LINK - 1/3/12: Politics Aside: Are NYC’s Gun Laws Unconstitutional?
“After years of complaints by all but the most ardent anti-gun activists, New York City’s insanely strict gun laws are finally being exposed for the unconstitutional mess they are after two separate incidents in December in which tourists, with all the proper permits from their home states, were arrested for possessing firearms…”
You must log in to post a comment.
It is clear that things have changed in America and much of it is due to two wars: the War on Drugs and the War on Terror. These ongoing conflicts have brought about major changes in the way law enforcement does business with Americans every day.
Because of the so-called war on drugs, SWAT teams began springing up across the land, tactically armed and ready to do whatever became necessary to overcome the drug problem that this country faces. The fight against terrorism has also been added to the picture and because of it, the same SWAT teams can be seen herding people out of their homes (without warrants), searching them (illegally), and then the homes they just vacated (also illegally), as was done recently in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing. Amazingly, nearly 90% of people polled believed that the police did a great job. This of course, is in spite of the use of force and restriction of rights.
Even today – May 21, 2013 – with Tea Party protests against the IRS occurring throughout America, DHS Police have been stationed at IRS facilities as a means of protecting those facilities and employees. This is in spite of the fact that there has not been a case of Tea Party-related violence with any person officially connected to the Tea Party movement, unlike the Occupy Movement.
Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. said in a television interview Wednesday night that he agrees with the views of an anti-federal government group that recently gave him an award.
During a interview on a range of topics with WISN-TV (Channel 12), Clarke was questioned about being named “sheriff of the year” by the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association and an image of Journal Sentinel columnist Daniel Bice’s recent article about the award flashed in the background.
Bice first reported that the association is the brainchild of Richard Mack, a former Arizona lawman who believes a sheriff’s primary duty is to protect local citizens from the federal government.
Bice observed that Mack wrote on his personal website: “The greatest threat we face today is not terrorists; it is our own federal government.”
The taxi magnate who said he was subjected to a profanity-laced rant by Mayor Bloomberg has filed a federal lawsuit charging the mayor with threatening him and siccing TLC inspectors on his fleet in retaliation for his opposition to the “Taxi of Tomorrow” plan.
The suit, filed in Manhattan federal court late yesterday, accuses Bloomberg and TLC chief David Yassky of ordering inspectors to dump a blizzard of bogus tickets – totaling about $3.5 million – on cabs operated by Taxi Club Management CEO Gene Freidman.
“It’s deeply disappointing and terribly disturbing that the mayor will use his powers to try to beat people who disagree with him into oblivion,” said Steve Mintz, the lawyer representing Freidman.
The suit is an amended version of an earlier suit Freidman had filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, but contains the new allegations against Bloomberg and Yassky.
The TLC has imposed $85,000 in fines on one of Freidman’s medallions and similar penalties are in the works against dozens of other medallions, adding up to roughly $3.5 million in penalties, Mintz said.
An Oregon woman was told by a 911 dispatcher that authorities wouldn’t be able be able to help her as her ex-boyfriend broke into her place because of budget cuts.
Oregon Public Radio reports that an unidentified woman called 911 during a weekend in August 2012 while Michael Bellah was breaking into her place. Her call was forwarded to Oregon State Police because of lay-offs at the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office only allows the department to be open Monday through Friday.
“Uh, I don’t have anybody to send out there,” the 911 dispatcher told the woman. “You know, obviously, if he comes inside the residence and assaults you, can you ask him to go away? Do you know if he’s intoxicated or anything?”
The woman told the dispatcher that Bellah previously attacked her and left her hospitalized a few weeks prior to the latest incident. The dispatcher stayed on the phone with the woman for more than 10 minutes before the sexual assault took place.
“Once again it’s unfortunate you guys don’t have any law enforcement out there,” the dispatcher said, according to Oregon Public Radio.
The woman responded: “Yeah, it doesn’t matter, if he gets in the house I’m done.”
Cuomo, during an appearance before the Syracuse Post-Standard’s editoral board Wednesday, stayed neutral when asked his thoughts on Weiner entering the race.
“He runs? He runs,” the paper quotes him as saying in a transcript.
But asked how he would feel if Weiner (self-pictured at right) were to be elected, Cuomo was blunt.
“Shame on us,” he replied.
Cuomo, a Democrat, has said he has no plans to get involved in the mayor’s race.
He gave a less definitive answer hours before he spoke to the Syracuse paper when asked by reporters in Buffalo for his reaction to Weiner’s mayoral bid.
“None,” Cuomo said.
“No reaction. Look, my face didn’t move. No reaction.”
The last thing Cuomo probably wants to discuss is the race of a candidate who resigned his congressional seat amid a sexting scandal.
He’s spent plenty of time answering questions in recent weeks about the ongoing shenanigans in the state Legislature, including the Vito Lopez sexual harassment case and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s admitted mishandling of it.
Anthony Weiner was lying low this morning after releasing a video announcing his last-minute entry into the race for mayor.
A crush of reporters was camped outside his Park Avenue South apartment for so long that campaign aides treated them to three boxes of pizza and made plans for individual interviews later in the day.
Some of Weiner’s rivals, meanwhile, wasted no time poking fun at the sexually-charged Twitter messages that led their newly-minted opponent to resign from Congress in 2011.
“If he can penetrate the field, I’ll be ready for him in November,” Independence Party candidate Adolfo Carrion declared in a statement.
Democratic Sal Albanese got a huge laugh at a Crain’s mayoral forum in midtown when he dismissed Weiner as just another career politician, except for his “additional quirks.”
The campaign of Bill Thompson — who is expected to be the biggest beneficiary of the suddenly expanded field — was celebrating.
“We couldn’t be happier to welcome Anthony into the race,” tweeted campaign manager Jonathan Prince.
Comptroller John Liu said Weiner’s personal foibles would be a legitimate topic for the campaign trail.
“I think any issue of open game, any issue is fair game,” Liu said. “That’s for the voters to decide.”
Many political professionals were left scratching their heads.
The 50-year-old southern regional representative of Jacksonville’s New Black Panther Party for Self Defense was arrested Monday on charges of false imprisonment and resisting an officer without violence, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Mikhail Shareef Muhammad of North Myrtle Avenue remained held on $200,000 bail Wednesday, according to jail records.
Police were called just after 2 p.m. by a friend of Muhammad’s wife, Claudia Lizeth, who said he wasn’t willing to let her leave and was afraid for her life, according to the arrest report. Officers went to Muhammad’s home, where Lizeth mouthed, “Help me” to a sergeant.
Muhammad demanded to know where officers were taking his 41-year-old wife as they escorted her outside to question her. When he left the room to call his attorney, his wife told police she wanted to leave and was afraid of her husband, the report said.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg cursed out the chief executive officer of a taxi company who won a court case against the city and pledged a post-mayoral revenge against the entire industry, the CEO and one witness said.
“[I will] destroy your [expletive] industry,” Mr. Bloomberg said to Taxi Club Management CEO Gene Freidman, The New York Post reported.
He made the comments during last Thursday’s game at Madison Square Garden during an impromptu meet at the 1879 Club, a witness told The Post. Mr. Friedman subsequently confirmed the exchange to The Post and added that Mr. Bloomberg also said that come January — when his mayoral term wraps — he would destroy “all you [expletive] guys.
“It was like Gene had kidnapped his child,” the witness told The Post. “He used the f-word twice.”
Your Tools
Not logged in