07 September 2012

Friday Follies...
And another weekend stares us in the face...FINALLY!
The weather for most of the day will be nice...and less hot and humid, but later tonight, we're expecting some showers, possibly lasting into early tomorrow. But the really good news is that overnight temps will drop to the mid-FIFTIES.
With that said, let's take a peek into what else has been going on, shall we?
*** If you wanted to hear a good "speech" last night, all you had to do was listen to our fearless leader at the DNC.
If, however, you were hoping for some SUBSTANCE to that speech...sorry, wasn't going to happen.
The way Obama was "preaching", I was expecting either Martin Luther King or Gandhi to be somehow raised from the dead and walk onstage.
You have to give him that - he's a good ORATOR, but then again, so was Edward Everett, but even HE, after almost TWO hours of oration could not ever hope to compare with the several minutes it took Lincoln to read HIS speech...his Gettysburg Address.
So, it's not about QUANTITY, folks...it's about QUALITY.
Charles Krauthammer nailed it:
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/krauthammer-one-of-the-emptiest-speeches-i-have-ever-heard-on-a-national-stage/
And, according to the AP, the "magic" seemed to be missing at the DNC.
Here's the link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120907/NEWS03/309079927/0/SEARCH
The AP uses the term AWOL...how appropriate.
The Dems actually BELIEVE that we are BETTER OFF than we were four years ago...
And they probably have a bridge for sale (cheap) in Manhattan.
If paychecks and jobs remained STATIC (no growth OR loss) and consumer prices were LOWER, than yes, we "might" all be better off.
But such has not been the case, has it?
This nation has LOST jobs...LOST homes...LOST wages...and that's only the tip of the iceberg.
We have seen rises in fuel, which leads to higher FOOD (and damn near everything else) prices.
Obama says he saved the auto industry...Better check the BS-O-Meter, gang.
He BAILED out ONE car company (GM) and tossed some cash at another (Chrysler), and it was all...taxpayer money (which we will never see again in any way, shape or form).
He has pursued alternative energy to the tune of HUNDREDS of BILLIONS as well, with a number of companies (after receiving the moolah), having up and FOLDED like a losing poker player...does the name SOLYNDRA ring any bells?
And he has dragged his feet when it comes to drilling for OUR OWN oil, with regulations that stifle new drilling, and also delaying the Keystone Pipeline from Canada.
All the while, his government (not ours) has spent OUR money like a bunch of drunken sailors on eternal LIBERTY.
Obama has racked up over SIX TRILLION DOLLARS of NEW DEBT...and this is on HIS WATCH...no one elses, and still he wants to play the "blame game"...anyone but HIM, right?
Sorry, but that might work for some spoiled child, but we're talking about a leader of the free world here.
Own up to what is wrong...be man enough to "fess up" to the missteps and mistakes made by YOUR administration.
That doesn't seem THAT much to ask of our very own President, does it?
Anyone that labors under the misconception that you CAN spend your way out of debt is SADLY MISTAKEN, and yet these progressives fall in lockstep with such programs.
No one gets out of hock by spending more money that they don't have....and to think that way is STUPID beyond belief.
The balance of this election run will be VERY interesting to watch, and we ALL have to be paying close attention to everything and everyone, so that we CAN make an informed choice when the time comes.
*** Yes, Virginia, the Ft. Wayne Air Show was a HUGE hit, with around 82K in attendance (and that includes yours truly), but we're probably NOT going to have another one NEXT year...so says the event coordinator.
(I saw this story on TV, but cannot find an online reference...sorry about that)
At the cost of around $350K (which is a bargain considering the logistics) it might be doable (again) within TWO years.
And I will be there as well, Lord willing.
(but lower the concessions prices...PLEASE)
I'd have to say that such an event makes a helluva lot MORE sense than all these "consultants" and "task forces" the city loves to create when they're not really needed, but our fabled King Henry knows best, right?
...or does he?
