Tuesday Tidbits...

...And no one gets hurt.

What a change 24 hours makes, hmm?
Yesterday morning, it was tickling the freezing mark, and this morning, it's a balmy 51 degrees.
Not bad for the last half of October.
Got us a great sunrise, too.
Our Hoosierland weather will see us with mostly sunny skies, some stiff breezes, and a high around 65 degrees. Tomorrow, warmer yet.
Like I said...not bad at all, is it?
Even got all the plants back out from the garage, trying to eek out a bit more of their colors.
Now, what say we get a nice refreshing drink poured and take a look at what has been going on elsewhere...
*** First off of the parapets is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
October 20 -
---Today is NATIONAL BRANDIED FRUIT DAY.

(In many ways, the ONLY way to eat fruit...AND get snockered at the same time)
---It's also NATIONAL PHARMACY TECHNICIAN DAY

(to all the folks able to fill your prescription - not easy to read a doctor's writing, and that's one rreason we have computers)
---And, it's PRO-LIFE DAY OF SILENT SOLIDARITY

(Personally, I think it's better to speak up for those who cannot speak.)
*** Next up, one of THOSE stories that always makes me smile.

A home invasion in Fort Wayne doesn't go EXACTLY as planned...
Here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/police-fire/Occupant-shoots-man-trying-to-rob-home-9439318

This took place yesterday morning around 0605 hrs in the 700 block of Guilford Ave, which makes it SW in the city (south of Creighton and west of Calhoun).
Two armed men forced their way into an apartment, and the residents took shelter in another room, closing the door. One of the men fired a shotgun at the door, nearly hitting a resident.
That's when another person in that room got their OWN gun and returned fire, striking one of the men several times.
One man fled and is still at-large, but the other 19-year old man was listed in critical condition at hospital. (good...he deserved it - nice shooting, "Tex"!)
The shotgun was recovered at the scene by police.
---In a related story, a local law expert "splains" the whole STAND YOUR GROUND defense.
Here's the link:
http://wane.com/2015/10/19/law-expert-explains-stand-your-ground-law-following-home-invasion/

I like the question asked in the story: "What rights do you have if someone breaks into your home?"
How about EVERY RIGHT...to shoot or kill the perp(s)?
It's YOUR home...you would rather RETREAT than take them down, especially when YOU have the upper hand as far as familiarity of the residence, AND have a gun ready to unload in their general direction?

I'm all for making sure I have a clear line-of-fire before any would-be burglar, robber, home-invader...you name it meets the business end of any of my firearms, and do you know what the BEST part of this is?
While on (or in) YOUR property, you NEVER need a permit or license to carry (not in Indiana, anyway).

Don't screw with Mr Wrinkles.

This is why criminals are stupid...they never think about the off-chance that the person or people INSIDE a place MIGHT have a gun and not be shy on how and when to use it...like on the sorry ass OF that criminal.
Personally, I look at it as a public service and a form of urban renewal (in a city).
You are permitted to ONLY use the proper amount of force (which can be deadly if required) to eliminate the threat.
If the guy bugs out, you can't really chase after him and gun him down.
"Don't run, you'll only die TIRED" used to be the mantra in times past.
But, while ON your property, it becomes important as to HOW to ascertain WHAT constitutes a "threat-elimination".
What YOU feel is one thing...what a detached third party believes might be something completely different..
When facing a potential grave threat, who has the luxury or time to ponder such options, hmm?
Certainly not the LEO on the street when faced with a similar situation, that's for sure.
And YOU can't always "call for backup" (which would arrives seconds later).

