How To Get Things Done...
I like getting things done...and in as little time as possible. Must be that whole "getting older - not as much time left" thing...
And you hate to leave this world with a lotta "undone" lying about.
I also like to do things the right way.
(I know...it's a character flaw)
Used to be an old axiom from the military (usually coming from the mouth of a D.I. that DID know "jack") that went something like this:
"There are FOUR ways to do things in this camp:
The RIGHT way.
The WRONG way.
The MILITARY way.
And MY way.
We...are going to do things MY way, gentlemen."
And you did...out of fear mostly, but also because what he had to say would not only make YOU a better person, BUT...could damn well save your life.
My late Father was one that ALWAYS lived by another saying: "If you want something done right, do it yourself".
And that doesn't just apply to individual tasks, but can be carried over into entire businesses, agencies, departments, and so forth.
For example, if you believe you can make a better window than the guys down the street, you find a way to start your own company (or at least bring your ideas to someone willing to listen and then implement them).
Or, if you're wanting to take down the nations #1 terrorist like Osama bin Laden, you recruit the best of the best when it comes to covert ops, train them strenuously in mirror-image scenarios, and then deploy them into the hot zone and let them do their job...(which they most certainly will)
Such was the case with our special forces as they swooped in under cover of night and took out Bin Laden within a stone's throw of the Pakistani equivalent to our West Point Military Academy.
Now, I have to admit one thing...if you've got half a brain on your shoulders, AND you're trying to evade capture, death or whatever...many times, the BEST place to hide is "in plain sight", and that means under the noses of those trying to find you.
And the reasoning is simple, an something you all have heard so often growing up.
"When you're trying to find something you misplaced, it will ALWAYS be in the last place you look"
(so try and go there FIRST, like I prefer to do...LOL)
That doesn't necessarily mean that your eyeglasses will be in the refrigerator, but what the hell, it's worth a shot, right?
Whenever we do something (and daily life is chock FULL of those somethings, isn't it?), we tend to do it with some level of INTENT.
We really don't do things for no damn reason at all...least we shouldn't be.
When you get in your car, it's usually with the thought that you are proceeding SOMEWHERE...someplace to get something, or visit someone.
You just don't hop in and drive aimlessly about until you get bored and go back home...unless you're like many of my neighbors, who do JUST THAT...and EVERY DAY (sometimes several times per day).
And with fuel running around $4.25 per gallon, that's wasting money (and gas) and accomplishing nothing whatsoever.
We will do something in our everyday life with intent AND with purpose...to achieve some short-term goal.
You go to the grocery to get food...
You wash the clothes because they're soiled.
You take FIDO out because he's gotta dump.
A perfect stage for our friends CAUSE and EFFECT.
To NOT "follow" the plan can lead to disaster.
Now, I'm not going to cover the Bin laden Op because you can find PUH-LENTY of coverage all over the place.
But, I do want to demonstrate HOW, when you do things "right", it can make life's trail a lot easier to navigate.
Think of it as removing those obstacles that you would otherwise have to climb over, slowing you down.
Ever hear of the saying "The right tool for the right job"?
Case in point (again) is the SPEC OPS units in Pakistan.
Same can be said for our daily lives.
You need to remove weeds from your garden or lawn (don't we ALL?)...then get the RIGHT TOOL!
It's either a "weed-hound", or a device which can remove ALL the weed, and not hack off just the flowering head.
An herbicide does the job, too when specifically targeting those damn weeds.
But you DON'T use something that kills ALL vegetation to get rid of weeds (unless you're looking to install a damn ZEN GARDEN and want to rake sand every morning as part of your daily affirmation). And you never use a flamethrower or napalm (that's against most city ordinances)...LOL.
Ditto for a NASCAR driver...he wouldn't use a VOLVO at Daytona, even if the ride was smoother, has A/C, and he got better mileage, because the WRONG car isn't gonna win him any races, kapeesh?
So you can see why I often say that when it comes to such things as PUBLIC SAFETY, I'm a very strong advocate of using WHAT WORKS...and works CORRECTLY in whatever situation is called for.
I mentioned before that in Elkhart Indiana, one, solitary LEO has been stopping boomcars and has also made MORE drug busts (as a result) than the entire department (and a few hundred more citations than our venerable police force in Fort Wayne).
ONE. LONE. OFFICER.
I got this next story from fellow blogger, THE OBSERVER (KCMO) and I have to share it, because it says much the same things as what's going down in Elkhart:
Thanks, T.O.
