Excuse me while I go laugh my ass off.

Just when you think you can't admire someone any more....

[url]http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14422-2003Jun19.html[/url]

Rumsfeld Comments Inspire District's Ire

By Sylvia Moreno
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, June 20, 2003; Page B01

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has suggested that the homicide rate in Baghdad is lower than that in the nation's capital. Around Washington, those are fighting words.

Mayor Anthony A. Williams and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton declared their own war yesterday against the country's top defense official.

"Secretary Rumsfeld's comments regarding the District of Columbia were unfortunate, unappreciated and ill-advised," Williams (D) said in a statement released by his office while he was attending a meeting of the National League of Cities in St. Paul, Minn.

"Secretary Rumsfeld should demonstrate a greater level of sensitivity to the challenges being faced by U.S. mayors and governors," Williams said. "He should also recognize that the interests of the United States are not advanced by diminishing the reputation and stature of our nation's capital."

Ever the advocate for full congressional representation for D.C. residents, Norton (D) wrote Rumsfeld yesterday urging him to "give the appropriate respect to both the men and women of our armed forces and to the residents of the District of Columbia by no longer comparing the sacrifices of U.S. troops abroad to domestic crimes against citizens at home.

"Your remarks are particularly injurious to our citizens here," she wrote. "D.C. residents are risking their lives in Iraq, even though District citizens have no voting representation in the House and no representation at all in the Senate, and even though our residents are second per capita in federal income taxes."

Rumsfeld made his comments Wednesday during his daily Pentagon press briefing as he answered questions about recent deadly attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq.

"You got to remember that if Washington, D.C., were the size of Baghdad, we would be having something like 215 murders a month," Rumsfeld said. "There's going to be violence in a big city."

More than a dozen U.S. military personnel have been killed by hostile fire in Iraq since President Bush declared major combat over on May 1. Rumsfeld said the attacks were deliberate attempts to kill Americans, but he tried to minimize the amount of violent crime against U.S. troops.

It appears that Rumsfeld did his math, extrapolating the District's number of homicides last year -- 262 in a city of 576,000 residents -- to that of a city the size of Baghdad -- 5.5 million. That's roughly 215 murders a month.

Deputy Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said Rumsfeld's comments "were in no way meant to disparage the city of Washington. . . . His remarks were intended to put into some perspective incidents of random violence in American cities similar in size to Baghdad's 5.5 million people. It illustrates, with a well-known point of reference, that the larger the city, the more incidents of violent crime."

Rumsfeld's comment about Washington is the latest from the blunt-spoken secretary to evoke anger. It comes in the wake of his calling nations opposed to the Iraq war as "old Europe" and his remark that draftees added "no value" to the U.S military.

Tony Bullock, the mayor's spokesman, said Rumsfeld's comments reminded him of the "old days" when a crime-ridden city and then-Mayor Marion Barry, arrested for smoking crack in a hotel room in 1990, were the butt of national commentary and late-night jokes.

"We've moved well beyond that time. We don't want to be the example of what's wrong with cities in America because we have made such tremendous progress here. Members of Congress and the president have said as such," Bullock said.

In his response to Rumsfeld, Williams noted that the District's homicide rate, averaged over the past two years, is lower than it was in the late 1980s.

"It is still unacceptably high," he said. "We are working to address this problem, and we are making progress. And just as our forces in Iraq are standing firm in meeting their challenges, so, too, are law enforcement officials here in the District. Neither deserves to be impugned by faulty comparisons."

[center]I heard that announcement as well.

[size=4][b]And I am NOT surprised.

I believe it.[/b][/size=4][/center]

Sounds like the pogues in DC ran out of:


[img]http://www.prep-h.com/vagisil_itch.jpg[/img]

The truth hurts.

This might be a longshot but, maybe its time to repeal the BAN on handuns?

There's nothing quite so satisfying as shocking a liberal out of denial.

You gotta like this guy.  He shoots from the hip and tells it like it is.  The libs in DC just don't like the truth.

Listen here...the fine [liberals] denizens of the "Distrit" have decided (Or it has been decided FOR them anyway...) that they don't need no guns!

As usual, Rummy is right on the money.

