So, How Bad Is It In Detroit? So Bad That Serious Crime Covers All

When you try to answer the question "So, How Bad Is It In Detroit?" Your answer may just be underestimating how bad it really is there.

Looking at the interactive map provided by the Detroit News of the reported murders and shootings that have taken place in Detroit since May 2012 is rather sobering. The dots indicating a murder or shooting cover, well, just about the entire city.

Even zooming in makes the city look like it has a case of multicolored measles, with no vaccine in sight.

But some bright news is set for the future.

After decades of neglect under one -party rule and being quite unable to account where millions of dollars for repairs have disappeared rather being actually used for restoring the street lights - they may just get the city's streetlights back up and running by 2016!

Obamacare Will Bend The Health Care Cost Curve - By Raising Costs, And Taxes Too

Remember the heady days when it was promised that Obamacare would be just awesome; that if you liked your insurance you could keep your insurance; that there would be no tax increases; that it would have a super-efficient and easy to use website; that it would bend healthcare costs downward; and that the entire thing would be funded on Unicorn farts and skittles?

Well, it seems that costs are instead going up, due to taxes and costs imposed by, you guessed it, Obamacare.

The Detroit News: Workers' health care fees may rise under Obamacare

Health care costs are expected to rise in 2014 for many workers, including those at one Royal Oak company, because of new, obscure federal fees and taxes imposed on insurers and employers.

Across the nation, the fees and taxes imposed next year through the Affordable Care Act will generate about $20 billion, based on Joint Committee on Taxation estimates, and could affect nearly 60 percent of Americans who receive insurance through their workplace.

It’s uncertain how many employees could pay the higher fees and taxes because employers are deciding whether to absorb the cost or pass along all or part of it.

Sadly, while the Democrats and credulous fools (but I repeat myself) voted for Obama and his lie-powered healthcare plan (twice), the rest of us get to suffer under the government and healthcare plan they deserve.

Trotter & Co Find Another One: Wreck Of The Keystone State Discovered

A Civil War-era shipwreck has just been discovered in lake Huron by prolific shipwreck finder David Trotter and his crew.

The Detroit Free Press: Great Lakes shipwreck hunter finds Keystone State, lost in Lake Huron for 152 years

The wreck, a steamer on route from Detroit to Milwaukee in the early months of the Civil War, sank in November 1861.

Now lying upright on the bottom in 175 feet of water, both sidewheels are intact and visible on the 300 foot-long ship. From the pictures and video it looks to be in great shape.

Yet another great discovery of a long-lost shipwreck in Michigan waters.

Sunday Instructional: An Excellent CPL Class

Today I conducted an NRA certified class that is required for the Michigan Concealed Pistol License class for four students.

Interestingly enough, two of the participants are related to bloggers I know, and the two others were acquaintances I knew from elsewhere so it was a very comfortable environment and everyone got on quite well.

There was great discussion, they absorbed the material most attentively and carefully listening to all of it and especially to the Michigan legal section, and everyone enjoyed the class.

At 8.5 hours, it was a bit longer than the required 8 hours and we worked straight through lunch to make sure all the material was covered and everyone fully understood the material.

At the range, they did quite well, except for one getting lost along the way to the range (how you miss it when the route was left form the parking lot, right turn at the first street, a left when that street runs out followed by a right into the parking lot of the range is beyond me....) but the participant manged to find it eventually.

I was able to make some pointers to a couple of them that visibly improved their shooting, which is a nice feeling. One of the attendants, the son-in-law of one of the bloggers I know, needed no pointers whatsoever. He blasted his way most competently through the shooting portion with safety, speed, and accuracy, so both he and the blogger should be proud.

It was a darn good class and I had a very enjoyable time teaching it.

Now I'm home doing the final paperwork for it, and that's a day.

Ban Guns in Detroit Venues? Police Baffled That The Guns Are Then Stolen From Cars.

Having a Conceled Pistol License in Michigan makes you quite aware that there are places where you cannot legally bring in your firearm such as a bar or sports stadium.

If you do, you face escalating criminal penalties, all the way up to a felony with more jail time than if, for example, instead of merely carrying your firearm into a prohibited place, you had gone ahead and committed assault less than murder.

So, what's a law abiding toter to do? Why, you leave your gun locked in your car.

