Mumbles: Get Me Ed Davis, Pronto!

CNN: Cops pay 3 a.m. visit to tell man his door is unlocked

LAKEVILLE, Minnesota (AP) -- A Lakeville man says he feels violated after two police officers woke him up at 3 a.m. to tell him his door was unlocked.

Their surprise visit was part of a public service campaign to remind residents to secure their homes to prevent thefts. Usually, officers just leave notices on doors.

But they went further in Troy Molde's case on Thursday. Police entered the house where four children under 7 were having a sleepover, and then went upstairs to Molde's bedroom.

[...]

A police spokesman says the intrusion was justified because the officers' initial door knocks went unanswered, and they wanted to make sure nothing was wrong.

Of course, had Mr. Molde chosen to protect himself and the children in his care by shooting and killing these intruders who came into his home, unannounced, in the middle of the night, do you think this same spokesman would be calling his actions "justified"?

Yeah, me neither.

Lastly, can you say "slippery slope"?

I'm seeing all kinds of light bulbs going on over people's heads in Mumbles' office and BPD headquarters come Monday morning. If they can't get the peasantry to consent to unlawful searches of their homes, they can start training cops to look for "suspicious" dwellings to search, instead.

BPD Internal Memorandum
Date: June 23, 2008
Subject: Operation Suspicious Dwelling

Effective immediately, the following conditions will be presumed to be indicative of "suspicious" residences, in which officers will be permitted to conduct unannounced and unwarranted searches.

1. Misaligned welcome mats.
2. Curtains drawn closed during the daytime.
3. Children's toys in the front yard that haven't been moved for at least two days.
4. Grass taller than 6" in the front yard.
5. Out of place holiday decorations or Christmas lights left up past January 31.
6. Screen doors cracked open or with torn screens
7. Excessive litter near the front steps.
8. Loud music.
9. Excessive silence.
10. __________________ (Officers are invited to add their own items to the list prior to kicking in the front door of any residence that fails to meet any of the above criteria).

Speaking of Incorrigible Scumbags...

Bribery: It's not just for disgraced Massachusetts State Senators anymore.

FBI arrests City Councilor Chuck Turner

The FBI arrested Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner this morning on charges he accepted a $1,000 bribe and then lied about taking the money in a widening federal corruption inquiry.

A 12-page affidavit filed this morning in US District Court alleges that Turner was surreptitiously videotaped accepting the cash in his district office on Aug. 3, 2007, in exchange for pushing for a liquor license of the Roxbury nightclub Dejavu. Included with the affidavit are two photographs of Turner allegedly accepting the bribe. In one image, Turner's trademark white goatee is clearly visible as folded green bills are pressed into his hand.

I don't understand, he was always such a pillar of integrity!

Pornogate, anyone?

And, in typical Mumbles fashion, Boston Mayor Tom Mumbles Menino (gasp! surprise! shock! horror!, outrage!) passes the buck.

Asked whether Turner should resign, Menino said, “That’s somebody else’s decision, not my decision.”

Courage.

Leadership.

Spinal fortitude.

Not.

Let me help you out, Tom. The answer is "HELL YES!". How hard is that?

First, Wilkerson, now Turner. This can only mean one thing.

Ensuing cries and accusations of racist witch hunts in 10...9...8...

UPDATE: 7...6...5...4...3...2...1...lift-off.

Prominent members of Boston’s black community decried the arrest of a second top black politician in the span of two months, saying the scandals have rubbed the city’s deep racial scars raw.

The Rev. Ray Hammond, a well-known minister who called for Sen. Dianne Wilkerson to step down after her arrest, said some residents have questioned why the bribery sting has only ensnared blacks - Wilkerson and now Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner.

“As there appears to be an effort to root this out, people are wondering ‘Why is it only black officials that have been targeted,’ ” asked Hammond, who serves at the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Jamaica Plain. “I’m not willing to say this is inherently racial, but given our history as a nation, people of color tend to be a little suspicious.”

Nope. Couldn't see that coming.

The Valley of the Shadow of Mumbles

Here's a classic bit of Mumblespeak for you.

From the Boston Globe:

5 shot, 1 fatally, at teen party

An 18-year-old man was killed and four teenagers were wounded in a shooting at a two-family home in Dorchester early yesterday, bringing to a violent end a raucous three-day party in the house that had attracted hundreds of young people.

Police identified the dead man as Jonathan Jacques of Dorchester. Officers and neighbors said Jacques left the party on Milton Avenue and was shot in the back two doors down from where about 100 teenagers had spilled onto the street just after 3 a.m. yesterday. He was taken to Boston Medical Center, where he died -- the 68th homicide victim in the city this year.

[snip]

Neighbors said the partying, which began Wednesday and eased on Thanksgiving Day, featured loud reggae music and clogged the streets with vehicles that appeared to come from as far away as Worcester. Neighbors said the party was advertised on the Internet, and the hosts, whom police have yet to identify, charged an entry fee of $5 for male teens and $2 for the females.

[snip]

At least two groups of people appeared to live in the house, said Mayor Thomas M. Menino , who visited the block near Codman Square to assure residents the city would find out who was responsible for the party and the shooting.

Gee, let me guess how that went.

"I'm concerned about how the party started," said Menino, who talked with several families on the block of spacious, Queen Anne-style homes.

How the party "started"? Excuse me???

How about expressing a shred of concern about how this party was allowed to go on, unchecked, for three fucking days? It's not like it was a low-key affair, by any means.

"Where is the responsibility on the part of those families to understand where those children are?"

Mumbles sure likes talking about "responsibility", but the fact of the matter is, if these had been a couple of 19-year-old BU girls singing "Sweet Caroline" at 12:30 in the morning, spilling Bud Light from red plastic cups over the balcony of a triple-decker in Allston, he'd have the SWAT team down there in ten minutes, hauling the "lawless youth" away in handcuffs.

But, hundreds of teenagers in Dorchester, on a three-day binge, blasting loud music and blocking the streets with their cars, well into the early-morning?

That's just kids being kids, I guess.

Making Progress - Technically Speaking

mAss Backwards - 2/21/06:

Are you a law-abiding citizen who wants to own a gun in Massachusetts?

