Friday Follies...
End of another week...FINALLY!
And the best part is...I DIDN'T have to call the FWPD for ANYTHING!!!
(doing the happy feet dance)
That is utterly astounding.
But, before we get into Wednesday's "bread and circuses", I DID manage to get ALL the lawns mowed yesterday.
Took over an hour, too, because the grass was getting so damn thick with all the "off and on" rain we've been enjoying.
Good to know the electric mower still runs fine...Lord knows I put it through it's paces.
Got started about 0745 (before most any of the "locals" get outta the sack), and finished up a little after 0900, and that included using the string trimmer, too.
It was nice to get out and smell the freshly mown lawn...gets all that "ghetto-stank" out of your lungs...for a day or so, anyway.
And it was nice to be out there relatively by myself (except for an occasional passing car).
The only REAL sounds, aside from the mower (which is a bit quieter than gas mowers) were the morning songbirds...robins, cardinals, wrens...that sorta thing.
Sometimes, God provides hope in the smallest of things...all WE have to do is pay attention, hmm?
*** Now, onto this past Wednesday's "fun"...
We had some kids loitering along the side of the property (they do so love our corner...something I'd like to remedy).
And like most teens today, they get LOUD...like feeding time at the hyena cage.
So, I call it into dispatch, and THAT is when we had a "communication breakdown" (with apologies to Led Zeppelin).
The dispatcher, "Dave", didn't want to just be satisfied with playing "ask me another"...OH, NO...instead, he wanted to know a lot about something called the ENGLISH LANGUAGE. And I was willing to oblige
Whenever I call into the FWPD, I express myself clearly, and in a comprehensive yet brief manner, so I'm not on the phone longer than necessary (and THEY can get to the next call, which might be more important), you understand.
Brief, and to the point.
I explained to Dave that these kids were loitering outside (hanging out at OUR house for some unknown reason), wandering both ON my property AND in the street. Been there for 15 minutes or so.
Sounds simple enough when explained that way, right?
Not for good old Dave,
He wanted to know "Which is it, sir?"
(excuse me?)
"Uh, I said they are BOTH on the property AND in the street..."
(pause from Dave for contemplation)
"Well, if they're in the street, there's nothing we can do...it's a public thoroughfare"
(my turn to contemplate...aka wonder "WTF?")
"Let me get this straight...if kids are wandering into a street with cars passing by,. that is NOT considered a HAZARD?"
(Dave's turn...I can almost hear the wheels turning upstairs)
"Well, sir, are they on YOUR property OR in the street?"
(I thought we just danced this number....I can feel the blood pressure rising now)
"Ok, they are ON my property...will that work for you?"
"Are they on there NOW, sir?"
(Walk back to the window...frustration level now rising)
"Yes, they are ON the property."
(one of them wasn't, but that would have caused about THIRTY more questions from Davey-boy)
"What are they doing, sir?"
(Why the hell are we back to this crap?)
"Ah...they're LOITERING...like I said BEFORE...why are we having trouble communicating?"
"We're not sir, I just need to know the situation."
"I already EXPLAINED IT TO YOU...were you not PAYING ATTENTION?"
(and then the magic sentence came)
"There's no need to get upset, sir."
(getting close to reaching through the phone and yanking out Dave's tonsils)
"Son, I'm not upset...you don't WANT to see me upset...I'm just frustrated by YOUR inability to comprehend what I've been explaining to you."
"We need to know the details when we send out an officer, sir."
(my brain is now screaming YOU F$CKING MORON, but my mouth is restraining itself nicely)
"Look, I just GAVE you the details - several times...just send out an officer to my location, THAT should be simple enough, got it?"
And after the obligatory Q&A for the name, phone, address, etc, I hung the hell up.
Then, I paced around in total disbelief at thewonderfully ASININE MANNER that THIS dispatcher handled a "routine" call.
I want to add that as soon as Dave started the "interrogation" (your name, sir), the ANSWER was already coming out of my mouth...done this way too many times to NOT know the procedure. I can recite this crap in my damn sleep!
Maybe Dave was having a bad day...maybe he's off his meds...I dunno, but the FWPD needs to have him take a vacation...ASAP.
I have NEVER come across someone at dispatch SO damn clueless in my frigging life!
I suppose if one of the kids got hit a vehicle, he'd want to know if they're in the street or on my property, because if they're on my property, the EMTs can't do anything, because it''s not PUBLIC property...that's the mentality I was receiving from Davey.
"Lemme spin the body around for 'ya, Dave...so the police and ambulance to get to 'em faster...how's that?"
I didn't know that one of the jobs of a police dispatcher was to FRUSTRATE citizens whenever they call in.
Maybe it's ONLY on the SOUTH SIDE of town?
Never encountered that before (and never hope to again).
Anyway, back to the kids...(remember them?)
THEY decided to up and leave about 5 minutes AFTER I hung the hell up (isn't that ALWAYS the way?)
So, I wait to see an officer...ANY officer.
About FORTY MINUTES LATER (nice RAPID response), a black officer shows up, cruises the area and then comes to my door.
Nice BIG guy...kind you don't wanna honk off. Well spoken, too (thank God he didn't seem to be suffering from chronic "Davey-disease" )
I shook his hand, thanked him for stopping by, and welcomed him into the house.
I told him that first up, dispatch "might" have told him that I was IRATE...(wrong).
