The other triple homicide dominating the news was in Newark New Jersey. Four young African American students, bound for college this fall, were lined up against a wall and shot in the back of the head, execution style. One young woman survived and has told the story of the crime. The victims were attacked by a group of men, which included a 28 year old illegal immigrant from Peru had been granted bail this year on assault and child rape charges. Two other assailants were 15 years old, and others were possibly involved. The community is rising up, asking why these criminals are roaming the street on bail, assaulting people on a public playground to rob them. This crime could quickly turn into an immigration debate.
In my little town, three young men and a young girl were gunned down by a machine gun on prom night two years ago-all died. The criminal(s) were never found but are presumed to be black drug dealers from Detroit. The community rose up and is asking for better policing, an anti-drug task force and there is a reward for the capture of the criminal(s).
There is a story in the Washington Post today about how crimes like this affect everyone- the fear that this will happen anywhere, to anyone:
• even to the "good kids" bound for college in two weeks;
• even to the kind and generous local physician and his beautiful, golden family;
• even to my son’s high school friends, 12 blocks from where I live, while he was at the same prom.
Crime statistics indicate that both multiple victim homicides and multiple offender homicides are increasing in number. Homicides and crimes were very high when Reagan was elected, then fell off in the mid-eighties. They rose again under Bush 41 and decreased dramatically from 1992-2000 and remained flat through 2005. They have increased in the last two years, which is not reflected in the government analysis, but is mentioned in the Washington Post story.
Not only was violent crime in suburban communities with populations between 25,000 and 49,999 up for the third year in a row in 2006, but it grew by 3.2 percent -- significantly faster than the nationwide increase of 1.3 percent, according to recently released FBI statistics. By comparison, during that same period, cities with more than 1 million people saw violent crime edge up by only 0.2 percent while rural areas saw a decrease of 5.3 percent. Only cities between 250,000 and 499,999 witnessed similar increases, with violent crime in those areas also surging by 3.2 percent.
This crime wave is affecting me personally. My children's friends are being murdered. When I heard of this murder in my town, it shook me to the core. I had to pull over and call my son to make sure he was OK. I didn’t know how close he was to the young people who were murdered and how he would be affected by this tragedy. And this summer, my daughter’s friend was murdered in Minneapolis and the crime is still unsolved. Again, we are all shaken by this violence.
In my little town, we lamented our policing, which had turned a blind eye to the crack cocaine coming in from Detroit. Drugs are linked to these violent crimes, particularly the one in my town. One of the 4 victims had stolen money from a dealer, so they were all "executed". Our police force was down in numbers because the mayor had to balance the city budget. We raised taxes- I pay $1 a week for the privilege of working in this town, but there still wasn’t enough money. Positions on the police force were eliminated. Under Clinton there were additional police positions funded in COPS, and under Bush, this program was cut. My town couldn’t afford to keep the positions without federal help. Bush chose to Invade Iraq and cut taxes, not to worry about murders and drug crime.
When the Republicans come to us to sell us that their administration and candidates should be reelected, they will come telling us they will keep us safe from crime. They will say, dangerous drug dealers and illegal immigrants are killing us in our homes and neighborhoods, and only we can keep you safer. They will say, child pornographers and child molesters prey on our youth on the internet and you need to let us spy on you to keep you safer from them. They will try and make international terrorists the issue, when there are more people murdered in a year than in 9/11 AND the war on terrorism.
I am writing this essay to request our Democratic Party candidates for president, governor, congress and state legislature to address this issue of violent crime in America. We need a strong voice and a strong vision, nationally and locally. What are all the presidential candidates positions on these issues and what are those of our candidates?
I went to the candidates web sites to ask: what are their policies on crime and public safety? What are their policies on drugs? In Alphabetical Order:
Joe Biden: http://www.joebiden.com/... Specifically addresses crime as an issue. Comprehensive, well thought out, addresses funding for programs and numbers of cops and FBI agents he will send out. He calls this "Hometown and Homeland security. He talks about violence against women (yes!) and the need for rehabilitation. Joe Biden is tough on crime and drugs, and has the record to prove it. I was very impressed that these positions would respond to the issues for most Americans and that he would make this an issue front and center.
