It's a Really Bizarro World...

Yes friends, there DOES come a time when you sit back and wonder what the hell planet you're on.
At least the weather is behaving itself for the time being, and will be pretty much a rerun of yesterday.
But everything else...is a crapshoot.
There are so many things going on that are truly unbelievable at best, and totally insane at worst.
And we'll be tackling SOME of those items in a bit...
*** First up today, the answer to yesterday's WHO SAID THAT quote:
"A people that values it's privileges above it's principles soon loses both."

This was spoken by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, first inaugural address, 20 January 1953
The source link can be found HERE:
http://www.bartleby.com/124/pres54.html
I would suggest you give the entire address a read - then, you can see what a Presidency is SUPPOSED to look and sound like.
Meanwhile, back at the podium...
*** I started this post with the Bizarro World reference again, and any reader of DC comic books from the silver age knows precisely what I mean by this.

When you think of Bizarro World, think of EVERYTHING and everyone being exactly OPPOSITE from what you've come to know.
And much of that seems to me, anyway the sum total of today's world.

It becomes harder to disseminate TRUTH from falsehoods, especially when those we used to be able to trust can no longer BE trusted to either say the right thing, or (especially) do the right thing.
That's where the obfuscation begins...things that are meant to divert our attention from what we just heard, or happened to witness.
And with all this going on, we, the people are still supposed to be able (and ready) to separate the wheat from all this chaff being laid about us.
A daunting task for the faint-of-spirit.
But, it's not impossible, thank God.
We just have to apply ourselves in a more diligent manner; be willing to place our fear aside, and become emboldened to speak our mind and say what needs to be said. And that requires a modicum of work on our part.
We'll come back to this in a moment, because we've some examples of behavior that would work out fine on the real Bizarro World.
*** FWPD chief weighs in on recent bank robberies.
http://www.indianasnewscenter.com/news/local/Police-Chief-One-Group-Responsible-For-Half-Of-Citys-Bank-Robberies-183254972.html

Well, there seems to be ONE, organized group responsible for at least HALF of the bank robberies (as well as other robberies) in Ft. Wayne.
So says our chief...take from that what you will.
He states: "they've had experience in armed robbery". Not hard to pull off in THIS city - all you really HAVE to do is hand over a NOTE to a teller, and PRESTO - INSTANT CASH. (better than the freaking lottery and even faster than an ATM, right?)
Which would explain THIS most recent bank robbery at the PNC branch at Coventry:
http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/crime/police-possible-robbery-at-pnc-bank-at-coventry-lane?ref=scroller&categoryId=20000&status=true

Hmm, seems this robbery might be a bit more UNrelated to those Rusty is talking about.
Now, the robbery at the ProFed Credit Union, where THREE people came in, trussed up the female employees and got away seem MORE organized.

Does this mean that the police department CANNOT PROPERLY COPE with such "organization"?
Well, the department IS twenty-one officers DOWN from the staffing totals.
That would send a huge message to those wanting to rob damn near ANYTHING in this city, would it not?
Speaking of being "organized", what about ALL the house fires that are cropping up on the SE side of town, and would appear to be the work of some sort of repeat arsonist?
Guess HE is organized as well?
An organization of ONE, as it were?
Perhaps he's responsible for THIS latest fire this morning in the 2500 block of Marcy Lane:
http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/local/crews-battle-fire-on-marcy-lane
As to the OTHER half of the robberies, how organized are THOSE perps, and why haven't any of THEM been captured either?

Are we at a point in Ft. Wayne where the CRIMINALS can outpace the POLICE?
In larger cities, that IS often the case, and that's NOT to say the po-po isn't doing their job. Far from it, depending on the definition of "the job".
It's just that you have LOTS MORE (neophyte) criminals, and it's not due to the economy...it's because of the EASE of execution OF the crimes.
Take the police all but AWAY from being proactive through PATROLLING certain hot-spots in a city, and keep them chasing the radio, and you give the keys to the candy shop TO the criminals.
It's that simple.
*** And speaking of candy (ass robbers), there's THIS:
http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/local/workers-at-an-auto-dealership-prevent-an-armed-robbery