I told the officer I was getting frustrated by Dave's inability to understand what I was saying about the loiterers, and that I felt that even though they were in the street, that presented a traffic hazard.
I explained everything EXACTLY as I told Dave...only THIS officer knew that I knew ENGLISH, and he had NO problem understanding me.
This officer made up in professionalism what "Dave" was lacking...like the difference between night and day...amazing!
The kids were also screaming as cars went past. (didn't want to tell Dave this, because he''d probably want to know WHICH WAY the cars were going, how fast, and whether they had current tags...I wasn't gonna go THERE and play HIS "game")
And, I also had a "trump card" up my sleeve that I then SHOWED to the officer:
A DIGITAL PICTURE I had JUST TAKEN of the kids standing ON our property...just hanging out.
(sometimes, technology DOES work)
BUSTED!
The officer looked at the picture, as well as another one I scrolled through showing 2 Hispanic guys letting their dog (again) ON our property to try to piss on our trash can...
I chased THOSE guys away by banging on the back door window - at least THEY knew how to take a hint).
I told the officer the kids were now playing football IN THE STREET in the next block up (city ordinance violation for sports in a public thoroughfare - can't do THAT, either kids), and he said he'd go up and have a talk with them.
I said to the officer:
"Makes me wonder WHY they don't stay closer to home, given the area, the speeding traffic, and such. I don't want to see any kid become some statistic because their parents didn't care to know where they were..."
He said he understood, and thanked me for my concern...hey, kids will be kids, but dead ones won't be much of anything to anyone, except a memory here and there, right?
And that was that...until two of the kids, came down in hoodies, and ran past the house into the alley flipping us all off as they ran.
Yeah, no GOOD DEED ever goes UNPUNISHED.
Well, if one of the kids DOES become a hood ornament for some lunatic driver down here, it won't be because I didn't try and give a rat's ass about having them hanging out anywhere they want to (like in the damn street), will it?
Then again, if those that are supposed to be RAISING these kids would act a bit more like CONCERNED PARENTS, we wouldn't be having this sojourn down Idiot Lane, would we?
(nice place to drive through briskly, but you don't ever want to live there)
Now, I don't know about you, but being a "surrogate parent" is not on ANY list of mine regarding life accomplishments.
I have plenty to concern myself about, and don't need to watch other peoples children, because THEY can't put down the crack pipe or blunt, pull themselves from the TV, or stop making even more babies the taxpayers will foot the bill for.
That's not the way I roll.
And yet, I DO get concerned whenever I see kids doing things they need not be doing (like hanging out along a street half a block away from their own house).
It was once said that an idle mind is the devil's playground...got enough of them around here...BOTH playgrounds AND idle minds.
Seems we need to get them a lot more together to make things right.
Those idle minds should be at the playgrounds...playing, and not texting on a traffic-laden street (we don' need no steenkin' sidewalks).
Or, they should be inside...doing HOMEWORK.
I learned early on, that city streets are NOT anywhere close to being the best "play areas" around. Too much can happen and most of it not all that good.
Darting from between parked cars, not paying attention to traffic going by, throwing things that might strike those cars...none of that is any good, especially if some driver gets out and thrashes the hell outta some youngster that was doing something he/she wasn't supposed to be doing.
This is the kind of thing that highly contributes to societal breakdown, because these kids will grow up with the wrong things bouncing around inside their heads, such as disrespect for others' property.
Democracy is only ONE step above anarchy (Plato said that), and that's something we'd best not entertain.
The future that will unfold will be shaped by what we all do HERE and NOW.
And if we learned anything from the past, it's not to repeat the same mistakes.
We should also not look for any NEW mistakes to make as well.
It should be a simple enough concept to figure out...don't need some degree or high education to make that happen.
All you DO need is the willingness to give it a try, and the courage to see it through.
I think that works for most anything (or anyone) in life.
To do less, makes us less. To do more makes us more.
Doesn't get any easier that that, does it?
Have yourselves a great weekend.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and as always...
Stay safe out there, America.

Some Folks Don't Pay Attention...
Ladies and gentlemen, I am very proud to announce that I am FOUR FOR FOUR this month; four days, four calls into the FWPD for various things, mostly related to unsupervised children.
Be nice if SOME folks paid attention...to their KIDS for one thing.
I dislike loitering and playing in the damn streets...it leads to other and more dubious behaviors. I never did that as a child...my parents wouldn't have any of that. I had to have a bonifide "destination" like a friend's house...or the corner store.
And we had PLAYGROUNDS to play at, if not inside one another's houses...couldn't GET any easier that that, right?
(I'll be filling you all in on THAT in tomorrow's post)
Yepper...That's the price for giving a damn, I suppose.
You CARE, even when you shouldn't...you do anyway...
*** And THAT is why people like ME keep getting called for JURY DUTY!
I knew this would happen AGAIN...always does (with me).
FOUR TIMES in a dozen years...this is getting REAL tiresome.
This latest fiasco (read waste of my time as well as money for parking and gas) will occur in conjunction with the frigging FULL MOON...how apropos is THAT?
These articles will show the depth of "broke" this system is in:
http://www.trentonian.com/articles/2011/01/18/opinion/doc4d348b19daffe500330095.txt
and this:
http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/boston/BO133130/
Now before I launch into today's tirade, let me assuage your fears about me not "fulfilling my civic duty".
