Monday Musings...

Welcome to another fun-filled (?) week in the Heartland of America.
We're expecting some RAIN today (it's cloudy outside already, so there is hope), which means we may all have to dust off that LAWNMOWER (remember that?) within the next week or sooner. It's going to remain nicely cooler as well, with temps topping out in the mid-upper 70s.
It's sure been an interesting 72 hours, and that doesn't even include what all went on across the "pond", so let's get started and jump right into the action...
*** Fort Wayne (Allen County) records it's 22nd and 23rd homicides.
(for those still keeping count with your dead pools)
Now, the actual SEQUENCE might vary, but dead is still DEAD, right?
-- Here's the lowdown on the first story that was presented by the local media:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120811/LOCAL07/120819931/1043/LOCAL07

The fatal shooting took place at the Coventry Court Apartments around 0038 hours early Saturday morning.
The complex is NOT located on the...(all together, gang...)...SOUTHEAST side, but rather the SOUTHWEST side, in the 500 block of Birchtree Lane near Fairfield Avenue and W. Paulding Rd. (it's close to that SHELL station at Baer Field Thruway and Paulding...take a left there, you'll find it).
FWPD stated the man was found with a gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Witnesses reported seeing a dark-colored car leave the area shortly after the shooting.
(one person thought it a a firework going off)
Investigators don't know if the car was related to the crime.
The name of the victim has not been released yet, and the case is ongoing (as usual).
-- Here's the skinny on the second death investigation:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120813/LOCAL07/308139961/1043

In THIS case, the person arrested was driving the victim's car and was busted by IPFW police for DUI.
Made it REAL easy to locate this perp.

The cause of death is still not being released, but Michael R. Alexander was arrested in preliminary charges of aggravated battery (what? no STOLEN VEHICLE call on this?), and is being held without bond at the Allen County lockup.

This death occurred in one of those NICE neighborhoods - OAK CROSSING, near Tonkel and Dupont Rds.,just north of Ft. Wayne, where the lawns are lush and the ghetto is nowhere to be found. The body was discovered by a friend and authorities were notified around 1140 hrs. Saturday morning.
The worst crime in that area in recent YEARS was one garage break-in...
The victim was remembered by neighbors as a man who was friendly, helpful and had a passion for holiday decoration.
"He had two dogs that meant the world to him", stated one neighbor.
He had lived there since the late 1990s.
Other neighbors have expressed shock over the death and hope this is just an anomaly.
*** In a related story, WANE had a spot (15 Finds Out) about SHOOTINGS on the SOUTH SIDE of Ft. Wayne.
Here's the *4-1-1* on this:
http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/crime/rise-in-shootings-after-police-move

Adam Widener (WANE) did a decent job of expressing the bare bones of the situation, but the nuances were sorely missing...(maybe because he hasn't talked to ME about this part of town yet).
At least the STATS are there...for a change.
(the video is a good watch, too)
The FWPD chief doesn't think (we know that much...lol) that the lack of an HQ is the reason for the RISE in shootings down here.
(no, but it sure CONTRIBUTES to it!)
The good news is that the FWPD is planning to put an "outpost" (like my LAST one?) on the SE side of town...
Funny, the FWPD USED to have a "sub-station" located right in Southgate Plaza...complete with it's own armory, locker room, showers...it was pretty much it's OWN entity...and crime WAS a lot lower! (then)

The BEST part about the story are the 30+ COMMENTS found below the article...THERE you will find a LOT of people that DO "get it" when it comes to the TRUTH of the matter down here.
Many folks DO know the score, but few admit to not even showing up "for the game".
And those not showing up are the black community leaders...
*** Well, there wa a "solution" of sorts to THAT.
And here's the link to THIS story:
http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/local/community-leaders-look-for-solutions-to-violence
Oh, NOW the black community "leaders" seek some kind of SOLUTION to a problem they've SAT on for the last 15+ years...fantastic timing, people!

