President Biden pardon son, Hunter, despite "No One is Above the Law" promises

Merry Christmas to Hunter Biden!  His dad, outgoing President Joe Biden, has reloaded Hunter's "Get out of Jail" card, thus ensuring junior will skirt around the U.S. legal system once more.  Hunter's pardon  proves again to the American People and the world what we've known all along, that the United States has a dual legal system, one for the wealthy elites and one for the rest of us.

The then candidate President Joe Biden promised the American People on several occasions that his son, Hunter, would not be receiving a pardon from him, citing his trust in the U.S. justice system and Hunter's innocence (apparently he's not feeling so confident any more). If convicted, Hunter would be the first child of a president to face a possible prison sentence for felony criminal charges.

Hunter has been in repeated trouble for years including charges of cocaine possession (some have speculated that he may been the one who brought a stash of  "coke" into the White House, bypassing security. Something a ordinary visitor wouldn't be able to do), tax evasion, illegal gun possession to name but a few. There's been allegation that Hunter spent time on Jeffrey Epstein's "Pedophile Island" (who was actually there is still a matter of some dispute).  

Some believe his businesses dealings with Ukrainian oligarchs and politicians was a factor behind the current war between Ukraine and Russia. The war has caused the loss of thousands of lives and billions of dollars in damage, threatened Europe with war, ruined U.S. and Russia's relationship, and all over a  deal with oligarchs in the Ukrainian government involving oil and gas rights in the Black Sea in exchange for NATO protection (and supposedly guaranteed by then Vice President Joe Biden).

Of course, Trump supporters are giddy about President Biden's Christmas gift to Hunter since this appears to be a gift which just keeps on giving.  Thanks to Hunter's pardon, conservatives now see an opportunity for President Trump at being able to pardon all those facing possible jail time and/or fines for their part in the so-called "January 6th Insurrection" using the same legal argument.

If, as it's argued, Hunter can skip away untouched for all his misdeeds, then the "J6 political prisoners" as they're called, should be able to walk away too. If you think about it, it's hard to believe how far America has slipped. After all, the legal system, of all our branches of government, was expected to be the one branch  least affected by partisan politics and corruption, but here we are!  What happened?

Born in 1970, Hunter's life has been rife with trouble. Although his father doesn't drink, Hunter has more than made up for it. He's also had a long history of cocaine abuse dating back to his time in college and has been in and out of rehab centers (he attended Georgetown College and Yale's law school).

Shortly after graduating, Hunter was hired as a consultant by MBNA America, a holding bank with close tie to his father, Joe Biden, and one of his top political contributors. As Hunter quickly rose through the ranks to executive vice president, Joe was busy supporting a bankruptcy reform through Congress, which, as an aside, would aid certain financial institutions. You know, like MBNA America (which was eventually acquired by Bank of America).

In 2013, Hunter decided he wanted to join the U.S. Navy Reserves. And so following a swearing in ceremony at the White House under the  beaming gaze of his then Vice President father, Hunter was ordered to report to his first duty station...and was promptly discharged shortly after arriving for testing positive for cocaine. I guess he forgot having  read (and signed) the Navy's zero tolerance policy statement about drug use.

The death of his older brother, Beau,  from a brain tumor in 2015, sent Hunter back down the bottle again. He reputedly would never leave his house for days at a time unless it was for a trip to the liquor store! According to Kathleen Buhle, his ex-wife, that when they were going through their divorce, Hunter was consuming "massive" amounts of drugs and alcohol while spending a great amount of time and money on hookers, at strip clubs and with other women to the point where the family had no money left to pay their bills. 

A 2019 DNA test confirmed he was the father of child with a woman who had been employed as "exotic dancer". In a 2021 memoir, Hunter admitted that it was the unbridled infidelity that drove his wife away. As an aside, while the divorce with Kathleen was still pending, Hunter hooked up with Hallie Biden, the wife of his deceased brother Beau. Given that Hunter and Beau was considered inseparable, doing nearly everything together, perhaps this isn't too surprising.   The affair lasted about two years.