As usual, Norton, Hizzoner and the rest of the DC bozos are WRONG.  DC IS fucking Indian Country.

About three months ago, my next door neighbor was walking to work to his HQ in downtown DC after parking his car in an outside lot about one block from his office.  As he was crossing the street, his antennae suddenly began vibrating as he noticed one young man, clearly a gangbanger approaching from the left side of the street, another, similarly dressed young man, also clearly a gangbanger approaching from the RIGHT side of the street, and now...just having stopped in the middle of the street, a third party...of the same "persuasion" on a bicycle in the middle of the street, palms up, waving to my neighbor to approach...and clearly obey or else.  At this point, with the three perps only about twenty five feet away and realizing how fast a person can cover ground, my neighbor set his briefcase down, unbuttoned his suitcoat, pulled back his coat on the right side, drew his 10mm auto and made sure that the three would-be muggers could clearly see his pistol AND his [b]FBI badge[/b] on his belt. POOF...gone!

Now...what if that had been one of us, non-LEOs?

DC is the murder capital of the world...and it is so because the asswipes that live there KNOW it is against the law to possess, much less CARRY a firearm for your personal defense.

Dr. John Lott used DC as a classic example of what happens when liberal burueaucrats disarm the citizens.  In his book, "More Guns, Less Crime", he perfectly made his [statistical] case that the reason our violent crime rate, including murder, is so low in Northern Virginia when compared with say...DC "Southeast" is that only the bad guys carry in DC...and they KNOW we all can legally carry down here.  Now if you are a perp...where in the hell are YOU going to ply your trade?  Screw Norton, Williams and the rest of the PC liberal Democratic crowd up there.  The truth really hurts when it gets out there.  

[size2][b]"Secretary Rumsfeld should demonstrate a greater level of sensitivity to the challenges being faced by U.S. mayors and governors," Williams said. "He should also recognize that the interests of the United States are not advanced by diminishing the reputation and stature of our nation's capital."[/b][/size2]

They have so many challenges....how can they continue to take away guns and prevent ccw, foster and promote welfare states, and promote a socialistic agenda.    Hmmmmmm   IIRC there are a lot of firearms including full auto floating around baghdad...would you want to want to try something in a place where people tend to fire off weapons in the air just to celebrate?    

IIRC also most muslims do not drink, do drugs...etc....can we say the same for the residents of DC.....much less their mayor?    Fvcking politicians need to uncork their heads from their asses and take a good look at what is happening.   As my sigline says....

Sounds like a job for the 3rd ID.  Calling General Franks- we've got one more quick job for you!

YEAH all those Democrak drug pushers, whores and crack heads show up early for work each night just so they can pay high taxes in order for their kin folk to have all the amenities in prison, what a stupid remark.

Rummy Rocks.

"...and so young Padiwan, these Liberals from the 21st century from a young country's center of government, you would think they would start fixing the problem that has been so clearly shown them? NO! They deny of its existence! Liberal earthlings..."

Anthony A. Williams and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton. [puke]

DC's (i.e. Democrats) dirty little secret?

Keep the crime rate up = keep honest, hard working people away = keep sheeple in = more people dependant on govt. programs = more Democrat voters.

[>(] we don't have no voting representation [>(]

Friggin crybabies, the whole lot.

--LS

Do you hear this?  That's the worlds smallest fucking violin playing just for you, Mayor Williams.  Maybe you should do something to lower the murder rate instead of getting your liberal panties in a bunch.  Repeat after me:  Shall Issue Concealed Carry.

Good story about the attempted robbery. That is a perfect example of what happens on a daily basis in the area. There are so many robbery cases that its impossible to look at them all. In this area you have got to protect your self or be a victim. These dumbass politicians do a terrible job then blame someone else. Murder rates are to the point that noone even pays attention to them. Our nations capital, I'm so proud [:(]

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT [Game Show Host]I'm sorry, but you are incorrect.  The correct answer is Vermont Style carry, Vermont Style.  Thankyou for playing and we have some lovely parting gifts.

Damn, that's sad; I can't believe I wrote that.  Thanks for the correction; I must be getting brainwashed!  Now give me my damned parting gifts.  [;)]