Why Washington DC can Never be Trusted with Statehood #137

And no, this post isn't even about Marion "Fool for Life" Barry, their political god.

Trayvon Martin Day declared at D.C. elementary school

Yep. They really did. And they wonder why the rest of the country won't take them seriously.

Now aside from teaching another generation of urban youth that it's good to idolize drug-using violent criminals, can you just imagine the outrage in DC (and other bastions of senseless liberalism) if a neighboring Virginia community declared it "George Zimmerman Day", or "Bernie Goetz Day"? of course that won't happen, because schools in Northern Virginia are too busy teaching kids to read and write instead of using school time to inspire racial hatred and feelings of victimization in them.

And people in DC still wonder why Tyreek can't read.

More here.

Oh cry me a river...

The shenanigans never seem to stop in the nation's capitol...

This time, we have a whole neighborhood of residents in Washington DC who are all upset because they looked out of their houses recently and saw what they thought was a real police raid. It turned out that it was just staged for a TV show filming. Nonetheless, they’re all outraged because they claim that they were frightened and inconvenienced by the action.

Montgomery County police officers staged a fake raid in Northwest D.C., complete with guns drawn and police lights blazing, sparking outrage from local residents who were not warned that the cops were acting for a TV show.

About a half dozen off-duty officers, who wore county uniforms and drove county police cars, were hired by a local production company to stage a police raid on 315 Aspen St. NW, which is about a quarter of a mile from the Montgomery-D.C. border.

"If the D.C. police had been in Montgomery County, that's all [anyone] would have talked about," said an irate Kelly Craven, who lives a few houses down from the raided house.
The filming was for a show called "Prison Wives," which is about women who fall in love with and marry prisoners, according to neighbors. The show is in development for the cable channel Investigation Discovery, according to its Web site.

Filming went on for half a day and looked like the real thing, neighbors said.

"They stormed the house like a SWAT team and they said, 'Police, search warrant, open up,'" said James Hall, who lives next door and shares a driveway with the house that was used in the filming.

D.C. Councilwoman Muriel Bowser, D-Ward 4, said in a letter to Montgomery County Police Chief J. Thomas Manger that she shares the outrage of her constituents.

"The neighbors ... were never notified of this disruption to their lives, and were justifiably terrified when they saw uniformed officers swarming a neighbor's house with guns drawn," Bowser said.

I can’t help but think that if any of these people had JOBS, then they wouldn’t have even known about this because they wouldn’t have just been sitting around in their houses during the hours that most of the rest of us are at work.

But let's give 'em statehood so that they can elect Marion Barry to Congress, eh? You know that they will if we do.

Another day, another Dem fails to pay his taxes.

This time it's DC Councilman and former mayor/convicted felon Marion "the bitch set me up" Barry.

Prosecutors are once again trying to have him jailed as he has once again not filed a tax return, the eight time in nine years.

Barry, 72, was given three years of probation in 2006 after pleading guilty to misdemeanor charges for failing to file his tax returns from 1999 to 2004. As part of a plea bargain, he agreed to file future federal and local tax returns annually.

Two years ago, however, prosecutors sought to have that probation revoked after Barry failed to file his 2005 taxes. But U.S. Magistrate Judge Deborah Robinson refused, ruling that prosecutors did not prove Barry willfully failed to file his returns, even if he was aware that he missed the deadline.

How the hell does that work? I'm thinking that Magistrate Robinson is smoking some of the same crack that Barry can't seem to stay away from.

But he's only a Democrat, so it won't hit the news like it would if, say, it were some conservative or a Republican.

Still, we can just add his name to the list of other politicians who aren't paying their fair share--Congressman Charlie Rangel and Obama cabinet picks Tim Geithner, Tom Daschle, Nancy Killefer and the husband of Hilda Solis. (NOTE: All Democrats. Coincidence? I think not.)

And as wrong as this currently pending Stimulus bill being considered is--and it's plenty wrong--I'm thinking that don't need any stupid stimulus bill to fund our government...we just need to get the Democrats to pay their taxes.

Down to DC.

So yesterday I had to go down to Washington DC on some business. I haven't been down there in a while, but it's obvious that some things haven't changed.

That crazy ex-con DC Council member Marion Barry is proposing yet another tax on the people who work in and already support the city. Now he wants toll booths on the bridges and major roads leading into DC. Yeah ok, as if traffic isn't already impossible at rush hour--let's just stop every car on the highways to shake the drivers down for a few bucks each. Can you imagine the traffic jams? Of course this wouldn't affect Barry as he's without a driver's license following a DUI arrest and a more recent arrest for driving an unregistered, uninsured car with a suspended license. But he's what the people of Ward 8 decided that they wanted to hold up as a representative.

And of course Barry isn't the only one driving improperly in the District. I saw this fake temp tag on a car parked on 5th St. NW, right in front of the General Accounting Office building.
Also note the "thin blue line" decal that suggests that the owner is law enforcement.