Remember, when you're WAITING for the police to show up, YOU CAN effect a capture and hold the perp for when the police DO show up, as evidenced by the auto dealer's employees that chased down a 60-year old man (my age?) for an attempted robbery.
Why not just shove him into a plate glass door and stop him right THERE?
Men my age shouldn't be doing sh*t like that anyway.
Rodney Gray, 60, of Ft. Wayne will be enjoying the holidays at the Allen County lockup, thanks to some dumbass decisions.
There ARE some people out there who ARE getting damn sick and tired of becoming victims or targets to the criminal element, and I say good for them!
Pin a damn MEDAL on such people.
And, of course, this robbery attempt occurred on the city's...(...all together, gang...)...SOUTHEAST SIDE.
*** And now, we return you to our previously-scheduled post topic - Bizarro World.

You look at things like this, and you SHOULD be asking some serious questions.
In years past, we haven't seen such brazen behavior, such violent behavior, or such stupid behavior.
Now, it seems all the rage, as it were.

Much of this can be tracked back to the whole "entitlement" mentality...the whole "well, I deserve this", or "I expect someone else to GIVE me this" mindset.
Well, you can expect all you want...life's not always about what YOU expect, UNLESS it's a repayment for services or work-related tasks.
You WORK a day, and then EXPECT to receive a day's pay FOR that work...pretty easy to skull out, right?
That's the way we've operated for a long time, and that's been the best way to compensate those who have toiled and labored.

But, when you remove THAT aspect, the work aspect, you leave a gaping hole, ripe to be filled with criminal activity...which you get in spades, if you're not careful.
I keep thinking of that Woody Allen movie: Take the money and Run, where he tries to rob a bank, and the note he passes to the teller is SO damn illegible, that the manager (and several tellers) can't even read it..."I have a GUB? What's a GUB, anyway?"
Here in Ft. Wayne, Allen would have NO problem at all with getting the cash.
Initially, when the FBI "task force" came to town, we DID see a decrease in bank robberies, and when there was a FWPD officer AT a location, there was never a robbery (like the bank branch near the old Target site on the SE side)...so why the turnaround?

Shouldn't such tactics become the DETERRENT they are for the criminals?
Apparently not. The crims are doing the exact OPPOSITE...robbing MORE banks.
Everywhere you look these days, it's the same thing...what we USED to remember as being "the law of the land", such as simple things like parking in the correct direction on a street, or having a vehicle with a working MUFFLER, or even the act of being civil towards another human being are fast disappearing.
Anyplace is fine for a fight (or crime) these days, too.

Anyplace where a crowd gathers, especially one permeated with leftists and progressives becomes a staging ground for some form of violence, and yet it's those same progressives who are the for the sole purpose of staying in power.
Now THAT is totally back-asswards to me.
America should not be as turned-around as it has become. If anything, we SHOULD be moving forward in the same manner we once enjoyed when this nation was at the "top of the heap". We are fast losing that status in the world in every respect.
I'm all for equality, but I detest "fairness", and this perverse sense OF that fairness is what's hurting this country.

On Bizarro World, everyone does everything wrong (as we come to know), but to THEM, it's perfectly normal, and that seems to be the course we're charting HERE...
We really need to stop sitting on the sidelines, or warming the bench.
Those who oppose what America stands for need to be called out, and we, instead of just ignoring them, need to speak the hell up and tell THEM the hell off for a change.
We stand today as a divided nation that needs to nip this in the bud before it becomes more than any of us can handle.

We can all still get along, and we can still all remain equal, but to have some folks made MORE equal than others portrays a vast INequality that, if left unchecked, brings the wrong people to power with agendas that will change the face of this nation in ways we can't even perceive.
I'm sure our Founding Fathers would have something to say about THAT.
(as soon as they stop rolling over in their graves)

Bizarro World might be a nice place to view at a discreet distance, but we should never want or become content to LIVE there.

Be well, make a difference to someone, and...

Stay SAFE out there, America.

Humpday Happenings...

