Welcome to the New Year...

May this year find you well, in good spirits, and safe in the hollow of God's hand.

Friday Follies - End of Year Edition...
Well, this is the last "official" post of 2011 (and in some respects, I'm glad to see it go). We had way too much crap that went down this past year to last SEVERAL years (imho).
And that was only in THIS burned-out burg called Fort Wayne.
Next year proves to be even more "interesting", if we are to believe the MAYAN calendar...the whole "end of days" gig.
Guess I won't sweat any LONG-TERM plans I've been formulating...at least until this time NEXT year...lol.
Besides, whenever you DO attempt to plan that far ahead, something ALWAYS comes along to change up those plans.
*** At least the Missus and I managed to get up to Glenbrook Mall yesterday to "embellish" our Christmas gifts...did pretty well, too.
Stopped by the ASIAN STYLES store and got birth year statues, 2 sets of fancy chopsticks (for me), and then got a really cool book at Barnes & Noble that is a pictorial history of firearms (2011 pub date).
Damn book is over 400 pages and ONLY cost $8 bucks. Now THAT was a real bargain.
And I did get my 2012 Garfield calendar...for 1/2 price...gotta love that.
But the weirdest thing occurred...that part that was missing from Wifey's car REAPPEARED...in the damn MAP POUCH on the same door!!!
I was like "WTF???" It wasn't there the other day (checked twice)...I'd swear on my parent's grave. It's hard to miss something that size.
What I think happened was that it temporarily fell through one of those "alternative universe" rifts...the place when your "misplaced" stuff goes for several days and then mysteriously comes BACK in the weirdest place.
But the original part is damaged and doesn't fit as tightly as the replacement, so there you go. We have TWO of them now (the old one will be a backup if we eve need it).
Was the money wasted? Nah...the new part doesn't seem likely to come off, so it's a win-win for me. Money well-spent.
And that was the extent of my wonderful Thursday, that the trashmen did NOT come out to pick up our refuse on...a slip-up on the part of the media to NOTIFY us that trash would in fact, be A DAY LATE (Monday holiday).
Thanks for the "heads-up" on that one , people.
*** So, with this year almost behind us, let's toss out some words and phrases that (to me) seemed to set the pace for what transpired over the last twelve months, fair enough?
Now, let me preface my observations and comments by saying I could not (in good conscience) come up with a "top ten" list of events. To me, there were so many, globally, nationally, and locally to effective pick from...just so you know.
And these are in no particular order, nor reflect either all good or all bad...they just happened.
FUKUSHIMA, JAPAN
SO many people displaced by an earthquake tsunami and nuclear plant disaster, that it boggles the mind. And yet, the people there pulled TOGETHER and helped get things turned around.

The nuclear plant was damaged a lot worse than we knew, but the area continues to rebuild.

That is a true testament to humankind.


ATLANTIS ENDS AN ERA.


