Monday Musings...

Welcome to another "fun"-filled week in the Heartland of America, where we're still waiting for some (appreciable) RAIN to offset the drought deficit we've been "enjoying" for far too long.
Expected highs today are to be in ONLY the upper 70s (excluding the neighbors whose "highs" will happen most likely as soon as they roll off the mattress in the living room and smoke the nearest 'rock".), so let's get busy while the getting's good...we've lots of stuff to cover.
*** Welcome to HOMICIDE NUMBER NINETEEN (or TWENTY, if you count Josh Frisby, who also died of a gunshot wound (over a month ago), but our coroner has YET to release data on whether or not this was (in fact) a homicide (which I tend to believe it WAS).

Here's the latest on #19:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120625/LOCAL07/306259928/1002/LOCAL
Here (again) we have a case where a person was found shot to death in a parked car (around early afternoon, according to the media sources)...much like Emily Householder (see archive post from 31 May 2012), only in THIS newest shooting, a suspect was witnessed running from the scene.
And, if I'm not mistaken, THIS shooting also happened on the city's near-northwest side (guess the SE disease is spreading)
Jerry W. Barker, age 43, of Ft. Wayne, was the victim of the shooting.
Now, while Barker did have some run-ins with the law, he was also a family man and co-ran a tree service with his brother.
Police said barker's car was not parked on the street for long, and the driver's side window had been broken.
And later in the day...there was THIS:
*** Around 2100 hrs, a FWPD officer attempted a signal 30 (traffic stop) for a man on a moped, and then things got sporty.
Here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120625/LOCAL07/306259928/1002/LOCAL

A police-action shooting resulted from a brief foot pursuit, with the officer shooting the suspect once in the arm and once in the butt (good shooting, unless you were targeting "center-mass"...).
The FWPD chief called the shooting JUSTIFIED.
Now, THIS shooting took place on the city's...(...all together, gang...)...SOUTHEAST SIDE, near Leith and S. Hanna St's.
When the suspect fled, the pursuing officer COULD tell he did have a gun in his hand.

After the chase led into a nearby backyard, the suspect turned TOWARD the officer (bad idea), and that's when the officer fired and dropped the perp.

A stolen pistol was found alongside the victim (imagine that).
Neither the name of the officer or the victim have been released pending further investigation.
Some media sources are speculating that this event and the Barker homicide (earlier) could be related.
I would say that's dependant upon information regarding the person fleeing the first scene (on foot) and whether a description was made available to police, who were instructed to stop those fitting the description of the suspect. There needs to be more facts presented for anyone outside the law-enforcement community to make any determination...
*** Sometimes, the BEST intentions can go awry...
Here's the link to this story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120624/LOCAL07/306249910/0/SEARCH

An officer was struck in the leg by a ricochet round fired from a fellow officer's pistol when attempting to subdue a charging pit bull on the city's (where else?) SOUTHEAST SIDE, when the officers were responding to a signal 62 (party armed - with a knife in this case).
Both the officer and the dog are doing OK, but there apparently was ONE of the FOUR RULES of firearm safety that were not followed.
To recap, let's look at ALL FOUR of them (as laid down by Col. Jeff Cooper), shall we?
1) Treat EVERY firearm as if it's LOADED!
2) Never point the muzzle at anything you don't intend to destroy!
3) Keep your finger OFF of the trigger until you've acquired a sight pattern!
4) Always be SURE of your intended target AS WELL AS what is BEYOND it!
I think there was a lapse when it came to RULE FOUR here.
Perhaps that's why officers tend to get caught in friendly crossfire when surrounding suspects
ANY kind of gunfire (cross or otherwise) is NEVER "friendly".
'Nuff said there, hmm?
*** What's one way to NOT park a Corvette?

How about THIS way...?

Here's the story link from Ligonier, IN:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120625/LOCAL07/306259925/0/SEARCH
Just because you have a fast car, doesn't mean you'll come out of any and all situations clean as a whistle, nor does it give you carte-blanche` to do stupid stuff, like trying to pull around and pass a string of cars without fully knowing what lies along the OTHER (oncoming) lane of traffic...right?
The Corvette driver is in critical condition and the pickup driver walked away.
So much for high-tech performance cars versus good old pickup trucks, right?
*** Lastly today at the "Fortress", it's the birthday of the lovely Mrs. Bobby G....yep another one in the books.

I think she planned it this way - anniversary AND birthday within a few days...double-dipping, as it were...LOL.
While it's in poor taste to blurt out any REAL AGE here, I will only say that it's her 13th anniversary of her 29th birthday...ROFL!
(and we'll let it go at that)
So, tell us Bob what she gets...
First off, a home made dark chocolate fudge cake with dark chocolate fudge icing (I'm not going to put ALL the candles on it, however - it's SUMMER-time, I don't want to overextend the A/C usage, NOR do I wish to have the FWFD show up and cite me for an unlawful "burn"...especially with the drought-ban thing in place...LOL).
And of course the dinner of her choice (she likes my home made macaroni and cheese - my mom's recipe, with a baked ham).
Maybe we'll toss in an aperitif as well...or a bottle of Guinness...or a rum and coke (or several).

I know as I get "older" (read more seasoned) looking forward to a birthday is a mixed blessing.
It's another year BEHIND me (with fewer ones in front of me), yet on the other hand, it becomes "just a number", and in my case, one that keeps getting HIGHER.
Nothing like the halcyon days of youth, awaiting all the presents, and perhaps a party, and definitely cake and ice cream.
Some things you never outgrow...like the CAKE...'ya just gotta have cake.
I've never been one for surprise parties...like to PLAN them for others, just never for myself.
Dunno why that is, either.
Still, we cut another notch into the handle to mark another year gone.
I would weigh each birthday THESE days by what the past year has taught me, what I managed to learn in those past 365 days, and what I plan to accomplish in the next year, if God so wills.

Yeah, it's a far cry from the days of childhood, and yet, many times, the presents are still there...they just changed around a bit to reflect the times and the maturity in which we will eventually find ourselves.
And no wrapping paper to make any mess either...I like that.
So, Happy Birthday, Sweetie...why you hooked your star to a weirdsmobile (such as myself) beats the hell outta me, but I know as long as we have each other, life won't be nearly as bad a journey to take...because we are taking it TOGETHER.
And, as they say:
"A sorrow shared is HALF a sorrow - a joy shared is TWICE a joy."

You folks have yourselves a great week.

Be well, make a difference to someone, and...

Stay SAFE out there, America.