What I consider to be CIVIC DUTY is apparently a LOT different from what those in the Hoosier Court System consider to be.
We are WORLDS APART..and probably will never reach ANY common ground.
MY civic duty is to be a GOOD CITIZEN, and by that I mean to be a good EXAMPLE of what said citizen or neighbor would be to others.
I do NOT seek out trouble, nor do I ask for any from anyone else.
(it usually comes by all on it's own)
I OBEY THE LAWS and ORDINANCES of the city (regardless of how others treat them, or how ridiculous those laws might be).
I also realize that any "rights" I have come FIRST from my CREATOR...period.
The rest are granted by our CONSTITUTION...and that's that.
Everything else is a privilege, and that includes serving on a jury.
Well, I refuse the privilege...how's that?
I have never signed an agreement that made the court system lord and master over MY life on ANY specified day, week, month, or year.
Would I be SO fortunate to find ANYONE living around us that would have HALF the impetus to practice a like mind.
For the last three times I have stated in no certain terms on that stupid-ass questionnaire (which apparently means not ONE DAMN THING to these morons downtown) that I am VERY BIAS when it comes to criminal activity or criminals themselves.
I don't LIKE them...I DETEST them, and have no desire to mingle or live among them, but since the government has taken away the LAST vestige of decent people down here and saw fit to drop these pieces of human crap all around us, I have little recourse BUT to keep further to myself and not bother with such annoyances, as much as I can.
I have NEVER been through the court system, and only appeared as a witness TWICE, and as far as I'm concerned, the LESS time I spend in City Hall and it's courtrooms...the better (for everyone).
I also come from a police family (back in Philly), and have stated every time that I cannot be "impartial" when it comes to sitting on a jury...tell 'ya right now...in THIS city (Fort Wayne), doesn't mean a damn thing to anyone downtown!
(which means someone isn't paying the hell attention in the court system)
When you see a failed judicial system in operation every damn day allowing the wrong people to cop pleas and walk their asses out of the building, or get such reduced sentences because of attorney bargaining (bypassing juries altogether), you just HAVE to wonder WTF is wrong with this system and why do we keep allowing it to function in the manner it does.
When something's broke, you up and fix it.
THIS system IS indeed...broken.
So don't come calling on me and all but "demand" that I fulfill my civic OBLIGATION...!
(that's like placing me behind the wheel of a dangerously UNSAFE vehicle...ain't gonna happen)
How DARE you make such assumptions about me, based on my reluctance to play into your adjudicating hands.
My obligations are to my spouse as well as myself...FIRST.
I owe nothing to YOUR system of skewed "justice", because I have never been part and parcel to it's function (luckily).
I have never had the "opportunity" to be a "guest"of any of your facilities, because I practice self-restraint and know what is meant by THE LAW.
For those that do neither, all I can say is find yourselves someone who CAN be THAT impartial...THAT unbiased, and THAT willing to face the worst that humanity has to offer and "judge" them with words which often only serve to slap them on the wrist for their heinous actions.
I prefer a much more "simple" method...NATURAL JUSTICE.
I prefer to PUNISH those who do wrong, and not merely scold them.
Is that being judgmental? Yes, but with PURPOSE...and often...FINALITY.
I believe in making those PAY for their crimes, and for as long as it takes to get that job done.
For those who cannot or will not be made penitent...that's what the DEATH SENTENCE IS FOR.
So don't BS me into believing you're innocent..rather, PROVE to me you're NOT GUILTY.
That works for me.
I swore an oath a long time ago to uphold the Constitution and pledge my loyalty to this nation, and I will do so until I die.
No one is trying to "un-swear" me that I can see.
In many ways, I still demonstrate my loyalty every single day by the manner I conduct myself, and by watching, listening, and reporting those that do wrong...for all the good THAT seems to do.
I perform what I believe to be a "civic duty" far above a mere one-day stint on some jury in a county that doesn't know I even exist, except for one day every four damn years. They must like seeing me and hearing why I think the way I do. They must enjoy hearing some TRUTH in those marbled halls every so many years.
Back in the day, when you kept your nose clean, listened to those in authority and played by the rules...you got SOME kind of reward for your efforts.
It could be a letter of commendation, some medal, or perhaps even a monetary award or gift from those that acknowledged your achievement.
These days, I get NONE of that, nor am I seeking any of that.
(which is exactly what I'm getting - bupkis!)
It's worse than THAT, in fact...
I can't even get LEFT THE HELL ALONE...by ANYONE that I don't care to bother with. Imagine that.
And to think that former Supreme Court Judge, Louis Brandeis once stated that: "The makers of our constitution undertook to secure conditions favorable to the pursuit of happiness...
They sought to protect Americans in their beliefs, their thoughts, their emotions and their sensations.
They conferred, as against the government, the right to be let alone – the most comprehensive of the rights and the right most valued by civilized men."
Yeah, that sums it all up nicely.
Sorry, but I'm certainly NOT feeling all that "protected" these days, especially by ANY form of government, and I'm sure not being allowed to pursue any form of happiness down here, thanks to the government.
Helluva conundrum, isn't it?
I value my right TO BE LET ALONE...but apparently neither the aboriginal neighbors NOR the Allen County Court System seem to feel in like manner.
That's a real shame...for THEM that is.
Maybe the court system would be better served with people who could be jurors FULL-TIME...get paid money to do so.
