28 July 2014

Monday Musings...
It's the start of the last week in the month of July, and we, down in the crotch of Fort Wayne are still hearing "fireworks".
We'll be talking about that and a couple other things in a moment, but first, the weather.
The forecast for the Hoosierland will see us with clearing skies (after yesterday's nice rain event) and a even better temperature range with highs only getting into the lower to mid 70s.
Exactly the kind of weather that keep me from frowning (and sweating).
Might have to break out the paint and get cooking on those window sills around the "Fortress".
So, as we begin another day in the Heartland, let's get that morning cup of our favorite beverage poured and see what else has been going on since last we convened, shall we?
*** First out of the trenches...today is the 100th anniversary of the "official" start of... THE WAR TO END ALL WARS...also known as: World War 1.
AHC Channel's got a premiere tonight
But, if you've been following the postings over at Chris Martin's blog (Tilting At Windmills), you know the war began quite some time BEFORE this day in history.
It's a good series he's presented and gives you all the names, faces and places behind the reasoning FOR going to war.
And I will say that when it comes to politics, SOME things never change...
Moving on...
*** Yes, it was a BUSY weekend for the FWPD as they are (still) investigating FOUR shootings that occurred Friday night into Saturday morning.
And you can GUESS where all these took place, right?
If you said the SOUTHEAST SIDE, go to the head of the class.
Here's one of several story links about the goings on:
http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140726/NEWS/140729705/1012/LOCAL
I chose this because a few details were included that were not found in the other coverage.
Wifey and I heard about TWELVE rounds in rapid succession go off around 2235 hrs Friday night, and it sounded close.
Turns out we were right, as the first"volley" was found to be in the 4700 block os S. Hanna St. Interesting to note that the previous night, there was a "disturbance" call in the 4800 block.
According to the story, this was another one of those "rolling gun battles" between two vehicles, heading northbound.
We did see ONE FWPD car come through our area...one. Thought we had all these resources down here? Wonder where they were at?
During the exchange of gunfire, a woman driving along was struck and made it to a gas station at Anthony and McKinnie where she called police. Her car had been struck four times, one shot taking out the rear window.The woman was struck in the arm and taken to hospital.
A man showed up at hospital who had been shot. This was around 0100 hrs Saturday.
And a man showed up at hospital with a gunshot wound to the hip. He stated he was walking through the Eden Green Apartment complex when he was struck by the bullet.
.223 caliber spent casings
Also around 0100 hrs at Lafayette and E. Wildwood, a witness told police they heard about TWENTY rounds go off, and police found multiple shell casings on a porch of a house on Wildwood. There were also shells in the street and several vehicles had been struck by gunfire.
Apparently, three people (total) were hit by bullets from a rifle with a .223 caliber (sounds like an M-16 type to me)
None of the injuries to the people were life-threatening.
Now, I thought our (new) FWPD chief had some sort of handle on this kinda thing...locked some gang members up, homicides were down, and life was fine and dandy...or so we were told.
Guess all is NOT what it seemed to be, hmm?
What HAS been with us are such shootings...it's just these thugs can't hit what they aim at, or worse yet, don't CARE what they aim at...it's all some sort of "fun and games" to them.
And this certainly isn't the FIRST time we've had rolling gun fights...the last one was earlier this year at Paulding and Lafayette. Then, there was he ambulance shooting along Lafayette, and a couple years back, some punk-ass black male(s) in a car with an AK-style rifle shooting up the 4800 block of S. Warsaw...nothing new here at all, is there?
Happens EVERY damn day down here.
Now, here are the police reports for signal 113 calls (shots fired) between 21 July and 26 July:
7/21:
14F095256 04:35:54 113 SHOTS FIRED 1100 HAMILTON AVE
7/22:
14F095686 00:14:59 113 SHOTS FIRED 4800 OLIVER ST
7/23:
14F096718 23:55:10 113 SHOTS FIRED 4000 MONROE ST S
7/24:
14F096739 01:19:19 113 SHOTS FIRED 5700 DECATUR RD
14F096749 01:47:10 113 SHOTS FIRED 4100 ROBINWOOD DR
14F096765 02:25:59 113 SHOTS FIRED 200 BUTLER ST W
7/25:
14F097599 18:43:28 113 SHOTS FIRED 600 WALLACE ST E & HANNA ST S
14F097714 22:41:41 113 SHOTS FIRED 4800 WEISSER PARK AVE & PETTIT AVE
14F097728 23:06:18 113 SHOTS FIRED 4600 AVONDALE DR
14F097753 23:55:31 113 SHOTS FIRED 1600 OXFORD ST & LILLIE ST
7/26:
14F097796 01:21:52 113 SHOTS FIRED 3600 TRACE WAY
14F097833 03:23:45 113 SHOTS FIRED 5600 ST JOE RD
14F097835 03:27:44 113 SHOTS FIRED 500 OXFORD ST & MONROE ST S
14F097850 05:12:23 113 SHOTS FIRED 4200 HANNA ST S & MCKINNIE AVE
14F097852 05:14:15 113 SHOTS FIRED 2800 FAIRFIELD AVE & HOME AVE
==============================
With (very) few exceptions, MOST ALL of these calls originated on the city's...(all together, boys and girls)...SOUTHEAST SIDE.
Doesn't appear as if MUCH is getting done to stop this sort of crime - got too many assholes with too many illegal guns out there, don't we?
And they've got plenty of time to raise several kinds of hell, right?