*** And our DUMBASS OF THE WEEK AWARD goes to...
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120907/LOCAL07/309079930/1002/LOCAL
Yeah, if you're a teenager escaping from a Juvey detention center, and you have the balls to STEAL a car for that getaway, make sure it's got enough FUEL on board...BTW, that "E" on the dashboard gauge does NOT mean "excellent" anymore than the "R" on the shifter means "race"...got it?
And to make a bad situation WORSE, when the trooper found the car (a 2002 Grand Prix) the youth told him he ran out of gas and was waiting for help. I'm sure the statey was MORE than willing to fulfill that request, as prescription painkillers AND a loaded .38 caliber handgun were ALSO found in the vehicle. Some days, it REALLY pays to be a LEO...like in THIS case, hmm?
When you read about HOW this kid managed to get away, you're going to admit that he was one BUSY little sumbitch.
But, at least we DO have a happy ending...and that never gets old, does it?
*** Lastly today...with this past Monday as a holiday, TODAY becomes our trash pickup day...real simple to figure out. Everything gets pushed BACK one day. But as is the case in the ghettohood, all the uninformed (by choice and ignorance) put the cans out the USUAL day (yesterday).
I always find it both amusing and disgusting to see that some folks don;t bother to become INFORMED...
Like what will happen to a large degree during this election.
A VAST number of people don'care to be informed, but would rather see which candidate will "gimme mo free sh*t"...and if a vote is based SOLELY on that premise, then I would have to say that we do indeed have a portion of our populace too damn stupid to be allowed to vote...period.
Same would apply to DRIVING...given the manner of people you encounter on the roads these days, some people should NOT be allowed to drive anything larger than a tricycle.
And we can add to this mix BEHAVIOR IN PUBLIC PLACES...copping an attitude because that burger wasn't made YOUR WAY (for free) and causing a ruckus in a fast food joint...or allowing your kids to scream and run all over the store, unsupervised, or permitting them to cause a scene at a restaurant.
All these scenarios can be avoided...when people take the time to LEARN stuff...the SIMPLE stuff...and the IMPORTANT stuff in life.
You can't get something for nothing (legally) so don't bother trying.
You CAN get damn near anything in life, though...IF you're willing to do what it takes to GET IT, and that might mean working...saving...setting the correct priorities for your life. Again, this is SO damn simple, it should be second-nature, and to some people it IS.
The AMERICAN DREAM is still alive and well, and the OPPORTUNITY to chase after it DOES exist.
But, like anything in life, there is NEVER a "guarantee", and many times, there are conditions to be met.
Thing is, you need to know all that AHEAD of time, and make the right choices along the way.
THAT is what made this nation great, and can keep there in that manner.
Have yourselves a great weekend.
Be well, make a difference to someone today, and as always...
Stay SAFE out there, America.

06 September 2012

American Experience Delayed...
Welcome to our "Not quite the weekend, but we're getting there" edition of the daily dose of common sense.
The temps today will only reach into the low 80s with no precipitation (until the weekend, of course).
And NO FOG today, either.
That means when I'm finished HERE, I get to mow the back yard (oh...joy.).
But before we tackle ANY of that stuff, let's find out the answer to yesterday's WHO SAID THAT? quote:
"I determined to make no-man's land our land. We set out to besiege the besiegers."
This was spoken by. Lt. General Leslie Morshead, his principle of defense as commander of the Tobruk garrison and the North Australian Division, 1944, as quoted in Hornet The Commanders, 1984.
And here's his WIKI:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Morshead
This is one of those commanders that hardly anyone has heard of (here) and yet, his career spanned TWO World Wars, and during WW2, he seemed to be everywhere from Tobruk and El Alamein to New Guinea.
Truly a remarkable individual...and now you know about him.
Moving along...
*** This is a story that has to make you believe in American Exceptionalism.
Here's the link:
http://www.kcentv.com/story/19451190/wwii-vet-defends-home-against-would-be-robbers
A NINETY-TWO year old veteran...shoots and kills a home invader...gotta love that.
Earl Jones of Verona Kentucky is the man who defended his home, just as he defended this nation ALL those years ago.
And with a .22 caliber rifle, no less.
