Thoughts For Thursday...

I don't know about you folks, but we're still hearing the remnants of the chronically stupid among us - the ones who bought so many fireworks, that they'll be setting them off days after the "main event". Technically, they are "legal" to deploy until the 9th of this month. We need to change some laws here.
Had a wee bit of rain yesterday, but not enough to make any real difference.
Our Hoosierland weather today brings us mostly cloudy skies (that are supposed to clear up sometime later), temps again reaching into the mid-80s and enough humidity (with rain near our area) to make things a tad sticky out there.

Yep, it's summer all right. I'd plan for showers, just to be safe (and dry).
So as the world does it's thing,. what say we get ourselves a refreshing drink (hopefully with some caffeine in it)  to start the day, as we see what has been going on elsewhere, hmm?
*** First off of the garden path is the answer to yesterday's WHO SAID THAT? quote:

"Our contest is not only whether we ourselves shall be free, but whether there shall be left to mankind an asylum on earth for civil and religious liberty."
This was spoken by nine other than Samuel Adams (September 27 [O.S. September 16] 1722 – October 2, 1803) who was an American statesman, political philosopher, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He was a politician in colonial Massachusetts, a leader of the movement that became the American Revolution, and one of the architects of the principles of American republicanism that shaped the political culture of the United States. And here is his WIKI:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Adams

Oh, and yes, he was involved in the brewing of beer, or, to put it in PROPER context, we became a "maltster" in Boston. His family ran a malthouse, so he was NOT a brewer (although Sam Adams brewery makes a good product today)
Adams became disenchanted with the British as far back as 1748, so he and some friends launched The Independent Advertiser, a weekly newspaper that printed many political essays written by Adams.
Considering that England helped the colonies with the French and Indian War, and were looking at financial bankruptcy as a country, it was enough to cause various taxation acts OF the colonies to help pay for the war. That didn't sit all that well with men such as Adams. The Sugar Act, Stamp Act, and Townshend Act were viewed as infringements on the rights of the colonies to govern themselves.
The WIKI is a great read, and chronicles much of the "behind -the-scenes" aspects leading up to the Revolutionary War, and it was men such as Samuel Adams who spoke for the people if not in voice, than by ink and paper.
*** Next up, time for our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
JULY 6 -
---It's National Fried Chicken Day

(my God, all the "neighbors" around will go bat-shit crazy over THIS one...lol)
And that's all for today (for our part of town, that's enough)
*** Next up, let's take a little "tour" of the city through the crimes going on...
---The Decatur Rd. Family Dollar on the SE side is going away, so what business is moving INTO that location?

Try a DOLLAR GENERAL. I shit you not. Here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/business/20170706/factory-orders-fall-surprising
The brief is buried about 2/3 of the way down the column.
So, THIS is the BEST the city (and investors) can do down here?

Gee, I wonder WHY that is? couldn't be all the damn crime, right? Can't be all the ethnic and white trash we have passing for people, hmm? Can't be the lack of involvement to POLICE the whole south side properly, right?
---The coroner finally got around to telling us that three recent deaths have been ruled HOMICIDES.

Now I figured two of those were obvious (The Weisser-Park deaths that I had counted as homicides), so MY tally (so far) should be SIXTEEN, but I;'m hearing only fifteen. In years past, my math was better than the city's, so you can decide for yourselves.
Here's the story link in case you want to figure this out.
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/police-fire/20170706/3-recent-deaths-ruled-homicides
There was ALSO a Lake Ave death (ruled a homicide), so that would mean "my" total would now be SEVENTEEN.
I will say it's getting harder to keep track when ALL the information is not forthcoming.
The death of one Dean Montgomery Rosie, 53. (blunt force trauma).
He was found at 10:18 p.m. June 1 at 842 Lake Ave., the coroner said.
Police released no information about Rosie's death when he died.
Okay, so that's TWO instances where the FWPD didn't release information. The other case was the death of Gabriel Buendia back on 3 July that had NO record of the call on the police blotter.
Someone in the department isn't holding up THEIR piece of the damn informational log here, and that should be VERY disturbing to a LOT of citizens in town.
---A teen fights off a home intruder . Here's that story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/police-fire/20170706/4-people-stabbed-in-huntington