Interesting to note that NONE of the calls mention the 4700 block of HANNA ST on the night of the 25th.
STILL doesn't seem safe...wonder WHY that is?
In lieu of this, I emailed Adam Widener at WANE in the hope that he can do a story (or three) on the number of SHOOTINGS versus homicides from 1997-2013...our two record homicide rate years.
And I added that the police calls that are 23, 113 (shots fired, vandalism) could also be addressed with special attention to WHICH SECTOR has the most calls along those lines (in the SE)., so if this comes up on the news, you know WHERE the idea came from, kapeesh?
*** Next up, along the lines of police and the job they do, STOSSEL had a VERY good show on last night about "Policing America", and how SWAT teams conduct themselves, along with how our border patrol operates in the USA.
Did you know we have "border patrol checkpoints" WELL within our nation's borders?
Like about ONE HUNDRED MILES within them, in fact.
Leave it to the ACLU to spot this one, too.
That would cover most ALL of Michigan and Maine, for example.
And THESE agents are not adverse to stopping YOU, playing a game of "20 questions", and then, at THEIR discretion, ask you to step out of your vehicle and detain you up to an hour (or more). In some cases, they broke the window glass and tazed one man who asked them WHY they were asking so many questions of a U.S. citizen (who provided multiple proper IDs and has no criminal past at all).
Here's the link to his show's website:
http://www.foxbusiness.com/on-air/stossel/index.html
Is it too late the RECHECK the address?
I've heard more than a few stories about SWAT teams making an entry into the WRONG house and rousting innocent law-abiding citizens.
They're not liable for the damage they inflict when making entry, either...(time to roll out the civil lawyer?).
THAT is why you have to make absolutely sure you (as a member of a SWAT team) get it right the FIRST time...no "do-overs" for an entry team, or the person(s) in charge of the OP.
*** And speaking of making one of those BIG-ASS mistakes...there's this story from Green Bay, Wisconsin:
http://toprightnews.com/?p=2532
An "OOPS" moment for sure
A Pizza Hut manager denied service to a U.S. MARINE, who was wearing four patches that denoted his service in the Corps,citing they were (in his erroneous opinion) "gang colors"...funny, the only "gang" involved HERE would be the USMC...!!!
(uh, oh...Gomer-alert)
Whisky - Tango - Foxtrot - ?
Trying to explain to the manager, the marine stated he "earned the right" to WEAR the patches and jacket....to no avail.
So much for that great lunch buffet, right?
The manager said "he couldn't be expected to KNOW the difference between patches"...
((...record-scratch...))
Note to manager...
You gotta be kidding me, right?
Are we producing a generation of IMBECILES that have NO knowledge of the branches of military service, even if THEY themselves do not serve in them?
Guess those "Call of Duty" video games are lacking something?
This is nothing new regarding the treatment of veterans...increasing incidents of DISRESPECT are surfacing (again...shades of 'Nam) across our nation.
I can see Pizza Hut making a nice frigging huge apology for this one, and maybe taking that manager to a nearby military base and SHOWING his ass why he's able to enjoy the freedom to be the idiot he was in this case.
*** Last back to the barracks today...it amazes me to see the widening contrasts we have in this country, and in many cases, not all for the good of it's people.
One the one hand, we have URBAN TERRORISTS, driving our streets, proving the theory that "the larger the weapon (and stereo), the smaller the penis".
Then, we have police departments that have allowed so much of the small sh*t to slip between the cracks in society, that they cannot even bother with the small things...that's why it takes up to FORTY minutes response time for a damn noise complaint (and the offender is long gone), or permit people to hang out on street corners with open containers, or worse yet, be permitted to DRIVE the hell home AFTER hanging out for HOURS on end (sounds like a DUI to me).
We have border patrol agents WELL within the confines of our nation's borders, when they SHOULD be ON the border keeping illegals and contraband the hell out.
And they are part of the FED police force, if you will, busting on law-abiding U.S. citizens...to what end?
All the while, were being told our borders ARE secure (as tens of thousands of children migrate here from Central America, along with scores of other illegals).What a load of BS!
Then, we have SWAT teams who CAN make mistakes, turning lives of innocent people into a nightmare, while the real criminals remain at-large.
And if all THAT isn't enough, we have people promoted into a manager position without the KNOWLEDGE of things they SHOULD already know about IF they're going to BE a manager...(or police chief, FWPD take note).
Used to be a time when WHAT YOU KNEW paved the path to being promoted...not any longer, it seems.
It's WHO you know, or what RACE you are that gets you up any ladder these days.
And placing those chosen by such methods does less of a service to the people than not hiring anyone at all.
Dean Worner in Animal House once said that:
"Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son."
But it DOES make a nation's people a lot more "malleable" so as to be controlled by others, doesn't it?
And...it's only Monday.
Be well, make a difference  to someone, and...
Stay SAFE out there, America.