The recently-deceased was one Lloyd "Adam" Maxwell of Richmond, KY.
This was the third break-in to Jones' farm, and he's lived alone since his wife passed back in 2006.
I say pin a damn MEDAL on this man...for doing the RIGHT thing at the RIGHT time.
Here is a case where all this man wants to do is be left alone and live out the remainder of his life on his farm...and that's something that must bother some people, who feel it's their "right" to take from such a honorable man.
And that's a huge problem in this country these days...some people just don't want to leave other people the hell ALONE.
I know in OUR part of the ghettohood, I certainly want to be left alone, especially by the human vermin that infest the houses around us.
But that's too much to ask of such morons..they want to "include" you in their lives (no thank you...mine and Wifey's is sufficient).
That's why you have to always hear THEIR lives outside your door...put up with THEIR shenanigans and noise to all hours, and deal with THEIR disdain and disrespect for you, because YOU are one of "those" normal folks...and don't really belong here any longer, thanks to the burgeoning FREAKSHOW that has been blooming down here on the SE side for the last 2-3 decades.
My solution is simple...THEY need to learn how to BEHAVE in public...period.
The world does NOT (nor ever will) revolve around THEM!
That applies to everything from keeping your kids on a short leash in stores and restaurants to not dressing like a damn slob (or worse) and becoming a much better role model for your children...
THAT is the basics for a better society, and it IS achievable.
*** Didn't watch much of the DNC last night (American Guns was on Discovery Channel...lol), but I did pick up some of Bill Clinton's speech...seemed like I did a time warp back to the mid 90s...and that was scary.
Somehow, I cannot believe the people of this country can buy into such BS...and so consistently, too.
When you look back to election cycles from early last century, you find the public seemed a lot MORE informed and a lot less "indulged" by the government. I think THAT has got a lot to do with the state of affairs these days.
*** We, as a society have become over-indulgent, giving in time and again to our baser instincts, and it's so easy to see, it's not funny.
It's hedonism, plain and simple.
When you have riots at stores when the latest "athletic shoe" comes to market, or hoards of people descending upon electronic stores when the newest iPhone comes out, that should tell you a LOT.
It's as though Americans are in a perpetual state of ESCAPISM, and that's not good.
Escapism is like that ONE food you love so much, but you only indulge yourself once in a while, because it's SPECIAL and means something to you.
These days, we go from one venue to the other, without cessation, in the "hope" we can find the NEXT BIG THING to occupy our minds and time.
We become SO enamored with whatever comes along, that we are willing to allow the government to come in, part and parcel, and dictate to us HOW we should be running our lives, when WE should be the ones at the wheel, able to practice self-control and moderation.
This is not progress, nor anything that could be called evolutionary.
*** The American Experience is, in essence a grand "experiment" in self-governance...the Founders all but stated as much.
How far we seem to have come from that noble premise.
We seem to be of a mind these days that says we're willing to let the government tell us all we need to know about living...to guide us from cradle to grave, and to even think for us, because we're too busy doing "more important" things like those mentioned above.
I think the time has come where we ALL "ante up", because the stakes are huge.
Every one of us needs to start pulling our OWN weight...holding up OUR part of that log (military PT reference), and being able to LEARN a lot more than we have been, thereby also being able to pass this along to the next generation.
It worked pretty damn well in our past, but sadly, our grandparents and even parents are leaving us all, and after that happens, where do we go if we have not spent time learning all we could from such people?
Time moves in only ONE direction...FORWARD.
(and we all are granted a finite amount OF that time)
No replays, no do-overs, no resets...
And we all need to become more knowledgeable as we move through time, not LESS.
We need to glean wisdom from that knowledge, and be able to apply it to any and all situations we encounter.
And we need to do it ON OUR OWN..without government intervention.
Like I said...that was the way we USED to do things in this country, and we were all the better for doing so...weren't we?
I'd like to believe so.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay SAFE out there, America.

05 September 2012

Humpday Happenings...
Gonna be short and sweet today...
A bit of settling FOG is rolling in this morning.
Didn't see ANY fog between 0530 and 0630, but now, it's getting thicker than the BS at the DNC.