How's about we snag the HOMELESS or possibly even the WELFARE GRABBERS and get them set to "working" off the freebies?
It's sad when the Allen County Courts feel this "need" to always come back to little old me, who has no desire to be bothered in such a way from them.
In an "ideal" scenario, those downtown would have reviewed my PAST questionnaires, and known full-well that I am not the "juror" they're looking for, and move along...but no. I would have been removed from the jury pool list, and we'd all be done with it...period.
Now, I might be set in my ways and more than a bit old-fashioned, but I think the MAIN JOB of the government is to PROTECT that which they are entrusted with...sounds simple enough.
The FEDS take care of the NATION (and not run it into the poor house)
The STATES take care of taxation, revenue and jobs to produce said revenues for infrastructure maintenance and repair
The CITIES, TOWNS, and COUNTIES take care of their areas by enforcing the LAWS and ordinances as well as providing utility services, educational opportunities and infrastructure for its citizenry, who pay for such amenities.
Yeah, I know...a perfect world...and we ain't got one at this point.
But nowhere in all that should any citizen be forced, coerced, or intimidated into jury duty, if all that citizen wants is to be is left alone and follow the laws of the land, bothering no one along the way.
I will be seeking a way to be removed from the pool list (I know they track us through voting records and the BMV). Maybe I don't wish to be "tracked" or kept watch over. Maybe I value something called PRIVACY.
And maybe I also stand for something this country needs...people who DO chase after doing the RIGHT THING...and for the RIGHT REASONS.
Perhaps in a world that did not seem to favor the "privileged", or the guilty, while tossing victims to the curb like common animals or a piece of trash, I'd be OK with sitting in judgment of another human.
But for now, everyone is guilty in that court building, along with a helluva lot of others along our streets that haven't been caught yet.
The only thing I can be called guilty of, is "shirking a civic duty".
Like I said...all depends on HOW you define "duty".
I already know.
I am also guilty of wanting to exercise my right to be let alone.
And, I am guilty of being someone who gives a damn about JUSTICE...the way it USED to be defined, and not what masquerades as justice today.
MY sentence is easy - hard time on planet Earth.
But since I was once called a patriot for MY beliefs, that "sentence" isn't as hard to stomach as one might think.
And I can deal with that.
So when I again go downtown to demonstrate my beliefs to the "judicial system", and get dismissed for the FOURTH TIME, I hope someone is paying the hell attention...to ME...and what I say, because it does echo the sentiments of others too shy to speak up.
Fix the system first, dole out punishment, make the guilty pay, and then...MAYBE, I might want to sit and judge another.
In the meantime, I'd rather count the hairs around my cat's butt than be saddled with your "sideshow" antics in the courtroom.
Find a person with blinders for that task.
I can see way too much of the truth.
There...I feel much better now...
Hey, maybe I should send a copy of this post to the court clerk...or the local newspapers!
Nah, that will do anything but have me left alone...and that's for sure.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America.

Humpday Happenings...
Yes friends, another sort of rainy/sunny day in the heartland...I've lost track of how many consecutive days of rain we've had.
Fortunately, it's not been constant...but it has been a whole lot of "off and on" stuff. You know the kind...the kind that keeps your ROOF from getting repaired.
Still...eventually, it WILL get fixed...but not today, or tomorrow...perhaps sometime NEXT week.
In the meantime, last evening I was settling in for a hour or two in front of the "big eye" (TV). The sun had set, street lights were on, as was our lights inside, and that reminds me...we had our FIRST "curly-fries lightbulb" burnout!

Yeah, a CFL that gave up the ghost...imagine that.
You have to see it to believe it...they start to flicker , getting bright, then dim, and finally, after a minute, they go dark...the end.
So, I replaced it with a standard 60w INCANDESCENT bulb (good man), and got back to watching TV.
Now, you're probably wondering if I notified the local HAZMAT team for the proper disposal of the bulb?
Nah, screw that noise...
I did what any person who detests the nanny-state mentality and those who wish to wrest my normal bulbs from my fingers WOULD normally do...
I tossed the CFL...period...in the damn trash, just like a regular bulb (after double-bagging it in plastic bags).
Who's gonna freaking know?
BTW, those bulbs give off something called PHENOL...a little thing the NAZIS used in WW2 to kill people.
Here's some links for the FACTS:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1378757/Energy-saving-bulbs-release-cancer-causing-chemicals-say-scientists.html
and...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/8462626/Energy-saving-light-bulbs-contain-cancer-causing-chemicals.html
and...
http://www.edisontechcenter.org/CFLs-Rick.html
and...
http://www.mangrums.net/content/compact-fluorescent-lights-are-green-until-they-kill-you
Amazing how the GERMANS and the BRITS are all over this, and not much being said here in the USA (who invented the incandescents).
As for us, we're not going to be using the CFLs all that much...just in case (of fire)...
Anyway,back to the TV watching...
So, I'm sitting there, and I hear kids screaming outside (not the homicidal kind of scream, thankfully), so I figure this is NOT going to be a good night (again) to do anything, and go to the front door.
And here's about EIGHT kids (7 black male & female, one white girl) having FOOT RACES down the middle of the damn street...with TRAFFIC going by!
"WTF???"
It's close to 9PM for God's sake...anyone know that Wednesday is STILL a SCHOOL DAY?
So, I call this into the FWPD to get them to move these kids along before someone gets tagged by a speeding car (which the police also never seem to catch).