Middle of the week again, and out here in the Midwest, a rather nice day is planned with temps topping out in the low 40s with a fair amount of sunshine. That's sure to get everyone off to a fine start, unlike those days when you peer outside and just want to go the hell back to bed.
With that said, let's get rolling today and see what lies down the road.
*** First up, our military quote of the week.
"A people that values it's privileges above it's principles soon loses both. "
I think in the present state of affairs with entitlements running rampant and the whole "gimme, gimme" mentality that pervades too much of our nation, THIS quote sums it up nicely.
So...WHO SAID THAT?
The answer at the top of tomorrow's post.
Meanwhile, back at the jump zone...
*** We made it to TWENTY-EIGHT HOMICIDES in Ft. Wayne, and I know those of you living in cities where the numbers are a LOT farther into double-digits, if not into TRIPLE digits are wanting to move HERE...DO bring your guns with you!

The latest homicide was the result of Friday's double car-shooting in the 700 block of Milton St, on the city's...(...all together, gang...)...SOUTHEAST SIDE. The person transported to hospital in critical condition died yesterday.
Here's the story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20121212/LOCAL07/312129982
The latest victim was Jeremy J. Walker, also 22.
If you recall, Paul W. Ward II was the previous victim, and he had a history with the local constabulary.
Walker does not appear to have a prior record (unless there are juvey cases which are not revealed).
What I find both incredible AND typical of such people is the "family relations" they've managed.
Both men (barely men at that), had fiancees (?) and each one sired several children.

Ward had THREE children with his current baby-mama, PLUS took care of her previous FOUR children from "another relationship". Walker had TWO children with HIS baby-mama, AND cared for TWO others from her "previous relationships".

Seems BOTH these guys liked to make babies as well as take care of women who very MUCH loved to make babies.
Cripes, to manage a situation such as these, you'd HAVE to have several jobs, or at least one DAMN GOOD one...like a LAWYER.
Somehow, I have this feeling they were "government-sponsored", so that actually means that WE, THE PEOPLE were taking care of these families, such as they were.

The story goes on to say the typical tripe like "they were always playing video games and joking around"...sorry, that only gets anyone SO FAR in life, and is not usually a job requirement. They were not angels as we have come to know the word.

Ward did perform some landscaping jobs to support his family. Must have been one helluva job with THAT brood at home.

Still, what makes some people wind up at the wrong place at the wrong time?

If both men had REMAINED AT HOME, and were being a father to (all) the children, rather than cruise around, they'd probably still both be alive, right?

There is ALWAYS more to stories like this than meets the eye...you just have to know where to look.
Moving on...
*** Those Chrysler workers that were fired up in Michigan for boozing and smoking dope on their lunch breaks were REINSTATED back at their jobs, by an appeals court. Well, that sinks it for me ever buying a CHRYSLER product.

When a company CEO backs off from unions, you know something's shady about the whole thing.
It was argued that the men were NOT doing these things ON COMPANY PROPERTY...oh, so that makes it all OKAY then, right?
We've got a huge problem with drug use (and alcohol abuse) in the WORKPLACE.
I worked for a window maker here, and I can tell you it happened regularly with some employees, and nothing was ever said.
(and that's why I won't buy windows from that place either)

Thankfully, they moved out of Ft. Wayne, so that's a problem for another town.

I just think that the workplace is NOT where you want to conduct yourself in any manner less than professional.
You can manage to beg off the crap for 8-10 hours, right? 

It benefits you, your company and whatever product you manufacture or service you provide...it's that simple.
*** Parking meter rates may be on the rise in Ft. Wayne.
Here's the story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20121212/EDIT07/312129988/1021/EDIT
Personally, I think this is LONG overdue - you folks here have had it too good with parking fees.

In Philly, it's bad enough TRYING to find a parking space and then having to dump a buck or two in change into the meter for 2 hours (if you get that and the meter isn't faulty).
The only contention I have is the parking FINES levied here (Ft. Wayne).
You only cite for a paltry $5...ROFL!
That's truly laughable.
In Philly, it's at least close to FIFTY BUCKS for expired meters.

And the collection history HERE sucks...how easy is it to scoff away $5?
(pretty damn)
I remember that City clerk Sandy Kennedy mentioned that the city was so far behind in collections along those lines...no way to enforce them, right?
Hell, I rarely GO downtown, let alone park along any street there (rather park in the multi-level garage they provide, and pay those fees).
But for those that DO park along the streets with metered access, you can afford to cough up a few more coins for the privilege, right?
We just need to know that the CITY will follow up and recoup the money owed for all the scofflaws, that's all.
*** For you numerologists out there, today is 12/12/12...real easy to remember, and it's a date we'll not see for quite some time, so enjoy it.

