Monday Musings...

It certainly has been a weird-ass weekend, and not JUST in the wonderful world of sports, hasn't it? Goes to show our planet is indeed becoming crazier than any of us could imagine.
We'll be taking a look at such things...and more anon.
Our Hoosierland weather for today brings us unseasonably warm conditions (just like over the weekend, where the only break we had was in humidity), with mostly sunny skies, temps reaching back up to around 88 degrees, and no rain to mention.

I've got my coffee close by, so you get yourselves something to wet your whistle, as we see what's been going on elsewhere,,,
*** First out of the rucksack is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
SEPTEMBER 25 -
---It's Math Storytelling Day

(another contrived observance - just what we need)
---It's National Comic Book Day

(okay, now THIS is more like it, and we're not talking "graphic novels")
---It's National Lobster Day

(Wifey has hers around her birthday...lol)
---It's National One Hit Wonder Day

(Okay, Chris...this one's all yours. Fire up the TM.)
---It's National Research Administrator Day

(these people DO work...right?)
---It's National Tune Up Day

(we're talking VEHICLES, and not criminals here. The LEOS know what that means)
*** Next up, it wasn't that bad a weekend around the "Fortress", but there is always something that manages to come along and seriously disturb my calm...like THIS:
http://www.journalgazette.net/opinion/columns/20170924/budget-plan-advances-agenda-of-progress

Our very own "king" (Henry) had an editorial.letter in yesterday's paper, and it didn;t make my bacon and eggs taste as good as they SHOULD have, and you can probably guess why.
Before I even read the column, I KNEW he was going to drag out those two overused "catch-phrases" that seems to want to define his reign as our monarch.
And he did not let me down...BOTH were used once again. Early on, I read "quality-of-life", and near the end, I read "point of destination". Neither of these applies to OUR part of town, thanks to politicians like him.

It's (still) GOOD to be king.

I'm thinking of renaming him "Mayor QOLPOD", and you can easily see why.
When you want to face the truth, your highness, when it comes to where we live and how unproductive this part of town has become to the rest of the city, then MAYBE, I might want to listen to something you say...and NOT either laugh my ass off OR get (royally) pissed...ball's in your court, sire.
*** Next, Seems that one person took exception to churchgoers in Nashville.
Here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/us/20170925/1-dead-in-rampage-gunman-is-subdued

((The shooting – which left a 39-year-old woman dead – occurred shortly before noon at Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Antioch, Tennessee, about 12 miles southeast of downtown Nashville. Police identified the shooter as Sudan native Emanuel Kidega Samson, 25, of Tennessee, who they said is a legal resident of the United States and apparently had attended worship services at the church in recent years. Police said Samson will be charged with murder and attempted murder.))

Maybe this is the way things are done in SUDAN, but NOT HERE, and certainly NOT by the likes of this piece of shit. Try him, convict him, and then execute him...be done with it ASAP.
This is AMERICA, and not some mud-hut riddled, third world nation that's practiced civil war for centuries.
*** Next up, local victims of gun violence speak out:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/20170925/we-want--to-be-heard

I'm all for allowing the grieving process to unfold in this manner. And, it's also about time that the mayor and FWPD chief get an earful. This has been going on  for far too long.
But, let's make one thing very clear: This is MORE about VIOLENCE than GUNS...period.
Guns are just a means to an end...a tool...a method to commit mayhem.
We've also had stabbing deaths, deaths by blunt-force trauma, and in the case of a few infants, by being shaken.

Let's make sure we address THOSE acts of violence,a nd not JUST concentrate on the gun play,. Let's also find better means to keep guns OUT OF THE HANDS of violent felons, as we often see in Fort Wayne.
That should be the first priority here. We've too many of the wrong people getting guns by illegal means, and  this is the cause of many of these deaths.
Finally, we need to acknowledge that, although any death by violence is unwarranted by a civil society, some of the victims were not what we would refer to as "upstanding citizens"...they had their own history with law-enforcement and the penal system. Fate just managed to catch up to them sooner than others thought.
*** Next, this whole "taking the knee" PCBS has me laughing.

