21 February 2013

When It Can't Get Any Crazier...
...It usually does.
Today's world is really getting out-of-hand, and I'll be talking about that in a bit, but first we've other things that need attending to.
Our Heartland weather today is supposed to be sunny...well, all I'm seeing is some overcast, so that's gonna be a crap shoot.
When the sun DOES show up, THEN...I'll believe it.
Temps will climb all the way up to the high 20s...and that's about it, folks.
Might have a snow flurry here and there, but nothing appreciable.
Tomorrow (night) will be the "main event", so stay tuned for that.
Now, without any further ado...time to loose the pigeons!
*** First off the line today is the answer to yesterday's Motto of the week aka WHO SAID THAT?
"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."
This is attributed to good old Calvin Coolidge, and here's his WIKI:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvin_Coolidge
Calvin was considered a man of small government conservatism, and we would all be a lot better off if HE were in the White House today, instead of our "Whiner-in-Chief".
Coolidge was probably one of the few examples of being a lawyer and making the country WORK a lot better.
Very interesting background.
He was a man of few words, as well...something else I would find amenable in a president today, rather than all the "me, me, me" we hear from our "Spoiled Brat-in-Chief".
The most notable example of Calvin's brevity of speech was said at a dinner,where Dorothy Parker (who happens to share the SAME birthday as yours truly) said to him:
"I've made a bet with a fellow who said it was impossible to get more than two words out of you."
To which Coolidge calmly replied:
"You lose."
Gotta love a guy like that.
Meanwhile, back at the West Wing...
*** An update to the police-action shooting yesterday morning.
And here's the link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20130221/LOCAL07/302219987
The recently-deceased, one Stephen O'Neal Wattley is no stranger to our judicial system. (what...you thought otherwise?)
And here's his RAP SHEET to prove it:
===========================
Stephen O'Neal Wattley
black male 6'0" 182lbs
02D04-8902-CM-004028 Wattley, Stephen O 02/27/1989
Allen Superior Court 5 CM - Criminal Misdemeanor
Decided DISORDERLY CONDUCT
02D04-9009-IF-027438 Wattley, Stephen O 09/24/1990
Allen Superior Court 5 IF - Infraction
Decided NEVER RECEIVE LICENSE
02D04-9610-IF-018695 Wattley, Stephen O 10/30/1996
Allen Superior Court 5 IF - Infraction
Decided EXCEED POSTED SPEED LIMIT
02D04-9611-IF-019036 Wattley, Stephen O 11/05/1996
Allen Superior Court 4 IF - Infraction
Decided EXCEED POSTED SPEED LIMIT
02D04-0105-MC-000751 Wattley, Stephen O 05/24/2001
Allen Superior Court 5 MC - Miscellaneous Criminal
Decided P.C. BATTERY
02D04-0211-IF-017400 Wattley, Stephen O 11/07/2002
Allen Superior Court 4 IF - Infraction
Decided FAILURE WEAR SAFETY BELT
02D04-1002-CM-000604 Wattley, Stephen O 02/01/2010
Allen Superior Court 5 CM - Criminal Misdemeanor
Decided MINOR CONSUMING ALCOHOL
02D04-1008-MC-001801 Wattley, Stephen O 08/24/2010
Allen Superior Court 4 MC - Miscellaneous Criminal
Decided P.C. REC STOLEN PROPERTY
02D04-1008-FD-000850 Wattley, Stephen O 08/27/2010
Allen Superior Court 4 FD - Class D Felony
Decided RECEIVING STOLEN PROPERTY
02D04-1104-CM-002377 624484
WATTLEY, STEPHEN O, II 04/25/2011
Allen Superior Court 4 CM - Criminal Misdemeanor
Decided 9-30-5-2(a)/MC: Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated
9-30-5-1(a)/MC: Oper Veh w/ Alcohol Concentration Equivalent to at Least .08 but Less than .15
9-21-8-24(1)/IFC: Unsafe slow down or stopping a vehicle w/o giving audible or turn signal
02D04-1206-MC-001420 NA
NA WATTLEY, STEPHEN O, II 06/04/2012
Allen Superior Court 4 MC - Miscellaneous Criminal (Citation)
Decided 35-42-2-1.3(b)(2)/FD: Domestic Battery - Committed in Presence of Child Less Than 16 Years
7.1-5-7-7(a)/MC: Illegal Possession of an Alcoholic Beverage
02D05-1207-MC-001916 na
WATTLEY, STEPHEN O 07/19/2012
Allen Superior Court 5 MC - Miscellaneous Criminal (Citation)
Decided 35-43-2-1.5/FD: Residential Entry
35-44.1-3-1(a)(3)/MA: Resisting Law Enforcement
35-44.1-3-1(a)(3)/MA: Resisting Law Enforcement
02D06-1207-FD-001023 Wattley, Stephen O, II 07/24/2012
Allen Superior Court 4 FD - Class D Felony
Decided 35-43-2-1.5/FD: Residential Entry
35-44.1-3-1(a)(3)/MA: Resisting Law Enforcement
35-44.1-3-1(a)(1)/MA: Resisting Law Enforcement
02D05-1208-CM-004582 N/A WATTLEY, STEPHEN O, II 08/20/2012
Allen Superior Court 5 CM - Criminal Misdemeanor
Decided 35-43-2-2(a)(1)/MA: Criminal Trespass
02D05-1208-FD-001187 Wattley, Stephen O, II 08/27/2012
Allen Superior Court 4 FD - Class D Felony
Decided
====ADDRESSES====
3329 Congress Ave
Fort Wayne, IN 46806
4110 BOWSER AVE
Fort Wayne, IN 46806
Allen County Work Release
12103 Lima Road
Fort Wayne, IN 46818
4122 Wayne Trace
Fort Wayne, IN 46806
4626 Gaywood
Fort Wayne, IN 46806
4075 Hessen Cassel
Fort Wayne, IN 46806
===================
In case you were wondering these are the SAME apartments that had a fire back in November of 2012, which displaced 24 families.
Check my archives for the 27 November post.
That boy ran smack into a DEAD (literally) END in that stairwell. It had been boarded up after the fire.
Talk about a damn near perfect "fatal funnel".
The officers held the low ground, which typically is not the best spot, BUT, they blocked the only avenue of escape for the unfortunate Mr. Wattley.
(who we will hear was a good boy, the life of parties, etc. and that the police acted wrongly...BULLSHIT. They did GOOD)
