House Republicans on Monday asked the federal courts to intervene and force the Obama administration to turn over documents from the botched Fast and Furious gun-walking operation, escalating what had been a simmering constitutional crisis.
House Speaker John A. Boehner said President Obama and his team were ignoring a congressional subpoena — something the courts have long recognized as valid — and said lawmakers were left with no choice but to ask the third branch to referee.
“By stonewalling Congress and ignoring a contempt order, the Justice Department has left the House no choice but to take legal action so we can get to the bottom of the Fast and Furious operation that cost border agent Brian Terry his life,” Mr. Boehner said.
Time and again Mr Obama and his administration has ignored the law when it is convenient for them to do so. The AG has managed to ignore voter fraud and intimidation yet sued Arizona for doing the job that the federal government is tasked with.
Mr Obama has repeated said his administration would be the most “transparent” ever, yet history and facts prove it is indeed one of the most opaque:
In a bipartisan vote in June the House held Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over documents the House had subpoenaed as part of its official investigation.
The White House, which had first said it would try to work out a way to release the documents and said they didn’t show anything incriminating, later reversed course and claimed executive privilege prevented them from having to release the information.
The bottom line is: had this been a Republican White House and Attorney General, the hue and cry would have been advanced months ago and said AG would be out on his or her ass. But because Eric Holder is black, covered by Mr Obama in the White House, he remains in office.
Mr Holder has proven that he is a racist himself, on multiple occasions, with his suits and perhaps more pointedly, his purposeful ignorance of actions that demand suit.
Mr Holder needs to be relieved of office and the documents released.
“Laws that forbid the carrying of arms . . . disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes. Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man.”
~Thomas Jefferson
In the past month there have two major US incidents which one again focused attention on firearms by those determined to remove guns from the American public.
Liberal billionaire and mayor, Michael Bloomberg, has pulled amazing anti-gun fecal material out of his ass from these incidents. Go here and here. He can afford to do this. He has his own security force both afforded by NYPD and privately. He is transported by armored limousine. His home is protected by state-of-the-art security systems.
I suspect that yours is not. I know that mine is not.
In truth, Bloomberg refuses to acknowledge the fact that he has, per capita, THE largest police force in the entire nation in terms of citizen-to-cop ratios.
Go here for the NYC Homicide Map, which breaks down stats by year, race, sex, weapon and borough. NYC homicides between 2003 and 2011? 4,161. US troops killed in Iraq? 4,414. NYC kills more people than does a purposeful war in a foreign country. The Iraq war began in 2001, as a gentle reminder.
People killed by firearms in NYC between 2003 and 2011 by percentile? Check this graphic:
There’s your firearm ban efficacy, Mayor Bloomberg. And yet you continue to rail again and again against firearms. You cannot see the abject failure of your stance in the city with the hardest line against guns in the entire nation. There were 193 murders in just the first six months of your administration this year, Mr Bloomberg. At a time when major crime is DOWN across the nation. YOUR COPS have helped make YOU look good, Mayor Bloomberg. Yet you continue to spout off about gun control.
Plus, we haven’t even addressed the issue in Chicago.
As the sun rose Sunday, New York City hit a remarkable milestone, recording just 193 murders in the first six months of the year. In that same span, more than 250 murders were recorded in Chicago—a city just one third as large.
Of course, Chicago sports rampant gun control as well.
Chicago hasn’t seen murders at this pace since 2003, when the city suffered 283 homicides by the end of June, and 601 over the year. The violence that began to explode in neighborhoods across this city this spring represents a 36 percent increase in murder over the same stretch of last year.
But here’s the deal: NYPD instigated “stop and frisk.” That stance is being attacked. Yet it clearly yields:
New York City’s historic success comes at a time of increased critical scrutiny of the NYPD and its commissioner, Ray Kelly. Last month, the NAACP held a silent street protest to draw attention to its demand that the controversial “stop and frisk” policy be ended. In addition, there have been allegations of widespread padding of crime statistics.
Padding stats in CompStat, in NYPD? Perish the thought!
But here is the proverbial Turd In The Punchbowl — the proverbial Cat Down The Toilet:
The fact that homicide rates in New York and most big cities have continued to decline during the Great Recession is itself a notable refutation of the “root cause” theory of crime long cherished by liberals —namely, that crime was an inevitable byproduct of tough economic times and income inequality, solvable only by welfare-state schemes. It turns out that proactive quality-of-life policing, stemming from the Broken Windows theory, ultimately does far more to reduce violence and save lives, especially in inner-city neighborhoods. The current Harlem renaissance is Exhibit A in this national evolution.