Here's a related story of how some people mark the day:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20121212/NEWS03/121219883/1006/NEWS
How's about a special at say...McD's - 12 burgers, 12 drinks, 12 fries for TWELVE bucks?
(sounds like a plan to me...LOL)

Or 12 donuts at DUNKIN @ 12 cents apiece..sure to make the LEOs happy!
Perhaps our ghettohood crack dealers will sell 12 rocks for 12 bucks...nah, never happen, unless it's cut with crushed plasterboard or chalk dust.
Bars can serve 12 beers for 12 bucks, and then the police can wait outside and make some (perhaps 12)  EASY DUI arrests.
Or perhaps at gun shops they can do a sale where the first 12 people for the next 12 hours can buy a 12 gauge shotgun for HALF price?
Now THAT would work down here for home defense REALLY well.
Hey, we need a "feel-good" thing like this to take our minds off of a lousy world, right?
*** Lastly today, as the holidays fast approach, it can sometimes be hard to keep our focus.

Juggling gift-giving among friends and family, sending cards out (yes, some of us STILL do that thing), preparing for visits from loved one both near and far can be a daunting premise.
We are running here and there, buying gifts, stocking up for Christmas dinner, and doing SO many things, we swear we need three of us to get it all done...and yet we manage.
We have done so for a long time, too.
It's nothing new.
Our parents did it, as did our grandparents before that.
The main thing as that they remained steadfast on the task at hand.
And we can do likewise, but it does take a bit of work.
It's easier than we think, but thinking has to figure into the mix.
While we're all out doing holiday things, we also have to be aware of things around us - other drivers (impaired or otherwise distracted), shady characters in parking lots or stores, screaming children from distracted parents, rude shoppers pushing and shoving, and so on.
There was a time when people were NOT nearly as bad, and we were a lot more civil toward one another.

Perhaps it was the season, but I'd like to think we were of a better mind.

We realized we all had to live together and maybe even had to rely on one another.

So, we didn't try to cheese anyone off for no reason.
I think at this time of year, we should remember such things, and practice them a bit more than the rest of the year...and who knows, it just might rub off onto someone else...not a damn thing wrong with that, is there?
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay SAFE out there, America.

Slip Slidin' Away...

With the morning here in the Heartland looking a bit more wintry, thanks to some overnight dustings of snow, the police radio is abuzz with all sorts of minor vehicular bumps and bruises, which tells me that there ARE some folks out there thinking their car, truck, or SUV operates in like manner whether it's fair weather OR bad...WRONG!

Thankfully, no REAL accumulation occurred, but there's enough to affect areas that tend to freeze over first, such as bridges, so if you have to venture out this A.M., DO take it easy, because the people driving around you might NOT be.

Meanwhile, let's set our sights on the things that have been going on around us, shall we?
Sit back, get comfy, and top off that refreshing beverage nearby...this will hopefully be an enlightening experience.
*** Anyone see the commercials for the movie Django Unchained yet. It stars Jamie Foxx, who DID portray Ray Charles in an Oscar-winning movie a while back and USED to be a good comic when they had the show In Living Color...

But THESE days, it seems he's taken a few pages out of the "Calypso Louie Farrakhan Book of Racial Hatred" when he smirked on last Saturday's SNL program that in Django "I get to kill all the white people...how great is that?"
And the studio audience CHEERED...
Here's the link (with SNL video clip) for the source story:
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2012/12/10/jamie-foxx-jokes-about-killing-all-white-people-his-new-movie

Yep, this is a "WTF???" moment to be sure.
Foxx is being called out on this, but NOT by the lame-stream media (biased as THEY are)...wonder why?
Yes, this is the SAME Jamie Foxx that recently called Obama "Our LORD AND SAVIOR"...
Another "WTF???" moment as well.
Must be all that "medical marijuana" in his bloodstream?

Now, suppose I shot my yap off and stated that I get to "...kill all the black boomcar drivers in my neighborhood...how GREAT is THAT?"

