In 2008 thru 2010 gun and ammo sales went through the roof. American’s have always been fond of their firearms. But the election of a full majority Democrat ruling party in DC tweaked half of America. We were concerned that the elite Democrat view of America would include bans on our freedoms to bear arms.
Then in 2010, some form of sanity regained a foothold in America and the House turned from Democrat to Republican and that kind of put the fear on hold for the next couple years. But gun sales were still very strong for the next two years.
In 2012, with the re-election of Barack Obama gun sales picked up again from high to higher. Then after the Newtown tragedy and the typical kneejerk reaction by our child leader, Gun/ammo sales went from higher to through the roof… And as of right now, guns/ammo prices have skyrocketed, the availability of popular brands is way down.
America went from hoarding because the democrats might ban our firearms to preparing for war.
That’s the question I posed yesterday on several social media outlets.
Is America hoarding ammo and firepower to beat the ban or are we preparing for all out civil war?
Personally, I’m preparing for war. That pretty much covers both of them. If its war then I’ll be as prepared as possible. If it’s to beat the ban, then I’ll do that at the same time.
This should put to rest ANY discussion of reduced capacity magazines being a “Public safety” issue. The real issue is when a shooter goes on a rampage it takes cops an average of 6 minutes to get to the scene. So who protects you? YOU DO YA JACKWAGON!
Get your asses to your capitol and demand your RIGHTS! Get these politicians to stop handcuffing YOU and start handcuffing the BAD GUYS!
The cost of getting caught doing graffiti is going up next year.
Wall art by Moron hoodrat
Anyone convicted of vandalism for graffiti causing $400 or more in damage will have to clean up the property and keep it tidy for up to a year under a law that will go into effect in January.
The cleanup penalty must be imposed by judges under the new law, according to spokeswoman Rachel Cameron with Gov. Schwarzenegger’s office. Currently, the law leaves this aspect of a sentence to the judge’s discretion.
The new law is not perfect but it does give judges the ability to make the right calls, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Mark Cope said.
When the defendant is a minor, the parents can be ordered to clean up their child’s mess unless it would be too burdensome for the family because of child care or economic concerns, according to the law.
“In the right case, I think it’s great when young people are held accountable,” said Cope, who handles juvenile matters at the Southwest Justice Center in French Valley.
As for the provision that holds parents accountable for their children’s actions, he said, it would only be practical in cases where minors are vandalizing their own neighborhood.
“It allows them to have a sense of responsibility for their community,” Cope said.
Two county probation officials said they will work with the victims and the judges on a case-by-case basis when the cleanup provision is ordered.
“The judge would have to take into consideration the victim, because I don’t know how many people are going to want this kid and his parents on their property cleaning up graffiti,” said Bryce Hulstrom, assistant director of the Riverside County Probation Department’s juvenile services division
Hulstrom and Beth Stevens, director of Adult Probation Services, said they expect judges in Riverside County to impose the community service penalty, also provided under the new law, more often than the cleanup penalty.
Most graffiti crimes are committed by people with gang ties, and having someone clean up graffiti left by a rival gang member could have deadly consequences, said Stevens, whose agency will handle the bulk of these cases.
“We are already hesitant with having juveniles do graffiti cleanup because it can be dangerous,” she said. “They can be targeted by other gang members.”
It makes more sense to have someone trained in graffiti removal to immediately fix the damaged property instead of waiting more than a month for someone’s case to be resolved, Stevens said.
Hulstrom said if a judge orders a defendant to keep a wall clean for a year, the Probation Department will set up a monitoring program.
Some cities and county agencies have invested time and much money into removing those unsightly letters and words scribbled on bridges, walls and signs.
The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors has allocated $500,000 for a countywide graffiti-abatement program, said Randy Rogers, code enforcement chief for the county. The county has crews of contractors who daily search for graffiti. There are four graffiti teams and most of the time there are two people per team, he said.
Riverside has committed $1 million to fighting graffiti while the county has a mobile graffiti-eradication team of eight employees.
In 2007, Riverside received 21,200 calls complaining about graffiti while the Riverside Police Department made 270 arrests in connection with graffiti vandalism that year.
The Riverside County Economic Development Agency’s graffiti-removal program in 2007 got 6,611 calls in the unincorporated areas and cleaned almost 701,000 square-feet of defaced property, spokesman Tom Freeman said.
The Riverside County district attorney’s office filed 890 misdemeanor and felony vandalism charges in 2006, 1,231 in 2007 and 889 charges by August 2008, according to data provided by spokesman Ryan Hightower.
Graffiti’s grip on a community extends far beyond the immediate neighborhood.
“The reality is that it’s a blight,” Rogers, the San Bernardino County code enforcement chief, said. “It also lowers property values significantly. It’s the first thing you see when you drive into a neighborhood.”
Riverside County is trying to attract new homebuyers and businesses to the area and graffiti is a detractor, Freeman said. It gives the impression that the area has a high crime rate, he said.
