My Sympathies To The REAL Victims. (Or, My Heart Goes Out To The Virginia Tech Families.)

With the recent tragedy at Virginia Tech, I find it incredible that someone would look up my post of December 2005 regarding a standoff here in Fort Wayne, and comment on it. But they did. Here's my original post from this blog.....

A Thought For The Day. (Or, Don't Point A Fucking Gun At The Cops If You Want To Live.)

From WPTA-TV, December 2005.
The family of a Fort Wayne man killed in a police action shooting last summer is suing the Fort Wayne Police Department.The family of Rudy Escobedo says his constitutional rights were violated by two officers who shot and killed Escobedo in his apartment on West Berry Street at the end of a standoff last July.The Allen County prosecutor has said the officers killed Escobedo in self-defense when he pointed a gun at them.

My original comment on the news story.....

Ok....I didn't comment (here) when the original incident happened. And I didn't comment (here) recently when the guy got gunned down at the airport. But this drove me over the edge. So here goes the rant......YOU HAVE NO CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO GET COKED UP AND WAVE A GUN AT POLICE OFFICERS. You have no right to ignore your medication, get on a plane, mutter about having a bomb, ignore police orders to get on the ground, and reach for what you have purported to be a potentially explosive device. IF YOU DO THESE THINGS, THE OFFICERS--BEING DULY SWORN TO PROTECT AND TO SERVE--WILL QUITE POSSIBLY BLOW YOUR STUPID ASS INTO THE NEXT LIFE.Fuck the guy on the plane. Bi-polar or not....immigrant or not....if an officer points a gun at you and tells you to get the fuck down, DO IT. No sympathy.As far as the asshole (the poor, hurting Rudy Escobedo) that got coked up, barricaded himself in his apartment, hid in a closet, affected a police standoff, and waved a gun at the officers? FUCK HIM. He deserved to get splattered across the wall. His "constiutional rights" ended when he started the event in motion. I have a constitutional right to go to the mall unimpeded. I have a constitutional right to carry a firearm. What I do NOT have a right to is to go into the mall and start shooting. He chose to act irresponsibly...and suffered the consequences. Too fucking bad. No sympathy...and certainly no support for a lawsuit.

So this morning, someone visited my blog and left this message anonymously....

There are two sides to every story; therefore, unless you were there to witness the actual facts of what happened, then I think a little compassion could be used in your wording. I hope someday you have children and you value the mistkes they make...that you can fix yourself. The mistakes, like Rudy's, that you may not be able to fix...well that is unfortunate, but show some feeling to the grieving family. People sue for all sorts of silly reasons...this one-well they are mortified and are looking for closure.
4/18/2007 4:50 AM

And my reply....there, and here...

Thanks for stopping by. A year and a half late, but thanks just the same.

With time comes...well, either compassion, or apathy. I don't regret either the thoughts, or the wording of my post, both of which at the time were appropriate. In the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings, I have to say that my attitude hasn't changed. I don't care much to 'show any feeling to the grieving family'(edit: the same family that filed the lawsuit, thereby erasing any sympathy I might have had.) I understand their feelings of loss, but can't help but to think about what might have happened if the "victim" in this incident had gone on a rampage, and shot the officers, or a neighbor--or 32. THEN who should I feel sorry for?

Rudy Escobedo made poor choices, as I pointed out in December of 2005, and he paid for them with his life. Still no sympathy, and no support for the lawsuit.

Appreciate your input.

A Thought For The Day.

The more elaborate our means of communication, the less we communicate.
- Joseph Priestley

Don't even ask.

In unrelated news, tomorrow is the reunion of the No-Love Thursday Mutual Aid and Drinking Society. I won't be attending until after the first pitch at the Wizards game; however, I believe that the festivities begin at 4. Join us, won't you? Henry's, on Main Street.

A Great Place To Be. (Or, A Long Overdue Honor.)

National Radio Hall of Fame Announces 2007 Nominees
A highly competitive field of nominees was announced recently for induction into America’s only National Radio Hall of Fame (NRHOF), housed at The Museum of Broadcast Communications (MBC) in Chicago.
"Our 2007 list of National Radio Hall of Fame nominees includes immensely talented personalities who have entertained and informed radio audiences from New York, to Fort Wayne to San Francisco," said MBC President Bruce DuMont. "The list also includes several great female broadcasters and minority representation that underscores the diversity of talent in the radio industry," DuMont added.
Winners in each of the following categories will be inducted during a national radio broadcast from Chicago on Saturday, November 3. ABC Radio will produce and distribute the one-hour broadcast at 10 p.m. EST.
The 2007 nominees for induction into the NRHOF include:
LOCAL OR REGIONAL – PIONEER
Bob Collins (deceased), a fixture on WGN/Chicago for over 25 years, and a top-rated, much-loved morning show host from 1986 until his death in 2000.
Dan Ingram, rock radio pioneer on WABC/New York and eventually WCBS-FM, considered by some as the best top-40 DJ of all time.
Bob Sievers, the legendary morning announcer on WOWO/Fort Wayne, Ind., who helped start the station while still in high school and spent almost 50 years on the air.
Rufus Thomas (deceased), a professional entertainer since the mid-1930s, who made his mark as a deejay on WDIA/Memphis, which was the first station in the south to feature an all black format.

The voice of "The Voice of a Thousand Main Streets" is a man that has been a constant source of inspiration, from getting my lazy ass out of bed and off to school every morning, to making me want to pursue the crazy career path I'm currently on. My biggest compliment in my professional career was when Bob came to my station in 1992 and told me that he had listened to my morning show, and that he thought I was doing a good job. Strong praise from a man that retired with a 40 share of the audience, and the respect and affection of hundreds of thousands of people from "38 states and around the world."

A man that was the voice of the community, and the heart of a legendary radio station, Bob deserves this award. I hope he's honored this year, and wanted to bring the nomination to the attention of all. It's all too rare that such honors are bestowed while the honorees are around to accept them, and Bob should enjoy the accolades after a legendary career.

If you'd like to vote, for $15 you can join the NRHOF at radiohof.com and make your voice heard. I'm going to send the fifteen bucks and add my voice to Bob's cause, and I encourage you to do the same.

Congratulations, Bob Sievers!

Your Song Of Inspiration. (Or, Just Take Those Old Records Off The Shelf.)

From Amazon.com.

Saxophonist Jr. Walker was the most gutbucket of Motown's consistent '60s hit makers. Even when trying his hardest to conform to label formulas ("What Does It Take [To Win Your Love]," "Gotta Hold On to This Feeling"), he sounded like he'd be just as much at home in the backroom of a barbecue joint.

My kind of guy....great, classic R&B...and conjuring up thoughts of BBQ doesn't hurt either. Jr. Walker, for the non-musicologists, was also the man blowing a killer sax on Foreigners "Urgent". What Does It Take is possibly my favorite song of all time...all while clocking in at a shade over two minutes. A true classic.

Junior Walker and the All Stars--What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)
(Johnny Bristol, Harvey Fuqua, Vernon Bullock)

[Instrumental Interlude]

What does it take
to win your love for me?
How can I make
this dream come true for me?
Whoa I just got to know
ooo, baby cause I love ya so.
Gonna blow for ya

[Instrumental Interlude]

I tried, I tried, I tried, I tried,
in every way I could,
to make you see how much I love you.
Ooo, I thought you understood.
So you gotta make me see,
what does it take to win your love for me?
Gonna blow again for ya

[Instrumental Interlude]