As you can see, this tag is slathered with white-out, the date's clearly been altered, and the holographic strip that the DMV puts across the date area is competely gone. This car's been bombing around on this fake tag for a while, probably because the driver can't get hard tags due to tickets owed of a license suspension.



Wouldn't you know it? The car belongs to one of the GAO's "Special Police", which is a DC term for a security guard licensed to carry a gun on the job site. The title's a misnomer, because these people aren't police and have no police powers. But they love to pretend to be real police, hence that "thin blue line" sticker in the first picture. I used to love to issue tickets to these posers after pulling them over for speeding or fake temp tags (not uncommon among these folks) only to have them flash a Special Police ID and say "I'm one of y'all..."

No, you're not.

It's be nice to think that someone somewhere in GOA will bring this to the attention of the appropriate authority there, but I won't hold my breath.

And right after taking these pictures, I was nearly mowed down trying to cross the street at 5th and H streets NW. A DC Parking Enforcement car #37 blew through the stop sign as it went west on H despite the fact that I was in the crosswalk and near half way across. The driver, a black male with dread-locked hair and no seat belt on, didn't even pretend to try to stop. If I'd been holding anything but my camera his car'd have a new dent today. It'd also be nice to think that someone in DC Parking Enforcement might care, but again, I won't hold my breath.



I also saw the Honor Guard for the DC Department of Corrections practicing down at the Law Enforcement Memorial and I watched them march and present their colors for a few minutes. They looked pretty good.





And as usual, I took a few minutes at the memorial to reflect on the men and women of law enforcement who gave their lives in the performance of their duties. Police Week is coming fast, and the candle light vigil in honor of the newly-added names will be Sunday, May 13th.

I say we give Maryland back to England

Wow. Maryland's legislature is just going to town now that they've got a Democratic majority and a new Democratic governor. They're working full bore to wipe out any semblance of American values from that state. As a result, I'm proposing that we give Maryland back to England, since they clearly don't seem to appreciate this country or have any desire to want to be like the rest of us. Sadly, the Dems now running that state are trying to pass a bunch of new laws that will harm law-abiding Americans there while basically giving the state over to a combination of illegal aliens and felons, most of whom are expected to return the favor by voting Dem in the subsequent elections. Here's just a few examples of the sort of laws that I'm talking about:

Anti-gun legislation.

Just this year, the Maryland Legislature is advancing several bills that will remove Montgomery County from under the state's firearms preemption laws and allow that county to impose stricter gun controls than the rest of the state. They also want to put a 10% tax on certain types of firearms and they are also working on a so-called "assault weapons ban" which will deny law-abiding Maryland residents the right to purchase most semi-automatic firearms and magazines that hold more than ten rounds of ammunition. None of these laws do a thing to deter or punish criminals, but they come down hard on the people who actually obey the laws.

Drivers' licenses for illegal aliens.

Maryland is one of just seven states that does not require people to prove citizenship before giving them a driver's license. The federal government's "Real ID Act" requires states to demand such proof because driver's licenses are used to open bank accounts, vote, board airliners, and other things that both terrorists and run-of-the-mill illegal aliens have no business doing. However

If Maryland does not comply with the act, state driver's licenses would no longer be accepted identification for entrance into federal buildings or travel on airplanes.

Barring illegal aliens from obtaining driver's licenses became an even bigger issue for many Maryland lawmakers after an Iraq war veteran was killed in a car accident involving an illegal alien in Howard County on Thanksgiving.

Police arrested Eduardo Raul Morales-Soriano, 25, an illegal alien from Mexico, and charged him with drunken driving and two counts each of vehicular homicide and manslaughter while intoxicated in the crash that killed Cpl. Brian Mathews of Columbia, Md. But the illegal alien advocacy group Casa de Maryland still demands that the legislature treat illegals the same as citizens and people who have a lawful right to be in our country, and that it would make many (illegal) immigrants feel like second-class people to deny them the full rights and benefits that citizens and legal immigrants enjoy.

At least one person gets it though. "I think it's a terrible problem that we have: People who are more concerned about how the illegal aliens feel than the safety of Maryland residents," said Sen. Janet Greenip, Anne Arundel County Republican.

Amen! But the Dems also know that if illegals can get driver's licenses, they can also register vote courtesy of that stupid Motor Voter law that the Clinton era Dems passed. There are no checks in place to prevent it and both the Dems and the illegals know it.


In-state tuition for illegals.

Not content with just giving illegals the documents that they need to blend in with those of us who actually belong here, the Maryland legislature also thinks that they should get a break on college tuition for themselves and their kids. If an actual American moves to Maryland, they won't be eligible for in-state tuition rates for at least a year, but the MD legislature, kow-towing again to Casa de Maryland and the rest of the illegal alien lobby, thinks that illegals deserve this break so that they can compete for slots in Maryland's colleges and universities with citizens and legal immigrants who want them and who actually have a right to them. It's bad enough that the legislature would allow illegals to attend those schools at all, but giving them tuition preferences that are reserved for legitimate residents and which are denied to many actual citizens? Come on! One Maryland legislator who opposes it says it will inevitably put an added financial strain on schools, drive up tuition costs and reduce the number of available slots at public colleges for legal residents, but the rest of the legislature just wants that Hispanic vote so they're going ahead with it anyway.