Still, it's nice to know such vermin infest MY part of our fair city...well, at least THIS one won't any longer.
I'd be pinning a damn medal of valor on that officer!
THAT is what I call REAL URBAN RENEWAL!
And YES, this IS the 5TH HOMICIDE of this year...and it's one that is SOLVED!
(and JUSTIFIED)
Moving on...
*** An update to that 3rd robber caught in those apartment robberies.
Here's THIS link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20130221/LOCAL/302219982
Tiron B. Beard is the latest perp to get the cuff 'n stuff from the FWPD for his involvement in the string of apartment robberies.
Tiron was just getting started in HIS life of crime...helluva way to "break in" to the business.
(pun intended).
He is also the half-brother of one Marcus Tyrell Holley, who was busted back in August 2012 for a prostitution and attempted robbery.
And here's the link to THAT story:
Here's Tiron's RAP SHEET, short as it used to be.
=======================
TIRON BEARD, 21 black male
02D04-1301-IF-000454 681186 BEARD, TIRON B 01/15/2013
Allen Superior Court 4 IF - Infraction
Pending 9-24-1-1/IFC: No Valid Operators License
02D06-1302-MC-000357 NA BEARD, TIRON B 02/20/2013
Allen Superior Court 6 MC - Miscellaneous Criminal (Citation)
Pending
======
518 MADISON ST
Fort Wayne, IN 46802
================
At least he only had ONE address (so far...that will change)
Tiron Beard from North Side High School (class of 2010) competed in Entrepreneurship.
(skills USA - Champions at Work website)
Did not know that being an entrepreneur meant STEALING from others or RECEIVING stolen goods.
And he had this posted verbatim on a social media website:
Tiron Beard
Born Feb. 18 1992
Born in Fort Wayne but moved all across the mid-west and Cali growing up
influenced by my past and my surrounding. Only where for me to go is up ,
I put in time and energy out the ass and grew into the nigga you feel today...
every line is a true story... may not be my true story.. but it is a true story
(reverbination website)
Someone want to tell me WTF this mini-manifesto is all about - makes no damn sense to educated folk.
But...he's SUCH a "good boy"...NO, the family DOG that doesn't crap on the carpet is a GOOD BOY.
This kid is a criminal train-wreck waiting for a place to happen.
Hope he likes the color ORANGE, and likes spending time pondering his future.
He WAS right about ONE thing...the ONLY "where" to go is UP (now).
*** Now HERE is an idea long overdue:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20130221/LOCAL/302219980/1002/LOCAL
Wow...making sex offenders having a pay a "registry fee"...interesting proposition.
And making it a nice round $50 bucks at that.
I've stated before that we have close to FIFTY known (and registered) sex offenders within a mile radius of our "Fortress", so the only issue I see is how to get ALL the offenders in the database?
Let's face it, as many as we currently have ON the "roster", there are probably a good 30% MORE that just fly under the radar, until they slip up and get caught.
How does the system plan to attack that problem?
I think the initial idea being floated is a sound one, however.
Sheriff Ken Fries seems to embrace the plan, which would also charge offenders a $5 fee each time they change addresses.
Now, if only we could do something SIMILAR with known FELONS...
Yeah, we can dream...the price is right.
*** Lastly today...No more grading on the A-F basis in Indiana?
Well, sure seems headed in that direction.
Here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20130221/NEWS07/302219941/0/SEARCH
Now, this is only in the preliminary stage, but it makes me wonder WHY we want to abandon this?
And this refers to SCHOOLS that have scads of kids doing JUST FINE, but somehow, the school (system) ITSELF is getting a "bad grade".
How the hell does one make sense of THAT, anyway?
If the KIDS are doing great, the SCHOOL should be doing great as well, right?
Now, back in the Pleistocene Age, when I attended school, the A-F system worked damn well enough for us...AND the schools we attended.
Sure, there were numerics assigned to each letter grade, so a 70 meant you passed...barely.
And that "100" with the gold star meant you were the cream of the crop.
The schools themselves reflected the grades the kids received..simple as that.
I guess in president 'That Guy"s Amerika, we all need to do away with competitiveness in the classroom, and that "everyone should get a fair shot", and we need to "level the playing field"...
((...rolls eyes...))
That BS sound a bit familiar?
A tad on the hackneyed side?
We've leveled that playing field SO damn much already, we're several feet BELOW SEA LEVEL.
And that "fair shot" has been in place for everyone...for a LONG time.
The only change is in the mindset of the people choosing (or not) to AVAIL themselves of the exact same OPPORTUNITY given to all.
There is equality of OPPORTUNITY...not an equality (or guarantee) of OUTCOME.
THAT rests solely upon the INDIVIDUAL...how they CHOOSE to pursue that opportunity and ACHIEVE that outcome.
It all hearkens back to that PERSISTENCE gig that Calvin Coolidge mentioned.
As he said, it's all about persistence...AND determination.
Deny those to yourself, and all the education, or specialized programs...or even "free stuff" won't matter in the long haul.
It's about bettering yourself using those two things (persistence and determination) to acquire the rest (talent, genius and education).
Anything less...is folly.
And you can take that to the bank.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay SAFE out there, America.

