What A Wonderful Day...

That's something my father used to say many mornings, but then would immediately follow that up with:
"Just wait until someone comes along and screws it up."
Yeah, that pretty much sums up a lot of what goes on today in the world...
We'll come back to that in a second, but let's see what the weather holds in store for us.
-- Temps will again reach into the LOW 70s (my favorite amount of heat), with clouds and yes, the slight chance of a brief shower.
Not going to have a great sunrise, but we can still work with that, right?
Meanwhile, back at the podium...
*** Yep, no matter how HARD we try and make each and every day a good one, there usually is something that will come along and attempt to spoil it.
That's not to say we start each day expecting it, or waiting for it, and becoming a "Danny Downer".
What we SHOULD do is acknowledge the fact that in an imperfect world full of imperfect people, some sort of sh*t will happen, and that we might be better served if we're prepared for it.
That, we keep on "the back burner", all the while going about our routine and doing whatever it is we have to get done.

Better to know that if we can see what's coming ahead, we can face it head-on, rather than be startled out of our skin over it, right?
And yes, in some ways, it is another form of SITUATIONAL AWARENESS.
Just like we watch around us in parking lots for robbery attempts and the like, so we do something similar every day we wake up.
Now, you're all probably wondering WTH I'm on about with this stuff...well, it's like this:
-- Every day we hear or read or see instances where people become "diverted" from whatever it was they were doing, be it walking, driving, whatever.

And, as a result, they get their ass in a sling REAL fast, because of that diversion.
Texting is the biggest culprit these days, but far from the ONLY one.
Now who would have ever thought a decade ago, that so many vehicle accidents would be caused by such inattention with a cell phone?
Cripes, you climb into ANY new car, and you're pretty much bombarded with a plethora of "playthings" to screw with, like the "entertainment center" (we used to call that THE RADIO), or the GPS (full color graphics and voice recognition). Then there's the lazy person's way to park...let the car do it by itself.
We used to call being able to PARALLEL PARK - a study in knowing how to PRACTICE something until you become skilled at it.
In essence, we LEARNED how to do it.
These days, we place our trust in THINGS, rather than PEOPLE, and I believe that's got much to do with the path our society is on, which doesn't seem as filled with Primrose as it should be...or once was.

I mentioned yesterday about the venerable SHOE REPAIR shops we had all over...pretty much gone these days. You really have to LOOK for one. Same with the tried and true BARBER SHOPS. Now, we have all these "styling salons", as if we've somehow elevated ourselves into a loftier realm of societal evolution with a moniker such as that.
That's a false assumption.
Such venues as shoe repair shops and barber shops were once places where people CONVERSED, as in talked to each other, face-to-face, with some level of familiarity. The corner stores were places where neighbors met while shopping, and the corner "tap rooms" were THE place to be on fight nights.
(on TV that is...lol)
ALL of these places (and more) used to be hubs for conversation...for interpersonal interaction.
Men and women would chat about anything and everything. It didn't matter if the subject was politics (and a lot more people used to engage in that than we see today, although the numbers are growing once again), family matters (the bartender could be the best "shrink" you could find for the price of a beer), the jobs you worked, the schools your children attended, and so much more were discussed at length.

Today, we've all this "social media" that has usurped our ability to stand toe-to-toe and talk about such things.
Sure it's more convenient, and instantaneous in nature, but is it all REALLY BETTER?
Just HOW SKILLED are we today in the art of conversation, and why does that matter...or should it?
There are those that believe that social media is MUCH better, as is typing over the handwritten word.
When was the last time you actually WROTE a letter to someone?
(well, with the cost of stamps these days, there IS a case for THAT...lol)
DO we become, or rather SHOULD we become a society that grows ever complacent whenever some technology comes along to make our lives EASIER?
Now, think on this...would you rather have your life made EASIER...or BETTER?

Yes, there IS a difference.
Personally, I'd chase after a BETTER life than an easier one.
A better life would be one where I make my choices for myself, work with the outcomes, good OR bad, learn from those experiences, and keep moving forward. An easy life would allow me to sit back, put my feet up, and have things done FOR ME.
Is that EASY life a better one, or is that BETTER life an easy one?
That's a loaded question, isn't it?