Let felons vote!

As if Maryland hasn't gone far enough in it's efforts to curtail the rights of law-abiding citizens and give extravagant benefits to illegals, now it wants to further dilute the voting power of the decent people by removing the bar that our forefathers put on felons and allowing them to vote. This means that criminals will get a say on legislation that sets penalties on the crimes that they have already been convicted of committing at least once, and it gives them the chance to try to vote out of office prosecutors and legislators who are tough on crime and it also allows them to go after the sheriffs who run the jails that they've done time in. It also sets up a situation where candidates for office in high-crime areas will be tempted to pander to convicted criminals and promise to pass legislation that lessens or eliminates the penalties for some crimes in exchange for the votes of the criminals. One only has to look to Washington DC and see what happened there as convicted felon Marion Barry actively sought out the votes of other convicted felons in Ward 8 and subsequently won a seat in the City Council. Is that what Maryland's legislative majority wants? Or are they just looking at studies that reflect the fact that felons overwhelmingly vote Democrat? I realize that if Florida's felons had been allowed to cast the deciding votes, AL Gore would have been elected instead of George W. Bush, and the Democrats realize it too, which is why they push so hard to give felons the vote nationwide. They know that their platform doesn't appeal to the majority of hard-working honest citizens, so rather than change it and give the good people what the good people want, they'd rather open up the voting pool to criminals and illegal aliens and ride their votes into power, screwing everyone else.

How about it, England? You want 'em back? We'll trade you. Give us a few thousand honest conservative citizens (if you've got that many left) and we'll give you Maryland on the condition that you promptly tow it away. Act quick and we'll throw in Massachusetts as a bonus. It's not like that state does America any good so why the heck not?

So Marion Barry got robbed...

That's the big story coming out of the District of Columbia today. Ex-con, Mayor-for-Life and city councilman Marion Barry fell afoul of two teen thugs who robbed him at gunpoint after he paid them to carry groceries for him (if you believe that...) and after he let them back into his apartment when they came back again later.

For those of you who live in the civilized rest of the world, Marion Barry is practically a god in the District. He was mayor for a couple of terms and it was under his "leadership" that many of DC's businesses fled and it's neighborhoods slid down into practical anarchy. During his third term, he was arrested after being caught by the FBI smoking crack with a prostitute in a seed DC motel. Charged with 12 felonies, a DC jury only convicted him of one misdemeanor drug possession charge and he was booted from office and locked up for six months.

When he got out of prison, DC voters re-elected him right back onto the city council and then elected him mayor again. After his last term, he tried to run for another council seat but the US Park Police found him in a car with another hooker and cocaine and marijuana residue. This case was never taken forward by the US Attorney but it scuttled his political career for that election cycle. He ran for council again in 2000 and got elected in large part by courting ex-cons and working the jails and housing projects for votes. DC allows many criminals to vote and Barry's re-election proves why this is a bad idea. And frankly anyone who thinks that the District of Columbia deserves more voting rights should keep this in mind as well. If DC was allowed two senators or a voting congressman tomorrow, there's a good chance that those knuckleheads would elect Barry.

But fast-forward to this robbery. These kids stuck him up in his own apartment and his response was to call a press conference and promise not to allow them to be prosecuted if they'd just return his wallet. He then issued a statement that said that he felt "hurt and betrayed" by this robbery because as Barry said, "there is a sort of an unwritten code in Washington, among the underworld and the hustlers and these other guys, that I am their friend,"

Barry still sees himself as an underworld celebrity that the thugs automatically respect and leave alone. Come on, DC voters...pull your heads out of your asses and quit putting this guy up there as your champion.

It's ironic that Barry used this press conference to call for more gun control in the District even though he won't prosecute these particular thugs, and it's also noteworthy that the District has had a total ban on firearms of any sort for over 25 years now. I guess someone didn't tell Barry's little playmates about that.

This is even funnier than the time that Barry was down on his luck and without a car. The residents of the 8th Ward--DC's poorest section--pitched in and pooled their money and bought Barry a new Cadillac just because they didn't want to see their icon riding the bus. Barry drove the car for a few months and then someone stole it when he left it parked on a street in that same 8th Ward. This gave rise to the saying that "the Ward giveth and the Ward taketh away."

But congratulations, Mayor Barry. You ran the city into the ground and turned it into a slum and a third-world cesspool, and you finally reaped some of what you sowed.

One final note is that Barry recently pled guilty to not paying federal or District of Columbia taxes on any of his pay from his last council term. He's due to be sentenced in a couple of weeks, but I'm sure that whatever happens, DC's ignorant, thug-loving voters will be only too happy to retain him in office.

PS--if it later turns out that Barry was really ripped off during another drug deal, I for one won't be surprised one bit.