The story is halfway down that screen. This took place LAST FRIDAY (???) in the 2400 block of Florida Drive up on the NE side of the city.  Another case of no information to the public in a TIMELY manner.
And the perp was described as a BLACK MALE...another big surprise.
Law-enforcement (here in Fort Wayne) needs to get it's collective SHIT TOGETHER when it comes to telling the public WHAT GOES ON, so WE can better assist police when they ask for it (which is damn near all the effin time), right?
---On the SW side, we had a couple attacked in their home. Here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/police-fire/20170706/2-badly-hurt-in-homestead-home

Whitley county police made an arrest after a pursuit of the vehicle taken from the couple's home.
((Fort Wayne police were called about 3 p.m. to 3309 Homestead Road, between Covington and Aboite Center roads. Dispatchers received multiple hang-up calls from that location, city police spokesman Michael Joyner said.
Officers found a man and woman injured inside the home. Both were taken to a hospital, where the man was in critical condition and the woman was in stable condition, Joyner said.

Police did not release the names of the victims or how they were injured. 
Allen County tax records show the owners of the home are Gene Leroy Ruse and Sandra Sue Ruse.
Scott Leroy Ruse, 50, was stopped after a brief chase in Whitley County and taken into custody without incident, police said. He is charged with two counts of attempted murder and two counts of attempted robbery.))
I really like those charges. Bet none of them stick and this jerk gets a plea deal.
*** Next up, and changing gears, the El Rey Channel (234 - Frontier) has managed to get the airing rights to Stargate SG-1.

This show that ran for TEN years (1997-2007), originally on Showtime, then picked up by the old Sci-Fi Channel in 2002.
Watched the first 3 eps yesterday.
Nice to see that show return, as I thought it was one of THE best shows on TV at the time. But, that was when the Sci-Fi Channel (now called SYFY) showed programming pertinent  to the genre, and NOT movies like Troy or Skyfall (which have not a single damn thing to do with science fiction. They did show eps of The Twilight Zone on the 4th...a homage to a good show and better programming days.
Hope they will show ALL the shows as well as the followup movies and other incarnations of the Stargate franchise.
*** Next, time to see what's going on at "Kitten Corner"...

I think the kids came through the noise well, in spite of the locals still shooting crap off.

They were both a lot more laid back and willing to come and rub against you again. That's a sign that there's no permanent damage from all the crapheads living nearby. Playing with toys, napping...back to the good things in lie.
*** Next up, let's see what is happening with our 'Tales of Midnight"...

My little "supervisor" came by when I went into the garage to get the hedge trimmer. I hear a scratching at the door, and I called out (from inside) "Who's there?" I heard a "meow" and opened the door. There he was, waiting to get fed.
He seems to like the hibiscus, because that's where he prefers to nap during parts of the day.

He's a good kid, and I'm sure Rassie and Penelope are looking down at us...and smiling. I also know that Hobo would approve, wherever he is.
*** Last back to the flower pots...we live in an age of information.

We've come to this place way back in the mid 70s, when manufacturing (here) was on the wane. We began shipping our jobs out of country, turning to information acquisition and it's various usages. I saw it happen. I was on "the front lines" as it were.

The information we gathered seemed to become it's own form of "currency", too.
With it came power, and with any form of currency, those who have the most, become the wealthiest.
That's simple cause and effect.
Flash forward several decades later, and we find again that information is still representative of power, and to greater degrees than we could expected.
Social media and the advent of the Internet has seen to this, and while parts of it have been beneficial to humankind, much of it is all but wasted in hedonistic endeavors and pursuits.
And this comes from everyone from John and Jane Doe to the world leaders all over the world.
Information begets knowledge and knowledge IS still power. Let no one tell you otherwise.
That's why I get really pissed off when WE, the people are not told (by the police, for example...or the media)what we SHOULD KNOW, and are instead fed obfuscations, lies, deceit and mental pablum. The sad part is, many people out there eat all this crap the hell up and seemingly can't get enough. That's borderline delusional to settle for that.

I'm like Sgt. Joe Friday..."Just give me the facts". Let me decide. Let me choose.
When we learn to USE information, rather than abuse it, and take time to learn the truth of matters, instead of allowing others to think for us, we will all do a lot better, and in the process, become better.
I think that's a good way to roll in today;s world.

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