You're looking at a 100 percent chance of having pages of personal information carefully scrutinized and dutifully entered into the state's Criminal History Systems Board database (name, address, phone number, date and place of birth, mother's maiden name, father's name, citizenship status, employment status, height, weight, eye and hair color, etc.).

Are you a criminal who has committed a violent crime in Massachusetts and is looking to leave the state to start a new life of thuggery?

You're in luck, my friend! The odds of having all this personal information - along with information pertaining to your criminal record - entered into the state's computer systems have now dropped to less than 5 percent!

New Hampshire Union Leader - 11/12/06:

NH says Mass. putting police in danger

The lax approach Massachusetts takes to entering its violent felony and serious offender warrants into the FBI's national computerized database endangers New Hampshire police officers who encounter these fugitives on the streets with no way of knowing their background.

New Hampshire law enforcement leaders said this concern for the safety of their officers is behind efforts to prod Massachusetts into placing its active warrants in the National Crime Information Center, the computerized index of criminal history information that agencies across the country rely upon when checking for outstanding warrants.

The Bay State now enters only about 5 percent of its active felony warrants into the FBI's database, commonly known as NCIC, they said.

Crunching the numbers, we find that the state's rate of accurately tracking felony warrants via the NCIC database has gone from 4.64% to 5.19% over the last nine months or so - a vast improvement of 0.55%!

At this rate, they'll be all caught up sometime in the second half of the year 2130. So, what's all the fuss about?

Of course, don't expect Mumbles to connect these dots.

1. Commit a string of violent crimes in Massachusetts - rape, armed robbery, drug trafficking, whatever floats your boat - opportunities abound.

2. Serve eleven days in prison, if you're ever arrested, prosecuted and convicted - a whopping 30, if you get a real hardliner for a judge.

2.1 In the unlikely event, you ever get busted, call up one of your fellow scumbag buddies or a family member to come down to the lock-up with the $100 needed to bail out your sorry ass - $200, if you get a real hardliner for a judge.

3. Rent an apartment in New Hampshire, with a clean record (i.e. no violent criminal history logged into the NCIC database), courtesy of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

4. Obtain New Hampshire driver's license upon proof of residency.

5. Go to your local gun shop, and commit the felony of providing false information on the federal forms required for purchase of a firearm.

6. Wait for the shop owner to call in the criminal background check that comes back clean, again, courtesy of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

7. Return to the People's Progressive Republic of Massachusetts, fully-armed, to further your criminal enterprise.

8. Vote for Mayor Menino so he can blame New Hampshire for your life of crime, absolving you and the rest of your criminal scumbag friends of all responsibility for your actions (and don't forget to "forget" to inform the city's highly competent election commission that you're technically no longer a resident of Massachusetts).

9. Repeat.

The pathetic twist here is, Mumbles and his ilk will likely use this latest example of the Commonwealth's gross incompetence and lax crime-fighting efforts as justification for calling on New Hampshire to revamp its gun laws to mirror those of the crime-free metropolis of Meninostan - much like curing a migraine by cutting off one's foot.

But, hey, mini-manhole covers for everyone!

UPDATE: From commenter, wolfwalker:

I couldn't help but notice a flaw in your argument. The Union-Leader story talks about fugitives with outstanding warrants, not convicted felons with permanent criminal records.

I noticed this also, as I was re-reading the Fox-25 story from last February. Can anyone with the legal background on this tell me how outstanding warrants affect one's ability to pass an instant background check.

I would assume that would be something that would send back, at least, a temporary disqualification for any attempted gun purchase.

Regardless, The fact remains that Massachusetts is apparently doing NOTHING to ensure that law enforcement officers throughout the region have the ability to identify and apprehend dangerous fugitives - quel surprise!

As the Fox-25 story points out:

Now we have proof the state has been well aware of the problem. A special state senate report released in 1999 highlighted the state's failures. But still nothing's been done to fix it!

I'm thinking now that my estimate above, of the year 2130, was far too generous.

UPDATE II: Also from wolfwalker...

Bruce, I'm no lawyer, but a bit of research shows that as far as I can tell, your point holds up despite the "warrant vs conviction" question. Orange County Shooters has a GIF of BATF Form 4473 online at their website -- the one you fill out for the instant background check. Question 11d seems directly on point: it asks if you're a fugitive from justice, which you certainly are if there's a warrant out for you. A 'yes' answer means you can't buy a firearm. And lying on the 4473 is perjury.

Of that much, I was aware, having personally filled out that form on multiple occasions.

In addition, I was able find this at FBI.gov:

The NICS is a national system that checks available records on persons who may be disqualified from receiving firearms. The FBI developed the system through a cooperative effort with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and local and state law enforcement agencies. The NICS is a computerized background check system designed to respond within 30 seconds on most background check inquiries so the FFLs receive an almost immediate response. Depending on the willingness of state governments to act as a liaison for the NICS, the FFLs contact either the FBI or a designated state point-of-contact (POC) to initiate background checks on individuals purchasing or redeeming firearms, and in certain instances, firearm-related permits. The background check process, as performed by the FBI and by state POCs, is described below.

I'm not 100% certain, but it sounds like, even here in the gun-free People's Utopia of Massachusetts, persons with outstanding felony warrants not entered into the NCIC database could possibly apply for, and receive, Firearms Identification Cards, the issuance of which is not subject to the discretion of the town or city's licensing authority. Can anyone verify this?

I think I'll blame North Dakota!

And George Bush.

But, I digress.

Federal Categories of Persons Prohibited From Receiving

[snip]

- Persons who are fugitives of justice; for example, the subject of an active felony or misdemeanor warrant.

So, enjoy your new shotgun, Mr. Carjacker.

You can thank all the gun-fearing folks making our laws and setting our licensing policies, who have decided that our cities' and state's limited resources would be best used scrutinizing and updating all the personal information of the state's law-abiding gun owners, instead of you and your fugitive friends.

Now, would you like rifled slugs or 00 buckshot with that?

Mayor McCheese

Or should that read, "Mayor McVeggieburger"?

Here's the latest feel-good, do-nothing strategie du jour from City Hall.

If one thing can be said about the signature breakfast at Poppa B's, a hopping soul food joint on Blue Hill Avenue, it's that it won't leave you hungry, with a smothered pork chop, three scrambled eggs and cheese, grits, fried apples, and homemade biscuits.