The Predictable Result, courtesy of The Detroit News: Downtown Detroit gun thefts draw notice

New light was shed on an old problem at a recent meeting of police officials: Guns are being stolen from vehicles downtown, in part because nightclubs and the NFL ban firearms.

Thank goodness Detroit's own Inspector Clouseau is finally aware of the problem:

Police Chief James Craig said the thefts were news to him. “I’m just now hearing about this,” he said.

Such information sharing is central to the COMPSTAT (computer statistics) policing model. A new “dashboard system” database set up by Wayne State University’s Center for Urban Studies allows every member of the police force to review reports of all crimes investigated in the city, including firearm information and the backgrounds of victims and suspects.

First Precinct Capt. Steve Dolunt added that guns are being stolen from Lions fans who leave them in their vehicles because of the NFL’s firearms prohibition. Because of a new rule barring off-duty police officers from carrying weapons into football stadiums, Dolunt said a Detroit police officer’s gun was stolen from his car earlier this season.

Yeah, those gun free zones are just loads of safety for all, now aren't they?

So of course, the good inspector, who was nearly car jacked himself remember, has the following brilliant advice:

“Let’s find a solution to this,” Craig said. “We need to educate people not to leave their guns in their cars.”

How about an actual solution Chief, of fixing the law so law-abiding citizens are no longer legally required to leave their guns in their cars when they go to various venues. Then gun thefts from cars will be significantly reduced as the guns won't be in the cars and we'll all be safer as a result, ok?

First World Problems: Anti-Military Wussies All Upset Fighter Jets Are Depicted Escorting Santa

Instead of being happy that NORAD is vigilantly watching and can intercept incursions into our airspace, some "child advocates" can't handle that NORAD's site contains the image of an F-18 escorting Santa's sleigh.

Pentagon's Santa tracking experience adds armed jet escorts, riles up child advocates

Capitalizing on the popularity of its virtual “Track Santa Claus” event, which allows users to track the fictitious travel path of his sleigh, the US military has ignited some controversy through the addition of armed jet fighters.

Some 22 million people last year were reached by the holiday event put on by NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, which allowed children and families observing Christmas to either navigate to a special website or call via telephone to receive “real-time” updates of Santa Claus as he traveled across the globe delivering gifts.

The picture at the article depicts a Canadian CF-18 escorting the sleigh.

Oh noes, wail the hoplophobes! Think of the children being harmed by viewing such images, not to mention their shock at the sudden realization that our peaceful neighbor to the north actually has an air force:

According to Allen Kanner, cofounder of the Boston-based Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood and a child and family psychologist, “children associate Santa with gifts and fun and everything else that is positive about Christmas.”

“They are associating this with the military in children’s minds. It is completely out of line.”

Geez, NORAD, after all is a military organization that exists to track and defend North America's airspace, and some people think children can't handle the image of a military jet on the Santa watch site?

C'mon now, it's not like they shoot him down with a Stinger for violating the Washington DC ADIZ and show pictures of chunks of charred reindeer falling out of the sky for realism or anything like that.

Amy Hagopian, professor of public health at the University of Washington, also likens NORAD’s efforts to an ad campaign.

“I think people are quite aware of the military’s true mission,” said Hagopian, who has delved into the topic of youth military recruitment.

“If the military wants to keep its ranks stocked, it needs to appeal to children. The military knows it can’t appeal to adults to volunteer. It is like the ad industry,” Hagopian told the Globe.

Yeah, like the US and Canadian air forces are facing recruitment shortages - oh wait, they're not.

Some people just have to be killjoys for the season, not to mention gratuitously prejudiced against the military, and view kids as the perfect vehicle for their progressive tirades.

If kids can handle the scary concept of a bearded stranger coming down their chimneys, entering their houses and creeping around, they can probably handle the concept that the stranger is being carefully watched by our military as he travels around the country to be sure he doesn't do anything untoward on his flight plan.

Hopefully It's Just A Dishonest Mistake

Fox News: Truck carrying radioactive material stolen in Mexico

A cargo truck hauling extremely dangerous radioactive material from used medical equipment was stolen from a gas station in central Mexico, and authorities sent out an alert in six central states and the capital to find it, Mexican officials said Wednesday.

The truck was carrying a metal container of cobalt-60 headed to a nuclear waste facility in the state of Mexico, said Juan Eibenschutz, director general of the National Commission of Nuclear Safety and Safeguards. Though the container is heavily sealed in lead, designed to be difficult to break and to survive accidents intact, he said it contains an amount of radioactive material that could do serious damage if opened.