4 comments:

CWMartin said...

I had to look up the Pizza hut thing, and I found this in the comments section of Free Republic:

"Update from his Facebook page:

Ok, most of you following me and what happened this week here is the deal. No need to boycott Pizza Hut as it is not a company policy, it never was a company policy and they do hire people, pay wages and do good things in the community Earlier this week before I had my confrontation a group of gang banger wanna be’s did go into the Pizza Hut and caused problems. One of the guys had a Field Jacket that had patches and stuff on it and he was the main instigator of trouble. The young manager was trying to be proactive when I came in and avoid a similar problem which is why he confronted me. The manager didn’t think you could go and buy a military jacket and spice it up with all of the patches.
If you want to be mad, be mad at young punks who dress in military attire and do not show the uniform or colors the respect it deserves. Be mad at posers who never earned the uniform, ribbons or badges that live off of the honor of our veterans. Be mad at celebrities who wear our uniforms ike costumes to the award shows, be mad at the schools that don’t teach our youth what the uniforms mean....there are plenty of things to be mad at but Pizza Hut......hell there are bigger fish to fry than over zealous managers."

Bob G. said...

Chris:
This marine is taking all this in stride, but I can't say I would act in like manner.
I'd be gathering up ALL the vets around and we'd ALL walk in wearing every military patch allowed...to make a point.
(I'm from a different era)

The MANAGER still needs to LEARN to tell the difference here...and too many young people today simply DON'T KNOW JACK about SH*T.

Yes, there are bigger fish to fry...thing is, the police aren't firing up the stove as much (or as often) as they should, if you get my drift.

Thanks for dropping by today and commenting.

Stay safe up there.

John DuMond said...

Damn, Bob, sounds like you should consider insulating your house with Kevlar.

As far as the USMC being a gang, I hear the members even flash a "gang sign." Of course, those of us who have a clue might call it a salute. ;)

Bob G. said...

John D.:
Don't think THAT idea has not crossed my mind many times over recent years (need the cost to come down some, first).

LOL...USMC "gang sign"...(salute)...really LOVE that one.
Tell 'ya one thing, I'd really like to see THAT kinda "gang" down here more than the current crop of street thugs.

Hey, thanks for stopping by to comment today.
Stay safe out there.