But some new options will be appearing on the menu, like whole-grain breads and breakfasts with just one egg. Additions are planned for fish that's broiled, not just deep fried.

Not far away, bustling Chef Lee's is a home-cooking heaven that, in the words of one reviewer, is ``traditional Southern, yes, healthy not so much." But suddenly grilled chicken could show up on the menu next to the fried variety.

It's all part of a new city effort to reduce waistlines in a town that has celebrated the cream in chowder, the batter on cod, and the frank in Fenway. Mayor Thomas M. Menino is prodding each of the city's restaurants to offer at least one healthy menu option, vetted by nutritionists, and is planning a citywide campaign advertising the virtues of a healthy diet.

Memo to Mumbles - if the public demand was there for healthier menu options at these restaurants, the menus would reflect that reality already. You can offer all the healthy items you want, but if people choose not to order them, all you've done is hurt your bottom line.

Oops, sorry about that. I used the words "reality" and "Mumbles" in the same sentence. My bad.

So far, about a dozen restaurants have signed up for the program, many of them locally run, neighborhood haunts that traffic in greasy French fries, bacon cheeseburgers, and cheesy omelets. Owners say they are wary of losing their base, and they emphasize they'll continue to offer the popular less healthy options. But they insist that now they'll provide more options for the health-conscious.

"We're known for big portions, our incredible meatloaf and our super breakfast -- that's our thing; that's what's made us popular," said Jay Hajj, who owns Victoria's Diner, which is participating in the program, and Mike's City Diner, which is not.

"It goes back to giving people the choice," he said. "You can have the big burger with French fries and onion rings, or you can have the 5-ounce salmon with a salad and side of broccoli."

I'll bet the mayor has already scheduled a future press conference heralding this program as a "major success" (just like his gun buyback program), based solely on the fact that a handful of restaurants will have reprinted their menus to include these healthier offerings, and put a pretty sticker in their windows.

Of course, it won't matter a drop of piss to Menino whether any of the restaurant's customers actually order these new items or not.

Nor, will it matter if the restaurants take a loss from stocking up on, and wasting, food that no one wants to order.

Because, damn it, it will sure feeeeeel so good!

Still, it's uncertain how restaurant patrons will react. "The consumer has to be part of this also," Hajj said.

His diners could have chosen broccoli and a baked potato, but more often went for French fries and onion rings, Hajj pointed out.

Let me see if I understand this correctly. There are restaurants in the city that already offer their customers a healthier alternative to some of the standard fare, but it's proven to not be a popular choice.

Well, clearly, the next logical step is to do more of the same, with the obligatory "prodding" from the government, and hope for better results the next time around. Sound familiar?

And, how much taxpayer money are we pouring into this scheme? No money for more cops, but you wanna get broccoli and baked salmon on the menu at all the greasy spoons in town? Here's your check.

Redefining "Arrogant" on a Daily Basis

POST UPDATED (5/13) - see below

OK, it's no secret - I'm not a big fan of Boston mayor Tom "Mumbles" Menino.

(waits for waves of disbelief to die down)

But, I was literally speechless as I watched the local news last night and saw Mumbles strolling around the neighborhood in Dorchester where John Beresford was recently stabbed to death while confronting the thugs who had just grabbed a friend's purse in the nearby park. It seems Mr. Beresford's grieving partner of eight years, Adam Greenfield, decided to confront the mayor and actually express the desire to talk about the problem of violent crime in the city.

Well, this clearly ran contradictory to Menino's plan to show up, shake hands, shed a sympathetic tear, and regurgitate the same old "the city is safe - we're going to get tough on crime" horseshit, so Mr. Greenfield was told to take a hike. This event was all about the Mayor getting some good PR and some camera time as the election draws closer - little people be damned. Sound familiar?

It was nice of him, though, to make sure all the local news crews arrived and had their cameras rolling before he began "extending his condolences" to the neighborhood.

From the Boston Herald:

What was supposed to be an opportunity for Menino to extend his condolences - on a day he coincidentally was supposed to meet with Beresford about the park - turned into a publicity nightmare when Greenfield wanted to talk about the city's safety shortcomings. Greenfield was pursuaded [sic] to bring up the issue another time.

"The people all should be safe and there's thugs," Greenfield told Menino. "Something like this is very scary."

The money quote:

Menino asked for the public's help in capturing the suspects who murdered Beresford, saying, "Those hoodlums are not going to take over our streets."

Um...that's what Mr. Beresford was TRYING to do, you moron!

_______________________________

UPDATE (5/13): I really don't feel the need for additional commentary on my part - just read.

Slain Samaritan had armed himself with drill
By Franci Richardson and Peter Gelzinis
Friday, May 13, 2005 - Updated: 03:42 AM EST

The good Samaritan who was stabbed to death as he tried to stop a purse snatching in his Dorchester neighborhood was armed with a drill when he confronted the hoodlums who killed him, sources told the Herald.

Mumbles and Morons

I'm going to try to condense this into 5,000 words or less. I have a solid 4 pages of stuff in my head on this subject, but here's the rundown - more to follow if I feel inspired to continue.

Two months ago the New England Patriots won their second Super Bowl title in three years. The post-game "celebration" got out of hand quickly in the neighborhoods near a few of the local college campuses, as drunken idiots took to the streets setting bonfires, looting, and flipping cars (those wacky college kids). Unfortunately, the Northeastern University Department of Public Safety has since removed the pictures from their website.

The police response was, for all intents and purposes, non-existent. People demanded that our mayor, Tom "Mumbles" Menino, explain the situation with regards to the number of uniformed officers on the streets that night. Some local newspapers reported the number to be in the neighborhood of 40 cops, deployed CITY-WIDE. The Mayor's office and, the "acting" Police Commissioner said it was closer to 100 - for the entire city of Boston!

As if it wasn't bad enough that someone was actually killed during all of this, the Honorable Mayor Menino then has the fucking nerve to say that the destruction was due to the recent availability of Sunday liquor sales. Then when that was proven to be complete horseshit, he tried to lay the blame on the colleges and universities for not adequately baby-sitting their children. He seems to have forgotten that the same thing happened after the previous Patriots' Super Bowl victory, and after the Red Sox playoff wins (and losses). City officials knew EXACTLY what was going to happen, WHEN it would happen, and where it would happen - and did jackshit.

