life...YOUR peace of mind, and to protect YOUR property and YOUR family from harm, because the po-po can't be on YOUR doorstep 24/7/365...right?
I would challenge (read DARE) "anon" to live in an area just like mine...for a dozen years, and after that time, tell me he/she has not changed one damn bit, and that his/her views have NOT been adapted to fit the situation...WITHOUT compromising one's value system and beliefs.
It ain't easy, but it can be done. It's not for the weak-of-mind, though.
The more uncivil an area becomes, the MORE people like myself tend to STAND OUT, and that's much like painting a damn target on your back, especially when the city (or any other ethnic community) doesn't prefer to get as involved as THEY should be.
YOU are the new minority...the "throwback"...the "old bitch at the corner" that is only protecting HIS property and HIS investment in a future that, from where HE stands (now), doesn't look as promising as it did when he was a lot younger...when more people acted like real human beings, instead of a damn pack of wild animals.
Yeah, I'm the "bad guy" here...whatta crock!
I'm the only GOOD guy this whole f$cking area has at the moment, and the city ought to be lining up and bending down to kiss my a$$ in City hall's LOBBY for being such a boon to the area, and not the bane that surrounds us.
And some days...it sure would be nice to have a "faithful companion" to ride into the sunset with, after a hard day is dealing with the bad guys.
But I'll still keep the Missus. I'm no fool...LOL.
Yeah, trying to be an example for others by leading a life opposite from all the loudass, screaming mimis around you, and how you would like some respect, even when it's denied you in abundance, IS hard work.
Oh, and to this particular "anon": Sure is nice to have COMMENT MODERATION...isn't it?
Consider all future comments pre-deleted, unless you have something a bit more CONSTRUCTIVE to add to the dialogue here, like somehow trying to PROVE ME WRONG.
Everyone else seems to have NO PROBLEM with what is posted...so majority rules..simple as that, eh?
Now, with that said with finality...let's more FORWARD again, hmm?
*** Hurricane Irene was "All that"...and more, but thankfully, it was NO Katrina.
Sadly, NINETEEN people are reported dead from the storm, which battered the Eastern seaboard this weekend.
After being downgraded to a CAT-ONE, and then a tropical storm, it moved off the New England coast, but not without leaving her "calling card".
Here are some pictures of the east coast aftermath:





















*** Next up, some more "Bread & Circuses" on Fort Wayne's notorious (...all together gang...) SOUTHEAST SIDE.
This story is just so damn typical these days, and with the predictable results:
Yet, it DOES have a happy ending for the law-abiding citizens of that area, and this city.
http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/Several-in-custody-after-pursuit%2C-shots-fired
Seems we had some "after-hours par-tay" going on (about 30 people) in the 2500 block of Drexel Ave., so someone decided it was OK to shoot off a few rounds...turns out it was more like SIXTY rounds, which police said was enough to make THEM take cover, because rounds were hitting buildings near them. A 3-mile chase chase ensued between FWPD and a white Land Rover (not a cheap ride -between $36K to $79K and nice rims...wonder where they got the money when they probably don't work?) which ended with the SUV crashing. Three male blacks were taken into custody, and are currently "guests" of the Allen County lockup.
Now THIS is exactly what I'm talking about when I say the police can easily be "overwhelmed" on the very streets THEY patrol.
And, I would also wager that all the so-called "witnesses" don't know a damn thing, and neither SAW nor HEARD anything.
This situation could have just as easily turned DEADLY (for the officers responding), and more than a few times, it has in other cities.
Animals such as these three have little regard for the lives of others (obviously), and that's why we see too many officers being gunned down.
It's NEVER about "gun" control...just the people (read refuse) that wields the weapon.
You can't just take the guns out of the hands of such vermin...they will always find another (illegally).
But, if you remove the VERMIN, then the problem all but solves itself.
BTW, I'm STILL waiting for the "concerned" black community to decry this event, and say what a detriment it IS to their people...
All I'm hearing is crickets right now (as usual).
Guess they don't give a damn either, hmm?
(SO typical)
*** Lastly today, we're gearing up for the 10th anniversary of 9/11, and last night they had some really good shows on about the (new) rising WTC, focusing in on the Freedom Tower. The complexities that are going into this NEW structure were amazing, and the men working the "high steel" have nerves that I could only dream off. I can't imagine being unharnassed, over SIXTY stories above Manhattan, guiding steel crossbeams into place.
That takes REAL guts...and a damn good sense of balance (no place for a head cold, that's for sure).
So far, they'd got the first 72 floors up, and when this tower is finished (2013), it will be a total height of...(wait for it)...1776 feet tall!
I kid you not.
That is truly astounding, but I wonder why they waited so long to get the project started?
The George Bush interview on NatGeo channel was pretty damn good, as well.
It makes you wonder when you see this resiliency of the American people, that I often mention here.
Every one of us is endowed with that capability, and many times, we exercise it in our lives on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.
Just when we think we're tuckerd out beyond all belief, we somehow find the strength to carry on.
We might find ourselves DOWN, but never "out".
Yes, this is NOT a perfect world...never was and might never be, but at least we have individual stories that attest to the fact that SOME FOLKS are trying to make it a BETTER world than what they have to settle for.
It's OK to rest, but Americans never quit...remember that, if nothing else.
Do have yourselves a great week.
Be well, make a difference to someone today, and...
Stay safe out there,America.

