Friday Follies...

Well, boys and girls, through absolutely NO fault of our own, we've arrived at the weekend....finally.
And if you like temps in the mid to upper 40s with slight rain off and on for the next 24 hours, today will be right up your alley here in the Heartland.

Perfect weather for stringing those OUTDOOR lights, hmm?

So while we're waiting to dredge up some motivation to do THAT, let's take a look at what's been going on.

*** Today is Pearl Harbor Day, and it was back in 1941 when the Japanese pulled a sneak attack on our navy base in Hawaii.

Nowadays, we seem to recall things like this less and less, and I suppose it's due to the fact that every day, we lose more veterans from not only THAT day, but also from ALL of WW2.

As a young'un, this day was a pretty big deal, and while NOT a holiday in ANY sense of the word, it was a SOLEMN day, and many vets back then spent some time in the local taprooms, talking about where THEY were when the attack occurred. It was much like where MY generation was when JFK was assassinated.
I consider these to be those pivotal moments in history...the ones we will always remember...just like 9/11.
Times and people seemed different then.
Many men left everything here and volunteered to serve following Pearl Harbor.
It was just the thing to do.

On the Japanese side, the attack was more pre-emptive than anything else - a way to keep the Americans away from the conquest of the Pacific by the Empire of the Rising Sun.

But, as Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto noted after the attack on Pearl:

"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant, and fill him with a terrible resolve."
And he was right.
You can check out the WIKI for the Pearl Harbor attack here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Pearl_Harbor

It's there you find all the back stories leading up to the attack itself, and it's a pretty good read.
We should never forget things such as this, because they are defining points in the history of America.
Moving on...
*** Yes, the CHASE bank on Lower Huntington Rd was hit...AGAIN.

Seems it was just last month when it was robbed.
But apparently, the robbers KNOW when the police aren't about and when the "pickins are ripe".

You do have to admire the style of clothing worn by the robber...really makes a "statement".
When the f$ck did this guy ever believe that his "hat" was "all that"?
Talk about looking like a smacked ass.
Here's the story about the latest heist:
http://www.indianasnewscenter.com/news/local/Chase-Bank-on-Lower-Huntington-Road-Robbed-Again-182397781.html

It's interesting to note that before the vid-caps were released, WANE did NOT say that the robber was BLACK, while both WPTA and WOWO did.
Guess I'm right again when I stated the crime was moving WEST (and NORTH) of the SE quadrant.
It's not rocket science - it's just a logical progression...this type of crime spreads like the disease it is, and since it's been relatively left UNCHECKED, things like THIS are the usual result of a NON-PROACTIVE stance on criminal activity.
And having TWENTY-ONE FEWER OFFICERS to handle the load sure helps the crims out there, doesn't it?
But wait, we've barely started...

*** A Fort Wayne pastor is arrested on charges of molesting a FOSTER child.

Here's the story:

http://www.indianasnewscenter.com/news/local/Fort-Wayne-Pastor-Arrested-on-Charges-of--182349301.html

You ever READ the book you PREACH from, pastor?

Somehow, I don't see this crime as being any better than robbing a bank.

*** Police are looking for OUR help...(what...AGAIN?) in finding as many as FIVE suspects in a HOME INVASION on the city's (yep, you guessed it)...SOUTHEAST SIDE

.

Here's the story link:

http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/crime/police-look-for-5-suspects-in-home-invasion-robbery
This happened last night around 2030 hrs in the 2500 block of E. Tillman Rd.
The perps got away with a significant amount of money, and although shots WERE fired, no one (at the house) was injured.

Bolder and bolder...AND in greater numbers...and still the police can't seem to get a handle on this?

And please, don't blame the "holiday season" for this sh*t...it just happens to coincide with the holidays.

Anyone with half a brain could SEE this type of crime was coming...and to a lot more neighborhoods than JUST the usual ones on the SE side.

I used to refer to this to our former quadrant captain as: "...a rising tide that was inevitably moving farther SOUTH."
That was OVER SEVEN years ago!
And I have seen NO change that leads me to believe that crime is being abated in ANY way.
The stats bear that fact out...it's UP...ALL across the board in EVERY category...even the crimes they moved to other categories to skew the stats.
That just deferred what was already known.
Can't hide from this ANY longer...and it's time to DEAL with the crime, or watch this town become a mini-Detroit.
*** This story is from nearby Steuben County (or as I call it - STEUPID County).
http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/crime/police-find-meth-lab-stolen-property-in-woods

Seems we have this "cook" who like to produce METH...in the woods...where he thinks he can't get caught.
Think again.
Someone called in a suspicious van in a wooded area on CR 600 W, north of CR 200 S in rural Jackson Township.
It was there that police found Scotty Miller, 33, of FORT WAYNE in possession of (suspected) meth and meth paraphernalia.
After getting a search warrant for the van, police found several items associated with the production of meth, and several guns that were reported STOLEN from a LaGrange County house.
Suffice it to say, Scotty isn't going anywhere EXCEPT to jail...and for a nice spell.
*** I find this story interesting because of the specifics.
It has to do with the Fabini brothers, who live in nice, UPSCALE neighborhoods.

And while former footballer Jason doesn't appear to be the TARGET of the FBI raids, his brother might be another story.
Here's the link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20121207/LOCAL07/312079973
What strikes me as ODD about this, is that the "Safe Streets Task Force" was in on the raids...
Weren't they supposed to be a gang-related unit?
According to THIS link from the FBI website, they are:
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/vc_majorthefts/gangs/violent-gangs-task-forces
So, one can only conclude that there IS, or WAS some "gang-related" activity involved, right?
Can't wait to hear what the FBI finds out.
*** Lastly, it's amazing how far we've come as a nation in a mere 230 (or so) years.
Other countries STILL have civil strife..after CENTURIES.
But, that's not to say we should rest on OUR laurels...we have SO much farther to go.
These days, it seems we're always standing at some crossroads, be it financial, social, political...you name it.
And we entrust those we elect to take the RIGHT path...for ALL of us.

There is EQUALITY and then there is FAIRNESS.
NEVER confuse the two, for they are VERY different animals.
Equality means that we all START OUT THE SAME...with the same OPPORTUNITY to do with our lives as WE choose.
There is NO guarantee for success...OR failure. It's UP TO US.
Fairness means we start out the same.,..and END UP THE SAME.
There IS a guarantee that everyone will HAVE THE SAME RESULTS...no exceptions.
And if that means we take from the successful to make the failed BETTER...so be it.
The result become a matter of DEGREE.

The government cannot control EQUALITY, but they are damn sure trying to control FAIRNESS.
They will dumb down tests and requirements, so that the playing field is level.
They will legislate anything and everything in the pursuit of "fairness".
And, they will attempt to run every aspect of your life, so that everything is more FAIR.
We used to call such things...BULLSH*T.
It comes down to every one of us doing what WE need to do (and not want to do...or not do) when it comes to our lives, and how best to manage it.
Some do well...others (like we have seen above)...not so much.
Always try to do your best...and make the best decisions you can, based on knowledge tempered with wisdom.
THAT is the great equalizer.

Do have yourselves a good weekend.
Be well, make a difference to someone today, and as always...
Stay SAFE out there, America.