Thoughts For Thursday...

It's one of those "soft" mornings, as the Brits would say.
Yep, it's raining, and that's sure to urge the spring flowers to come out of their winter slumber.
And yes, it could always be worse, like those people down south who've been flooded out (let's blame global warming on that)
Our Hoosierland weather will see the rain subsiding later today, and we might even see the clouds part. Temps are not near as warm as the last 2 days, with our high reaching into the upper 50s. Still, not a bad forecast, overall.
Wifey's feeling a bit under the weather, and is taking a day off, so I get to play "doctor" (doctor who?)...EXACTLY.

Every "Doctor" needs one.

Got the "sonic" at the ready (good for heating up some chicken soup)...lol.
So, let's go get our morning drinks poured and parked close by as we see what else has been going on...
*** First out of the rain barrel is the answer to yesterday's WHO SAID THAT? quote:
"I believe that it is better to tell the truth than a lie. I believe it is better to be free than to be a slave. And I believe it is better to know than to be ignorant."

This is attributed to H.L. Mencken (12 Sept 1880 - 29 Jan 1956) who was a German-American journalist, satirist, cultural critic and scholar of American English. And here is his WIKI:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._L._Mencken

Known as the "Sage of Baltimore", he is regarded as one of the most influential writers of the first half of the 20th century. It was he who dubbed the Scopes Trial "The Monkey Trial", and as a scholar, is known for a multi-volume study of how the English language is spoken in the United States (The American Language).
(wonder what he would think of our "language" today? Bet he's rolling in his grave.)
As an admirer of Nietzsche, he was a detractor of religion, populism, and representative democracy.
He was a supporter of scientific progress,  skeptical of economic theories, and critical of osteopathic and chiropractic medicine. (talk about someone whose brain you'd love to pick over dinner)
Unfortunately, he harbored strong racist and anti-Semitic views and was sympathetic to Social Darwinism as practiced by the Nazis.
Curiously, during the Great Depression, he did NOT support "the new deal", and expressed reservations about America entering WW2. He was also overt in his contempt for FDR.
His humor and satire owed much to Ambrose Beirce and Mark Twain.
(I'll bet his satire was VERY caustic, to boot)
One of Mencken's favorite works was The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, citing the gullibility of "country boobs" (as he referred to them) who were swindled by a con man (sounds like Obama...a lot).
Excerpts from his papers shed a lot of light upon Mencken and provides us a look into the thoughts of an interesting man who appears to have been torn between two worlds of his era.
It's not a bad read.
*** Next up is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
March 10 -
---Today is NATIONAL MARIO DAY

(good Lord...we do video games now?)
---It's also NATIONAL BLUEBERRY POPOVER DAY

(sounds like a keeper)
---And, it's NATIONAL PACK YOUR LUNCH DAY

(used to be a common theme when I was in school Now I pack Wifey's)
---It's also NATIONAL WOMEN AND GIRLS HIV/AIDS AWARENESS DAY

(shouldn't that be every day, considering the level of unprotected sex that goes on now?)
*** Next up, here's an update on the city councilman/FWPD officer story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/More-details-surface-in-Ensley-case-11937897
Now, we hear a lot about one side of this tale, but what about the "other"?
Well, Sherman, let's set the WAY-BACK machine for the year 2009 and THIS article:
http://www.firefighterclosecalls.com/news/fullstory/newsid/94601

"Oops"

Doesn't seem like much, but FWPD officer Robert Abels did have a close call with a fire engine.
And then there's THIS from the WOWO site:
(( 2 JUL 2013 FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): 
A city police officer has been handed a 45 day suspension. 
The board of public safety cited Robert Abels for insubordination. 
According to a report in the News-Sentinel, Abels was originally reprimanded for mishandling an investigation, but his dealings with superiors were called retaliatory, that sparked the suspension
The officer according to the newspaper report, has nine suspensions and five letters of reprimand. This judgment is without pay. ))
I'm just saying...45 days is a pretty SIGNIFICANT suspension...so maybe there's reason to question the officer's particular "reponse" methodology.
And yes, on the other hand, there is ALWAYS cause to be alert to ANY domestic call. Officers get killed responding to such calls.
The VA rookie on her FIRST day of duty was shot and killed in late February answering a domestic call.
Nothing (these days) can be considered "routine" on the streets. Let's make that much clear.
*** Next up, it's our trash pickup day, and I showed that when I sent an email or two (about the trash problem) how the "locals" were (sort of) shamed into cleaning things up (for the time being).
Well, here's the latest piles from two houses across the street.

