Time To Infringe!

"A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed"

Today I walked past by the fountain at City Hall here in Philly, and the water in the
fountain was blood red. The irony was not lost on me. Here I was on a beautiful fall day, the start of yet another work week, and the weekend before, three more human beings were slaughtered by the animals who live among us. And as I looked at the strange looking red water in the fountain, all I could think of was the blood being spilled in our streets. Now I know that to most people, this is sadly business as usual in the "city of brotherly love". But frankly, it's really starting to piss off the field. We are on a steady pace to top last year's murder rate of 380, and as of today,-10/02/06- we are at over 280 and counting.

Now there are many different factors that we can blame for this epidemic of crime and violence, particularly among young black males. And I have blogged about some of the factors before. From too many guns on the street, to failing schools, to poor policing, a lack of jobs, poor parenting and discipline in the homes, and a drug culture that promises too much too fast. Heck it's still easier for some of these kids to pull trigger than flip a burger. They have grown up idolizing gangsters, and career criminals, so to them, jail and the threat of it, means nothing but a badge of honor.

Now of course, as most of you might already know, our police chief here in Philly is a joke, - a poster boy for the anti affirmative action crowd if I have ever seen one- and the sooner this man takes his early retirement and rolls, the better off this city will be. But he isn't alone. Our politicians here in Philly and as well as the state, have no back bone or political will. Just imagine, the Black Caucus in Harrisburg is still coming out against legislation that can help to stop crime and criminals in the hood. But of course they won't, because they think it supports the po po-that's police for you white readers- and the man in the street just won't like that. I mean how dumb can you get? If that's not "cutting off your nose to spite your face", then I don't know what is. Here we are in the middle of a serious urban crisis, and these clowns only care about getting reelected, or scoring cheep political points.

Now I know, I know; the NRA and the hicks in Harrisburg from the Western part of the state are to blame too. But you know what, this isn't even about those hicks. Because at the end of the day, they are going to look out for each other, and try to score political points with their base. And guess what; their base ain't with us. These people are hunters, who take the second amendment to its literal extreme. And they could care less about a bunch of niggers in Philly killing each other on a daily basis. -Don't be upset at that word, that's what they call us, so I might as well say it here so you can get used to it- I heard a startling statistic today from a friend of mine who is pretty plugged in to all this stuff. He also knows first hand what the state legislators are trying to do to tackle this crime problem back in Harrisburg. He told me that about 80% of the people committing murders in Philly are out on parole or probation, and almost the same number of people killed fit that same profile. So is it any wonder that these killings haven't struck home with most people, or that they merely get a mention in the local paper? I think not. After all, who cares if a bunch of criminals kill each other? You reap what you sow. This is the law of the jungle, predators preying on each other, and doing the dirty work that society is glad it doesn't have to. But every now and then, an innocent child is caught in the cross fire, and that's when we have a hard time living with ourselves, and coming to grips with what we have created. By the way, this same friend is the one that told me about the black caucus voting down measures that would have put cameras in certain high crime neighborhoods, and give the po po more crime fighting powers. Measures, by the way, which the field supports. Now before you get fired up with the field, and start talking about the constitutional rights of these individuals, let me stop you right there. Yes I know that it's a fine line between law enforcement, and individual liberties, but you know what, desperate times call for desperate measures, and I am just sick of young men who look like me killing each other on a daily basis.

Now speaking of killing, and getting guns off the street. The entire nation is aware by now of yet another school shooting that took place about an hour from here . This is the third such shooting in a little over a week.-Innocent children or officials attacked at school- Now I don't know much about the Amish, other that I like their baked goods, and I think their life style is somewhat fascinating. But if those monsters at the NRA don't feel for those little girls who were executed by that animal today, then they deserve no lesser a fate. The sad thing is, the coward took his own life before justice could be served. (How long do you think he would have lasted in one of our fine SCI facilities?) Now all of this of course, ties in with my Philly problem. Because as the random violence and unspeakable crimes being committed with handguns continue, I am hoping that it will be a wake up call for the elected officials in the rural part of our fine state as well. They too, liker our Philly pols, need to take limiting the availability and sales of handguns more seriously. Now of course they won't, not unless something tragic touches them in a personal way, or there is an outcry from their constituents to do something about the madness. Unless this is done, I am afraid we will continue to see more breaking news coverage of the type of carnage that we saw today in Amish country, or read about three, four, and even five murders, in a typical Philly weekend.

Imagine the frustration people like Kenneth Trump, President of the National School Safety & Services organization feels when he says:

"When you go to rural or private schools, the first obstacle you run into is the 'it can't happen here' mentally, people have the perception of we are not like whatever big city they're near"

Whether its little Amish girls, or young black males; bullets are snuffing out lives, and leaving loved ones behind and communities to mourn and march and pray.

I won't be praying, I am too pissed to pray, and I don't think the big guy will listen anyway. He already has a plan for all of us, and somehow I don't think it includes shutting down the NRA anytime soon. You know what I am going to do? I am going to vote, and I am going to encourage every one I meet or know to vote as well. And I will continue to write, yell, and scream for justice for all of those who have been victimized by the animals who the NRA has given the power to decide whether someone lives or dies. Or the politicians with the spines of jelly fish, deep pockets, and outstretched hands.