In the UK, it’s too little, too late:
Once again, governmental confiscations under the guise of “banning fox hunting.”
You can clearly see how well it’s working for both the UK and Australia.
Ladies and gentlemen, per Robert Heinlein, do you truly Grok this?
Crime is DOWN in America. Gun violence is, overall, DOWN in America.
Yet, DESPITE THIS, government believes it MUST enact even GREATER restrictions on guns in the hands of lawful citizens.
I can only reach one conclusion: this is PURPOSEFUL.
It has NOTHING to do with actual VIOLENCE.
It has EVERYTHING to do with governmental CONTROL.
Hello?
Are you reading appropriately “between the lines” here?
“If you don’t do anything, you will lose your liberties.”
Indian government officials and Sikh leaders across India were outraged by the attack that left 6 dead, including 4 Indian nationals, at a Sikh temple near Milwaukee and called on the U.S. to do more to protect Sikhs living in the United Sates. Clinton called Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna from her stop in South Africa Monday after Krishna criticized the U.S. for failed policies and a growing trend of violent incidents against religious minorities.
In the video below, a 71-year-old man at an internet cafe in Ocala, Florida on Friday, July 13th, takes umbrage with two purposely-hooded “youths” who decided to rob said cafe via handgun and baseball bat:
OCALA, Fla. — Authorities in central Florida say two men were trying to rob an Internet cafe when a 71-year-old patron began shooting his own gun, wounding the suspects.
Surveillance video shows two masked men entering the Palms Internet Cafe around 10 p.m. Friday. The Ocala Star-Banner reports one pointed a gun at customers while the other swung a baseball bat.
Nineteen-year-olds Duwayne Henderson and Davis Dawkins were later arrested and face attempted armed robbery with a firearm and criminal mischief charges. Both posted bail and were released.
The video shows patron Samuel Williams pulling a handgun and shooting. He continues firing while the suspects fall over each other as they run out the door.
Williams has a concealed weapons permit. Bill Gladson of the Marion County State Attorney’s Office says the shooting appears justified.
Because race means everything to the DEM/MSM and Leftists, I should care to point out that the aged shooter was white, and the “youths” were black.
To Mr Williams I say: nice crouch, nice two-handed Weaver stance, sir. And nice aggression. Take the fight to the enemy. Keep moving. You were textbook.
God bless you sir.
Now that’s a Seasoned Citizen who clanks when he walks.
Finally, this most interesting tidbit from UK’s The Telegraph (indicating, once again, that if you wish to discover what’s really occurring in this country, I strongly suggest scouring UK news):
According to the FBI, over 1.5 million background checks on customers were requested by gun dealers to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System in December. Nearly 500,000 of those were in the six days before Christmas.
It was the highest number ever in a single month, surpassing the previous record set in November.
On Dec 23 alone there were 102,222 background checks, making it the second busiest single day for buying guns in history.
The actual number of guns bought may have been even higher if individual customers took home more than one each.
Explanations for America’s surge in gun buying include that it is a response to the stalled economy with people fearing crime waves. Another theory is that buyers are rushing to gun shops because they believetighter firearms laws will be introduced in the future.
In that light, I would suggest that under a Leftist administration such as Mr Obama’s, tighter firearms laws are an absolute guarantee. Further, I submit that you can count on a vicious clamp on ammunition, restrictions to include the types and amount of ammunition purchased and lengthy backgrounds checks, as with firearms, involving sales of rounds.
The trend had already started in 2008 (again, UK’s The Telegraph) just before the November presidential election.
“I’ve sold probably four times as much in the last six months as I have in 20 years combined,” said Cliff Hunter, owner of Tommy Bronson Sporting Goods in Memphis. “Hand guns and the tactical weapons, they’re absolutely off the charts.”
Most of his gun sales used to be for hunting, or personal protection in a city riddled with crime. But just before the November election, anxiety that Mr Obama would win and enact a radical programme of curtailing gun rights began drove business right up.
“Obama’s a liberal socialist and I think he’s proven quickly how extreme he is,” he said. “When they get through healthcare, guns are on the table. They’re not talking about it but it’s going to happen.”
The FBI recorded a 49 per cent rise in gun background checks during election week compared to the same week a year earlier.
This should come as no shock to any right-thinking individual.
1791
The Bill of Rights, including the Second Amendment — “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” gains final ratification.
1837 Georgia passes a law banning handguns. The law is ruled unconstitutional and thrown out.
1865 In a reaction to emancipation, several southern states adopt “black codes” which, among other things, forbid black persons from possessing firearms.
