07 March 2012

Humpday Happenings...
Middle of the week again, and it sure feels like SPRING outside...today's HIGH is expected to be in the UPPER 50's to low 60's...(or whenever the neighborhood moolies decide to get up...lol).
And if the early morning police radio traffic is ANY indicator of nicer weather (and the impending FULL MOON - due here tomorrow night) I'd say it's going to be one busy day out there for the local constabulary. Already had a car-jacking (green Kia Sportage)...AND a credit union robbery...and it's NOT even 0830 yet...amazing.
*** First up, today's WHO SAID THAT? quote:
"One never attributes folly to his enemy - but then, of such stuff are surprises made."
The answer at the top of tomorrow's post...good luck with your guess.
*** Next up, I'm not going to get into the whole Peyton Manning leaving the Indianapolis Colts gig, because the NFL has brought such things upon themselves, as any sports-related genre will these days.
All I will say is that a few decades ago, a quarterback of Manning's caliber as not "dismissed" due to injury.
Hell, a GOOD quarterback was worth their weight in gold, even when it was less than $300 an ounce!
But, when you pay athletes of ANY sport such OBSCENE salaries year after year (passing the expense along to those faithful fans), and constantly building NEWER stadiums and worrying LESS about the sport and MORE about the "bottom line"...well, we know the result, right?
*** GM and now Chrysler look to natural gas as an alternative fuel.
Well, it's about damn time (?), but it's not REALLY what you might think it is.
Here's the link to the story:
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/03/07/more-natural-gas-vehicles-hitting-market/
Now this is ONLY in trucks...NOT family cars or even SUVs. (why is that?)
AND, it's COMPRESSED natural gas, and NOT LIQUEFIED natural gas...kind of a substantial difference there, folks.
But never fear, HONDA has a CIVIC that runs on NATURAL GAS...(compressed, of course) and they're available NOW.
Prices for such vehicles IS higher than typical vehicles powered by conventional sources...you could have figured that one out, right?
If you want the skinny on NATURAL GAS VEHICLES, here's the WIKI:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_gas_vehicle
I find it interesting that PAKISTAN leads the world in natural gas vehicles, followed by IRAN.
Both LNG and CNG have their own "unique" tradeoffs, as well.
--LNG is heavier than air, collects under the vehicle and is very combustible when ignited, plus tanks tend to rupture under lesser conditions.
--CNG uses thicker walled tanks which adds to vehicle weight (and space utilized), and costs about 50% MORE to produce than LNG.
(Mr. Fusion - WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU???)
Both LNG and CNG corrode parts a lot less, and burn cleaner, which tends to have vehicles with mileages at or near 500,000 MILES...!
What you have to remember is that with LNG, CNG, or even hydrogen (another topic for another post), is that you're driving around with a potential bomb in your boot (trunk). I'm sure the wrong people will love finding ways to make such vehicles part of THEIR agenda.
Imagine...a rolling IED...only costs around $40K to purchase...helluva return for THAT "investment", hmm?
But, it's not really a perfect world, is it?
*** Will the REAL poster child please stand up (or take a seat at a Congressional subcommittee hearing)?
We all recall what a "poster-child" was, right?
We have had poster children for UNICEF, POLIO, MS, March of Dimes, and a myriad of other honestly WORTHWHILE causes that deserved our proper attention...and we all freely gave to such noble causes.
Nowadays, we've got poster kids for every occasion, the latest being for ENTITLEMENTS.
Sandra Fluke has become a (lame-stream) media-sensation...when it comes to the derision of anyone that feels she is wrong to claim she can't pay for school because her contraceptive devices COST TOO MUCH (and wants the government to pay for them out of YOUR pockets).
It's cost Rush Limbaugh some advertiser (cowards), and the obligatory apologies abound.
Personally, I think MY tax money could be a lot better spent, and I applaud anyone who sees the insanity with Ms. Fluke's comments.
Your tax money, being used to allow today's women to (basically) have sex whenever the mood strikes them (thanks to government-sponsored contraception).
Is it so WRONG to call her out on this?
It IS a form of legalized prostitution...when YOU PAY so someone else can have sex (even if it's not YOU who's involved).
