Humpday Happenings...

It's the middle of the week AND the middle of the month...love when that occurs.
And, it looks to be a relatively nice morning out there, too.
The birds are already waiting for the seed I put out for them, with their chirping as a reminder to get that done.
(It's done)
Our Hooiserland weather will have us enjoying partly cloudy skies, with more overcast moving in later today.
Highs today will reach back into the mid 60s, with mild breezes.
Certainly not a bad way to start most any day, is it?
So, let's get our Wednesday cup of fortitude poured and see what all is going on elsewhere.
*** First out of the box office is our WHO SAID THAT quote of the week:
"My dream is of a place and a time where America will once again be seen as the last best hope on Earth.."
(and no, it's NOT Rev Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr....lol)
So WHO did say that? In the world of today, such words should ring throughout the nation.
The answer at the top of tomorrow's post.
Meanwhile, back in the nation's capital...
*** It's also time for our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
April 15 - 
--- Today is RUBBER ERASER DAY

(NOT to be confused with rubber STAMP day, which is most ANY day that the Fort Wayne City Council meets)
---It's also TITANIC REMEMBRANCE DAY

It was 103 years ago that the "unsinkable" ship, RMS Titanic did just that.,..sink in the north Atlantic after striking an iceberg.
The ship sank in slightly MORE than two and a half hours, taking over 1000 people with her to a watery grave.
---It's also TAX DAY.
(and that can be more taxing than you know)
It's the day when your INCOME TAXES are due (well, at least the FORMS need to be mailed in), but you can apply for an extension  to either AUGUST 15 or OCTOBER 15...and never forget to include every "schedule" form required.
Also (very important)...make SURE you get your FILING STATUS and SOC.SEC. number correct.
They WILL audit you if there is ANY error there, trust me. Your form will kick out of the system faster than a speeding bullet.
*** And it was on this day, 150 years ago, shortly after the end of the Civil War that President Lincoln was shot while attending a play at Ford's Theater in Washington D.C . on the night of the 14th. He passed away at 0722 hrs on the 15th.
 He was assassinated by actor John Wilkes Booth.

The conspiracy between Booth and several others is a very good story.
Also of note...
---Rand McNally published their FIRST road atlas on this day in 1924.

---Jackie Robinson makes his debut in baseball's major leagues, breaking the color barrier in 1947.

---It was also the maiden flight for the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress back in 1952
(and they're STILL flying!)

---Ray Kroc opens the FIRST franchised McDonald's restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois in 1955.

---The FIRST Ford Mustang rolls off the showroom floor, 2 days before it is set to go on sale nationwide in 1964.
---Two bombs go off near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing 3 and injuring 264 others in 2013.

It would certainly seem that THIS day is almost like a nexus of events...a pivotal point in history
Switching gears...and moving on...
*** If you think the school your children go to is safe...that's fine.
But, schools CAN be safer...MUCH safer, and here's a story that tells the tale:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/A-blunt-message-to-make-schools-safer-6100576

Former Lt. Colonel Dave Grossman is someone with some pretty hefty credentials, and a best-selling author.
Yesterday, he gave an all-day presentation to local school administrators and law-enforcement at IPFW (damn shame I missed that one),
The gist of his message was that people - children included - NEED to take action when presented with a violent threat.
Doesn't sound like one of those "feel good" lectures, does it?
Well, it's not MEANT to be.
"If we don't teach the kids what to do, we're teaching them to do nothing." says Grossman.
(and he's right)
Grossman cited several studies that prove that violent video games and violent movies DO have an effect on children.
He also said that schools need to keep their doors locked.
(Sure has become a far cry from when I attended school)

Grossman puts it out there, plain and simple - "We need to prepare for violence."
I have to agree with him, because the violence that kids retain follows them into adulthood, and that explains the increase in VIOLENT crimes, even though crime on the whole shows signs of decrease.
It's like a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" kinda thing - do you want LESS but more VIOLENT crime, or MORE but less violent crime?
Would it be too much to ask for both (less crime AND less violence)?
Well, if kids are brought up in a violent venue, it will be difficult at best to defer violence.
And like I'm keen on saying...any ONE generation that has issues will take us SEVERAL generations to reverse it.
That's just human nature...always harder to create than to destroy...check out history on that one.
*** Next up, the SERIES FINALE of the FX program JUSTIFIED aired last night....

Yeah, it was a "WOW" moment (for me, anyway).
Best acting and writing I have seen on the small screen in quite some time.
Tied up ALL the loose ends very nicely, too.
(Did I see a bit of "chivalry" there?)
And yes, those that NEEDED to get killed...DID.
The list was pretty long by series end.
Sure gonna miss that viewing spot on Tuesday night, though...
A show like this tends to leave a bit of a hole, and whatever comes along will be hard-pressed to fill that spot properly.

My congrats to the writers for putting together a fantastic story line with some great plot twists and story arcs that spanned the entire series.
Also, the actors who portrayed the characters in the series did a magnificent job of bringing a very REAL sense of who they were into our homes for six seasons.
And lastly, praise to (the late) Elmore Leonard, who crafted some marvelous characters in his novels and who was fortunate enough to have such people portrayed on television. It was one helluva ride.
*** Last back to the fire pit...there has been violence in our world since the beginning.
From the Biblical perspective, it came as early as Cain and Abel, and apparently, mankind has not looked back since.

There seems to be this "hazy area" when it comes to the proper definition OF violence.
We tend to view it as a BAD PERSON (or persons) committing EVIL against another (or others), and that's only ONE type of violence.
There are MANY more.

WAR is sometimes considered the epitome of violence, often justified, and usually strives to achieve an end to it's means, such as beating back fascism or communism, in order to promote freedom for ALL men.

Domestic violence is another aspect that has numerous forms, with the physical realm being the most pronounced in our society.
There is self-destructive violence (self-abuse and suicide), COLLECTIVE violence (structural and economic) and this is what you think it is...large groups (organized or not) motivated by some sort of "gain", even it's to torch parts of a city (shades of Ferguson).
War is in fact the best known form of collective violence.

Non-physical forms of violence include neglect, intimidation, and the like.
Child abuse is considered interpersonal violence.
And, in the case of Lincoln's assassination, it was TARGETED violence.
So, you can see...we, as a species have become VERY good at what we do.
This isn't to say we can stop it completely.
There will ALWAYS be some reason for some war...someplace.
To realize that EACH of us has within, the capacity to become violent enough to do what we consider to be unthinkable, is a good first step to taming the beast inside, that mindless primitive, the "Mr Hyde", as it were.
There will come times when some form of violence may be needed, but to randomly and with no thought to consequences pursue a life OF violence is certainly not the way to live...or die.

We can DO better, BECOME better, and we should.
Punish those who practice violence against the innocent, and help those than CAN (and want to) be helped.
For those that simply cannot be turned from such behaviors...well, sometimes "it TAKES bitter to drive bitter", as Mom used to say.
And she was right more than she was wrong.

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