We're Getting There...
One day away from the weekend...finally.
Today's heartland weather will be snow later today, followed by some more snow, tapering off to less snow by sunrise tomorrow, and since it will be cloudy and probably still snowing a bit,















God knows when we'll actually see the sun or a cure to the now once-again RISING gas prices in Fort Wayne, so your guess will be as good as mine.
Just be thankful we're not staring at ALL that snow they've been hit with in Cordova, Alaska, right?
So, without any further delay, let's get cracking at what's been going on...
*** A followup story for yesterday's Fort Wayne water rate hike.
Here's the link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120112/LOCAL/301129981
Now, you have to remember some important things about THIS rate hike.
1) The LAST rate hike was back in 2006 (as mentioned yesterday by me), and THAT one was about 25%.
2) The rate hike THIS time around (the 40% add-on) makes a total of 65%! (when it goes into effect around 2013-2014, should it pass state and local "bosses" )
3) The media mentions that a small family that uses 5000 gals. per month will see their charge go from say $17 (and change) to close to $24 (and change).
4) One reason stated for the increase is that people are using LESS water (thanks to those more efficient fixtures we're stuck with).
5) The rate hike will (should?) affect ONLY the USAGE portion of your bill - ALL the other charges will also remain on the bill (and in likelihood also rise accordingly, knowing HOW these people operate).
Now, we here at the fortress are rather frugal with our water...we use around (little less than) 3000 gallons per month (that covers everything, too), and we realize that in many ways, it's MORE precious than gasoline.
(PLUS, I've seen the movie DUNE enough times over the years to know as much...lol)
The single LARGEST charge on OUR bill (yours also) therefore, is NOT the usage rate...it's the SEWER CONSUMPTION USAGE.
THAT rate is almost four times HIGHER than mere water usage.
Hell, even the SERVICE FEE is greater than our usage, with the SEWER BILLING FEE slightly lower.
Yeah, it DOES all ADD UP.
Also, the storm charges and garbage & recycling fees are added into this bill, but we're pretty much STATIC with those amounts.
So, we pay somewhere around $45+ a month...right now.
If the USAGE fee (only) almost DOUBLES, that will only raise the bill another $6 a month...BUT (and listen for that "other shoe" that might drop)...IF the city does a wholesale hike ACROSS THE BOARD, then our bill will jump close to $90 a month!!!
(Your mileage and cost may vary)
It hasn't been clear by any statements made BY the city as to WHICH part of our bill WILL take the hike. At least I haven't seen it so far.
Be real nice of someone (with a little pull) would ASK such questions of the city utilities...just so we, the PAYING customers know...that's all.
*** More on that stolen police car in Kouts, Indiana...
Here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120112/NEWS07/301129959
Well, at last the perp didn't get to the WEAPONS in the cruiser, right?
Doesn't say whether he even got the handcuffs off, either.
But Billy Blankenship IS, however still "in the wind" as we used to say.
Investigators are pondering HOW the cruiser wound up in a drainage ditch...
(...long silent pause for effect...)
You're kidding me, right?
Two possibilities:
1) It was driven in there on purpose.
2) It went off the road by accident and wound up there.
There, I solved THAT much of the "investigation" for you guys,...now get to work tracking this car thief down, OK?
Kinda makes Andy of Mayberry seem like the FBI with such nonsense.
*** Did anyone catch that story about HOSTESS having to file for BANKRUPTCY (protection)?
Here's a link:
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/story/2012-01-11/hostess-bankruptcy-twinkies-wonder-bread/52495162/1
Now, I admit that I'm not a big fan of Twinkies...BUT I love damn near everything else they make.
(coffee cakes and ho ho's are pretty decent, considering that NO ONE in Indiana has anything CLOSE to either TASTYKAKES or DRAKE'S CAKES...arrggh!!!) Talk about forced withdrawal.
I will say that Twinkies seem to last FOREVER (note to all you impending apocalypse followers), and when they DO get stale, you can probably use them as bullet-resistant insulation for your house.