Cripes, might as well just legalize prostitution outright, and be done with it...might even help pay down a small portion of the ever-growing National Debt...who knows? I know, it would put a LOT of pimps out of a job (more unemployment...I hear 'ya), but at least it would vindicate those who always knew that the FEDS were pimping much of America for some time. I suppose that would be a perverse form of "equilibrium".
God, how I miss those poster-children of MY era...causes which my parents WANTED to give to, instead of the entitlements today that we "have" to give to (freedom of choice? Anyone?).
Charity should never take place with the giver being held upside down until their pockets are empty...that's just not right.
*** Lastly today, have you ever spent time wondering what you would do to enact change if YOU could be the one calling the shots?
Maybe it's just my age catching up to me, but I often think about that (among several hundred other things...lol), and I can even get specific.
For example, if I were the mayor, I would have a field day with changes that would only help to serve the communities I'm tasked to protect.
-For a start, I'd BAN all dark window tint for EVERY freaking vehicle...period.
We don't live on the damn surface of the sun, for God's sake...OR in AZ, NM, or anywhere else where the summer temps rise into the 110 degree Fahrenheit range. I would want my police officers a lot safer than they currently are, and this would be a good first step.
-I'd work with the BMV and the state to rekindle the vehicle inspections, so that EVERY car, truck, SUV, or bus would be legal AND safe...which means FIX THAT DAMN MUFFLER, you idiot! Bad mufflers not only make lots of noise, but spew crap into the air (and we don't want that).
-I would have STRICT enforcement of the local NOISE ORDINANCE...and EVERY vehicle that breaks such an ordinance gets IMPOUNDED...period.
Then, you PAY a stuff fine to get it back with the understanding that IF it happened again, you LOSE the vehicle...for good.
(either auctioned off WITHOUT the stereo system, or gets crushed outright)
-I'd get with the Realtors and code enforcement to make sure that whenever ANY house is bought or sold, an INSPECTION takes place as to habitability as per city regs...shouldn't be that hard to figure out. And NO breach of contract or agreement between tenants and landlords when it comes to occupancy.
None of this "THREE people move in, and then TEN wind up living there in 4 months" crap...ever!
-I'd have these deadbeat landlords ante up when ti comes to repairs and rental agreements, and toss out anyone who breaks the rules.
No more dealing drugs from a rental with the landlord looking the other way (and maybe getting some under the table bucks).
-And DEFINITELY...NO saggy-baggy pants...$500 fine, first offense.
Dress like a HUMAN BEING, or get off the damn planet!
Now, I know you can't legislate against STUPIDITY (unattended cooking fires at 2AM proves that much), BUT...you CAN make it SO damn uncomfortable for those that wish to practice such stupidity, that they either get busy getting SMARTER...OR, they just up and leave to go somewhere where such stupidity is allowed...which would not be around here. it's that simple.
Yeah, "my city" wouldn't be for everyone...just the normal folks in the crowd...the ones that remember what it used to be like to get some sleep EVERY night without being awakened by some loudass thumping by at 3AM (who never seems to get pulled over).
Now, if I were PRESIDENT...hoo, boy would THAT be fun...
(was that the LUNCH button or the LAUNCH button?)
My Father always said that if you gotta dream...dream BIG, because the price is always right.
To that I would only add that it's OK to trust in God, too...but lock your car and house.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay SAFE out there, America.

06 March 2012

Tales From the SOUTH Side...
Well, not ALL the tales being told today are from the south side, but most of them have SOME bearing on it, so let's just say that down at City Hall, we've got a crapload of BLISSFUL people running this carnival sideshow, because, as we ALL know...
IGNORANCE IS BLISS.
I want to run some ruminations around the block today, and see what stops and gets your attention.
With that said, let us journey forth into this Tuesday.
*** First up, we called TWO fence businesses in town for an estimate for that NEW fencing - (no, not THAT type of fencing...sheesh!)
- on the southern perimeter boundary.
(Cripes, that almost sounds like we have a REAL piece of real estate, instead of a teeny-tiny parcel...lol)
Gleave Fencing is due here today around 1400 hrs, and Arrow Fence is slated for Thursday around 1700 hrs.
Now, a LONG time ago, in a city far, far away (that would be Philly), I took architectural drafting for THREE years in H/S.
