Arrested New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver joins Michael Bloomberg in trying to use the force of the state to ban guns in private hands -- in New York and in "Everytown."
The Examiner
New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has been arrested on a five-count federal complaint charging him with accepting millions of dollars in exchange for using his political influence, New York Daily News reported Thursday. The charges are described as “stunning” for “the Manhattan Democrat [who has been] a state political fixture for decades.”
As such, Silver has been a leading proponent of “gun control” throughout his terms of office, including being a driving force behind passing Governor Andrew Cuomo’s “SAFE” Act. In 2012, Silver pushed through a package of bills after the Sandy Hook killings, using that as the springboard to enact legislation that had failed to be enacted in prior years, including microstamping, gun locks and “closing loopholes.” He stated his post-Newtown goal flatly, to impose “a complete ban on assault weapons.”
Silver’s arrest is reminiscent of other arrests for criminal acts that prominent citizen disarmament-demanding politicians have made headlines with in recent years, including numerous members of Michael Bloomberg’s “Mayors Against Illegal Guns.” Other anti-gun pols charged with serious criminal activity include California State Senator Leland Yee, including racketeering and gun trafficking.
Silver’s arrest is expected to spark conversation among pro-gun activists discussing the case. As is typically the case when someone demanding to criminalize a right is himself found to be under suspicion of self-serving real crime, the environment that allows corruption to flourish also comes under scrutiny.
Were those payoffs for pushing his gun legislation, or some other political influence on other issues? Other good politicians supported those gun bills. The fact that a crook also supported those gun bills doesn't mean the bills are bad, or that the other politicians that voted for those gun bills were part of the payoffs.
ReplyDeleteObviously, but the lying Kurt loves to pretend otherwise.
DeleteObviously, but . . . Kurt loves to pretend otherwise.
DeleteSo when a pro-rights politician gets caught for misconduct that has nothing to do with gun politics, it's a non-issue to you?
No "lying" or "pretend[ing]" on my part, as always.
A politician who takes bribes or mis-manages the money can have an opinion on gun rights with no problem. A low-rent pos like Ted Nugent whose sins include statutory rape, draft dodging and racism is another thing altogether.
DeleteDon't be talking down the gun loons idol Nugent.
DeleteA low-rent pos like Ted Nugent whose sins include statutory rape, draft dodging and racism is another thing altogether.
DeleteNugent cannot legitimately "have an opinion on gun rights"? Care to direct me to that statute, or is this yet another example of Mikeb's Fantasy Laws?
If you think a draft dodging, rapist, bigot, is legitimate and speaks for you gun loons, go ahead, just shows your lack of character.
DeleteKurt, you're doing that tedious, literal, pretending thing again. When I said "can have an opinion on gun rights with no problem" I meant without hypocrisy or contradiction. But you knew that, right.
DeleteExactly what intelligent, reasonable people have come to expect from "gun control" advocates. I hope he gets the gas chamber after his fair trial.
ReplyDeleteJust another criminal politician willing to sell your rights freedoms or property to the highest bidder nothing new...
ReplyDeleteActually, that's what Congress and the Supreme Court do. This guy's a nobody.
DeleteThis guy's a nobody.
DeleteA "nobody" who, as Speaker of the New York State Assembly since 1994, was for 21 years--more than two decades--the most powerful member of one branch of the state legislature of the fourth most populous state in the nation (in 2014--back in '91, NY was the second most populous). A "nobody" who is alleged to have been thought worthy of millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks. "Nobodies" are certainly getting expensive. A "nobody" who has been specifically cited by the brain-damaged Jim Brady for his efforts for "gun control":
We need to make it tougher for criminals to get guns. The best way to do that is to pass laws to make it easier to prosecute gun traffickers by lowering the number of guns required to prove a crime, and pass laws that force unscrupulous gun dealers to change their behavior. Speaker Silver's proposal has both of these components. The Governor and the State Senate should adopt this approach. New York should toughen the penalties, but also take real steps to dry up the sources of crime guns.
Looking kinda "prominent" to me. Oh--and remember when I challenged Southern Beale's (and by extension, yours) claim of a gun rights advocate's "prominence," and you told me that the absence of this notional "prominence" on his part was "an unimportant point which has nothing to do with the post," and that by bringing it up, I had shown myself to be a "master of diversion"?
