Thoughts For Thursday...

April showers bring May flowers, so the saying goes, and we're going to be the recipients of some moisture this morning. Sure beats the flooding conditions down in Houston, that's for sure.
Our Hoosierland weather for today will have us enjoying that rain for most of the day, with the possibility of a thundershower later on (always nice to see Mother Nature give those boomcar drivers some competition). Temps will rise into the upper 60s and we'll have some mild breezes (nothing to blow the trash-bins around, however).
So, why not get your morning drink poured, and I'll get mine, and together we'll see all the "fun" things that have been going on elsewhere, okay?
*** First out of the umbrella stand...a little self-congratulatory note.

This blog has hit it's 2600th POST.
(sound the trumpets and loose the pigeons).
And I have to again thank ALL of you who regularly read and stop by to comment.
Guess I'm doing something right after all. It's kinda humbling.Thank you very much for making this possible and keeping it alive and well with your readership.
*** Next, is the answer to yesterday's WHO SAID THAT? quote:
"All mankind...being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, liberty, or possessions."
This was spoken by someone who had a fondness for America, John Locke (29 August 1632 - 28 October 1704) who was an English philosopher and physician (that's an interesting "twosome" of careers), considered to be one of the most influential enlightenment thinkers and is also regarded as the "father of liberalism".
And here is his WIKI:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Locke
Now, before you start wondering if I've lost MY mind and gone over to the leftards (never gonna happen), consider that he was also as important as Sir Thomas Bacon when it came to social contract theory, and Locke's work greatly affected the development of political philosophy. Locke's writings also influenced the American revolutionaries (colonial upstarts that they were).
His contributions to classical republicanism and liberal theory are reflected in the UNITED STATES DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.
(so there, take that, history scholars.)
His theories on religious tolerance are quite compelling, as he calls for less uniformity and more diversity. Locke was influenced by BAPTIST theologians, of all people.
His labor theory of value states that the labor expended in the creation of good gives them their value.
And, unlike Thomas Hobbes, Locke believed that HUMAN NATURE is characterized by REASON and TOLERANCE.
The entire reason to have a CIVIL society is to resolve conflicts in a "civil" manner with the HELP from government in a state of society. That means the government does NOT "run the whole show".

Well, that AND the defending a NATION and it's PEOPLE..

Locke also advocated governmental SEPARATION OF POWERS (sound familiar?), and that revolution was not just a "right" but an obligation in some circumstances.
It's a pretty good read, and lends insight behind our founding documents.
Moving on...
*** Next, it's time for our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
April 21 -
---Today is NATIONAL YELLOW BAT DAY

(and no, it has nothing to do with wiffle ball)
---It's also NATIONAL CHOCOLATE COVERED CASHEWS DAY

(almost as good as chocolate covered almonds for me)
---It's  NATIONAL KINDERGARTEN DAY

(never went and it was NEVER mandatory in my day)
---And, it's NATIONAL HIGH FIVE DAY

(feel free to indulge yourselves)
---It's also NATIONAL GET TO KNOW YOUR CUSTOMERS DAY

(Fort Wayne police - TAKE NOTE!!! That means OUR part of town, too!)
---And, it's NATIONAL HAVE A POEM IN YOUR POCKET DAY

(got enough keeping my wallet and keys there...lol)
---And rock star PRINCE has died at the age of 57.

Never thought I'd outlive him. More on that tomorrow (and I'm sure Chris Martin will have a fitting tribute over at his blog).
*** Next, looks like we're getting a new batch of human flotsam in one of the houses near us (a rental, what else?)