Those that wish to do as little as possible would settle for that easy life, naturally, while those who feel the need to challenge themselves, not fret at having a bit of sweat on their brow, and like to see results of something THEY have accomplished would opt for the shot at that better life, and in all likelihood, would achieve just that.
Thing is, we used to be a people who wanted more of that better life, in the belief that it would result in life being a lot less difficult.
We were willing to work at it, to strive, to save, and yes, to sacrifice, in order to make that happen.
Today, we're not seeing all that much along those lines, are we?
-- The fact that so many people are more than willing to kick back and let "someone else drive" them through their lives (like the government) speaks volumes in that regard.

The problem with such thinking is that the passengers and that "driver" might have TWO different destinations in mind, and only one rough road to get them all there, hopefully safely.

If YOU don't know where you might be headed in life, and have no idea on how to get there, then WHY on God's green earth would you entrust something so important to total strangers with no idea where they are going themselves?

When we take away much of the personal aspects of our lives, such as conversation or debate, we diminish ourselves in ways that will have consequences...if not today or tomorrow, then perhaps a year or more down the road.
When such things as online bullying starts taking young lives, there is a problem with the way we are using the technology available to us all.

Remember, anything that can be USED...can be MISUSED...and often is, because some people live for that alone.
-- When we permit objectionable music and other material to become mainstream...we lose our morality.
-- When we can have our attention diverted too easily by whatever "key ring" is dangled before us...we lose our maturity.
-- When we remove boundaries for others, as well as ourselves...we lose our civility.
-- When we allow our civil SERVANTS (big government) to tell us how, what, where, when and why to run OUR lives...we lose our humanity.
So, the case against much of what permeates our society can be easily made.
Our lives are OUR own...not anyone else's.
And you don't have to be a Bible-toting "bitter clinger" to figure that much out.
(although placing one's faith in God DOES come in handy...lol)
All you really need is some good old common sense...and the desire to not have to "settle" for whatever pablum if trying to be forced down your throat.

You can't spend time worrying about what you didn't do yesterday...that gig is over.
What you can do is begin working today and charting that course for your next tomorrow.
And if enough people would simply try that...things could be a helluva lot better than they presently are, and that's a fact.
Okay, that's enough philosophical soapbox preaching for today...I promise...!
It's still a wonderful day out there...don't let anyone screw it up for 'ya.

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

(( Editor's Note - Today marks post # 1812 for this blog. And for SOME reason, I feel the need to play a Tchaikovsky Overture...wonder WHY? ))

Monday Musings...

Looks to be a very nice day, if we can glean anything from a beautiful sunrise out here in the Heartland, but that doesn't mean that whatever starts well, ends well...does it?
Sorry, that's just the cynic in me talking.
Yeah, I'm back to what passes for normal in OUR house, which happens to be a LOT more normal than what passes OUTSIDE the walls of our "Fortress".
(no brag...just fact)
The weather will be right up "my" alley, with temps reaching the low 70s and some clouds, with maybe a slight chance of a brief shower later in the day.
We call that a WINNER in my book.
So, let's get busy with the rest of what's going on.
*** First up today, Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez is STILL...dead.
(damn fine start there and thank God for that)
*** Next, I did get out EARLY Sunday (the day of rest, I know...) and mow the lawn, which is not to be confused with our back yard.

