Monday Musings...

Welcome back to what will indeed be another "interesting" week in parts of our country.
I'm sure many of you have been following the developments that unfolded last week in Dallas.
Rest assured I'll have a couple things to say along those lines, plus a vocabulary and etymology lesson.
And perhaps even some insight into morality and behavioral science...all FOR FREE, too.
Our Hoosierland weather will be a close copy of yesterday, with mostly sunny skies, temps reaching back around the 87-degree region and an increase in humidity (there go the old sinuses playing the accordion again).
So, let's get ourselves a nice refreshing drink to get us going, as we see what's been transpiring elsewhere...
*** First off of the chaise lounge is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
July 11 -
---Today is NATIONAL CHEER UP THE LONELY DAY

(just don't get depressed along the way)
---It's also NATIONAL RAINIER CHERRY DAY

( do they grow them in BLUE or PLAID yet?)
---And, it's NATIONAL BLUEBERRY MUFFIN DAY

(that's ONE way to cheer someone up...like me)
---It's ALL AMERICAN PET PHOTO DAY

(wonder if my squirrel "buddies" qualify?)
---It's also NATIONAL MOJITO DAY

(maybe in Mexico, make me a MANHATTAN. That's American.)
---And, it's NATIONAL 7-ELEVEN DAY

(home of the original SLURPIE and BIG GULP)
*** Next up, another house fire. This time close to New Haven.
Here's the story link (so far):
http://wane.com/2016/07/11/vacant-home-near-new-haven-destroyed-in-fire/

Yes, this IS another VACANT house, and yes, this IS not far from the Blackhawk area that has seen over a dozen similar fires in recent months.
Guess the arsonist is trying other areas. Lord knows we've enough vacant houses.
*** Next up, about this Dallas situation...where to begin.

Remember the fallen

How about the shooter being a member of the Houston New Black Panther Party for starters?
(guess the riotous protesters FORGOT about that one)

Not the BEST headline to run.

Or what about the fact that the shooter looks to have been planning something BIGGER in terms of terrorism?
(guess the rioters tossing fireworks at police in Baton Rouge forgot about that)
What about the fact that police in Dallas sought to get protesters TO SAFETY FIRST, and then address the shooter?
(guess those rioting in other cities didn't care to pick up on that)
You can easily see that these as well as other aspects to the assassination of five officers in Dallas don't mean a hill of beans to those protesting the police shooting of two black men in Baton Rouge and Minneapolis.
In fact, one might be able to conclude that these acts AGAINST law-enforcement were not even connected to ANY form of protest, but rather acts of ANARCHY...plain and simple.

A front for Islamic hate group

I will grant you that the two black men who were shot by police don't "appear" to be warranted, but I wasn't at either location and don't know the specifics in either situation, and I think we, as Americans should ALL be patient enough to wait until ALL THE FACTS come forward to make a proper determination in both cases. Remember that word "all". you'll be glad you did.
But, I'm white and don't reflect the "values" of the low-information crowd, because I'm not claiming to be a victim, like many blacks in America today. I'm "not down with the struggle" which, for all intents and purposes was SETTLED back during the CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT in the 1960s.
These protests (and riots) have NOTHING to do with the civil rights movement of the bygone era.
Don't let anyone tell you differently.

Blind to reason is also slavery.

It has to do with proper (or improper) police procedure, criminal behavior, a distrust of police by certain factions within the black community, and a willingness to blindly follow groups whose sole purpose is to create chaos.
Sounds like some people have swapped ONE form of shackles for another, does it not?
All you seem to see at MANY of these protests is unfocused or uncontrolled ANGER, with maybe a few wanting peace and reason to win out. Those few are drown out by the anarchists, sadly.
Hell even Rudy Giuliani said that the BLACK LIVES MATTER movement is inherently RACIST.
And, I gotta run with Rudy on this, because he KNOWS from experience as mayor of NYC how things (and people) work.
ALL lives (should) matter...that much is obvious and logical.
But, let's stay in the realm of statistical TRUTH here and talk about the FACTS.

