Friday Follies...

Looks like we made it (hmm...be a good title for a song).
The weekend has finally arrived. Can we stand the strain?
All this and only THREE weeks until CHRISTMAS...the atheists must be having fits (good, maybe it'll plotz a few of them along the way).
Doesn't look like we'll be suffering any major winter events, and that's always good.
Our Hoosierland weather will see us with partly cloudy skies, a tad on the breezy side with a high today around the mid-40s. Still gets cold enough at night, though.
So, what say we all get a nice soothing cup or glass of Friday Fortitude poured and parked nearby as we see what's been going on elsewhere, hmm?
*** First out of bed is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
December 4 -
---Today is NATIONAL COOKIE DAY

(Christmas cookies are the best, imho - can't wait to bake some)
---And, it's NATIONAL DICE DAY

(craps, I wonder if Andrew "Dice" Clay is observing this? Roll them bones.)

AH, the good old days...

---It's also FAUX FUR FRIDAY

(sounds like some tree-hugging hippie holiday)
*** Since it's the weekend, let's see what stuff we can all get into over the next 72 hours:
December 5 -
---Saturday is BATHTUB PARTY DAY

(seriously?)
---It's also INTERNATIONAL NINJA DAY

(YOU go hug one...I'll pass)
---And, it's AFL-CIO DAY

(While they once helped the working class, they grew too big for their own shoes, like every labor union)
---It's also NATIONAL SACHER TORTE DAY

(sounds like some sort of dessert for the upper class to me)
December 6 -
---Sunday is NATIONAL PAWNBROKERS DAY

(Now THEY hang those brass balls outside)
---It's also NATIONAL MICROWAVE OVEN DAY

(seems like that's EVERY day around our place)
---And, it's NATIONAL GAZPACHO DAY

Who threw up in the bowl?

(sorry, not into that one)
---It's NATIONAL MINER'S DAY

(that's with an "I" and NOT with an "O"...just for the NAMBLA perverts out there)
So there you have it...choose wisely and you'll stay OUT of jail.
Moving on...
*** Next up, it looks like the recently-deceased "Farook the puke" was radicalized overseas (when he met the also recently-deceased missus). Imagine that.

And, he was no stranger to things that go BOOM, as evidenced by the storehouse discovered by law-enforcement where they lived.
Somel IED devices were found (12 pipe bombs), along with several thousand rounds of 9 mm ammo and R/C car "detonators".
Here's the story link:
http://www.fox9.com/news/55511949-story

Hey, maybe we should get the leftards to BAN those nasty radio-controlled cars (for kids)...
Or, what about PIPES?
Maybe we should BAN those, too?
You can see that such lunacy can get way out of hand real fast here.
Let's just say this couple returned to the holiday party PREPARED (for mayhem) and managed to pull it off with relative ease. Perhaps if only ONE person with a gun was there, much (if not all) of this massacre COULD have been avoided. We all know the BEST way to stop a BAD guy with a gun, is with a GOOD guy with a gun.
That's just the way history has proven that particular tactic correct.
*** Next up, the war on CHRISTMAS is once again in full swing with this story out of South Bend, Indiana:
http://www.fox28.com/story/30654400/2015/12/02/federal-judge-bans-2015-concord-high-schools-live-nativity-performance

So, it's a FEDERAL judge  making the call here...and at the behest of both the ACLU and the Freedom From Religion jerkoffs...amazing.

We again see that because of a FEW, the masses are DENIED a mere 12-minute part of an annual Christmas pageant at Concord High School out there.

Looks like some ARE being denied their RELIGION, folks.

The school plans to appeal the ruling by this (obvious) leftist, libtard "judge", who is also in the pocket of the current socialist administration infesting our nation's capitol.

Sounds about right.

One "might" take to task this judge, because he/she is in FACT going against the very reason this nativity IS being banned. Here's an excerpt from this "slip-and-fall attorney"  (one Sam Grover...Grover? Where's Bert and Ernie?) for the FFR foundation:
"It ensures that we as Americans have the freedom to worship or not worship as we choose," said Grover.
You could not be MORE WRONG if you tried to remove your head from your ass (where it apparently has resided for years).
The ruling CLEARLY DENIES that "freedom" you mentioned for the kids in this show in favor of those who practice none tp speak of.
The school should go and COUNTER-SUE you idiots. These leftard kooks even politicize RELIGION. I thought we kept them "separate" (by your own mantra)?

Congrats, heathens You earned it..

You want no religion or another religion?
Fine...go plan and perform your OWN stinking pageant instead of ruining a school TRADITION (something you jackasses know nothing about), and while we're at it go STFD and STFU you morons.
Do people of ANY religion come to all the atheist or Freedom From Religion meetings and decry what YOU do and then sue your sorry secular socialist asses?