And dispatch decides it wants to play "this is your life" by asking me for my PHONE NUMBER (which shows up on their screen - I mean they DO have caller ID, right?), my ADDRESS (also on screen), my NAME (ditto) AND my DOB (they wanna send me a frigging card or something?)...
At that point, I asked (back) tersely: "Do you need my 'SOSH' (social security number)?"
They didn't need that...amazing.
So while we're playing "ask me another", time IS still passing...
Dispatch: "Are the kids causing a traffic hazard?"
Me: "Well, cars are honking at them...what do YOU think?"
Dispatch says they'll send along a car to get the kids moved...
(fan-f$cking-tastic)
And wouldn't you know, less than 30 seconds AFTER I hung up w/ dispatch, the kids automatically all went down the street - no more "racing" for the night.
Screw it...let the po-po roll through anyway, they might get lucky and find a drunk...or a druggie...or Jimmy Hoffa (well maybe not that last one).
Tell 'ya, it IS like living in the damn middle of a FREAK SHOW...and I now have irrefutable proof to back that up.
We have our very own BALLOON PERSON...LOL!
Yeah, can't have a sideshow without concessions and souvenirs, can you?
This person goes good with those burnt metallic orange donks cruising the ghettohood...
Never at a loss for some sort of "color" down here, that's for sure.
I did manage to salvage some TV viewing, as is SOP around here.
Don't ever plan anything that takes time, because you WILL be interrupted (by the locals).
If it's not screaming, it's yelling at one another, or into a cell phone, or thumping bass...or gunfire...or barking dogs..or (my favorite) sirens wailing.
And yet somehow, lots of folks around here take that as somehow being NORMAL.
I see it as more of this desensitizing of much of our nation.
Of course, throwbacks like ME don't see that as being anywhere close to NORMAL.
We recall a time when everyone was a lot more civil, and didn't want to have their "business" screamed all over the place.
I have my OWN life...don't have much need to hear everyone else's, and definitely not all the damn time.
But that's not the way it works for the "entitlement-driven" dregs of humanity.
And that's why people like our councilman Glynn Hines keeps getting elected to our district...
He wants more for HIS people...so they can take it from your pockets and waste it, like they do everything else they get (for free).
In many ways, it's like they have this masterplan to oust you from YOUR home...make YOU want to move, and claim YOUR property as their own.
Now that seems to me to be just a tad on the RACIST side, but it's the type of racism that hardly gets ANY press.
That's a damn shame, too.
Racism is ALWAYS a TWO-WAY street (with lots of thru-traffic and few if any stop signs).
Yet, we don't hear about racism AGAINST WHITES...and we should, because it's perpetrated at significantly HIGHER RATES than the stereotypical racism of white-on-black (or white on anyone for that matter).
But, you can all check out the DoJ stats to find those facts out...it's nothing new (just unreported).
At least half the week is over, the welfare checks have been handed out, and the locals will be a bit more quiescent for a brief time, until the freebies run low and they get antsy again...such a pitiful way to exist, but how they DO love it so.
Compared to them, my life (and the manner in which I live it) seems banal by comparison.
And that's fine by me.
I'll take my boring, yet much appreciated life ANY day over that kind of mentality.
I'll thank my maker for each and every day I'm allowed to enjoy it by HIS hand.
And I think YOU would as well.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America.

How To Get Things Done...
I like getting things done...and in as little time as possible. Must be that whole "getting older - not as much time left" thing...
And you hate to leave this world with a lotta "undone" lying about.
I also like to do things the right way.
(I know...it's a character flaw)
Used to be an old axiom from the military (usually coming from the mouth of a D.I. that DID know "jack") that went something like this:
"There are FOUR ways to do things in this camp:
The RIGHT way.
The WRONG way.
The MILITARY way.
And MY way.
We...are going to do things MY way, gentlemen."
And you did...out of fear mostly, but also because what he had to say would not only make YOU a better person, BUT...could damn well save your life.
My late Father was one that ALWAYS lived by another saying: "If you want something done right, do it yourself".
And that doesn't just apply to individual tasks, but can be carried over into entire businesses, agencies, departments, and so forth.
For example, if you believe you can make a better window than the guys down the street, you find a way to start your own company (or at least bring your ideas to someone willing to listen and then implement them).
Or, if you're wanting to take down the nations #1 terrorist like Osama bin Laden, you recruit the best of the best when it comes to covert ops, train them strenuously in mirror-image scenarios, and then deploy them into the hot zone and let them do their job...(which they most certainly will)
Such was the case with our special forces as they swooped in under cover of night and took out Bin Laden within a stone's throw of the Pakistani equivalent to our West Point Military Academy.
Now, I have to admit one thing...if you've got half a brain on your shoulders, AND you're trying to evade capture, death or whatever...many times, the BEST place to hide is "in plain sight", and that means under the noses of those trying to find you.
And the reasoning is simple, an something you all have heard so often growing up.
"When you're trying to find something you misplaced, it will ALWAYS be in the last place you look"
(so try and go there FIRST, like I prefer to do...LOL)
That doesn't necessarily mean that your eyeglasses will be in the refrigerator, but what the hell, it's worth a shot, right?
Whenever we do something (and daily life is chock FULL of those somethings, isn't it?), we tend to do it with some level of INTENT.