I think ANY responsible gun-owner would make the right call at the right time...and for the right reason.
*** Next up, a story about a man with ties to Fort Wayne who was shot and killed by West Palm Beach police.
Here's the story:
http://www.21alive.com/news/local/Former-Saint-Francis-football-player-shot-by-Florida-police--334217191.html
Now, details are kind of sketchy here, and no body cams were in use during the incident, but a friend said his car had broken down and when he left the victim, he was calling roadside assistance.
This took place at 0315 hrs on an off ramp along I-95, and the initial investigation was made by o plainclothes officer in an unmarked car.
The report states that "an armed individual confronted the officer, who drew his weapon and discharged it at the subject, killing 31-year old Corey Jones".
My gut tells me we need to know a lot more about this.
A mess of things to consider here, not the LEAST of which is the rise on people IMPERSONATING police officers and stopping others along highways. A driver doesn't know who to trust these days, and NOT seeing a uniform only serves to confound such trust.
I'm not taking sides, but there has to be more to this than meets the eye, if Mt Jones was a drummer in a church band, as well as assistant manager at a local housing authority (since 2008).
Certainly NOT the person one would expect to be shot dead by police, right?
Here's another link that looks a bit deeper into this:
http://heavy.com/news/2015/10/corey-jones-palm-beach-gardens-florida-black-man-killed-shot-car-broke-down-plain-clothes-police-officer-nouman-raja-church-drummer-armed-photos/
I expect we have not heard the last of this story, but THIS incident makes the case for body cams for officers.
Be interesting to see if the unmarked car had a dash-cam (my guess is maybe not).
*** Next, now THIS story just makes me laugh...
Here's the link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/indiana/Board-wants-ISTEP--confusion-cleared-up-9437464

So, there is a DIFFERENCE between the PRINTED I STEP+ test and the ONLINE I STEP+ test.
This is causing confusion, so I have to ask WHY?
Why aren't BOTH tests the SAME?
Why have two different tests?
The story goes on to say that scores are being pushed back to January because of this screw-up. It appears that the pencil-and-paper test is EASIER than the online version...so, again I have to ask WHY?
ANd again, I have the same answer - Just make BOTH tests the SAME...problem solved - everyone's happy, right?
*** Next, and in a related story, there is a shortage of TEACHERS in Indiana.
Here's the link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/indiana/Decline-in-teachers-big-worry-9439619

I wish they wouldn't use the word "decine". It makes the teachers look bad.
Use shortage...it's better and more descriptive of the situation.
Fewer people in college level academia are not seeking degrees in teaching...gee, wonder why?
In high school levels, schools are having trouble filling teachers for math, science, and special education.
This is being turned into a political circus, with dems blaming republicans.
How about the fact that the dems started this snowball down the mountain by attempting to make everyone EQUAL in results, rather than equal in opportunities?
They don;t want to "fess up" to THAT one...do they?
Let's get all the damn politics OUT of the friggin' schools and universities...we've enough socialists teaching in them already, and that's not helping kids and young adults one damn bit.
Instead, it's producing a generation of lack-luster, lawsuit-driven, wussified mediocrity posing as graduates into the real world.
That dog just ain't gonna hunt.
*** Last back to the drawbridge...the times when much of this world could be relied upon to work WITH you, as you entered school, or the working-class venues are fast becoming as extinct as the Passenger Pigeon.

More and more, everyone seems hell-bent on themselves...saving THEIR ass, maintaining THEIR sense of misplaced "integrity".
All this is doing is causing people to become socially introverted, and much of that we can thank electronic social-media for, because THAT is where everyone seems to be heading.
We teach kids all the crap they don't NEED to know, we gloss over that which they DO need to know, change history whenever it needs to become "convenient", and are allowing further dissolution of the typical family, while permitting the "state" to run our lives and raise our children.
Who the hell invented such a world anyway?
Oh, wait...I think it was someone named either Aldous Huxley or George Orwell.
What passes for leadership in America is falling over itself to find NEW ways to become politically-correct, when all that's REALLY needed is a better sense of what it MEANS to be AN AMERICAN.
We settle for less and call it more, we let government chip away at our rights, freedoms, and liberties, and think it good for everyone.
We raise the mediocre among us to championship standards all in the name of "equality".
We reward bad behavior and award mere participation without a second thought to those who push themselves, make the effort to actually ACHIEVE through persistence and come to imbue the values all of us held a lot more dearly.
Certainly, this is NOT the country any of us at our age was born into, but each of us CAN help to change that...IF we keep trying, keep pushing, and keep demanding better of ourselves AND our country.
I think that's only fair to ourselves...and our future.

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