Menino's Gun Shop - Quotes of the Day

Boston Police Department higher-ups chime in on the city's upcoming "gun buyback" program.

From the Boston Globe:

We want guns that are on the street causing the violence and maiming and hurting and killing people.

- BPD Deputy Superintendent Darrin Greeley

No interest in bringing in the lowlife scumbags who are the ones using the guns to main, hurt, and kill. Nope. We just want the guns. You criminal scumbags are free to go. By the way, did you know Target has quite an extensive cutlery section?

Eight-inch chef's knives for ten bucks? Sorry, kids, you could only get 20 of those. I'd recommend the Henckels International steak knife sets. Eight stainless steel knives for $30. Share them with all your homies!

From the Boston Herald:

"Do we expect hardened criminals to turn in their weapons? No," Goslin said. "However, there is no way to quantify how many lives we have saved by collecting even one gun."

- BPD Superintendent-in-Chief Albert E. Goslin

Anyone feel safer now?

And, while there may "no way to quantify" how many lives might (read: won't) be saved by this latest do-nothing, feel-good gesture of Menino's, there is an easy way to quantify the amount of taxpayer dollars being poured into it.

Let's do the math, shall we?

DROP-OFF LOCATIONS

June 12, 2006 - July 14, 2006
Monday - Friday, 12pm - 7pm

Area A-1 - Downtown
District 1 Police Station, 10 New Sudbury St.

Area A-7 - East Boston
District 7 Police Station, 69 Paris St.
Most Holy Redeemer Church, 63 London St.

Area B-2 - Roxbury / Mission Hill
District 2 Police Station, 135 Dudley St.
Project RIGHT, Inc., 320 A Blue Hill Ave.

Area B-3 - Mattapan / Dorchester
District 3 Police Station, 1165 Blue Hill Ave.
United Church of Christ, 637 Washington St.
The Ella J. Baker House, 411 Washington St.

Area C-6 - South Boston
District 6 Police Station, 101 West Broadway

Area C-11 - Dorchester
District 11 Police Station, 40 Gibson St.
City Links, 243 Bowdoin St.

Area D-4 - Back Bay, South End
District 4 Police Station, 650 Harrison Ave.
Church of Scientology, 1783 Washington St.

Area D-14 - Allston / Brighton
District 14 Police Station, 301 Washington St.

Area E-5 - West Roxbury / Roslindale
District 5 Police Station, 1708 Centre St.

Area E-13 - Jamaica Plain
District 13 Police Station, 3345 Washington St.
Hyde Square Task Force, 375 Centre St.

Area E-18 - Hyde Park
District 18 Police Station, 1249 Hyde Park Ave.
Lighthouse of Truth Church, 172 Ruskindale Rd.

19 locations throughout the city.

Seven hours a day, five days a week, for five weeks.

The Boston Police Department will need a minimum of two police officers (at $30/hr) working each drop-off location. Call me crazy, but I'm guessing they won't be working these assignments on a volunteer basis.

Total cost to the taxpayers, by my calculations is a cool $199,500, assuming that the gift cards ($40,000 worth) have all been donated by Target.

Yeah, wouldn't want to have those cops out there patrolling the city's high-crime neighborhoods where they might actually be able to apprehend some CRIMINALS and make the city a little safer for the residents who have barricaded their children inside their homes for fear of being gunned down while playing on the sidewalk.

Nope, better have them sitting around all day in Allston/Brighton and in the Back Bay, waiting for some elderly widow to turn in her deceased husband's WWII pistol.

How about now? Feel safer?

Menino's Gun Shop - Part II

So, Menino's gun buyback program has a name: Aim For Peace

Awwwww... now, doesn't that make you feeeeeeel good?

Seriously, how pathetically Menino-esque can you get?

The specifics:

Mayor Tom Menino announced that anybody who turns in a gun between June 12th and July 14th would receive a $200 gift certificate to Target. Guns can be turned in anonymously at Boston police stations and other locations in the city (see below) between the hours of noon and 7 p.m. The mayor vows a "no questions asked" policy.

Should go nicely with the city's current "No Crimes Solved" and "No Criminals Punished" policies.

The city issued strict rules for turning in a firearm. Guns must be delivered unloaded, in a clear plastic bag and an additional container such as a gym bag. Authorities warn, if the gun is being transported by car, it must be in the trunk. Guns will be inspected to make sure they are real guns, before gift certificates will be handed over.

So, non-working guns will be accepted, just so long as they're "real guns"? Yeah, that'll cut down on the number of shootings in the city.

And, before anyone heads out to load up on inexpensive, used shotguns and rifles to cash in on this, as I had previously suggested...

The city will accept rifles and shotguns in addition to handguns, though no gift certificates will be handed out.

I guess I'll need to update my sign accordingly:

Are you the legal owner of the
gun you're turning in today?

Think that handgun might be worth more
than $200? Let me make you an offer.

Working rifles and shotguns: $20 CASH!

Menino's Gun Shop

...will once again be open for business.

Boston officials launch gun buyback program

By Suzanne Smalley, Globe Staff

City and police officials and community leaders announced this morning that a gun buyback program is restarting in Boston.

They announced that about $40,000 has been raised for the program, under which people who turn in guns will be given $200 in Target gift cards.

$200? Is that for long guns as well as handguns? Becuase, if that's the case, then I've got some shopping to do. I see that Four Seasons and Gun and Sport North both have quite a few used rifles and shotguns listed for $150 or less. $400 in Target gift cards for the price of two $99 shotguns? Not too shabby.

Officials are opting for gift cards instead of cash because criminologists have found that in previous buyback programs, some people used the buyback money to purchase newer guns.

Or sneakers, or crack, or videogames, or booze, or smokes, or...`

And, you know there's NO WAY an unscrupulous individual could unload a $200 gift card on the street for $100 in cash (with which to purchase any of the aforementioned items).

Nope.

Simply not possible.

The turned-in guns will be traced to try to connect them to crimes, officials said, but no identification will be required of people who hand in guns, and they will not be charged with possession.

And, what better way to "connect them to crimes" than by letting their criminal owners (you know, the ones COMMITTING THE CRIMES) walk away with 200 bucks, no questions asked?

The buyback program is the latest effort to make it appear as if our elected officials are doing anything to cut gun violence in the city. It reprises a city effort that from 1993 through 1996 collected 2,800 guns by offering $50 cash for each weapon.

So, suppose I were set up a table outside the police station on the day of the gun buyback, with a stack of FA-10 forms and a sign that reads:

Are you the legal owner of the
gun you're turning in today?

Think it might be worth more than $200?

Let me make you an offer.

Do you think the city, in the interest of doing what's best "for the children", would applaud my efforts at making this gun buyback more attractive to some folks who might want to rid their homes of unwanted firearms that might otherwise be stumbled upon by curious youngsters?

Yeah...me neither.

The Worst Part of a Four-Day Weekend?

Day five.

Bear with me while I try to ramp back up to normal operating capacity. This could take a whlile.

Off For the Long Weekend

Have a good one. See you Tuesday.

I Guess It All Depends...

...on what your definition of "cease-fire" is.

Classic example here of how to do things the U.N. way (and get yourself perforated with machine gun fire at the same time). Remember, this is the organization that is actively seeking to abrogate the rights of American citizens to keep and bear small arms.