The government (Selective Service branch) also placed me in THEIR own "drafting" class...LOL.
That being the way things were, I still possess knowledge of a lot of what TYPES of structural aspects I want for that new fence.
(and if we hit the lottery some day, I can get my house built...the one I STILL have the plans I designed back in 1969.)
What I think we need is NOT the traditional wooden posts, but zinc-coated STEEL posts to mount the fence sections onto.
Face it, they last a LOT longer, and with the zinc, they don't even rust, plus whatever wind comes along won't be making them sway like a drunken sailor on liberty.
A pressure-treated wooden fence is what I prefer, as opposed to the vinyl fencing they have today.
Plastics have their own place, and it's not on my house or on my fences...
And YES, I want a PRIVACY fence, because I get very little privacy around this part of the ghettohood, and every little bit helps.
If it were up to me and NOT the city, hell, I'd build a bloody CASTLE...or at least a damn steel-reinforced concrete stockade to keep the barbarians from the gates.
(kinda like a lot of those houses in the Middle East)
Hopefully, with steel posts, the holes needed will be smaller than with wooden posts (no drainage issues), and that will not impact the border flower and plant beds we have lining the yard.
Lots to discuss when the reps get here, because one way you learn is to ASK QUESTIONS!
Meanwhile, back at the bastions...
*** Amazing how THIS story didn't seem to get the "attention" it SHOULD have gotten, were the races reversed.
Here's the link to a story about a white teen SET ON FIRE by two black teens:
http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-boy-set-on-fire,0,7105614.story
And now you have a pretty good idea of what white folks living in MY part of town have to endure when they just want to live and be left alone.
I've been threatened more than several times, had a gun pulled on me, had a rock tossed through a window, the house egged and paintballed.
Then, there's the noise, the trash, and the moolies who hate you because you're white and bother no one.


















THAT is what chases a lot of GOOD people away from neighborhoods like ours, and it should be the OTHER WAY around.
Those who are guilty of such (racist) behavior should be the ones moving away, and as soon as is possible (imho).
Because this story was about BLACKS attacking a WHITE, it got little press, but whenever a WHITE sets upon a BLACK, it's NATIONAL and for about a WEEK....what a damn double-standard we have here, isn't it?
Same goes for Hispanics, because they are lumped in AS whites, too (bet 'ya didn't know that about certain crimes?).
*** A followup to yesterday's post...
I mentioned we heard GUNFIRE (10+ shots) early on the morning of the 4th, and it was LOUD enough to wake the Missus...
Well, the police blotter had the call mentioned thus:
12F030225 07:34:23 113 SHOTS FIRED 44XX GAYWOOD DR
Gaywood Drive? it was THAT far away?
Somehow, I just don't THINK so...
Gaywood is about 9 streets east and two blocks north of the "fortress"...(one could say a GOOD 1/4 mile away) and yet the shots sounded like they were WITHIN ONE BLOCK.
Something doesn't add up with that, unless it was a rapid-fire 30mm CANNON!
Sounds do carry, but given the trees, houses and such to diminish noises somewhat, I find it really hard to believe this happened THAT far away.
Interestingly enough, a bit later, an EMS call went out to the same *20* here:
12F030230 08:03:50 EMS 44XX GAYWOOD DR
One can only conclude that SOMETHING went on over there which was FIREARMS related...
And with TWELVE SHOTS fired off, I don't think it was an "accidental discharge" while cleaning...sounds a bit too PURPOSED for that fairy tale.
Besides, wouldn't have something showed up on the NEWS for 12 shots and then an EMS call?
That's the way things go down here in the crotch of Fort Wayne...AMBIGUOUSLY!
*** FWPD chief Rusty York (rusty...LOL...how "quaint" - needs some WD-40 me thinks) is at it with handing out suspensions to officers again.
Considering he gets a "kickback" for every one he writes up, it's nice to pad the old salary, isn't it?
Here's the *4-1-1* on this latest list:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120306/LOCAL07/303069939/1002/LOCAL
Sgt. Mitch McKinney, president of the fraternal Order of Police (labor council) is calling York to task for at least ONE suspension.