Our space shuttle program came to an end, and now, we only have the Russkies to help get OUR asses into space...talk about IRONY. The ones we beat in the space-race are now our celestial "benefactors" when it comes to space travel (near-earth orbit, anyway).
My, how times have changed.
JOPLIN, MISSOURI
Mother nature dealt a bad hand to MO this year with tornadoes causing devastation statewide, and again, we saw time and again that the PEOPLE in that area worked together to get things under control by helping ONE ANOTHER, and not sticking their hands out to the government while sitting on their asses.
ARIZONA & TEXAS WILDFIRES
While MO dealt with WATER and WINDS, these states dealt with FIRE...like a baptism of sorts...thousands of acres burned, houses lost, and yet, again, we see PEOPLE making the difference by assisting those in need. Truly a noble venture by the residents of these states.
THAILAND FLOODS
Over 12.8 MILLION people wee displaced by this, and to date, there was about $45 BILLION DOLLARS of damage.
Over 790 were listed as dead, and 58 of the country's 77 provinces affected. Many places are STILL under over 6 feet of water.
A ROYAL WEDDING
Prince William and Catherine Middleton were wed in a ceremony that caused over TWO BILLION people around the globe to watch.
It was nice to see something HAPPY occur for a change, and I'm sure many around the world were in need of such a diversion.
BIN LADEN NO MORE
Navy Seal Team Six took out OBL in a covert mission that went with only one small hitch - the loss of a spec ops stealth Blackhawk chopper.
The mission lasted less than an hour from entry to evac, and OBL's body (which was removed from the site) was listed as being "buried at sea".
But perhaps maybe ALL of him didn't take the long salty nap (some things you know but can't talk about)
POPULATION MILESTONE
The world reached SEVEN BILLION people....that's a lot of mouths to feed (and a lot of pensions to pay for)
Makes me wonder HOW MANY of that number are the troublemakers of the world, and why aren't we trying to cull THAT herd?
I guess McDonald's will have to change their signs out front AGAIN?
IRAQ WAR ENDS
U.S. troops officially left Iraq and are coming home (to a very quiet arrival...shades of 'Nam?). Officials "say" it's because to CELEBRATE would entice Islamic terrorists into action, especially against the U.S....(WTF doesn't with those towel-headed camel-jockeys?)
We're still in Afghanistan, and I don't see that going away in the very near future.
And although we lost about a THIRD LESS soldiers in the ENTIRE 9 years in Iraq, as compared to JUST the BATTLE of BASTOGNE, life to US here in America is still precious, especially when it's honorable and patriotic in scope.
GADDAFI NO MORE
We can't all take credit for this one...he was killed by locals, but one LESS dictator is ALWAYS a welcome thing in the world.
Next stop...Iran?
OCCUPY EVERYWHERE
Scores of people with NO sense of purpose, taking over streets, parks, and buildings...because THEY CAN...
Some say they want to "stick it to the man"...the RICH man.
The RICH man that creates JOBS...is an entrepreneur, and actually CONTRIBUTES to the nation's ECONOMY...
(and funds these loons to some degree, if only by the tents purchased to house these idiots)
LEGAL gatherings and protests are a given, but when the LAW says you have to leave...YOU LEAVE...period.
And stop your crying about being pepper-sprayed...you WERE warned.
Get a life and get busy BEING SOMEBODY!
*** To ME, these were the major events that we should recall in some fashion, for they best represent the spectrum of the human condition.
Now, if you have some others, please feel free to comment on them.
Variety IS the spice of life (but NOT the spice in the book DUNE).
*** Here's hoping that the NEXT year will bring about reform in the USA back to times when people were more honorable, had more integrity, anf you knew they were NOT speaking out of both sides of their mouths.
I'm not really into the whole "resolution" gig, except to say that I always RESOLVE to NOT make any New Years resolutions...LOL
What I would "like" to see for the new year is as varied as it is warranted.
-- Justice for ALL.
-- Turning IRAN into a lake of glass.
-- Killing ALL the Mexican drug cartel lords (and I mean ALL of them)
-- A LOT more civility among Americans (and they know who they are).
-- A MUCH quieter neighborhood (yeah, I can dream - the price is right)
-- LESS intrusion from the government into OUR lives (except those that need such "guidance")
That's my SHORT list, anyway...got lots more that I'm saving for NEXT year's posts.

*** So until NEXT year, at this same time, and same place, remember:
Be well, make a difference to someone today, and as always...
Stay SAFE out there, America.