Well, although highly sensational AND racially-charged, it sure as hell WOULD be QUIET after such an "urban renewal" policy implementation on MY part.

But you see how this divisiveness works, right?

Still...Obama as lord and savior?

I think the hell NOT.

I'd pray to a head of cabbage before THAT ever happens.
(the cabbage could probably produce something Obama hasn't YET...a national BUDGET)
And speaking of Farrakhan...there's THIS:
*** Calypso Louie goes off on CHRISTMAS...why, I have no idea.
Here's the story link (with video, naturally):
http://www.glennbeck.com/2012/12/07/farrakhan%E2%80%99s-shocking-rant-on-christmas/

I saw this clip on FOX news, and had one of those "standing there with my mouth gaping open" moments.
There are times when you just cannot believe what your ears are hearing...you MUST be mistaken.
Freedom of speech is ONE thing, but it's STILL against the law to yell "FIRE!" in a crowded movie theater, right?
And this loon has followers out the wazoo - people blindly lock stepping behind his racial, black Muslim rhetoric, inspired by his hatred of a specific RACE of people...wow, just like Adolph Hitler...(how great is that?).
Here's a man that would love to see white people eradicated...period.
Like, if were not for such (white) men, slavery would have lasted longer in the USA, the NAACP would not have been founded when it was, and the Civil Rights movement would have resulted in a lot more bloodshed.
But screw history, right?
Screw all those white men that saw BLACKS AS EQUALS, and did something about righting a huge injustice, right?
Goes to show that James Earl Ray shot the WRONG man...
Wouldn't bother me one damn bit if someone offed Louie...be a godsend to the human race.
Then again, it WAS white men, specifically the DEMOCRATS that OPPOSED freedom of the slaves (and actually began the KKK) in America...check your history.
And it was a WHITE MAN (one Lyndon B. Johnson) who began a very large slide down a very slippery slope when he enacted the WELFARE program.
Originally meant as a "safety net" for the recently indigent, it was also meant to be...(wait for it)...TEMPORARY - IN - NATURE...!!!

It was never meant to become a damn LIFESTYLE CHOICE.
(but so many entitlement-driven blacks have taken to it that way, as did whites and Hispanics, and now, we about HALF of the total population of this nation waiting to queue up for a ride on the gravy-train)
As we see, our government has sought to constantly INCREASE welfare to many undeserving people, while denying needed assistance for those requiring it...like the elderly on fixed incomes (who get a COLA raise IF the government is feeling magnanimous).
Just another crock of sh*t, folks!
*** A little closer to home (Ft. Wayne), we have this wonderful tidbit of trash:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20121211/LOCAL/312119971
This article deals with the city "wanting" (which actually means claiming eminent domain and SEIZING) properties near the ballpark to "redevelop".
Now, anyone with half a brain, KNOWS that means someone's going to HAVE to move.

Greg Leatherman (Cripes, not THIS whack-job again) Misdirector of Redevelopment, says: "the idea is to create a site that is prime for...especially residential development".
Gee, isn't most of it ALREADY RESIDENTIAL in nature?
(sure, Bob, but most of the houses are boarded up or are rentals)
Well, we can't have THAT, can we?
Would it not be CHEAPER (all around) to just RENOVATE the EXISTING structures and then do the "historical district" gig as a marketing gimmick to SELL them to buyers? C'mon now, use your f$cking BRAIN for a change, Greg! Stop thinking with your glands.
Studies have indicated that having MORE people living downtown will spur MORE development THERE.

And after all, that's what's REALLY important...DOWNTOWN...screw the rest of us, and especially screw the SE side, where we seriously NEED some "redevelopment"...or ANY f$cking development that would bring about a POSITIVE change...right?

You can have the BEST damn downtown area on the freaking planet, and if other (purposely neglected) areas of the city remain intact, if not growing outward, it won't mean a damn thing, because ANY city is ONLY AS GOOD AS IT'S WORST AREA, people!

I love the mentality of these so-called city leaders...hurray for ME; the hell with you!

Besides, don't we already have ENOUGH "white elephants" in Fort Wayne?

(apparently not enough for the Rajah, our mayor)
Time will tell...and so will all the wasted money.
*** Remember when I spoke about AGENDA 21 - the global plan to control most every aspect of humanity?