I know if there's ONE thing I do like about such fog, it's that I can barely see any of the "neighbors", and the less of them I see, the better.
But, it will probably burn off in an hour, with temps hitting 90 today (keep the A/C on stand-by).
Anyway, let's begin today with our military quote...AKA WHO SAID THAT?
"I determined to make no-man's land our land. We set out to besiege the besiegers."
So...who said that?
The answer at the top of tomorrow's post.
Meanwhile, back in the trenches...
*** I confess that I didn't watch ALL the DNC last evening, as they had a show on the Military Channel about "Secret Weapons Revealed" (new series), and THAT was more intriguing to me than a bunch of posturing liars in nice clothes spending taxpayer money in N. Carolina.
However, I did notice a few things.
Barney Frank showed up with a belt (???) around his neck...(I kid you not)...!
Guess his "partner" is into some really kinky sh*t, hmm?
I've always wanted to give Frank a "BELT" or two...because he deserves it.
Mrs. Da Prez took the podium and gave a very "interesting" speech.
Michelle (ma'belle) Obama had ONE line that I think we ALL need to remember when she spoke about her husband (and his Presidency):
"Being President doesn't change who you are...it REVEALS who you are."
That line (to me) speaks VOLUMES...!!!
And I believe we have seen Obama "reveal" himself to us in ways we couldn't even imagine.
The word "dystopian" comes to mind.
She went on to say that being President hasn't changed him or his "character"... (once an activist, always an activist, I guess).
I can say that the Presidency SURE didn't give Barry ANY level of HUMILITY...because HE is always right, has trouble admitting to any mistakes he makes (blame everyone else) and wants HIS vision and agenda to be THE ONE for America (sorry, that ship ain't sailing, Bub).
Now, forgive me for bringing up something Bill O'Reilly mentioned last night on his show, but IF you have a football coach that is brought in to IMPROVE a team, and, after THREE years, the team is NO better, and is actually WORSE off, you typically LET THE COACH GO...you FIRE him, right?
I've seen this from the NFL all the way down to the high school level...that's the way things work.
Same goes for most ANY occupation...and it echos what Eastwood said last week:
"If someone isn't doing the job, you gotta let him go."
Doesn't matter if it's a clerk, a policeman, a teacher, a pilot...whatever.
I'm sure the speeches will only "reveal" more as the DNC progresses, hmm?
*** And while we're at it...there's THIS:
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/dems-remove-all-references-to-god-from-2012-party-platform/
Imagine that...not ONE WORD referring to GOD in the Democrats platform...!
At least the GOP mentioned our Creator TWELVE times...
(guess we know who the GODLESS are among us NOW)
Granted that running on any "religious-themed" platform is viewed with a level of disdain in America, but at least the GOP had the balls to MENTION God...something that's about as foreign to the Dems as plain old regular coffee is to Starbucks!
*** Our "debt-clock" has finally topped SIXTEEN TRILLION BUCKS!
To put that into some sort of perspective, you could buy EIGHTY-FOUR SPACE SHUTTLES for that price...or purchase APPLE corporation THIRTY-FIVE TIMES over.
THAT is some serious scratch, people!
You're probably wondering WHO we owe most of that money to, right?
Wonder no longer:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/09/04/who-do-owe-most-that-16-trillion-to-hint-it-isnt-china/
Now THIS should come as a shock to some degree.
We know that China is the largest FOREIGN holder of our debt, but it's a lot closer to home when it comes to the overwhelming MAJORITY of the debt. And that should make us all sleep better at night...HOW (exactly)?
*** Lastly today, there is an old saying that if you find yourself in a hole, the best thing to do is STOP DIGGING, right?
Be even nicer to have a way to FILL that hole back in, wouldn't it?
Well, we've got us one HELLUVA hole, and most all of us are in it (tells you how LARGE it really is), and the problem is that our government is STILL digging, even when we try and take the shovels away.
This election cycle might give us such an opportunity to do so.
Lord knows we need to have our feet back on level ground, and not in some pit that is halfway to Hades.
