Humpday Happenings...

If you prefer your mornings more on the "frosty" side, then this morning will be just what you're looking for.
Our Hoosierland weather will be a bit more on the unseasonable side with temps struggling to reach 50 degrees.
But, on the good side, we will have lots of sunshine and maybe a breeze or two.
Fort Wayne set a new record with last night's LOW of 24 degrees, so that tells you it's a little more than sweater weather, but that too will change.
In the interim, let's set about filling up that comforting morning beverage as wwe take a peek into what's been going on.
*** First out of the chill zone today is our WHO SAID THAT quote of the week:
" A nation's culture resides in the hearts and souls of it's people."
Now, that should tell you a lot about how OUR country is doing in that regard, right?
The answer at the top of tomorrow's post.
Meanwhile, back at the Taj Mahal...
*** While I always enjoy a happy ending, hopefully this will be the LAST story we have on this punk-ass thug, Deadrian Boykins.
Here's the link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20140416/LOCAL03/304169980
An unrequited and smirking asshole learned he got another 20 years tacked on to his (already) 60+ year prison sentence yesterday...for his attack on a confinement officer.
Some people (like this jerk) just have a head full of bad wiring, and I don't want to hear word one about how "poverty" was to blame...or that "Whitey" caused this in his life.
This buttwipe CHOSE the path he tread, and he got a decent payback for making such bad decisions - 91 years in jail, with Judge Gull requesting he be remanded to a MAXIMUM security facility.
Yes, "Buster Badass" will not be on OUR streets any time in the foreseeable future - good riddance to bad rubbish.
Let's see how much of "a joke" it is when he becomes the new bitch of cell block C...or gets shanked over a cigarette.
Still, it does put a smile on MY face.
Moving on...
*** Did YOU know that GPS systems can only help police SOLVE crimes and not STOP them?

(Well, DUH!)
It's true, friends, and here's the story link to PROVE it.
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20140416/NEWS03/304169983/0/FRONTPAGE
I kinda figured as much, because the ONLY way to effectively diminish crime is to be as PROACTIVE as you can be.
The story talks about how two sex offenders were not monitored properly, which lead to them committing  rapes and murders of at least four California women.
One would feel that GPS technology worked "as intended" when it came to devices alleged to have been monitoring the perps.

It says 300 feet ahead, but the cliff is only FIFTY feet away?

The spokesman for the Dept of Corrections and Rehab in California said that a monitor cannot detect that a crime is being committed - only that it can place an offender at a location and time when it comes to crime scenes.
And maybe you think such offenders take this into consideration when applying their "skills" in the commission of sex crimes?

A ball and chain we ALL can live with

You have to admit that it is (at this point) JUST a tool in the arsenal of items used to help SOLVE crimes.
We've MANY ways to stop crime, but unfortunately, few are used with vigor when it comes to application, because of the lawsuit mentality of our society.
Everyone has all these "rights" that are fought over in courtrooms across the nation every day, when all that is needed is to call them privileges and deal with them as such with stricter penalties for violating the ACTUAL RIGHTS of other individuals.
*** Next up, Remember when we used to have dress codes in PUBLIC schools?
I do, and I have to say that our graduating class (1970, and proud of it) was the LAST in my former high school to have one...so began the downward spiral into all of the problems we have in schools today (imho).
But, if you look around ANY public school today, they have begun to address clothing issues such as provocative tops for the girls and saggy-baggys for the boys.
Hats need to be REMOVED (as they should be), and no wearing jackets in class (that's what the damn LOCKER is for).

Still, those tween and teens look less like STUDENTS and more like those we see outside AFTER SCHOOL...too much "casual" clothing, and to me, it's TOO damn casual. In fact, it's downright SLOPPY...period.
Here's a story that addresses a new issue with certain clothing:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20140416/APA/304169921

Doesn't leave MUCH to the imagination.

Now, it's about "leggings", which are being worn as PANTS for girls, rather than a garment to be worn under a skirt, for example. They're also called pencil pants, or skinny jeans (no denim).
They even have "jeggings" - leggings that are printed to LOOK like you're wearing jeans.
(how novel)
In Evanston, Ill, the schools are saying that IF you wear leggings, you have to have a shirt LONG enough to cover a girl's backside...long enough to reach you fingertips. That is even MORE sloppy.
I mean if we're suspending students for wearing a USMC shirt or wearing an AMERICAN FLAG shirt on a MEXICAN holiday, where does all this insanity truly end?
It's like the school make this sh*t up as they go along...or another clothing item comes on the market.

A BAN...on the AMERICAN flag,...in AMERICA?

If private and parochial schools can set a "standard" (and not a DOUBLE one) when it comes to children's clothing and codes of dress, then WHY can't public schools return to those same days they USED to have? I'm not talking strict uniforms, either...just nice, appropriate clothing that fits the venue.
It would seem to be the prudent thing to do.
Recall when kids were getting jumped in public schools for wearing LOGO jackets?
That has fallen out of favor, but athletic shoes are still popular.
We used to ONLY wear "athletic shoes" (call them what they really are - SNEAKERS) in GYM CLASS.
And during the rise (no pun intended) of the MINI SKIRT during the 60s, we had standards set for the length of the HEM for ladies.

THIS kept your mind off quadratic equations!

Too short...you get sent home, and you BETTER return back the same day with more appropriate garb, or you were listed as TRUANT.
Boys didn't have FACIAL hair, (that's what shavers were for),no long hair on boys, and NOBODY wore T-SHIRTS to school...and NO JEANS of any kind.
My father always used to believe that "If you LOOK like a slob,...that's the way others will see you." and he was spot on with that one.

Also, being slovenly in appearance doesn't help the "educational process" one damn bit, because IF, as the schools say, they are preparing the youth for LIFE (and eventually the workplace) than a GOOD appearance should be second nature (unless you grab a job working in the city sewer system).
The story says much as to tolerance, intolerance, double standards, and a few other issues too many are reticent to sweep under the nearest carpet, in the hope it will all "just go away"...which it never does.
*** Last back to the corral today...Our CULTURE is a large part of the problems we have in America.
What we choose to allow in our society is not always in the best interest of everyone, so perhaps it once again comes down to making BETTER choices for ourselves AND our society?

Always seems to come down to a SIMPLE one.

Yep, sure as hell does...as it should be.
Permissiveness and pervasiveness are two parts of a society that can undo decades of progress, and we can see as much since we did away with dress codes back in the 1970s.
In almost every case, when we TRY to become more tolerant, we produce MORE intolerance against those who are not as tolerant.
That is one helluva vicious cycle to be saddled with.
There are much BETTER ways to get back on track, but it always means working at it, and that's why I don't say EASIER ways to move forward. Easy is for the lazy.
If life were so easy, we'd all be stellar models of success in anything we did, without exception.
Then again, we'd learn little along THAT path, right?

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