This COURAGE OF UNITY forum held last evening at SOUTH SIDE HIGH SCHOOL (deep in the heart of the Ghettohood) was to get the community to come together to "make a difference" IN the community...
(guess THEIR version of that difference must differ from MINE vastly, hmm?)
Interestingly enough, the place was NOT packed (as it should have been, if these people were REALLY concerned), and from what I could see, other races were not well represented at all...and the last time I checked, we have MORE than just blacks down here.
Not a fair representation of ALL the community...for sure.
This is a classic case of way too little...way too late (imho)..

I can truthfully state that we had a HELLUVA LOT LESS CRIME down here around 15 years ago...when we had a lot MORE whites who OWNED the houses around here (along with working-class blacks and a few Hispanics) and who ALSO took care of them (as too few of us who are left still manage to do).
SO, what happened between THEN...and NOW?
Well, it sure wasn't the rapidly declining number of decent whites that increased crime, and the only ones that INCREASED down here were Hispanics and Blacks, so YOU do the math. Hell, a 2nd grader could figure this one out.
(damn shame the city, police chief and black community leaders cannot)
Moving on...
*** The London Olympics were BRILLIANT...period.

The USA walked, ran, rode, swam, dove, paddled, and kicked it's way into FIRST PLACE to capture both the overall medal count AND the highest number of GOLD medals. China was Second, with Russia third and Great Britain 4th (although the UK had more GOLD medals than the Russkies).
Indeed, it was a remarkable series of games with some spectacular standouts from a number of nations.
Usain Bolt, Mo Farah, Michael Phelps, Gabby Douglas, Missy Franklin, Oscar Pistorias...the list goes on.
Here's the link to the final results:
http://www.london2012.com/medals/
When you look at these athletes, you actually believe that there IS hope for our future, in that we CAN all come together in the world arena and compete against one another with a sense of true sportsmanship...sure is a lot less bloody than combat warfare, isn't it?
Be funny if wars in the future were waged using GAMES instead of bombs...
(and yes, they're done a lot of movies with such a theme...check them out).
*** Our garden is FINALLY bearing some fruit...in the nature of TOMATOES!

Been taking forever to get them to bloom and then ripen, with this drought and all.
Lord knows it hasn't been a walk in the park...er, I mean garden.
And the first harvest doesn't look all that bad....until you pull back the camera a bit, and put things into their PROPER PERSPECTIVE...
((...ahem...))

Now, I suppose this could be a "WTF???" moment, but it's just too damn funny to think that...it's more like a "WHY ME?" moment.
At least my G.I. Joe's can enjoy these "beefsteaks"...as can Barbie, IF she drops by...ROFLMAO!!
Ah, well...maybe NEXT year?
Thing is, Where the hell am I going to find some 1/6th scale BREAD and BACON to go with those tomatoes?
That JOE looks damn hungry...AND he's ARMED!
*** Lastly today...The USA still has a good amount of exceptionalism...whether it's found in the Olympic games, or by those in the FWPD that give a ride in their V-150 armored car to a terminally ill teenager (I apologize for not being able to find this story from WPTA - it was on the news last night).

What matters is that people STILL DO give a damn, and will do what needs to be done to achieve a goal...or to allow a dying youngster to fulfill a desire. Every one of us has that same capacity to make such things reality.
Many of us succeed at some level...others fail miserably, because they're not making the hard choices. They take the easy way out of things, with the predictable results.
How we measure our success should not always be about what we "get back" for our troubles, our persistence, or our perspicacity.
It should be more about WHO WE BECOME as a result...and we usually become BETTER in some way.
THAT is the kind of exceptionalism this nation has produced over it's short history, and I believe we STILL have the capacity to further such things for all of us.
We are remarkable individually, but even more remarkable when we pull together to make this nation great...or greater.

Let that be our guidepost this week.

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

Stay SAFE out there, America.