If we pay attention to what is being said, and become more informed as to the reality and not the perception, we will be better able to make the right call when the time comes, and it's coming...like a jail-on-wheels.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America.

04 September 2012

Tuesday Tidbits...
Looks to be a bit on the cloudy side this morning with some fog in outlying areas.
And it will be warm today, with temps going into the mid-upper 80s. There is a 50% "chance" of rain today (according to the police radio), so plan accordingly.
Now, let's take a gander at what's been going on elsewhere...
*** First up, some updates to yesterday's stories.
Here's the link to the 3 year old and the hit and run driver:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120903/LOCAL07/120909885/1002/LOCAL
And the update to the death investigation:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120904/LOCAL07/309049952/1002/LOCAL
And the shooting on E. Wayne St link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120904/LOCAL07/309049954/1043/LOCAL07
There, that's gets THAT stuff out of the way.
Meanwhile, back at the "Fortress"...
*** There was a bit of an "epilogue" to my Air Show adventure...
(and you'll find it SO typical of the vermin that infest this part of town)
After I had been home for a while, I noticed some trash had been tossed on our property (we're the official dump site and idiot magnet for the area, apparently), so I go out to pick it up, and it's then I notice a suspicious brown Ford Explorer parked in front of our house with two black males sitting inside.
Now, this area has a history of having cars pull up to curbs while the passengers smoke (or deal) their dope...it's a FACT, so there's no denying it. Seen it too many times, and even managed to have the FWPD catch 2 perps that were dealing, so I'm always aware of WHO should and who should NOT be out front.
I stand there long enough for them to see me, and they (as they always do) pull away. I mumbled "That's right, you better leave", at which time, the passenger (who obviously had DOG hearing) had the SUV stop, and he said "what did you say?'"
I replied: "I said you better be leaving.", to which he retorted in a usual ethnic alpha-male bravado: "I'll beat your ass".
It was at that point I started to LAUGH, and as I turned away, I said "You really FUNNY, man."
The SUV drove off (lucky for them, as I was packing AND on MY property...all totally LEGAL).
So you see, even when you DO have a relatively GOOD day (particularly ELSEWHERE), you can be assured that when you return home, it'll be back to the ghetto in some fashion...some assh*le will try and ruin it for you.
THIS is the result of an entitlement mentality and government-sponsorship.
*** Labor Day around here is like damn near every other day...same old from the aborigines...never any change, never any abatement.
But we DID have all those fireworks that were NOT used during the 4th to be set off over the past several days...
And I will say that anyone coming back from being in country and suffering from PTSD would definitely be having "flashbacks".
Yes, being at the AIR SHOW was actually a lot QUIETER...even when the A-10s were doing mock strafing runs!
Naturally the FWPD were getting calls into dispatch, and dispatch was advising the officers that fireworks WERE BEING ALLOWED throughout the Labor Day weekend. That must have frustrated the officers as well as the citizens that had to suffer through such constant noise.
Personally, I would BAN such (not all) fireworks within the city limits..period (for consumers), and that's not necessarily being an electric wet blanket on the party...it's being practical.
The population of Fort Wayne has risen substantially over the last decade or so, and that means MORE people in any given area.
Sadly, as a population INCREASES, the number of MORONS also INCREASES in direct relationship to the overall numbers (figure on at least 10-15 percent). And the greatest density is located on the good old SE side of town...(hence the idiot-magnet mention above).
Now, if there were provisions to have those who HAVE to buy thousands of bucks of fireworks (where they get the money for all that sh*t is anyone's guess) to be able to set them off in an OPEN area, say like the abandoned SCOTT'S parking lot along Decatur Rd, that would work for me...(and anyone else that finds stupid people annoying as hell). But nothing is done to at least TRY that scenario.
The CITY certainly doesn't give a rat's ass, and the neighborhood associations are mum as well.
When someone's house burns down, THEN something (small) will be done, but not before.
*** One curious thing about LABOR day...it's meant to acknowledge the WORKING man or woman, right?
So, WHY do those that don't work even BOTHER to observe the day?
