Monday, November 20, 2006

Villaraigosa: Do as I Say

The mayor rarely, if ever, takes the bus or the train to work. Instead, he rides around town in a GMC Yukon chauffeured by a Los Angeles police officer who doubles as a bodyguard.
So in spite of haranguing We the Subjects into public transit, El Rey de Los Angeles sticks to his royal coach.

I went looking for this story because local radio quoted him as saying the people responsible for his protection thought public travel would present a security risk.

And needless to say, King Antonio I is one of the Bloomburgomeisters.

So allow me to translate the message His Highness is sending to We the Rabble:
I don't trust you, either to ride with me or to provide for your own protection. I consider the conveyances I expect you to ride in to be so unsafe and unsecured that I fear using them. But I don't care if you get hurt or killed--the important thing is that I'm insulated and protected.

Y'know, as much as I hate to admit it, I believe His Lordship may have a point: Anyone stupid enough to vote for this elitist hypocrite probably is too stupid to own a gun.

Is My Tiara on Straight?

Thanks, WP.

Just a few questions:

Will I need to carry an assault weapon if it bruises my legs?

And can I stand having my heart broken one more time?

But seriously, I do appreciate the kind sentiment. Out of the small pool of people who've even heard of me, there's no shortage of folks--many from "our side"--who would prefer I just go away. So the occasional bouquet among the barbs is appreciated.

Standing Up Like North Americans

Security of the person is non-negotiable. It is the prime given. It is the excuse government uses for nearly all its other actions. The thing about security of the person is that it is ultimately not something that can be delegated. Anyone who demands under any circumstances that a person delegate that authority 100% by disarming whether voluntarily or under duress is either running a protection racket or planning something very, very bad. Maybe even Pol Pot bad.
Clive Edwards has written an important essay here, one that deserves to be spread and read far and wide. It's especially a hopeful thing to see such sentiment springing from Canada.

[Via Cousin G]

Carmen Caldwell: Knowing Best in Spite of the Facts

[Use BugMeNot to bypass site registration.]

It was quite enlightening to learn how people around the country feel about their guns. Several felt insulted by my comment that "in 26 years of crime prevention I had not seen anything good regarding owning a gun." I should have clarified that my 26 years have been in Miami-Dade, which is apparently very different from the rest of the country.

What many of these readers do not understand is that residents of Miami-Dade County prefer to work with their law enforcement, working to prevent crime by cooperating with their neighbors and using their intelligence to avoid becoming victims of crime. This is a lot more challenging than just owning a gun.
Yes, Carmen. As the very newspaper you write for reports, Miami-Dade is apparently quite different:
Murders in Miami-Dade County are up 42 percent...
Wow, you're right. That is a lot more challenging than just owning a gun! Great job "cooperating" there, Carmen, although with an outcome like this, it might be fair to ask who your aversion to guns really benefits. Maybe you could travel the country and teach us how to follow your great example, so we can replicate these awesome results where we live.

[Via Cousin G]

This Day in History: November 20

On this day in 1789, New Jersey ratifies the Bill of Rights, becoming the first state to do so. New Jersey’s action was a first step toward making the first 10 amendments to the Constitution law and completing the revolutionary reforms begun by the Declaration of Independence.