Monday Musings...
Here we are again...beginning of another week of playing "Let's see how much more screwed up this world can get and how the hell are we going to cope with it?", which seems to be the growing trend these days...doesn't it?
The trouble is...WHERE to begin?
*** The leaf pickup went well down here (they're back up NORTH this week) on the (...all together, gang...) SOUTH EAST SIDE of Ft. Wayne, and those nasty high winds we had over the weekend only served to turn OUR lawn into one of those marvelous "self-cleaning" types...much to MY pleasure.
Any leaves that had fallen AFTER the pickup were expediently carried away to OTHER lawns in the area, which goes to show that IF you have to own a CORNER PROPERTY...make SURE it's the one on the SW corner, considering the regularity of the prevailing winds in this city.
Naturally, there is a down side...that being, IF the winds come out of the NE (off the great lakes) then when it snows, YOU catch the drifting, but that's manageable and a lot less "messy" than blowing leaves all over.
With that behind us, let's see what ELSE has been happening.
*** A 15-year old was struck an killed this weekend just north of downtown around 1830 hrs on Saturday, when he "tried" to cross a busy street on a bicycle. His two friends got across with no incident.
Here's the link to the story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20111113/LOCAL07/111119773/1002/LOCAL
Actually, I wouldn't call a FIFTEEN-YEAR OLD A "child" as another news source did, but I suppose SOMEONE has to take "dramatic license".
(that's WAY past the "age of accountability" in MY book)
The J-G got it right.
But you DO have to understand a few things about this death.
1) The bicycle did NOT have any reflectors on it
2) The boy was wearing DARK clothing
3) The boy was NOT wearing any type of head protection.
Those THREE things are a recipe for disaster, as we've seen here.
Now, if you think THAT was bad...here's something more on the WEIRD side.
*** We apparently have a NINJA in our midst...can a WARLORD be far behind (sitting at City Hall)?
Here's the story as presented in the paper:
(( Last updated: November 13, 2011 8:39 p.m.
Thief uses sword to rob gas station - Jeff Wiehe The Journal Gazette
A man wearing a "ninja mask" while brandishing a 3- to 4-foot-long sword robbed a gas station on the city’s north side Sunday.
The man entered the Speedway gas station at 2702 E. Dupont Road about 4 a.m. and confronted the female store clerk, who was working alone, according to Fort Wayne police. The thief left on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash.
An Allen County Sheriff’s canine searched the area, but police did not find the thief.
The thief is described as between the ages of 18 and 24, white, 5 feet 10 inches tall to 6 feet 1 inch tall. He wore black shirt and pants, a black stocking cap with a "ninja-type" mask covering the bottom half of his face.
Police and the Allen County Prosecutor’s Office continue to investigate. Anyone with information is asked to call Fort Wayne police at 472-1222 or Crime Stoppers at 436-7867. ))
A few notes on this...
--First, was it a "ninja" mask, or just a balaclava...there IS a difference.
--Next, did the person speak ANY Japanese?
(Ninjas have a habit of NOT SAYING A WORD...it's the whole "stealth" thing)
--Furthermore, ninjas do NOT wear stocking caps.
And I also wonder WHY the clerk was not behind some sort of 1/2 inch-thick protective plexiglass, or something similar - they must be a lot more "trusting" people up north, where the level of "diversity" is LESS.
Geezus...what's next?
Sith-Squirrels?
Now THAT is scary, especially if they get into a cup of COFFEE first...I'm just sayin'.
Hey, at LEAST the perp can't be charged with carrying a CONCEALED weapon...
*** Next up, we have an update from a previous story:
You remember Melvin Sanders, right? Check my archives for the posts from 9 September and 20 September (this year) for how this person WAS initially charged in the stabbing death back then. Then, see how those charges were allowed to EXPIRE.
Now, see how this felon was FINALLY caught...AGAIN...this time down in INDIANAPOLIS.
(guess he didn't want to "stick around" for some odd reason)
Here's the link to the *4-1-1*:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20111113/LOCAL07/311139932/1002/LOCAL
They're not sure WHEN he'll be returned to Allen county...(why?)