Well, here's more PROOF that the plan (not a conspiracy theory) IS moving forward:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20121211/NEWS03/312119969
The (...cue that "Darth Vader theme" music...) NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE COUNCIL released a 140 page report (that was probably held captive against it's will) stating we're all in for some serious "trends" that will "TRANSFORM THE WORLD" within the next 18 years.
(pay no attention to those men behind the curtain, KOMRADE)
Here's the WIKI for the NIC:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Intelligence_Council

There are FOUR major trends the report focused on, and they are:
1) The end of U.S. global dominance.
2) The rising power of individuals against the states.
3) A rising middle class whose demands challenge government.
4) A Gordian Knot of water, food, and energy shortages.
BTW, a Gordian knot is from the legends of antiquity and here's THAT WIKI:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordian_Knot

Think of it as that huge ball of Christmas lights that Clark Griswold handed to his son, Rusty to UN-tangle.
Leading this dog and pony show is nothing short of the "crisis-prone" global economy.
What is in this report paints a rather bleak future, and it's NOT because the USA is having difficulties.
It's the REST of the world that impacts upon what goes on in OUR country, sad to say.
OUR problems (here) just "enhance" the situation, and could literally HASTEN it.
The era of Pax Americana, which began around 1945 is fast winding down...so says this report.
Despite that, the reports goes on to say that America will remain: "first among equals" in 2030.
(well laa-dee-f$cking-dah)
Wonder how much levelling of how many playing fields THAT will entail...hmm?
*** Lastly today, I know how bad it can be to focus on the holidays , what with all the angst going on around us,both here and across the globe.

And you probably ask yourself where you fit in with all this?
Well, we each have our parts to play in this worldwide "theater of the absurd", but that doesn't mean we're relegated to being the stage-worn buffoons in this tale.
Nor are we mere backgroynd scenery...
We are much more than any of that.
We can still make good decisions, question the things that require it, and demand answers to their questions.

Some might contend we're no longer THE #1 country in the world, but I assure you that we're MILES ahead of whoever is NUMBER TWO.

And in that, I believe we can all find some solace.

Be well, make a difference to someone, and...

Stay SAFE out there, America.

Monday Musings...

Welcome back to another holiday-laced, fun-filled week...relatively-speaking that is.

Today is going to be back-asswards in the weather department again...morning temps will give way to COLDER temps as the day progresses, dropping to below freezing by day's end. Sounds like December to ME.

Hopefully, we won't see ice covered roads and streets, because you just KNOW there are people pretending to be drivers out there without clue one as how best to navigate in GOOD weather, let alone anything approaching inclement weather, right?

Now, with that aside, let's get busy with the "...rest of the story".

*** We've managed to reach HOMICIDE NUMBER TWENTY-SEVEN in the Summit City.

(and getting closer to the next magic number of 30).
Here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20121208/LOCAL07/312089970/1043/LOCAL07
This happened Friday night around 2130 hours in the 700 block of Milton St, on the city's...(...all together, gang...)...SOUTHEAST SIDE.
(now where the hell ELSE could such things occur with such regularity, hmm?)

When police arrived (as they always do) they found one man dead, and another wounded in a green Oldsmobile sedan.

A third man was said to have fled the scene.

As usual, no arrests have been made and police have no suspects.

