Michael Bloomberg advises President Obama to ignore Congress on guns
Mayor Michael Bloomberg
Image/NBC Video Screen Shot
The New York City Mayor, a man ripe with experience in the power of the executive and the power to ban whatever he doesn’t like, Michael Bloomberg offered a suggestion to President Obama on Sunday mornings “Meet the Press”.
The Nanny-state Mayor who led bans on the use of salt, sugary sodas and outdoor smoking in parks in New York suggested President Obama ignore the Congress and tell the country what we should do about guns, in light of the horrible tragedy in Newtown, CT Friday.
When MTP host David Gregory asked Bloomberg precisely what immediate action he would do. Bloomberg replied, “Well, number one, I think the president should console the country. But he’s the commander-in-chief as well as the consoler-in-chief.
It’s time for the president, I think, to stand up and lead and tell this country what we should do. Not go to Congress and say what you guys want to do. This should be his number one agenda. He is the president of the United States.”
First, President Obama, or any President for that matter is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, not of the United States of America.
Is Bloomberg suggesting that the president should bypass the Congress, the law-making branch of the federal government? Sounds like it.
Apparently, Bloomberg would have no problem with that. Would he suggest all gun legislation be a thing of the past and these things be under the sole authority of the President and the executive order?
Later in the interview, Bloomberg is asked about his “proactive policing” in the Big Apple. Bloomberg who loves bans and restrictions on citizens of all types said, “We send our police officers to problem places where there are problem people. We focus our efforts where there is crime and we make sure that the people who might commit those crimes know that there’s a high probability that we will find them carrying weapons and they’ll go to jail. We have the toughest gun laws in the country.”
He continues, “Three-and-a-half-year mandatory sentence in jail is state law if you’re found carrying an illegal loaded gun. All of those things scare people from carrying guns. But the people that they scare are not the hunters, they’re not the people who want to have guns to protect themselves in their homes. Those things are guaranteed by the constitution and guaranteed by the Supreme Court.” But the possession of semi-automatic weapons like the Glock and the so-called assault weapons are not also guaranteed in the Constitution?
Bloomberg loves his authority and his ability to ban and wears it on his sleeve. Earlier this year he outlawed food donations to homeless shelters because the city can’t assess their salt, fat and fiber content. Hungry people mean little to the Food Nazi.
This past summer, he suggested that all police go on strike until Americans give up their guns.
The mayor, who once said he had his own army, the seventh largest in the world (referring to the NYPD) is frothing at the mouth for a gun ban…that’s his style, that’s how he rolls
However, its okay that he has armed security around the clock to protect him. In a 2009 CBS News report, it was reported that the NYC Mayor’s typically are protected by a five- or six-person team of plainclothes detectives, including one who often goes ahead to secure the destination. There are generally three teams that rotate for the 24-hour job.
Bodyguards generally have stayed overnight with the mayor in Gracie Mansion, the city’s official residence. Bloomberg, a billionaire, has opted to stay in his own town house on a prime block of East 79th Street, where there is now a police booth.
Protection is available for a mayor’s family members, but the Police Department makes those decisions based on the individuals and any perceived threat against them.
As long as he’s protected.
Recently, the Global Dispatch reported how a mentally deranged Chinese man went to a elementary school and slashed some 23 people, mostly children. Moreover, according to reports, this type of thing is hardly an isolated incident there.
Ironically, this follows what Judge Andrew Napolitano said after the Bob Costas anti-gun soliloquy in light of the murder-suicide of Jovan Belcher and Kasandra Perkins, “We all use steak knives to help us enjoy our meals; they can also be dangerous weapons. Is the government going to ban them?”, asked the Judge.
The shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School is an incredible tragedy and I can’t even fathom what those parents are going through; however, I hope reasoned and cooler heads prevail when it comes to the 2nd Amendment, and the words and suggestions of Michael Bloomberg are dismissed as those of a tyrant.