FACT - A police officer is 18.5 TIMES more likely to be shot by a black male than a black male is likely to be shot by a police officer.
FACT - A white male is at least TWO TIMES more likely to be shot by a police officer than a black male.
FACT -  The concentration of criminal violence in minority communities means that police will be dis-proportionally confronted by ARMED males.
FACT - More whites AND Hispanics die from police shootings than blacks.
FACT - More "unarmed" black males die from police shootings than other males, BUT, that does not tell the whole story. This includes trying to get to the officer's service pistol, or those shot by accidental discharge caused by their own assault of an officer.
FACT - The BLACK and HISPANIC officers are MORE likely to fire their weapon at blacks than white officers.
FACT - Forty-three percent of cop-killers are BLACK (which backs up the first fact of who is shooting who more)
(information gleaned from the Daily Wire website and FBI statistical data for 2015)
Not that easy to "do the math" here, unless you didn't bother to STUDY math because learning is "a white thing", and doesn't apply to minorities (which in and of itself is totally false).
And these facts are just the obvious generalities.
There are a lot more that address specificities according to particular cities, demographics, class, etc.
*** Next up, our outgoing FWPD chief had some words to say on this, in the aftermath.

Here's the story link:
http://wane.com/2016/07/10/fwpd-chief-speaks-out-on-la-mn-and-tx-shootings/

But, if you want to see another take on this, there are stories of the DALLAS police chief like THIS one:
http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/09/us/dallas-police-chief-david-brown-profile/
Or perhaps my favorite take on this is from Milwaukee Sheriff, David Clarke:
http://townhall.com/tipsheet/leahbarkoukis/2016/07/08/sheriff-david-clarke-slams-obama-clinton-blm-after-dallas-attack-n2190120

Sheriff Clarke is right about the BLM movement. They have allowed themselves to be co-opted by the New Black Panther Party, (along with the NOI) and that's never a good thing, as those mooks call for killing whites, killing LEOs, and are very anti-Semitic.
And, it was the Obama AG (Holder) who tossed the case out against the NPPP when they turned away voters back in Philly at the polling places in 2008. Sorry, I didn't forget about THAT one either, Barry. I'm keeping that list.
The pieces to these puzzles are there in front of us. All we have to do is put them together.
*** Next up, it was a wonderfully banal weekend around the "Fortress" (for a change).

Yeah, that's MY piece of bread.

The fireworks seemed to have died off, with maybe one going off a night (by whatever dumbass we have with that surplus). Even the boomcars have been less frequent of late. I'm sure this is an anomaly.

Looks like we have a "guard-bunny" again.

(people must be at the TRF stealing what they can uptown for a change)

Squirt and Junior enjoy the shade - and peanuts.

Still, we have our furry and feathered friends stopping by...and that's always a nice respite from the bat-shit crazies down here.
As to my travails with our USPS...let's just say they seem to be helpful (after one call to them), but the result is no more information forthcoming than I could get online...another federal agency that promises, but cannot deliver (pun intended).

I'm still waiting for items from China (where everything seems to come from these days).

No Bob...just YOU!

At this rate, I may get them by my birthday (next month)...or maybe even by Christmas...lol.
Good news is that I've been refunded each time thus far (and rightly so)...nothing really lost there.
*** Last back to the garden fence...people continue to astound me on many levels.

I know I'm not competing.

I suppose that CAN be taken as a good thing...in some respects.
What I fail to comprehend is the EASE at which so many (when presented the facts) simply IGNORE them and follow whatever piper is playing what sounds like the coolest "tune du jour".
(in our case down here, it's the LOUDEST tune...LOL)
Used to be a time when people LISTENED to what was going on, and made a lot BETTER determinations  as to what or who they would follow (and to what end).
I know when I was growing up that being a good LISTENER saved your ass from many a spanking (or sitting in the corner at schools, or even being put in the "cloak room" for being out-of-line - yeah, they used to DO that back then...damn Barbarians...LMAO).
There is however, this troubling issue in America...and that has to do with one little word:
ALL!

Not THAT "All"...sheesh!

Such a small word, and yet, carries SO much meaning.
And is quite INCLUSIVE to boot.

The Constitution does NOT lie.

We know that ALL men are created equal, and yet we seek to allow some men to become MORE equal than others.

That means NO exceptions...at ANY time.

We also know that we have justice for ALL, and yet, we see this consistent INCONSISTENCY in the judicial system, where what applies to ONE person, doesn't apply to another (The Clinton scandal is a prime example).
How can such a minuscule word have such DIRE repercussions?

It only takes people to divorce themselves from REASON to figure that out.
When rhetoric takes the place of TRUTH, we see the outcome.
When ignorance supplants character, we can see the outcome.
And when stupidity shoves aside morality, we see the outcome.
We are not that type of people, nor do we seek to become that which we, in the past, have despised.
We should be better than that, and need to get whatever heads are up whatever asses and put them back where they belong, doing what needs to be done to turn this country back around on it's proper course.
Oh, and that sound you hear...it's the Founding Fathers turning in their graves.
Just wanted you to know that.

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