Neighbors were "concerned" (how novel) about the rising violence, and stated they have to "stay in their homes"...
Hey, welcome to OUR world, sister.
Another story link can be found HERE:
http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/two-critical-in-milton-street-shooting
The victim was ID'ed as Paul W. Ward, 22 of Ft. Wayne, and is the 27th homicide in the city and county.
He was a male black, 5'7", 230 lbs with a recent "history"
=====RAP SHEET=====
02D06-1010-IF-013173 612140 WARD, PAUL W 10/16/2010
Allen Superior Court 6 IF - Infraction
Decided 9-19-10-2/IFD: Failure of Occupant to Use Safety Belt
02D04-1204-MC-000876 NA
WARD, PAUL W 04/04/2012
Allen Superior Court 4 MC - Miscellaneous Criminal (Citation)
Decided 35-42-2-1(a)(8)/FC: Battery Resulting in Bodily Injury to a Pregnant Woman
35-42-2-1.3(b)(2)/FD: Domestic Battery - Committed in Presence of Child Less Than 16 Years
35-45-2-5/MA: Interference with the Reporting of a Crime
02D06-1204-CM-002024 NA WARD, PAUL W, III 04/10/2012
Allen Superior Court 6 CM - Criminal Misdemeanor
Decided 35-42-2-1.3(a)/MA: Domestic Battery
02D04-1212-CM-006468 WARD, PAUL W, III 12/03/2012
Allen Superior Court 4 CM - Criminal Misdemeanor
Pending 35-47-2-1(a)/MA: Carrying a Handgun Without a License
35-48-4-11/MA: Possession Marijuana/Hash Oil/Hashish/Salvia/Synthetic Cannabinoid
=====ADDRESS=====
3924 South Park Drive
Fort Wayne, IN 46806
=================
Least he didn't die far from "home".
Again, you can see that this guy was headed for the wrong side of the tracks.
(as is too often the case with people such as this)
The name of the other shooting victim has not been released yet.
Moving on...
*** The Valero gas station at Ardmore and Engle Rds was targeted by two hooded robbers early this morning around 0015 hrs.
Here's the story link:
http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/crime/armed-robbers-hit-valero-station

It doesn't surprise me that the station was robbed...it's also been the target of more than a few "drive-offs" at the pumps (failure to pay), and police were "supposed" to be watching the place for such things...but that was over a YEAR ago, and I guess the chief "forgot"...?
Or perhaps the station has done what EVERY station has done on the SOUTH side of the city - made the move to those PAY FIRST pumps.
I mean, with such an "entitlement" society abounding down here, THAT makes sense, (along with ballistic glass to protect the employees) AFTER DARK. Guess the Valero station hasn't gotten THAT far yet...but they WILL, trust me.
*** Guess they grow 'em TOUGHER in nearby Whitley County, right?
Well, according to THIS story, it sure seems that way:
http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/crime/driver-shot-in-attempted-carjacking

Imagine stopping a carjacking when the perp (a recent escapee to boot) was in your BACKSEAT...wrestling him for his gun, getting SHOT, but managing to get the gun away from him, and then HOLDING him AT BAY with his OWN WEAPON until police arrive (as they usually do)...
I suppose Bob Costas could LEARN something from THIS man, couldn't he?
-- Here's an update:
http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/crime/carjacker-charged-with-attempted-murder

After the (SEVENTEEN YEAR OLD) perp was arrested (and NOW facing attempted MURDER charges...huzzah!), the driver was transported to hospital in serious condition.
He's now recovering at home, because luckily, the gun used was a small caliber, and struck no vital organs.
And it's stories like these that brings me to our next bit of commentary...
*** Holiday season is that time of year when thieves and muggers (...and carjackers, oh my!) have a FIELD DAY.
Let's face it, we're busy thinking about the holidays...got our minds on too many things and often, we have a brain fart...a "momentary lapse of reason", as Pink Floyd might put it (good album, too).
Whenever you're out and park your vehicle, you MUST take certain precautions.

A) Make sure you TAKE YOUR KEYS with you - too many times, police are called to "slim-jim" an owner back into their vehicle when the keys were left behind. Thieves LOVE these people...makes it TOO easy to abscond with a nice car or SUV.
DON'T give them that chance...period.
B) Become SITUATIONALLY-AWARE...make it part of every outing experience.
The FIRST thing I do upon exiting our car is look AROUND us...see what or who is nearby. Someone sitting in a running car "could" be a thief waiting for the right opportunity. See if anyone is wandering about the parking lot or street, looking around for the next "victim".
Keep that head on a swivel, people.

C) When returning with packages TO your vehicle, again, LOOK AROUND YOU. If someone is following you, you can either attempt to return to the store or just get on the cell and call the police. Don't wait until you feel something shoved in your back and hear "get in the car and don't make a sound".
By then, it's a bit on the late side, but not impossible to extricate yourself, should you have to.
D) Keep any and all packages LOCKED in the TRUNK or some place that is OUT OF SIGHT from "prying eyes".
Remember that wandering guy in the parking area? He's scoping out cars with "stuff" in them, and then checking to see if the door is LOCKED.
And many times, we're too busy with other things, that we forget the most BASIC rule of holiday shopping - LOCK YOUR VEHICLE.
(taking those keys WITH you, right?)
If need be, get yourself a duplicate DOOR key made, in the event you lock the primary set inside.
Saves you a wait, and gets you where YOU belong...not the robber.