Granted there are times when a VERBAL reprimand is sufficient, and according to Sgt. McKinney, this was one of them, and he feels there is a personal "attack" on one officer (Sgt. Rodney Bradtmueller).
How about a LOT of personal attacks on a lot MORE officers?
I believe this happens weekly with the FWPD command - calling officers out for trivial matters.
Police work involves a LOT of stuff...ask any LEO.
The protocols, the tactics, the demeanor, the paper work (mountainous as it can be most times), the technology (did I mention the paper work?), the classes, the memos, the time cards, the...even MORE paper work.
Everyone is going to slip up once...that's a given.
If there is a CHRONIC issue though, that SHOULD be addressed...like lateness, absent from duty without reason, inappropriate behavior unbecoming an officer, and so on.
And a Deputy CHIEF got a suspension for missing (ready for this one?)...a damn PISS TEST!!!
Gimme a damn break, here.
A D/C has a LOT more on their plate than the typical beat-cop...TONS more in fact.
Hell, they're helping to run the damn show in it's entirety.
The D/C took the test a SHORT TIME after the deadline...and PASSED (would have passed BEFORE the damn deadline - I'd bet on it)
Two officers were given 2-day suspensions for improper behavior when getting into a verbal argument with a tow-truck driver after they had parked their cruiser in a tow-away zone on private property.
This one really takes the cake...unless the officers parked there to go eat lunch or something frivolous.
THEN, they (like anyone else) were in the WRONG, and abused their authority.
And it surprises me that any police officer would get on the bad side of ANY "hook" driver, because they RELY on those drivers to clear scenes of accidents, repos, parking violations, and the like.
(But hey, this is ALL just *my* opinion...not etched in stone stuff, kapeesh? I'm not there to get all the 411, and many times, neither are the media sources)
I find it ballsy beyond belief that anyone would call out the FWPD on a parking violation (parking control, anyone?), unless the cruiser was blocking the entrance to the EMERGENCY WARD at the hospital, or the entrance to a damn FIREHOUSE.
Cripes, I can't even GET an FWPD cruiser to "coop" in MY driveway at ANY time (and I provide FREE coffee)...!
That's just to keep the ghettohood quiet so we can get some sleep.
I can attest to the fact that whenever I had an FWPD car at MY house (with good reason) it DID get quieter around the area...until they left, then it started back up all over again...again, that's the way THESE moolies shake.
*** Lastly today, I was going to get into another "housing for the needy" BS gig the CITY was tossing our way down there on the ...(...all together, gang...)...SOUTHEAST SIDE, but that's better left for another day, as is this new "bi-fueled" truck that the local GM plant is going to build (you're gonna love that), so instead, let's focus on some basics of POLICING.
1) The police cannot be everywhere...all the time. That goes without saying.
2) The police can be at your house within MINUTES (when seconds count).
3) The police do more "radio-chasing" than anything else, unless they're part of a special detachment or division.
4) The police are there to protect and serve (when the ACLU and other fringe groups allow it).
5) The police perform CRIMINAL profiling (and not racial-profiling, as some race-baters would have you believe).
6) The police are NOT infallible...they're just HUMAN, like the rest of us, and can make mistakes.
7) The police do the best they can with what they have available to them.
8) The police are not there to be scorned, ridiculed, ignored, threatened, or hated. And they suffer from MORALE problems as well.
9) The police are as good as their WORST officer (or commander).
10) The police CHOOSE to put it ALL on the line...DAILY - can YOU say as much?
I think that sums things up nicely, considering the level of PROACTIVITY that's not being allowed today, and we can either make THEIR day, or THEY can make OURS.
All of this depends on every one of US.
It all comes down to being ABLE to properly police the areas of any city or town that NEED policing...everyone else doesn't require it all that much, if they have learned how to POLICE THEMSELVES.
Remember that the next time you hear a siren...
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay SAFE out there, America.

05 March 2012

Monday Musings...
And what a past 72 hours it has been, both here at our "fortress" , as well as farther south in the state of Indiana.
To me, if there ever was a reason to consider a return to simpler, gentler times, it was this weekend.
So, with that said, let's get into today's post, which happens to be packed tighter than a one-story house which contains over FIFTY CATS.