I much prefer Entenmann's chocolate donuts (and lots of 'em).
I don't really think Twinkies will go away ANY time soon, in spite of what Michelle (ma belle) Obama would WANT (read demand) of her followers.
Sorry dear...I'm keeping my guns, my bible, my freedom...AND my ding dongs!
*** Lastly today, I thought you'd be interested to see an article that mirrors a lot of what I ended yesterday's post with...namely "turning it all off" once in a while. The story had me smiling for a time, because being right a lot never gets old (unlike damn near everything else, including ME)
Here's the link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120112/FEAT/301129994
Yeah, it's the whole "stopping to smell the roses gig", just in a different package. I didn't know they had a NATIONAL UNPLUG DAY, either...did you?
It's March 23 and 24...well then, that would make it TWO days and not ONE, right?
Now, if they begin at NOON, and run 24 hours, that would make sense to me.
(and at least I could still get in my blog post...lol)
They call it DIGITAL DETOX...(wonder if they have a 12-step plan to go with that?)
And one author says pretty much the SAME things I have...I just didn't find enough time to write a book about it, make a crapload of money, and move the hell away from the ghettohood.
But, aside from that, Kim John Payne (not to be confused with Kim Jong Il) and I are on the same page here.
I must admit I never check email while "on the throne"...or do anything online while occupied in like manners.
I much prefer reading a book, and NOT one on the working of my alimentary tract or Gray's Anatomy.
Truth be told, we all DO need time away from all this tech...you heard me say it often enough.
We have too much to process, and never enough time to do so.
Every week, something "new" comes out, and some flock to snatch it up.
Carmakers shove ALL this technocrap into our cars and then we all sit and wonder why the mileage never seems to rise appreciably.
(lose the tech, get back to basics and cars will get 40+ MPG..it's that damn simple)
I don't need an "assist" to PARK the damn car (like Ford has on some models).
Hell, parking (like driving) should be the sole responsibility OF THE DRIVER!
But, you understand the mess that all this stuff can get us into...if we permit it to do so.
I believe that as long as we never fully become THAT DEPENDENT upon all this stuff...we'll never miss it when we take a break from it...or even if it all goes away (which any EMP worth it's salt would do in a heartbeat).
Learn to rely on YOURSELF...FIRST and FOREMOST.
Let the tech roll on by, and if you HAVE to "buy into it", then do so with caution and never allow it to become an addiction.
We don't want to hear at the digital detox facility:
"Hello, my name is Bob...and I'm a technoholic."
( "Hi, Bob"... )
You make the right call...and YOU will do just fine.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay SAFE out there, America.

Humpday Happenings...
Welcome to a "transition day" in our weather patterns here in the Heartland (so says the local meteorologists). Today will be mild, ending in rain, which will turn over to snow, with temps dropping faster than Tiffany stocks on Wall St. The low for tonight will very likely be the HIGH for tomorrow.
And that's not to be confused with the "high" most all the locals manage to obtain.
With that said, let's get rolling, because today's post has MORE links than a JIMMY DEAN sausage factory and is packed tighter than an ad for CURVY KATE brassieres.
(sigh - leave it to those Brits )
*** Item - This story is SO great is just HAS to be fattening:
http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/Teen-forced-to-wear-sign-as-punishment
Seems that we have a CONCERNED MOM (yes, there are some out there still) that took measures into her OWN hands when it came to discipline for her son.
She made him wear a SIGN that said:
I LIE - I STEAL - I SELL DRUGS - I DON'T FOLLOW THE LAW.

How novel is THAT?
I love it...SHAME these kids into obedience...THAT'S a damn good way to get them to straighten up and fly right.
Yet, this isn't the first time something like this was employed...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2029105/Townsville-mother-makes-son-wear-humiliating-Im-thief-sign.html

Or THIS:
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/tampa-mom-makes-son-wear-sign-announcing-122-gpa
Now, about bringing back the public DUNKING STOOL...and the PILLORY...or even better yet...take this idea to WASHINGTON, D.C.