Well, if Tom Brady can continue to throw the football the way Menino passes the buck around, we can expect to see many more championships in New England. Within the last few weeks the Boston Police Department released the report of their investigation and, lo and behold, they acknowledged a severe lack of police presence on the streets of Boston that night. Gee...I'm...stunned. The report claimed 130 officers were assigned, but some local news accounts had reported that many had called in sick or had asked to be rescheduled. If I find a definitive answer to this I'll update this post.

Now, lets fast forward to last night's celebration at the University of Connecticut. As these pictures show, from The Hartford Courant's website, the kids at UConn have a lot in common with Northeastern kids here in Boston. Look closely though. Do you notice any differences in how the authorities handled this little soiree? That's right. They ARRESTED people. And they used PEPPER SPRAY. That's what you do in these situations. If the City Of Boston fails to learn anything from their mistakes, and by studying the successes of others, you can be assured that if the Red Sox ever bring home a World Series title, I'll be up on my roof with a Ruger Mini-30, some pre-ban 20-round magazines, and 1,000 rounds of 7.62mm.

Thanks to Ravenwood for the link to the U-Conn pictures.

Aging Gracefully

Well, it's a hair after midnight on the first of March, which means in ten more days, this blog (recent name change notwithstanding) will turn three years old. What's that in people years? 63? 75?

Anyway, to mark the occasion, I'll be putting up three "Year in Review" posts, highlighting one post from every month of the three years I've spent writing this blog, wondering if anyone was reading, and if anyone gave a shit about what I had to say.

Starting today.

Enjoy.

March 2004:

What the ...?

So, I'm perusing the junk mail that's sitting on the coffee table the other day, and I find the latest Orvis catalog. I decide to flip through it, because the last I knew (and someone PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong), Orvis sold hunting and fishing clothes, or clothes that at least evoked the image of someone who might be inclined to go kill a furry critter or two.

[...]

April 2004:

The Mumbles Chronicles - continued

Again, PLEASE don't let this article from the Boston Globe destroy your faith in your elected officials. Was that sarcastic enough? I could turn it up a notch if need be.

[...]

May 2004:

The pride of Morrisey Boulevard

Why let annoying little things like facts and journalistic ethics get in your way when you're trying to bash the President, undermine the war on terror, and fuel the fires of anti-Americanism around the world, while pushing your liberal agenda with your newspaper? Ask the Boston Globe.

[...]

June 2004:

Granite State vs. Bay State

Here's a quick (yet a tad lengthy) comparison of The People's Republic of Massachusetts and the "Live Free or Die" state of New Hampshire. You tell me, which would you prefer?

[...]

July 2004:

More Mass. Mentality

Recently, in towns across Massachusetts and elsewhere, coyote sightings in residential neighborhoods are on the increase as more and more housing is being built, displacing them from their natural habitats. Now, in most normal parts of the country, the presence of a wild animal in one's yard wouldn't require a whole lot of thinking in order to remedy the situation.

[...]

August 2004:

Yes, MORE anti-gun BS

Here's a truly pathetic attempt by Globe columnist Steve Bailey to shift the blame for the recent surge in street violence from the criminals who are shooting people to the gun manufacturers, specifically Smith & Wesson. I wasn't planning on dissecting this in as much detail as I have, but these things just seem to write themselves sometimes.

As usual, the "Dead Horse Beating" warning applies.

[...]

September 2004:

Globe Bull Warning

Thomas Oliphant has a Boston Globe "web exclusive" column today making a truly pathetic last-minute argument for the renewal of the Assault Weapons ban scheduled to sunset on Monday after 10 years on the books. Nothing unusual really, just your typical misrepresentations of the facts and flawed reasoning we've come to expect from the proponents of nearly every piece of gun control legislation to come down the pike.

[...]

October 2004:

Mayor Still Clueless - News at 11

In the span of eight days, two women were abducted, blindfolded, beaten, and savagely raped in the gun-free utopia of Boston. All I can say is thank God these women had been disarmed by the liberal establishment in this town, else something bad might have happened to them - or their poor misunderstood victims-of-society rapists.

[...]

And, just because (for TC): It Wasn't a Dream

November 2004:

MA Gun Control Success Stories - vol. XVIII

Here's the scenario:

Guy wants to kill his ex-girlfriend.

Guy gets caught trying to bring a knife onto a plane en-route to do so.

Guy unable to buy gun - due to Massachusetts' onerous gun control laws.

YAY! Life saved. Problem solved, right?

[...]

December 2004:

More On Mumbles

A little post-election analysis from Natalie Jacobson's interview with The Great Orator of Readville:

[...]

January 2005:

How to Become a Felon in Five Months

If this article doesn't exemplify how completely fucked up Massachusetts' firearms laws are, nothing will.

[...]

February 2005:

Reality Disconnect - Aisle Six!

Here's the latest "progressive" crime-fighting initiative to emanate from the halls of the State House.

[...]

Stay tuned for my second "Year in Review" installment, March 2005 through February 2006. Get your horse-beating sticks ready. They just might come in handy.

~ Bruce

A Minute Alone With Mumbles

In the comments to this excellent fisking by Kevin Baker of this sad, little, and (surprisingly - not!) anonymously-published Washington Post editorial, Killing Made Easy, Joe Huffman, from The View From North Central Idaho, puts forth the notion of the "just one question" approach to the gun control debate.

In his post, Just one question, Joe writes:

A few years ago I came up with my "one question" response to bring the debate to a quick close but I tend to let myself get drawn into refuting their points rather than bring them to my playing field where they don't stand a chance of survival. I now want to present this "one question" in as much detail yet as succinctly as I can. Then I can just refer people to this post and be done with them.

[snip]

My "one question" is this:

Can you demonstrate just one time, one place, throughout all of human history, where restricting the access of handheld weapons to the average person made them safer?

Just one question.

It's an interesting exercise, and one that I have obviously been contemplating as well. What would you ask of those in power regarding the current state of gun control [or, insert topic of choice here] if you were afforded the opportunity to not only ask one question (hell, anyone can ask, but who's listening), but to also have that question directly addressed in a public forum?

Why do I ask?

Check this.