(and that is it's own, unique tale here in the Summit City)
*** Fort Wayne has it's FOURTH homicide.
Here's the link to the story:
http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120304/NEWS/120309825/1005
Seems two men got in a fracas outside of the East State Bar & Grille, one of them brought a gun into the mix, and the net result was all-too-predictable (as in NEVER bring a FIST to a GUNFIGHT).
But there WAS an arrest made, as stated in THIS followup story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120305/LOCAL07/303059932
In my opinion, the combatants SHOULD have been SEPARATED first (one sent outside) until police could be called to scene.
I do believe THIS one could have been a lot more preventable.
*** Over FIFTY cats removed from condemned house; some are neighborhood strays.
Helluva way to increase the bird population.
Here's the link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120304/LOCAL07/303049895
Guess some neighbors were wondering where "Cuddles" disappeared to.
Well, wonder no longer.
The initial story can be found HERE:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120302/LOCAL07/303029936



*** And ANOTHER numbnut (that doesn't belong in a HOUSE) proves that cooking at 2AM has it's consequences.
Here's the link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120305/LOCAL07/303059933
As usual, this happened on the...(...all together, gang...)...SOUTHEAST SIDE of Ft. Wayne.
Cripes, at this rate, we'll be a burgeoning brownfield, ripe for RE-development in less than 5 years!
And speaking of the SOUTHEAST SIDE...there's this:
(you won't see this on the news...yet, anyway)
*** I come from a city that is laced with graffiti...Philly has a bad rep when it comes to that...had one for decades.
But NOW, it's managed to make it out HERE, and quite well, as evidenced (all too often) by THIS.
((warning - it is a bit graphic, however.))
We saw this on a former city (utility?) building about 2 blocks from the "fortress" a few WEEKS ago, and this past weekend, I finally decided to take a picture of it, because obviously, this has gone UN-noticed by both POLICE and MEDIA (imagine that).
I decided to "stir the pot" here, and did contact one media source (nothing in over a week) and emailed another in the hopes that the "problems" we face down here get noticed, and thrust in the face of EVERY city department that holds sway to DO something about it (and has done little to date).
*** It is ironic to note that this weekend saw the passing of one James Q.Wilson (and that probably doesn't mean much to most of you, and that's fine...there won't be a quiz here).
Mr. Wilson was one of the co-authors of the whole BROKEN WINDOW THEORY
Here's a link about this forward-thinking individual:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/03/nyregion/james-q-wilson-dies-at-80-originated-broken-windows-policing-strategy.html?_r=1
It was HIS results from such studies about small crime = big crime that led to the whole Community-Oriented Policing we see in place today, except in like places such as MY part of Ft. Wayne's ghettohood, where PROBLEM-Oriented Policing should be followed until they get a real handle on the crime here...THEN, they can do the C.O.P. gig.
*** Once again, WEATHER takes the lead in Indiana this weekend.
If you were planning to take a visit south to the towns of Henrysville or Marysville, Indiana...well, they pretty much DON'T EXIST any longer, thanks to some tornadoes that rolled through last Friday, killing 13 (so far). Houses are gone...period.
Here's the link to the story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120305/NEWS07/303059915
*** I can relate to this on a MUCH smaller scale, as this past Friday (night), during those winds that (only) reached close to FIFTY MPH here, part of our fence was blown down. The area bracketed by yellow shows the section that fell.
Thanks to some Wifely assistance, (and a few hanks of old clothesline I had in the basement), I was able to get the fence back up and lashed down to the vertical posts.
Kinda hard to accomplish lifting a (damn heavy) wooden "sail" back into place with wind blowing crap in your eyes, no sunlight and dropping temperatures, I can tell you. My arms are still aching from that.
But that's what we do here at the "Bobby G. Fortress of Reason"...the difficult is EASY, the "impossible" just takes a bit longer...
Still, I can't imagine losing it ALL from just wind...makes my mind boggle.
Those folks near the KY state line have got their work cut out for them, and the Red Cross has already begun taking donations for essentials (and money) to aid those devastated by the tornadoes.
Hell, all WE have to do is call around for a GOOD fence company to REPLACE the whole damn thing...and THIS time, it WILL be done RIGHT.