Despite being an addict and alcoholic, Hunter purchased a pistol in 2018, following another stint (this time for 60 days) in rehab. Allegedly, Hunter lied on the gun purchase application by saying that he was not a addict at that time. Hallie said that she found the gun and ammo in Hunter's car while she was removing drug paraphernalia.

Hallie went on to say that she put the gun in a old grocery bag and pitched it into dumpster. Hunter and Hallie split in 2019 just as Joe Biden announced another bid for the White House, this time against sitting President, Donald Trump.

Hunter didn't morn the breakup for long. Just about a month later, he met and married Melissa Cohen, documentary producer and social activist from Johannesburg, South Africa  following a six day "romance" on May 19, 2019. Shortly afterwards she became a naturalized citizen U.S. She is 16 years his junior.

By this point, while still employed by MBNA Bank, Hunter started a lobbying firm (no potential conflicts there). Politico Magazine reported that many of his early clients were in industries overseen by Joe Biden's committees in the Senate. In 2008, Hunter, along with another family member, acquired a hedge fund group, Paradigm Global Advisors just as Senator Biden resumed his chairmanship of  the Foreign Relations Committee (both Joe and Hunter have denied any collusion or wrong doings).

The Foreign Relations Committee is the only Senate committee to oversee, debate, and report on treaties directly to the president as they pertain to national security issues, including war powers, foreign aid programs, treaties, military deployment, executive agreements with foreign powers or agencies,  arms control, sales, and training matters, global economic policies, holding confirmation hearings for high level positions within the State Department, oversight of the U.S. Agency for International Development, as well as monitoring all American embassies, diplomats, and international posts.

By 2013, Hunter finally made it into the majors. He took a founding board seat with the Chinese private equity firm, BHR. Originally, he was apparently there as a unpaid consultant. Later, however, apparently because of his vast knowledge of foreign affairs, he was given a 10% equity stake in the company.

Much has been made in the media of a official trip by Vice President Biden, accompanied by his son, Hunter, to China for a simple "meet and greet" with Chinese government officials and various business leaders, including BHR's chief executive. Hunter described the meeting as merely stopping by for a "cup of coffee".  Shortly afterwards, BHR was registered in Shanghai, often called China's  "economic and technological crown jewel".

According to the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Justice, during this same time frame (between 2016 and 2020), Hunter knowingly and willingly set out to defraud the government. Officials  estimated that Biden filed to pay some $1.4 million dollars in taxes.  When he did finally file his tax returns, he included false business expenses in order to reduce his tax liability, misrepresented payroll and other deductions among other allegations.  

In 2017, Hunter joined with Chinese businessman, Ye Jianming, founder and former chairman of CEFC China Energy Company Limited, in a deal to acquire natural gas rights in Louisiana (Ye was also an economic advisor to Czech president, Milos Zeman). However, before the deal could take off, Ye was picked up by Chinese security on charges of bribery and other "economic crimes".  As of March 2018, Ye hasn't been seen.

In 2014, Hunter Biden joined the board of Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian energy holding company headquartered in Kyiv involved in exploration and production. The company was owned by Russian oligarch, businessman, and politician, Mykola Zlochevsky, through his private company, Brociti Investments Limited.  For his participation on the board, Hunter was paid $1.2 million dollars a year.

 Later, through investigation by Ukrainian authorities, it was determined that oligarch, Ihor Kolomoisky, was the real owner behind Burisma.  Kolomoisky, a Ukrainian born Israeli businessman and billionaire, was at one time considered to be Ukraine's most powerful oligarch.  It bears mentioning that  Hunter's presidential pardon by Biden extends back to the start of his dealings with Burisma Holdings in 2014.

At the same time, Vice President Biden promoted the investigation of the Ukraine's leading legal prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, who was being accused of corruption. By pure happenstance, Shokin, the Prosecutor General of the Ukraine (equivalent to our U.S. Attorney General), was investigating alleged corruption between government officials and Burisma Holdings and its board members.

