Sure LOOKS Like Rain...
We're in the throes of a decent "gully-washer" here in the Heartland this morning (and Mrs. Bobby G. took a sick day due to losing her voice...a "godsend" for me? NAH!)...sure to put a damper on holiday shopping (or most anything except catching the rain in a damn barrel, or washing off your roof and sidewalks), so let's get in out of the inclement weather, wait for that "several inches of snow" we're SUPPOSED to be getting within the next 24 hours, sit back and see what's been happening out in the world (and all points west), shall we?
*** First up, some more on the POLICE ACTION SHOOTING that took place at Broadway Joe's Bar the other night (early morning).
Here's the link to the story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20111129/LOCAL07/311299968
Apparently, Antron Pearson had a "history" of threatening the Po-Po...not a GOOD thing if you want to EVER make nice with the thin blue line.
In yesterday's post, I showed you his rap sheet, and he had a few RESISTING infractions (that includes a groin kick to an arresting officer, btw).
Now, to ME, when someone says to a LEO: "I swear on my momma's grave, that it's gonna be PIG-HUNTING season when I get out", or "I'll find your wife. your kids, your family, and they're ALL gonna pay", that doesn't strike me as "making nice" with the officers, does it?
It DOES tend to leave one with a certain air of disrespect and certainly a modicum of incivility towards law-enforcement.
AND, although his wife says he doesn't own or carry a handgun, he DID hit his (then) ex-girlfriend with a PISTOL during a residential entry charge (that was dropped) back in 2002.
I love the way Chief York says Pearson's involvement with the police is "significant"...Gee, 'ya THINK?
Sounds like another Rico Parrish to me...or another (late) Mario Thomas.
Given the history this perp has with the police, we used to say this boy is about "20 miles of BAD ROAD", and that's never a good thing.
*** In a "related story", some honkey...uh, make that HONKER was arrested by police (they also got him for OWI...fantastic) on scene at Broadway Joes because the officers were blocking the street...whatta dumbass!
Here's the link:
http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/crime/drunk-man-honks-at-cops-at-crime-scene
*** THIS story would seem to be homicide number TWENTY (if you're keeping count)...
Here's the link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20111129/LOCAL07/311299969
Now when a person is found DEAD in a house with MULTIPLE gunshots to the CHEST, it's really hard to make a determination that this was "accidental" in nature, or that a weapon went off during cleaning. That makes as much sense as a "suicide" with several stab wounds in the BACK ("I didn't stab him, he jumped on my blade...five times, in the back, officer")...yeah, that doesn't quite fly for me.
If I didn't know better, I'd swear we're in another FULL MOON phase...too much crap going on all at once.
This shooting took place in the 700 block of Ansley Drive, off of Illinois Rd in the upper west side of town (crime make no distinction to BOUNDARIES, people).
*** Armed robbery sends a cashier to the hospital.
This happened closer to the New haven Police district along Lincoln Highway.
Here's the story:
http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/armed-robbery-at-o%27reilly-auto-parts
One of the robbers pistol-whipped an employee of the O'Reilly Auto Parts store. One of the other two robbers was brandishing a shotgun.
(Not exactly what Cyber-Monday is all about...was it?)
Seems it was more a "Black Monday" for a few folks out there.
But wait, we're still not finished yet...
*** A home invasion was thwarted (score a small one for the good guys).
Here's the story link:
http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/crime/woman-tied-up-robbed-at-gunpoint
The "20" for this robbery attempt was Marcy & Priscilla Lanes, in case you were thinking of buying a property near there.
Two women were bound with belts after two men entered through a side door to the house in a home invasion.
When the landlord showed up, one of the men opened the door and pointed a gun at him.
Then, the landlord did some fast thinking, stating a RACCOON was in the house (nice ploy). During that distraction, the landlord backed to his vehicle, drove away, and happened to flag down an Allen County Sheriff cruiser and when the two returned to the house, the two robbers were leaving out the side door into a wooded area.
Police were contacted and brought a K9 unit to the scene, but the dog was unable to track the perps (it IS deer season).
The perps are still at-large and did get away with $1400 in cash and other items.
You NEED to be aware of your surroundings...even in your OWN HOME these days.
Make sure your doors are secure...ditto for the windows.
We can't leave them open like in the "good old days"...not with jerks like THESE around.
And make sure YOU can see all around your house, if anyone ever approaches...have a good perimeter field-of-view.
*** Lastly today...it's sure not the world you grew up in (if you're my age), and definitely NOT the world your parents grew up in.
The LEVEL of crime has risen to include such "commonalities" as HOME INVASION...a term that was relatively unheard of a mere 3 decades ago.
they used to call them "break-ins", and they almost always occurred when the house was VACANT, because the thieves had free reign inside the dwelling. Not any longer.
The BOLDNESS of the criminals today makes it harder for the rest of us to get on with our "everyday" lives, and a lot of it has to do with drug involvement to some degree.
Last night, I watched CURIOSITY on the Discovery Channel (hosted by Robin Williams, a fellow birth-year person) and it talked about the four most widely-used drugs (meth, pot, cocaine, and heroin)
And it was a very interesting show, demonstrating (under highly controlled experiments) how such drugs affect people when it comes to mental acuity, hand-eye coordination, emergency situations and physical strength.
Invariably all the people failed marvelously, except the woman on heroin when it came to building a simple bookcase.
THAT she accomplished in the required time (because heroin addicts are pretty much NORMAL after taking the drug and levelling off after the initial high). The worst was the cocaine addict (a construction worker of all people - don't want him building MY house), who tended towards frustration and then aggressive behavior (which served to increase his strength, but it runs the risk of popping an artery or having a heart attack before you're 40). The meth addict was burning himself out (and cooking his innards), and the pot head just was mellow the whole time.
What I came way with was that NO drug is worth the cost of what it does to one's body and mind.
And maybe that's why I never got past the experimental phase with pot (a very long time ago). Had no need for it.
Any control of "me" should be under MY control alone...period.
In today's world, we need to ALL be "on our game" a lot more than in times past, simply because the world is coming at us faster and faster...sometimes, like a runaway freight train down the mountain.
And we need to be able to "side-step" such things, lest they catch us up, run us over, and haul us all along against our will to who knows where.
The crimes I mention here are results of poor decision-making, giving in to the mindless primitive in us all (the ID), and succumbing to the wills of chemical "enhancement" for the sake of some pleasure (dopamine release) that is all too fleeting (until you take that next hit).
We need to see these things for what they are, which is a lot worse than alcohol, and that alone is another problem that can easily be remedied by a bit of SELF-CONTROL on the part of the user.
When we take down the boundaries of our behavior, we are ALL capable of things we only can dream about, and most of it is not all that good.
We have the ability to commit heinous crime...OR to to perform feats of great compassion.
But WE have to make such choices ourselves, or at least seek help to be better able to make the right call.
In that, I think we have a great opportunity...we just have to acknowledge it.
Be well, (keep dry if you're in the Midwest like us), make a difference to someone, and...
Stay SAFE out there, America.