Let's start with the headline:

9 unarmed police killed in East Timor

Now, why do you suppose the police were disarmed? Sounds a little odd to me, seeing as I'm not British.

DILI, East Timor --Soldiers fired on unarmed police in East Timor's capital Thursday, killing nine and wounding 27, as international troops landed to try to end the fighting that threatens to push the country closer to civil war.

Among the wounded were two United Nations police advisers, part of U.N. staff trying to end an hour-long attack by soldiers on the national police headquarters in Dili, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in New York.

The U.N. police and military advisers negotiated a cease-fire with the Timorese soldiers, under which the police officers were to surrender their weapons and leave the building, Dujarric said.

No mention of the soldiers laying down their arms, eh? Sounds more like a coerced unilateral disarmament plan, if you ask me. And, we all know how effective those have proven to be. Just ask the residents of Chicago and Washington, DC (or Roxbury, for that matter) who can't leave their homes at night for fear of being mugged on the way to the corner store for a pack of smokes.

"As the unarmed police were being escorted out, army soldiers opened fire on them killing nine and wounding 27 others, including two U.N. police advisers," he said.

Well, that plan went south pretty fucking quick. Way to "negotiate", guys!

And, you wanna take away my guns, Kofi?

Go POUND SAND, you worthless goat fuck!

Scum of the Fucking Earth

Let me rephrase that, in the interest of accuracy and fairness.

If scum could take a dump, and that dump was left to fester in a puddle of slug piss, these two pieces of subhuman trash would be the microbial growth resulting thereon.

Police arrest pair in attack on woman, 76, in Peabody

Wanda Lisk said the men who stormed into her Peabody home yesterday
morning held a knife to her throat and punched her. She said they also
were armed with a hammer. At right,l Richard W. Turner (right), 19, of
Beverly and Joshua Geggatt, 21, of Danvers pleaded not guilty to armed
robbery, among other charges, in Peabody District Court yesterday.
(Photos by Lisa Poole for the Boston Globe)

PEABODY -- In just five words, Wanda A. Lisk told what drove her to fight two armed men who stormed into the 76-year-old woman's home yesterday, leaving bruises on her face and fear in her heart.

"I didn't want to die," she said.

Lisk was attacked about 3 a.m. while sleeping on the couch in her home on Daniel Terrace , a dead-end street in a south Peabody subdivision. Lisk's basement in-law apartment was destroyed recently by flooding , so she was sleeping in the second-floor unit that belongs to her grandson, Joseph Deleskey , according to her son, Fred Lisk .

Wanda Lisk said she was awakened when two men shined a flashlight in her eyes. They had hoods pulled down to their noses, making it impossible for her to make out their faces. She urged them to take what they wanted and then leave her house -- and her -- alone. They chose otherwise.

"You are going to die," she quoted one of her attackers as saying.

Wanda Lisk said the men were armed with a knife and a hammer and that one held the knife to her throat. When she resisted, the man started punching her. When she pulled his finger back so hard she thinks she broke it, the punching escalated.

"I twisted the finger, and then he really gave it to me," she said. Her right eye was blackened and swollen shut.

Words almost fail me.

And, what story would be complete without the obligatory glowing character references provided by the scumbag's sympathetic sperm receptacles.

"He never meant to hurt anybody. Josh wouldn't hurt a woman," [Geggatt's girlfriend, Susan] Lothrop said.

[snip]

[Danielle Wood, Turner's girlfriend] said Turner had past involvement with state social work and mental health agencies and is taking medication for a variety of emotional problems.

"He's got post-traumatic stress disorder," she said, adding, "He's not a bad kid."

That makes two high-profile incidents of hammer-related violence in Massachusetts in a week's time. How long before we see some idiot up on Beacon Hill calling for some "common sense" hammer control legislation?

Any individual who requires a hammer for the purposes of carpentry, masonry, or home improvement work shall register the hammer with the local police department on an annual basis and, upon payment of an appropriate annual registration fee as determined by the local granting authority, shall be issued a permit authorizing him to possess the hammer solely for the purposes stated and subject to any restrictions, which the licensing authority deems appropriate.

Think I'm being over-dramatic?

UPDATE: This one's priceless.

Danielle Wood, 17, who has been dating Turner, said she thinks it's a case of "good intentions gone a little wrong."

Just...wow.

And, I'm gonna go waaaaaaaay out on the proverbial limb once again and assume that this is the same 21-year-old Joshua Geggatt who was arretsed in Beverly less than a week ago.

Beverly

Saturday

* Joshua Geggatt, 21, of 27 Harriman Road, Raymond, N.H., was arrested and charged with malicious destruction of property and threatening to commit a crime at 9:48 p.m. after police received a report of a fight at Federal and Chase streets.

...and throw away the key.

So, That's Where He Went

Dead horse washes ashore in woman's yard

I've been looking all over for him.

Quote of the Day

"...if nearly every single incumbent in Congress were to be defeated in November, I would quite possibly shed a single tear -- but only if I stumbled during my happy dance."

- Jay Tea, Wizbang

Gratuitous Rush Lyrics Post

Lakeside Park (1975)

Midway hawkers calling
Try your luck with me
Merry-go-round wheezing
The same old melody
A thousand ten cent wonders
Who could ask for more
A pocketful of silver
The key to heaven's door

Lakeside Park
Willows in the breeze
Lakeside Park
So many memories
Laughing rides
Midway lights
Shining stars on summer nights

Days of barefoot freedom
Racing with the waves
Nights of starlit secrets
Crackling driftwood flames
Drinking by the lighthouse
Smoking on the pier
Still we saw the magic
Fading every year

Everyone would gather
On the twenty fourth of May
Sitting in the sand
To watch the fireworks display
Dancing fires on the beach
Singing songs together
Though it's just a memory
Some memories last forever

From SongFacts.com:

The "Lakeside Park" is St. Catharine's, on Lake Ontario in Canada. Rush drummer and lyricist Neil Peart lived very near Lakeside Park and spent summers as a child working and playing there. This song details his memories, his time spent there, and of how it used to be before they changed it.

Gratuitous "Professor" pics here.

From the "Real Shocker" Files

Last week I wrote:

Rewarding those who have been in violation of the law the longest. Makes perfect sense to...um...someone, apparently. Be sure to bring your phony social security number with you, and forged work history documents showing you didn't just get here last month (and maybe a note from your Mom for good measure). You'll need all that "documentation" to "properly" fill out your paperwork.

Well, imagine the utter shock I felt this morning when I read this:

A clergyman and five others are accused of taking more than $200,000 from illegal immigrants in exchange for helping them gain amnesty by lying about when they entered the United States.

[snip]

According to prosecutors, defendant Emma Gerald cast herself as an immigration consultant and charged illegal immigrants as much as $1,100 per couple for help falsifying applications under a program in which applicants could obtain temporary legal residence if they lived in the United States unlawfully during a certain period and met other requirements.

Gee, didn't see that one coming...from a million fucking miles away.

Feinstein Sees the Light...Almost

Via the Associated Press:

WASHINGTON - The Senate rejected a California Democrat's plan to allow the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the country to remain, work and eventually become Americans, preserving a fragile bipartisan coalition needed to pass the bill.

[snip]

[Senator Dianne] Feinstein's amendment, defeated 61 to 37, would have supplanted the compromise that allows illegal immigrants here five years or more to stay and work six years and seek legal residency after paying back taxes and fines and showing they were learning English.

