Another Morning After...

You take a gander out of your window this morning, and the brilliance of that sunrise would NEVER lead you to believe we had a round of severe thunderstorms last night...would it?
Well, Wifey kept her sneakers on, in case we had to make a dash for the cellar, as there were reports of funnel clouds in the area.
And there I was, standing outside, under our trellis, watching the lightning and listening to the thunder.
Oh, I DID go inside after the rain began.

And, it was a gully-washer...came down in sheets for over an hour. Fortunately, the winds were nowhere as bad as once forecast.
One might even say we "dodged a bullet", and down here in the ghettohood, that's easier said...than done.
You can ask twenty-three people how that panned out for them this year...if they were still alive.
Today's weather will a lot LESS severe...clouds, some sun, and temps reaching into the lower 70s. Hey, it's the MIDWEST...whaddaya expect?
But enough about that, let's greet this day with quiet anticipation, and get busy with what's been going on...
*** First off the line today, the answer to yesterday's WHO SAID THAT? quote:
"I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor."

This was spoken by Henry David Thoreau (12 July 1817 - 6 May 1862) and here is his WIKI:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_David_Thoreau
Like I said yesterday, you heard of him in your American Lit classes.
He's best know for his book WALDEN - a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings.
(something I strive for as much as our surroundings will allow)
I have to confess to almost nodding off while reading it, and that's not to say it was boring.


Walden Pond



It was, in many ways to me, too damn relaxing...like a subtle work of chamber music or a choral chant.

Thoreau is also known for his essay CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE, and argument for individual resistance to civil government in moral opposition to an unjust state. Given the times today, it might be wise to read that essay...a few times.

Thoreau was an author, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister (betcha he'd LOVE the IRS), developer, critic, surveyor, historian, and leading transcendentalist (okay, not hot for that last one).

Replica cabin and Thoreau statue

His philosophy on civil disobedience influenced such later men as Gandhi, Tolstoy, and Martin Luther king, Jr.

Thoreau could be considered an anarchist, and while his essay would call for IMPROVING and not ABOLISHING government, the direction OF that "improvement" points to anarchism:
"That government is best which governs not at all, and when men are prepared for it, that will be the kind of government which they will have."

His life is worth the read, and I won;t get into detail here. You can peruse it for yourselves.
He did have one quote that I find quite apropos:
"Most of the luxuries and many of the so-called comforts of life are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind."
Guess he figured out what SMART PHONES, PLAYSTATIONS, and IPODS were long before they were invented.
I DO disagree with him when it comes to AIR-CONDITIONING, though...LOL.
Meanwhile, back on Walden Pond...
*** Not one, but TWO standoffs keep the emergency response teams BUSY in Ft. Wayne.
Here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20130613/LOCAL07/306139969
Both stemmed from domestic disputes - again, we see the FAILURE to be able to discuss things in a RATIONAL MANNER with cooler heads.
--The first incident happened Wednesday around 0242 hrs in the 2600 block of Princeton Ave.

A suicidal man was inside the house and made threats to harm others. He was said to be armed with a handgun.
It took five hours, but police ERT was able to make entry and bring the man out unharmed. He was taken to hospital for a mental eval.
No charges have been filed so far, and the ID of the person was not released.
--The second incident happened less than an hour later, around 0317 hrs, in the 500 block of Pinegrove Lane.

In this case, Charles R. Seals, Jr,  23, was the person holding a woman and child hostage. He was also armed.