We really don't do things for no damn reason at all...least we shouldn't be.
When you get in your car, it's usually with the thought that you are proceeding SOMEWHERE...someplace to get something, or visit someone.
You just don't hop in and drive aimlessly about until you get bored and go back home...unless you're like many of my neighbors, who do JUST THAT...and EVERY DAY (sometimes several times per day).
And with fuel running around $4.25 per gallon, that's wasting money (and gas) and accomplishing nothing whatsoever.
We will do something in our everyday life with intent AND with purpose...to achieve some short-term goal.
You go to the grocery to get food...
You wash the clothes because they're soiled.
You take FIDO out because he's gotta dump.
A perfect stage for our friends CAUSE and EFFECT.
To NOT "follow" the plan can lead to disaster.
Now, I'm not going to cover the Bin laden Op because you can find PUH-LENTY of coverage all over the place.
But, I do want to demonstrate HOW, when you do things "right", it can make life's trail a lot easier to navigate.
Think of it as removing those obstacles that you would otherwise have to climb over, slowing you down.
Ever hear of the saying "The right tool for the right job"?
Case in point (again) is the SPEC OPS units in Pakistan.
Same can be said for our daily lives.
You need to remove weeds from your garden or lawn (don't we ALL?)...then get the RIGHT TOOL!
It's either a "weed-hound", or a device which can remove ALL the weed, and not hack off just the flowering head.
An herbicide does the job, too when specifically targeting those damn weeds.
But you DON'T use something that kills ALL vegetation to get rid of weeds (unless you're looking to install a damn ZEN GARDEN and want to rake sand every morning as part of your daily affirmation). And you never use a flamethrower or napalm (that's against most city ordinances)...LOL.
Ditto for a NASCAR driver...he wouldn't use a VOLVO at Daytona, even if the ride was smoother, has A/C, and he got better mileage, because the WRONG car isn't gonna win him any races, kapeesh?
So you can see why I often say that when it comes to such things as PUBLIC SAFETY, I'm a very strong advocate of using WHAT WORKS...and works CORRECTLY in whatever situation is called for.
I mentioned before that in Elkhart Indiana, one, solitary LEO has been stopping boomcars and has also made MORE drug busts (as a result) than the entire department (and a few hundred more citations than our venerable police force in Fort Wayne).
ONE. LONE. OFFICER.
I got this next story from fellow blogger, THE OBSERVER (KCMO) and I have to share it, because it says much the same things as what's going down in Elkhart:
Thanks, T.O.
(( Shawnee police find that traffic stops can drastically cut crime
By BRIANNE PFANNENSTIEL/The Kansas City Star
The Shawnee Police Department has seen a drastic drop in crime after implementing a prevention strategy based on a highly analytical data, as well as one pretty basic assumption.
Criminals usually aren’t great drivers.
The police department began using a program called DDACTS, or Data-Driven Approaches to Crime and Traffic Safety, to pinpoint parts of town that saw high levels of both crime and traffic accidents. The theory is, if officers pull over more people for traffic violations, they’ll also nab a couple of bad guys in the process.
The data put the department’s focus on the 75th Street corridor. They’ve added more patrol units to conduct high-visibility stops at times when criminal activity peaks.
More than six months later, crime in that area has dropped 37 percent compared with the six months before the program began. Auto thefts and commercial burglaries are down 62 percent and robberies are down 42 percent.
The program has been so successful that the Shawnee Police Department is expanding to two other areas of town.
Other communities have begun implementing DDACTS as well, including Prairie Village, which started the program in early April.
Shawnee Police Capt. Bill Hisle said the economy has been a major factor in implementing the program. The department hasn’t hired extra officers or devoted overtime to the project, he said. Commanders just shifted resources to focus on high-impact areas.
"We’re all expected to do more, or at least maintain, with less," Hisle said. "So our dilemma is how do we best use our officers to fight crime in our community?"
Prairie Village Police Capt. Tim Schwartzkopf said that city’s program would focus on the area between Mission Road and the state line, and from 71st Street South down to Somerset Drive.
The program is too new to see meaningful results, but he expects to share statistics with the public in July, he said.
"The nice thing about the program is it’s flexible," Schwartzkopf said. "It’s not so rigid that you have to do A, B and C, but you can kind of adapt it to each agency." ))
Now, I know in Fort Wayne, the traffic stops are on the increase, but I'm not seeing evidence of it being done with the same "gusto" down here, as up north, in spite of the facts that I mentioned in yesterday's post (all that money being missed).
What is good about the KC story, is that MORE PATROLS are being utilized...and RESOURCES HAVE BEEN SHIFTED...the EXACT same thing I said needs to be done HERE...amazing, huh?
And if audio NOISE were targeted (here), results would immediately be forthcoming, and everyone would again enjoy that good old "quality-of-like" gig we hear tell about.
But, suppose we do like Emeril Lagassi and "kick it up a notch", hmm?
Like they've started to do in Cincinnati...
How about we confiscate vehicles that have those HUGE RIMS on them, because it's a SAFETY issue?
(which it damn well is)
Used to be a time when you "lowered your rear suspension" (jack up the rear end) to make your car into a hot-rod, and our police (Philly) would use their nightstick as a "gauge" of measurement. If the bottom of your bumper was HIGHER than the length of the billy club...BUSTED!
This DUB deal is no different.