Those in the country two to five years under the compromise would have to go to a point of entry, exit and file an application to return as a guest worker. Those here less than two years must leave the country, but could apply from their native country to return as a guest worker and wait in line to get a visa.

"I have come to believe that the three-tiered system is unworkable, that it would create a bureaucratic nightmare and it would lead to substantial fraud," Feinstein said Tuesday.

So, according to Senator Feinstein, the illegal alien population of the United States of America is comprised of a "substantial" number of people predisposed to engaging in fraudulent activity.

Who knew?

Thud!

Give me a minute here to pick myself up off the floor.

Via cbs4Boston.com:

BREAKING NEWS

The Mass. House has voted down the primary seat belt law.

UPDATE: By a vote of 76-80, the bill is dead, for now.

There is still a chance that the bill could be revived. The House postponed a motion to reconsider today's vote until its next formal session.

Quote of the Day:

"Let's put this bill to rest with all the other myths and fairy tales," [Rep. James H. Fagan, D-Taunton] said.

Yeah, let's do that.

No Additional Commentary Required

This paragraph pretty much speaks for itself.

Furious over time she spent with her church and her son, Jeremias Bins admitted to police he bludgeoned his wife and stepson to death with a hammer Saturday while the woman was on the phone appealing to police for help.

Houston, We Have a Winner

From last Monday:

So, the mayor's big "Peace Weekend" in Boston has come to a soggy close, and with it, our Peace Weekend Contest. As of this morning, our total remains at four. Official results will likely be posted on Thursday after some of the local papers (Roslindale Transcript, Allston/Brighton TAB, etc.) update their police logs on-line. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, a tentative congratulations goes out to XeroSygnal, jack, and 2trips for their potential winning entries.

Well, I was unable to find any other reported shootings or stabbings in the City of Boston for the weekend in question. So, without further ado, congratulations to the winner of the mAss Backwards "Peace Weekend Contest", selected from the three winning entries received...

XeroSygnal

The CLIP Principle

What's the CLIP Principle, you ask. Read on.

From the Boston Globe:

Mass. GOP pushes immigration debate

Senate Republicans, echoing their national party's tough talk on immigration, are pushing for a debate on the Senate floor this week over whether Massachusetts needs to take a harder line against undocumented immigrants.

The six GOP senators are offering amendments to next year's state budget that would sharply increase penalties on employers that knowingly hire immigrants who are here illegally; require the attorney general to compile annual reports on companies that do so; have local housing authorities verify the immigration status of each applicant; and tie funding for the judiciary to a requirement that defendants' immigration status be confirmed at their arraignments.

How long (in minutes) before these six legislators are branded as uncaring, hate-filled racists?

A leading immigrant advocate said the Republican proposals wouldn't solve anything.

"Everybody is frustrated with our nation's broken immigration system ... [but] it's not a solution," said Ali Noorani, executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition. "The only outcome would be impacting immigrant families who are working hard to make Massachusetts a better place."

What a douche. Let's review:

A crackdown on employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens would help preserve these jobs for legal immigrants "who are working hard to make Massachusetts a better place", and who have come here legally, out of respect for the laws of the Commonwealth and the nation.

Yeah...can't have that.

Requiring local housing authorities to verify the immigration status of all applicant's looking for tax-payer subsidized housing will make it easier for legal immigrants to find affordable housing in the Commonwealth, at a time when the lack of such housing is being blamed for the state's continuing lack of population and economic growth.

Yeah...can't have that.

Lastly, we have the proposal to require the confirmation of defendants' immigration status at criminal arraignments.

Do I even have to comment on this one?

How the hell can Mr. Noorani argue that the only people being impacted by this amendment would be the "immigrant families who are working hard to make Massachusetts a better place". I mean, I realize carjacking and drug trafficking is "hard work", but aside from providing job security for police officers, prosecutors, and prison guards, I'm not quite clear as to how they're improving the quality of life in the Commonwealth. A little help on that one?

Why can't people like Mr. Noorani here at least have the decency to admit that there exist in our communities illegal immigrants who have no intentions, whatsoever, of living within the boundaries of the law?

God forbid we should ever dare to stand up to these individuals and hold them accountable for their actions.

Of course, this whole discussion is moot. These amendments have as much chance of passing in the People's Progressive Republic of Massachusetts as does a shall-issue concealed carry law. One needs only to apply the CLIP Principle (the Common-sense Law of Inverse Proportion), which states that the more heavily-laden with common sense a piece of pending legislation might be, the lesser its chances of making out of the State House alive.

Case in point: I can legally walk around my neighborhood with a duffle bag carrying 100 fully loaded, 10-round pistol magazines. But if I were to be caught inside my home with an EMPTY 12-round pistol magazine manufactured after some arbitrarily selected date, I would be in violation of the Commonwealth's "Common-sense" gun laws.

Apparently, that one empty magazine, capable of holding two additional rounds, would put me over the edge and transform me into a dangerous killing machine.

I need a drink.

Not Much Going On Here Today

We're taking Daughter B to Mass. Eye and Ear this morning for her "hospital adventure" - also known as a tonsillectomy.

Back in a bit.

Mild Clarification

Yesterdy I wrote:

I'm all for allowing people to come into our country to work, provided it's done on the up-and-up.

But, assuming these "guest workers" will be required to report their income to the government for the purposes of paying their "fair share" of taxes on said income, can we then assume that these workers will (theoretically) not be paid "under the table", and that their wages will be the same as those of an American citizen doing the same work?

Seems to me this will result in an increase to the operating costs of the produce farmers hiring the immigrants, which would then be passed on to the consumer.

Am I missing something here? Because the Open Borders Brigade has been trying to convince me for years that we need immigrant labor to keep the price of lettuce down.

Well, it turns out, the situation is not quite as dire as I had originally thought.

It's worse.

The Senate’s handiwork this week deserves far more attention than it has received, and if President Bush intends to contribute to the final product, his engagement is already overdue. Among the little-noticed provisions in the Senate bill is one that shatters [hereby nominated for Understatement of the Year: Verb Category - ed.] the economic rationale for millions of new unskilled, affordable foreign workers. When a bill depends on Democratic votes for passage, the unions are empowered to transform the business community’s demand for “cheap labor” into a guarantee that guest-workers will be among the most costly labor in the workforce.

The bill extends Davis-Bacon “prevailing wage” provisions—typically the area’s union wage that applies only to construction on federal projects under current law—to all occupations (e.g. roofers, carpenters, electricians, etc.) covered by Davis-Bacon. So guest-workers (but not citizen workers) must be paid Davis-Bacon wage rates for jobs in the private sector if their occupation is covered by Davis-Bacon. Presumably because Senate Democrats’ union bosses thought this provision too modest, an amendment by Senator Barack Obama, approved by voice vote, extended Davis-Bacon wages rates to all private work performed by guest workers, even if their occupations are not covered by Davis-Bacon.

Again, if I'm missing something here, can someone please explain to me how this can be portrayed as something intended to have a positive impact on our nation's economy?

And, then explain to me how the whole "jobs Americans won't do" talking point hasn't now officially been reduced to a dried-up streak of slug slime.

I'll give you 30 seconds. Otherwise, I'm applying the surefire "If It Looks, Smells, and Feels Like Bullshit Theory" here.

And packing the range bag.

