Humpday Happenings...

Okay, why is the sun not out this morning, and DON'T tell me it's because of the "government shutdown"?
The last time I checked, Da Prez didn't take control of the universe...although I'd bet he'd LOVE to, knowing his zest for power.
Anyway, the Hoosierland weather today will be mostly cloudy this AM, giving way to some sun later on with highs again approaching the 80 degree mark.
And no, not a chance of rain today...perhaps later this week.
Now, with that behind us, let's see what's going on...
*** First up, today's Motto of the Week aka WHO SAID THAT?
"That's the way things come clear. All of a sudden. And then you realize how obvious they've been all along."
And with today's progressive healthcare/insurance fiasco, such observations become all too apparent, has it not?
So...who said that? The answer at the top of tomorrow's post.
Meanwhile, back at the library...
*** It would seem that a person has been caught regarding all those burglaries on the SW side of town (Southwood Park area).
And here's the link to the story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20131002/LOCAL07/310029942/0/FRONTPAGE
Now, I'd have to say with ALL the burglaries there and at nearby neighborhoods, if THIS guy in custody was the SOLE burglar...man, he must have put in some SERIOUS O/T...
I'd have to believe that he's only the tip of the iceberg, as it were...got to be more than just ONE perp doing all this crap.
No one ever said that criminal idiots were not organized to some degree, right?
And this shows some level of planning and watching the areas.
Police were able to find this guy because he left a latent palm print at one of the houses, and with latex gloves so damn cheap, you'd think he'd have covered that aspect.
Not the brightest crayon in the damn box, hmm?

New automated fingerprint ID systems are to thank for the arrest.
Perhaps the residents of these areas can sleep better...maybe. they'd still do well to take every precaution to protect themselves and their belongings.
Moving on...
*** If there's one thing worse than having a property suffer a "board-up" near you...it's ANOTHER property also getting a board-up.
Such was he case the other day...right across the street from our "Fortress".

We now have two of the four properties, boarded up, vacant, and ripe for the scrappers to target.
Naturally,m the two OTHER houses are occupied and problematic at best, Those would be nice if vacant.
Now apparently, someone DID manage to get into the house across the street, as the board-up guy placed plywood at the front window, as well as behind the house and on the side entry.

It's like I ALWAYS say - when you have a bunch of mooks with nothing to do ALL day (thanks to entitlements), they will take it upon themselves to watch YOUR property. Same can be said for what took place at Southwood Park, Harrison Hill, Fairmount, and Oakdalle neighborhoods.
Someone had to get a handle on who would be home and when, as well as when people went to bed.
That goes for burglars, home invaders, scrappers, and anyone else that wants your stuff for free.
*** And that brings me to the next item...one of the empty houses (next door, in fact). remember when I said last year that someone had gotten into the space over the garage with a ladder? I called the po-po and they got a board-up crew to close it up.
I took care of the ladder by cutting it into small pieces...loved every minute of it, too.
That's not the end of this tale, though...
Raccoons (nature's little muggers) managed to get into the space where the board-up was placed and have been cribbing there since.
One of these critters was the one that tore up our roof, forcing us to get a new one (which we needed anyway).
That one was caught.

But, I've heard raccoon noise from inside the place again, so I took some pictures to pass along to Code Enforcement (regarding a better board-up.
Now my plan is simple...get NCE to come out to board it up, and when THEY discover the raccoons inside, they will call Animal Control to have them removed so the board-up can take place...sounds like a win-win all around...(cross your fingers, because you never know HOW the city will handle something SO damn simple.

Hey, if an FWPD officer wants some pistol time, he's welcome to do so...not that the critters can get back onto our NEW roof (the branches from the trees have all been cut way back).
The house needs to be condemned and torn down (imho)...and that's a shame, because it used to be a decent place...when our neighbor lived there.
*** The 2 high school football teams that brawled down in Indy got their just desserts, and like I said they should do, BOTH got a "loss" for the event. Suspensions for both the coaching staff AND players are being doled out, too. And both schools have been put on a probationary status.
*** Beware large groups of bikers..especially if they're scruffy looking nerf-herders without American flags flying on their machines (those are the PATRIOT RIDERS - GREAT GROUP of bikers), because they can be harmful to your health.
Here's the story (with video from one of the bikers) from NY:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20131001/NEWS03/131009958/0/SEARCH

Now it's been said that a biker was "struck"...let's say he was nudged by the SUV when the driver panicked. Who wouldn't if around 30 bikers surrounded your vehicle?
They're damn lucky the SUV driver wasn't carrying, suffered road rage, decided to not take any sh*t, and shoot someone.
This kind of reactionary domestic terrorism puts a black eye on all bikers, and that should not be allowed to happen, because most bikers ARE good, decent people...I know enough of them to make that call.
*** Lastly today, more of what I said is taking place...acts of violent behavior - some random...others, not so much.
Now, I have no real reason WHY this is happening with greater regularity and with greater amounts of violent behavior. What I can say that in a world where "tolerance" is SUPPOSED to rule the roost...folks, that just ain't happening.

Hell, we used to be a lot MORE tolerant decades ago, when everyone didn't have to ram tolerance down our throats.
We also used to be a lot more CIVIL towards one another, and maybe that's got a lot to do with the morality of the citizenry at the time.
We used to be a society of a LOT more church-goers...or to put it more properly, more of us used to believe in a higher authority, and it wasn't found in our nation's capital, that's for sure.
So, what happened between then and now?
I dunno really, but whatever did occur must have happened on a late Tuesday night, after most of us hit the sack.

Or maybe we've all become part of some huge "experiemnt" - in a societal petrie dish, with someone wanting to see if such a "disease" as we are suffering will multiply and spread.
I always want to believe that ALL people have within them the capability to become better, and if that means more moral, more civil, and more respectful...yeah, I can work with that.
After all, it's pretty much the way we USED to be...wasn't it?

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