Monday Musings...

Welcome to the start of another action-packed week here in the Midwest (and all points elsewhere).
The weather today will be very seasonal, with temps rising into the mid-to-upper 50s with mostly cloudy skies and mild breezes.
And, since the city's first (of two) leaf pickup begins today, you just KNOW there will be some rain (30% chance).
We could see some frost tonight, when temps dip down close to the freezing mark (so cover up the plants or take them indoors).
Now, it's time for...the rest of the story (as the late Paul Harvey would say)...
*** First out the door today is what could be called a bonifide TWO-FER.

Yep, as is becoming the usual in Fort Wayne, we saw not one, but TWO shootings occur this weekend, resulting in TWO deaths.
So, if my math is right (and it usually is), that would make it HOMICIDES NUMBER 37 and 38 for the Summit City.
We're currently "enjoying" a 15-year high in homicides for the county of Allen in Indiana, and the RECORD number of homicides in Ft. Wayne was 42 (back in 1997), so it would appear that THIS record could easily fall by year's end.
-- The FIRST shooting happened on the 800 block of Lewis St, (near Hanna St) in the near SE part of town (not too far from Jefferson Blvd).

Here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20131020/LOCAL07/310209937/0/SEARCH
The shooting took place Saturday evening around 1800 hours and when police arrived on scene, found a man suffering a gunshot wound. He was transported to hospital and died a short time later.
No motive and no suspects were arrested (so far).

One neighbor stated that  she'd like the FWPD to hold another gun amnesty day to "get these guns off the street".
I'd MUCH rather prefer...to get the THUGS off the streets...by whatever means necessary.
Remove the guns, and you STILL have the thugs, but if you get the thugs off the streets, THAT is when crime starts to DROP...and not before.
-- The SECOND shooting happened yesterday around 1210 hrs in the 1200 block of W. Wildwood St.
A man was found in an alley between two houses, suffering from a gunshot wound. He was later declared dead at the scene.

Here's THAT story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20131020/LOCAL07/131029965/1002/LOCAL
Neighbors reported seeing a white car orbiting the block several times before the gunfire erupted, after which the same vehicle was seen speeding from the area. Police are looking for that vehicle as well as any witnesses that can aid in the apprehension of the perp(s).
Neighbors have said that vehicles often stopped by the house at 1231 W. Wildwood for a minute or two, and then would speed away.

Sure makes you wonder

(gee, sounds like a possible DRUG HOUSE to me...like the one at the other corner of OUR block, that has YET to be investigated after two years).
Again, the police have no suspects, and no motives (at this point in time).
So, I guess we can say that after THIS "inning", we have TWO hits, TWO runs, and NO errors...
BTW,  here's a link for the locations of ALL the homicides so far in the city and county from the J-G:
http://www.jgdata.net/crime/fwhomicides/
Looks like SPOT CRIME website to me...the way they're all depicted.
People that commit such acts with so little regard for life, should be treated as the vermin they are...and by that I mean we should regard THEIR lives just as casually, because for some reason, I can't see ANY form of redemption working out for those perps.
I say they have abrogated their rights when they take another's life (and rights) in such a cavalier manner.
Moving on...
*** Here is a story you will never read about (unless you read it HERE), because it's just another piece of the large puzzle that has become the SOUTH side of the city,which we all know the city all but ignores, and ignorance IS still bliss, right?

Gee, OURS is working just fine!

I noticed last night that we had some street lights out in the area...funny thing too, because Wifey noticed that the street lights in the 4500-4700 of S. Monroe have been OUT when she headed off to school (work) last Friday (she meant to tell me earlier), and I say from experience, that when this neighborhood goes DARK...it goes VERY dark...like when we had the power outage LAST year in July.
Not to mention that most of the area cretins are also "dark" in nature (not just by the way they're attired), and you can't see them under such conditions unless they SMILE.
Also, since this presents a clear risk to ANY and all school kids heading to the bus stops (because they love to wear dark clothing), I decided to email the city's street department and get the ball rolling to re-light the damn streets.
We shall see what happens to get things back to as close to normal as you can get in this part of the ghettohood.
And since we've been having these shootings, it just might help citizens to be more aware, and the police to be more cautious.
The thing that bugs me about all this...and bear with me, please...is that I usually wind up doing such things for this area damn near all the time...for free.
I'm probably one of the best non-working, non-paid, non-volunteering "employee" this city HAS down here...because I still give a sh*t.

Well, it's NOT Detroit yet.

Obviously, everyone else does not, at last not enough to open their damn mouths and say something or do something about things like this.
So, if conditions become "right", crime will manage to find it's way there...it loves opportunity.
And with street lights inoperable, conditions can become IDEAL...
Now, you mean to tell me that NONE of the FWPD officers that patrol this area NOTICED the lights out...for days?
Or, is it because we're NOT having patrols come INTO this area?
(After 3 days, some FWPD officer should have spotted this...you would think)
Whatever the case, it needs to be addressed...ASAP, before the city's dead pool gets more applicants.
*** As I said above, today is the first day of leaf pickup, and the city begins DOWN here...in the ghettohood.

Now, WE, here at the "Fortress" have done things properly...along with one or two others...
Everyone ELSE can't seem to be bothered...after all, raking (or even blowing) leaves IS something we still call WORK.
Wifey and I set out yesterday and got our placed raked, not that it matters, because most all the trees still have PLENTY of leaves to drop later on.

Yep...we got OUR leaves where they belong.

That would mean more for the 2nd pickup, around this time NEXT month.
And, it's not like the news hasn't spoken about HOW and WHEN and WHERE to rake the leaves...it's been all over for a few weeks, but to the low-information crowd that is government-sponsored...they couldn't give a rat's a$$.
They're probably too busy getting stoned...or shooting one another...or digging deeper int the taxpayer's pockets to be concerned.
*** Lastly today...more evidence of a damaged society.
We can see this every day, and we all hear the same BS from people to whom crime take a deadly toll...
I do not have time nor desire to listen to anything such people have to say about THEIR departed, because the one that got killed usually (but not always) was playing with the wrong crowd, and the law of averages caught up to them (as it always does).
There is NO honor in hanging with the criminals, so don;t give me that line about your dead "brutha" being honorable.
And stop telling us "he was the life of the party"...to us, that means he liked being a fool...or a "playa"...either way.
The whole "he loved to crack jokes"...maybe he should have become a COMEDIAN, then...he'd still be ALIVE, would he not?

I would get tired of saying it's all about CHOICES...but things like this should never be allowed to 'get old".
Making GOOD choices is always better than making bad ones, even if the outcome is not what you were looking for. it all works out in the end.
But it's up to the individual to decide...and choose wisely...or poorly...and with the predictable result.
It can be a sobering learning experience, but can produce a better person...and shouldn't we ALL be chasing after that?
Have yourselves a great week.

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