(bwahahahahaha)
*** Item - Looks like Fort Wayne needs more of YOUR money...again.
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120111/LOCAL/301119986
I love the "irony" of the story title...city FLOATS water rate hike...LOL
We're looking at a FORTY-F$CKING-PERCENT jump...that's nothing to piss (and then flush) at, folks!
The rate hike (if approved) will not go into effect until 2013 (good, that leaves plenty of time to SAVE or look for somewhere ELSE to move to.)
The last rate hike was 2006, after the Indiana Utility Commission approved a 25% hike.
Increased expenses are to blame for the rate hike proposal (guess those UNIONS aren't getting enough to pay for the bosses to take adequate vacations in the Caribbean)
Cripes, at this rate, water will cost MORE than gasoline...or is that ALL part of that "master plan"?
*** Item - Alaska town is in need.
And the LAST thing that Cordova, Alaska needs right now is MORE SNOW...but they're getting it (again).
Here's the story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120111/APA/1201110599
What this town DOES need are SHOVELS...and LOTS OF THEM...pronto!
People have been checking the major cities in hope of finding the elusive implements.
They called out the National Guard to help with snow removal (so you know it's BAD).
Four businesses and two homes have been damaged so far by all that snow.
Highways been been victims of avalanches and are still closed.
Sure hope no one is living near anyone named DONNER!
*** Item - Some of that SPECIAL kind of Stupid:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120111/NEWS13/120119935/1066/NEWS03
When you're in handcuffs, and feel the need to STEAL the cruiser you've just been placed into, it's really NOT a smart thing to use the on board RADIO to ask WHERE the handcuff keys are...as well as the cigarette lighter.
That's EXACTLY what this bone-headed perp did in Kouts, Indiana (NW part of the state).
William Francis Blankenship is still on the lam, according to authorities.
The cruiser is the ONLY ONE for that town, and DOES have loaded weapons (in the trunk).
Maybe, someone should NOT have left the KEYS in the ignition?
(just a thought)
((Update - 1330hrs - The cruiser was reported found in LaPorte County, wrecked and under water. Gonna need another cruiser, gang!))
*** Item - MORE of that SPECIAL kind of Stupid:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120110/NEWS13/120119978/1066/NEWS03
Looking for a way to get a vacation to Sunny Costa Rica?
Well, one "creative" NYC school employee found one...
Fake your child's DEATH!
(hey, I don't make this stuff up)
She told her (now former) employer her daughter died in Costa Rica, and needed 2 1/2 weeks to take care of business down there.
(yeah right)
The death certificate was FORGED, and Costa Rican authorities corroborated that the document was a FAKE.
Can YOU say..."OOPS"?
*** Item - Help, we need an Interpreter...!
The wrong man killed a member of the Fort Wayne Burmese community last year...apparently.
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120111/LOCAL03/301119981/1002/LOCAL
Aung Win stabbed a man back in April 2011, and hours later was dead at the hands of another Burmese.
Nyunt Shwe was initially arrested for the crime (a pestle was used to kill Aung Win)
Now, Nyunt Shwe's attorney says that it was Thein Oo who struck the fatal blow to Aung Win, and NOT his client.
(With me SO far?)
Aung Win stabbed Thein Oo, and Aung Win was killed NOT by Nyunt Shwe, but by Thein Oo, and we need people with PROPER names...WHY (again)? And tell them to stop spitting all over the place...that's disgusting!
OY VEY...!!!
(NO, that's NOT a cousin of Aung Win, OR Nyunt Shwe, OR Thein Oo...sheesh!)
*** Item - More tech comes to our "fortress"...
Had a misbehaving MOUSE (not the one I expansion-foamed into the wall), so I decided to purchase an OPTICAL mouse (no ball).
Tell you one thing...that bugger is RESPONSIVE (a lot more so than ANY city official or department...lol).