NO, they don't, so stay the f$ck away from the religious meetings, events, pageants shows, et al...
(and a MERRY F$CKING CHRISTMAS to the lot of you dumbasses - you need one)
*** Next, Kevin Leininger puts his take on the retail "initiative" being touted by our mayor,  "king" Henry. Here's the link to his column:
http://www.news-sentinel.com/news/local/History-shows-the-complexity-of-the-south-side-s-commercial-demise----and-of-its-rebirth--too
Yes, it IS complex...very complex.
(but I would stop at calling it a "new" challenge or problem)
Kevin gives a good timeline view of the demise of retail down here, and while he doesn't go into specific stores, he does mention the mall closing and events leading up to it.
He cites not being able to buy a can of TENNIS BALLS at the SEARS that once was at Southtown, for example.
(catering to the "perceived" demographic, no doubt?)
There's that "P" word again.
Kevin equates such decisions (by the stores) as a self-fulfilling prophecy of doom...and he would be CORRECT there.
What is not mentioned (and should be) is the FACT that crime DID get a stranglehold on the SE side of town...and has not really released it's Herculean grip.
We've lost HUNDREDS of businesses since I've lived here, and Wifey can back me up on this, because she lived here when Southtown Mall was THE place to shop in this part of the city.

Former K-Mart: Nice and VACANT for years.

That's also when a LOT more revenue was flowing uptown to the city hall coffers - something that has ebbed to a trickle since the turn of this century.

Stand alone stores have disappeared, and I've mentioned many of them here over the years.
Nothing was done to halt or slow their departure, either.
Not that lone ago, King Henry was willing to GIVE AWAY land near the old Southtown area to any retailers wanting to "buy into" a crime-ridden predominantly minority-occupied part of the city...to no avail. Wonder why?

TWICE nothing is STILL NOTHING, sire!

When you can't even GIVE sh*t away, something is drastically wrong, right?
And developer Don Steiniger said that crime is a major deterrent in THIS story from 1 June 2015::
http://wane.com/2015/06/01/developer-crime-deters-business-on-southeast-side/
Hey, it's NOT JUST ME saying this, but I am being proven correct in MY assessment here.

The ONLY game down here these days.

Our mayor is at the "grasping at straws" point and finds himself befuddled by the obvious.
People cause the crime, and people have chased businesses away...doesn't get any easier to figure out.
Since the problem CAN be PROPERLY defined, a solution IS possible, right?
*** And speaking of shopping (like SEARS), Wifey and I are getting our 2015 K-MART holiday bear (we still are going to need a much bigger sofa).

The "newbie"

The neat thing is that you can ORDER the bear from K-Mart (the nearest one being in WARSAW, INDIANA, thanks to the closings of ALL stores in Fort Wayne).
Then, K-Mart ships the bear to the Sears at Glenbrook Square Mall, where you can pick it up.
Sure, it costs a bit MORE this way, but at least we DON'T have to drive 50+ miles to get one, and in the process, actually SAVE a few bucks (gas versus price).
Amazing how much you MISS having simple things like a K-Mart on the SOUTH side of town.
Maybe we can go for ice cream at ATZ'S later (oh, wait, they closed down too)...maybe get a Christmas tree at Franks Nursery on S. Anthony?
Nope, they closed too.
Perhaps stop by Target? Nah, they've been gone for a decade, too.
What IS left for shopping options?

Welcome to the SOUTH side of Fort Wayne.

Well, plenty of fast food joints (especially if you prefer ribs and chicken and Mexican foods), convenience stores out the ass, a few liquor stores (when they're not being held up), one Menards and one Wal-Mart.
That's all she wrote. And you can't give away the land for development...LOL.
*** Last back to the breakfast table...Since Wifey and I moved into the "Fortress" back in 1998, we've seen our part of town swirl down the crapper...year after painful year. And we looked for OTHER places to get what we both needed and wanted.
Sometimes, we succeed, and other times, not so much.
Many of the "residents" down here tend to see THEIR universe as three square city blocks, and that's typical of their choices in life.

They vote democrat, wear blinders, and love to follow in lockstep with whatever the leftists ask (read demand and expect) of them. That's not representative of who AMERICA is, however.
We used to be a MUCH better people, open to ideas, willing to push OURSELVES further, become BETTER individuals and always wanting more for our children.
My, how that has been turned on it's ear in such a short time.
Funny thing, Wifey and I still hold to such values, and do not choose to "settle for less" and call it more.
We are the ones (looked upon as an anachronism) who still "give a damn" as I mentioned yesterday. We would gladly shop down here...IF we had shopping (like we used to).
Perhaps that is why I have to (virtually) slap around those who run this city, because (as Darth Vader would say):

City leaders have pretty much abandoned our part of town (and lie about it to boot), and only NOW, are they realizing the results of such folly.
It's hurting their "bottom line"...they're getting short on revenue and long on crime.
And some "think" that pushing retail down here WITHOUT (first) dealing with the criminal element will be that "magic bullet" (no pun intended) this part of town needs.
Sorry, WRONG answer.