Gonna take time to get THAT in the trash truck.

Looks like that one house is cleaning up after the last bunch of primates that trashed it, and will soon be getting ready for the NEXT "crew" to crib there on the government's (and our) dime.
Yeah, nice to know that some things stay the frigging same.

Well, it's not in cardboard boxes.

Says a lot to those growing up and pretending to be adults, does it not?
Chronologically,  they are adults, but every other way...STILL  infantile as the day is long.
*** Next, more proof that the millennial generation is a generation bereft of anything close to approximating work ethics...or even work itself.
And it all starts at the "breakfast table" ( huh...wha??? )

Oh, there's FROOT LOOPS all right, but not in the bowl...lol.

Here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/food/Millennials-pass-on-cereal-11666476
Something AS SIMPLE as the traditional bowl of cereal is becoming TOO MUCH to handle for these people.

((...W-T-F???...))
I never thought I would see such things in my lifetime, but there it is...laziness to the Nth degree.
What can be ANY easier than bowl - spoon - cereal - milk - breakfast, hmm? Well, it's just TOO MUCH WORK for the millennials, apparently.
They have to clean UP after themselves.
(guess THAT explains all the lawn trash I have to pick up THESE days?) Cripes, don't dare ask them to chew gum and walk down the damn street.
These "entitled" morons want something MORE convenient (than cereal)...are you shitting me?
You want something easier that that? Like what? Oh, the fast food escape...got it.

Have someone make it FOR you, but YOU still have to pay for it, unless you fake being poor, then the gov't pays for it - a perfect scenario at last for the lazy-asses among us, right?
That's why we have school breakfast programs...much easier than having the baby-mama of the crib doing the cereal gig.

Millennials - That about covers it.

Perhaps there's some SOYLENT (green) in THEIR future?
You wanna know something...life is NOT meant to be "convenient"...plain and simple.
Get off your asses and make breakfast...you just might grow to ENJOY the experience (you morons).
*** Last back to the garage...THIS kids of crap that I mentioned above is exactly why a lot of us feel this "out of place" pall hanging over us.
We never just sat back a cried the blues because something required a little WORK on pour part to accomplish...like making a damn breakfast, right?
We got up and MADE it.
Hell, I STILL do on weekends, or when I feel like it.

Take a little pride in something.

Some days, I skip breakfast (except for coffee) and go right to lunch...but I STILL am master of such things in my life. And that's the way it SHOULD be for everyone (aside from those with a physical disability that would prohibit such things).
Like I said above: "life is not meant to be convenient". It's meant to CHALLENGE YOU.

Life is supposed to encourage you to step up, do what's expected and to do it to the best of your abilities.
Life is meant to make you a BETTER Individual, guided by the efforts YOU put forth and the decisions you make.
But we've got us a bunch of "namby-pambys", too damn entitled to do basic tasks for themselves (and certainly not for others).

I'd say let 'em starve...see how real HUNGER or THIRST motivates them into action like making a bowl of cereal of a pot of coffee..
I'm sick and tired of people going about wanting their damn hands held...you're an adult...start acting like it.
And that goes for the kids, too...learn how to grow the hell up, take some responsibility and do things YOURSELF.
But, aside from all this buffoonery and stupid-ass behaviors, the REALLY scary part if when these idiots get OLDER still, and start wanting to run this country.
Then, we are ALL truly screwed. The rest of us need to make sure THAT scenario never sees the light of day.
(and knows how to flip a pancake)

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