Have a vision for Boston's future? Got a problem with how the city is being run? How about an idea how to make it work better? You can tell Mayor Thomas M. Menino all about it next month at one of four community forums he's plans to hold around the city.

At each forum, residents, community leaders, and city officials will share ideas about how to improve the city and about Boston's long-range plans, Menino's office said yesterday. The mayor will lead each discussion.

"I am in the neighborhoods every day and hear great ideas from residents, as well as their concerns," Menino said in a statement. "These forums will allow us to further explore new ideas as to how we can improve our city."

The forums will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. Feb. 4 at Roxbury Community College; from 8 to 10 a.m. Feb. 6 at Faulkner Hospital; from 6 to 8 p.m. Feb. 8 at Bunker Hill Community College; and from 10 a.m. to noon Feb. 11 at the University of Massachusetts at Boston.

Only 40 to 50 people can attend each forum.

Participants will be selected by lottery from a pool of people who register in advance. Residents can sign up online at www.cityofboston.gov/mayor/mayor_roundtable_form.asp or by calling 617-635-4500. The deadline is Jan. 27.

People who can't get into the forums can also submit written comments on the website or by writing to the mayor at Boston City Hall, One City Hall Plaza, Boston, MA 02201.

So, there you are. You've got the microphone in hand and your face-to-face with the mighty Mumbles himself. You've got time for one short question. What do you do?

Needless to say, I'm going to put my name in for one of the limited slots available. Should I get the chance to address the Mayor, here is my one question:

"Mr. Mayor, as you know, the City of Boston over the last year has seen a marked increase in the rate of homicides and armed robberies - violent crimes committed by violent individuals against the good people of Boston. My question for you is a simple YES or NO question. Do the hard-working, law-abiding citizens of Boston have the right to defend themselves from violent criminals? I don't want to take any time away from the other questioners here tonight, Mr. Mayor, so a simple yes or no answer will suffice. Thank you."

It's not like I need to explain to any of you, but...

A "yes" answer would be an outright lie.

A "no" answer, though it would garner him a few bonus points for honesty, would be in my view cause for his immediate removal from office. Not that that's very likely, though. Most folks around here are too dumb to realize their rights are secondary to the rights of politicians and predatory criminals.

Apologies for the redundant redundancy there.

So...what would your "one question" be?

Mumbles Menino Shows His True Colors

...again.

As anyone who hasn't been hibernating under a concrete slab knows, expanding access to healthcare for all Americans has been at the focus of every Democratic candidate's campaign this year, and has been a rallying cry for leftists from coast to coast for some time now.

So, one would think that having healthcare clinics open up in Boston, at which people were provided with easy access to affordable healthcare for minor ailments - without clogging up the emergency rooms in the area's hospitals or costing the city's taxpayers a single dime - would be a good thing, right?

Boston Mayor Tom Menino would beg to differ.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino embarked on a highly public campaign yesterday to block CVS Corp. and other retailers from opening medical clinics inside their stores, an effort that exposed a rift between Menino and the state's public health commissioner, a longtime ally.

Menino blasted state regulators for paving the way Wednesday for the in-store clinics, which are designed to provide treatment for sore throats, poison ivy, and other minor illnesses.

The decision by the state Public Health Council, "jeopardizes patient safety," Menino said in a written statement. "Limited service medical clinics run by merchants in for-profit corporations will seriously compromise quality of care and hygiene. Allowing retailers to make money off of sick people is wrong."

Translation: Allowing private sector entities to do this might just prove that free market based solutions (that don't require massive government bureaucracies to oversee the redistribution of taxpayer dollars) can, in fact, work. And that simply will be tolerated in the People's Progressive Republic of Massachusetts.

And, we know what a huge fan of free market principles old Mumbles is.

In a statement issued last night, executives of MinuteClinics said they "would be happy to talk to Mayor Menino about any of his concerns."

"We at MinuteClinic are committed to providing convenient, affordable access to quality health care," the statement said.

By issuing a broadside against the clinics and the state's approval of them, Menino placed himself squarely in opposition to a former longtime deputy, John Auerbach. Before becoming the state's public health commissioner last year, Auerbach spent nine years as executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission.

Auerbach's state agency yesterday released a statement defending its decision on the clincs: "The members of the Public Health Council were deliberative and thoughtful in their review of the limited service clinic regulation. We believe these types of clinics, operated either as part of a retail operation or in a nonprofit setting, can provide the public access to safe, convenient, and quality care for minor health issues."

Universal healthcare advocates are as much about providing quality healthcare for the poor as Al Gore and the IPCC are about stopping global warming.

Tear down the media-driven facade of feel-good platitudes and alarmist propaganda and you'll find, without fail, the beating heart of a power-hungry, collectivist thug.

Also blogging this...

Bryan at Hot Air:

The risk here is entirely borne by CVS and through competitive forces it might even help drive health care prices down. What’s Menino’s problem?

Oh, right. He’s a liberal big-government statist Democrat. Say no more.

Instapundit:

These kinds of clinics are getting good reviews elsewhere. Is it too cynical to suspect that the real opposition stems from fears that they will make national healthcare seem less urgent?

Not in the least.

Michael Graham:

Menino's problem is that we're going to doctors who aren't government employees. Sick people are becoming healthy without taxpayer involvement. Even worse, CVS is going to make a profit and create jobs. Menino specifically complains that CVS will lure some of the best nurse practitioners away from city-run clinics and put them in the "dreaded private sector."

For big-government advocates like Menino, this is a disaster. He wants to make every health care professional a government employee, guaranteeing us lousy government health care provided by taxpayer-funded hacks. The private sector is now offering more healthy people, higher profits and more taxpaying, private sector workers.

No wonder Menino is so mad.

UPDATE: More blog reactions.

Jed at Freedom Sight:

Earth to Menino: Doctors, clinics, and hospitals sell health care. It’s how they bring in the revenue that keeps them operating.

So in the state that made health insurance mandatory (because they think this will mean that everybody will then get health care), and will fine you if you don’t have it, they now want to make it harder for businesses to provide care? Of course, in the socialist-addled brain of Menino and company, they just don’t get that health care is a business. And that by prohibiting low-cost clinics, they’ll drive the price up.

Truly, my head explodes.