Now, why should a U.S. Vice President concern himself with a clearly internal legal matter in the Ukraine? Claims of collusion was denied by the White House and Democratic members of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.  In 2016, the Ukrainian parliament voted to remove Shokin from his office. Not surprisingly, Viktor Shokin maintains his removal was due to his investigation of Burisma.      

Nevertheless, an FBI informant claimed that Joe and Hunter Biden were paid $5 million dollars each by Burisma executives for helping stop the investigation. The claim proved later proved to be false  (apparently you just can't trust FBI informants despite what they say on those TV shows). Meanwhile, one of Hunter's reputed business partners said that Joe Biden was part of conference calls with Hunter and other contacts, implying that Hunter had the support of his father.

A laptop belonging to Hunter was left with a repair shop in Wilmington, Delaware eventually found its way into the hands of the FBI. An examination of its hard drive was said to hold evidence of Hunter's dealings in China and Ukraine as well as his extensive use of drugs and booze.

Just exactly what was on the hard drive remains unknown, although since the revelation of the hard drive's possession by the FBI, the media has repeatedly implied that it proved Hunter's shady dealings which may have affected our national security, proof of bribery and corruption, or Joe Biden's direct or indirect involvement.

Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee and its Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence release a report which proposes that 51 CIA subcontractors, including then CIA Director, Gina Haspel, aided the Biden presidential campaign in misleading the public about President Biden and the contents on the laptop's hard drive. If the report is accurate, it would further damn Biden's political legacy not to mention the already crumbing credibility of the U.S. government and the power of the Deep State.  

On September 5, 2024, Hunter Biden was found guilty of tax evasion pertaining to a nine count complaint. Biden was found guilty on three felonies and six tax related misdemeanors. The Justice Department said that there was no plea deal made with Hunter. On December 16th, Hunter is scheduled to appear for sentencing, which carries a maximum 17 year prison sentence. On the gun possession charges, Hunter could face up to 25 years of prison time.

Although whatever was on the hard drive was enough for federal prosecutors to bring a criminal investigation against Hunter. But with Hunter's blanket pardon, the issue is moot. Hunter gets to walk away virtually unscathed despite President Biden's statement that "no one is above the law", well, except apparently his son, Hunter.

The U.S. Constitution grants the president the authority to issue a pardon, amnesty, reprieve, or commutation. A commutation reduces a sentence without completely setting it aside. A reprieve is a temporary delay or suspension of a sentence. A pardon absolves the person of all criminal charges as well as restore all civil rights while an amnesty is the same as a pardon but applies to multiple individuals or groups.

It's doubtful the American public will ever know the full contents for sure.  Nevertheless, the whole nefarious episode demonstrates to all just how broken society has become and how just much value we place on money, power and prestige, even if it means destroying our own lives or the lives of others. It also shows that those with money or hold power don't face the same rules or outcomes as does the common citizen. This is truly a nation of two separate and unequal legal systems.

 

Thank you for reading Another Opinion! We hope you enjoyed this article and will pass it along. Please don't forget to subscribe. It's free! Lastly, please "like" us on whatever platform you use to read anotheropinionblog.com. It helps beat the algorithms and keeps our articles in circulation. Please find below the links we consulted in researching this article.

 

Biden, Inc.

The Bidens' Influence Peddling Timeline

From laptop to pardon: The Hunter Biden story explained

Joe Biden pardons son Hunter: What it means and why itmatters

Melissa Cohen Biden

Burisma

Mykola Zlochevsky

Ihor Kolomoyski

Committee on Oversight and Accountability (Democrats)

Hunter Biden laptop controversy

 

New Information Shows CIA Contractors Colluded with theBiden Campaign to Discredit Hunter Biden Laptop Story

Robert Hunter Biden Convicted on Three Felony Tax Offensesand Six Misdemeanor Tax Offenses

July 13, 2024: What Did America and the World Actually Witness?

