Humpday Happenings...

Welcome to the Wednesday edition of all the news that's fit to print (or type).
Gonna be another HOT one in the Heartland today with temps reaching into the mid-90s, so get that A/C cranking, folks.
We've a LOT of ground to cover today, so buckle in and let's get rolling because today's post is packed tighter than the Black Widow's jumpsuit in the Avengers movie.
Drop the flag and put that pedal to the metal.
*** First up, today's military quote aka WHO SAID THAT?
And, in keeping with the theme of the recent shootings in Aurora, you might find this a bit more apropos than you would imagine.
It's rather lengthy, but I feel that the message contained within needs to be kept intact, and when you read it, you'll know why.
"Some men thrive on violence and killing. Some few enjoy it ecstatically. It takes but a small band of such men, armed and determined, to destroy a fragile society. If the worst thugs are not removed - or killed - the victimized society has no chance of reconstruction. Mass murderers do not reform, they just rearm. we love the idea of redemption, but the rest of the world wants revenge...those who thrive by the gun generally only understand a larger gun pointed at them. Violence cannot be halted without the will to respond in kind. Those who shake the hand of tyrants become their accomplices."
So...who said that?
The answer at the top of tomorrow's post.
Meanwhile, back at the Cracker Factory...
*** An update to the three shootings early yesterday morning that left ONE dead, one critical and one in serious condition.
Here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120725/LOCAL07/307259981

Robert Jackson, Jr. age 43, was the latest homicide victim. (that makes 21 if you're keeping count for the dead-pool at work or home)

There are too many Robert Jacksons in the court records to properly distinguish THIS DB from everyone else, thanks to the ambiguity found there, so until other sources provide more information, let's say the likelihood of THIS one being through "the system" is highly probable.

Now, the two TEENS that were shot...Marcus Q. Bibbs, 18, and Mikal D. Montgomery, 17...around 0342 hrs...anyone see a problem here?

I know school is still out for the summer, but WHY are teens consistently UP near FOUR in the frigging morning?

In certain parts of town, being awake at such hours might get you shot (or worse)...oh, wait, they WERE shot, weren't they?
Bet they WOULDN'T have been...IF they were at home...IN F$CKING BED (where they all belong at that hour)...right?
And they say NYC is "The city that never sleeps"...obviously, "they" haven't been to the...(...all together, gang)...SOUTHEAST SIDE OF FORT WAYNE on most any given night (including when school IS in session).

Now, the FWPD was called to the Eden Green Apts BEFORE the shooting took place (for unwanted visitors), and then left when they broke the gathering up...and did not do any "follow-up" and orbit the area for a time, to see IF the problem would come back (as it can often do)...
To me, that's a major fail...the shootings COULD have been prevented.
Seems to me, I am always mentioning SOMETHING about PATROLS in the area...and how we could USE A LOT MORE.
(deaf ears someplace, no doubt)
But wait, there's MORE...
*** We had yet another shooting...AGAIN...on the (you know the drill)...SOUTHEAST SIDE of the city.
And here's the story link:
http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/crime/police-man-shot-in-buttocks

Shot IN THE ASS...ROFL...sorry, but you gotta LOVE that one.
(someone was definitely RUNNING AWAY, but it's damn hard to outrun bullets, isn't it?)
This shooting occurred around 0130 hrs this morning at the Villa Capri Apts on Fox Point Trail.
And, just like ALL the other three shootings, the FWPD is investigating them.
Good luck getting the moolies to admit to seeing anything, because I hear no one is being forthcoming with ANY information, despite witnesses...imagine that. "Yeah, I din see nuffin' dawg, jus hear de shots, an dat's all."
Yeah, that's enough for me.
--Anyone seeing a disturbing PATTERN here...in THIS part of town?
--Anyone hearing about what the FWPD is doing to be proactive in stopping this?
--Anyone hearing word ONE from the BLACK COMMUNITY over all this?
--Anyone hearing the CITY LEADERS wanting to take any action to halt this?
--Anyone see any good GUN AND AMMO sales in the papers?
(yeah, that LAST one is for ME...lol)
The SILENCE I'm hearing from all who SHOULD be concerned...is DEAFENING, is it not?
*** Just as I predicted last Friday, the "gun control lobbyists" are out in force, TRYING to get the government to pass more LAWS...and it's failing wonderfully. But yet, not a single word regarding MENTAL HEALTH improvement...so as to perhaps diagnose some of these people that go off the deep end and then go "postal".

Now THAT is strange, isn't it?
When it comes to RAMPAGE KILLERS...there are a LOT more than you would ever expect, and here's the PROOF:
(( Caution - Educational Alert - You might learn something.))
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rampage_killers

This site is pretty damn comprehensive, and will open your eyes when it comes to the AMOUNT of killers that have walked the planet.
The list is divided by continent, and then describes the number killed, by what means, where it took place, and the outcomes.
It also includes school massacres...religious, Racial or Political crimes...domestic violence...vehicular manslaughter...grenade amok...and other notable incidents.

Then, there is always the infamous Rwandan Genocide of 1994, where 581,000 MACHETES were supplied (purchased from China) to the Hutus to kill the Tutsis...because they were CHEAP and READILY AVAILABLE (more so than AK-47s or grenades).
Here's the link to THIS atrocity:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rwandan_Genocide
So, you can plainly see, that even with tight GUN restrictions or outright bans, people WILL find other means to kill other people.
It's NEVER about GUNS...but it IS always about PEOPLE...never forget that, whether it happens in AFRICA, or on our OWN streets of Ft. Wayne (or anywhere else in the USA).
*** For those fellow baby-boomers out there who watched a lot of TV growing up...we've lost TWO notables from the small screen.

Sherman Hemsley, age 74, was found dead at his home yesterday. The Patriarch of the Jeffersons, he made the case for UPWARD mobility in the black community, albeit with a lot of "piss and vinegar"...I really liked that show.
Here's his WIKI:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherman_Hemsley

Chad Everett, star of the show Medical Center (Dr. Joe Gannon), also passed away yesterday at the age of 75, from complications due to lung cancer.

Here's his WIKI:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chad_Everett

TV hasn't been the same since....
*** Lastly today...lots of things (and people) come and go from our lives...celebrities, pets, loved ones, things we remember...so much of what comprises who WE are passes from view and often fades from sight, if we're not careful.
But, our remembrance of such people and things keeps us grounded in the other things that matter...the way we grew up and the way we conduct ourselves today is shaped by our past...and we need to ask if we have gleaned enough knowledge and wisdom along the way to matter to ourselves...or to others?
Hopefully,we have, and can pass it along to the generations that follow.

Lord knows they can use ALL the help they can get these days...right?

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

Stay SAFE out there, America.