STEEL POSTS with wooden fencing...no rotting out of the verticals, and I will specify that I want this fence a lot more "wind-proof" than that old cedar crap. I like my fortresses "secure"...and unable to have it's bastions stormed, by man OR nature.
*** And that brings me to early yesterday morning, when at around 0733, I heard OVER TEN SHOTS ring out...and fairly close by, too.
I immediately went from window to window, to see if anyone was in a vehicle or on foot...with some sort of firearm (and I had MY pistol in hand...just in case). I saw no one outside at all...that was too damn weird (must have been a backyard that was obscured).
I DID hear a code *113* go out on the police radio (shots fired), but could NOT get a *20* (location).
I will post and update when the FWPD decides to post YESTERDAY'S police runs and see where dispatch received the call from.
At least someone ELSE heard it beside the Missus and myself (it was loud enough to wake her up), but I never heard any followup as to arrests, suspects...anything.
Ah, yes...yet ANOTHER illegal firearms discharge goes UNSOLVED down there in the ghettohood...gotta LOVE it.
Well, you have to have ADEQUATE POLICE PATROL COVERAGE in the damn area first, don'cha?
I could honestly say it was well within a TWO-block radius, and a fairly good size caliber, by the type of sound the shots made.
I didn't see any damage to OUR property, but if someone just shot UP...well, those bullets have to come DOWN...somewhere, right?
(and to think I can't go legally shoot all those damn boomcars and other assorted morons infesting OUR area,...oh, wait...I have something called ETHICS. But for how much longer...who can say?)
Now THAT is one helluva double-standard.
*** I FINALLY finished up yesterday on as good a note as I could manage after all this crap...I made us a spaghetti dinner with meatballs (from scratch) with garlic bread and sangria to chase it all down.
And a local station had a MONKEES marathon on all damn day...now THAT brought back a LOT of good memories from those times I mentioned above - kinder and gentler times, even if we were increasingly involved in Vietnam.
At least we weren't hearing our own neighborhood sounding like a hot LZ in the process...AND, we had a lot FEWER "broken Windows" as well.
There is just TOO much sh*t that goes down here DAILY, that apparently a lot of people CAN do something about...but simply aren't.
That establishes a very BAD idea as what constitutes a safe neighborhood, and all but negates what is considered a QUALITY-OF-LIFE that REAL people can wrap their lives around. That just ain't happening, and for whatever reason, I have NO idea.
I could speculate 'til the cows come home, and maybe I will post my thoughts on that (again) some day, but right now, I'm still trying to recoup & regroup for whatever other assaults will be coming at us THIS week...be they from nature, or mankind...or both.
I will tell you one thing...it DOES wear a person down; imperceptibly at first, then more and more as the years roll by.
People should never be "forced" from their homes...not because some (other) people don't want them there, or because of some perverse form of affirmative-action or list of entitlements. That's what causes slum areas to develop in the first place.
Again, it always comes back to holding YOURSELF accountable, and being PERSONALLY responsible for the manner in which YOU conduct YOURSELF.
Take care of THAT problem, and a lot more problems will seemingly disappear before our eyes...I can take that to the bank.
But, until that is properly addressed, and more people take a stand to such things...get used to being nomadic, I guess.
I can be responsible for MY house...and MY life, but everyone else should ALSO be like-minded in that regard.
Because when we all DO think like that...our nation can be reclaimed a lot easier...as it should.
Have yourselves a great week.
be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay SAFE out there, America.

02 March 2012

Friday Follies...
Well, the title of YESTERDAY'S post hit the nail on the damn head, didn't it?
March IS coming in like a lion.
Certainly, the weather over the next 24 hours here in the Heartland will be "interesting" with (severe) thunderstorms heading our way.
April showers coming a tad EARLY, don'cha think?
In the meantime, we've plenty to rant, rave, discuss and debate this morning, so let's have at it...
*** Andrew Breitbart dies at the age of 43.
If you are one of the growing number of people disgusted with the way the government has been operating, and wanted to have a voice, Mr. Breitbart was it. He was the tip of the spear, so to speak, when it came to calling people out for wrongdoing.
--When you think ACORN, you think Breitbart.
--When you think Anthony Weiner, you think Brietbart.
--When you think of "Occupy", you think Breitbart.