Hillary Clinton: http://www.hillaryclinton.com/ Nothing on drugs and crime. Big emphasis on middle class and fairer, more open government, health care and mortgages.
Chris Dodd: http://www.chrisdodd.com Interesting program on national service but nothing on drugs and crime. BTW, when your site is only 4th on a Google search, that’s a bad sign for your campaign.
John Edwards: http://johnedwards.com/ Nothing on drugs and crime. Big emphasis on poverty, health care, labor issues. Some support for police under homeland security-talks of hometown security.
Mike Gravel: http://www.gravel2008.us/ Nothing on drugs and crime. Big emphasis on the war and the environment.
Dennis Kucinich: http://www2.kucinich.us/ End the war on drugs. Rethink legalization and use other suggestions to reduce drug use. End mandatory minimum sentencing and let judges decide. Dennis Kucinich speaks out for national gun control and an end to gun violence. He has an emphasis on community policing and efforts by the federal government to end racial profiling and voices opposition to the death penalty. Dennis Kucinich has thought about these issues a lot, but my candid opinion is that he is unlikely to be elected based on these positions. That said, many of them reflect my own opinions on the problems we are facing, especially on ending gun violence.
Barack Obama: http://www.barackobama.com/... Nothing on drugs and crime. He has an emphasis on responsible fatherhood. In the black community, this is code for drugs and crime should be stopped. Today in the New York Times (no link, behind the firewall) Bob Herbert writes about the bloodbath in Newark and says,
"The most effective anti-crime effort begins at home with parents (fathers, are you listening?) who raise their kids to know better than to point a gun at another human being and blow that person away for no good reason.
That’s the essential component. Without it, all other crime-fighting efforts are doomed, and thousands upon thousands of poor youngsters will continue to be denied their most basic civil right — the right to grow safely to adulthood."
Bill Richardson: http://www.richardsonforpresident.co... Nothing on drugs and crime. Some discussion of immigration, increasing border patrol and crime, but otherwise no mention.
So I thought, maybe I am being unfair. And I checked out the Republican presidential candidates on these issues. Again, in alphabetical order.
Sam Brownback: http://www.brownback.com/... Nothing on crime and drugs, unless you count illegal immigrants and women who want an abortion as criminals. He has detailed and specific plans for them. Marriage, religious freedom, and our cultural values are discussed. No titties on TV.
Rudy Giuliani: http://www.joinrudy2008.com/... 12 commitments but none are specifically saying drugs and crime up-front. Within the commitments, crime is covered under protecting our children. Giuliani will protect our kids from sexual predators. he will combat drug dealers and reduce drug abuse- although his policies are not specific and detailed. Mostly though, Giuliani will punish those who wish to abort their unborn children and encourage those unwilling moms instead to adopt their children out to others, by giving a tax deduction to the worthy families who actually adopt them, and by cutting welfare for the poor so they can’t afford the children they are being forced to bear. Seriously, he is a scary guy. That said, his record has been pro-gun control and in favor of more community policing. Given the massive support for the 2nd amendment on all Republican sites, it is very likely that this aspect of his crime message is being glossed over.
Mike Huckabee: http://mikehuckabee.com On crime, Mike Huckabee is up front about his solution. Get a gun. Arm yourself; he will protect your rights. Seriously, this is issue number 1 on the issues page. Immigration has lots of law enforcement offered. Nothing on drugs or crime specifically though. Again, if your Google search brings up several other sites before yours, you need some help. This site hung up on his contribute page, which can’t be a good sign either. And his slogan, "I like Mike" could work for several other candidates, including Mike Gravel.