I DO make that distinction, because the YARD is our pride and joy, whereas the "lawn" is what is apparently used as a community trash receptacle.
Our yard has no dandelions, but our lawn has plenty, thanks to those assholes that never weed THEIR lawns, allow the dandelions to go to seed, which always seem to blow onto OUR lawn. We're seriously thinking of getting one of those "chem-lawn" companies to take care of that.
I'm not 25 anymore, and the cost might just be worth it.
I began around 0715 hrs, and I figured if all the "locals" can keep US awake with all THEIR noise...I could return the favor. We have an electric mower, so even THAT noise isn't all that bad. It does make the area around the house smell good, though whenever you do mow the grass.
I will say it was nice to feel good again, after a lousy "last week".
*** Saturday was our grocery day (saw reporter Rod Hissong from WANE at the Bluffton Rd Scotts/Krogers - he was on his way out when we were entering). And yes, he DOES look just like himself...LOL.
We had a light purchase, so we headed off to K-Mart (where America shoplifts) to redeem some price changes (refunds for sale items), and I decided to look for some casual knock-around shoes...MAN, was I disappointed.
I hated everything they had...and I'm a person of SIMPLE tastes, so what's THAT tell you?

Nothing was anything I'd want to have on MY feet, and that's a damn shame. even the "cheap-sneeks" or "Bo-Bos" as we used to call them, were ugly as sin (would look great on the locals, though...I don't do LIME GREEN soles or BRIGHT BLUE uppers, sorry).
Looks like I'll be wearing tactical shoes for some time. At least THOSE look like they belong on MY feet.
God help me if I ever have to go to a REAL shoe store - the sticker shock will probably kill me.
Luckily, I have several pairs of shoes from times past, and I took very good care of them, so they have a LOT of mileage in them still.

That's a troubling thing these days...the way things don't last near as long as in times past, plus the changes that follow in the wake of that.

Used to be a time when simple necessities such as SHOES were not considered a "disposable" item.

You had them RE-heeled, or RE-soled, and the longer you had 'em, the better they felt.

And they were made with REAL leather...not this imitation leather like "veneer" that flakes the hell off after a few months, or one soaking.
We had SHOE REPAIR shops, with craftsmen who could work magic to get your old shoes looking as good as new.
And they often fixed them WHILE YOU WAITED.
Yeah, those WERE better times, you have to admit it.
Moving on...
*** As a public service to you, my devoted readers, I am always endeavoring to bring you the best (or is that the WORST?) in human nature, and that can often mean the MOST STUPID acts that go unnoticed, unreported (not for long when I'm around), and many times, unappreciated.

Here is a case where the word LAZY takes on a whole NEW meaning.
We have these Hispanic neighbors that moved into a house a couple doors down, and decided to cut off parts of a dead tree (rather than have the entire tree taken down which is by itself, marvelously stupid). Now, I can't fault the male there, because at least HE WORKS...(amazing, isn't it? A minority in the minority.).

But, he did stack the cut down logs along the curb strip...(a code violation).
This was WAY back on 9 February, and since then, I've been TRYING to get Neighborhood Code Enforcement to act on this.
Whatever they've done SO far hasn't worked, in spite of the pile getting smaller through the "intervention" of people wanting firewood.

So, we STILL have THREE logs sitting there...until yesterday, when the Hispanic male mowed (they apparently always follow MY lead...lol), and moved them to the sidewalk...
And then LEFT THEM THERE, effectively BLOCKING the sidewalk from damn near all foot traffic.

Now, it's a damn good thing we DON'T have anyone who's wheelchair-bound, otherwise they'd HAVE to roll into the street, and with the number of speedsters we have that NEVER get pulled over thanls to our understaffed FWPD, that would not be the safest method to get from A to B in our part of the ghettohood.
I have NO idea while people do such blatantly STUPID SH*T, but you can easily see WHY we have so many "broken windows" down here, and why, when things like this go unattended, that sends a message that damn near anything will be (and often is) tolerated.
If we have laws, then why don't we enforce them?
Can this city be THAT bad off , or does the city just NOT CARE about the SE side?
Personally, I'm thinking is a combination of BOTH.
Let's face it, THIS would NEVER happen in say, Mayor (king) Henry's neighborhood, would it?
The guy down the block COULD have just tossed the logs into his SUV, driven them down to the nearest dead-end, short dump them, and be DONE with the whole deal, and while I don't advocate such tactics (short-dumping is, and always has been illegal, according to Solid Waste Department), it's done down here with great regularity (and is never caught).
But, I'm just saying that this ONE time, he'd had a damn good chance of NOT being caught at all, and the wood would wind up in a wooded area or dirt pile a mere few blocks away.
Sheer laziness...no other excuse.
*** Lastly today, nopr, no shooting deaths for a change, but always "shots fired" every damn day down here.
And the sad thing is, the general populace is NEVER made aware of that...and SHOULD be.