No ball means no more "schmutz" gumming up the rollers inside (that have to be cleaned periodically).
I had to actually SLOW DOWN the speed of the pointer so I wouldn't keep overshooting everything.
And it ONLY cost $5 (from China, who makes almost every damn thing we have in our houses) on eBay!!!
It's still a WIRED mouse, and not a USB version (one step at a time for good old Bob).
I showed Mrs. Bobby G. the new mouse, and she told me she ALREADY uses one AT SCHOOL...
(thanks, Hon - burst THAT bubble)
So, I ordered HER one for the other system...again..for UNDER FIVE BUCKS.
*** Lastly today, we've clearly seen the vicissitudes that life brings, along with the stupidity that often accompanies those who pursue things in life that are other than expected behaviors.
And I learned to grudgingly embrace another piece of technology...
That isn't to say I'm ready to tech the hell out...no way.
I like much of the simplicities of life...the simpler, the better.
I hate when things become over-thought, over-worked, and over-applied....it takes away from US...the PEOPLE.
Life is too short to waste away on items alleged to "make our lives easier", when in fact, they cause more harm than good...because we have to REPLACE them, or UPGRADE them on too regular a basis...all that crap ain't coming for free.
Life should have some of that marvelous DOWN TIME...when we "turn it all off" for a spell, kick back, and enjoy creation that's all around us.
Maybe we put on some music, curl up with a book, or even rub our local "lap cat" (or dog).
We need to step away from things...and get more in touch with US.
'Nuff said about that, then.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay SAFE out there, America.

It's the End Of The World...
Nah, I'm just messin' with 'ya, but you have to admit we're seeing our share of WEIRD out there.
And there are those of us who seem to handle weird better than others.
Let it be said that I don't go LOOKING for weird...it just happens to wander into MY space from time to time.
I equate weird to trouble...eventually, it WILL find YOU, so don't bother hiding from it.
This hearkens back to that whole PREPAREDNESS thing I spoke on a while ago...
If you come to "expect" it, it won't seem as bad when you're staring it in the face, rather than having it sneak up from behind and tap you on the shoulder.
You can't seem to pick up the paper or turn on the news and NOT hear of a situation that just REEKS of something "out of place" in the world.
Look at OUR economy (and much of the rest of the world for that matter)...in some pretty neat shambles.
Then there's the weather...we ALWAYS have weather.
In the Houston area, they're being deluged with damn near MONSOON rainfall (thought that only happened in the far east?)...or that EIGHTEEN FEET of snow they have in ALASKA...(that's a helluva LOT of snow...for anyone)...or how about the droughts in other parts of Texas last year, or the tornadoes in Joplin, the earthquakes around the world, the volcanoes, and the occasional tsunami...hell, it's enough to make you want to crawl under the bed and wait for "the end"...
But time and again, we see the resiliency of the species - the pulling together of the common people in assisting one another any way they can.
(how DO you shovel 18 feet of snow from the driveway anyway?)
I find it amazing that no matter WHAT the circumstance, people WILL help one another.
That's not to say that everyone always does, it's just that ENOUGH people STILL choose to help, and that says a lot for the human condition.
Whenever a people face a problem be it starvation, Mother Nature's fury, or something man made that causes an upheavel in our everyday lives, there always seems to be some sort of polarization of the populace.
There ARE those who will immediately begin to assist in any capacity they can...AND there are those who will ALSO immediately begin to prey on others. We wind up with a schism of sorts; a division of societal mores, if you will.
All one has to do is recall what went on in New Orleans during Katrina to figure that one out.
It's almost like disaster separates the "wheat" from the "chaff", if one were to use a Biblical analogy.
Still, in very many cases, you don't even NEED some sort of disaster, plague or pox upon mankind to "cull the herd".
All you really need is something called OPPORTUNITY.
We are creatures of habit for the most part...we do a lot of things every day by "rote"...the way we were brought up or taught.
And that seems to work pretty well for us, even if we're not even aware of it.
Many of us live to help in some fashion...and we don't even know we're doing it.