Doesn't that make about as much sense as putting another hole in the Titanic to "let the water out"?
VERY few people in my part of the ghettohood work (selling street pharms and fencing stolen merchandise doesn't count, btw), so WHY bother to "celebrate" the working class?
We're talking about people who (by their own hand and choice) have become UNMARKETABLE in the working class, and have sought out the easily-acquired "government_sponsorship"...at the EXPENSE of those who DO work and DO pay taxes for such entitlement programs.
That's hardly cause to have a party for their lazy asses...is it?
It's THEIR lack of desire to work...their lack of wanting to achieve...to aspire to something better than they have settled for that gets my goat.
Hell, these people celebrate being lazy and shiftless EVERY damn day, so why not BAN them from doing so on the ONE day we SHOULD celebrate the WORKING CLASS, hmm?
We definitely need some PARITY here, don'cha think?
*** The DNC begins tonight, and the only reason I will watch some of it, is to hear the propaganda, the lies, and the vitriol that will be spewed at the GOP. I think when you're wrong (as the Dems have been over the last 3 years with their agenda), they SHOULD own up to it, and then move on...but they will try and turn it back to the GOP...and that will be fun to watch, because they haven't a leg to stand on (imho).
*** Lastly, This nation was BUILT from very humble beginnings....log by log, brick by brick, stone by stone, and it pains me to see some people just "take" from the coffer when they have contributed nothing (except criminal activity) to our society.
Most ALL of us know what it's like to work for a living...to bust out asses daily, but in the end, we realize that to do nothing NETS nothing...at least that's the way WE were brought up.
You can't get blood from a turnip, and you should never waste time trying.
We pursue that happiness BY working.
We might not like the job, but we do the best we can.
Perhaps we change fields during our lifetime several times over, and still we strive to do better, so that the next generation can see not only what WE have done, but what we have bestowed TO that generation, and hopefully, that will be a decent work ETHIC.
This nation was built upon such principles, and we need to remember that.
We may not ALL be able to secure a career in life, but at least we should be able to find a job.
My Father used to say that "JOBS are like buses...you wait a bit, and another one WILL come along."
There is no excuse to have so many able-bodied individuals content to do NOTHING in life, while others (some even less capable) do it FOR them , as well as themselves.
Those that DO are the REAL patriots, and those that do not (or will not) are nothing but leeches on society's veins.
That needs to change, and the sooner the better.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay SAFE out there, America.

03 September 2012

Monday Musings - Labor day Edition...

Welcome to a new month, a new week, and many of the same old problems in the world.
A chance of rain today in the Summit City (not enough of a chance to shut up the morons) with temps topping out in the 80s.
And then, it's back to normal tomorrow for the working class.
We'll be getting to my "excellent adventure" at the AIR SHOW in just a few, but right now, let's get the bad news out of the way.
*** First up, my "good deed" for the week.
Along our property, I found a "money jar"...the type you find at counters for children suffering from various problems...a DONATION jar, as it were. It was totally intact and had pictures of Chloe Felger of Ft. Wayne (they held events for her medical treatment payments last year). She's a very cute child, but it was odd that THIS jar was on my grass.
I figured someone ripped it off of some store nearby.
So, I called into the FWPD and explained the situation, The jar even still had dried adhesive where it used to sit on some counter at some store someplace in the city.
An officer was dispatched and he picked up the jar, along with the lid and a whole lot of colored wrist bands.
I know, if it were my daughter suffering a genetic disorder, and someone stole her donation jar (and money), I'd be pretty damn PO'ed.
Well...hopefully, some good things will work out for little Chloe and her family.
Moving on...
*** A 3 year old is struck by a van.
Here's the link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120902/LOCAL/120909926/1002/LOCAL
Now, it's alleged that the boy was on the sidewalk and the van backed up, hitting him.
The van was recovered, but the driver is still "in the wind". It was loaned to him by the owner.
The child had a 14 year old babysitter (mom was in hospital, no doubt having ANOTHER) and baby-daddy was out of town (probably on a felony charge). But we ALSO heard that the boy was taken to hospital by his "parents"...love the ambiguity here.