All that will accomplish will be to add more businesses that will get robbed and the potential for more people to get hurt (or killed).
Time to take off those blinders, wake the hell up and smell the coffee burning (or is that another abandoned house?), because the future you tried to postpone is HERE...NOW.
Time for the city leaders to spend some time in reality for a change...as NORMAL people prefer. And them's the facts, people.
Do have yourselves a good weekend.

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

Thoughts For Thursday...

Got ourselves a nice light covering of snow on the cars and grass out there this morning, don't we?
Adds a touch of December to the week.
Sure glad it's not the weather out in Colorado.
And speaking of such, our Hoosierland weather won't be that bad to take.
We're looking at partly sunny skies with temps reaching up to around the low 40s.
Just be careful driving out there anyway...it's not summer, got it?
Now, let's all get our comforting morning drinks nearby as we see what's been going on elsewhere...
*** First off of the porch is the answer to yesterday's WHO SAID THAT? quote:
"You've got enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something sometime in your life."

This was spoken by our good (and often quoted) friend, Winston Churchill (30 Nov 1974 - 24 Jan 1965).
And if you haven't read it yet, here is his WIKI:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston_Churchill

THIS is what a REAL war-leader looks like

It's people like him, who refused to surrender, that helped inspire Britain during WW2.
It was he who warned about the rise of Nazi Germany in the 1930s, and had the right to tell everyone around that "I told you so" when war broke out in Europe.
After the war, and when the conservative party lost the 1945 election, he became "leader of the opposition" to the labour government. It was during this time that he warned about an "iron curtain" of Soviet influence in Europe.
Churchill won the 1951 election and was again PM, concentrating on foreign policies such as the Malayan Emergency, the Mau-Mau uprising, Korean War, and the UK-backed coup in Iran.
He suffered a serious stroke in 1953, and retired as PM in 1955. He remained on as a member of Parliament until 1964. He was awarded a state funeral by Elizabeth the Second after his death in 1965, and in a 2002 poll, was called the "greatest Briton" of all time (take that Elton John).
And he is still considered one of THE most influential people in British history.
*** Next, we have our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
December 3 -
---Today is NATIONAL ROOF OVER YOUR HEAD DAY

(Wonder how that shakes out for the homeless among us?)
---And, it's also INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

(right on the heels of a mass shooting at a facility FOR disabled cops...there's irony in that)
*** Next up, I'm not going to belabor this latest mass shooting in San Bernardino, but I have a few things to say about it. And I hope to hell it pisses off the leftards to no small degree.
First of all, although this was committed by two "American" citizens, the man and wife team were of MIDDLE EAST descent and ID'ed as Syed Rizwan Farook, age 28,  (a "devout Muslim") and the "missus", Tashfeen Malik, age 27 (neither one sounds "white" to me).

Crime scene and the primary shooter.

But Farook was born in the U.S., although Malik's status was not available (foreign bride perhaps?)
The center where the shooting took place (which killed 14 and injured at least a dozen more) was a rehab facility for disabled POLICE (wow, that sounds ominous - like some grudge against law-enforcement?).
Here's more about this from FOX news:
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/12/03/2-suspects-killed-shootout-san-bernardino-massacre-14-killed/
So, the guy spends a month in Saudi Arabia and gets hitched? Met her online maybe?

Interestingly, Bill O'Reilly called this one last night by saying that the FBI stated that they were not ruling OUT terrorism (but also not admitting to it), which he said meant that such activity was somehow inclusive of this situation.
Don't wanna hear ANY bullshit about "workplace-violence".
I mean, no one with no agenda doesn't suddenly leave a holiday party, gears up, and then comes back to shoot up the place and the people inside WITHOUT some prior (and possibly external) "motivation" right?
What pissed me off was how all the libtards came out from under their rocks (like Diane Feinstein) calling AGAIN for more GUN control, when it's perfectly clear that it was the PEOPLE who carried and shot those guns who are SOLELY to blame here...more knee-jerking, especially by our :Whiner-in-Chief, who had to open his mouth without knowing a damn thing about the situation, just to push gun control.
Hey, moron, 2 of the 4 guns were LEGALLY purchased, and somehow, this lunatic found a way to fly UNDER the radar, so unless you want to go the way of Orwell, just STFU and STFD.
Perhaps we need to look at ANYONE that has ties to the BAD part of the Middle East?
We might just have (in our midst) a nice little group of Manchurian Candidates.
So, HOW do you find them and flush them out, hmm?
THAT will be the test of time for our country, won't it?

