Monthly Archive: September 2020

Murders Surge in DC; City Leaders Point to the Answer

by · Sep 2, 2020 2:30 pm

In Washington, DC, and New York, among some other major cities, murder has spiked this year.  Thus, as the Crime Report tells us in this story from mid-August:

A weekend mass shooting that wounded 21 and killed one signaled a 45 percent increase in shootings in Washington, D.C., this year over the same period last year, including 46 shootings in the past week, the Washington Post reports.

But fear not.  Washington’s leadership has an idea. Continue reading . . .

Lying About Voter Fraud

by · Sep 2, 2020 2:14 pm

Every election year some candidates argue that voter fraud might have determined the outcome of close races.  The President has made the claim several times.  The mainstream media’s response has consistently been to label such claims as baseless, often quoting Secretaries of State saying that there is no evidence of fraud.  One recent example is Danielle Echeverria’s story in The San Francisco Chronicle “Trump recycles evidence-free charge of California voter fraud.”  She checked with Alex Padilla, the Democrat Secretary of State in one-party governed California, who made it clear, “Trump’s lies about voter fraud are patently untrue.”  Is it possible that Mr. Padilla has never really looked into it, because his party always wins?  This blanket denial squares poorly with a Monday story in MyNewsLA about two criminals who have plead guilty to submitting hundreds of ballots with forged signatures in Los Angeles.  Seven other co-defendants have either plead no-contest or guilty, while an eighth awaits trial.  No telling how many others in California were submitting fake ballots but have not yet been caught.

Continue reading . . .

A Sigh of Relief in California

by · Sep 2, 2020 10:00 am

In California today, people of sense breathe a sigh of relief when the Legislature adjourns for the year. In public safety, particularly, that body now passes much harmful legislation and very little that helps.

Christine Mai-Duc and Alejandro Lazo report in the WSJ that anti-police activists are disappointed that the Legislature adjourned without passing much in the way of what they call “police reform.” We can all exhale now. Continue reading . . .

Crime Without Consequences

by · Sep 1, 2020 5:57 pm

The extent of arson and thuggish violence in Portland, Oregon has become so extreme that the state’s Governor, the clueless Kate Brown, has asked sheriffs’ offices from around the state to help out.  The answer seems to be a loud “no.”  One Sheriff, Clackamas County’s  Craig Roberts, explained, through a spokesperson, that in Portland “it’s about changing the policy [of no consequences for rioting], not adding resources.”

Roberts explained:

The same offenders are arrested night after night, only to be released by the court and not charged with a crime by the DA’s Office. The next night they are back at it, endangering the lives of law enforcement and the community all over again.

What else could he say?  When the political leadership has spent years painting police as the problem and hooligans as the heroes of “free speech” (and free stuff, we now see from the rampant looting), the police would have to be self-hating fools to heed a call like Gov. Brown’s.  (H/t to PowerLine).

Riots, Arson, Policing and the Election

by · Sep 1, 2020 12:39 pm

Bret Stephens is an especially insightful writer for, of all things, the New York Times.  His column yesterday asks some questions the country very much needs to ponder:

Can the left be honest that the tragedies unfolding today in American cities are as much the story of insufficient policing as they are of abusive policing? Does it get that “law and order” is a precondition to civil liberty, not an impediment to it? Is it willing to say that the American founders who bequeathed us the institutions of liberal democracy should be honored, not despised? And does Joe Biden have the nerve to stand up to the extremes in his own party, or does he just mean to appease them?

His piece makes other painful points as well.

Continue reading . . .

FBI: Gangs Targeting Cops in Chicago

by · Sep 1, 2020 11:57 am

While shootings went down slightly in Chicago last weekend, homicides doubled compared to the week before.  Adding to this chaos,  Greg Norman of Fox News reports that the FBI has intercepted intelligence indicating that the city’s gangs have made a pact to “shoot on sight” any officer who had drawn a gun.  The FBI alert indicates that roughly 36 gangs are actively looking for police officers with guns drawn.  According to the alert, the purpose of the pact is for gang members to film the shooting of officers with their guns drawn and distribute the video to the national media.

Continue reading . . .

USCA-DC to Gen. Flynn: No Writ for You!

by · Sep 1, 2020 11:07 am

Soup Nazi from SeinfeldIn May, the government moved to dismiss the cases against Gen. Michael Flynn. Normally, the judge would routinely grant such a motion. If the parties are agreed, there is generally nothing for a court to decide. In this case, though, the judge did not grant the motion right away but appointed an amicus curiae to argue against it. Gen. Flynn asked the court of appeals for an “extraordinary writ,” ordering the district court immediately grant the motion to dismiss. See this post by Bill Otis. Yesterday, the court of appeals said no.

Is this a vindication for the judge’s unusual maneuver and a repudiation of both the government and Gen. Flynn? No.

Continue reading . . .