(( Shawnee police find that traffic stops can drastically cut crime
By BRIANNE PFANNENSTIEL/The Kansas City Star
The Shawnee Police Department has seen a drastic drop in crime after implementing a prevention strategy based on a highly analytical data, as well as one pretty basic assumption.
Criminals usually aren’t great drivers.
The police department began using a program called DDACTS, or Data-Driven Approaches to Crime and Traffic Safety, to pinpoint parts of town that saw high levels of both crime and traffic accidents. The theory is, if officers pull over more people for traffic violations, they’ll also nab a couple of bad guys in the process.
The data put the department’s focus on the 75th Street corridor. They’ve added more patrol units to conduct high-visibility stops at times when criminal activity peaks.
More than six months later, crime in that area has dropped 37 percent compared with the six months before the program began. Auto thefts and commercial burglaries are down 62 percent and robberies are down 42 percent.
The program has been so successful that the Shawnee Police Department is expanding to two other areas of town.
Other communities have begun implementing DDACTS as well, including Prairie Village, which started the program in early April.
Shawnee Police Capt. Bill Hisle said the economy has been a major factor in implementing the program. The department hasn’t hired extra officers or devoted overtime to the project, he said. Commanders just shifted resources to focus on high-impact areas.
"We’re all expected to do more, or at least maintain, with less," Hisle said. "So our dilemma is how do we best use our officers to fight crime in our community?"
Prairie Village Police Capt. Tim Schwartzkopf said that city’s program would focus on the area between Mission Road and the state line, and from 71st Street South down to Somerset Drive.
The program is too new to see meaningful results, but he expects to share statistics with the public in July, he said.
"The nice thing about the program is it’s flexible," Schwartzkopf said. "It’s not so rigid that you have to do A, B and C, but you can kind of adapt it to each agency." ))
Now, I know in Fort Wayne, the traffic stops are on the increase, but I'm not seeing evidence of it being done with the same "gusto" down here, as up north, in spite of the facts that I mentioned in yesterday's post (all that money being missed).
What is good about the KC story, is that MORE PATROLS are being utilized...and RESOURCES HAVE BEEN SHIFTED...the EXACT same thing I said needs to be done HERE...amazing, huh?
And if audio NOISE were targeted (here), results would immediately be forthcoming, and everyone would again enjoy that good old "quality-of-like" gig we hear tell about.
But, suppose we do like Emeril Lagassi and "kick it up a notch", hmm?
Like they've started to do in Cincinnati...
How about we confiscate vehicles that have those HUGE RIMS on them, because it's a SAFETY issue?
(which it damn well is)
Used to be a time when you "lowered your rear suspension" (jack up the rear end) to make your car into a hot-rod, and our police (Philly) would use their nightstick as a "gauge" of measurement. If the bottom of your bumper was HIGHER than the length of the billy club...BUSTED!
This DUB deal is no different.
Here's some links to the story:
http://www.middletownjournal.com/news/middletown-news/big-rims-cause-furor-in-cincinnati-not-an-issue-in-hamilton-middletown-1150253.html
(this is a great read)
And this story:
http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/cincinnati-police-target-impound-modified-cars-1143860.html
Naturally, we're seeing and hearing the race card being played yet again, because we know it's MOSTLY "urban black youth" that have such amended vehicles.
Now my question at this point is SIMPLE:
WHERE THE HELL do these "youth" get ALL THE DAMN MONEY to buy such amenities in the first place?
I thought they were all too busy not working and bitching about BEING POOR?
We're talking about several THOUSAND BUCKS for rims and tires, and I don't think "gub'ment assistance" covers THAT...does it?
But, there ARE the safety issues (mentioned in the first article link).
Driving a car THAT high off the ground mucks up everything from brakes to suspension to viewing the roadway properly.
It's called changing the GEOMETRY of the vehicle.
And then there's that whole "center-of-gravity" thing comes into play.
Don'cha just LOVE physics?
The vehicle is more prone to roll-overs, and the turning radius is a lot WIDER than before.
But I forgot that black urban youth don't take such mundane things like SAFETY into consideration...right?
Of course, such vehicles DO have this propensity to be involved in CRIMINAL ACTIVITY.
Ditto for the boomcars...crime follows them like a shadow.
So, if we pull over the BOOMCARS...and those DONKS, BUBBLES and BOXES (slang terms for huge-rimmed vehicles)...MAY-BE we might catch a lot more crime before it gets out of the gate...'ya think?
If it works for noise in Elkhart, someone must know something.
And having the right tools for THOSE jobs makes any city a lot safer...for everyone, agreed?
THAT is how you get things done for the betterment of all the citizens.
We used to call that SERVING THE PUBLIC, and guess what...it STILL works.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America.

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