And don't think because of his passing that the TRUTH will be silenced or abated in any way.
If anything, I believe that whatever seeds he planted will bear fruit, and that for every voice quelled, TEN will take his place, and those ten will have TEN EACH...and so on.
I intend to keep his link under "THE PROS" heading on the sidebar, because his manner of reaching out to people, and his tenacity in following the trail to the truth of a story has allowed me to want to emulate (in a much smaller way) him and his methodology.
And I don't believe I'm alone in feeling that way.
Meanwhile...back at the Internet cafe...
*** Looks like the FWPD caught ONE of the Opana robbers...maybe one of the MAIN ones.
Here's the link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120302/LOCAL07/303029918/1002/LOCAL
Nice mugshot...looks like a publicity photo for the Los Banos or MS13.
This perp was the one that robbed the West Jefferson Ave. Walgreens MOST recently...maybe he got sloppy, or maybe he was pulling a copycat...who knows.
And he's from Columbia City...nice to know that crime has LONG tentacles (in small cities).
Here's his rap sheet:
02D04-0906-IF-007719 137068 Velez, Vincen 06/11/2009
Allen Superior Court 5 IF - Infraction
Decided NO SAFETY BELT/PASSENGER
02D04-0907-IF-010316 139099 Velez, Vincen 07/20/2009
Allen Superior Court 4 IF - Infraction
Decided NO SAFETY BELT/PASSENGER
02D06-1105-CM-002862 NA VELEZ, VINCEN 05/16/2011
Allen Superior Court 6 CM - Criminal Misdemeanor
Decided 35-44-2-2(d)(1)/MB: False Informing
02D05-1106-CM-003448 NA VELEZ, VINCEN 06/09/2011
Allen Superior Court 5 CM - Criminal Misdemeanor
Decided 35-43-4-3(a)/MA: Conversion
02D05-1106-CM-003883 NA VELEZ, VINCEN 06/30/2011
Allen Superior Court 5 CM - Criminal Misdemeanor
Decided 35-43-4-3(a)/MA: Conversion
02D05-1109-CM-005341 NA
NA VELEZ, VINCEN 09/06/2011
Allen Superior Court 5 CM - Criminal Misdemeanor
Decided 35-43-1-2(a)(1)(A)(i)/MA: Criminal Mischief - Pecuniary Loss At Least $250 But Less Than $2,500
7.1-5-1-3/MB: Public Intoxication
02D04-1109-MC-002415 NA
NA VELEZ, VINCEN 09/21/2011
Allen Superior Court 4 MC - Miscellaneous Criminal (Citation)
Decided 35-43-4-2(a)/FD: Theft
35-44-3-3(a)(1)/MA: Resisting Law Enforcement
35-44-3-3(a)(3)/MA: Resisting Law Enforcement
02D06-1109-FD-001284 VELEZ, VINCEN 09/26/2011
Allen Superior Court 4 FD - Class D Felony
Decided 35-43-4-2(a)/FD: Theft
35-44-3-3(a)(3)/MA: Resisting Law Enforcement
35-44-3-3(a)(1)/MA: Resisting Law Enforcement
Maybe if the police track this thug back, they might uncover a "ring" of thieves...who can say?
*** An arrest has been made in a drive-by shooting earlier this year on the (...all together, gang...) SOUTHEAST SIDE of Fort Wayne.
Here's the link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120302/LOCAL07/303029959
Looks like old AC is going to the DC (detention center).