Again, we have more problems along OLIVER STREET...amazing, isn't it?
*** Here's what happens whenever you walk down a street on the city's...(...all together, gang...)...SOUTHEAST SIDE...at THREE IN THE FREAKING MORNING.
http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/crime/man-critical-after-being-shot-twice
You get shot...at least twice, by some perps in a CADDY (how stereotypical).
As usual...no arrests, no suspects, no hits, no runs, and no errors. Batter up?
*** A death investigation for a man found dead on the lower NORTHEAST side.
Here's the link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120902/LOCAL/120909931/1002/LOCAL
The man, who lived alone at the house/apartment in the 1500 block of Bayer Avenue, was in his 60s and police are not ruling out foul play (good idea, especially with the human flotsam you have infesting this city).
*** I awoke this morning around 0520 hrs, and heard loud music coming from one of the government-sponsored houses nearby (the garage, actually). In front of the 800 sq. ft. BUNGALOW were parked EIGHT vehicles...(helluva party going on, eh?)
So, I call the FWPD and within the "brief" span of FORTY MINUTES, they arrived and shut the moolies down.
Obviously, they didn't check for narcotics or alcohol (DUI potential out the ass), so it's just "business as usual" down here for the holiday weekend.
And speaking of the WEEKEND...
There's THIS:
*** Yes, I DID attend the Fort Wayne Air Show on Saturday...and I was not disappointed.
I arrived at Winters Rd (access to Saturday parking) around 10-ish, and we parked on a grassy knoll outside the air base.
From there, it as about a 1/4 mile "hike" to the gate entrance, and before that a checkpoint for people carrying things in that required inspection.
My binoculars (and case) got a "good to go, sir" from the Msgt there (fully outfitted with sidearm and M4 carbine).
After entering the gate, it was a couple hundred yard trek to the flight line and then...ALL that concrete to traverse.
The place is definitely HUGE inside, and that's aside from the hangar space OR the taxiways leading to the FW airport's main runways.
By now, it was around 1030 hrs, and since the air events wouldn't begin until NOON, I had time to meander about and check out all the STATIC DISPLAYS. And they had some pretty cool toys out there.
Do keep in mind that most all the time, people RARELY are walking from one end of the place to the other, and that's why they have VEHICLES to drive everyone's butt around, so you best have some comfy footwear.
The KC-10 tanker and the C-5 Galaxy cargo plane were especially intriguing, as I found out I now suffer from vertigo...on the damn ground!
I was looking up at the tail assemblies of those planes, each about FIVE STORIES OFF THE FLIGHT LINE, and I got dizzy (well dizzier than I usually am...lol). Those are some honking HUGE aircraft. You look four stories up, and there's this JET ENGINE mounted to the tail...
Anyway, I decided to take a walk-through of the C-5...and THAT took about 3 minutes to go from the aft section forward and out the nose door.
I told the Sgt on the way out that "she's STILL a big ship". He replied "That she is, sir".
Oh, btw I've never been called "sir" so much in ALL my life...and I've always worked for a living, so the whole "sir" thing never really applied...LOL.
By now, I was almost at the other end of the flight line (several football fields at least in length), and I got some pictures of a Tuskegee P-51 Mustang, a Lockheed "Harpoon" (naval version of Lockheed's Ventura - a development from the Hudson bomber), and of course, plenty of A-10 Warthogs that are the pride of the 122nd ANG "Blacksnakes".
They had displays of the engine, and weapon system (those GAU-8 30mm gatling cannon barrels were as long as our COUCH...and a lot deadlier).
After checking this out, it was rolling up to 1115 hrs, so I figured I have time to wander through the hangar...(another few football fields away), and inside there was a local man with more models on display than I think I built in my entire life.
Suffice it to say, we hit a mutual accord and chatted for a bit.
Since I had no breakfast, I was feeling a bit on the hungry side, and it was there that found out it's been QUITE some time since I attended anything like this. The prices were shall we say...interestingly as high as the aerobatic pilot maneuvers I would be seeing later...!