Sadly, those among us who live in the realm of the "chronic bad choice" are also creatures of "habit", even if it entails being habitually stoned, drunk or predatory in nature.
Yes, this part of humanity is ALSO a TWO-WAY street.
THOSE people live to help as well...help themselves to anything of YOURS, be it property, money, or even your life itself.
That is something you must be ready to resist.
If you are ever to be a good steward of the things life provides to you, you must be willing to make sure that it remains under YOUR care.
We do live in a more disposable world than in times past...no getting around that, but that doesn't mean we set about WASTING anything, especially time itself. Time is still the most coveted commodity of humanity. We never seem to have enough of it, do we?
If only we had MORE time...for whatever it is we want to do...to pursue...to read or to watch a movie...raise a child...whatever we feel we HAVE to do.
More time with the family or friends...more time to make more money...it's ALL important to us at some level.
And yet, whenever some crisis hits, we toss all that to the winds and help one another, because THAT is in our nature.
There are people that wind up losing everything every single day on this planet, due to natural causes, fires, floods...you name it.
There are also people that are victims of crime, and lose possessions and even their lives, again, on a daily basis.
And there are those in war who lose lives fighting for something they believe in...daily.
So, is this really the apocalypse as predicted?
These things occur every single day, and have done so since time for mankind began...nothing new about that.
What we need to think about is the analogy to a flock of sheep.
There are the sheep themselves...doing their thing, and then you have the wolves (predators), and finally, we have the sheep dogs (guardians of the flock). Mankind mirrors that "threesome" very well.
What WE need to do is become more like the SHEEPDOGS in the flock, as there will always be more sheep...AND more wolves.
This might seem like idle ramblings, but think about it...
Can you take charge in YOUR life...be the person you were meant to be?
Or are you content to just be another one of "the flock" following whoever is leading the group, to whatever outcome?
We KNOW who those wolves are, and need to be aware whenever they rear their heads.
Can we take a cue from those sheepdogs and be more aware for not only OUR sake, but for others?
I think we can...and I think we must.
The world can end for any one of us (literally) in a heartbeat...or a single breath.
But we should also look to the future, because we're going to spend the rest of our lives THERE.
And it should behoove us to make it the best damn future we can.
Is it the end of the world?
Only if we give up, give in, and pull the ground over us.
Most of us are much better than that, and have proven so many times.
And, as is often the case, we weren't even aware of THAT, either.
Just a little something to think about.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America.

Monday Musings...
I don't know how YOUR weekend was, but ours down here in the ghettohood was another one of those marvelously typical ones.
That's not to say we had anything REALLY bad go down...just the usual amount of asshattery, numbnuttery, and idiocracy.
Fortunately, none of that hits us all at once.
*** The weekend began harmlessly enough, with Wifey doing what she does best on Fridays...COOK.
That's right friends, yours truly gets a day off from those Gordon Ramsey culinary chores (NOT cussing is always optional).
Now whenever Mrs. Bobby G. cooks, it usually involves some place that has carry out...OR, she'll phone in the order. either way works for me...LOL.
SO, she decides that since we haven't had GYROS in a couple months, she'd swing past the place on S. Anthony Blvd. (across from where the old firehouse used to be) next to the Taco Bell there and snag us two dinners.
Imagine my surprise when she arrived home with McD's under her arm, and a rather forlorn look on her brow.
She told me that King Gyros wasn't there any longer.
I asked her: "What did they put in its place...another CHICKEN or RIB joint?"
She said: "You don't understand...the place is GONE, as in removed from this plane of existence...there is NO building there anymore."
Now, that backed ME up a few paces, as she continued...
"The Taco Bell is gone too...it's like the empty site downtown near Parkview Field...all plowed under".
ALLllllllllrighty, then...seems the (...all together, gang...) SOUTHEAST SIDE of Fort Wayne has lost even MORE jobs and businesses...I think we're OVER ONE HUNDRED in the past decade, with little if anything to replace ALL of these MIAs.
