Monday Musings...

It's the start of another week in the Summit City, and it you prefer YOUR days a bit on the "soft" side, you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Today will be WET...the farther south you go, the more wet you'll become. Temps will reach into the low-mid 80s.
We might see the sun...eventually, but, as aviators like to say: "The sun ALWAYS shines at 30,000 feet."
Other than that, things look to be wonderfully banal...for a change.
So, let's relax, take in the less-than-sweltering temperatures, and settle back to see what's been shaking since Friday.
*** First out of the gate today is more shootings on Fort Wayne's...(...all together, gang...)...SOUTHEAST side.

Here's the story link, small and lacking information as it is:
http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/crime/three-people-shot-on-fayette-drive
Two people were listed as being shot, and not three as the link lists, one of them a pregnant woman in the Brendonwood Park apartment complex located in the 1400 block of Fayette Drive, off of Decatur Rd. around 0042 hrs Sunday morning.
No motive, no suspects, but police ARE asking for YOUR help (as usual).

The website for the apartments lists this place as "the key to easy living"...
((...ahem...))
The entire area is larger than it let's on, at least when you drive past the entrance along Decatur Rd.
(and that explains a LOT, believe me).
Moving on...
*** This was in yesterday's J-G, and I found it more than entertaining, simply because the writer of the AP article, while a devout "Detroitian", speaks as to WHAT has happened to his hometown, and WHY...

Here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20130721/NEWS03/307219901/0/SEARCH
Funny thing, part is the story has an eerie ring of similarity, and if you change out HIS name with MINE and change the city name from Detroit to Fort Wayne, more than a few things sound all too familiar.
Seems even burglar bars on windows don't stop the thieves in Motor City these days, either.
Some residents of THAT city feel as do I when it comes to their homes.
It's an attitude (as the writer says) of "I bought this house 40 years ago, and NO crack addicts or gangbangers are going to drive me out of it."
Sounds like a plan to ME.
Detroit was a deeply divided city for decades, racially-speaking, and you really have to ask WHY?

Maybe it was because when a black family moved onto a street, the REST of the property values dropped faster than the value of the American dollar of late.
The neighbors didn't cause that.

Maybe it was because many of the houses sold to blacks were "red-lined" when it came to mortgages, and that forced foreclosures and subsequent buy-outs from the banks to landlords, turning a neighborhood that had home-OWNERS into a block with home-RENTERS.

Maybe it was that after that took place, the properties fell into DISREPAIR, while drugs, prostitution and burglaries SOARED.

The author of the story states that he never wanted to admit it, but his once NICE neighborhood had turned into the quintessential American GHETTO.

With the advent of all the "white-flight" that took place during this, the city's TAX BASE was SHRINKING...
(Told you this sounds all too familiar - what have I stated about Fort Wayne for the last few years?)

The pattern that develops under these conditions is predictable as the sun rising in the East.

There is a link at the bottom of the article that gives you a GOOD idea of what Detroit ONCE looked like...and how it appears today.

And it's really sad to think that the nations 4th largest city has devolved into something akin to the aftermath of the Dresden bombings of WW2.
There are currently sundry abandoned schools, theaters, and pools across the zombie-scape of Detroit these days.

Makes a damn good case for the possible future OF that city, as seen in Robocop.
And speaking of...the GOOD news is that a ten-foot tall statue OF Robocop is headed for Detroit...
I would think that by NOW, they might want the REAL DEAL there...
Lord know at this point, it surely couldn't hurt.
And as goes Detroit...so "could" go more than a few OTHER cities in America...it's only a matter of time.
Wonder why the democrats aren't accepting BLAME for this?
After all, THEY caused it, as they do all over this nation when they remain in power and spend everyone into insolvency.
Oh, wait, they only ASSESS blame...to anyone ELSE but themselves.
Damn near forgot...
*** Now, I wonder how much lame-stream media attention this recent serial killing situation in Cleveland will be getting, because it was obviously BLACK-ON-BLACK crime that was committed...

Here's the story link:
http://www.news4jax.com/news/mayor-cleveland-suspect-idolized-local-serial-killer/-/475880/21088938/-/3y1b74/-/index.html
I'll wager that this will pass soon enough...no race-baiting to be had here by those USUAL people like Sharpton and Jackson.
No rallies to decry the deaths of these three women...no big deal, nothing to see here...right?
But, what if this murderer is a "white" black man...does that make it newsworthy enough for some rioting or racial bias THEN?
I mean, the guy's not really THAT black, so let's make a stink over THIS.
Hey, if I had a race-baiting, progressive, blame everyone but himself whining president, he would look JUST like Obummer
And if I had a city that was run by corrupt libtard democrats for decades, it would look JUST like Detroit.
You see, many can play that same game...some better than those that instigate it.
*** Lastly today, we're going to end this on an POSITIVE note.

I said we had another robin's nest in our butterfly bush, as the one in the tall shrub alongside the garage door had been "visited" by raccoons previously.

Well, Momma Robin has graced us with THREE nestlings.

There was a bit of a "hiccup" along the way, however.
Over the weekend, Wifey and I were outside in the back yard, and she noticed two small birds on the grass. her first thought was that they were dead, but I noticed that both were breathing.

I also saw that the nest had been tilted to such an angle, thanks to some windy rain we had, and that these little guys must have fallen from the nest. Not the best way to start a life.
So, I did what anyone with a touch of St. Francis in them would do...I righted the nest and placed them both BACK in it for Momma Robin to take care of.

I wore gloves and scooped them up and within an hour, Momma Robin was back at the nest.

She's been there since, chasing anyone off by scaring the crap out of you whenever you get too close to the butterfly bush.

Wonder how that''s going to fare when I need to mow the lawn?
In case anyone is concerned, birds don't have a great sense of smell, so it's okay to handle nestlings when returning them to their "home".
(read that online at a few sources...a good use for the Internet)
So, Wifey and I have become proud "god-parents" of some baby robins...after a fashion.
It's the whole "If you do this to the least of my creatures, you do this unto me." Biblical gig.
You also just can't get this kind of cool thing happening in a big city, that's for sure.
But I DO draw the line at inviting ANY of them INSIDE for dinner...LOL.
Have yourselves a good week.

Be well, make a difference to someone (or an avian friend), and...
Stay SAFE out there, America.