This is step in the right direction, it is NOT as tough as I would have liked, but it’s moving the right way. The part that bothers me is this “We are already hesitant with having juveniles do graffiti cleanup because it can be dangerous,” she said. “They can be targeted by other gang members.”
IF a kid gets killed cleaning up graffiti because he did it, it will be the judges fault according to the lawyers. As always the blame will be deflected away from the truth, the truth is the graffiti perpetrator (AKA Idiot) is responsible and should be held as such. AND so are the parents of “REPEAT” offenders, by repeat I mean doing it more than once, not being caught more than once. If the “IDIOT” is found to have caused more than $400.00 dollars of damage, his tag most likely was found on more than one place.
I was involved in a lot of the discussions about ways to curtail this crime, and for those of you thinking it is a minor crime, a victimless crime, or not a crime at all. I ask you to think about the money spent cleaning it up, then look at where the money could be better spent? Like child care for mothers trying to get out of the poverty level, and MANY other community funded areas.
We are not going to stop fighting it, we are not going to allow it to continue, so while IDIOTS are painting things that don’t belong to them, they should know they are taking help away from their “Familia”
I do like that we are going to hold the parents responsible (At least on paper) I will be interested to see if it actually holds up. This article in the Press Enterprise is in very large print on the FRONT page of the local section. It is in Spanish on “la Opinion” and English in several local newspapers.
The word is getting out. Took long enough but FINALLY some teeth in a graffiti law.
I had the honor of entertaining some comments on the “Artists” side of the issue:
Here are a couple of examples:
Chris (no Blog URL) says;
I completely agree with the fact that gangs cause problems and should be rid of BUT, graffiti is an art, and it seems like the criminals (violent ones) committing more than simple vandalism, are fully involved in gangs and are not “tagging” for the sake of art or beauty, but tagging to protect the turf. Graffiti artists or vandals, and gang members marking their area are two completely different things. It is like comparing marijuana to heroin, yea they are both illegal but marijuana is pretty much harmless (graffiti) and heroin is dangerous, addictive, and ruins our society (gang graffiti/activity).
All I am saying is don’t forget to distinguish artists from pure gang members and criminals out there spraying their shitty bullshit all over the place.
Hammer Time (no Blog URL) says
this is pathetic, did anyone notice the fact that they almost all had something to do with gangs?
gangs and people who write graffiti, are two totally different things…
and why is everyone so scared of colorful walls?
Facedorateur (no Blog URL) says:
Not to be a bitch, but 3 deaths due to graffiti GANGS seems ok compared to the 4000 american soldiers that died in Irak and Afghanistan, or the millions of children that dies everyday in africa. A graffiti writer alone is less likely to attack someone, he will maybe have a weapon, but in any case he will not even try to use it and run away. Dont be affraid of the lonewolfes. But the gangs, they are dangerous because they are in numbers, 5 guys are better at kicking someones butt than only 1. + graffiti is a peaceful crime and it adds a little color and artistic taste in our grey cities. And if you compare it to drug gangs, you will realize its not that bad.
David (no Blog URL)says:
If I lived in LA and I knew which neighbourhood you were in I would go crush it tonight.
If you put your foot on top of my throat and I was completely defenceless, and I had no idea that you we’re going to attack me, you basically just attacked me.
And if you did put your foot on my throat, I would think that you were going to kill me and choke me to death and I would probably shoot your fucking brain out.
You’re saying that the parents are responsible for kids tagging? dude are you dumb or something? its not like the parents are putting spraycans in the childrens hand and saying ‘go paint graffiti’ or not even like they have there eyes closed.. Also most of the people that are probably shown in the article that took voilent action were probably over 21 so they’re parents have no control over them anyways.
I hate you with a fucking passion and if I’m ever in LA remind me to fucking do a big ass graffiti tag on your garage while you’re dressed like a clown with hunting gear on in the bushes.
The one from David was by far the funniest, IF he ever even thought about coming to my hood he would break out in a sweat.. IF I had my foot on his throat, I would be ready to kill him if necessary, any movement that threatened my well being at that point would be met with a mind bending flurry of lead and David moving toward the light.
I see nothing artistic about that, I don’t think any of the property owners appreciate it, I really don’t appreciate that shit on electrical/cable or phone boxes.
I think all these idiots that write on PUBLIC or PERSONAL property that they do not own, should have to pay for it, if they have no way to pay, make the parents pay and make the kids spend weekends cleaning graffiti.
The approach our PD is taking is PARENTS will be paying up to 10k for graffiti clean up if their kids are caught.
If a juvenile is apprehended in the act or has been named as a suspect a warrant can be issued and served to search the home of the kid, if materials/evidence of vandalism/tagging are in the home the parents are cited and will be fined up to 15k for damages. IF the parents are ILLEGALLY in this Country, it can lead to deportation proceedings.