To me, there is little difference between shots fired and people shot.
The ONE aspect that defines one from the other is that the bullet hit SOMEONE, instead of something or nothing at all.
We could call that luck, rather than skill, especially down here.
When you have stupid people doing stupid sh*t for stupid reasons,...well, you can pretty much predict the outcome every single time.
Now, I can't be the ONLY one seeing this crap...I just happen to be the only wanting to DO something about it.

Everyone else who also sees it, and does nothing, becomes part of that problem in my book.
And truth be told, we have WAY too many problems down here as it is, without adding any to the mix.
Thing is, people have become so desensitized when it comes to the problems, that they have accepted them as just everyday occurrences.
For example, my skin crawls whenever I see a realty ad for a house down here that advertises "a quiet neighborhood"...
THAT is a load of bullsh*t.
Perhaps Chief YORK'S neighborhood is QUIET, or Mayor HENRY'S neighborhood, but not down here.
Then again, if those in power spent some TIME down here, they'd have figured THAT much out by now...perhaps.

Blinders and earplugs do NOT make things go away, and anyone that believes that never studied Mark Twain who said:
"Denial ain't just a river in Egypt."
Maybe they should post THAT over the doorways of ALL the Fort Wayne City Hall entrances?
Be a novel idea. Practical as well.
Have yourselves a great week.

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

Friday Follies...

I don't know about YOU, but I've been waiting for this since late Tuesday when I started to feel lousy.

At least the weather will cooperate today being mild again with temps reaching into the 70s, but there is some high overcast, and we could be in for the possibility of showers (I miss the snow already...LOL)

Could ALWAYS be worse, though...like out west of L.A. and those wildfires.

And even though it's been close to fifteen years since my Mom passed away, I can still hear her voice regarding my well-being:

"If you don't feel well, don't over-exert yourself...you could have a relapse."
Let's just say she was right AGAIN.
After the mowing, I figured I wouldn't get out of that one scott-free...
Nice to know mothers are ALWAYS right, and that's a helluva legacy that lives on LONG after they've departed this mortal realm.
Still, we shall soldier on with our best dispatch.
So, let's check out what's happening today, shall we?
*** First up today, another police-action shooting, raising the overall homicide number to SEVENTEEN in the Summit City (again, JUSTIFIED) - this time up on the NORTH side of town (for a change).

This time around, the victim managed to remove FOUR officers off the role call for the next 5 days due to administrative leave.
Add that to the other TWO already on "admin" and we're SIX MORE officers under our required level (which we were already 21 UNDER to begin with).
Here's all the details:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20130503/LOCAL07/305039965

Yes, friends...an individual that ONCE before, around this same time LAST year, attempted to take his own life by shooting himself in the chest.
He failed that time...(like the guy that tried shooting himself in the head...and missed)
This time, he had some "help"...albeit impromptu in nature.

FWPD answered a suicide call yesterday around 0822 hrs, and entered a house in a neighborhood that, although is comprised of more "spacious" houses that sell for a lot more than OURS down here, reminded me of how OUR neighborhood USED to be a decade ago. When inside, gunfire was heard, and the police backed out of the place and sought cover.
The Wheatridge area, off of Cook Rd is NOT a place where anything like this happens with ANY regularity...AT ALL.
(must be the quality of the character of the PEOPLE that live there...probably damn near all upper working-class or professionals who are home-OWNERS)

Police been to this house before (within the last 6 months), and this 22-year old, the recently-deceased Ryan Koontz, has had a history both with mental-health issues and breaking the law.
Anyway, after the police found cover, shots come from the garage, and a vehicle with the man inside backs out and attempts to run over the officers.
Around 30-40 rounds were exchanged, and the vehicle pulled into another driveway several houses away, where the man exited the vehicle.
After numerous attempts to get him to "put the weapon down" went to no avail, police shot and killed the man to prevent any harm to themselves or to innocents. Several houses were struck by rounds fired by the victim, and were still being gathered up into last night.