One would think they would provide more security on such a shipment than a sleepy driver, but that's all they had protecting the cargo.

Apparently, it is the largest amount of cobalt-60 stolen in Mexico in quite some time. Radioactive material has been stolen before by thieves in Mexico who mistakenly thought it was valuable rather than for nefarious purposes.

Hopefully this is no different, and not a part of a terrorist's dirty bomb plot. If not, this could get ugly, especially as our southern border is rather porous to say the least.

OC In School In The WB? Not The Best Idea.

Deciding to make a point in one of the most Democrat controlled areas may not be the brightest of ideas, especially if it leads to more restrictions on firearms.

The Detroit News: West Bloomfield board asks for ban on openly carried firearms in schools

The West Bloomfield Board of Education is asking state lawmakers to add public schools to the list of places where people can’t openly carry firearms.

At a regular meeting earlier this week, the board adopted a resolution urging the Legislature to prohibit visitors from carrying firearms openly in schools, which is legal in Michigan with a concealed weapons permit.

The resolution came after a parent who was openly carrying a firearm attended an event earlier this month at Scotch Elementary, district spokeswoman Pamela Zajac said.

The parent contacted West Bloomfield Police Chief Michael Patton, the superintendent and the principal of the school to alert them of his intent to carry at the event, Zajac said. There was no incident during the parent’s visit, she said, which was believed to be on Nov. 8.

Yes, the open carrier did everything perfectly legally and went above and beyond the aw in politely notifying police he was going to open carry at the meeting. You can open carry in a school zone in Michigan so long as you have a Concealed Pistol License

Unfortunately he's scaring the (Democratic) horses, which may lead to restictions on our rights.

“He is law-abiding,” Zajac said. “It was disturbing. Seeing a weapon on our elementary school grounds is upsetting to some parents.”

Patton said police were notified of the incident, which the gun-toting parent recorded with cellphone video and posted on You Tube, but no report was filed because there was no wrongdoing. He would not identify the parent. The video was later removed, he said.

“He had a handgun in a holster on his hip,” Patton said. “It was holstered the entire time, and he wasn’t handling it at any point.

It should also be noted that concealed carry on school grounds is not allowed. It would have been allowed had our Governed not vetoed the CPL reform bill that would have permitted that and thus avoided scaring the sheeple.

I can empathize with the idea that he's legally exercising his constitutional rights and that some people want to take the "in your face" approach to pushing our firearms rights.

However, I think that tactically choosing one of the most sheep-rich Democrat areas in Michigan to flaunt open carry in a school zone was a bad idea and probably isn't going to win much support for the cause and likely is going to backfire.

Detroit Officially Goes Bankrupt

Detroit News: Detroit eligible for bankruptcy

A federal judge has ruled Detroit is eligible to file for the nation’s largest Chapter 9 bankruptcy to help dig out from under $18 billion in debt and that city pension payments can be cut to help make that happen.

Not only that, but the pension plans are also ruled to be fair game, as they

As Instapundit often says, something that won't go on forever, won't. 

Under-funded pension plan obligations that depend on other people's money will stop once they've run out of other people's money.  Detroit has now officially run out of other people's money.

Surviving On The Scraps Of The Past

An interesting article in the Detroit Free Press about individuals in Detroit's Delray district legally prospecting in an old scrapyard for scrap metal to sell.

The Detroit Free Press: John Carlisle: Delray's diggers find scrap metal, pride and fellowship

It was morning in Delray in southwest Detroit, on a littered abandoned corner lot not far from the river. A half-dozen young men stood in holes they’d dug in the ground, chopping at the soil, yanking out anything remotely metallic that a scrapyard might give them a few dollars for — from thick steel beams and small copper fittings down to jagged shards of slag.
This was a scrapyard half a century ago, and over the years, tons of steel and copper and aluminum wound up buried in the lot. Since it closed, the neighborhood’s residents have been mining here, with the blessing of the lot’s current owner, since he’d have to pay to remove all that debris anyway if anything is ever done with the property.

Some of the workers there are making some decent money prospecting, and they're certainly doing both hard and legal work. 

It's a sad commentary on Detroit's current state that these hard workers' most economically viable course of action in the city is to dig in the dirt to find and sell the detritus that was manufactured and buried here long ago.