So, we chowed down on McD's, which also bothered Wifey, because she ALWAYS gets a PLAIN hamburger...just meat on a bun...simple, huh?
Apparently, the Rhodes scholars they have working at the one nearest US don't KNOW what a "plain" hamburger was, and gave her a "hamburger" the way they prep it for the standard menu...pickle, mustard, onions and ketchup...to THEM, that IS plain (dumbasses).
Believe it or not, a PLAIN hamburger is a "special order"...a NAKED chunk of beef patty on a bun is "complex", as opposed to the standard fare.
Go figure.
Yes, cooking CAN be laced with problems...whether it's in YOUR kitchen, or trying to get the most easy order on the planet from a fast food joint.
Almost reminded me of Jack Nicholson in Five Easy Pieces w/ that chicken salad sandwich...lol.
Dinner was served...and that was only the beginning...
Saturday presented the usual morons speeding through the area (what? no police around to catch them?), folks parking against the flow of traffic, and of course, boomcars.
*** What happened around 0140 hrs the following morning was the "fun part".
I was nodding in the middle of some show (actually fell asleep with the TV on), and was startled by THREE (count 'em 3) GUNSHOTS, and they were pretty damn close by.
I immediately got up, pistol in hand, and began a quiet assessment of the neighborhood by looking carefully out our windows (the lights were already all off). I saw no one outside, nor was there any cars passing by, but those shots sounded like they came from the next corner up (about a hundred or so feet away). I even went out to the garage and checked it out for bullet holes. Could not see any evident of damage (thank God).
I came in and fired up the scanner to hear if anyone called a signal 113 (shots fired) into dispatch, and to perform an impromtu experiemnt..
After a HALF HOUR, NOT ONE damn call went out, and my little "experiment" seemed to go AS thought.
That's just A-F$CKING-MAZING!
You're probably wondering WHY *I* didn't call it in...well, that's my experiment...a societal exercise in DESENSITIZATION.
And everyone in my area PASSED (with flying colors).
They are (all, pretty much) TRULY desensitized, which speaks volumes to the state of affairs in certain communities not only in Fort Wayne, but those all across this nation.
I also noticed that NOT ONE DAMN POLICE CAR was in the area to HEAR the shots, otherwise, I'd see a cruiser roll through, right?
Now, to me, it's simple "math" :
NO citizen concern, + NO patrolling police = PROBLEMS! (out the ass).
I'll tell you, a sociology or psychology major could have a FIELD DAY down here with research for a paper on aberrant behavior and so-called cultural "norms".
But, I digress, being a bit sleep-deprived as all normal folks tend to be down here most of the time.
*** There is always something going on, rest assured of that much.
Like THIS tidbit from the news:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120109/LOCAL07/301099958
Yes, aside from all the other police activity, there is a stabbing.
The radio had officers wondering if the victim ran into a house nearby, then ran back outside where he fell.
There are no suspects yet, but given the number of "domestics" we have around here, it would not surprise me if there is a relationship that has not been forthcoming. People tend to not be as COOPERATIVE with law-enforcement down here,...UNTIL it affects THEM directly... THEN, they piss and moan AT the police for not doing ENOUGH.
(hell I can do that myself, especially after those gunshots with no intervention by the FWPD, unless I would have called it the hell in!)
Again, my "experiment" bears out some interesting facts.
And sometimes, you have to be objective about such things, and if that means you refrain from notifying police (so someone ELSE can "have a turn"), then so be it. You just don't make a habit of it...for (your) safety's sake.
But know that THIS incident with the shots fired WILL NOT be marked down on the "attaboy" list in MY tally book.
Consider it more of an "oh, sh*t" moment (for the FWPD).
The command staff REALLY needs to pay ATTENTION down here.
*** Next up, a Saturday morning visit from those wonderful Jehovah''s Witnesses.
(at least THEY weren't shooting off guns indiscriminately).
