Month: September 2011
A non-issue
CSGV is somehow trying to make hay out of Gov. Chris Chrisitie’s position on gun control:
The link goes to propaganda outlet Media Matters:
This isn’t news. NRA didn’t endorse him in ’09 and Christie has not changed his position since taking office. Since he has said he’s not running for President in ’12 this is a non-issue.
What could possibly go wrong?
Coming soon to polling sites in Chicago and Florida, “Hacking Deibold voting machines with $10.50 worth of parts“:
“… The Vulnerability Assessment Team at Argone National Laboratory in Illinois just released information about a man-in-the-middle exploit that can change votes while leaving no trace of the attack. “$10.50 worth of parts and an 8th grade science education” can do the trick, along with access to the physical machine. For an additional few dollars, a remote control unit can access the hacked voting machine from up to a half mile away. Changes are made when the user pushes the “vote now” button …”
The machine I voted on scanned a paper card so this might not affect New York.
Meet the Laddites
You cannot shoot down a plane with rhetoric
NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly must be hoping antigun rhetoric is an effective deterrent against terrorism. According to the NY Post, “Kelly: NYPD can blow planes out of sky“:
“… Kelly — answering questions about the department’s state-of-the-art anti-terrorism system on CBS’s “60 Minutes’’ — admitted that the city is packing an arsenal on par with some militaries. “Do you mean to say that the NYPD has the means to take down an aircraft?” interviewer Scott Pelley pressed Kelly. “Yes. I prefer not to get into details, but obviously, this would be in a very extreme situation,” Kelly replied. Police sources told The Post that the weapon that Kelly was referring to involves a Barrett .50 caliber rifle, which can be mounted on almost any police chopper …”
First off, the only appropriate response coming out of Kelly’s mouth as to what sort of anti-terrorism contingency plans the NYPD has prepared should have been “No comment.” Why on earth did Kelly go on television to talk about this subject?
Second, Kelly must think that terrorists are stupid enough to actually believe the outright lies coming out of the Violence Policy Center on .50s because they are not capable of “[blowing] a rogue aircraft out of the sky.” All one has to do to disprove that theory is watch any of the old WWII programs on the History Channel with planes soaking up .50 hits like a sponge and not going down. I remember several incidents where commercial airliners have had doors and/or large chunks of fuselage come off in mid-flight and that still didn’t take the plane down.
Bloomberg lobbying Turner
Mayor Bloomberg is wasting no time in lobbying newly elected Congressman Bob Turner. According to the Queens Gazette:
“… The mayor said it was the first time he was meeting Turner, who was sworn in last Thursday, and both discovered they have a lot in common, including a lot of friends in common. After the one-hour meeting, which Turner initiated, the mayor said they also chatted about their campaigns and other experiences. Turner and the mayor also discussed city issues, such as immigration, guns, Medicaid and the economy …”
This bears watching to see what Turner does.
Expect chaos
I’m hearing that Senator Mark Grisanti, a registered Democrat who ran as a Republican last year, is going to now caucus with the Democrats making for a 31-31 tie in the Senate. What exactly this means for committee chairmanships and legislation is unclear as the Democrats would still be split with 27 members under John Sampson and 4 under Jeff Klien’s Independent Democrat Caucus.
Andrew speaks
Aside from a statement in support of microstamping in his 2010 campaign manifesto, Andrew Cuomo has been silent publicly on gun control. That changed over the weekend according to this Daily News article, “Gov. Andrew Cuomo calls for shutting state prisons, investing in community in light of gun violence“:
“… Cuomo also pushed for stricter gun control laws from the federal government. “It has been decades where we have been fighting Washington for sensible laws controlling guns and we need those laws passed and we need them passed now. We’re losing too many people out in the streets,” he said …”
This bears watching to see where he’s going to go with it.
Not out of the question
Fresh off Bob Turner’s upset win comes speculation that New York will be in play in next year’s presidential election. From the NY Post:
“Gleeful Republican leaders said tonight that Bob Turner’s stunning victory for Anthony Weiner’s vacant city congressional seat shows that New York is in play in next year’s presidential race … Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour said a GOP presidential nominee could carry New York for the first time since Ronald Reagan in 1984 and help defeat President Obama …”
It is too soon to suggest that New York will be up for grabs, but if things keep going the way they are going it is not out of the question. The first warning sign came last month when the President’s poll numbers showed for the first time his negatives were higher than his positives in the state. Obama is having similar problems in California too. The CD-9 election was a warning shot across the bow which the Obama campaign seems to be taking seriously.
Turner pro-gun
More fallout in CD-9. The Queens Chronicle reports, “Upset! Republican Turner wins congressional seat“:
“… [David Weprin] tried to paint [Bob Turner] as a radical Tea Party Republican whose views are out of line with the people of the district … Turner also backs Second Amendment gun rights, while Weprin is pro-gun control …”
This is the first media statement I have seen calling Turner pro-gun. I’ll believe it if he votes for H.R. 822.
As for Weprin, what did the Brady’s/NYAGV do for their man? Nothing.