What did America and the world witness on July 13, 2024, in the deeply red community of Butler Pennsylvania, home to 13,000, mostly strong "MAGA" supporters? It was more than an assassination attempt by the almost obligatory "lone wolf"  assassin we've come to expect in these situations.

Trump, who was in the midst of giving one of his usual rousing speeches to a eager crowd when several shots rang out (the exact number still being debated), wounding two attendees, killing a third, and piercing the upper portion of Trump's right ear and grazing his scalp.

At the near instant when the shooter, 20 year old Thomas Matthew Crooks, squeeze the trigger of his semi-automatic AR-15 style rifle, Trump had been looking to his right and leaning forward just slightly, when at the instant, too fractionally too late for Crooks to adjust his aim,  Trump turned his head  slightly forward, taking the hit in his ear.

Had Trump remained in the same position as he was when Crooks sighted him in through is rifle's scope,  the 5.56mm NATO style bullet would have slammed into the former president's head, hitting him just behind his right eye or temple area. The impact would have travelled  threw his brain and resulted in blowing off the back of Trump's head. All eerily reminiscent to the shot which killed President John Kennedy that tragic day  on November 22, 1963 in Dallas and catapulted Lee Harvey Oswald into history, forever linking him to the late president.

But, unlike Kennedy, the shooter missed, and Trump lived. The attempt, without a doubt, galvanized an already loyal legion of "MAGA" followers as no other event could,  it also moved thousands, if not millions, of undecided voters into Trump's camp, having all but guaranteed Trump's victory in November.

I think it's important as a reference point for non-gun aficionados to understand something about the weapon used to shot Trump since it will be talked about weeks and months ahead.  The rifle used by the would be assassin, Thomas Crooks, was an AR-15, made, in this case, by Defense Procurement Manufacturing Services ("DPMS"), the parent company of Palmetto State Armory (Trump visited there in 2023 on a campaign stop).   

The "AR" doesn't mean "assault rifle", but is the abbreviation of the name of the original manufacturer, ArmaLite, and is considered to be a modern sporting rifle. What sets it apart from other semi-automatic rifles is its unique military styling, which is nothing more than sales gimmick to make it look "cool".

The rifle is a semi-automatic, meaning you have to squeeze the trigger for each shot (a proficient shooter can shoot roughly 60 rounds in about a minute).  AR-15's can be easily refitted to shoot most types of ammo, however, the most common is the NATO style 5.56mm (.223 caliber) bullet.

Most AR-15's are sold with a 30 round magazine, however, drum magazines holding up to 100 rounds can be purchased and may be fitted with a variety of scopes for close up(1x magnification), intermediate (4x magnification), and long range shooting (5x magnification). They are slightly high in price, ranging from $800 to a $1000 dollars. 

They have a high muzzle velocity, creating a large air cavity or "cavitation" on impact, which results in massive internal injuries as the bullet tumbles through the body before existing, typically leaving a large gaping exit wound, which is probably the top reason mass murders tend to favor this type of rifle.

A great deal of finger pointing has been going on since the shooting, with various law enforcement agencies coming under extreme criticism for their failure to properly prepare in establishing a secure security perimeter and establishing a clear line of communications between the various law enforcement agencies along with specific designated coverage areas.

The Secret Service, whose duty is to protect government officials, claim to have checked out the roof used by the shooters about 30 minutes before the event began. They also claim that local police were responsible for securing the outer portion of the security bubble (which they've denied). They had previously advised the Secret Service that they didn't have enough officers to securing the outer ring, however, they did have available officers in the area working. 

Just prior to the assassination attempt, a local police officer spotted someone on the roof and attempted to investigate by climbing a ladder attached to the building. When he looked over onto the roof, Crooks allegedly  turned his rifle on him. The officer ducked and jumped down to avoid being shot in the face. Following the shooting, local law enforcement were around and inside of the same building looking for the shooter.

The Secret Service failed to employ surveillance drones, which are commonly used to provide a bird's eye view of the event and surrounding area. Another failure was taking advantage of securing the nearby high ground. Roughly 200 yards from the speaker's platform was the town water tower, the tallest structure in Butler, yet no one apparently thought of posting spotters there. As one commentator put it, "a 10 year old playing 'Call of Duty' would have known to post lookouts there".  