It's not a "racial" thing, was we're being told, and yet, the majority of those doing this are black, so why is this not race-based? Sure looks that way.
I heard the Dallas Cowboys coach took a stand and said if you don't stand for the national Anthem.,..you're fired.
When you work for ANY organization (and especially for one under the public and media spotlight, there are specific guidelines you ahve to adhere to, and in this case, it just may include showing loyalty to the country that has permitted you the freedom and liberty you enjoy.

Now, according to recent studies, sporting events in the NBA, NFL, and now, even the baseball leagues are showing DECLINING attendance...gee, I wonder WHY? Both live attendance AND viewership have been dropping of late.
Wonder is ANY of this has to do with bringing POLITICS into the arenas (where it really should not have a place)?
People flock to (and tune in to) sporting events to be entertained...simple as that.
People want to get AWAY from all the damn politics and other crap, so imagine their disdain when such things follow people onto the playing field or into heir homes when they turn on a game...yeah, they get cheesed the hell off (fans are like that).

Personally, I think any organization that plays along with the "knee" thing and does nothing to dissuade their players from not standing for the national anthem, are cutting their own throats.
And we all get to see them bleed out, only the color is green...and not red.
*** Next , the Ken Burns series The Vietnam War has been very good (excellent footage).

Friday's episode was the lead up to the 1968 Tet offensive (by the NVA and the Vietcong), and last night  covered most of 1968, and included the assassinations of both MLK and RFK, and how on the homefront, protests took their toll in our cities,  as much as the Viet Cong took their toll of our troops in country.

While Tet was supposed to be a demoralizing event, it went very wrong for the bad guys, because both the ARVN (S. Vietnam Army) and U.S. troops beat them back with heavy losses for the north.
But, it did become clear that what America was being told about the war was not as factual as it was alleged.
And, if we were supposed to be WINNING, then why ask for 200K MORE troops when we already had close to 450K+ there already?
The numbers didn't add up, and Americans were asking questions and getting no answers.
Plus, it demonstrated that the north could infiltrate the south and wreak havoc through all the provinces and cities there.
It was not a win for the bad guys, but it would have benefited Westmoreland if he had read up on his SUN TZU.
*** Next up, time to drop by "Kitten Corner"...

With the first anniversary of having the kids with us, I;m going to have to change the name of this spot. They are no longer kittens in the normal sense.
They were pretty good this weekend, and didn't get too out of hand.

Violet and Gallifrey spent time following me around, came in the living room while I watched TV, climbed over Wifey while SHE napped, and reminded me when it was time to eat...lol.
*** Next, let's see what's going on with "Midnight and Company"...

Well, both of our "homeless" community cats stayed close by the house, no doubt due to the heat. They knew they could always have some cool water (I change it several times a day for them). And yes, they're up ready for food before I'm even fully awake. Thank God it's a very short walk to the patio...heh.

After food, it's time to take a short patrol or just lounge about, watching the world go by.
Absolutely nothing at all wrong with that...is there?
*** Last back to the barracks...I'm not a fan of modern politics. Guess that's kinda obvious.

I suppose I wouldn't be AS pissed off at all the nonsense IF it would keep it's place in our society.
But today, such is NOT the case.
Politics has to sneak into damn near avery aspect of our lives. It's got the schools by the balls, and squeezes a little more every year. It's gotten into sports events (hockey and NASCAR have been cool so far) and other forms of entertainment, and nothing turns me off faster than to see that happen. Talk shows are becoming the worst instigators of this garbage.
Luckily, I can tune most, if not all of it the hell out. Can't say as much for others (especially on the left).

They want division...they want strife, and by God,  they're not afraid to make it known.

I could never run for politics, because I'm the sort of guy who makes his stance of things known, and when you get to know me, "what you see is what you get"...no BS...just truth. I can thank my parents for that (and I still do).
It doesn't make you top of the class as far as popularity goes, but this is life 101, not some talent show.
What it does make for you, is the ability to have a clear conscience in meaning what you say and saying what you mean.
That is so hard to find in politics today, and perhaps why we don't see it all that much.
We all need to get back to societal basics, and the sooner we stop this crapfest of "wanting attention", and learn to rely on ourselves first (with a good dose of morality tossed in, so we can help one another), the better off we'll all become.
Maybe more people should be down on BOTH knees, rather than just one...if you get my drift.

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