(NRO link via Claire at SondraK.com)

I Blame Halliburton

Via Internet128.com:

The Boston Herald'’s Michele McPhee has a piece on Boston'’s police shortage. As Boston'’s police department has lost strength, violent crime has soared. In the mean time, the number of public school students in Boston dropped to 58,000 in 2005 from 63,000 in 1995, while the number of teachers increased from 4,300 to 5,200 over the same period, according to the Boston Globe.

And, because I'm always willing to help:

Open Letter to Boston Mayor Tom Menino

Dear Tom,

I hear you're in need of some money for the hiring of additional police officers. Allow me to assist.

It's quite simple really. All you need to do is put a rookie cop at every intersection on Washington Street where there's a "buses/right turn only" lane (e.g. Mass. Ave., Melnea Cass Blvd., E. Brookline St.), and have him or her do nothing all day but ticket drivers who go straight through the intersection from that lane.

During the morning commute alone, that one police officer will issue enough citations (at, say, $75 a pop) to pay the salaries of three full-time officers. They'd need write only nine tickets per eight-hour shift. I'm overwhelmingly confident in the ability of Boston's finest to hit that goal.

One cop generating the revenue for three. That's a net gain of twelve new cops on the beat, for just the three locations mentioned above. This initiative will have the added benefit of punishing those who sit there at the red light, preventing me from turning right onto Mass Ave. on my into work each morning.

Nail those fuckers! It's "for the children".

Your buddy,

~ Bruce

Beating el Caballo Muerto

From the AP wire:

Highlights from the Senate immigration bill

Quick, what's wrong with this sentence? Remember, this is the Associated Press we're talking about.

_Allows illegal immigrants who have been in the country five years or more to remain, continue working and eventually become legal permanent residents and citizens after paying fines, back taxes and learning English.

"Illegal immigrants"???

But, but, I thought they were merely "undocumented" workers. How dare the AP describe these poor, oppressed people as "illegal"! This is hate speech! Whatever happened to the more politically correct, warm n' fuzzy terminology the illegal alien sympathizers in the MSM (and the U.S. Congress) have grown to love so well?

Could it have anything to do with that fact that as "undocumented" immigrants, it would stand to reason that they do not have any legitimate "documentation" to "document" how long they've actually been in the country? Or how much they would theoretically owe the U.S. Government in back taxes? Nope, wouldn't want to draw attention to those pesky little details. Better go with "illegal immigrants" this time.

This provision, like so many others on this topic being bandied about, is simply laughable in its unfeasibility.

Let's continue...

_Requires illegal immigrants in the U.S. between two and five years to go to a point of entry at the border and file an application to return.

Rewarding those who have been in violation of the law the longest. Makes perfect sense to...um...someone, apparently. Be sure to bring your phony social security number with you, and forged work history documents showing you didn't just get here last month (and maybe a note from your Mom for good measure). You'll need all that "documentation" to "properly" fill out your paperwork.

_Requires those in the country less than two years to leave.

What? You mean, we can force illegal aliens to go back from whence they came after all? Or does this plan just entail asking them (pretty please with sugar on top) to return to their homelands of their own volition?

Raise your hand if you see this being enforced to any degree in the near (or distant) future.

_Illegal immigrants convicted of a felony or three misdemeanors would be deported no matter how long they have been in the U.S.

It's taken them until NOW to think about this? Also, this piss-poor attempt at placating the law-and-order types seems to give a pass to any and all criminal offenses committed prior to jumping the border.

As I said earlier this month:

Meanwhile, we have people in this country today calling for our government to grant citizenship to Juan from Mexico, who's carrying a five-dollar fake ID that says he's Julio from Honduras, and who's been working under a social security number that belongs to some guy named Steve from Minneapolis.

"But, it's OK. We'll run a criminal background check first, as called for by the plan put forth by the U.S. Senate."

Yeah, good luck with that.

Another potential sticking point:

_Creates a special guest worker program for an estimated 1.5 million immigrant farm workers, who could also earn legal permanent residency.

I'm all for allowing people to come into our country to work, provided it's done on the up-and-up.

But, assuming these "guest workers" will be required to report their income to the government for the purposes of paying their "fair share" of taxes on said income, can we then assume that these workers will (theoretically) not be paid "under the table", and that their wages will be the same as those of an American citizen doing the same work?

Seems to me this will result in an increase to the operating costs of the produce farmers hiring the immigrants, which would then be passed on to the consumer.

Am I missing something here? Because the Open Borders Brigade has been trying to convince me for years that we need immigrant labor to keep the price of lettuce down.

And, speaking of fraudulent documentation:

The Senate voted yesterday to allow illegal aliens to collect Social Security benefits based on past illegal employment -- even if the job was obtained through forged or stolen documents.

Paying illegal aliens social security benefits "earned" using bogus social security numbers - ain't that just fan-fucking-tabulous? Can someone please explain to me the wisdom being this? I must not be enlightened enough, 'cause I am just not seeing it.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta finish printing up my new concealed carry permit and machine gun license. Sure, they won't necessarily be as authentic as those issued by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, but they'll be close enough.

Senators Kerry and Kennedy will understand.

The Biggest Downside of Cable TV

Running the risk of being exposed to the worst movie of all-time.

Just...wow.

If It Saves Just ONE Life...

No word yet on whether or not New York Senator Chuck "It's For the Children" Schumer is planning on pursuing legal action against the swimming pool industry.

WASHINGTON --The number of children drowning in inflatable pools has increased as the pools have gotten bigger, according to safety officials who warn that inflatable pools pose the same dangers as other types.

Because inflatable pools have become larger, owners do not empty them every night, increasing the risk, explained Julie Vallese, Consumer Product Safety Commission spokeswoman. The pools -- ranging in size from small wading pools to 4-foot-deep 18-foot-wide above-ground pools -- appear to have grown more popular over the past several years, the commission says.

Seventeen children drowned in inflatable pools last year, the commission said. This is up from nine in 2004 and 10 in 2003. About 280 children under age 5 die in pools each year.

After all, no one NEEDS a swimming pool.

Show of Hands...

How many of you would pay two bucks (FREE SHIPPING) for this bumper sticker (8.5" x 2.75") if I were to have a bunch of them printed?


Or, should I go with a more specific message?

Examples:

DEPORT JOHN McCAIN
DEPORT TED KENNEDY
DEPORT PRESIDENTE BUSH

UPDATE: Option (B)

Quote of the Day Year

From the Boston Globe:

...[MA gubernatorial candidate, Deval] Patrick said that reducing the income tax rate could make Massachusetts a less attractive place to live.

No additional commentary required.

Open Letter

May 18, 2006

Dear Senator Schumer:

Stick it up your ass.

- Bruce

Jeff has the latest.

And from the "Oldies But Goodies" file:

Midday in the Garden of Peace

Alternate Post Title: Knannies of the Roundtable

Media Roundtable On Illegal Guns May 17 in Boston

Because, as we all know... guns cause crime.

Media representatives are invited to join a discussion of the problem of illegally trafficked handguns with a panel of experts from the media, law enforcement, and advocacy groups to focus on the question, "Where did the gun come from?" Since five out of six guns recovered in crime were bought illegally, it's vital to find ways to intercept the thriving illegal gun business.

Gee, I wonder if there will be anyone from the gun rights community present at this "roundtable" of "experts" to stand up for the 2nd Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens and balance out what I'm confidently predicting to be just another hand-holding, back-patting, gun control lovefest.

