Things That Make You Go "Hmm"...
As 2009 winds down to it's inevitable conclusion, we might be well served to take a brief look back at some things, both recent and not so recent, that were maybe not "weird" enough to warrant being placed in my "Believe It Or Else" file, but out-of-the-ordinary enough to make one stop and do a double-take.
Some things may surprise you in a good way, while others might cause you to spit your morning beverage of choice, so keep the keyboard dry...just in case, okay? Great...here we go.
** Federal park lands are seeing a disturbing increase in the amount of TRASH being dumped...
Here's a link to the story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20091228/NEWS03/312289926/1066
Gee, 'ya think that seeing all that trash is beginning to BOTHER some people?
Hell, I don't even live on a "federal park land", and I can say with certainty that we've at least ONE generation with NO sense of respect for the land AT ALL. I've had to remove about THIRTY items from just MY lawns this year (must be a "cultural thang" with the locals around here), and that says to me that when you're living an "entitled" lifestyle, the WORLD (or neighborhood) is your personal dumping ground.
Tell 'ya what...how's about we TEACH people to respect the land we populate or vacation upon, and levy very stiff fines for non-compliance? Seems that might kill two birds with one stone.
Anyone my age can certainly recall the commercial about a native American chief riding his horse slowly through a wooded area. When he comes to a highway, he gets off the horse, and someone tosses a bag of trash out a car window, and that bag lands at the Indian's feet, spilling out it's contents. The Indian turns to the camera, and we see a tear stream down his cheek.
Now THAT was public service advertising in THOSE days.
Taught me NOT to litter...and I still don't drop empty chip bags from MY hands...nor do I toss beer cans or liquor bottles from MY car window (I never drink and drive, unlike the unwashed masses in our neighborhood). That's what TRASH RECEPTACLES were invented for.
Time to rethink this and get the morons with the program again.
** There is some GOOD news...FEWER law-enforcement officers were killed in 2009.
Here's the link to the story:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091229/ap_on_go_ot/us_police_fatalities
Not since 1959 (when I was a mere 7 years old) have we seen so few officers that have been killed in the line of duty, and that's a great thing to see.
Now, we could point to the fact that technology has on more than a few occasions prevented the death of an officer, or we can point to quicker responses by EMT units and advances in triage and trauma care.
Or, we could even say that our boys and girls in blue are simply a bit quicker on the trigger when the situation arises, beating the perp to the punch, as it were.
Death by firearms against officers DID rise from 39 in 2008 to 48 this year, but the 2008 number was the lowest figure in close to FIFTY years. One female office was killed in 2009, compared to 13 in 2008.
And Sgt. Kim Munley, who you may recall was a responding officer who shot the Ft. Hood shooter back in November, and is still recovering from her injuries, is thankfully not among the fallen.
She has her own blog, as well:
http://sgtmunley.blogspot.com/
Now since we've had fewer officers killed, this is certainly no time to get complacent. Fifteen officers were killed in just FIVE incidents.
Domestic disturbance calls resulted in 11 deaths of officers responding.
Let's hope that 2010 continues with even still fewer fatalities.
Personally, I'd be happy with NONE at all!
** I've noticed a curious "trend" that's been bothering me, and culminated in a brief debate today on Fox & Friends.
Our esteemed (cough) President used the word "allegedly" when referring to this Nigerian whack-job that tried to blow up an airliner on Christmas day. And this is not the first time I've heard the word "allegedly" when someone was caught red-handed.
Our local media seems to ALWAYS use that word when referring to people that HAVE been charged, HAVE been taken into custody, and HAVE been named as the perpetrator of a crime (or crimes) in our city.
The word ALLEGEDLY is the adverb form of ALLEGED, which means:
1) Declared or stated to be as described; asserted
2) Doubtful; suspected; supposed
Now I have to shake my head when facts are presented, but the Lame-Stream Media instead wants us to believe that the facts are tenuous or dubious at best. I mean HOW MANY "benefits of the doubt" to we give people who we know to be GUILTY (by their own actions and/or admission), anyway?
And for God's sake...let's call these people WHAT THEY ARE...TERRORISTS!
This is another case of political-correctness run amok.
And speaking of crimes...
** You're (apparently) not even safe in a house...on Christmas break.
At least that's what I'm noticing in MY part of Fort Wayne.
A teenager was shot while inside a house at 423 E. Rudisill Blvd (actually a 2-way street...not really a boulevard...this city has a warped sense of "size") around 1900 hrs last evening. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
Here's the entire story as it stands:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20091229/LOCAL07/312299970/0/SEARCH The teenager didn't even live at the house.
But someone OBVIOUSLY knew he was there, didn't they?
Back in October 2006, the area nearby this latest shooting was the target of (random?) gunfire that struck FIVE houses. Nice to know that SOME things never change, isn't it?
With the new year looming ahead, there are some of us that would LIKE to believe that things will change for the better.
And 2010 is a damn fine place to start.
I know that with every year, I don't really grow more fearful...I grow incensed as I see and hear crime moving closer. And each year, I take a little LESS sh*t from these idiots around here.
Like I said the other week, our house is practically surrounded by VACANT houses, so we stand out like a sore thumb, not only because our house is OCCUPIED, but it's occupied by WHITE people that happen to give a damn about the neighborhood, and want to see it turn back around into a place where people don't conduct drive up drug deals...a place where people KNOW what the hell a SIDEWALK is to be used for...an area where raising children is not a fast track to another government entitlement.
I'd be satisfied to see this neighborhood return to a time close to 12 years ago. We had a lot fewer problems. We had a lot fewer ETHNIC problems, and by that, I mean we had fewer stereotypical Blacks and Hispanics, who have bought part and parcel into the "lifestyles" we see plastered across our TV screens.
I wouldn't mind a return to a time when you could have other-raced families on the street, and they were every bit AS NICE (and in some cases nicer) than those of your OWN race...wouldn't mind it one damn bit.
Because it was people exactly like that who kept neighborhoods from going to hell in a handbasket.
They...the people of many races, religions, nationalities and ethnic persuasions were the GLUE that held neighborhoods like mine together. They looked out for one another, respected one another, and treated each other as THEY would like to BE TREATED.
And that made the job of law-enforcement a whole helluva lot easier, too.
It also was a time when kids did a lot better in school, because they had a real FAMILY that gave a damn.
Yeah, it's the LACK of such things that allows crime to fester.
Perhaps NEXT year, people can begin to stand back up, and say they're NOT going to take this crap any longer.
If life has taught me anything in all these 57 years...it's to never stop looking for the silver lining in all those dark clouds.
Be good to yourself...do well to others, and never forget to...
Stay safe out there, America.