As the Year Winds Down...
There are many of us out there that believe that time speeds UP as we grow older, and I have to say I'm among them.
What seemed like a few years ago turns into DECADES before we seem to have time to catch our breath.
It's very hard to believe I've been out of high school for 41 years...that blows me away.
So many memories are still so damn vivid in nature.
And then there's all the years after THAT, with every assorted up and down life could toss at a person.
It's a wonder the human brain can store SO MUCH STUFF, and still function normally in an everyday environment.
I mean, what happens to your computer when the memory gets pretty full?
It slows down, has errors, hangs up, or even crashes altogether...but NOT our good old brain.
We take a licking and keep on ticking (as the old Timex ads used to say).
Now, I want you to hold that thought, because I'll come back to it soon enough.
I want to first do some followup stuff and some statistics that might open your eyes just a bit WIDER.
*** Here are two stories regarding the brutal murder of Aliahna Lemmon.
The first one describes the feelings around the trailer park:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20111229/LOCAL/312299981
Now, I will grant you that there are trailer parks and then there are TRAILER PARKS. Some are good, while others...not so much.
And not everyone that lives in one is the dregs of society (THEY all somehow manage to get housing vouchers and move to MY part of the ghettohood).
MY grandmother and uncle moved to a great trailer park up in Melody Lakes along rt 309 near Quakertown, PA in the 1970s.
It even had it's own GOLF COURSE, and was beautifully landscaped.
It was more a retirement community than anything else, and it's still going strong (and the trees are a LOT taller).
Other trailer parks become havens for criminals of all sorts, and as can be the case with a roller coaster economy, a place for those who don't always have two nickels to rub against one another to live.
It can become a place to the disenfranchised of society.
But a house is a "house" even if it has wheels, right?
Some of these people don't even want to be there, but they simply have no choice at this point in their lives.
Still, it should be up to the management to review the people living there or wanting to move there.
(when they're not taking government money to place people there, that is).
It's not always the BEST place to "settle down", but it is a roof over your head.
The NEXT story deals with the biological FATHER of little Aliahna, who lives in Iowa and his returning to Fort Wayne for his daughter's funeral.
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20111229/LOCAL07/312299982
Dawayne Maroney, of Centreville, Iowa was provided with funds from the sheriff's department to return here, The sheriff and reserve deputies ponied up the costs so Maroney could come to Indiana, while other donations came from the community for food and lodging while here.
(that's a pretty tight-knit community, imho)
Contributions for a Aliahna Lemmon benefit fund can be made at three locations mentioned in this article.
But wait, there still more crime elsewhere in the Summit city...
*** Here's a link to yet another pizza deliveryman robbery:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20111229/LOCAL07/111229511
At least in this case, the driver was relatively unharmed and his car wasn't stolen.
Nice to know the FWPD tracked the two perps down fast enough.
There was a gun involved, so the charges just went up a notch (or two).
Deantione (you figure out HOW to say it) Harris, 21 of the 6200 block of Downingtown Drive was arrested and charged with robbery (that should be ARMED robbery). Micheal Eldridge, 26, of the 7600 block of Mill Run Drive (located in Willow Crack...I mean CREEK Crossing Apartments), was also arrested and charged with robbery and being held without bail due to an outstanding warrant (yep, that's outstanding!), while Harris is also being held without bail.
Good thing that crime on the (...all together, gang...) SOUTHEAST SIDE is going DOWN, right?
But wait, we've still more...
*** This story goes to show that you're NEVER too old to deal drugs down on the (...all together, gang...) SOUTHEAST SIDE of Fort Wayne:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20111229/LOCAL07/111229508/1002/LOCAL
Seems that possession (and possible distribution) of methodone, MDMA, cocaine, ecstasy, and heroin WILL STILL net you a nice holiday stay in the Allen County lockup (yay...bologna sandwiches again).
Norman Caldwell, Sr., 66, of the 4600 block of Spatz Ave and Sharon Hood, 49, of the 300 block of E. Creighton Ave are now BOTH "guests" of the city & county, with Caldwell (who has a rap sheet for drugs going back to 1993 - and he's STILL on our streets with kids in the house) looking at a $5000 bond, while Hood faces a $102,500 bond (nasty girl).
EST assisted in both "visits" to the appropriate addresses in question.
*** And another "baby-boomer" goes bye-bye...
Here's the link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20111229/LOCAL07/312299934/1002/LOCAL
One Jerry L. Miars, age 61, of the 1200 block of Vance Ave. was arrested on fours counts of felony dealing a controlled substance, four counts of possession and one for paraphernalia.
Police found FIVE pounds of pilocybin "shrooms" in his house (uh, oh...that ain't good) with a street value of $6000, EIGHT lbs of pot worth $3000, and EIGHT lbs of salvia worth $4000, (what. no partridge is a pear tree?) along with other assorted pills, cash and a HANDGUN (oops - BIG uh-oh, there).
His bail WINS with a total of $223, 250 bucks! (wtg, Jerry...you finally won something)
*** Next up, some sobering statistics about our LEOs out there.
From the Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/report-shows-us-police-fatalities-rose-13-percent-in-2011-as-firearms-related-killings-soared/2011/12/28/gIQA7ZNDMP_story.html
(yeah, it IS a long link, but worth the read)
Police officers were killed at a rate THIRTEEN PERCENT HIGHER than last year.
Last year, 153 officers died in the line of duty - THIS year, it rose to 173.
What is really startling is that the FIREARMS-RELATED deaths rose FIFTEEN PERCENT.
Sixty-eight (68) federal, state, and local officers were killed in 2011, and that's up from last year when 59 were killed.
This is the first time in 14 years that deaths by firearms topped traffic-related deaths.
That should make us all appreciate the job these men and women perform on our streets a little bit more, and remember what they do daily.
*** And that brings us back to where this post started...our memories.
We recall good times, bad times, and everything in between.
I think of events as mile-markers in one's life...guideposts if you will, meant to show us not only how far we've COME, but how far we've YET TO GO.
Happy events evoke times in our lives that allow us to kick back, and enjoy the trip, while tragic events serve to steel our resolve to do something...to make things right again.
And each of us manages to store all this "stuff" in something the size of a small grapefruit...that's not too shabby.
I suppose we should all be happy such information is not kept on some desktop, and I most certainly am.
Tomorrow, a brief look back at some of the things that made 2011 stand out.
Be well, make a difference to someone today, and...
Stay SAFE out there, America.