Where: Wednesday, May 17, the Garden of Peace, 100 Cambridge Street, Boston, Noon to 1 PM.

Where else? From Celebrate Boston, on the Garden of Peace:

"Each stone honors the memory of a victim and represents huge sorrow and great personal tragedy. Victims include babies, children, parents, siblings, a president, and a senator. Represented are victims of terrorists, guns, knives, and spouses."

Bad knife!

Details: Journalists can be effective allies in the fight against illegal gun trafficking by following the gun -- tracking crime guns to their source whenever they cover a shooting. Experts will be available who can provide local, regional and national perspectives.

OK, so who are these "experts"?

Who: Joe Vince, president Crime Gun Solutions and former chief crime gun analyst with federal Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms bureau;

Meet the "Senior Executive Consultant" for Crime Gun Solutions, Robert Ricker (I thought that name sounded awfully familiar).

OK, that's one anti-gun rights seat at the roundtable.

Cathie Whittenburg, Executive Director Maine Citizens Against Handgun Violence;

That's two.

Bryan Miller, Executive Director Ceasefire New Jersey;

That's three.

Pastor Bruce Wall, Global Ministries Christian Church;

Ah, yes, Pastor Bruce Wall of Silence.

"Dorchester peace activist the Rev. Bruce Wall - who has repeatedly decried violence in the city - yesterday interrupted a police interview yesterday and told a possible witness in a triple shooting case he should stop talking."

With friends like this...

Dr.Selwyn Rogers, Director of Surgery Center for Public Health, Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Gee, I wonder where she and her organization stand on the issue of private gun ownership. Why am I seeing the phrase "43 times more likely" coming into play here?

Invited guests include: the Honorable Mayor Thomas Menino;

No commentary required.

David Hemenway, Professor of Health Policy, Harvard School of Public Health,

That would be noted gun-grabber David "Citizens Who Refuse To Be Helpless Victims Cause Crime" Hemenway, for those of you keeping score at home.

and representatives from the Boston Police Department and the media.

I wonder if Kathleen "I'm So Outta Here" O'Toole or Sergeant Detective Ray "I Don't Know Crap About Ammunition" Mosher from the BPD Licensing Office will be attending.

The roundtable will be preceded by a press conference at 11 a.m. EDT as part of a nationwide series to kick-off a national Illegal Guns Campaign. Massachusetts activists will unveil a local counterpart: a statewide coalition, M.A.T.H., dedicated to thwarting the flow of illegal guns from within the state and from surrounding states with weaker gun laws.

Wow! Now, they're getting serious. No more "task forces", "committees", or "councils" - they're forming a "coalition"! They're done dicking around here!

Contacts: Nancy Robinson, president Massachusetts Million Mom March Chapters mmmarchers@comcast.net or 617-233-5363 or Sally Slovinsky, regional coordinator, New England Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence, sally@markkarlin.com or 617-923-6450

Nope, no pre-determined outcome expected fom this little pow-wow.

I can't wait to read the Boston Globe's "reporting" on this event. They're gonna lap this shit up.

Good Article, Bad Headline

From OpinionJournal.com (cross posted at NoShitSherlock.duh):

'Live Free or Move'

More on that later.

Voters will elect governors in 36 states this year. And as they decide who to send to the governor's mansion, they will also be shaping the economic future of their state. On taxes, the gubernatorial candidates fall into one of two camps. Either they believe that the best way to close a budget gap is to raise taxes. Or, like Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush have done from the Oval Office, they believe in raising revenue by growing the state's economy with tax cuts.

Now new data is out and it shows that the states that embraced supply-side tax cuts are not only financially more sound and enjoy stronger economies, but they are draining residents away from the states that opted for high taxes. The Pacific Research Institute has crunched the tax numbers in all 50 states and published the "U.S. Economic Freedom Index" ranking all states according to how friendly or unfriendly their policies were toward free enterprise and consumer choice in 2004--the most recent year that comparative data is available for each state. It's clear that the economic policies of 2004 determined where each state fell in the rankings, and shaped 2005 economic performance.

Shocking, I know.

In 2005, per capita personal income grew 31% faster in the 15 most economically free states than it did in the 15 states at the bottom of the list. And employment growth was a staggering 216% higher in the most free states. It hasn't been a "jobless recovery" in states that have adopted pro-growth tax and regulatory policies.

Though typically tax cuts are opposed with the argument that slashing rates will force state revenue to fall, new data from the Nelson Rockefeller Institute shatters the myth that budget deficits are caused by supply-side policies. In 2005, the 15 states with the most economic freedom saw their general fund tax revenues grow at a rate more than 6% higher than the 15 least free states, despite their lower effective tax rate. Instead of blowing a hole in state budgets, lower tax rates rewarded productivity and risk-taking and allowed the economy to grow. As the economy expanded it also generated more revenue for the state Treasury as capital and people flowed in. Census data shows an astounding 245% difference in net state-to-state migration rates in 2005 between the freest states (net inflow) and least-free states (net outflow).

As they say - read the whole thing.

"Live Free or Move" is fast becoming the national motto.

OK, back to that crappy headline now. It's all wrong. If you're already "living free", why would you want to move, or need any incentive to do so? Who would choose to live less free?

"Live Free. Move." would be a little better.

Hey, how about "Live Free or Here"? That's pretty snappy-sounding. Someone should market that.

(click to purchase)

(link via bostonshepherd, posting at Blue Mass. Group)

Wow!

This 'Gansett is powerful stuff. I could have sworn I saw the sun shining in the blue sky overhead a few minutes ago.

I gotta quit drinkin'.

This Just In! Gun Laws Not Working All That Well

Brockton cops worry about guns on the street

Brockton police seize, on average, one gun a week in the city and field dozens of calls reporting possible gunshots monthly.

"There are a lot of guns out there," Police Chief William Conlon said. "It is very easy to get them, unfortunately."

Who knew? Why, it's almost as if the laws of supply and demand, when combined with our criminal population's flagrant disrespect for the laws of the Commonwealth, have rendered our "common sense" gun laws impotent, when it comes to disarming those not inclined to obey the law.

Again...who knew?

How guns wind up in the hands of criminals can vary, he said.

"Sometimes they trade firearms for drugs...

An illegal activity.

...sometimes they go out of state, where the state is pretty lax on the rules.

Also, an illegal activity, as well as a blatantly ignorant misrepresentation of reality on the chief's part. Seems he's been reading too many press releases coming out of the corner office in Boston City Hall.

Sometimes the guns are stolen in house breaks," Conlon said.

Yes, kids, that too is (repeat after me) an illegal activity.

Lt. John Crowley, chief of the detective division, said the suspects caught with guns often have long criminal records and are carrying weapons illegally.

Stunning.

If anyone today honestly believes that the phrase "most effective" in "the most effective gun laws in the nation" refers to anything other than the effectiveness at preventing and discouraging law-abiding citizens from owning and carrying firearms for lawful purposes, then I have a watertight tunnel in downtown Boston to sell them on the cheap (only $18 billion).

Armed Robbery On the Rise in Boston

Who'd have thunk?

Boston Police go undercover to bust a 17-year-old, BB gun-toting thug wanna-be, suspected in multiple armed robberies of fast food delivery workers. The scumbag in question is likely connected to 11 such robberies in the area in recent months.

