Monday Musings...
Now that was a fairly decent weekend...for a change.
Those are the dog days of Summer I can live with.
Today's Hoosierland weather will be a bit warmer, with temps in the low to mid 80s, and a chance of showers later tonight.
Can you believe we made it through the weekend WITHOUT any reports of people being SHOT?
That's freaking amazing!
I'm sure the mooks will find a way to make up for their lack of stupidity soon enough
In the meantime, without any further ado, let's proceed with...the rest of the "story"...
And yes, it's time for:
Bobby G's This Day in August History!
And we have our "three-fer" today.
August 10 - 
               1961 - First use of Agent Orange in Vietnam.
August 11 - 
               1929 - Babe Ruth becomes the first player to hit 500 home runs in his career at League Park in Cleveland, OH.
            1934 - The first civilian prisoners arrive at Alcatraz.
            1965 - The first Watts riots begin in Los Angeles
            1972 - The last US ground combat units leave Vietnam
August 12 - 
              1960 - Echo-1, America's FIRST successful comm satellite is launched.
            1981 - IBM releases the first personal computer.
           1992 - Negotiations for NAFTA are completed.
And now YOU know...some more history.
*** First up, let's talk about raccoons...(as one commercial says) "Nature's Little Muggers".

They're kinda cute, got those big eyes, they move along sorta like a cat, and in one prescription glasses commercial are invited inside a home to "...come snuggle with mom-mom".
But there does come a time when they're NOT so friendly, like when they're RABID...or when they get into your neighbor's open trash container, or, in our case, decide to climb a tree next to the house and proceed to get into the ROOF SHINGLES.
Why they chose NOW to do it remains a mystery for all time - mating season isn't until early NEXT year.
Perhaps they're looking for a "summer place"?
Not around OUR "Fortress", they're not!
Wifey heard some serious "scratching" on the roof early Saturday morning (0200 hrs), and when we went out later after sunrise, we saw a few shingles had been messed with.

The damage isn't that bad...YET, but based on what they CAN do, it's better we find solutions to the problem NOW, before it gets a lot worse.
Late Saturday night, we went on the patio, and there we saw two beady eyes on the roof again. I shot some BBs at the little bigger and he seemed to scurry off. Hopefully, he'll think twice about coming back...and that goes for the rest of his "family".
Now, to anyone who owns a property, know this...homeowner's insurance doesn't cover vermin infestation or damage (like mice, rats, bats, etc) WITH THE EXCEPTION of RACCOON...imagine that. So, you can file a claim if you meet your deductible..

Thankfully, this is NOT our roof!

Nice to know that, hmm?
And we really should get a new roof for the house, because we obviously can't find a better use of about $6K around here (I opted for an arsenal...LOL)
So, on the plate this week, aside from Wifey getting ready to return to school, it's roof estimate time.
It's also time to contact Fort Wayne Anumal Care and Control to see what can be done.

Look, it's "Spidercoon"...!

The vacant house next door has several raccoon nesting over the garage. They climbed a tree and then chewed their way through the siding, next to a "board-up" the city did a while back for a HUMAN infestation (remember the ladder I found and how I cut it into small pieces?), into the place. Lord knows where ELSE they've gotten into at that house. Technically, it should be condemned and razed...we could use the space...lol.
Tell 'ya, if it's not critters with four legs,. it's critters with two around here...never a let up when TRYING to enjoy what you're steward of these days.
Moving on...
*** Okay, so now the FEDS led by A/G Eric Holder (...rolls eyes...) are getting their noses into something they shouldn't...AGAIN.
Seems "they" want to control certain incarcerations when it comes to what they call "low-level" drug dealers.
They CLAIM such people are non-violent...that's bullsh*t.
They also say they want the states to follow their guidelines...more bullsh*t.
Here's the link to the story (read fairy tale):
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20130812/NEWS03/308129935/0/SEARCH
The initial criteria he sets forth is SBB...(stupid beyond belief), and this boy needs to STFD and STFU.
Drug dealers with NO violent behavior and NO ties to gangs...what the hell is Holder smoking?
You sh*tting me, right?
If you know ANYTHING about drug dealers and their preferred "trade of choice", it's that all they care about is making money...usually at the expense of the people they manage to get addicted to their product.
And, if you believe the "low-level" people shouldn't make restitution for the problems THEY cause, think again.
Addicts will do anything to get that next "hit:", and THAT is where the majority of crimes against WE, THE PEOPLE takes place. The drug dealers themselves only worry about getting caught by the police, OR getting whacked by THEIR distributor when they f$ck up or don't turn in enough money from the street pharm sales.
Some of the low-level scum you can flip in order to bag a "bigger dog" in the hunt, but it's not etched in stone that THIS will always occur.