They used a pickup with a trailer to "move in", so you just know what to expect.
The pickup had it's music thumping, too, so that says it's not going to get better.
I will say WE used a similar method when Wifey and I moved HERE, but in our case, it was due to expedience. Wifey's parents house became available.
Plus, we're not annoying neighbors at all.
Be interesting to see how long before whoever moves in starts to "multiply" (they're starting with two cars), and if they're the constantly partying, loudass kind (like all those before them). If so, then they better get used to seeing the FWPD show up at their doors.
I'm getting pretty damn good at playing this kinda "game". I dare them to prove me wrong.
*** Next up, and speaking of playing games, we have this story:
http://wane.com/2016/04/21/shots-fired-into-home-on-st-marys-ave/

Another case of shots being fired INTO a house. Damn morons have nothing better to do, I guess.
This took place early this morning around 0345 hrs at a house located at 1637 St. Mary's Ave.
FWPD was dispatched to a "problem unknown".
Police discovered that "someone" had fired several rounds, and were seen marking spent shell casings on and near the property. They were also seen removing rounds from the side of the house.

One male at the house was believed to be grazed by one of the rounds.
A traffic stop was made a short time later on Broadripple Drive in the Waynedale section (that's SW) and police think those in that vehicle have "some connection" to the shooting. They were taken to FWPD HQ for questioning.
No other information was available at this time.
St. Mary's Avenue isn't what I would call the ghettohood, but that doesn't mean that such vermin have not infiltrated INTO that neighborhood (they always seem to).
Waynedale itself is starting to get that way as well, and I know for a fact that the Willow Creek (read Crack) Crossing Apts are full of ghetto-fleas (as far back as the late 90s), so it would not surprise me that some form of human trash is involved in this shooting.
(( Editor's Update - 1140 Hrs - Looks like police made an arrest already. Here's the link:
http://www.wowo.com/fort-wayne-police-searching-two-people-connection-morning-shooting/
Change the headline - the "search" seems over. ))
And now, for something completely different...
*** Next, so our $20 dollar bill is getting a "makeover".
Here's that story:
http://wane.com/2016/04/20/treasury-official-says-harriet-tubman-will-go-on-20-bill/

Now, I'm not opposed to changing the look of our money (keeps the counterfeiters off balance), but I can hear people asking:
"Who's that new GUY on the twenty?" already. You just know that's gonna happen.
Of course to the atheists, it won't matter, as they should not be allowed to have ANY currency that "goes against their beliefs" with our IN GOD WE TRUST motto on all of it...lol.
I'm just trying to be "fair" here. Hand it all over, heathens.
*** Next, the history of Fort Wayne is something a lot of people seem to neglect (along with a lot of formerly NICE neighborhoods), and THIS story regarding this city is one of those interesting tales:
http://www.news-sentinel.com/news/local/The--Bowser-Building--may-soon-be-gone--but-history-won-t-forget-the-man-and-the-empire-he-created

The Boiwser Building - TODAY: urban blight.

Imagine that, the (former) FWPD HQ along Creighton Ave. has a REAL history, and it's a good read.
And we have Sylvanus Freelove Bowser to thank for it.
It was one of those "city empires" (like Henry Disston back in Philly - look him up) that was the largest maker of pumps and fuel tanks.

Kevin Leininger wrote a damn fine column about someone not many know about, and they really should,
Bowser's story is one of those "rags to riches" tales you hear about, and he was one of the top several industrialists in Fort Wayne at the turn of the early 20th century.
His company's "complex" came to be known as "Bowserville"

The complex that was Bowser's

So, the next time you have to pump gas, you can thank Bowser for his foresight and business sense.
*** Last back to the rain barrel...history is perhaps the BEST teacher for almost ANYTHING you can imagine.

The people, places and events that have occurred over time have served as a quiet mentor to the human race.
The sad thing is, we never seem to learn what we NEED to from history, because we keep doing the same stupid things while expecting different results.
Albert Einstein said it BEST.

Seems he's not that far off in many respects.
Much of today's world borders on insanity, if not too busy embracing it.
Why we choose to not take history's examples and use them to our ADVANTAGE for a change eludes me.

Let's make the right choice on this one.

Sooner or later, humanity's "lack of vision" will catch up to it, and kick it soundly in the ass.
(you can practically see the foot moving already)
People create our history, and it's only fitting that people are the recipients of what that history has to teach all of us.
Such things are not "notions" but practical solutions to many of today's problems, if ONLY more people took the time to learn it, instead of chasing fads and wallowing in self indulgences.
That is something I think we can all learn from.

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