Oh, By The Way....

A news item I heard out of the corner of my ear yesterday caught my attention...

...the Special Investigations Unit has cleared the police for shooting and wounding a robbery suspect who first fired at them with a shotgun.

You heard me right.

The police had the nerve to fire at someone who was firing at them, so we had to have an investigation.

Every time someone gets hurt during a police action in Ontario, there has to be an inquiry. Regardless of the circumstances.

The background on this was that a shotgun robbery took place, the police tracked the suspect, and the suspect fired on them in an attempt to flee. The Police fired back, wounding the suspect.

This all happened near the end of January. Its now the end of March and the SIU says it was OK to fire back.

Gee thanks for your approval.

You might think its good to have an inquiry of this sort, it keeps the Police from just firing their weapons willy-nilly at loiterers and graffiti artists.

What it actually does is further empower the criminals: if the Police are gonna think twice about firing, the crooks can get away with more.

There will come a time an Officer will be severely hurt or worse, because they will hesitate before using 'lethal force' for fear of the inquisition that follows.

You just better hope its not you or someone you love that the Officer is trying to protect when that decision has to be made.

Its time to take rights away from the bad guys and give them back to the good guys.

DJW

DJ tried to find a news link for this, but the media found it to be un-newsworthy.

And Now...The News

...this breaking story just in....


...Anna Nicole Smith is still dead!


...more at eleven.





Sorry folks, busy week.

I'll try tomorrow.

DJW

DJ is looking for 9 day weeks with 30 hour days to get everything done.

Ringo's Tale

Some might say I have bats in my belfry, and that is yet to be confirmed.

But I do have critters in the attic.

Or did.

The roof situation made the small portal that the squirrels used big enough for bigger creatures.

Earlier this week, Thing One went into the attic to spread the magic concoction of Critter Ridder and moth balls that seems to keep the squirrels at bay and came face to muzzle with a raccoon. I'm not sure who was more spooked, but the ensuing shriek frightened the poor beast away. (The raccoon that is, not Thing One.) To add insult, when she posted her experience on Facebook, her friends had a 'name the raccoon' contest.

Ringo was the winning entry.

We knew he'd be back.

Fifteen years ago, when we purchased Our Humble Castle, it had been home for three or four years to various wildlife. Sam, our first cat, and Buster, the next cat, dispatched of the smaller rodents efficiently. Traps removed the bigger ones, and Simba, our 130 Black Lab had fun with the mid sized ones. Some sheet metal and nails sealed up the accesses in the eaves.

So we've had this experience before.

I rounded up a trap easily enough, baited it with kitty food, turned off the light and barred the door.

Earlier today M.D.B. sent the following text messages: "we have coonage" and, "hes not happy"

It took three days, but Ringo came back.

I came home and could hear Ringo trying his best to extricate himself from his unfortunate situation. Kelsey D. Puppy was going bonkers trying to figure out the noise from the attic. Pied, the wal-cat (part walrus, part cat) was extremely indifferent about the whole ordeal. He even raised his head as I stepped over him with the trap full of Ringo.

When I brought him outside, Kelsey couldn't figure out what it was, and if it would play with her. After Ringo lunged at her, she decided it would be best to keep her distance. (video below)

I have been told that you should not remove wildlife more than a kilometer or two from where you trap it. Fortunately, within that range in my geography, I have a canal and a wide river. I took Ringo for a pleasant ride to a nice wooded area across the road from a corn crib. When I opened the trap, he propelled himself from it as if he'd been shot from a cannon. I'm not sure if the look he gave me from the tree was, "Thanks for the ride and for getting me away from that dog", or, "You rat b***ard!"

In either case, I have new found, unique knowledge: raccoon urine smells worse than squirrel turds.

DJW

The roofing party is planned for the first week of April.
All the critters have been served eviction notices.

Not my fault?

Responsibility.

At what stage do we take it? When do we stop blaming others for all of our troubles and misadventures?

Are we all truly innocent victims in this game called life?

Are we so inept we cannot take control of our impulses?

Do we really need someone to tell us what to do every time a situation comes up that makes us think, makes us uncomfortable, makes us be responsible for our own actions?

A 14 year old Hamilton youth has been arrested for and admitted to stealing more than 90 cars since last summer. More than 90!!(http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/522925)
But, wait, his family has someone else to hold responsible for this behavior! It cannot possibly be his fault, he is the product of a broken marriage! The Catholic Childrens Aid Society let him down! The Police didn't work hard enough to find him every time he went AWOL from his foster care! And, how dare they?, the Police actually had the nerve to take him down at gunpoint after he tried to flee and ram cruisers to do so!

I understand he is only 14 years old. In fact, that alone scares me! If he is this prolific a thief already just what can society expect when he is considered an adult? I understand he is small in stature and may have had older friends pressuring him to steal. But he is 14. He is old enough to know stealing cars or anything that doesn't belong to him is wrong. He is old enough to pick better friends. He is old enough to try to work with the foster families and agencies that try to help him.

The family also should take some of the responsibility here, instead of pointing fingers. There are many many children and adults out there who are the product of broken marriages. They don't all go out and steal or otherwise break laws and then say "oh poor me". Are we as a society supposed to take this young man to court and pat him on the back and say "it's okay son, we understand your family broke up so we are going to let you go!"?

The Police do everything they can to provide us with a safe world to reside in. They spend small fortunes every year tracking down these kids who run away from group homes and foster care to return them only to have them take off again. It is a vicious cycle.

So, who do we blame? Is it not time to stand up and say, "Hey! Maybe, just maybe, we need to be responsible for our own actions!"?

Maybe, just maybe, we need to return a little bit of discipline to our children in their formative years?

Maybe, just maybe, we need to work a little bit harder at making sure they understand what is right and what is not?

Maybe, just maybe, we all need to wake up in the morning, look in the mirror and say, "Today I will not blame anyone else for anything that occurs in my life. I will be responsible for myself. I will not knowingly cause harm to another. I will be happy with what I have and not try to improve my situation by abusing another."

This posting was submitted by The Darling Bride, DJ is in no way responsible! for my thoughts or comments