Watching The Old Man In The Fosdic Sea And A Los Angeles Police Chase With Robin Hood Throwing Money To Poor People

The Old Man was back fishing in the Fosdick Sea, in Oakland Lake Park, again today, fishing whilst sitting on his mini-dock, with his feet in the water one is forbidden to swim in, trying to catch fish one is forbidden to eat.

It was an idyllic scene. Sort of Tom Sawyerish. Becky Thatcher is not in the picture. She had her pole in the water about 10 feet to the right of the Old Man in the Fosdick Sea. Becky fished from shore, not from a mini-deck.

Speaking of idyllic scenes, my lunchtime entertainment, whilst enjoying Beef Stroganoff, was to watch a Los Angeles police car chase through the streets of LA, eventually stopping a pair of Robin Hoods, who had engaged in an armed robbery.

Eventually a lot of Los Angelenos, who were watching, like I was, the live chase on their TVs, with the chase taking place on their streets, left their TVs to go out to the streets, where the armed robber Robin Hoods began throwing money to the poor people of Sherwood Forest.

The Robin Hoods throwing money added an added element of mayhem to the chase, as the moneyseekers got between the robbers and the police cars, at times.

This is not the first time I've watched one of these bizarre police chases. I think I've watched 2 that have taken place in the D/FW zone. I never quite understand why these are broadcast live. It seems, like it did today, the live broadcast creates problems.

Although, on the other hand, some poor people got themselves a little unexpected cash today, after seeing the potential easy money being thrown live on their TVs.

Locked & Loaded

A couple nights ago at my local neighborhood Krogers, that's a grocery store for you who live in non-Krogers zones, an armed robber waved his gun and instructed the store's on-duty cop and all the customers in the self-checkout area to lay down on the floor, face down, with their hands behind their back. The robber forced an employee to open a safe. There was 50 dollars inside. Only 50 dollars. It was past midnight. The thief escaped into the night while all the victims ran out the back of the store, calling 911 as they ran. As of today, the armed robber remains at large.

So, last night, about 6, I took off to go to the aforementioned Krogers. And what was on my door but a warning in the form of a piece of paper. We have a Neighborhood Watch System here. The notice said, in part:

"Dear Residents,
This letter is to notify you of criminal activity that has been reported in the immediate area. Two unknown young black males dressed in dark hoodies are approaching people with a black gun & yellow pistol grips demanding wallets, cash, jewelry, cell phones or anything of value. They approach the victims while they are on foot, walking from a car to a breezeway while walking alone. The criminal activity has been reported on Oakland Hills Drive, Ederville Road, Brentwood Stair Road, Boca Raton Blvd. and Pacific Place."

Let's see, I live on Boca Raton, Brentwood Stair Road is where I had a flat tire a couple weeks ago, in a bad neighborhood, Oakland Hills Drive is the road I took to Oakland Hills Park yesterday, I'm looking at Ederville Road from my window.

Basically I am doomed.

So it was quite fortuitous that today's Fort Worth Star-Telegram's sports page had an ad that touted "Cheaper Than Dirt" firearms. Among the guns on sale at the dirt cheap prices are an AK 47 assault rifle and a Thompson 1927A, that's a "Tommy Gun" to you non-gun aficionados, you know a machine gun like gangsters used back in the Prohibition years. With this being an area of the United States where many remnants of Prohibition are still in place I guess it makes sense to be selling "Tommy Guns" to people. At "Dirt Cheap" prices.

I can't wait to get me one.