Maybe I was a bit hard on the Delco times the other day. This editorial highlighting the plight of Officer Daniel Faulkner’s widow, Maureen Faulkner, is pretty spot on.
Category: Philadelphia
Gentlemen, don’t let the door …
… hit you in the ass on the way out.
Members of the state House’s Legislative Black Caucus walked off the House floor this afternoon demanding votes on stalled gun-control bills.
The protest threatened to bring business in the chamber to a standstill because the 25-member caucus is a significant voting block, and could stand in the way of reaching the 102 votes need to approve legislation. The House has 203 members.
“There’s no more blind loyalty to anyone,” said Rep. Thomas Blackwell, D-Philadelphia, in an interview. “You have to respect us.”
Respect is a two way street, Representative Blackwell. We demand respect for the rights protected by the constitution of this country and this commonwealth. This is not a Pennsylvania problem, this is a Philadelphia problem.  When you’re ready to face up to the problems in Philadelphia, and talk about serious solutions, like putting more police officers on the streets, and making sure cretins like this don’t see the light of day, I’m willing to lobby my representatives for fiscal and legislative help. Continue to impose gun control on me, and you’re not respecting me, so why should I respect you?
Ramsey Struck By Blindingly Obvious
Philadelphia’s new police chief, who’s former career involved running the Washington Metro Police force, is at least aware of the blindingly obvious:
“Declaring a state of emergency is fine with me,” Ramsey, the former Washington police chief, said in an interview Friday. “Crime is at an unacceptable level. . . . It’s certainly something we have to get a handle on real quick.”
How Ramsey will carry out the emergency response is less certain. He spent much of last week getting his bearings in his new city – meeting with Johnson and the department’s command staff as well as attending several district roll calls to introduce himself to the rank and file.
So his first act will be to declare a crime emergency. That’s leadership! This already is looking like a farce to me.
More Bad Laws
HB 1966, introduced a few weeks ago in the Pennsylvania General Assembly, would impose a 1% tax on firearms which will be used for a “Violence Reduction Fund”. The sponsors of the bill are the usual suspects. This one goes through the finance committee, and I’m not aware of the composition of that as far as the gun issue goes. It’s nothing to start worrying seriously about yet, but it does illustrate the mentally of the Philadelphia Politicians. Who is responsible for gun violence in Philadelphia? Certainly not the cretins who roam the streets committing crimes. Nope. It’s you and me, and we should have to pay the piper for purchasing evil guns.
Do You Yahoo?
Jewell Williams tried to apologize for his “the yahoos win again” comment, but I have to agree with this guy that the real yahoos are in Philadelphia.
Philadelphians scared …
… of guns? Not all of them, but the media and political cultures of Philadelphia certainly promote it.
Justice of the Street
Wyatt has an interesting news item about John “It’s not real marriage” Street agreeing to officiate a gay non-wedding. When questioned about this, in his infinite courage, and willingness to stand up for what he may or may not believe in (we’re not sure), he says:
“It’s not marriage. It’s not real marriage. They can’t be married,” said Street, a Seventh-day Adventist. “It’s not a religious ceremony. I mean, it’s not really marriage.”
I hope when he officiates, he’s not reading from a teleprompter:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoCt3gk3k50[/youtube]
Not too much longer…
Carjacking Hi-End SUVs
There was a carjacking in Ambler the other day, which is five minutes from where I work. I drive through that town every day. I’m happy the Philadelphia Police have caught these guys, because they were dangerous individuals. A lot of folks ask why I carry a firearm, and this is it. I worry about Philadelphia’s crime problem traveling into the suburbs, and it’s bound to happen. I worry not so much because I could be a target, but because suburban folks reaction won’t just be “Man, I need to think about protecting myself.” They might join in the delusion promulgated by our media culture that we can take guns away from criminals if we pass Just One More LawTM
Eric has more. Apparently the woman who was a victim in Havertown, which was the same carjacking ring, managed to get the gun away from the carjacker and shoot him. I didn’t even know that, because the press here didn’t mention it. My advice to people in the Philadelphia suburbs worried about car jacking is twofold. One, it’s better to have your own firearm than have to take your attacker’s first. Two, your car is a much more effective weapon than any firearm. If they catch you while driving, don’t be afraid to plow the bastards down.
If he can do for Philly …
… what he did for Washington D.C., we’re in a lot of trouble. Well, I was getting optimistic about Nutter. Now I’m thinking maybe that optimism was misplaced.
UPDATE: Wyatt doesn’t like it either.
Passing the Buck
If there’s one talent that John Street has, it’s passing the buck. With two new shootings of police officers in the city, and a sixteen year old drug dealing low-life in custody, there’s no failure of his administration that Street seems unwilling to blame on Harrisburg.
Street and Johnson said the latest round of police-targeted violence underscored the need for stricter gun laws.
Street called on Washington and Harrisburg to react.
“They’re not getting the message,” he said of federal and state legislators who have failed to pass tougher gun-control legislation.
But he also said the city was making “progress” in the fight against violence.
“We’re actually making progress, but we’re not getting the help we need,” Street said. “This city is rallying. . . . It’s an uphill and difficult task, but we’re having great success.”
Pushing for gun control is the last refuge of scoundrels, and Street and Johnson definitely fit that description.  What law do they imagine would have stopped this shooting? Make it illegal for 16 year olds to possess a gun? It already is. Make it illegal for someone to give a 16 year old a gun? It already is. Make it illegal to possess a gun while dealing drugs? It already is. What new gun law do they imagine is going to fix this problem?
There isn’t one. Street is passing the buck and the morons who work for the Philadelphia media establishment are letting them get away with it. John Street has been a disaster for the City of Philadelphia, but that story doesn’t get told, because it’s easier just to blame Harrisburg for the “gun” problem, and the media seems to be fine with that explanation.