What an animal...the lack of regard for authority and people just oozes off of this picture
Here's the rap sheet:
02D04-0904-IF-004491 551956 James, Ac 04/16/2009
Allen Superior Court 5 IF - Infraction
Decided EXPIRED PLATE
02D06-1012-IF-015713 600346 JAMES, AC, Jr. 12/21/2010
Allen Superior Court 6 IF - Infraction
Decided 9-21-5-2(1)/IFC: Speeding - Exceeding 30 mph in an Urban District
02D06-1110-IF-015949 119999 JAMES, AC 10/06/2011
Allen Superior Court 6 IF - Infraction
Pending 9-24-19-1/IFA: Driving While Suspended
02D04-1010-MC-002116 NA
NA JAMES, A C, Jr. 10/04/2010
Allen Superior Court 4 MC - Miscellaneous Criminal (Citation)
Decided 35-42-2-2(b)(1)/FD: Criminal Recklessness (defn armed w/ deadly weapon)
35-42-2-1(a)(1)(A)/MA: Battery Resulting in Bodily Injury
35-47-2-1(a)/MA: Carrying a Handgun Without a License
02D06-1010-FD-000979 JAMES, A C, Jr. 10/07/2010
Allen Superior Court 6 FD - Class D Felony
Decided 35-42-2-2(b)(1)/FD: Criminal Recklessness (defn armed w/ deadly weapon)
35-47-2-1(a)/MA: Carrying a Handgun Without a License
02D05-1012-IF-015605 616046 JAMES, A C, Jr. 12/17/2010
Allen Superior Court 5 IF - Infraction
Decided 9-19-10-2/IFD: Failure of Occupant to Use Safety Belt
02D04-1102-IF-000909 613747 JAMES, A C, Jr. 02/10/2011
Allen Superior Court 4 IF - Infraction
Decided 9-21-3-7/IFC: Disregard Lighted Signal - Signals Exhibiting Colored Lights
02D05-1104-IF-004325 621693 JAMES, A C, Jr. 04/05/2011
Allen Superior Court 5 IF - Infraction
Pending 9-19-6-3/IFC: Improper Headlights
02D06-1107-IF-010238 630655 JAMES, A C, Jr. 07/11/2011
Allen Superior Court 6 IF - Infraction
Decided 9-24-19-1/IFA: Driving While Suspended
***
This kind of story always has me laughing my ass off, and I think YOU will know why.
Here's the link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120302/BIZ/303029924
Yep, thanks to Obama and his anti-capitalistic cronies, higher FUEL prices WILL translate to higher EVERYTHING prices...
Well, DUH...!!!
Cripes, BLIND people can see this one coming.
But the good news is that others are catching on to many of the REAL reasons behind the surge in prices at the pump.
Just last night, I heard someone on FOX mention that printing ALL that money a couple years back (as part of the stimulus / bailout fiasco) only served to DEVALUE OUR DOLLAR, and naturally, when such inflation occurs, everything costs MORE...like that barrel of CRUDE OIL.
Whatever happened to all the pre-OPEC competition between oil companies that ALLOWED us all to enjoy gas prices UNDER A DOLLAR per gallon?
This whole "dump our oil into the GLOBAL market" is pure BS to me.
That's like taking all the food from YOUR freezer and pantry and then dumping it into a vast "pool" so someone ELSE can jack UP the price before you have to buy it back...makes no damn sense to me at all.
Please stop this merry-go-round...a lot of us want to get the hell off...NOW.
America CAN do better, and we should DEMAND better from those we vote into office. We should also hold those voted in accountable for ALL decisions THEY make on our behalf, and be bold enough to question everything that needs questioning.
Sitting back on "cruise-control" is no longer an option for this nation and her people.
*** Lastly today, I have always said that ONE PERSON CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE, and that stems way back to the old Knight Rider days, when a man is given a "second chance" to right a wrong.
(( Caution - synopsis alert!))
~A self-made billionaire, Wilton Knight leaves the legacy and resources of his empire, as well as the organization he founded (The foundation for Law And Government) F.L.A.G. to one man he resurrects from near death.
He tells the young man (now named Michael Knight, a new identity he was given) that:
"One man can make a difference".~
That stuck with me, and even in the trappings of some fictional TV show, one can sift through all the "schmaltz" and find a nugget of truth.
And sometimes, that one nugget is all a lot of us need to get us motivated into action.
Andrew Breitbart exemplified the RIGHT side of the fence, while these other thugs demonstrate how WRONG it can be to also be motivated into action...the criminal kind, that is.
Our politicians also can make a difference, both good AND bad, and each one of us needs to see beyond today whenever we decide on a particular candidate. Today will be tomorrow's history, and if history is a good teacher, we should LEARN from past mistakes.
Our future will become tomorrow's present and THERE is where most all of us will be spending the most time,.so we'd best set about making it a GOOD future...for ourselves AND our children.
Have yourselves a great weekend.
Be well, make a difference to someone today, and as always...
Stay SAFE out there, America.