Monday Musings...

That was certainly a COLD-ass weekend, wasn't it?
I know when the squirrels came around, I chose to toss peanuts outside to them, rather than sit on the step and feed them.
And, I didn't waste time placing a suet cake in the holder, either. The birds didn't even wait until I was back inside to come and get some grub.
It's another fun-filled week here in the Heartland, and I for one, am enjoying this "respite" from the local violent crime (we're currently behind last year's victim count, FYI).
Our Hoosierland weather for today will find us with mostly cloudy skies, and temps getting to around 30 degrees - not enough to melt the ice we've had on streets for days, but them's the breaks. Tonight, we're looking at some rain-sleet mix into drive-time tomorrow morning. Craptastic? Yes.
Now, what say we get ourselves that hot cup of coffee, tea, or cocoa to chase that chill away, as we see what's been going on elsewhere?
*** First out of the ice cube tray is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
JANUARY 9 -
---Today is National Apricot Day

(think I'll have a can of nectar to celebrate)
---It's National Static Electricity Day

(well, that's shocking to hear)
---And, it's National Clean Off Your Desk Day

(great if you have a desk)
*** Next, That shooter down at the Ft. Lauderdale airport certainly fell through some "cracks" in our national security, didn't he?

Here's the latest from one source:
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/01/07/508697034/what-we-know-about-the-fort-lauderdale-shooting-suspect
Now, I also heard that he was a Sunni Muslim and this links seems to support that:
http://pamelageller.com/2017/01/fort-lauderdale-gunman-claimed-forced-fight-isis.html/

I said a few years back that at least 1% of those in our military were active gang members...guess another 1% may be terrorists-in-waiting?
*** Next up, We bring you a "news-flash" from the Department of "That's too obvious that it has to be read a few times to be believed"
Here's the link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/opinion/editorials/-Start-being-good--17147285

The Land of Confusion?

Okay, so we are talking YOUTH violence here (as in under 25, I suppose), and while the op-ed is not aimed at any ONE ethnicity in particular, we ALL know who (specifically) it's directed at, don't we? (black youth...who else?)
And the "obvious" part can be found just by reading the headline - "START BEING GOOD".
(Note: the headline WAS changed for some unknown reason, but it IS the same article link)
Wow...talk about a revelation...or is that an epiphany?
Now, after so many things have been tried (and produced little success), you think these "youts" are gonna try something as SIMPLE as this? I think someone's asking for the moon, here, but it's worth a shot, right?

I mean, all the after-school rec-center activities don't seem to be helping, and a lousy home-life with poor examples of what passes for a parent isn't helping either.
Asking the youth of their community to "start" being good is asking for a helluva lot, especially when so many of them knuckle under to peer-pressure and choose the wrong (but easy) path in their young lives.
And too often, those young lives never get to become older, thanks to the violence against one another, let along that against other races

Sounds good to me, Rev.

Speaking of which, what about those like the four blacks that tortured that white 18-year old? Would telling them to "just be good" work on such sociopaths? I kinda doubt it.
*** Next up, it seems to be "that" time of season in our neighborhood.

Kroger's got an "M.I.A." cart.

Time to abandon shopping carts along our residential streets that people have removed from the nearby Kroger store and lot. Helluva "liberation movement".
And the worst part of this is when you call the Southgate Plaza Kroger to advise them of their missing cart...they basically IGNORE IT.

Still there...after 2 days.

It's like these carts are disposable or something?...that's ridiculous. I called the store 3 days in a row...nothing. I then emailed corporate and told them of the ignorance working at that store.
I suppose if we had a few more cops on the street to see these people doing this, it wouldn't occur? Obviously, we lack the police needed to spot the smell shit, so it will inevitably become the BIG shit further down the pike...and that's where the violent behavior comes into play.
I wonder how often this happens in Mayor Henry's neighborhood? I'd bet NEVER.
*** And while we're mentioning our "king", here's a column he had in yesterday's (leftist-leaning paper) J-G:
http://www.journalgazette.net/blog/political-notebook/Henry--Tighten-gun-laws-17145488

Now, how many times do we have to beat a dead horse, sire?
How often do you need a reminder that we ALREADY have good laws on the books - they just need to be ENFORCED?
And how many criminals will obey whatever laws YOU would like to see proposed?
You know, it's fine to take little children and lead them by the hand, but when you have to consistently lead your PEERS around in such a manner, you can easily see we have a problem with perception, and often with context as well.
The MAIN focus should be to break the gangs and halt the (relatively easy) flow of illegal drugs into the city.

Now, who'da thunk THAT?

It's those which lead to the accessibility of firearms, mostly ill-gotten or stolen, and no amount of legislation will change that.
So, wise the hell up, your lordship. Stop being a leftist hack, and just sit the hell down and shut the hell up.
Or better yet, join the NRA, and find out the TRUTH, instead of blaming the gun. Blame the violent felon brandishing it.
*** Next up, let's calm back down and spend some time at "Kitten Corner"...

The doorstop doesn't want to play...

The "kids" behaved themselves very well when we went food shopping on Saturday.
And, they are getting into the swing of specific eating times.

Now, HOW do I get DOWN?

There are the times when they have to chase each other through the house, and why, I have no idea. Must be nice to have all that excess energy to just burn up.

"Hi, Patches. Wanna come in and play?"

Luckily, there are the squirrels who stop by and that provides entertainment for the kittens, as do the birds.
And that scratching post is getting a workout (better that than our legs or furniture). Good investment.

Yet, after all is said and done, there comes that time where the two of them just nap the evening away (when they're not just sitting there, staring up at you, looking too damn cute).

Cute erases many "sins" with these two.

I think our former cats would have approved of these two...there is a lot of commonality here.
*** Last back to the winter wonderland...I suppose I can understand some of why people are the way they are.

After all these years, you get a "feel" for such things.
Yet, there are those people (and times) that, no matter how long you might live, you will NEVER get a good read on them.
They seem to defy nature and time.
You can't legislate stupidity any more than you can legislate away bad choices for people.
But, you can have laws, which are there NOT to be a burden upon the law-abiding among us, but to take to task those who choose to act in a less-than-civil manner to their fellow man. Not hard to skull that one out, right?
To that end, when it comes to the entire realm of policing, we must always police OURSELVES FIRST.

If we do that, it makes life better for us, the the job of the LEOs out there a LOT simpler.
In that article above that mentions to "start being good"...not a hard line to follow IF you were brought up with a sense of what that entails, and that means a parent (or parents) that GIVES A DAMN.
A parent's job is to put their children before themselves; to instruct and guide them to the point where they can make good choices on their OWN, and not deviate from that (much) as they grow up. Everyone makes mistakes, but when they go unrecognized, or unchastised, we open the doors to places where only chaos and incivility hold court.
That's why we have the troubles with society that we do...we've permitted it to occur.
But, we also have the power to change that, and it starts not in a statehouse, or courtroom, or a jail cell.
It starts AT HOME. Get that squared away first, and things will become better as people get older.
It's not a magic bullet...just good old common sense.

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