So even if Silver were a "nobody," is that not "an unimportant point"?
"This guy's a nobody".....As the speaker of one of the most influential state legislatures in the country calling him a nobody is simply incorrect. He has the ear of the most powerful people in NY and influence over them as well...Thats not exactly a nobody is it Mike?
DeleteSure Kurt, he was a regular household name, but Carolyn McCarthy had little influence.
DeleteHold on a sec, Mike. You want to give McCarthy credit for the SAFE act (who has not so much as a vote in state laws), but not the guy who sponsored it, and introduced it in the state legislator where he serves as Speaker of the House?
DeleteTS beat me to it. Fine, Mikeb, contend all you want that McCarthy, with zero power in the state legislature, has more influence on New York's laws than the person who has for decade after decade been the most powerful member of the State Assembly--and who was apparently considered powerful enough to be worth millions in bribe money. Apparently those offering that money didn't expect him to have the power to do anything for them--but they gave it to him anyway, because . . . I have no idea--maybe you can help me out with that, Mikeb..
DeleteI just calls 'em likes I sees 'em. I never heard of this guy before this story. Carolyn McCarthy actually was a household name thanks to you gun nuts.
DeleteI never heard of this guy before this story. Carolyn McCarthy actually was a household name thanks to you [civil rights advocates].
DeleteAnd it never occurred to you, I take it, that as a member of Congress, writing laws that affect the entire country, she would of course have more relevance to people outside the state of New York, than even the most powerful (for decade after decade) member of one house of the state legislature? Silver's relative obscurity on the national scale is hardly surprising, since he, after all, had no power over federal laws--analogous to Ms. "Barrel Shroud's" irrelevance to the state lawmaking process.
Mike loves to hold up such ethical lapses when gun rights advocates commit them as examples. This doesn't seem much different.
ReplyDeleteOne difference is he's a nobody politician, unlike Board members of the NRA that we often talk about.
Delete"One difference is he's a nobody politician"
DeleteActually, Silver seems to be the primary sponsor of the NY SAFE Act in the lower chamber of the assembly where he was the Speaker. He definitely wasn't a nobody in New York politics.
http://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?bn=A.2388&term=2013
"Silver largely charted the course of legislation in the lower chamber of the New York state legislature for the past two decades. This included introducing the controversial gun control measure, the Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act of 2013, to the Assembly and helping to rush it through in record time."
http://www.guns.com/2015/01/24/ny-safe-act-sponsor-arrested-on-federal-graft-corruption-charges-video/
One difference is he's a nobody politician, unlike Board members of the NRA that we often talk about.
DeleteAhem.
A "nobody" who, as Speaker of the New York State Assembly since 1994, was for 21 years--more than two decades--the most powerful member of one branch of the state legislature of the fourth most populous state in the nation (in 2014--back in '91, NY was the second most populous). A "nobody" who is alleged to have been thought worthy of millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks. "Nobodies" are certainly getting expensive. A "nobody" who has been specifically cited by the brain-damaged Jim Brady for his efforts for "gun control":
We need to make it tougher for criminals to get guns. The best way to do that is to pass laws to make it easier to prosecute gun traffickers by lowering the number of guns required to prove a crime, and pass laws that force unscrupulous gun dealers to change their behavior. Speaker Silver's proposal has both of these components. The Governor and the State Senate should adopt this approach. New York should toughen the penalties, but also take real steps to dry up the sources of crime guns.
Looking kinda "prominent" to me. Oh--and remember when I challenged Southern Beale's (and by extension, yours) claim of a gun rights advocate's "prominence," and you told me that the absence of this notional "prominence" on his part was "an unimportant point which has nothing to do with the post," and that by bringing it up, I had shown myself to be a "master of diversion"?
So even if Silver were a "nobody," is that not "an unimportant point"?
By the way, have these NRA board members been charged with serious crimes, like Hero of "Gun Control" Sheldon Silver?
Oh--did you see that this "nobody" is, one of the most powerful men in New York"?
DeleteMike - in which states do the board members of the NRA get to vote on legislation pending in the state houses or Federal Congress? You pass off this guy as a nobody but he was the Assembly Speaker for the State of New York. Sounds like he was somewhat important in which laws would be voted on in New York.
DeleteWell at least he wasn't as bad as Leland Yee. Close tho.
ReplyDelete