1871 The National Rifle Association (NRA) is organized around its primary goal of improving American civilians’ marksmanship in preparation for war.
1927 Congress passes a law banning the mailing of concealable weapons.
1934 The National Firearms Act of 1934 regulating only fully automatic firearms like sub-machine guns is approved by Congress.
1938 The Federal Firearms Act of 1938 places the first limitations on selling ordinary firearms. Persons selling guns are required to obtain a Federal Firearms License, at an annual cost of $1, and to maintain records of the name and address of persons to whom firearms are sold. Gun sales to persons convicted of violent felonies were prohibited.
1968 The Gun Control Act of 1968 – “…was enacted for the purpose of keeping firearms out of the hands of those not legally entitled to possess them because of age, criminal background, or incompetence.” — Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms The Act regulates imported guns, expands the gun-dealer licensing and record keeping requirements, and places specific limitations on the sale of handguns. The list of persons banned from buying guns is expanded to include persons convicted of any non-business related felony, persons found to be mentally incompetent, and users of illegal drugs.
1972 The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms is created listing as part of its mission the control of illegal use and sale of firearms and the enforcement of Federal firearms laws. ATF issues firearms licenses and conducts firearms licensee qualification and compliance inspections.
1977 The District of Columbia enacts an anti-handgun law which also requires registration of all rifles and shotguns within the District of Columbia.
1986 The Armed Career Criminal Act (Public Law 99-570) increases penalties for possession of firearms by persons not qualified to own them under the Gun Control Act of 1986. The Firearms Owners Protection Act (Public Law 99-308) relaxes some restrictions on gun and ammunition sales and establishes mandatory penalties for use of firearms during the commission of a crime.
1989 California bans the possession of semiautomatic assault weapons following the massacre of five children on a Stockton, CA school playground.
1990 The Crime Control Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-647) bans manufacturing and importing semiautomatic assault weapons in the U.S. “Gun-free school zones” are established carrying specific penalties for violations.
1994
The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (Public Law 103-159) imposes a five-day waiting period on the purchase of a handgun and requires that local law enforcement agencies conduct background checks on purchasers of handguns. (ATF’s Brady Law web site.)
1997
The Supreme Court, in the case of Printz v. United States, declares the background check requirement of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act unconstitutional.
The Florida Supreme Court upholds a jury’s $11.5 million verdict against Kmart for selling a gun to and intoxicated man who used the gun to shoot his estranged girlfriend.
Major American gun manufacturers voluntarily agree to include child safety trigger devices on all new handguns.
1998 – June A Justice Department report indicates the blocking of some 69,000 handgun sales during 1977 while Brady Bill pre-sale background checks were required.
1998 – July An amendment requiring a trigger lock mechanism to be included with every handgun sold in the U.S. is defeated in the Senate.
But, the Senate approves an amendment requiring gun dealers to have trigger locks available for sale and creating federal grants for gun safety and education programs.
1998 – October New Orleans, LA becomes the first US city to file suit against gun makers, firearms trade associations, and gun dealers. The city’s suit seeks recovery of costs attributed to gun-related violence.
1998 – November 12 Chicago, IL files a $433 million suit against local gun dealers and makers alleging that oversupplying local markets provided guns to criminals.
1998 – November 17 A negligence suite against gun maker Beretta brought by the family of a 14-year old boy killed by an other boy with a Beretta handgun is dismissed by a California jury.
1998 – November 30
Permanent provisions of the Brady Act go into effect. Gun dealers are now required to initiate a pre-sale criminal background check of all gun buyers through the newly created National Instant Criminal Background Check (NICS) computer system.
1998 – December 1 The NRA files suit in federal court attempting to block the FBI’s collection of information on firearm buyers.
1998 – December 5 President Clinton announces that the instant background check system had prevented 400 illegal gun purchases. The claim is called “misleading” by the NRA.
1999 – January
Civil suits against gun makers seeking to recover costs of gun-related violence are filed in Bridgeport, Connecticut and Miami-Dade County, Florida.
1999 – May 20
By a 51-50 vote, with the tie-breaker vote cast by Vice President Gore, the Senate passes a bill requiring trigger locks on all newly manufactured handguns and extending waiting period and background check requirements to sales of firearms at gun shows.
1999 – August 24 The Los Angeles County, CA Board of Supervisors votes 3 – 2 to ban the the Great Western Gun Show, billed as the “world’s largest gun show” from the Pomona, CA fairgrounds where the show had been held for the last 30 years. (Typical Gun Show Rules & Regulations here.)