Ryan Koontz

Now, this does not appear to be a case where the victim took "dad's" pistol and wreaked havoc. From initial speculations by Chief York, he believes the gun was purchased from a third party.
Based on the FACT that Ryan Koontz was a convicted FELON, that would pretty much wash him OUT of being able to waltz into, say Freedom Firearms, and get himself a "piece".
Gun shops DO perform B/G checks, but "interpersonal sales" are not, nor fairly much CANNOT be tracked.
Fir example - If "Joe Blow" has a gun, and wants to get rid of it - he got it from Billy Ballsey years ago who stole it from a house in another city - and finds a person like Ryan Koontz, BINGO...another illegal transfer of a firearm, and NO "gun-control" law would be able to catch that from the start.
The ONLY way the gun could be tracked is, unfortunately, when it shows up at the scene of a crime...after the fact.

Suffice it to say that this victim was also on some type of
"mind-altering" drug, which would explain whey he didn't go down RIGHT away after being shot at by FOUR officers (that's a good amount of rounds going downrange, and I would trust the officers' AIM a lot better than street thugs..ANY day).
That also explains the erratic behavior he exhibited before this scenario went down, but it doesn't answer a bigger question:
If he had mental stability problems, he was probably already ON some "mood-changing" drug to dissuade him FROM suicide...an anti-depressant, for example. Lithium carbonate comes to mind, and it's meant to "chill out" those with erratic behavioral shifts or manic-depression.
So, this STILL doesn't come down to a GUN problem, like Rusty York stated to the media. It was first and foremost a PEOPLE problem.
The gun was the "tool" used...like a hammer on a construction site.
If this boy was THAT unpredictable, WHY was he not institutionalized?

We DO have way too many such people "mainstreamed" on our streets and even in our schools, when they should be getting better help and proper attention to their specific issues in a MORE controlled environment..

Why didn't his shrink decide that firmer measures might be needed, especially after the first suicide attempt last year?
What drugs did the shrink have him on and would there be a chaotic interaction with "street pharms"?
Well, what we can conclude from all of this, is that if a person is BENT on suicide THAT deeply, it becomes that much more difficult to address.
I said yesterday that most suicides are white MALES, mostly in rural areas...well, this was more suburban than urban, so that profile fits to a large degree.
Only in THIS case...it would appear to be "suicide by cop" more than anything, and that's NOT the fault of ANY of the FWPD officers involved AT ALL.
When tasked with protecting the public, they risk getting shot by some crazed person, and come to realize that to neutralize the threat is ALWAYS in the best interest of the community they are hired TO protect...it's that simple, folks.
But, hey...that's just MY take on this. You decide for yourselves.
Moving on...
*** I was originally thinking of a great tie-in between Meatloaf, Transformers, and M&Ms, but I'd best leave that to our own online resident maestro of the six degrees, CWM!

Instead, I'll focus on the FIRST of this summer's BLOCKBUSTER flicks (and probably available on DVD by the early FALL, knowing how marketing works...LOL)

IRON MAN 3 hit theaters today...with a BANG!

The villain in this outing is a person called the MANDARIN, who enters Tony Stark's life and literally tears the hell out of it.
But, for ALL you silver-age comic aficionados out there getting sweaty palms, it's not THAT Mandarin.
The silver-age Marvel comics Mandarin had TEN POWER RINGS that did various stuff...like elemental control kinda things, and were supposed to be from a more mystical time.
That Mandarin was Chinese and lived in a huge mountain fortress, and bugged Iron Man incessantly.

Yes, I DO own all three issues.