The Astute Bloggers:

Menino proves that socialists are more concerned about maintaining government power than the people.

Corporations like CVS and WALMART (WHO HAVE BEEN DOING THIS SINCE 2005!) can bring affordable care to people BETTER than the government can.

They shouldn't be attacked and burdened with outrageous barriers. They should be encouraged and praised.

A Blog For All:

Why is Mayor Menino against a program that could bring affordable health care to the public?

[...]

It's all about the money - if CVS can turn a profit on these low cost retail operations, then it shows that the government intervention into the health care market may not be necessary after all, which means big trouble for those espousing big government intervention in health care - all of the Democrats running in 2008 have proffered one version or another for government health care.

What Bill of Rights?

Not content with having deprived their city's low-income residents of their Second Amendment rights, Boston Mayor Tom Menino and his loyal henchmen in the Boston Police Department are now looking at ways to get rid of that pesky Fourth Amendment, as well.

And, they're shocked - shocked, I tell you - that the peasantry has dared express discontent with their noble plan.

Boston police officials, surprised by intense opposition from residents, have significantly scaled back and delayed the start of a program that would allow officers to go into people's homes and search for guns without a warrant.

Gee, what's not to love?

Police would ask parents or legal guardians for permission to search homes where juveniles ages 17 and under are believed to be holding illegal guns. Police would only enter homes into which they have been invited and, once inside, would only search the rooms of the juveniles.

That's their out.

"But, we asked for permission to conduct the search!"

Bullshit.

Tell me the average resident of Dorchester isn't going to be intimidated into consenting to the search upon finding a group of armed, uniformed police officers on their front doorstep talking about "illegal guns".

How long until "Refused door-to-door search" becomes legitimate grounds for a search warrant request? Why would an innocent person, with nothing to hide, deny entry to these upstanding peace officers? Right?

"Invited", my ass.

Then, there's this little gem.

If police were to find a gun in a home, they would keep the discovery confidential under most circumstances, police have said.

Officers would not tell officials at the child's school or public housing authorities, unless they believed the discovery amounted to a "public safety emergency," which Driscoll said would happen if police found a plan to use the gun at school or a hit list.

Any guesses as to the percentage of cases they'd conveniently "believe" to be a "public safety emergency"? Remember, this is Massachusetts, where five-dollar plastic slingshots have been banned from toy store shelves, as a "public safety" measure.

And, this will stun you. Washington DC Mayor Adrian Fenty - whose brilliance as a Constitutional scholar is on par with that of his Beantown counterpart - is another one who thinks Gestapo-like tactics such as these are the cat's balls.

Washington Post - March 13, 2008:

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier announced yesterday the Safe Homes Initiative, aimed at parents and guardians who know or suspect that their children or other relatives have guns. Under the deal, police target areas hit by violence and seek adults who let them search their homes for guns, with no risk of arrest. The offer also applies to drugs that turn up during the searches, police said.

The program is scheduled to start March 24 in the Washington Highlands area of Southeast Washington. Officers will go door-to-door seeking permission to search homes for weapons. Police later plan to visit other areas, including sections of Columbia Heights in Northwest and Eckington in Northeast.

OK, now it's not every day I voluntarily lend my superior intellectual powers to my ideological foes, but I'm going to help out Mumbles and Fenty on this one.

So, don't say I never did you assholes any favors.

Gentlemen, you don't need to ask permission.

Here, I'll spell it out for you.

Amendment IV

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

1. The 4th Amendment obviously protects the right of the people to be secure in their houses.

2. Clearly, the word "their" implies possession (i.e. ownership) of the houses in question.

3. So, as long as the cops only go kicking in the doors of renters and people living in subsidized public housing, what's the big deal? It's not like it "their" house.

You're welcome.

Wow, this constitutional law stuff is easy.

Because Some Snark Bears Repeating

WBZ (Channel 4 - Boston):

The Boston Police Department said a recent string of sexual assaults allegedly by cab and livery drivers has prompted a warning to passengers to be careful.

Police said since October there have been five sexual assaults on women who reported being attacked by taxi or livery drivers.

And, stop me if you've heard this one before.

Police also suggest carrying a cell phone and holding car keys in your hand that can be used as a weapon against an attacker.

From the joint statement released by Boston Mayor Tom "Mumbles" Menino and Massachusetts Governor Deval "Hopenchange Jr." Patrick:

A woman should never carry a gun, because the bad guy will just take it away from her and use it against her. Whereas, a set of car keys will impart superhuman strength and razor-edged combat readiness upon any woman carrying them. There would simply be no way she could ever be disarmed and assaulted then. Same applies to cell phones and plastic whistles.

Leave It to Mumbles...

...to barricade the Freedom Trail.

(link via Universal Hub)

I Guess It All Depends...

...on one's definition of conflict.

The detective son of Mayor Thomas M. Menino moonlights as a “safety engineer” for a politically wired construction powerhouse that has landed millions in city contracts and regularly turns to the mayor’s team for necessary permits, the Herald has learned.

Detective Thomas M. Menino Jr., a 13-year Hub cop, landed the plum, 20-hour-a-week post with Suffolk Construction in January 2008, even as he pulls down a taxpayer-funded $86,000 annual base salary in the department’s intelligence unit. In 2007, he made $137,000 as a police officer with overtime and detail pay, records show.

Suffolk is one of the city’s biggest builders and general contractors, building and refurbishing schools and government buildings, most notably the Boston Police Department’s headquarters.

“There’s no conflict,” the mayor said last night.

Nope. None at all.

Well, not by his standards, anyway. In Menino's fiefdom, this is what's known as "standard operating procedure". How can there be a conflict if everything's being done "by the book"?

But, wait! It gets better. Here's Mumbles showing off his special brand of superior intellect and keen political acumen that have made him what he is today.

Are you sitting down?

“It wouldn’t be a story if his name wasn’t Menino.”

You don't say!

It's a Pity the Victim Wasn't Armed

Because, I know I wouldn't exactly be losing any sleep if this story had included the phrase "drilled the asshole a third eye socket".

FALMOUTH (WBZ) ― A group of youths allegedly attacked a dad and his family on the Fourth of July after accusing them of being Yankees fans.

Falmouth police said Robert Correia, 20, and several other young men approached a family in their car, which had New York plates, and began to harass them about being Yankees fans.

