Crime

Just the headline of this piece alone, I’ll bet, shocks a number of people.

Most people assume, or have concluded, that Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) is guilty. After all, didn’t a D.C. grand jury indict Mr. Stevens on seven felony counts? Haven’t the United States Government and its federal prosecutors concluded that Mr. Stevens failed to disclose taking more than $250,000 worth of gifts on his Senate financial disclosure forms?

Of course the media hype and page one, above-the-fold headlines about these charges lead to the public impression that Sen. Stevens must be guilty of ... well, something. Read more...

I admit it. I watch "Law and Order.” I'm not proud of that, considering its leading players are cynical cops who routinely bully each and every citizen they encounter and prosecutors who daily violate the letter and spirit of the Constitution in their simple-minded effort to convict or execute anyone they've decided is a "bad guy.”

What? That's not what the show’s characters are about? They're heroes, not thugs, you say? The program is a look at the brutal world of crime-fighting on the mean streets, you say?

We're both right. It is a jungle out there. Except that while celebrating the exploits of our so-called protectors, it glosses over their willingness to run roughshod over our fundamental rights in their zealous pursuit of truth, justice and the American way. Read more...

Many people have come out in anger against the death in police custody of cop-killer Ronnie White, citing a violation of his civil liberties.

But few have spoken up for the family of Cpl. Richard Findley, who died in the line of duty while trying to protect the public against a murderous car thief. I am sick and tired of people coddling criminals who have no regard for the lives of law-abiding citizens.

The truth of the matter is that White committed a horrible crime that incited the justifiable rage of the slain officer's grief-stricken comrades. I am an uncompromising advocate of law enforcement officers adhering to the rule of law and under no circumstances should they become the judge, jury and executioner of these gun-toting thugs. However, one can certainly understand the frustration and rage of officers who put their lives on the line to protect the public. Read more...

Crime is the sleeper issue of this campaign, especially in Republican-leaning districts.

While on a nationwide basis violent crime is actually down, in smaller cities it is up by double-digit numbers. For example, in Indianapolis violent crime is up 27 percent, and in Jacksonville it’s up 22 percent. There are many other examples.

I have had a working theory for quite a while that the anger towards illegal immigration is only partially explained by job security. The biggest reason that many Americans dislike illegal immigration is a fear of crime.

The Democrats now sense this and are outbidding the White House on spending for immigration enforcement, with a special emphasis on deporting people convicted of major drug offenses and violent crimes. 
According to one news report, “A Homeland Security budget bill now moving through the House Appropriations Committee specifies that at least $800 million be spent after Oct. 1 to identify and remove the most violent and dangerous criminals from the U.S.” Read more...

As they adjourned for the summer, the Supreme Court ruled this morning in a close 5-4 decision that terrorist detainees at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, are afforded rights and protections under the Constitution.

What a travesty of justice handed down by justices more interested in political correctness than protecting the American people from very dangerous people who seek to kill us and end our way of life. Make no mistake, these are not Boy Scouts held against their will in Camp Gitmo. No, these are enemy combatants who have been captured on the battlefield and sent to Cuba. Let me say that again: captured on the battlefield waging war against our brave men and women. Read more...

Life 50 years ago moved at a slower, but nonetheless progressive, pace. The use of drugs was heavily looked down upon. Young ladies during that era would have been banned and shamed for dressing and acting promiscuously. It was demanded of young men to have respect for themselves and those around them. Family values played a major part in shaping the lives of the next generation, and our parents were our early models for God. Their unconditional love taught their offspring about the cruel and challenging world they would eventually face. Equally important, parents were the first line of support for their emotional needs, basic values and various norms. From such interactions, a child’s personality and character were formed. Read more...

From Brussels, Belgium

Law enforcement has cracked down on underage drinking. The peer pressure of a child drinking before he or she can legally purchase alcohol is not only unbearable, but unlawful. Some kids even drink in secrecy, or with the help of parents or older adults.

If you are a teenage drinker, or guilty of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, stop! Laws are put in place for a reason, and just because a teenager thinks that he can handle the responsibilities that come with drinking doesn’t make it right or legal. Adults who provide alcohol to minors are also at fault, and should be punished. Read more...

The New York Times had an interesting story on the front page today called “Immigration and Gang Violence Propel Crusade,” about the bubbling war between African-American gangs and Mexican gangs in Los Angeles. Apparently, members of the African-American community are asking the police to start checking on the immigration status of suspected Mexican gang members.

According to the Justice Department’s National Drug Intelligence Center report, “Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations control the transportation and wholesale distribution of most illicit drugs in every area of the country except the Northeast; their influence is increasing. Their established overland transportation routes and entrenched distribution networks enable them to supply primary and secondary drug markets throughout these regions. They have gained a greater share of the drug market by forcing African American street gangs out of midlevel drug distribution and relegating them to lower-level retail distribution.” Read more...

While America is consumed with the next president, the Iraqi conflict and all things political, there's a home execution phenomenon sweeping every geographic location of this country that demands closer examination.

I spoke to my brother Bruce recently and he was telling me the story of the Pringle family, a 40-year-old mother, her 22-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter, who all lived under the same roof in Mullins, S.C. The son had become so strung out on drugs, mean-spirited, dangerous and life-threatening, that the mother decided to put him out, realizing that if she didn't, their lives were in serious jeopardy. Read more...

I thought that headline might get your attention. I’m just amazed at the number of high-profile political scandals that have arisen lately dealing with high-priced call-girls (and in some cases, not-so-high-priced ones).

Just when I thought it was safe to go back into the bathroom stall and settle into my wide stance, I hear that Sen. Debbie Stabenow’s (D-Mich.) husband was paying $150 for a hooker to turn tricks in a Michigan hotel. Heck, I think the room was more expensive than the call-girl … a Residence Inn? I can just see the look on Eliot Spitzer’s face based on the thousands he paid for the same “treatment.” What about the current New York governor, David Paterson? I think his first official declaration was that he had engaged in extramarital affairs “numerous times.” So much for a State of the State address. Read more...