The BEST 3 issue slug-fest came in Tales of Suspense #84-#86 (that was way back in 1967).
That's when comics were a mere TWELVE CENTS per issue!
(God, I miss those days)
-- That story begins with Tony Stark testifying before Congress on WHO Iron Man is...well, he suffers a heart attack and is hospitalized.
It's there that doctors find his chest plate keeping him alive.
(not a miniature ARC reactor)
In order to keep up the Iron Man "appearances", Stark enlists his bodyguard,  Happy Hogan to don the armor and fly around...until the Mandarin transports Hogan to his lair, where he beats the crap out of him.
The Mandarin thinks "Iron Man" is a pushover.

Stark leaves the hospital, dons his new armor and goes after Hogan, culminating in a REAL knock-down drag-out fight, that eventually has Stark removing his armored gloves and wailing on the Mandarin with his BARE HANDS.

Stark then leaves the Mandarin to his fate in the exploding ruins of that fortress as he flies away and sends Hogan back to the USA via the armor's remote control.

Talk about a real "nail-biter" for it's day...! 

Well, we WERE kids, and THIS was IT!

-- THIS Mandarin is basically a TERRORIST, using a super virus to control others (called EXTREMIS - developed by an agency called Advanced Idea Mechanics - an old foe of the silver-age Captain America).
The results to Extremis can be unpredictable, but are also used to the Mandarin's advantage.
Parts of that storyline are also explored in more recent comics.
This time, Stark has to come to grips with not being the "savior" of the USofA, and being soundly defeated, but with some help along the way, and his own personal asset of not being a QUITTER (and a billionaire genius to boot), things might just have a way of resolving themselves.
And while Jon Favreau does NOT direct this installment, and makes no bones about this maybe being the LAST movie for him, the franchise will always say otherwise, as...if you stay for the END of the credits (as you should always do) you will see the following:
TONY STARK WILL RETURN...!
Sure, it's ambiguous, but it WILL get you to come BACK, right?
(good marketing strikes again...lol)


Sure, it's ostentacious...but it IS cool!

Don Cheadle returns as War Machine, now labelled as THE IRON PATRIOT (badass red, white, and blue armor), and is supposed to be in the next Captain America movie THE WINTER SOLDIER, as well as the next Avengers movie.
And there's a new armor for Tony Stark as well, and some cool twists and turns to the ongoing mythology.

Do NOT be surprised if IRON MAN 3 is the top attraction for the next few weeks...!
I'll predict that much already for our favorite "shellhead".
Remember...heroes may sometimes FALL, but they are rarely if ever totally defeated.
Joseph Campbell (good author) reminds us of that often.
So, there you are...the weekend awaits you. Have at it.
Make it the best you can...I'll just rest up and try to kick this damn bug.

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

Closer to the Weekend...

But not there yet.
Personally, I'm growing less fond of summer as I get older, and we'll see WHY in a bit, along with some other interesting things.
Still not firing on ALL cylinders, but we're giving this the college try, as they say...so bear with me, please.
*** First up, the answer to yesterday's Motto of the Week:
"A genius cannot be forced, nor can you make an ape an alderman."
This was spoken by Thomas Somerville and I cannot find ONE definitive WIKI on this bloke.
Apparently, someone liked the quote, tagged his name on it, and then forgot who the hell he was or what he did in life.
Could be a bishop from Westminster, so your guess will be as good as mine.
I even saw a reference to George Bernard Shaw (Mr. Eugenics) with this quote.
SO, if YOU can find out who EXACTLY Thomas Somerville was or is, feel free to comment. Your "no-prize" will be shipped ASAP...LOL.
Moving on...
*** Getting the flu (or whatever the hell this crappy feeling is) sucks big time, and I'm a person who has to be doing SOMETHING, lest I go crazy (or crazier than I already have become living down here in Ghettoland), so I figure I'll mow the back yard as it needed it, and (as the song goes) "see what condition my condition was in..."
No big deal right?
HUGE mistake...!!!
(we're taklking near-Biblical proportions)
Laborious doesn't even begin to cover it, especially when you're not up to speed to start with.

I was pushing the mower with my BODY rather than my arms (which ached off their bones), my breathing got very labored.