Nice to know Sanders had TWO addresses in Indy...but that didn't stop the Marion County sheriff's department from FINDING HIM and locking his sorry ass the hell up (this time, without bail).
Bet THESE charges won't just "expire" THIS time around...justice...served hot & fresh (for a change)!
*** Bet 'ya didn't know that South Korea is working to "improve" your television viewing experience...
Yep, LG electronics is climbing into the sack with GOOGLE and making it possible for the next gen of TV sets to be Internet capable, straight out of the box. What did I tell you about "those in power" wanting us all to depend SOLELY on the Internet, and how that Internet can be "switched off" or otherwise controlled by those same people?
It's not some conspiracy theory...it's FACT.
Add to this the fact that Comcast has lost over 443,000 subscribers of late, and it all begins to add the hell up, doesn't it?
Here's the story of Comcast:
http://news.yahoo.com/comcast-continues-losing-cable-subscribers-cord-cutting-044201221.html
The story tells about the loss of 165,000 customers, and a NYT article a month prior cites another 275,000 customers, so do the math - comes to around 440,000, right?
It's all "part of the game", friends...make no mistake.
The number of high-speed Internet subscribers has RISEN...what's that tell 'ya?
Won't be long before both CABLE and SATELLITE TV are as obsolete as the cathode-ray television set (which is actually MORE cost-effective than most ALL the newer flat-screen ones save LED sets), but I never said that (and was never here...lol).
*** Oh and the Indianapolis Colts have reached DOUBLE DIGITS...in the LOSS column...
They are now officially 0-10...!
Gee, at THIS rate, they could wind up with a "perfect" season...perfectly BAD, that is.
Goes to show what a brand new multi-million dollar stadium that didn't NEED to be built will do to inspire a team, right?
Not to mention banking the farm on ONE player, that, if injured, causes the team to come undone like a cheap sweater.
(much the same can be said for the Philadelphia Eagles and their new stadium, poor purchasing of free-agents, and suck-ass year)
I'd also toss in the lack of certain coaching aspects for the Colts...just to spread the blame around a bit more evenly.
Sure glad Johnny Unitas isn't around to see THIS debacle.
*** Lastly today, the OWS "movement" continues...with more violence in Oregon.
And I have to keep asking: Is THIS what Gandhi would do? or Martin Luther King, Jr?
There is a form of protest...or resistance that WORKS, and sad to say, what these "occupiers" (for the most part) are pursuing, certainly IS NOT.
Rising crime, health concerns and safety in general are apparent keystones to these venues, and it all became possible because certain city leaders decided to acquiesce to these people. It's called "Peace By Appeasement".
"Give them an inch, and they'll be happy", say the politicos...sorry, doesn't work that way.
They want MORE; it's the way they've been brought up, and it's the way they'll continue until someone decides to "teach" them otherwise.
If they follow the law and secure permits to be there for a DETERMINED period of time..fine.
But, if they break the covenant of the agreement they entered into (and paid for), then they BECOME THE LAW-BREAKERS, and need to be dealt with as anyone who breaks the law is handled. No exceptions...no excuses.
Does that go against our 1st Amendment rights?
Not when you're within the boundaries of the law...you can protest and gather all you want, provided you follow the guidelines.
After all, you DO have free speech, but you can't yell "FIRE!!!" in a crowded auditorium or similar locale.
Your right to free speech (or any right) ENDS where the next person's right BEGINS...it's that simple.
And it all comes down to being and acting in a CIVIL manner.
The key to peaceful protest and free speech comes down to the PEOPLE, and their behavior.
The worst way to get your message across is to become an asshole and tread over everyone's rights along the way.
Anarchy never promoted a peaceful solution to anything...and it never will.
The ability to maintain a level of moral and civil behavior with intelligent reasoning will prove a better ally in any situation.
And THAT is worth promoting, beginning withevery single one of us.
Do have yourselves a great week.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America.