The Nat-Geo channel last night showed how METH is growing as the "drug of choice", and they highlighted San Fran, of all places.
Here's a link to the website:
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/drugs-inc/episodes/san-francisco-meth-zombies/
The show is called DRUGS, INC, and it told that there is a 100% PURE variety of meth that is coming from...MEXICO, where they produce the crystal substance in "mega-labs". It seems that cartels lfind it CHEAPER than growing and processing cocaine into crack.
And it's the ASIAN cartels in SF that are allowing the meth (also known as GLASS or SHARDS) in...for a price, naturally.

Sinaloa are getting away from cocaine, because they don't want to rely on Colombian suppliers, and that they can now make meth
Talk about "business sense".
The meth is moved from Mexico, over our border, and through places like San Jose (do YOU know the way?), where even IF the Feds can nail ONE shipment, a dozen will STILL get through, and with Oakland across the bay from San Fran, AND it being the 4th largest shipping facility in the USA, catching all the drugs is problematic...at best, even with the tech we have today.

It's stated that over EIGHTY PERCENT of ALL the meth ion the USA comes from...(you guessed it)...MEXICO. That only leaves about 20% for all the "home-bodies" in America to ONE POT, or otherwise produce meth on any level, that would come nowhere close to the mass production down south.
I can easily see this as the new "crack", due to the low cost, the depth and speed of addiction, and having a predetermined "market" available.
I hate to say it, but this could well become the next bane for urban areas across America.
Unless we want these meth-zombies roaming our streets, there has to be more involvement on the local level, an that means to eradicate ALL the dealers...period.
Remove the sellers, and the buyers will have no market. Simple as that. Hell, they might even become USEFUL citizens for a change
*** Next up, about this SNAP program...

((...ahem...))
Here's a link to a story in today's paper:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20130812/EDIT05/308129925/1021/EDIT
Could SNAP cover the cost of LESS-HEALTHY foods?

Jeezus H. Tap-Dancing Keerhist...they ALREADY DO, you morons!
Don't you notice the crunch n munch and gallon jugs of orange drink coming out of grocery stores by the "government-sponsored" already?
Tell me THAT sh*t is healthy.
What about the BOOZE they purchase with EBT cards? Is that "healthy"?
(well, it made from GRAINS, Bob)
I'm sorry, but we have GOT to get a handle of this crap..ASAP.

Liquor stores accept food stamps? Who'da thunk?

Let's roll out the trailers, and start handing out bags of RICE, FLOUR, SUGAR, BEANS and blocks of CHEESE and boxes of POWDERED MILK...the way we USED to provide food for the "poor" and other wise poverty-stricken in this country.
Think of the JOBS you can create with the people charged with handing all that free food out.
And that's on TOP of all the good done by churches and OTHER services like Community Harvest FOOD BANKS, who do hand out a lot of healthier foods, and not the convenience store impulse crap-food to stave off the marijuana-munchies these people seem to perpetually exhibit.
*** Lastly today, more nanny-state over-involvement with too many people that NEED to learn to do FOR THEMSELVES.

I get sick and tired of seeing good money wasted on people that are too wasted to help themselves, let alone each other.
They don't know HOW to cook, and that results in government housing burning to the ground on a regular basis, they always seem to get take out, because they couldn't set a dining table if their miserable lives depended on it, an they keep sucking the life out of this nation...and the money out of taxpayers' pockets. The free ride has to come to an end.
This country had a helluva lot more self-reliant people living here, and it's damn well time we got back to that.
Get these people to stand on THEIR OWN two feet, and perhaps they will manage to help others...the way it used to be...the way we should have never deviated from.

Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay SAFE out there, America.