The owner of the pizzeria, noting the address as the same spot where two other robberies had taken place, alerted cops at Area C-11 to the phone order.

The residents of the address - who had nothing to do with the robberies and were not even home - did not answer, but the teen suspect ran out from the side of the house toting a BB gun that looked just like a Smith & Wesson .45-caliber handgun.

The teen got close enough to point the weapon square at the plainclothes cop's head, and Canuto dropped the food on the ground along with a small roll of cash, to throw his hands in the air, knowing backup was close by.

Boston Police Department: To serve, protect, and to make sure scumbags like this guy don't threaten the safety and well-being of the good people of Boston ... for a twelfth time.

Skipping ahead now to the very last paragraph of the article:

Fast-food delivery workers are easy targets for criminals. This year, 34 have been robbed citywide, according to BPD statistics. The number of armed robberies shot up this year, with 730 victims from Jan. 1 to April 20, up from 692 during the same period in 2005.

Thus, the Menino Victim Disarmament Plan thunders on. Though, I gotta say, it seems it's considerably more than just the "easy target" pizza guys being targeted here.

730 armed robberies in 110 days, and only 34 of those victims (4.7%) were fast food delivery workers? You do the math.

Well, OK, so I did the math. Scratch that.

You draw your own conclusion.

The President's Immigration Speech

In one word or less: WOLVERINES!!!

Submit your one-word reviews here. ↓

24 - The Morning After

Episode 22 - 4:00 AM to 5:00 AM

Bruce's Five-Point Review

1. OK, Martha's kill count over the last couple of hours has passed Jack's. WTF? Next week's two-hour finale had better deliver the goods where the Bauer Bodycount is concerned.

2. Jack's got Miles' by the neck in a G.I. Joe Kung-Fu Grip^TM, and he just lets him saunter off to Washington to pursue his new-found career as Logan's lapdog? WTF? Next week's two-hour finale had better deliver the goods where kicking Miles' scrawny ass is concerned.

3. Gee...Bierko escaped. I'm shocked. Here's an idea - when you have a high-priority prisoner in custody and you're balls deep in a national crisis of epic proportion - LEAVE HIM THE FUCK ALONE, and don't transfer him for no apparent fucking reason at 3:45 in the morning! WTF? Next week's two-hour finale had better deliver the goods where CTU's implementation (or lack thereof) of Anti-Terror Protocols 101 is concerned.

4. So, Aaron says he's gotta lay low for a while. Why do I have the feeling he won't be laying low for too much more than, say, one hour and 42 minutes? That leaves approximately 18 minutes (minus commercial breaks) for some serious ass kickage. And speaking of ass, next week's two-hour finale had better deliver the goods where Aaron and Martha getting it on is concerned.

5. Note to the writers: Just have them blow up the damn submarine during the opening credits, and be done with it. Use the remaining time to take care of the important stuff, specifically, the above-mentioned ass-kickings and the boot-knocking.

Thank you.

UPDATE: Speaking of delivering "the goods", Jack, when this crisis is over...


...PLEASE do the right thing.

Preliminary Results

So, the mayor's big "Peace Weekend" in Boston has come to a soggy close, and with it, our Peace Weekend Contest. As of this morning, our total remains at four. Official results will likely be posted on Thursday after some of the local papers (Roslindale Transcript, Allston/Brighton TAB, etc.) update their police logs on-line. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, a tentative congratulations goes out to XeroSygnal, jack, and 2trips for their potential winning entries.

Hope Mom Likes Her New Hipwaders

Just So We're Clear

Getting smacked around with the butt end of a shotgun, as the victim of an armed home invasion, doesn't count.

UPDATE: This one does, however. Five more entries eliminated.

This morning about 2:36am officers in District 4 responded to a radio call for a person shot at 400 Tremont Street. On arrival officers spoke with the victim’s who stated that they were walking home from the movies when they noticed the suspect following them. The victims stated they observed the suspect pulling something out from his waist area, at that time the suspect began shooting at them. One person sustained a gun shot wound to his upper leg and was transported to Boston Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.

Updated scorecard here.

The Work Of A Higher Being?

Plane carrying Kennedy hit by lightning

BOSTON - A plane carrying U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy from western Massachusetts to his home on the coast was struck by lightning Saturday and had to be diverted to New Haven, Conn., his spokeswoman said.

The eight-seat Cessna Citation 550 plane lost all electrical power, including communications, and the pilot had to fly the plane manually, according to spokeswoman Melissa Wagoner. No one was hurt.

Upon determining the senator's plane had lost all communications capabilities, law enforcement officials immediately issued a Michelob Amber Alert.

Cutting Back

How will he ever survive?

Schwarzenegger once owned a fleet of Hummers but now has just three.

Poor guy.

Game. Set. Match. Ouch.

Kevin Baker takes a so-called college professor out to the woodshed.

Money quote:

I'm experiencing deja moo - I've heard this bullshit before.

Enjoy.

Someone Didn't Get the Memo

I'm shocked, SHOCKED, I tell you, that something like this would happen during Mayor Menino's "Peace Weekend". Didn't they read the papers?

From boston.com:

BREAKING NEWS: Boston police say three people were shot at 776 Washington Street in Dorchester this evening and all three have been taken to Boston Medical Center with what are considered life-threatening injuries, according to the Associated Press. --Developing

Seeing as two of the cruisers responding to this shooting flew past me on Washington St. around 5:20 or so this evening, I'm assuming this shooting happened after 3:00 PM, the kick-off of "Peace Weekend", as defined by the rules of the contest.

Eight optimistic entries eliminated.

Contest Time - Weekend Edition

NOTE: This post to stay at top of page until 3:00 Friday. Scroll down for newly-posted content. Thank you. - Management

This one's easy. All you have to do is hold hands and sing Cat Stevens songs guess the number of shootings and stabbings (combined) to occur on the streets of Boston during the upcoming Peace Weekend.

City and state officials announced this morning that this weekend will be the first annual Peace Weekend in Boston, an event designed to encourage youth and adults to sit down to solve the city's rising crime problems.

Get your entry in now! Deadline is 3:00 PM today.

RULES:

* Post your entry in the comments - one entry per person, please.
* Winner will be drawn at random from all entries received giving the correct number.
* Individuals being stabbed or shot multiple times will count as one (1) incident.
* Three guys getting shot or stabbed any number of times will count as three (3) incidents.
* For purposes of this contest, the weekend will begin Friday afternoon at 3:00 and end on Sunday at 12:00 midnight.
* I will review all the local news reports and police logs throughout the "Peace Weekend", and in the days following, to determine the winning number.
* Incidents of bludgeoning, kicking, spitting, whipping, punching, and slapping like A-Rod will not count toward the official total.
* All decisions of the judges (me) are final.

Winner will receive one (1) genuine, mAss Backwards exclusive, "Massachusetts: Live Free or Die Here" bumper sticker.

(click to purchase)

UPDATE: Welcome Michael Graham listeners. Pull up a chair, have a look around, and I'll try to scare us up a couple Narragansetts.

Cribbage?

UPDATE: As Weebs pointed out in the comments, it appears the weather might prove to be quite helpful in keeping the local scumbag population indoors this weekend. From boston.com's weather page:



UPDATE: For those of you keeping score at home - the official "Peace Weekend" Contest scorecard.

To the Boston City Council:

Well-regulate this!

Tacoma police were looking Wednesday for the driver of a late-model black Jaguar who attacked Tacoma City Councilman Rick Talbert in the parking lot of a downtown dry cleaner.