Here's some links to the story:
http://www.middletownjournal.com/news/middletown-news/big-rims-cause-furor-in-cincinnati-not-an-issue-in-hamilton-middletown-1150253.html
(this is a great read)
And this story:
http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/cincinnati-police-target-impound-modified-cars-1143860.html
Naturally, we're seeing and hearing the race card being played yet again, because we know it's MOSTLY "urban black youth" that have such amended vehicles.
Now my question at this point is SIMPLE:
WHERE THE HELL do these "youth" get ALL THE DAMN MONEY to buy such amenities in the first place?
I thought they were all too busy not working and bitching about BEING POOR?
We're talking about several THOUSAND BUCKS for rims and tires, and I don't think "gub'ment assistance" covers THAT...does it?
But, there ARE the safety issues (mentioned in the first article link).
Driving a car THAT high off the ground mucks up everything from brakes to suspension to viewing the roadway properly.
It's called changing the GEOMETRY of the vehicle.
And then there's that whole "center-of-gravity" thing comes into play.
Don'cha just LOVE physics?
The vehicle is more prone to roll-overs, and the turning radius is a lot WIDER than before.
But I forgot that black urban youth don't take such mundane things like SAFETY into consideration...right?
Of course, such vehicles DO have this propensity to be involved in CRIMINAL ACTIVITY.
Ditto for the boomcars...crime follows them like a shadow.
So, if we pull over the BOOMCARS...and those DONKS, BUBBLES and BOXES (slang terms for huge-rimmed vehicles)...MAY-BE we might catch a lot more crime before it gets out of the gate...'ya think?
If it works for noise in Elkhart, someone must know something.
And having the right tools for THOSE jobs makes any city a lot safer...for everyone, agreed?
THAT is how you get things done for the betterment of all the citizens.
We used to call that SERVING THE PUBLIC, and guess what...it STILL works.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America.

((I am proud to annouce that I am rapidly closing in on 100,000 page views - 90K and climbing. Thank you ALL for your continued readership...or just for poking your head inside to take a look around.))

Monday Musings...
Well, here we are...a brand new WEEK, AND a brand new MONTH.
For MOST of you, that is...
For US, it's another week and month (in the ghettohood) of the "same old", thanks to the city of Fort Wayne in particular, and society in general.
But before we go any further, let's hit on the breaking news.
BIN LADEN IS DEAD!
(about fracking time, too)
Here's the skinny if you weren't up to hear about it:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/02/osama-bin-laden-dead-pakistan
If it were me, I would have cremated the body, spread the ashes in a pig wallow, and then beat the mud and ashes with a shoe...now THAT is an insult!
Naturally, U.S. bases and embassies around the world are now on high alert for reprisals, and travelers are being advised to exercise extra caution and avoid areas that are presumed to be "active", so we're far from the end in this "war on terror".
And don't be surprised if we have a new "wild card" in the mix to take Bin Laden's place soon enough.
Of course in our fair city, there are those that have been busy as well...
*** (( Two people shot on Winter Street - Both victims are in serious condition
Updated: Saturday, 30 Apr 2011, 7:54 AM EDT
Published : Saturday, 30 Apr 2011, 2:40 AM EDT
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - Fort Wayne police are investigating a double shooting Saturday morning.
It happened around 2:15 a.m. in the 2400 block of Winter Street.
Police said both victims have been taken to a local hospital in serious condition.
News Channel 15 crews on the scene said it looked like the shooting happened inside the VFW at that address. ))
*** Here's an update that demonstrates the "OOPS" factor and also shows some media sources don't always "get it right":
(( Published: May 2, 2011 3:00 a.m.
1 man injured at VFW wasn’t shot - Jeff Wiehe The Journal Gazette
Fort Wayne police have released a few more details about a shooting Saturday at the VFW, 2441 Winter St.
Initially thought to be a double shooting, only one person, a man in his 30s, was shot.
Another man injured at the same time, also in his 30s, was somehow battered during the incident. Both were taken to a hospital in serious condition where they were later listed as stable.
Police did not release the identities of the men.
An hour before the shooting, which apparently happened inside about 2:10 a.m., police were called to the VFW in reference to people refusing to leave, according to police dispatch logs. ))
And to continue the trend in our fair city...there's this:
*** (( Two shot during car chase - Alert issued from IPFW to students, staff
Updated: Sunday, 01 May 2011, 1:40 PM EDT
Published : Sunday, 01 May 2011, 1:29 PM EDT
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - Two men were shot while being chased by someone they had an argument with outside a Fort Wayne club Sunday morning.
According to the Fort Wayne Police Department, the argument began around 5:00 a.m. outside a W. Coliseum entertainment club. As the men drove away, the other party began to chase them in another car and eventually started shooting.
The victims, who police only said were in their twenties, were found near the St. Joe and Stellhorn Roads intersection.
Police said they have very little information about who was all involved in the incident and are not sure if there were other people in the car during the shooting, or if they were injured. They do know the victims survived the incident and are at worst, only in serious condition.
Due to the proximity to the Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne campus, the school did issue an alert to students and staff. ))
Here's another link to the same story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20110502/LOCAL/305029933
In many ways, it sort of DOES seem like more of the same...
I suppose that's one perverse aspect of having to live among the dregs of humankind as they're planted all around your once nice area of the city....time seems to all blur together, until, one day, you turn around and see that YEARS have passed with absolutely NO change for the better...only for the worse.