4 comments:

CWMartin said...

You can take the dearly departed, put him in a lineup with our butt-shot buddy and the others busted for all nthose burglaries, and throw in the ambulance shooter, and I couldn't tell the difference. I hate to be all "I can't tell 'em apart", but frankly, someone needs to BREAK THE MOLD!

Bob G. said...

CWM:
My friend, you know there USED to be a time when people would say to me whenever I said something similar to what you stated "that's racist", but you know...WE WERE RIGHT then and dammit, WE'RE RIGHT NOW!

(screw being PC with this)

They ARE ALL way too similar, in dress, in manner, and in conduct.
So much for "individuality" there, hmm?
And this is by DESIGN...by CHOICE.

They "want" to be this way. It beats being RESPONSIBLE and ACCOUNTABLE.

Thing is, there needs to be a BETTER way to dissuade these folks from becoming poster-children for the dysfunctional.

We all breathe the same air, drink the same water, piss, crap and bleed the same...
Time to let such people in on that, because they are no better than us in ANY way.

The main difference is that we CHOOSE to try...to achieve, to fail and learn, and then try again.

Thanks so much for stopping by today to comment.

You stay safe up there.

Momma Fargo said...

They starting to charge sex offenders in Colorado a lot more than that and they all moved to Wyoming. Go figure. I say raise the price and watch them flee.

Bob G. said...

Momma Fargo:
I didn;t know they were charging them inother states as well...good to know that.

Hey, here's an idea...jack up the charge A TON, but let CALIFORNIA be the only state that doesn't charge them AT ALL...
THEN we'll know where they ALL are located...LOL!

It has the novelty of never having been tried yet...and CA is looney enough to taken them in.
(or we could buy an island and ship them all there, where they can play with one another)

Either way...works for me.

Thanks for rolling up today and commenting.

Stay safe out there, kiddo!