Talbert, 40, said he was hit in the face and back and pushed into his pickup during the altercation shortly before noon Tuesday.

The attacker threatened to kill Talbert and was reaching behind his back as if for a gun when an armed clerk came out of the cleaners and ordered the man to back off, Talbert said.

"...being necessary to the security of a free state..."

(link via Alphecca)

The Broke..Broke...Broken Record Plays On

Let's play Count the Talking Mumbling Points.

Stunned by violence between gangs of young girls, Mayor Thomas M. Menino is ordering new steps to stop the bloodletting, including the addition of female police detectives to a special unit.

"We need to stop it before it reaches an epidemic level," said Menino, who also told the Herald he has just created a task force to deal with the crisis. "It'’s an issue that I am very concerned about."

Everything's going to be OK, folks. The mayor's created a "task force".

Again.

And I thought I felt safer knowing that our Attorney General (and would-be governor) Tom "I Know What's Best For You Filthy Commoners, Now Shut Up!" Reilly is working tirelessly to prevent me from going on-line to buy a gun that shoots plastic pellets.

But, a "task force"? Wow! The people of Mattapan will sleeping soundly tonight, for sure.

One question for you, Mr. Mayor. Will this latest "task force" supplement or replace the Strategic Crime "Council" you created just a few months ago (which, presumably, either supplemented of replaced the "task force" you had in place beforehand)?

One more quote for you from the Boston Herald story, brought to you this morning by the "It's All About the Guns" Department:

On Monday night, a group of teens "“known as the '‘Copeland Girls' "” surrounded the house of a 14-year-old girl, armed with a two-by-four, a knife and a brick "to instigate a fight," according to a BPD report.

Looks like Tom Reilly should add Home Depot to his "Merchants of Death" roster.

The Man Who Would Be Governor (cont.)

From Channel 4 - Boston:

Sting: Retailers Selling Illegal BB Guns To Minors

A sting operation by the Attorney General's office found six Internet retailers and one local store owner illegally sold "look-alike" air rifles and BB guns to minors.

Note, the guns aren't "illegal", per se. It's just "illegal", per Massachusetts state law, for minors to purchase them. Granted, making all guns "illegal" is Reilly's long-term goal/wet dream here, but it's simply not an accurate description of what's going on here - a misleading headline, at best.

"These are not toys, these are very dangerous, dangerous weapons," Reilly said in a morning press conference at the Marlboro Police Department.

Ooooh...dangerous times two.

"Airsoft BB guns - now, with twice the danger!"

Of course, as if I need to remind anyone, Reilly considers a $5 plastic slingshot to be a "dangerous weapon". News flash for you, Tom. I could jab a pencil in someone's eye, and guess what! That pencil then becomes a "dangerous, dangerous weapon"!

Shouldn't you be working toward getting some kind of pencil ban in place around here? You know...FOR THE CHILDREN!^TM

The guns, commonly called "airsoft" guns, are high powered, often semi- or fully automatic, and fire plastic or metal pellets that can cause serious harm.

When dealing with idiots like this, what isn't? A .223-caliber rifle is "high powered", according to this knucklehead. But then again, so is a 9mm Uzi. Essentially, for those of you keeping score at home, if it fires a projectile of any size or weight, at any given velocity, it's a "high powered" weapon and must be banned.

Got it?

They pose an additional safety risk because they are designed to look and feel exactly like real guns. Many air rifles and BB guns bear brand names, model numbers and logos.

Damn it, if only they wouldn't have those violent numbers and words etched on the sides of them...

"Distribution and sales to minors, under these circumstances over the internet, is illegal under Massachusetts state law," said Reilly.

Wait, don't put away your Tom Reilly scorecards yet, kids. Gotta make sure you have "No BB guns for kids" listed in the "Will Enforce THESE Laws" column, right under "No cranberry sauce sales on Thanksgiving".

Here's the kicker...

The Attorney General told CBS4's Dan Rea, he wants to go one step further, "Should there be a national policy that prevents the distribution of these weapons over the internet? Yes there should be."

Heaven forbid we should allow adults to freely purchase legal-to-own items without being required to get this doucheknob's stamp of approval first.

I feel so much safer now, knowing he's looking out for me.

No official word on whether Reilly wants to ban the nationwide internet sales of "Wild Thing" chainsaws, "Typhoon" meat cleavers, or "Lazer Destroyer" cricket bats.

For crying out loud, Amazon.com's a veritable marketplace of death! BAN AMAZON NOW!

Where's the Consumer Protection Advisory warning the good people of Massachusetts about the imminent peril posed by this Merchant of Mass Destruction?

What an ass.

Quote of the Day

Courtesy of John Derbyshire at The Corner (NRO).

We are on the last page of Animal Farm here; I can no longer tell the men from the pigs.

Background here and here.

I'm with Kim. Got ?

This'll Get 'Em Going

I wonder if (enter your "favorite" gun-grabbing politician here) will see this month's issue of Guns & Ammo at his local 7-11 anytime soon.


That cover alone should be good for getting at least five or six new gun control laws onto the floor of the Massachusetts House and Senate next session.

Pop Quiz

Yankees suck __________

(A) moosecock.
(B) donkeydick.
(C) eggs.
(D) .

Box score: Red Sox bomb the Yanks, 14-3, in the Bronx.

It Sounds Like Angels Singing

Great story this morning out of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Definitely one of the more quoteworthy stories as of late. I love the "running with scissors" line.

Store manager corners robber with scissors

The manager of a Christian bookstore chased a would-be robber with a pair of scissors and cornered him until authorities arrived, Murfreesboro police said.

Tim Davis was working alone Saturday afternoon at his family-owned Salt and Pepper Christian Store when a robber showed him a note demanding money and claiming he had a gun hidden under a folded newspaper, according to police reports.

Davis said Monday he didn't believe the robber had a gun because the newspaper was too thin.

"I am a peaceful man, but I am not passive," Davis said. "I work way too hard for someone to take it from me."

Instead of handing over the cash that was in the register, Davis said, "I don't think so," and grabbed a pair of scissors from under the counter.

[snip]

The robber, who remains unidentified because he is a suspect in other robberies, fled the store with Davis hot on his heels, scissors still in hand.

"The only thing I did wrong was run with a pair of scissors," Davis said.

[snip]

Davis said that he was relieved to hear the sounds of the police officers' guns being drawn on the robber as he held the man at bay.

"Click, click, it sounds like angels singing," he said.

Good stuff.

Dan Wasserman Almost Nails It

As if Mumbles ever wrote his own press release.

Going, Going, Gone!

It's official - Boston Police Commissioner Kathleen O'Toole is calling it quits.

Boston Police Commissioner Kathleen M. O'Toole is expected to announce this afternoon that she will step down to take a job with the national police force in Ireland, according to two city officials familiar with her intentions.

O'Toole met privately with Mayor Thomas M. Menino earlier today and the two have scheduled a press conference to reveal her intentions at 4:30 p.m.

The announcement finally will put to rest rampant speculation about her future amidst a crime wave that left seven people dead in as many days last week and nearly doubled the number of shootings in the city compared to the same period last year.

When the going gets tough...

Menino, who said earlier today that he would not try to persuade her to stay if she resigned, said O'Toole has "done a good job" for the city.

A "good job" at what, exactly? Let's review.