According to police, the family was unable to move their car away from the group because they were stuck in post-fireworks traffic. The dad asked the group to go away because his kids were in the car, police said, but the alleged attackers would not leave him alone.

Correia and the group allegedly assaulted the dad with a baseball bat.

He sustained a head injury and other injuries as a result of the attack.

I blame the NRA Major League Baseball. ~ Mumbles Menino

UPDATE: I wonder if these assholes are related.

FALMOUTH (WBZ) ― The town of Falmouth is outraged after a teen pulled a mean and dangerous prank on an elderly man fishing with his grandson.

According to police, a 14-year-old boy, whose name is not being released, ran up behind a 71-year-old man and pushed him off a dock at Megansett Beach and into the ocean Sunday afternoon. "Some kid just came running from out of nowhere, came running down the dock and just pushed him in the water," said Anthony Julian, who witnessed the attack.

The man pushed into the water had cuts on his knees from the fall and lost a pair of expensive eyeglasses. "I saw the guy... He came out... he was bleeding on his knee and he was just so shaken up. He had his inhaler, his wallet, his cell phone all in his pocket... all destroyed."

Bad Gun!

WMUR:

CONCORD, N.H. -- A Concord police officer suffered minor injuries Thursday when a fellow officer's gun discharged.

It "just went off".

Sure.

I can't tell you how many nights I've had trouble falling asleep because of the sound of gunfire emanating from the gun safe in the closet.

Let's just hope police were able to take that renegade piece of hardware into custody before it was able to shoot anyone else.

The attorney general's office said four Concord officers were inside the Granite State Credit Union Building on Sheep Davis Road at about 4:30 a.m. when one of the officers' handguns discharged. Another officer was hit in the chest, but he was wearing a protective vest and suffered minor injuries.

The Union Leader has more.

Something* tells me we're not quite getting the whole story.

CONCORD – The shooting of one Concord police officer by another inside a local bank early today is being investigated by state authorities.

The unidentified officer, who was shot in the chest, was wearing body armor and suffered minor injuries, the state Attorney General’s Office said. He was treated at a local hospital and released.

The shooting occurred about 4:30 a.m. inside a branch bank of Granite State Credit Union that is being built on Sheep Davis Road, Senior Assistant Attorney General Jeffery A. Strelzin said. The branch has not yet opened to the public.

Four Concord police officers were inside the bank when one officer’s handgun discharged, striking a fellow officer in the chest. Their names were not released.

“I can tell you the only individuals involved were those four officers,” Strelzin said.He would not say why the officers were in the building, citing the pending investigation.The Attorney General’s office and New Hampshire State Police are investigating what the circumstances of the shooting, which is standard procedure.

* The fact that I have more than 23 functioning brain cells.

UPDATE: Here's the Union Leader's latest headline.

Officer's gun wounds comrade

File Under: If I Had a Nickel...

UPDATE II: Via WildWzl in the comments

Just last night, I thought I heard something on the basement stairs, I checked it out and lo and behold my Dan Wesson .44 was climbing the stairs, all by itself, in an attempt to get outside and cause mayhem and destruction.

I was going to bring it to the police station but Im afraid it may shoot someone there before they can send it to Mumbles and turn it into a manhole cover.

Heh.

UPDATE III: The Concord Monitor gets it.

Policeman shot by fellow officer unhurt

A Concord police officer was shot in the chest by another officer yesterday morning while on duty but suffered only minor injuries because he was wearing a bulletproof vest, according to the state attorney general's office.

That's more like it.

Needless to say, we'll be keeping our eye on this one.

Mumbles Menino: We Need More Bullet Control!

Pols pull the trigger on gun, bullet restrictions

Mayor Thomas M. Menino and his potential challenger City Councilor Michael F. Flaherty found themselves in rare agreement yesterday about two landmark measures closing a gun loophole and banning armor-piercing bullets.

The "loophole" they're referring to here is the way the current firearm possession laws apply to individuals carrying illegally on their person, versus those illegally possessing guns in their homes.

Here's the punchline:

It would impose the same mandatory minimum 18 months that gun-toting thugs get when they’re busted on the street.

Of course, that depends heavily on one's definition of the word "get".

As for the ubiquitous (previously blogged on here, here, and here) armor-piercing, "cop-killer" bullet ban, I'll just leave you with the comment I left on the Boston Herald website.

I'll assume Menino is talking about the FN Five-seveN handgun, that fires the 5.7x28mm cartridge, the MILITARY VERSION of which (the SS190) was designed to penetrate body armor. This round is ALREADY RESTRICTED from the civilian market.

The civilian version of this cartridge has the same ability to penetrate light duty police vests as several higher caliber pistol rounds that are rather commonplace. Not to mention, that any centerfire rifle will blow holes through Level I and II body armor like it's not even there.

Hey, I just had a great idea. Let's pass a law that says it's illegal to shoot cops. If someone's willing to ignore that law, what chance does Menino's bullet ban have of being heeded by that person?

Brief side note: One commenter there remarked...

...Bob Consalvo should be the next Mayor!

That would be City Councilor Rob Consalvo, Super Genius. Though, come to think of it, he might just be the perfect candidate to fill Menino's clown shoes.

This Is Not Your Father's Roslindale

It seems my old Boston neighborhood of Roslindale is seeing more than its share of "excitement" these days. I'm so sorry I moved out.

Not.

First up, the story of a Boston police officer (20-year veteran) who decided to bring in a little money on the side by robbing a gas station in Roslindale at gunpoint, using his BPD-issued sidearm. His lawyer, needless to say, is taking the "he's under a lot of stress" route in his defense.

Get your scorecards ready. It will be interesting to see what punishment the Bay State Justice for Special People Handbook recommends, given that shooting a police officer at close range and driving away in a drunken stupor barely registers as a blip on the "Severity of Punishment" charts therein.

It wouldn't shock me, in the least, if this latest incident of "cop gone bad" were to be chalked up as an unfortunate "accident", resulting in no prison time for the man who robbed and threatened the lives of at least two innocent people that day.

Shortly after Officer Scumbag was pinched for that armed robbery, another of Boston's fine, upstanding citizens, oops, I mean, violent gang members, was gunned down in Roslindale by another violent gang member as he sat with his violent gang member friends in a limousine they were riding in after having been at the funeral of yet another violent gang member.