And we can avoid scenes like THIS.

Maybe we need to look at the PEOPLE rather than the weapons, as we SHOULD be doing.
Moving on...
*** Next, our own mayor (for life?) "King" Henry holds a presser to announce plans for some "new" SOUTH SIDE RETAIL.
(oh, puh-lease, gimme a damn break)

Always GOOD to be "king".

This same old song-and-dance gets real old real fast, folks.
Anyway, here's the story link (from the J-G):
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/City-hopes--first-step--lures-retail-growth-to-south-side-10247645
And here is the link from WANE (decent video):
http://wane.com/2015/12/02/city-hires-retail-recruitment-firm-to-attract-business-to-south-side/
Now, before we go ANY further, let's cite our monarch for having a very BAD memory.
If you recall...WAY back when the old Southtown Mall property was sold, it was to a "development firm" based out of (take a guess)...MICHIGAN.
And that developer did NOTHING with that property for damn near FIVE years.
It was then mayor Graham Richard who claimed eminent domain to take the property back, raze it, and then have a Wal Mart and Menards able to settle in there. We also got an expensive PSA in the process that would have a rough time paying for itself over the years (as was demonstrated). Damn shame, too. Been there, and it's a great facility.
So WHO do we get to come in and recruit (new) retail for the south side?
An outfit from (you guessed it)...MICHIGAN.
At this point (and with the previous track record) I would RUN FROM anyone from Michigan who wanted to develop ANYTHING in our city. But, we DO have a DEMOCRAT mayor, so you already know what that means.
More talk, more money spent (read wasted) and less action...there 'ya go.

This guy from INDIGO CENTERS started talking about changing the local and national PERCEPTION about retail in our part of town. Not one f$cking word mentioned about the CRIME down here that has chased well over 100 businesses away for close to TWO decades.

Wish we HAD some QUALITY-of-life.

PERCEPTION is one thing, REALITY is another, unless that perception is BASED in reality, which in this case is true.
CRIME most certainly IS a REALITY down here, and business owners KNOW that much.
Just go back to my archive posts from 2 June and 14 July (this year), or FARTHER back to my posts of 5 Aug 2010 or 26 Feb 2007 to see some REALITY.
You cannot JUST get a bunch of businesses to "buy into" this part of town with the reputation it ALREADY has concerning the criminal element...that toilet just ain't gonna flush.

Business owners are not as stupid as (certain) city mayors, and won't build in blighted areas with higher crime. That's a given.
That would make no sense at all, would it?
King Henry is like a LOT of Dumbocrats - got this "fantasyland" mentality, and won't take off the blinders to see what is REALLY going on...typical.

He oughta try living down HERE for just a month...I dare him and every other liberal downtown to walk in someone else's shoes and climb out of their ivory tower.
*** Last back to the patio...the level of stupidity that some people display never ceases to amaze me.
Take the person who has posed as our president for the last 7 (LONG) years...calling for more gun control.

What a dumbass statement to make.
That's like a man (with carpentry background) who wields a hammer and proceeds to kill some schoolkids, and then have someone saying we need MORE HAMMER CONTROL...or the butcher who kills his fellow employees in the meat market and the call goes out for MORE KNIFE or CLEAVER CONTROL.

It's not about whatever DEVICE is used in the commission of a crime...it's about the PERSON who holds that device. And, it's about control OF the people.
It ALWAYS is, and ALWAYS will be.

But, for those living in "Rio Linda", it's about whatever DEVICE is used during a crime, and not a damn thing about those holding or using those devices, be they guns, knives, baseball bats, tire irons, or sock monkeys.
They don't ever define the PROBLEM, but always find some "solution".

And to fall into lockstep and BELIEVE such tripe starts us all down a road we need not tread, for that road is laced with untruths, fallacies, innuendos, and outright lies.
To seek the TRUTH is what we ALL need to do. Stop with all the PC-BS, stop the lies, and stop the leftist socialist rhetoric, for God's sake.
Real Americans desire (and many times demand) the truth. And we won't settle for less.
No sugar-coating required, right?.
We are adults, and need to remember that.
We're not all a bunch of wussified pansies, and should never aspire to become one.
Tell us the truth NOW, because sooner or later, we WILL find it out for ourselves, and then we will hold accountable those who not ONLY deny us that truth, but also LIED to us by telling us something else.
THAT, my friends, you can take to the bank, because it's THE TRUTH.

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