Flashback - December 30, 2004:

Enlisting neighborhood crime fighters in the war against terror and turning the tide on a homicide wave will have Police Commissioner Kathleen O'Toole's undivided attention in the coming year.

That would be the "coming year" of 2005 that saw the homicide rate in Boston reach a ten-year high. Way to turn that tide!

Flashback - January 18, 2005:

Boston cops have started two new programs to stem the violence that left 66 people dead last year - the highest murder rate in a decade, police Commissioner Kathleen O'Toole told the Herald yesterday.

[snip]

So far, the results have been promising, O'Toole noted. The city is 18 days into the new year without a single homicide victim.

Yeah, but those new programs probably only had three or four steps to 'em. Everyone knows you need at least five.

O'Toole said she is "keeping her fingers crossed," the calm continues.

Ah, yes, the "fingers crossed" approach to crime-fighting. It's a fine accompaniment to the "cower and pray" method of self-defense, practiced by the law-abiding residents of Boston.

And we all saw for how long that technique paid dividends...

Flashback - February 3, 2005:

After more than a month in hibernation from the lethal blood-letting that scarred 2004, one man was murdered, a teenager shot and two people viciously stabbed during a two-hour rude awakening for Boston yesterday morning.

Drats! And, I thought she was onto something there, too. Can we uncross our fingers now, Kathleen?

So, what has she done in the last two years to warrant such praise from her boss, Mayor Menino? Well, more recently, she did come up with this cutting-edge crime-fighting strategy a few months ago.

Flashback December 2, 2005:

Police Commissioner Kathleen M. O'Toole said she is ordering officers in the next several days to sweep every neighborhood in the city and arrest people with outstanding warrants.

Arresting people with outstanding warrants? What will they think of next? One can only hope that her successor is capable of such outside-the-box thinking as that.

And, then there's this, my favorite Kathy O'Toole news item from the last two years. In the aftermath of a shooting in Boston, where a 16-year-old was arrested for possessing and firing a high-capacity, semiautomatic handgun in a park near his house, our fearless (and soon-to-be former) police commissioner had this to say...

Flashback August 6, 2004:

In the past couple of days, the two have met repeatedly to discuss ways of limiting the number of guns on the street, O'Toole said, adding that officials are also considering ways to tighten gun laws in Massachusetts, specifically concerning where guns may be carried -- such as parks.

Yep, gotta plug up that "It's perfectly legal for 16-year-old punks to possess, carry, and discharge high-capacity semiautomatic handguns in the city's parks" loophole.

Perhaps the "good job" Menino was referring to was the "good job" she's done presiding over the massive overtime scam being perpetrated by her department's homicide detectives - the ones who have "earned" the reputation of the worst homicide squad in America.

I hope "Luck of the Irish" is more than just a cute saying.

They're gonna need it.

24 - The Morning After

Hey...it's still "morning" somewhere in the world.

Episode 21: 3:00 AM to 4:00 AM

Bruce's Readers' Five-Point Review

Let's have 'em. Leave your reviews in the comments, and I'll post them here as they come in.

1. -1 kills for the week. (Heller) They really shouldn't put up that "graphic violence" warning if Bauer isn't going to be going medieval on anyone. - by AughtSix

2. Not one of the better episodes, really predictable (you mean they haven't made a copy yet, gee... I hope nothing happens to the only piece of evidence we have implicating the president.) But over on blogs4bauer, someone left a comment on Heller's surviving the crash: "Oh, and suprising no one not named Kennedy, Heller's alive." - by AughtSix

3. Jack gains possession of the most important piece of bloodstained evidence in the fictional history of US. So what does he do? He gives it to Chloe so that she can work on it alone.

Predictable? If 'Vegas had a line on what was going to happen, I'd be jetting off the South Pacific right now. - by Ardee

4.

5.

Yaaaaawn...

From the Standing Headline Department of the Boston Globe:

Police move to quell violence

Boston police began saturating Cape Verdean neighborhoods with extra patrols last night and will install surveillance cameras, as police and city officials work to prevent further bloodshed.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino ordered the moves yesterday, saying that he is worried about reprisals after seven people have been found killed in the last week, including two men gunned down in Cape Verdean neighborhoods known for retaliatory violence.

"One homicide is too many, but seven in seven days? I'm very concerned," Menino said.

I've often said that Mayor Menino's press people have the easiest jobs in the world. Add to that list the job of a Boston Globe crime reporter.

This article, highlighting this most recent example of Menino's ineffective, reactionary "crime-fighting" strategy, could have been cut-n-pasted from one written last month, last year, or five years ago, and no one would have noticed.

"Police to beef up patrols in high-crime neighborhoods, Mayor outraged/concerned."

Stop me if you've heard that one before.

Anonymity Denied...Again

Remember this one from a few months back?

Nice Try, Anthony Christina Whoever

That post was about this post, written in support of auto insurance reform, which was commented on by a couple "concerned citizens" named Anthony and Christina.

A quick check on the IP address from whence their comments were posted revealed they came from a PR/lobbying firm with close ties to Attorney General Tom "Love that status quo!" Reilly and the handful of car insurance companies willing to play along in order to do business in the Bay State.

Well, this time it's one of Reilly's campaign volunteers putting his severe lack of knowledge as to how this whole "internets" thing works on display for all to see.

David at Blue Mass. Group has the scoop.

Anonymous anti-Patrick comment at BMG originated at Reilly HQ

Another Population Decline On the Horizon?

Could it be that the criminal population of the Massachusetts General Court might actually see a decrease next year? Now, that would be a welcome development.

BOSTON --Sen. Dianne Wilkerson, D-Boston, has fallen 37 signatures short of the number needed to guarantee a spot on the Democratic primary ballot, Boston election officials said Monday.

By law, a candidate for state senate must submit at least 300 certified signatures from within the district. Election officials said that while Wilkerson submitted 491 signatures, only 263 were eligible for certification, leaving her 37 signatures short.

Nelson?

She has until 5 p.m. on May 25 to play the race card contest the ruling.

In five, four, three...

Wilkerson, 51, had no Democratic challenger, but she does have a Republican opponent, newcomer Samiyah Diaz.

Diaz doesn't fit the stereotype of a Massachusetts Republican. She...

That whooshing sound you just heard was the gender card flying out the window,

...is black...

along with the race card,

...and Hispanic...

the ethnicity card,

...a single mother...

the class warfare card,

...and a Muslim.

and the religion card.

She's virtually untouchable. What's the Wilkerson camp to do? Suggest to their candidate that she run on her record? Surely, you jest.

What option do they have, though? To mount any kind of attack against Ms. Diaz here would fly in the face of the celebration of diversity, which - as we've been led to believe by Ms. Wilkerson and her ilk - is paramount to our very survival as a species.

She is also a law student at New England School of Law, and lives across the street from Wilkerson's house in the city's South End neighborhood.

Yeah, but is she a convicted tax cheat? Has she ever been accused of misappropriation of campaign funds? Does she have ANY criminal record at all? Just who does she think she is?

Does she think it's easy to get re-elected year after year, while simultaneously defrauding both the state government and the voters in one's district?

Multitasking of that magnitude, my friends, takes a "special" kind of candidate, and based on her background, it doesn't appear that Ms. Diaz is up to the task.

And I thought the current round of Big Dig scandals was going to be entertaining to watch.

Pass the popcorn.