You really do get the government you deserve.

[xavier fremboe]

http://www.chicagoreader.com/TheBlog/archives/2010/05/20/mayor-daley-threatens-to-shoot-the-messengernamely-me

Here are the tasty bits about Mayor Daley drawing down on a reporter...

But even by those standards, this was a masterful and surreal performance.

“Oh!” Daley said. “It’s been very effective!”

He grabbed a rifle, held it up, and looked right at me. He was chuckling but there was no smile.

“If I put this up your—ha!—your butt—ha ha!—you’ll find out how effective this is!”

For a moment the room was very, very quiet. I took a good look at the weapon. It had a long bayonet. (Was it seized during the Civil War?)

“If I put a round up your—ha ha!”

The photographers snapped away. Suddenly everybody started cracking up.

Daley went on. “This gun saved many lives—it could save your life,” he said—meaning, I think, that getting that gun off the street might have saved many lives, including mine.

And he went on some more. “We save all these guns that the police department seizes, you know how many lives we’ve saved? You don’t realize it. First of all, they’re taking these guns out of someone’s hands. They save their own life and they save someone else’s. You cannot count how many times this gun can be used. Thirty, forty times in shooting people and discharging a weapon. I think it’s very important.

“Next will be hand grenades, right? We’ll say that hand grenades are OK. I mean, how far can you go in regards to mass weapons? To me, any gun taken off saves thousands of lives in America. I really believe that, I don’t care what people tell me. You have to thank the police officers for seizing all these weapons. We lead the country in seizing weapons. This is unbelievable.”

I had to agree.

I...had...to...agree...

1.  He is a resident of Chicago, and therefore forbidden to carry the means to protect himself.
2.  His mayor aims a rifle at him to show that an armed man has the advantage over an unarmed man.
3.  He agrees with point 2, but there isn't a hint of a glimmer of a question of reexamining point 1.

I have never read such sheep bleat in my entire life.

[Balog]

To me, any gun taken off saves thousands of lives in America.

There are a couple hundred million guns in America, right? Get rid of them all and we'll save trillions of lives!

[alex_trebek]

I think that

I had to agree.

was referring to

“This is unbelievable.”

.


I agree with this

You really do get the government you deserve.

.

[xavier fremboe]

I think that  was referring to .


I agree with this .

You are correct, I believe.  I apologize for the rant based upon my misinterpretation of the author's intent.

[Zardozimo Oprah Bannedalas]

Hizzoner needs a psych eval.

[MicroBalrog]

“This gun saved many lives—it could save your life,”

For once, I agree with Mayor Daley.

[Angel Eyes]

Hizzoner needs a psych eval.

My thoughts exactly.  He grabs a rifle and threatens to sodomize the author with it.  And let's not forget the giggling.

[alex_trebek]

You are correct, I believe.  I apologize for the rant based upon my misinterpretation of the author's intent.

No harm, no foul. I think the article's native audience were deaf (or blind) to the story anyway. Like you said, the people get the government they deserve.

[Tallpine]

Time for a regime change 

[roo_ster]

I wouldn't suggest such behavior in arm's reach of yours truly.  I don;t take kindly to it and react with little concern for the niceties.

[vaskidmark]

I really think the money quote is here:

You cannot count how many times this gun can be used. Thirty, forty times in shooting people and discharging a weapon. I think it’s very important.

and not in the suggestions that the reporter be sodomized with the firearm.

Apparently all firearms seized in Chicago come equipped with round counters that memorialize the number of times they have been fired.  Either that or the weapons being seized in Chicago are of such poor quality that they become inoperative after such a low round count.  I'm not sure which meaning was being offered.

Either way, it's obvious that Hizzoner did not have a teleprompter available that could be refreshed quickly enough to allow for spontaneous comments, thus forcing him to wing it.  Commentary about his ability for extemporaneous speaking would merely be kicking a guy when he's down.

stay safe.

[taurusowner]

I think that was his fumbling way of saying it had been shot at 30-40 people, not just been discharged that many times total.

[vaskidmark]

I think that was his fumbling way of saying it had been shot at 30-40 people, not just been discharged that many times total.

And how did he know that?

Not that I care very much.  It's just that I am bound and determined not to let his jackass behavior and statements get any excuse.  No offense meant towards you for suggesting a possible explanation - I just don't believe he ought to be granted one.

stay safe.

[longeyes]

Not gun control, gangsta control.

[tyme]

Video's linked from drudge.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/ct-met-kass-0521-20100521,0,3497461.column