Humpday Happenings...

Welcome to the Midwest and mid-week edition of my humble blog.
Going to be another nice day here in the Heartland - temps to rise into the 80s with scattered clouds.
SO, let's get this ball rolling, shall we?
*** First up (and no doubt greatly missed LAST week, due to illness) is our military quote of the week aka WHO SAID THAT?
"The proper response to difficulty is not to retreat. It is to prevail."
So...who said that?
Answer at the top of tomorrow's post.
*** Next on the agenda...a crime that is hard to defend against.

Here's the story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120829/LOCAL07/308299984
Even the police have been taken aback by THIS particular M.O.
"This is something we have never seen in Fort Wayne", said Off. Raquel Foster, FWPD PIO.
Well, you have NOW, dear.

It's pretty sad when a 68 year old bank manager is taken hostage in HER OWN HOME by two black thugs, who were waiting for her IN her home as she entered, holding her there until it got dark, then took her in her own car BACK to he credit union (which has been robbed FOUR times in the last TWO years), forced her to enter the building where they took an unknown amount of money, then tied her up and left her in the bank, as they used her vehicle as their getaway car, which was later recovered near McMillen park...down on the city's...(...altogether, gang...)...SOUTHEAST side.
I find it amazing that no one in the manager's neighborhood heard or saw anything that would arouse their suspicions, especially if it was a nice area (which I would suppose a bank MANAGER would tend to live in).

Police have no suspects at this time.
The perps wore gloves and concealed their faces, so any surveillance camera pics might not provide adequate information.
There were no tracking devices or dye packs in the stolen cash (probably would not be, under THOSE conditions).
"Somebody knows the layout of that bank", stated Off. Foster.
That would be painfully obvious, given the frequency of robberies.

Makes you wonder if similar tactics are already being employed at OTHER branches or banks across the city.
People NEED to know their surroundings, and be VERY wary of anything or anyone that looks or acts out of place.
Clearly, the police can't be everywhere.
This manner of crime smacks back to some old TV shows, where the robbers took the bank president and used him to "rob" his own place.
And I would be amazed if this was some sort of "inside job"...doesn't seem to track that way, given the available information.
Let's hope the FEDS can help the FWPD crack this nut...and bust at least TWO heads along the way to solving this.
*** Another early morning shooting on the SE side (now where ELSE would this happen, hmm?)
Here's this story:
http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/fort-wayne-police-investigate-shooting

In the 4000 block of S. Clinton, at least two men broke into a side door around 0300 hrs, and shot a man in the ass.
He was taken to hospital in serious condition.

The suspects then fled after the shooting and K-9 units were attempting to track them.

Police were questioning the man's 18 yr. old girlfriend. Police also stated the man had been shot previously, but were unsure if it pertained to a criminal matter, or if it was related to the Wednesday shooting.

Wow...can't even get a night's SLEEP down here these days, can you?

Well, that's nothing new to me, what with all the damn boomcars, and the occasional gunfire, that for some reason, cannot ever seem to BE PROPERLY ADDRESSED OR QUELLED ONE DAMN BIT OVER 15 YEARS.
Maybe if we had a decent quadrant commander...or police chief, we COULD stem this rising tide of crime.

I could say that the FIRST and the LAST thing any 3AM thug would see at OUR house would be ME...with MY GUN TRAINED at their f$cking head...as it went off...several times. Sure, we might have to flip for Stanley Steemer to clean up the rugs and furniture, and spring for a gallon of paint to touch up the walls, but hey, it would be worth it to put that big a smile on MY face.
Sometimes, you have to become your OWN "police department", with your OWN jurisdiction, that being your OWN damn property
THAT is also called "urban renewal"...!
And if ENOUGH citizens did likewise (or a regular basis), we'd have the CRIMINALS being scared to go outside...instead of the general populace.
(the way it SHOULD be)
*** I caught some of the GOP RNC last evening, and I have to say it was rather inspiring...

Now, I'm not one for "modern day" speeches or many of the people that make them.
They seem to lack a a certain panache that only seems to have performed in ages past.
Read your history...and those speeches (Lincoln's Gettysburg Address or JFK's inaugural address), and you'll get the picture.
Back then, SO much was said with very little...it was more QUALITY than quantity.
And yet, last night, I heard some damn fine words...with a real passion backing them up, and not just more lip-service as usual.
No hollow verbiage...just good, solid stand-up people with a message that NEEDS to be heard.
*** It appears that Saturday will be the day "of choice" to attend the Fort Wayne Air Show, as the remnants of (now Cat 1) hurricane Isaac will affect OUR weather here this weekend.

Rain is expected to arrive here late Saturday (the later the better for me), and continue throughout Sunday with accumulations between 1-3 inches, depending on where you live in or around Allen County.
(Gonna have to mow the lawn again before Fall...lol)
I can't imagine ANY aerial performances under rainy conditions, and that's a damn shame.
Back in 1999, we had such cloud cover, even the Blue Angels couldn't get up and give us their "low" show...that kinda bit the big one.
Hope things fare better this time around.
*** Lastly today...lots of crime in the Summit City, and some of it very well-thought out.

And while most all criminals are dummer than a bag of rocks, there are those few that attempt to feign some sort of intelligence, as evidenced by the heist at the Credit Union.
It wasn't a "new" tactic, just one that's usually relegated to the realm of Hollywood.
I suppose we can expect some perps to try and snag a BRINKS armored car next?
Whatever the case, the FWPD top brass NEED to realize that these thug-morons out there mean business, otherwise they'd be working some job, being a good citizen, instead of a damn burr under the saddle of the city's police and citizenry.
Fort Wayne needs to make some decisions regarding crime, and they're not going to be easy OR popular, but they will cause crime to plummet, should they choose to employ them.
The city should already KNOW what those decisions might be, so I won't belabor that point.
Not NOW, anyway.
This also applies to the prosecutor's office...for God's sake, grow a backbone AND a f$cking "pair" , will 'ya?

I say if such is not forthcoming, then we start looking for a more proactive and effective prosecutor, not satisfied to always "plea-deal" every case and only look for the "nothing but net" verdicts.

DO your work...what you're PAID to do, instead of taking the easy way out (as the criminals seem to do at YOUR discretion...like Jamone Williams).

When people cannot feel safe IN THEIR DAMN HOUSE, what the hell is left...I ask you?

That should be the FIRST place we all should feel safe, because we know that a whole lot of the "outside" sucks enough already.

This sure makes a good case for active vigilantism...on a city-wide scale, before we become like Chicago...so out-of-control that even the national Guard would be hard-pressed to restore order to ALL it's citizens.

Fort Wayne need not tread down that street...not now...not ever.

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

Stay SAFE out there, America