Now, that one was clearly George Bush's fault.

If only Massachusetts would require applicants for firearms licenses to be fingerprinted prior to be given permission to own a gun. Surely, that would prove to be a most valuable tool for the police to have at their disposal when investigating these shootings.

Oh, wait...never mind.

Then, last night, two brothers who had moved from Dorchester to Roslindale were hit by gunfire after someone outside their house fired multiple rounds through a window. Both victims are in critical condition.

If only Massachusetts would pass a "common sense" ballistic fingerprinting law. Because, you know, nothing would thwart violent criminal behavior quite like the threat of having the serial number of one's stolen gun left behind at a crime scene.

And, it's only January.

The total of eight slayings three weeks into the New Year is four times the homicide rate at this time last year.

Give the string another pull, Mumbles, and get your How to Blame Others Handbook ready. It's gonna be a long year.

Getting the "Leadership" One Deserves

Alternate Post Title: Reason #(n+1)

In case I haven't mention it lately, this clown received from than two-thirds of the popular vote in his 2005 re-election bid.

With gun violence in Boston up sharply in recent years, one of Mayor Thomas M. Menino's top legislative priorities this year would strip convicted gun offenders of their right to drive for up to five years.

If I'm not mistaken, existing state law allows for most of these convicted "gun offenders" to be stripped of their right to live outside the walls of a prison for five years. You'd think such measures would also be pretty damn effective at getting these thugs out of their cars, as well. But, then again, if you're reading this blog, chances are you have the ability to think in a rational manner and apply the simplest rules of logic in a discussion of this nature.

Yet, The Honorable Thomas "M. is for Mumbles" Menino continues to operate under the delusion that passing new laws such as this will have a measurable effect on the behavior of those individuals least inclined to follow the law.

Menino, however, wants to take away something that very few gun offenders have, according to a Globe analysis of more than 100 gun convictions last year and state Registry of Motor Vehicles records of those offenders.

But, golly, it sure will feeeeeeel good to bask in the warm glow of the flash bulbs at the press conference announcing the passage of this bold initiative, and once again at the press conference five days later, where the Mayor gets to declare this latest plan a "major success", regardless of the actual consequences thereof.

To criminologists and others who assert Menino's proposal is political and not pragmatic, such numbers are further evidence that passage of the mayor's legislation would have little or no impact on the city's efforts to curb gun violence.

I'm sensing a trend.

Nolan added: "We have one of the strongest gun laws in the country and that doesn't deter [offenders].

No, but it does deter the decent, hard-working people of Boston from taking the necessary steps to lawfully provide for their own well-being, defend their families, and reduce their dependence on inept government officials for their personal protection.

The end [read: desired] result of these "strongest gun laws in the country" is that the most vulnerable residents of Boston are kept weak and defenseless, wholly reliant on the government for their every want and need. And, if they don't vote for Menino, again and again - and continue paying for his armed security detail with their tax dollars - who would be there to provide for them?

What makes people think that these people even apply for driver's licenses or have them at all?"

Ahhh...there's your problem.

You used the verb "think" when commenting on an anti-crime initiative that came out of Menino's head. That's never a prudent idea.

When the city first touted the legislation, it was Menino's brainchild.

Friday, when the Globe raised questions about its rationale, it became the offspring of the Boston Police Department.

Of course, it did.

I could go on for pages and pages on this, but I've got shit to do. So, I'll leave you with this interesting quote from a local "expert" on this subject.

James Alan Fox, a criminal justice professor at Northeastern University, said the proposed law also fails to consider young people who carry guns for self-defense.

No point in trying to explain that to Menino. His cochlear filter implants have been programmed to filter out the phrase "self defense", as well as "second amendment", "concealed carry", "lawful gun use", "victim disarmament zone", and, well...you get the picture.

"The risk of being unarmed in the face of a threat is worse than the risk of being unlicensed in the face of needing to go somewhere," Fox said. "From their perspective the criminal justice system, whether it be the mayor and his initiative or the DA, can just take their number and wait in line with the other people who may be out to get them."

OK, maybe one more.

Given the public frustration with the rate of gun violence, [Thomas Nolan, a Boston University criminologist who was a Boston policeman for 27 years] said it is not surprising that Menino would find any proposed remedy appealing.

Financial impact? Not an issue.

Actual consequences? Please.

Abrogation of the rights of the citizenry? What's that?

We've got minds to befuddle and votes to secure, dammit!

Priorities, people!!!

Better Stock Up On Canned Goods

If this isn't a sure sign of an impending apocalypse, then I don't know what is. In the span of four days, the Boston Globe ran two fair and balanced articles on Massachusetts' draconian gun licensing laws.

There are a few nits to pick in these, but I'll hold off for now.

Maybe later.

Under the gun

Weapons check

Of course, being fair and balanced means they have to trot out John "One Trick Pony" Rosenthal to provide us with gems like this.

"We make it at least a little bit harder for criminals and terrorists to get guns, and we have the lowest firearm fatality rate in the nation, second only to Hawaii. Gun laws work in this state," he said.

Because everyone knows that terrorists will be dissuaded from applying for a gun license once they find out they have to join a gun club, pass a range test, and provide their employer's name on the application in order to be licensed.

As those of us with a cerebrum larger than the average cat turd know, there are literally dozens of ways for a terrorist, or anyone hell-bent on committing a violent rampage of any kind, to arm himself, even in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, without having to ask for permission from the State beforehand.

If Rosenthal thinks Massachusetts gun laws are, in any way, preventing terrorist organizations from obtaining any variety of deadly weapon they seek, he's further off the deep end than I ever imagined one person could be.

Of course, he doesn't actually believe this.

But, as is so often the case, there's no point in letting reality, truth, and personal integrity interfere with a good fear-mongering session.

As to his favorite talking point there about "the lowest firearm fatality rate in the nation", well, throw another nickel in the pot.

If I had a nickel for every time he repeated that statistic as if it were the be all and end all of firearms-related statistics, I'd have, let's see...carry the five....an assload of nickels.

At least, when Mumbles Menino says the same stupid shit over and over again, he makes a point of changing the exact wording around a bit.