Archive for September 5th, 2006
The Yellow Goose store, located at the corner of Colvin and Linden, was robbed at gunpoint shortly after 9 am Monday morning. This store has a history of robberies, most like due to the ease of escape utilizing the adjacent railroad tracks.
Chances are pretty good that this dangerous crime was a result of the failed war on drugs. The current drug laws drive up the prices and makes criminal activity profitable. If drugs were legalized, people desiring to use them would not have to resort to violent and/or property crimes to pay for their drugs. Right now we have a situation that increases the likelihood of the average person becoming a victim of crime.
Doesn’t it make more sense to decrease the risk to citizens by legalizing drugs? The only people suffering harm under legalization would be the drug users themselves. They would also have the opportunity to straighten out their lives without having the stigma of being a branded criminal for life. Being labeled as a criminal only increases the chances that they will continue to pursue a life of crime, rather than becoming productive members of society.
The only two groups that benefit from the failed war on drugs are criminals and the thousands of government employees working in the law enforcement and prison systems. The losers are the taxpayers who foot the bill for a program that doesn’t work, yet costs billions of dollars every year.
I challenge Mayor Byron Brown to put his money where his mouth is and work toward the repeal of the drug laws. This would truly reduce quality of life crimes. Right now we are getting nothing but lip service and no real solutions.
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The big focus this year is on the Gubernatorial primary. It looks like a runaway, but a large turnout can change that. Another ballot spot being contested is the Democratic Line for State Attorney General. The front runner in that race barely has had time to let the ink dry on his law license. That would be Andrew Cuomo, hand-picked choice of the Political Class. Also running are Mark Green and Sean Patrick Maloney.
Maloney has made investigating government corruption, lobbying schemes and corrupt Public Authorities a central focus in his campaign. Please take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with his positions here. The ability to vote for real change does not occur that often, don’t waste this one.
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A new job has been created in the Buffalo School system. The position is the Chief of School Safety & Security and pays between $84,000 & $87,000 annually.
If you are politically connected, hurry and get your application in. I guess the School Board, the Superintendent and the Principals are no longer qualified to address safety and security concerns.
This is a good example of how government keeps growing and costing us more money. On the surface it looks like a good move, but I contend there are sufficient existing resources to address any perceived problem without the need to create this job.
Spc Juston Graber, from Buffalo, and 3 other soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division’s 187th Infantry Regiment are facing the death penalty if found guilty. They stand accused of killing 3 Iraqi men who were taken prisoner. Several soldiers are claiming they were ordered by Colonel Michael Steele to kill all male Iraqis of military age.
The real tragedy is that we are fighting a war based on the lies of President Bush. Years of bad foreign policy decisions set up the conditions that led to the events resulting in this war.
Thousands of lives have been adversely affected for no good reason. Deaths, injuries and now 4 young soldiers facing the death penalty. I am not defending the killing of prisoners, however there is no doubt in my mind that the ultimate responsibility for the conditions leading to this tragedy go all the to the top of the chain of command. Justin Graber was 20 at the time the alleged crime was committed in May, 2006.