And, as is the case in this city, THAT seems to be fine with the "leaders" down at City hall, as well as the chief of police.
It must be nice to always have a city police car in FRONT of YOUR house, watching to see if anything "unusual" happens, so it can be nipped in the bud.
Wish I could say something similar.
As is the case with the end of the month, I send along my "report" to our captain "in charge" of this quadrant...and this month, she got a LOT of pictures (about 16) to "chronicle" the happenings JUST on our block, to which nothing will probably be addressed...again.
You know, I've been told by our good captain, that she "VALUES my assistance". Well, if that MEANS that I can be relatively brushed aside with ALL the information and pictures I provide, I'd MUCH rather NOT have ANY of my assistance valued IN THE LEAST...that way maybe the department would look into all this crap around us.
I mean, that train of logic would seem to be correct.
But LOGIC, along with COMMON SENSE is something that is in very short supply around this city.
So it would seem.
Just to keep you all abreast of the sheer AMOUNT OF MONEY this city does NOT collect when it has the capability to do so, here are some facts and figures of just this PAST month of April...see if YOU think something's amiss here.
-- Noise violations: (due to boom cars) = 343
-- Speeding: 10 per day x 30 = 300 (conservative est.)
-- Illegal parking or u-turns at intersection: 5 per day x 30 = 150 (conservatively)
-- Inadequate vehicle lighting (non-functioning bulbs): 20+ per night (approx)
Now, let's say EACH of these violations is worth $150.00 (I think that's the going rate currently in town here), so let's make ourselves a TOTAL, shall we?
We're looking at about 813 OFFENSES (give or take)...which amounts to about (I KNOW you're sitting down)...
$121,950.00...!!!
All that is just what comes past OUR house and includes BOTH 4-wheeled AND 2-wheeled varieties.
And the LAST time I checked, our intersection was NOT at center of the ghetto-universe!
Well, it's no wonder our property has been so marvelously DEVALUED, especially when the police aren't being instructed to ticket ANY of these mooks (most caught are by chance).
I forgot, we're all too busy chasing the radio these days to actively PATROL and CATCH some of these offenders.
And we wonder WHY the city doesn't have the money they SHOULD have...amazing sh*t, huh?
Doesn't take much in the way of "resources" to make ANY of this happen, either...that's the catcher in all this.
Don't need any federal "grants" or special funding from some outside agency...just a redeployment of an officer (or two), with a special assignment tag attached to it. Think of it as something like a B.A.D. team (burglary-auto-detail), or those operations they conduct every so often to nab people NOT wearing seat belts, or a DUI "checkpoint".
Not one thing different with my "proposal", except the LACK OF DESIRE on the department's command staff's part.
Funny how that ELKHART officer managed to get EIGHT-HUNDRED busts for things like DRUGS AND GUNS while conducting NOISE VIOLATION stops.
ONE officer...just ONE, in a smaller town with less resources, making a bigger difference than all but a handful of sector 45 officers down here.
THIS is the kind of thing the local media sources should be asking a crapload of questions about...seriously!
And it's been preying on my mind of late to do such...just because I CAN.
MY reason for wanting to make that happen is simple...I want the TRUTH to be told, and I want everyone else that never knows what goes on down here to BE AWARE of how and where THEIR hard-earned money goes (other than into thin air in this city).
I want ALL those that have done nothing over the last decade to be called OUT on this.
Believe it or not, similar scenarios like ours are happening with greater frequency and in a lot more cities that you would know.
Look at the demographic shift in our nation - that ALONE should clue us all in.
An immigration system that would allow those here illegally to become citizens, safe passage for law-breakers...yeah, that works for me.
How many murders of U.S. citizens have we had along our southern border BEFORE the year 2000? Before 1980? 1970? And how many neighborhoods had NOT devolved into slums in those same decades.
Think this can't happen in YOUR neighborhood?
Think again.
All it takes is just ONE house to go Section 8 and that starts the ball rolling.
Then you might get to participate in one of the greatest EXODUSES since Moses led his people from Egypt!
But what if you CAN'T just up and move, or maybe want to keep that house YOU (and your spouse) worked to get?
Well, you can always try and do what I'm doing, but it's not for the faint of heart, and WILL test your resolve, as well as your patience and fortitude...and that's on the GOOD days. You don't want to know about the bad ones, trust me.
And, as long as YOU have some sort of real COMMUNITY, you can always take a stand.
In MY case, that dog ain't gonna hunt.There IS NO community to speak of...at least none that would WANT this area to be nice and clean, and a lot more free of crime and dubious people.
In some ways, it's like living in South Africa, except the people THERE have better accents and you can actually UNDERSTAND most of what they say...lol.
You just have to watch out for the "uprisings" from whatever "tribe" comes to the area.
And unlike over there, we don't carry sub-machine guns to protect ourselves from such tribal outbursts.
But you get the idea...
You know, I really detest having to start off a new month and week with a "downer", and yet I feel I have to explain why I can't always be full of sunshine and lollipops with my demeanor.
It's just the TRUTH...and the FACTS, not as I perceive them...just as they ARE, plain and simple.
You people always deserve that much from this blog (and from me), and God knows that I will never shirk that duty.
Let's just hope we all live long enough to see things like my neighborhood, as well as our nation get BETTER (or at least back to where it belongs)...instead of worse, eh?
Have yourselves a great week!
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America.