12 comments:

Slamdunk said...

Hang in there Bob. When I was in uniform, the saying was "if you are getting criticized and complained on you are not doing your job well."

I think it applies to blogging as well.

Bob G. said...

Slamdunk:
I never mind criticism...when it has meaning to the conversation.

Hell, another POV is always welcome.

But I think if someone doesn't find the posts "as entertaining" as THEY would prefer, well...they can always find another blog (to pick on), right?

We can't please everyone all the time, but there's no harm in telling the TRUTH and presenting the FACTS, right?
Thanks a lot for stopping on by today and commenting.

Roll safe out there.

ms nk rey said...

I knew as soon as I heard it that the shots fired and the chase story it was in your area. What is wrong with those people? About the hurricane.. I have been watching it mostly non stop and my heart hurts for those poor people in its path, how ever I saw where one guy was trying to surf in it and died, so I would not say he was killed by the hurricane but was killed being stupid. IMHO Sorry about your bad comment.

Bob G. said...

MSN:
Nothing "wrong" with those people that a good, solid lesson in MORALITY or CIVILITY couldn't cure!
(that's what you get with fostered generational dependency on the government, I suppose)

Yeah, police had to literally CHASE surfers out of the rough waters when Irene was striking...
Guess those morons don't know what a RIPTIDE is, huh?
(they ain't fun, even in calm weather)
Stupid IS as stupid surely DOES.

And bad comments will be ignored, UNLESS they honestly will
add to the dialogue here.

I just wanted to let everyone in on what you find under the rocks when you turn them over...LOL.
(some are best left UNturned)

Hey, thanks for stopping on by today and commenting.
Hope you're having a GOOD day.

You stay safe down there.

gadfly said...

Bob G:

I see that you are really fired up today by your lurker buddy. But you really need to thank "anon" for giving you a subject that you can reeaally expand upon. Just consider that you will likely take any regular reader that you can get! If I were you, and wanted to make a small improvement, I would install the Blogger spam filter and open your comments for immediate posting. You can still moderate but the filter will slam most garbage spam.

http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2010/08/blogger-adds-spam-filter-for-comments.html

Also, your picture of the new Sonic Memorial reminds me that NYC ironworkers have always been Mohawk Indians. When I worked in NYC many years ago, I could not bring myself to watching these guys working on new skyscrapers.

http://sonicmemorial.org/public/mohawk/mohawk.html

http://www.sites.si.edu/exhibitions/booming%20out.pdf

CWMartin said...

Bob:
First off, a lady I follow had a neat story on "Famous people from Philly" that you might enjoy. Find it at http://accordingtojewels.com/famous-people-from-philly/
Second, I agree with you completely on the concept of you serve according to your gifts.And if Anon thinks all you do is bitch about the same stuff, he should try standing in the breach, preaching when no one listens either from laziness that they don't want to abandon or from PC that prevents them from profiling their way to solving the problem. I bet he/she would get sick really fast of swpeaking to deaf ears as much as you do. But at the end of the day, you can go to bed and say, "Once again, I have done my part."
I challenge anon here and now- put your handle on your comment! If you have a blog, let's see it! If not, then perhaps you should think to yourself, "Gee, at least Bob is willing to put himself out there every day. What am I doing?" And if you find you have a good answer to that question, tell us what it is- you might find we all have more in common than not.

