Frontpage
06-08-2009, 12:29 AM
http://230grain.com/images/articles/editorial.jpg
Have the people have spoken?
“They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” - Benjamin Franklin*
This week the Federal Bureau of Investigation cited among the safest cities (http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/08aprelim/downloads.htm) in the nation the unbelievable: New York. The same city that, up until Rudy Giuliani took hold of it, showed 42nd street exactly as portrayed in the classic film "Taxi Driver." We mention Rudy as a footnote to the recent success of the city; in many ways he overstepped his authority, jailed many, but in the end cleaned up 42nd street to the point that Neon Alley now appears in movies not as a backdrop for a shady city, but instead as an icon of a bustling metropolis.
I travel to New York frequently and note each time the heavy police presence. It's no exaggeration to state that you will see officers on every other street corner, officers walking beats, officers talking to the people, police cruisers driving through neighborhoods, clearing traffic lanes, and responding to calls. They have made their presence known. And in the worst of neighborhoods you see an even greater presence with guard towers.
http://230grain.com/images/rsrh/all_along_the.jpg
New York Police Department Sky Watch (tower)
So, we ask, have the people spoken? The people of New York city have certainly ceded the most modern means of personal security to the state, as no one can obtain a firearm without being well-connected. New York's hostility toward firearm owners is nothing new, as it dates back to the Sullivan Law of 1911. (Ironic date, eh?)
But over the years, everyone seems to have given up on the battle--except the politicians who pressed onward toward more restriction. And in reply New York has stifled second amendment rights securing personal liberty and, as a substitute, covered her streets in a blue-uniformed blanket of security.
We know that in New York if you are a minority, it's best not to reach for your wallet. We know that in New York regardless of your color, if you drive a car at or away from an officer (who may or may not be in uniform) you will be gunned down. We know that New York is not screwing around in regards to a police presence, even on Wall Street.
http://230grain.com/images/rsrh/nyc_wc.jpg
NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 14: A man walks by heavily armed police on Wall Street
November 14, 2008 in New York City. (Getty Images)
Yet for all the uniforms...it is still not a police state. You can come and go as you please sans issues. Even as a visiting infidel who belives in personal security to the heavens, I dont feel any overwhelming oppression, I dont feel like they are following me or taking notes about my movements through the city, I don't feel like I can't reach for my wallet. But I also don't feel any safer. A gun on the hip of a policeman who is around the corner or up the street, or nearby en route can't beat a gun in the hand.
But the people of New York have spoken with a large police budget, a heavy projection of force, and statistics that seem to favor their approach.
I wonder what Ben would say?
*An Historical Review of the Constitution and Government of Pennsylvania (1759). Much debate still centers around this quote even today, the actual source quote from Franklin stated, 'Sell not virtue to purchase wealth, nor Liberty to purchase power', a quote also present in the book as presented by Richard Jackson, the author.
Have the people have spoken?
“They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” - Benjamin Franklin*
This week the Federal Bureau of Investigation cited among the safest cities (http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/08aprelim/downloads.htm) in the nation the unbelievable: New York. The same city that, up until Rudy Giuliani took hold of it, showed 42nd street exactly as portrayed in the classic film "Taxi Driver." We mention Rudy as a footnote to the recent success of the city; in many ways he overstepped his authority, jailed many, but in the end cleaned up 42nd street to the point that Neon Alley now appears in movies not as a backdrop for a shady city, but instead as an icon of a bustling metropolis.
I travel to New York frequently and note each time the heavy police presence. It's no exaggeration to state that you will see officers on every other street corner, officers walking beats, officers talking to the people, police cruisers driving through neighborhoods, clearing traffic lanes, and responding to calls. They have made their presence known. And in the worst of neighborhoods you see an even greater presence with guard towers.
http://230grain.com/images/rsrh/all_along_the.jpg
New York Police Department Sky Watch (tower)
So, we ask, have the people spoken? The people of New York city have certainly ceded the most modern means of personal security to the state, as no one can obtain a firearm without being well-connected. New York's hostility toward firearm owners is nothing new, as it dates back to the Sullivan Law of 1911. (Ironic date, eh?)
But over the years, everyone seems to have given up on the battle--except the politicians who pressed onward toward more restriction. And in reply New York has stifled second amendment rights securing personal liberty and, as a substitute, covered her streets in a blue-uniformed blanket of security.
We know that in New York if you are a minority, it's best not to reach for your wallet. We know that in New York regardless of your color, if you drive a car at or away from an officer (who may or may not be in uniform) you will be gunned down. We know that New York is not screwing around in regards to a police presence, even on Wall Street.
http://230grain.com/images/rsrh/nyc_wc.jpg
NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 14: A man walks by heavily armed police on Wall Street
November 14, 2008 in New York City. (Getty Images)
Yet for all the uniforms...it is still not a police state. You can come and go as you please sans issues. Even as a visiting infidel who belives in personal security to the heavens, I dont feel any overwhelming oppression, I dont feel like they are following me or taking notes about my movements through the city, I don't feel like I can't reach for my wallet. But I also don't feel any safer. A gun on the hip of a policeman who is around the corner or up the street, or nearby en route can't beat a gun in the hand.
But the people of New York have spoken with a large police budget, a heavy projection of force, and statistics that seem to favor their approach.
I wonder what Ben would say?
*An Historical Review of the Constitution and Government of Pennsylvania (1759). Much debate still centers around this quote even today, the actual source quote from Franklin stated, 'Sell not virtue to purchase wealth, nor Liberty to purchase power', a quote also present in the book as presented by Richard Jackson, the author.