I was sweating like there was no tomorrow, and my heart was trying to pound it's way out of my chest like some cover song from a Meatloaf album in the mid-70s...!

Kinda felt like a 20 click "nature walk" with full gear...on a full stomach.
(nausea-central)

Well, I hadn't eaten hardly anything in over a day, and only been downing raspberry iced tea with LOTS of ice, because my tastebuds were shot to hell, so I was running on damn near "fumes" from the get-go.

I quit outright when the string trimmer (thankfully) ran out of string...LOL

(fate...and perhaps GOD was giving me a hint...which I took GLADLY)

So...word to the wise...if you feel like crap, yard work is not, I repeat NOT the method to make one feel better in ANY way, shape, or form ...kapeesh?

*** The other night, Bill O'Reilly had an intriguing aspect to the whole gun violence thing which made good sense to me.

He said that gun violence had a RACIAL component, and you know...he's RIGHT.
I did some nosing around and came up with some really startling statistics that backs that up.
-- Here's a story from the Washington Post that supports this premise:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/feature/wp/2013/03/22/gun-deaths-shaped-by-race-in-america/
Seems if you're a WHITE man who lives a in a RURAL area, you're more likely to shoot yourself (suicide), but if you're a BLACK man in an URBAN area, you're more likely to be shot by someone else! (and that would be another black man, a pissed off home owner you burglarized, or the police, take your pick)
I'd say that tracks pretty damn true.

Homicide gun death rates for blacks (per million people) is about 151, while the rates for whites is about 15.
(some difference)
Experts claim that SUICIDE is very preventable, and I would say that's a lot more correct than even trying to say that HOMICIDE is preventable.
(many times homicides are impulsive in nature)
-- Here's another story...see what you think:
http://www.redstate.com/2013/01/09/the-real-gun-violence-problem/
In THIS article, it's mentioned that the typical murderer with a gun is a BLACK MALE in a city UNDER the age of 25.
"This is not to suggest that we should profile young black men. We should not. But we SHOULD if we really want to curb gun violence in the United States." states the author of the story.

The DoJ states that in 2008, black males (18-24) had the HIGHEST homicide victimization rate - 91.1 per 100,000 people, nearly DOUBLE the rate for black males OVER the age of 25 which was 38.4 per 100,000.
But these numbers are LOWER than figures compiled from 1993, when the same age group posted numbers of 195.9 per 100,000.
Teen black male offending rates have risen from 54.3 per 100,000 in 2002 to 64.8 per 100,000 in 2008.
ALL of this occurred in... URBAN AREAS...!

And since this aspect of RACE is SO pronounced in these statistics, everyone concerned is dancing ALL around the real issue, and NO amount of gun control will be able to handle that, right?
-- Next, we have THIS article calling black violence nothing short of URBAN TERRORISM:
http://www.wnd.com/2013/01/surge-of-black-violence-called-urban-terrorism/
This story concerns the black FLASH MOBS , and guess WHICH city is considered the top o' the heap?
INDIANAPOLIS...especially at the Circle Centre Mall.
(used to be a NICE place - who knew?)
There is also a link in this article to the BIG list of black mob violence.
Remember the downtown Philly mobs, and the one in Minnesota a year or two back?
Such mobs have now been given to attacking POLICE OFFICERS.
And many times, the lame-stream media all but IGNORES this sh*t...WHY?
Indy attorney Hakim Shabazz said it best:
"There is a criminal element in this town that consists largely of young black men....the most high ridden crime areas in the city...who are the BAD GUYS?
Say it with me - YOUNG BLACK MEN.
Indianapolis, you have a problem. Your problem is young, black men who are out of control."

Change the name, and it SURE sounds a LOT like FORT WAYNE...does it not?
And yet there are those that would love to control GUNS....
Funny, I've said all along that it's really a PEOPLE problem and not a GUN problem.
Maybe a few are listening.
*** Lastly today, I was going to get into what's being done DOWNTOWN in Ft. Wayne, but I think we can save that for a whole other day.

