Police officer slain as mayor embarrasses himself and city

[ProgressiveProfessor]

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Confronted with a logical question, here's what the mayor did: He picked up a rifle from the prop table of guns, raised it and began to babble.

"It's been very effective," said Daley of the handgun ban. "If I put this up your butt, you'll find out how effective it is. Let me put a round up your, you know."

The mayor of Chicago then went on to say if the justices were attacked by thugs with guns, they'd see things his way
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More here: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/ct-met-kass-0521-20100521,0,3497461.column?page=1&obref=obnetwork

[marmar]

1. But don't police generally support handgun bans? I don't know that it's embarrassing.

nt

[ProgressiveProfessor]

2. The big city Cheifs do but they are really pols, not cops. Rank and file officers are mixed

Most support it, but CCW causes a split (rural vs urban)

Regardless Daley was well over the top. Hopefully the party can find someone of quality to challenge him.

[bossy22]

6. Most beat cops do not support a handgun ban

Such organizations as the FOP (fraternal orderpolice) generally do not support handgun bans and are 50/50 on concealed carry. Just last year illinois sherrif association publicly stated they support concealed carry (http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2009/02/illinois-sheriffs-announce-backing-for-concealedcarry-of-firearms.html)

Police commissioners and chiefs (especially in big cities) are a different story. At that level, especially in bigger cities, you are more of a politician than a police officer. Basically you are expected to be lock-step with your superior- aka the mayor. Its like being in the military; you may disagree with a mission but the only thing out of your mouth when they ask you to do it is "yes sir"

[jeepnstein]

8. No really.

For your average cop the issue of lawful citizens having arms is a non-issue. Police rarely encounter the normal population in the course of their duties unless they're taking a report for a theft.

The problem with gun violence as it relates to police officers has more to do with the drug trade and gangs. Gangs tend to attract a certain type of personality that isn't really well-suited for normal life. These people put themselves so far outside the norms of society that they see nothing wrong with killing anyone they darn well please. Prison means nothing to them. It's all about the gang and the money. That kind of career criminal would just ignore any new law passed to combat gun violence. Since they have supply lines that extend across national borders I have no doubt they could import guns as easily as drugs.

[proteus_lives]

11. Not the LEOs I know.

[Nailzberg]

18. I was talking politics with a DEA agent.

He was non-political by profession, yet he told me the most liberal thoughts in the US Constitution were a government granting its citizens to be armed and be able to voice their opposition to that very government.

A lot of that opposition to guns comes from the heads of command, who as stated earlier by another poster, are really more political positions.

[cowman]

19. Don't believe the

bullshit coming from the VPC or the Brady Bunch. Rank and file cops overwhelmingly support RKBA, it's the cop-o-crats that support bans and restrictions

[TheWraith]

3. This man is a fucking lunatic.

If I threatened someone that way, I couldn't get elected to Library Trustee, but this guy can stay mayor of Chicago?

[asjr]

4. It may be a family trait.

[Glassunion]

5. I have an End All be All solution to crime in Chicago...

Ninjas!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100520/od_nm/us_australia_ninjas

The mayor should supply the entire populace with Ninjas...

Ninja Please!!!

[east texas lib]

14. At the very least one should get their very own Steven Segal if no Ninjas are available...

Hey, it's all I got. }(

[oneshooter]

15. I don't think I can afford to feed him. n/t

[sharesunited]

7. He's rightly pissed and frustrated at the willful misinterpretation of the 2nd Amendment.

Believe me when I say I don't like Richy and wish he would retire.

But I completely agree with the gun ban, and will probably applaud whatever he wants to do to manage this menace our nation is imposing upon itself.

[shadowrider]

10. --Snort-- Willful misinterpretation

My daily chuckle courtesy of SU.

[proteus_lives]

12. SU is submissive to authority figure.

Wow, what a shocker.

:eyes:

[cowman]

20. And yet

Sir Richy has armed protection around him 24/7 but he and you would deny the rest of law abiding americans the same right.
You really are delusional

[bossy22]

9. isnt that surprising

Politicians never admit when they are wrong- or that something they have supported is not doing what its supposed to do.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

13. Daley defends his comments - different thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4392765

[benEzra]

16. Second City Cop had this to say on his blog...

http://secondcitycop.blogspot.com/

Leaving aside the fact that he stopped making sense by the fourth line, did he just threaten to stick a rifle up a reporter's ass? That's Aggravated Assault. Tossing in the "in a public building" subsection, that's another aggravating factor. You know, kind of like the ASA tossed in "public place of amusement" to jack up Abbate's charges?

At the very least, Shortshanks ought to be in for a 72-hour evaluation.

Not to mention the fact that unless Daley has a FOID card nobody knows about, it was a Class C misdemeanor for him to touch that gun, never mind picking it up and threatening somebody with it. Of course, some laws in Illinois don't apply to certain classes of people, so there's not a chance in hell that anyone is going to even question Daley over this

And from a Tribune columnist:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/ct-met-kass-0521-20100521,0,442622,full.column

His press aides put out a statement saying the mayor used "less than ideal" language when he suggested inserting the rifle into his critics and pulling the trigger.

And there was no word of any plans to apologize to the Supreme Court.

But he meant what he said. And so the mayor reveals his nature.

Daley has been a bully his entire life, a child of muscle and privilege, and now he's terrified at the prospect that his citizens might think he's lost control of the streets.

The police despise him. Their department is terribly understaffed and overworked. Taxpayers want more cops. But there's no money for additional police because Daley wasted it all, hundreds of millions of dollars year after year after year on deals for his cronies.

While Daley spent his life pushing weaker people around, Thomas Wortham spent his life as a man of service. Now he's cold at the funeral home, waiting for burial.

[Nailzberg]

17. Dear Daley: Judges have been targeted, in your city!

It was only a few years ago that a federal judge's family was murdered in Chicago. The jurist had a US Marshal protection detail a year or so prior while hearing a trial of a major White Supremacist group, but was lifted after the trial was over, and the murderer was not involved with that group.

Sadly, just this week an off-duty officer was gunned down in front of his fathers house by thugs with handguns banned in Chicago. His father, a retired cop, returned fire from the porch and shot two of the assailants. Had it not been a cop's house, that whole crew would have got away. Why is it okay for only cops and politicians? Why can't a private citizen defend his/her home and family? It's clear Chicago gun laws do nothing except embolden criminals.

[Euromutt]

21. The journalist in question gives his perspective

http://www.chicagoreader.com/TheBlog/archives/2010/05/20/mayor-daley-threatens-to-shoot-the-messengernamely-me

I hadn't realized the weapon Daley brandished was an SKS. An offer to "shove this up your butt" becomes even nastier when the weapon in question has a foot and a half-long bayonet fixed to it.