Thoughts For Thursday...

That Memorial Day weekend looms ever closer, and this rain the forecasters are harping about has yet to manifest itself in our neck o' the woods. Got some humidity working, though. Can feel it already.
Our Hoosierland weather for today will see partly to mostly cloudy skies and the "chance" of rain showers (sooner or later). Temps will again be close to the mid- 80s. Sure beats that record on this date of 97 degrees WAY back in 1911...when we apparently had all that "global warming"...lol.
So, let's get our refreshing morning drink poured, as we see what's been going on elsewhere...
*** First out of the garden hose is the answer to yesterday's WHO SAID THAT? quote:
 "Look, we want freedom and we want liberty in this country. But we've also got to have the guts to stand up and run a tight ship in America. Morality is now a word that many people consider very square and outdated. But if we don't stand up for it, we deserve what we will get in the end - unprincipled anarchy." 
Did this one have you guessing?

This was spoken by CLIFFORD PARKER "CLIFF" ROBERTSON III (September 9 1923 - September 10 2011), an American actor with a film and television career that spanned half a century.
Here is his WIKI:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff_Robertson
And HERE is the official website:
http://cliffrobertson.info/
I always admired his work, even BEFORE he portrayed a young JFK in the film PT 109 (1963), and Robertson was personally chosen by the real JFK to portray him.

Oddly enough, the following year, Robertson played a presidential candidate in the movie THE BEST MAN.
His only Oscar came from his portrayal of the title character in the film CHARLY (1968).

This (science-fiction) movie was based on the story "Flowers For Algernon".
Cliff grew up in La Jolla CA, and his parents divorced when he was one. His mother died a year later of peritonitis, and Cliff was basically raised by his maternal grandmother.
He graduated from La Jolla high school in 1941 and served in the Merchant Marine during WW2 before he attended Antioch College and dropping out to work as a journalist for a brief time.
It's not mentioned how he broke into show business ( in those days, you could pretty much walk in off the street and get some kind of work).

I remember him from early Twilight Zone episodes, as well as the pilot episode for the original OUTER LIMITS series from the 1960s (The Galaxy Being).

That is a fantastic quote, too.

He also played Uncle Ben Parker in the first (Sam Raimi) Spiderman movie.
It's interesting to note that actor Chris Lemmon (Jack's son)  is Robertson's stepson.
Cliff took up flying as a hobby, and owned several aircraft, such as a DH Tiger Moth (biplane), an ME 108 (trainer) and a Supermarine Spitfire Mk 923.

This prepared Robertson well for the role he had in the movie 633 SQUADRON (1964).

He was also a longtime member of the Experimental Aircraft Association.
In fact, Robertson was flying a Beechcraft Baron directly over NYC when the first Boeing 767 struck the WTC. He was immediately ordered by ATC to land at the nearest airport.
It's not that long a read, and shows that there used to be actors who did not have to be in the controversy limelight to be good at their craft.
*** Next up is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature.
May 26 -
---Today is NATIONAL BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE DAY

(now THAT is a dessert - if only I could FIND one here)
---And, it's RED NOSE DAY

(has to do with charitable giving, and NOT a drinking binge.)
*** Next up, what the hell is with ALL these recent semi crashes along our local highways?

Cripes, every day we're hearing something, and these are not some minor fender-benders either.
We've had several trucks burst into flame along the Interstates near and around Fort Wayne.
Every trucker suddenly FORGET how to obey the rules of the road?
I'm surprised we haven't had more fatalities, so if you HAVE to travel out among these tractor-trailers, DO be careful this weekend.
You're gonna be sharing the road with a LOT of idiots.
*** Next, was going to mow the backyard yesterday, but was side-tracked by a squirrel buddy.
Since Patches and his eating patterns take priority, I obliged him first...

"What? You waitin' on ME?"

THEN, I got to mow (again). I think I've mowed the back four times since we started greening up.
(that's SOME fertilizer I put down a couple months ago...LOL)
I was hoping to get that done before the rain came along (which it NEVER did).
Still, turned out nice again. Goes to show that time and effort pays off.

Be it ever so humble...

This weekend - the front and side lawns (and the hill)...oh, joy.
That's gonna make the old legs ache.
*** Next up, we're overdue for another installment of "Bobby G's Action Figure Corner".
This time, I managed to snag me a cool figure of SPIDERMAN.

It's made by FIGMA (Max Factory) and stands about 6 inches tall.
It has a LOT of articulation points to boot.
Even better than the HALO line of figures, and that's saying something.
But that's not the best part.
I got this for $10 (and change) on eBay. The figure retails for close to $50 BUCKS!
Mine is brand new in the box, too. Talk about a bargain!
And, as far as I know, the major toy stores don't even carry these guys. You might find them in specialty and comic books stores...maybe. I have seen prices for this as high as $64.99 (they were out-of-stock, too).
I'm currently awaiting a couple other figures that I will post about when (and if) they arrive. I will get a refund if they don't.
Make no mistake on that!
*** Next, WANE is doing another story on vehicle break-ins (I mentioned that crimes like this were up 30% and occurring city-wide). Here's the story link:
http://wane.com/2016/05/25/car-break-ins-up-28-what-the-thieves-are-targeting/

And a related story about the WHY to the break-ins:
http://wane.com/2016/05/25/the-keys-to-your-house-are-in-your-car/

This one talks about the garage door opener in vehicles.
If a criminal steals that, they BETTER take the registration and/or insurance card to find out WHERE YOU LIVE...right? I mean an opener without an address to go with it doesn't mean that much.
It's all just something I call COMMON SENSE...practice it, and you take away so much of the criminal's intent and purpose.
*** Next, Obummer is coming to Elkhart, Indiana next week...and yes, there's STILL time to get a plan and bug out for the day (for a drive to nowhere)...LOL.
*** Last back to the birdbath...there used to be a time when people didn't have to be near as vigilant as they do today.

We have SOME help along those lines.

There are still those living who can recall when they didn't even have to lock their doors and windows.
That time seems to be gone.
Nowadays, no matter what type of security you choose to employ, someone will still attempt to circumvent it and take your stuff...just because they can.
The "innocence" the American people used to enjoy is also gone, and that's a very sad commentary on which direction our nation may be headed.
We force children to grow up way too soon, we hold few adults to real accountability, we reward bad behaviors, and we permit aspects of humanity that used to be kept in closets or back alleys to become normal and everyday occurrences. We are becoming that which led to the downfall of the Roman Empire.
Cliff Robertson's quote hits the mark when he speaks to what people (today) view as MORALITY.
Too many indeed feel it outdated (same is said by some about our Constitution), and in that belief, they are very wrong. If anything, morality should have a more prominent place in today's society, especially in THIS country
Without a sense of morality, many of the other facets of humanity will, in all likelihood, never see the light of day.
I view morality as the wellspring from which our other "traits" flow.
Ethics, civility, integrity...ALL of these are the result of one's morality. Without that, one becomes hard-pressed to attain the other traits I have mentioned. Can you be truly ethical without a basis in morality?
Can you aspire to be a person of integrity without your moral compass pointed in the right direction?
I would think not, and if you can, it's a much harder road to travel.

We should be so fortunate as to see a rebirth in the quest for morality.
For those without morality have no honor, or sense of ethics, or even the wisdom to understand the simplest concepts when it comes to the human condition, and their journey is difficult.
For everyone else, it's not nearly as bad, but at least we see the difficulties not as stumbling blocks, but rather challenges to be overcome.
That is a lesson every person could learn from and apply whenever it's required..

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