And Bob? If he chooses to remain anonymous, don't delete him- let us see him, or should I say, "Let US have him."

On the "three stooges": All I had to hear was, "a party on Drexel Ave..." and the rest of the story was crystal clear. A stereotype is born because it happens so often. I agree with ms nk rey this morning- if they wanted to WORK jobs can be found. It's all in where your priorities are. And when the priorities are as f'ed up as they are in your neighborhood... well, anon, how would YOU fix it?

BTW, anon, I do have a blog, and often point out these same things. Stop on by, I don't delete. I am an expert wiseass though, so you'd best have your agruments in order.

Bob G. said...

Gadfly:
I'm wary of installing ANYTHING with BLOGGER these days...considering I still don't have my "quick edit screwdrivers" showing...LOL.

Guess those old templates ain;t what they USED to be, hmm?

Oh, "anon" has given me PUH-LENTY to blog about, and even with the small number of readers and folowers, I think we've got a good CORE group.
I often think of maybe more controversy, but I like rocking the rock JUST ENOUGH to let everyone know we are on the "open water"...lol.

Thanks a lot for stopping by. I'll check into that filter thingy.

Stay safe out there.

Bob G. said...

CWM:
Sorry, my friend, but I ldo ove YOUR mini-tirade...lol!
(Gee, wonder if he'll tell us how he REALLY FEELS???)

Actually, you are no less than 100% CORRECT on your assessment regarding my ghettohood.
But I think there are many who CAN make informed decisions as well as respectable calls when sizing up certain people or situations.
(and we used to call them DRILL SGTS...HAHAHA)
Yes, the TRUTH can set you free...AND it can often open one's eyes.
(I learned that the hard way in the past)

Thanks for the words of encouragement and vote of confidence.
I do promise to never betray that trust nor to waste your time here regarding that.

And thanks for taking time to speak from the heart.
Much appreciated.

Stay safe up there.

Diane said...

Funny how "anon" comments... and has no clue on anything you actually do. Probably of the 'progressive' ilk, is what I'm guessing.

And as far as parents, one can have parents that don't really watch you much, or care what you're out doing, and still turn out all right. Sometimes it's a long ride to get to where you ARE all right.

I've found that alot of parents today just let their kids run amok, as long as they're not bothered by anything. So much for the "me" generation, they're reaping the whirlwind, or rather WE are, by dealing with THEIR kids daily. (And those who have grown up already, but act like irresponsible kids.)

I doubt that "anon" will have enough spine to actually post with a name. The 'drive-by' anons like to do that.

Bob G. said...

Diane:
Oh no...I'm being targeted by the "lame-stream media"...ROFL!

I heartily agree w/you regarding a lot of today's kids...
Suddenly, they become "someone else's problem"...!?!
(not hardly, as long as they ain't MINE)

Don't have a CHILDCARE sign out front on MY house.
And I don't see any "Please play, loiter, or dump your crap HERE" sign, either.

I guess irresponsible parents CAN breed irresponsible children.

I think good parents have this "knack" of knowing how much discipline to employ...and how much "lead" they can afford their kids. And the kids appreciate that and hopefully pass it forward.

Thanks for dropping by on the "fence" to chat a spell today.

Stay safe down there.

PS: I hear you might have some rain comin' soon.
(knew those Indian dances would work)

Diane said...

ah! i see where the rain is! NOT where we are >> http://www.wunderground.com/radar/radblast.asp?zoommode=pan&prevzoom=zoom&num=6&frame=0&delay=15&scale=1.000&noclutter=0&ID=HGX&type=N0R&showstorms=0&lat=28.70998573&lon=-96.21656036&label=Palacios,%20TX&map.x=400&map.y=240&scale=1.000&centerx=400&centery=240&showlabels=1&rainsnow=0&lightning=0&lerror=20&num_stns_min=2&num_stns_max=9999&avg_off=9999&smooth=0

sorry for the long link, but it's all east of us. Blah!

Bob G. said...

Diane:
I ain't given up on TEXAS that easily...!
(what was the email address for that Miami tribe shaman?)