One of the first things someone should ask themselves is: IF this is art, and an expression of my feelings, why am I doing it in the shadows? Why am I scared of getting caught? Why is this big ass redneck standing on my neck?
Art my ass, this is a crime and should be treated as such, it should be investigated when found on public property and prosecuted in a very harsh manner. I think the laws are too soft, but they are getting harder.
And for those that say “There is nothing for the kids to do”….
This is a brand new 2 million dollar building in a public park:
Its a “FOR THE KIDS” Building, look closely next to drain pipe to see the evidence of gratitude. The building is in the heart of a known gang infested area. It was made possible by donations and funding from taxpayers.
The building has a Indoor Basketball court, boxing ring, gym, all kinds of inside games, and activities. The guy that runs this park is a friend of mine, I have known him for over 20 years, he is a strong leader in the community and if you ask him, he’ll tell you it’s as much the parents fault for allowing our community to fall into this state as everyone those parents like to blame.
What we need is not more buildings for the kids to go to, we need PARENTS to actually PARENT! and the excuse box is full. NO MORE EXCUSES! Get your kids in check.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has made it official: California will be the first trans-fat free state in the nation.
All-natural palm, rice and soybean oils will soon be king, and life in the Golden State will be forever altered.
The California legislature pushed the bill through last week, and Schwarzenegger signed it into law Friday, July 25.
The ban will require food providers to begin phasing out trans fat oils by July 1, 2009. Thereafter, noncompliance with the ban will result in fines of up to $1,000.
Trans unsaturated fatty acids are the partially hydrogenated oils that result from a chemical process producing solid fats with a longer shelf life.
These so-called “trans fats” were once thought to be healthier than butter, but research in the last decade has shown that they are much more harmful to health than had been believed. According to the American Heart Association, trans unsaturated fatty acids are medically proven to increase the risk of coronary heart disease by raising bad cholesterol (LDL) levels and reducing good cholesterol levels (HDL).
With more than half a million Americans dying each year from heart disease, the switch may be coming not a moment too soon.
This ban comes on the heels of the New York City’s prohibition on trans fats in restaurants, which took full effect on July 1. But the wheels began turning in California before the Big Apple’s eateries sought substitutes for their deep fryers.
Tiburon, a northern California town of about 8,700 people, has boasted trans fat-free restaurants since 2004. All 18 restaurants turned away, rather effortlessly and voluntarily, from partially hydrogenated oils at the urging of a lawyer, Steven Joseph, and his task force at bantransfats.com.
“The change has been very well received by our customers,” said Carl Peschlow, owner of Sweden House Bakery in Tiburon. “Those so-called bad fats do, however, give our croissants a little oomph.”
Peschlow said that while his bakery made the change relatively early, they still use a “tiny bit” of trans fat in their croissant recipe. Otherwise, Peschlow said, “the croissants just look like fat pancakes.”
When New York City turned its attention to trans fats, they looked to Joseph’s Project Tiburon for guidance. Joseph, a California transplant from Washington D.C., also led the fight against Kraft in 2003, asking the food giant to “cease and desist marketing and selling Oreo cookies to children in the State of California” until the popular chocolate sandwich cookie contained zero trans fats.
Kraft caved and has since become a leader in the industry, reducing or eliminating trans fats in 650 of its products. “Clearly that’s what people wanted and that’s what they care about,” said Susan Davison, Kraft’s director of corporate affairs.
Joseph and his team also prompted McDonalds to re-think its use of trans fats, and today Wendy’s has gone completely trans fat-free. (California staple In-N-Out Burger has never used trans fats since opening in 1948.)
The California Restaurant Association along with other organizations has led the charge against the ban, claiming that many restaurants are making the shift without the government’s help.
Chains including Taco Bell, Denny’s, Burger King, Olive Garden, El Pollo Loco and Red Lobster have voluntarily pledged to fully or partially eliminate trans fats in their kitchens.
Here we go again, cell phones, cigarettes, trans-fats what’s next? Might be Guns? hell they are already harder to get here for the “LAW Abiding citizens” than anywhere else in the country. BUT, to get one off the street is fairly simple, I could load my house with a variety of firearms in a matter of days because of the folks I know, NOT LEGALLY, but I could.
When we allow this intrusion, this type of nanny state politics we can’t take it back, there will not be a “Trans-fat” overturn or a cell phone overturn, and when they add stronger gun laws that have proven NOT to have decreased gun crimes, they have not overturned or decreased those laws in any way.
This is typical liberal idiocy IMO, we make the manufacturers or food chains put the information out there about their product, either on wrappers or menu’s the information about trans-fats is all over the place but in moderation like anything else it is acceptable and will not kill you, the key is “Moderation” and liberals seem to think they need to make that decision for you.
Funny liberals are the ones crying the loudest about lost liberties.
Mark my words folks, this is just the start of more laws, federal and state. YOU all will be dealing with the Nanny state mentality.