Got to jaw-jack with them on the front step for a spell...nice mixed race couple, really beautiful NORMAL people (well, as normal as JWs can be...lol)
I'm not into the whole JW gig, but I AM into the CHRISTIAN realm...been so for a long while.
Anywho, I got my free copies of AWAKE and THE WATCHTOWER for the year...lol.
Hey, I have to give these kids CREDIT for venturing into a "lion's den" down here in the ghettohood.
THAT type of commitment and dedication isn't for everyone when it comes to preaching the Word, especially with ALL the "heathens" around us.
(calling the locals that is actually doing a disservice to EVERY heathen, everywhere...these creatures are WORSE)
*** All of our decorations are now put away for about 340 days, when we dig them BACK OUT and put them all up again.
You know, when you mention it THAT way, it does bring the holidays a bit CLOSER...LOL!
The house is back to being "everyday" once again, and I kinda miss it all (not putting it up or taking it down though...THAT I can wait for)
The people across the street put their tree out right AFTER Christmas, and the high winds blew it onto OUR property (where I went out, picked it up and hoofed it back OVER onto THEIR property...where' it's been sitting ever since...lazy-asses)
Guess there's no Hispanic phrase for "take your damn tree to a recycle area or cut it up for proper disposal, you ESL (English as a SECOND language) dropout!"
Don'cha just LOVE "diversity" as it's defined THESE days?
Diversity means there are more ways to practice STUPIDITY and APATHY than you can shake your 40 oz or burrito at, right?
And to think that all of US are paying for such niceties in our neighborhoods...man, I love progress like THIS!
(not)
*** Lastly today, some members of our very own black community held a candlelight service yesterday for those victims of shootings.
Here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120109/LOCAL07/301099980
Now, while I APPLAUD such a noble gesture, I do so with a few caveats.
Some of the victims of shootings (just last year) were those who CHOSE to get involved with the "wrong people", so let's make that fact abundantly clear from the get-go. And as we all know, BAD choices often lead to BAD outcomes.
This service was sponsored by the Brady Campaign to prevent Gun Violence (naturally).
(surprised Helmke wasn't there, that fop)
What is to be readily noticed is that NONE of the so-called Black Community LEADERS were there..!?!
The only "name" there was the head of the local NAACP (one Paulette Nellems).
"We just ask the community to stop the violence", she said.
All well and good, but you cannot solve ANY problem without addressing the CAUSES of those problems.
Nothing said about the BLACK community (which is the basis for a LARGE MAJORITY of the shootings in this city). White shooting are a lot less prevalent (the Lima Rd homicide/suicide late last year being one of those anomalies). Hispanic shootings are on the rise (as is the population itself), and it won't be long before even the Burmese figure out how to illegally get firearms (they like bladed weapons for the time being).
Hell, we already have BOSNIANS in gangs (goon squad) in the city, and it would not be wrong to suspect that close to TWENTY (known) gangs are "represented" JUST in Fort Wayne. Over FORTY gangs have members in the state of Indiana, and that covers ALL races.
What we need to take from this candlelight service, is that the LAW-ABIDING public can often be an ally as well as law-enforcement.
And a greater PRESENCE BY LAW-ENFORCEMENT at ALL hours in certain areas is to be pursued if ANY change is to be enacted for the better.
But most of all, it takes those WITHIN a specific "community" to belabor THEIR point of stopping ANY type of violence to THEIR LEADERS.
They need to get in THEIR face, and stand on THEIR neck, and hold THEM ALL responsible for the inaction that has led to so many lives being snuffed the hell out.
And if that means a change in BEHAVIOR...become a BETTER person than you were the previous day...not louder...not ignorant...not arrogant...BETTER, then by God, stop TALKING about it, and get to work DOING it!
Start claiming personal responsibility, instead of "passing the buck", because that hasn't been working all too well in those communities (or anywhere else).
Then, you won't be needing to hold vigils, or candlelight services, but rather hold ceremonies to acknowledge those OUTSTANDING people in the community...ones that we can ALL be proud to live among.
Have yourselves a great week.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America.