I would remind all of you (locally) to watch the WANE series on IS FORT WAYNE A DANGEROUS PLACE?

Those of you not living nearby can just go to their homepage and follow the links...it's a good series and well worth your time.

Also, Glenn Beck's new book CONTROL hit shelves this week, and I have got to get it! It's not about guns..but it IS about "control".
Tomorrow, a look at possibly the first of the "summer" blockbusters, so have the popcorn ready.

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

Humpday Happenings...

A beautiful day here in Hoosierland with lots of sun and temps reaching into the LOW EIGHTIES...kind of like a summer preview.
And I will be up front with all of you and say I've been battling something like the flu for the past 2 days, and that's why today's post will be both brief and tardy. Sorry about that, friends.
Isn't easy having chills in 80 degree weather, that''s for sure.
Helluva way to enter the month of May, right?
Damn near felt like a malaria attack, but since I don't recollect ever having that, we'll stick to the flu.
Been sleeping so damn much, too, trying to get the old body to heal itself, and with a couple aspirin (for fever), that seems to work well enough.
Now with arthritis, you always hurt in specific places, but this flu has got me achin' all over, but fortunately, my appetite's coming back.

What bothers me about coming down with something, is that I languish about doing basically nothing, and I'm a person that simple cannot DO that.
Perhaps that's why I consider myself one of the world's WORST patients.
Still, this doing nothing to get better makes me feel like most ANY of the neighbors around here, because that's all THEY ever seem to do...nothing!
Only difference is that the GOVERNMENT pays them to do nothing.
*** Here's the Motto of the week aka WHO SAID THAT?
" A genius cannot be forced, nor can you make an ape an alderman."
*** There was a brief story in the news last night about a FWPD car that as struck along Reed St. by what appeared to be a BB or pellet, shattering a window, but the media buried that real fast, lest anyone copy-cat this. I can understand that.
Considering how volatile and bellicose the community got with the police-action shooting, you'd figure the locals would get uppity and want to strike back at the department. God forbid the police would actually be there to protect them.
*** The schizophrenic swimmer died late yesterday, and maybe this will be a red flag to the community that perhaps allowing such people ON OUR STREETS isn't in the best interest. We just mainstream too many people these days when they should be receiving the proper attention through being institutionalized.
*** Remember how I ALWAYS say that we should be paying attention to all the SMALL things in our city, lest they find a way to evolve into the BIG things...crime-wise?
Now, littering is a small thing (to some), but consider why we have anti-littering laws...who wants to be hip-deep in garbage and trash that can breed disease and make everything look disgusting anyway?

Well, there was this one black guy cribbing at the house across the street...was topping off his anti-freeze, and when he emptied the jug, just dropped it along the curb, instead of placing it in a trash bin that was located JUST INSIDE their fence.

How f$cking LAZY is that, hmm?

When the other people came home, THEY took the jug in and dumped it in their bin.
I swear I don't know WHY some people bother to exist in the first damn place.

We already had someone else dump 2 quarts of motor oil in their vehicle, an then leave the 2 bottles ALONG THE CURB STRIP (Quaker State oil...you know the green bottles).
And, that's also why we have morons dumping big screen TVs in our alley!
It's THIS kind of sh*t that gets the "free pass" down here, and totally pisses me off. Funny, this doesn't occur in NICE neighborhoods.
And when parking the WRONG WAY, or double parking is all but ignored as well, that sends the wrong message to these moolies.
You're letting them get away with skirting the laws that damn near everyone else follows, so it's little wonder that the evolutionary process will proceed and grow into such things as murder on the streets.
When you allow people to never have boundaries set for them, they will continue to push further until you have the levels of violence and crime we "enjoy" on the SE side of town. That's human nature.
In any event, whatever these people have learned when it comes to being STUPID can be UNlearned...it just take time.
-- Now, I'd best get to gathering together our recycle and trash for tomorrow's pickup...because WE know how to follow rules and laws.
Plus, I also need to take it slow for a spell, until I'm hitting on all cylinders again.

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