Sure, we're not perfect, but we CAN become better aware of the simple things - things that will save us from calling home for a ride, because there's an EMPTY SPOT where our car used to be at the local mall.
NO system is ever 100% foolproof, but most thieves will pass you by IF you make it the least bit difficult for THEM.
And by following the guidelines I've mentioned, you'll come out the other side of the holidays none the worse for wear, kapesh?
*** And speaking of the holidays...we've finally got the tree up and decorated, and I've got our BLUE candles in the windows. All I have to do today is hook up the extension cords and fire them up at sunset (because I tested them all beforehand, and yes,  they ALL work...for once...LOL)

We've got the Christmas bears out (definitely need a larger sofa...or living room...LOL), the Santa collection is out, the plushies and Christmas Beanie Babies are out, and all the other assorted holiday bric-a-brac are up and out...a nicely "festive" atmosphere resides in our humble "Fortress" now.

There used to be a company that made an aerosol PINE scent...haven't seen that around for a few years, but they DO still make that cinnamon scent for the holidays.
Tea lights help with the smells of the season, too, and I think we ALL need that sensory input to get our minds "in gear" for Christmas.
Lord knows we NEED this kind of thing to get our minds off of all the OTHER (nasty) crap that is happening around us faily, and even though the holidays are ever-fleeting, it's a welcome diversion from being "diverted elsewhere" the other 11 months of the rolling year, hmm?
*** It's HANUKKAH time, too, and a very blessed Hanukkah to all those celebrating.

Yeah, it's EARLIER this year than usual, but I'm sure no less meaningful or festive.
The Festival of Lights is a wonderful time of year for the Jewish and the WIKI can be found HERE:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanukkah
We "gentiles" have our Christmas on a TUESDAY this year...really odd, if you ask me, but hey, Christmas is Christmas.

*** And it wouldn't BE Christmas without some shows on TV to watch.

Last night on ABC, they showed BOTH of the Disney "PREP and LANDING" specials with Lanny and Wayne (and coal-elf Noel)...

I've loved this from the start and I highly recommend these for you kids of every age.

It sure helps take the "edge" off of the holiday hustle and bustle.

WHen they were over, if you knew which channel to surf to AFTER those Disney specials, you wound up where I went - to FOX NEWS where Neil Cavuto aired his special entitled: "FLY ME TO THE MOON", all about our space program up to our LAST visit to the moon.

Interviews with former astronauts who went to the moon, as well as some great archival footage were featured, and it was a riveting 60 minutes...best damn show about the space program that I've seen in quite some time.

Now, you're probably asking yourself "What relevance does the space program have with Christmas, Bob?", and rightly so.

Well, it was on Christmas Eve, back on 24 December 1968, that the crew of Apollo 8 spoke to all of us on Earth from lunar orbit, with crew members Anders, Borman, and Lovell reading from the Book of Genesis...that was pretty powerful stuff back then, and it should be as powerful today.

Although the first landing would be assigned to Apollo 11, it was still amazing to see video transmissions and hear voices from across such an expanse...an expanse that JFK challenged us to traverse, to which we did LAND on the moon less than a year later.

This fulfilled our late President's challenge that we COULD send a man to the moon and return him safely...three times over on each mission.

I think this country has forgotten such things, and certainly our current president isn't concerned with such "nonsense", and that's too bad.

It was a challenge issued to ALL Americans...not just those in the space program.

And we, as Americans answered that challenge, even if it was in our hearts and through our indomitable spirit.

We need to recapture such things...we need to embrace the virtues that make us strong, hold to the principles that make us knowledgeable, and espouse the wisdom that makes us capable of making the right call when needed.

In that, I think we all still DO possess"The Right Stuff".

Have yourselves a great week.

Be well, make a difference to someone, and...

Stay SAFE out there, America.