Humpday Happenings...
That snow (?) we got yesterday in Fort Wayne didn't do much but create some slush on the roads (which were fine to drive along), and coat the lawns, and I know because I went driving in it...to order that missing part for the Wifeymobile.
*** The guys at Kelley Chevrolet were top-notch and the part should be in within the next 2 days.
I queried them about PONTIAC parts, being as how Pontiac (the name brand) died quietly last year, and they said it depends on availability...so it's gonna be another crapshoot, but they DO work on them still...good to know. I told them I'd have to bring my car up some day and show them the latest in "classic" automobiles...LOL.
The drive BACK was less than uneventful, however.
I saw this car rolling up behind me with only ONE headlight/running light on (I was using headlights for poor weather conditions, as I was taught), and whenever I see a vehicle without the PROPER illumination, it bothers me...something's not right and you need to be AWARE of that vehicle (especially if they hardly bother to remove the SNOW from their side and rear windows), because the owner doesn't give a rat's ass about it (until and IF he/she even gets pulled over, which I would gladly do to THIS person, if I was a LEO).
Anyway, I'm needing to get into the LEFT-hand lane to turn, and as I always do, signal a couple hundred feet from the intersection, and begin a GRADUAL lane change...it was then I heard a horn...a LOT of horn.
Seems "Mr. ONE-LIGHT" aka CYCLOPS decided to hang in my BLIND spot, and was already IN the left lane where I needed to be. I had JUST checked ALL my mirrors and I didn't see where the hell we went (a "rapturing" WAS my first thought, but God knows better - besides, He wouldn't want that car).
I pulled back over, waved, apologized for being on "his" road and let him by (idiot).
Then, when he went to make another left farther along, I blew MY horn at HIM and gave the "middle-finger salute"...
I always acknowledge the driving "skills" of others on the roads of America.
So much for my "excellent" adventure...there's ALWAYS ONE moron to ruin an otherwise nice drive...always remember that.
(they breed such people JUST for those times)
Meanwhile, back at the garage...
*** Here's more on the death of Aliahna Lemmon ( caution - the story DOES have graphic details about the murder, so I wouldn't be downing breakfast while you read this, if you have a bad gag reflex)
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20111228/LOCAL07/312289940
There's a PDF file you can view that is a copy of the court affidavit.
Here's a link to the background of the accused murderer (piece of excrement):
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20111228/LOCAL07/312289939
Now this story is interesting because Plumadore lived on and off with a man who had BEEN an active sexual offender (Aliahna's GRANDFATHER). This man died back in early December, but Plumadore continued to live at the trailer.
Plumadore has had addresses in North Carolina and Florida also, and had been convicted of auto theft in 2007, but a plea deal erased the auto theft charge for a lesser forgery charge. He was sentenced to 3 years jail time with 1 year probation, and was released in 2010.
He has rap sheets from other states.
What is very curious is that the grandfather had babysat for children and was convicted of sexual misconduct with a minor (from 1996 to 2003).
And yet he watched Aliahna?
That mobile home park up on the 9400 block of N. Clinton st. is currently "home" to FOURTEEN sexual offenders.
This story made national headlines, with Nancy Grace even chiming in, interviewing media sources and law-enforcement.
I have to hand to to Sheriff Ken Fries, for doing am exemplary job handling the media "circus" while maintaining a very professional demeanor under extremely gruesome circumstances. Love to have HIM as FWPD's boss, that's for sure.
Elsewhere...
*** Heard this call going out on the radio last night:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20111228/LOCAL07/312289939
This was a shooting up on the 800 block of Tennessee Ave at the apartment buildings there.
Several black men were seen leaving the building right afterwards, and the vehicle description was a red Jeep Cherokee (we have one or two of those down HERE in the ghettohood, all you have to do is LOOK for them).