It was $3 for a soda..or iced tea...or bottled water. Food was higher still.
We're looking at "ANGELS EIGHT" for a hamburger, or chicken wings, or sausage, but I did find hot dogs for ONLY $4...so I snagged me one and an iced tea.
Now, with ANY good event, you definitely have to "score some swag", and I consider myself a champ in that department.
I stopped by the F-22 Raptor Demo Team booth and got me a shirt ($20), and a poster (another $10), but...I got it AUTOGRAPHED and had some jaw-jacking time with one of the "drivers" of the planes.
That was worth the expense (to me).
From there, I scored two patches from the 122nd ANG and the Air Combat Command (another $7), so that was a good haul.
As I worked my way BACK down the light line (yes, a couple more football fields later), I came upon a WW2 B-25, named "Panchito" (a Disney character from that era). Got to speak with the pilot of the plane, and we spoke about that landing gear failure they had a few months back...did a great job getting the ship back together, too.
I mean, it's not as though you can bop out to an PARTS PLUS joint and snag a new landing strut for a WW2 plane...right?
And there's not that many folks that "just have them lying around their basement or garage", either.
By now, it was time to grab a good spot near the taxi way so I could see the AERIAL EVENTS...it was 1200 hours at last.
The Army's Golden Knights took to the air and performed some cool star burst parachuting, landing right smack dab in front of me.
( BTW, Miss Ball State sung the National Anthem and does she have a set of pipes on her...she's a little shorter than I am, too - and yes, she's a cutie...sorry, I might be married, but I ain't blind yet)
After that, some aerobatics in a WW2 trainer (Stearman biplane), and more from "experimental" aircraft (single engine) that had me smiling from ear to ear. We even had a drag race between one stunt pilot and a motorcyclist...both hitting speeds of OVER 150 MPH on the runway.
One gentleman brought in another P-51 Mustang and sat about running up the engine before parking off the line.
That sounded SWEET...nothing like a Rolls-Royce Merlin V-12 engine to get my heart racing.
Then, I began to feel some light rain...(un, oh).
I also noticed that as it was rolling up past 1345 hours, my dogs were howling at me, and my legs were getting very tired.
If there's one thing you don't do when attending an event like this, it's BURN YOURSELF THE HELL OUT.
And since I didn't want Wifey to get a call from me at some place OTHER than the air show, I thought it might be best to head outta Dodge.
So, I grudgingly made my way out the gate and back to the car, but NOT before I was overflown by two A-10s, making mock strafing "runs" at staged pyrotechnic targets...you could hear the WHUMPS and see the smoke rising, as the jets zoomed over the parking area.
I knew I was going to miss the F-22 flight demo, but when your body says "knock it off", it's best to heed the advice. Besides, I caught a couple views of the Raptor on the way home.
Leaving the place was a breeze, even on the increasingly dampening ground...hardly got ANY mud on the Wifeymobile.
Traffic OUT was very light, but there WAS a mile-long line heading INBOUND to the parking area...a bit late, I think.
Later one, after I got home (safe and sound of course) I heard they actually cancelled the show (part of it anyway) due to rain, and the news said that getting out was horrible...didn't see that way at all to me...guess I "missed the rush".
Goes to show that when your body speaks...you LISTEN, because it might be saying more than you think.
(and the angel on my shoulder doesn't hurt either...LOL)
Here's two good links to the air show:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120902/LOCAL/120909931/1002/LOCAL
And here (with GREAT video):
http://news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120901/NEWS/120909955/1005/biz
So, all in all, it was a fun (if tiring) time for me...sure not the teenager that used to go with Dad all those years ago...not any longer.
Would I go again?
Damn straight I would!
All the events were held Sunday with no hitch - the rain held off on the day it was SUPPOSED to arrive...gotta love the "predictability" of weathermen...right?
But, I got my SWAG...bwahahahaha.
And I got some nice pictures for all of you that were there in spirit, right along side me.
So, you have yourselves a great Labor Day...and a good week ahead.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay SAFE out there, America.