Thoughts On Thursday...

If you like rain and some thunderstorms, with winds that could reach up to 50 MPH, and temps dropping later this evening, adding some snow to the mix by tomorrow morning, then TODAY is going to be JUST what you've been waiting for.
While some are calling this "severe" weather...I pretty much take it as it comes this time of year..it IS December, after all.
So, feel free to top off your morning beverage of choice, sit back and allow me to fill you in on what's been happening since this time yesterday.
Oh, and there might be some pungent social commentary tossed in for good measure.
*** First up, the answer to yesterday's WHO SAID THAT? quote:

"After God, we should place our hopes of safety in our weapons, not in our fortifications."

This is attributed to The Emperor Maurice, The Strategikon, c. 600AD (Maurice's Strategikon, tr. George Dennis, 1984).

And here's "Mo's" WIKI:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurice_(emperor)
Pretty interesting guy...for a Byzantine. He was considered to be a better judge of policy than of men...and that led to the death of him and his six sons when the leader of the army (Phocas) marched into Constantinople and was crowned emperor.
Goes to show you never piss off the guys with all the weapons.
Meanwhile, back at the palace...

*** More proof that 21 fewer LEOs on our streets are making a difference, especially on the SE side of Ft. Wayne.

Here's the story link:

http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20121220/LOCAL07/312209983
I was listening to the police radio and heard this "robbery" going down at the post office branch in our zip code (Diplomat Plaza branch).
It's located near the intersection of Hessen Cassel and McKinnie...deep in the heart of the ghettohood.
Seems there were two masked men (armed) who entered the facility around 1530 hrs.
It's not clear if they were there to rob the USPS or were running from a Shell station holdup attempt.

Four USPS employees took refuge in another area of the building and called the po-po...to which damn near the entire department showed the f$ck up...least it looked that way.

Haven't seen THAT many police cars since they used to park in the lot at the old Creighton HQ.

They even rolled out SWAT (ERT) and the Commando V-150 armored car, because it was not known if this had become a hostage situation.

(talk about some overkill)
Still, neither of the two perps were found on site, one customer came out unharmed and the four employees also came out, and were taken to the detectives for questioning (S.O.P.).
At this time, no one is in custody and no leads have been forthcoming.
Cripes, with the PRICE OF STAMPS these days, it might make some sense to hit the USPS...I'm just sayin'...

*** Could we be looking at HOMICIDE NUMBER 29 on the city's...(...all together, gang...)...SOUTHEAST side?

Here's THAT story:

http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20121220/LOCAL07/312209982
Around 2047 hrs last night, Wifey came in to tell me that police found a man in an alley along Reed St.
Turns out the man was unresponsive and later pronounced dead on scene.

This occurred in the alley on the 3100 block of Reed St., between Eckart and Drexel, deep in the ghettohood.
The "vic" was ID'ed as being male, between 16-25 years of age, but the name is being withheld until the coroner makes his determination as to the C.O.D.
(how much you wanna bet it was either stabbing or gunshot?)
Lt. Mike McQueen (FWPD) stated last night that: "We can't tell if there are gunshot wounds."
Neighbors said they didn't hear any gunshots...many of them NEVER DO...even when it happens right outside their crib, or next to them at a nightclub...that's the way these people shake. Maybe they should TURN THEIR MUSIC DOWN?
What I find curious is that if no neighbors HEARD anything, HOW did they know the man was lying in that alley?
I mean, it's dark out, hard to notice things, unless the guy was dumped from a vehicle or there was an altercation IN the alley prior.

And those people probably aren't as "aware" of their surroundings as I tend (read HAVE) to be.

I still think we can make THIRTY homicides by year's end.
Which speaks VOLUMES as to the (lack of) effectiveness of our new FWPD quadrant captain, Garry Hamilton.
Nice to see that affirmative action still works for some.
*** At least in New haven, the victims make things "easier"...
Here's the story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20121220/LOCAL07/121229999
Here we have a pedestrian who walked...INTO A TRAIN (ouch).

Now, that's bad enough when the train is standing STILL...but this train was MOVING at the time.
(much bigger ouch)
Yeah, the guy DIED immediately.
MY guess was that the person had to be impaired to some serious degree, otherwise, you'd kinda NOTICE that big, honking train zipping past, stirring up a real good breeze as it rushed by...right?
Hell, I used to photograph trains, and our crew ALWAYS stayed at last 10 feet away from the rails...you could feel the suction from fast moving trains THAT much. Somehow, I don't believe this guy was taking pictures.
*** The regime's "fearless leader" makes a move for GUN control...

And here's the "4-1-1":
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20121220/NEWS03/312209981/0/SEARCH
Gaffin' Joe Biden, our very own veep is placed "in charge" of the task force.
Make NO mistake, THIS guy IS a gun-grabber, and makes no bones about it.

Rush Limbaugh made one of the most MARVELOUS statements yesterday, regarding this whole tragedy and the violence connected with such acts like the one in CT.
He said: "You cannot have a COLLECTIVE solution to an INDIVIDUAL problem."
Personally, I LOVE this quote...and I think we should ALL say it out loud a few times.
In EVERY case such as a mass shooting, the results are often similar, but the person that commits such a heinous act has to be dealt with on an individual basis, and if that means better diagnosis and treatment earlier on...so be it.
But there will never be ANY new law that will totally HALT such acts...ever!
This administration can't seem to find it's own ass with both hands (with instructions written on the palms), so I can't imagine them being able to tackle this problem with common sense and reason. It's just NOT in their playbook.
*** In a related story, there's THIS:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20121220/BIZ/312209945/1031/BIZ

Yes, it's down to the store level when you want to honestly talk about gun-related issues...and the possible abrogation of our 2nd Amendment rights.
They even interviewed Billy Harris of B&H Firearms on W. Paulding Rd. That's where I bought my Taurus PT 145 semi-auto pistol. He's good people and knows his stuff.
He says the same thing I do - to BETTER ENFORCE the laws we already have.
He also says: "Banning anything over 10 rounds won't stop violent incidents. It takes a half second to reload, so it's like you have TWENTY ROUNDS anyway."

Right you are, Billy!

Nice to know Obama is good for something - FIREARMS SALESMAN OF THE YEAR...!

*** And that brings me to the laugh fest of the day...

Obama is named TIME'S "Person of the Year"...for a SECOND time.

Goes to show that not ONLY Newsweek can become a failing publication...right?

But, considering that JOSEF STALIN also appeared on the cover TWICE, our fearless leader IS in good company...LOL.

I suppose it could be worse...just not by much.
Time COULD have had Gangnam Style singer PSY on the cover. (yikes!)

Yeah, that would have been a real "WTF???" moment.

Gotta love that pensive demeanor on Obama, though...so "poignant"...in a MANUFACTURED way, don'cha think?

Almost as moving as a senior citizen on a prune juice diet...!

*** Lastly today, there is a song that goes "...We need a little Christmas"...and I definitely concur there.

We DO need a little Christmas, especially with all the crap going on around us.

Hell, we need a LOTTA CHRISTMAS this year...right this very minute, too.

And, it's not just the giving aspect that we need, although doing that the whole year long isn't that bad a deal to get with.

It's the SPIRIT of the season that we need desperately.

We need a break from all the 24/7 (bad) news.
And maybe we can find that break in some old movie...a seasonal song or performance, or even just looking out our own back doors at how God has managed to grace us with HIS works.

I don't think that's too hard a task for any of us to manage...after all, look at what God has done for us already, eh?

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

Stay SAFE out there, America.