After refusing to surrender to police for 3 hours, the woman exited the home, and SWAT made entry, taking Seals into custody.
The child, also found inside was unharmed.
Seals is preliminarily charged with being a felon in possession of a handgun w/o a license, and is being held w/o bail at the lockup.
And here is the RAP SHEET
(as requested...lol)
=======================
02D05-1204-IF-004806 000032067904
000032067904 SEALS, CHARLES R, Jr. 04/30/2012
Allen Superior Court 5 IF - Infraction
Pending 9-24-19-1/IFA: Driving While Suspended
9-21-5-2/IFC: Speeding
02D06-1205-FC-000145 Seals, Charles R, Jr. 05/03/2012
Allen Superior Court 5 FC - Class C Felony
Decided 35-42-2-1(a)(8)/FC: Battery Resulting in Bodily Injury to a Pregnant Woman
35-42-2-1.3(b)(2)/FD: Domestic Battery - Committed
02D06-1212-CM-006648 NA SEALS, CHARLES R, Jr. 12/12/2012
Allen Superior Court 6 CM - Criminal Misdemeanor
Decided 35-43-2-2(a)(5)/MA: Criminal Trespass
02D06-1302-CM-000869 NA SEALS, CHARLES R, Jr. 02/25/2013
Allen Superior Court 6 CM - Criminal Misdemeanor
Decided 35-44.1-3-1(a)(1)/MA: Resisting Law Enforcement
02D05-1303-FD-000336 Seals, Charles R, Jr. 03/22/2013
Allen Superior Court 5 FD - Class D Felony
Pending
02D05-1304-FC-000117 Seals, Charles R, Jr. 04/24/2013
Allen Superior Court 5 FC - Class C Felony
Pending 35-47-2-1/FC: Carrying Handgun w/o License-Prior/Prior Felony w/in 15 Yrs/School Prop, School Bus
35-44.1-3-1(a)(3)/FD: Resisting Law Enforcement/Use of Vehicle to Commit Offense
35-43-4-2(b)/FD: Receiving Stolen Property
======================
In THIS case, the "apple didn't fall far from the tree", as apparently his "father" ALSO has a very lengthy rap sheet, for much of the SAME infractions and felonies. Nice to know that SOME aspects of "family living" abound down here, isn't it?
Hope "daddy" comes to visit you.
Moving on...
*** This is one of those "Shades of Preston Tucker" moments for me.
Here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20130613/NEWS07/306139939/0/SEARCH

A fledgling company that started back in 2009, called CARBON MOTORS, that had designs on producing high-tech POLICE cars has filed for bankruptcy.
That's a damn shame, because the car they prototyped was a damn fine one.
I can no longer find a link to the website, so I can only surmise it's been shut down as well.
But, here's the WIKI:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_Motors_Corporation

I have a few archived posts about this vehicle and why I thought having them on our streets would be a good thing for all the LEOs out there.
Carbon Motors listed liabilities of about $21.7 MIL and listed assets at only $18, 976. (ouch).
I only took Accounting 101 (in business college), but even I know THOSE kinda numbers don't look good, on ANY balance sheet.

The bankruptcy also sticks to the city of Connersville, IN - a city that has suffered the highest unemployment rate in the state.

The company's plan unraveled like a cheap sweater when the Department of Energy DENIED a request for a loan amounting to $310 Mil back in march of 2012.

But that VERY SAME DOE can blow the wad funding failed companies like FISKAR...and SOLYNDRA, and the amounts THEY took out of the federal coffers and "our pockets" (I do believe it was around $500 BILLION) was a helluva LOT MORE.

This smacks of the SEC suit against Preston Tucker, when HE tried to build an automobile that had innovations unheard of at the time (post-war America), but interestingly enough, are in TODAY'S cars.
The Feds busted on Tucker and forced him into near insolvency, and although he built the required 50 vehicles, he still had to close his plant and end his dream of a safer automobile...and a damn nice-looking car for the time.

Here's Tucker's WIKI:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preston_Tucker

Two companies that showed such promise...and both companies done in by our own Federal government.
I guess the "Big 3" still have plenty of clout when it comes to quashing American Exceptionalism.
*** Lastly today, we made it through one storm, but what about the larger storm around us DAILY, that refuses to go away?

I'm talking about the societal storm...or perhaps it's the governmental storm.
Maybe it's the combination of both?
We were supposed to be living in an era of "plenty", and by that I don't mean plenty of ANGST.
There was supposed to be more of what we needed and less of what we didn't.
Seems it's the other way around, doesn't it?
If we're not worried about our PRIVACY, then it's the threat of terrorism, or a collapsing economy...or a lack of sustainable energy sources.

But let's call things as they REALLY are.
We have plenty of oil. That's on the plus side.
We also have a government that wishes to run our very lives...completely.
Hell, a PLIABLE populace is one that can be CONTROLLED a lot easier than an INFORMED populace.
That's where the educational system comes in...or should butt the hell out.
We need MORE INFORMED people, not docile, entitlement-driven lemmings, for God's sake.

This country needs a serious infusion of The American Spirit - that which made this nation great and kept us there for a long time.

People need to wake up, and realize that whatever "contentment" the government is providing is a ruse...a means to an end; it's meant to have YOU under THEIR protection.

Now, while that might work out well on a NATIONAL scale (from foreign invasion for example) it takes away from every one of us.

Our government WORKS FOR US...and not the other way around.

They don't work against us, or alongside us, but FOR us, as in OUR BEST INTEREST as WE see fit (and not the way they see it).

That is what the founding documents are all about...the release FROM tyranny, not the submission TO tyranny.

And I think that if we keep that in mind, we WILL become better informed, and thereby increase the depth of our own wisdom as we make better choices for ourselves...and our future.
We won't know unless we ALL give it a go.

Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay SAFE out there, America.