Duncan Hunter: http://www.gohunter08.com/... Nothing specific on drugs and crime. Get a gun- he will protect your 2nd amendment rights. If you are gay or black and there is a "hate crime" wait in line with all the rest of us who are crime victims. "If crimes are prioritized based on the victims’ status, we threaten the very tenet of equal protection under the law that is the foundation of our legal system. Instead, all violations of the law should be dealt with in a manner that delivers justice on behalf of the victims and their families. I support strict punishment for heinous crimes, like murder, regardless of the social circumstances. The idea espoused in so called "hate crime" legislation that some murders are less serious than others rebukes common sense." No titties, no abortions, no immigrants no gambling, no same-sex marriage and no funding for the arts. 25 specific points in all- a comprehensive conservative.
John McCain: http://www.johnmccain.com Nothing on crime and drugs. Buy a gun. And no immigrants- more border patrol. Had to buy his first place position in the Google search. That doesn’t look good for him.
Ron Paul: http://www.ronpaul2008.com/... Nothing on drugs and crime. No abortion and no immigrants. Having web savvy admirers leads to many sites more highly ranked in Google than your own.
Mitt Romney: http://www.mittromney.com/... Nothing on drugs and crime. Lots on our way of life and cultural values. Oh my God, he starts talking at me- how irritating is this! I am listening to internet radio with Romney butting in. Yuck. Also bought his first place location on Google.
Tom Tancredo: http://www.mittromney.com/... Nothing specific on drugs or crime. Get a gun and shoot an immigrant or a woman who might have an abortion. Oh and deport the uninsured illegal aliens to save healthcare.
Fred Thomson: http://www.imwithfred.com Well, he should be for Law and Order, right? All you get is his position on Federalism, no other issues of drugs and crime are discussed specifically. On another site, they noted that he voted NO on the COPS program in 1999. That was the program that put more cops in my town, and which we missed when it was cut. That won’t play well vs. his TV persona.
Tommy Thompson: http://www.tommy2008.com/... Nothing on drugs and crime. Get a gun, sort of. Probably a hunting gun though, this is still Wisconsin.
To summarize: Biden and Kucinich have the most on drugs and crime on the Democratic side. They are sort of the right and left bookends on this issue. Biden offers more money and better federal coordination. Kucinich takes a more sociological, principled stand, which is apt to backfire than help with most voters. Giuliani has the most on the Republican side- the rest pretty much focus on guns, gays, immigration and abortion, not crimes and drugs. Drugs and Crime were big issues for Reagan and Bush 41. They were big issues for Clinton too. Bush 43 started moving to second amendment rights and guns to fight crime and the death penalty. This crop of candidates is completely pro-gun except for Giuliani, who has advocated gun control. Curiously, he is the Republican candidate who cares most about crime.
Do we still believe as a country we can afford to lock them up and throw away the key-third strike and you are out? We have built prisons, but we can’t afford to keep them open and pay the guards, so we are letting the criminals out anyway. We have illegal immigrants who are criminals- and believe me; the Republicans will make this Peruvian man in Newark the poster child for their anti-immigrant agenda. What are we doing about them- we don’t have a national system or protocol to do background checks on everyone arrested and we don’t have jail space to keep everyone charged with a crime from making bail,
We have had a war on drugs, but we are cutting taxes and spending on law enforcement. We have wealthy superstars as role models, strung out, drinking and drugging and driving their Mercedes into other cars. Then the nation finds out most non-violent first offenders get paroled and if they have the money, they are sent to rehab. The top song on music TV is Amy Winehouse, tattooed and lying around in her underwear singing about rehab, drinking and depression. But where is there a real national dialog on drugs and drinking and rehab and drug treatment and prisons and their connection to poverty, unemployment, education and urban decay?
I believe the top candidates on the Democratic side would do well to read Biden’s section on crime and drugs and come up with policy statements. Both those living in poverty and the middle class are greatly impacted by crime and drugs in our society. A comprehensive program will include positions on drugs and crimes. If you truly believe opportunities for all will reduce crimes and drug use, then SAY SO. And have a plan for enforcing our laws more effectively as well.