The one man (in serious condition) could not be transported right away until the EMS team stabilized him, and they had to insert a chest tube to assist in breathing for the victim.
You know, if you NEVER get involved with the WRONG PEOPLE, or get busy doing the WRONG THINGS in life, you can almost be assured that something like this never happens to you.
All you have to fret about THEN, is the "random" act of violence by some street thug looking for that "opportunity" to present itself.
And that stacks the odds of not having to push up daisies from here on out HIGHLY in YOUR favor.
(can't get odds like THOSE at any casino, can you?)
*** I'll be you can't guess which item became a really HOT TICKET on Black Friday, can you?
(hint, it wasn't anything electronic)
And no, it wasn't clothing, although you CAN wear it.
(starting to sound like a riddle, right?)
It was...FIREARMS!
That's right.
According to ABC news (way back on 2 Dec), it was a one-day HIGH for background checks...to date!
Here's the link to the story:
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2011/12/black-friday-best-seller-guns/
Seems people are finally realizing that when SECONDS count, the police are only MINUTES away, and to that end, citizens are practicing their 2nd Amendment RIGHTS.
And naturally, ABC had to "spin" the story by crying the "panic people feel because they think Obama's taking the guns away".
I wouldn't call it "panic"...but a good healthy CONCERN might be a better description when it comes to a socialist agenda.
Also, that concern is based on inherent flaws in the judicial system, layoffs and cutbacks in law-enforcement departments nationwide, as well as growing VIOLENT crime in America (much of it stemming from gangs from Mexico, as well as "home-grown" gangs, all connected to the drug trade).
So, YES, I would agree that CONCERN is warranted, and maybe if more law-abiding people "arm up", we can have more of stories such as THIS:
http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111227/NEWS07/111229623/1067/NEWS07
At an Indianapolis Kroger, a would-be robber (Jeremy Atkinson, recently deceased) got a LOT more than he bargained for while attempting to rob the store with customers shopping all around. He got a one-way ticket to the local MORGUE, courtesy of a Kroger employee who shot the robber (at the cash room) in the FACE, killing him.
Now THAT person deserves a damn EMPLOYEE of the MONTH award (for the whole year)...!
We're noticing MORE people not putting up with all this crime crap any longer, refusing to become victims, and I say GOOD FOR THEM!
And when THESE citizens speak...it's with FINALITY...I like to call it "Natural Justice".
Some would label this a form of vigilante retribution...
I say if THAT'S what it takes to send a message to these thugs...hey, it works for me. I call it a damn good beginning.
If normal people have to take up arms to PROTECT their loved ones and their possessions (that they worked their asses off to acquire), I have NO problem with it at all. After all, THESE citizens are not the ones going out and committing CRIME, are they?
No, they are not.
They are the ones that understand that the police cannot be everywhere all the time, and that the first best defense for such crime when it comes to you is to eradicate it by any means possible, and as quickly as possible.
That way, you can get to living your life, and the criminal can get busy with "gardening" as in pushing up those daisies I mentioned earlier.
If civility can only be had at the business end of a firearm in order to ENSURE one's safety, then by God, let's get CIVIL once again.
I say reduce the cost of obtaining a CCP in EVERY state...one flat rate, and not anything like the $125 they charge here in Fort Wayne (lifetime).
We had a lot less crime when more people were packing, because you didn't want to take the chance of pissing someone off who might be a better shot than YOU...so you "behaved yourself", and treated everyone with a lot more civility.
We are a gun culture in America...hell, we fought a WAR to prove it to those ruling us, in order that we could better govern OURSELVES.
And I think we "done good" by such things...history proves as much.
I say the time has come to reclaim OUR America...wrest in back from the criminals and if we do it one shot at a time against one thug at a time...the job will get done, but if we do nothing, then THAT is what will get done in it's stead.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America.