Additional criticisms have been made in how the Secret Service responded following the shooting. Their coverage of the former president seemed haphazard and cumbersome, especially when compared to the attempt on President Ronald Reagan's life by John Hinckley in 1981. Several of agents appeared confused and not sure of what to do. Had Crooks not been taken out, it's likely Trump could have been hit again.

There's an additional serious issue regarding a failure of communication and decision making leveled against the Secret Service. There were several similar posts on Gab, which were allegedly sent by the Secret Service sniper using Messenger. According to the text, he had the shooter lined up in his sights for two to three minutes and could clearly see the weapon. However, his repeated requests for authorization to fire were repeatedly denied.

Finally, after Crooks opened fire, the Secret Service sniper took his shot and killed Crooks, but, again, without authorization from his superior.  As a result, the text goes on to say, since he acted without approval he may face disciplinary measures.  What's not in question is that 20 minutes elapsed between the time Secret Service snipers spotted Crooks and when Crooks open fire.

Whether that story is true or not (I suspect the latter), what is beyond dispute is that the crowd repeatedly alerted law enforcement ---local and Secret Service---that there was someone on the roof who appeared to have a rifle and even point to his exact location on the roof.

Some in the crowd were actually able to record the shooter on the roof with their Smartphones just before the first shots rang out!  Yet, for some reason, no one in the Secret Service seemed inclined to act. A few event attendees reported that Secret Service officers seemed almost uninterested.  Most all of them failed to act  until after the shooting began.  Maybe it's just me, but I would prefer my security detail be a bit more proactive!

So, where does that leave us? Frankly, it leaves a key federal law enforcement agency with egg on their face and facing investigation by the Department of Justice. I suspect that members of Congress will also want a piece of that action, so expect a few Congressional hearings.

The head of the Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle since September 2022, may also find herself unemployed (I suspect she'll quickly be given another high paying job in Washington). Besides, with an estimated net worth of $10 million dollars, I don't think any tears need be shed. A Congressional Oversight Committee has already summoned her to a investigatory hearing.

Ms. Cheatle joined the Secret Service in 1995 and was involved in the evacuation of Vice President Dick Cheney during the 9/11 attack. She was later assigned to Biden's protective detail during the Obama administration. From 2019 to 2022 Cheatle was the senior security director for PepsiCo's global security.

In 2021, she was given Presidential Rank Award by President Biden. In 2022, she was appointed Director of the Secret Service (as a side note, PepsiCo gave Democrats around 548K in 2020. Just saying). In a interview with CBS News in May 2023, Cheatle pointed out that there was 48% "departure rate" of Secret Service agents and administrative personnel.

Accordingly, the agency was henceforth going to redirect its focus to diversity with the aim of hiring more individuals of color and women (with a goal of having 30% women in the agency by 2030).  Even their website emphasizes diversity first and foremost. The performance of her agents on July 13th, made it obvious that the agency's primary goal should have been on recruiting the best qualified individuals rather than trying to meet quotas.

It also needs to reevaluate its mission and rededicate itself to start providing high performance training (including mandatory remedial training. To get an idea on how to implement that, she might want to talk to the Marines). The same can be said of the FBI, which has undergone as series of snafu's over the past decade or so. Law enforcement, judicial, and other non-policy making agencies need to focus on the job at hand and get out of the business of partisan politics.

Ms. Cheatle has stepped forward and acknowledged that her agency has failed.  As the boss, it's her job to accept responsibly for her agencies and its personnel. Nevertheless, all of the agencies continue to figure point. Ms. Cheatle is continuing to grasp at straws and now claiming for instance that the rise of the roof prevented them from taking any action previously, and yet their own sniper provide otherwise.  

Perhaps the least culpable is Butler's police department. They alerted the two federal agencies  that they didn't have the manpower needed that the job required. They provided who they could. However, they too failed in taking charge of the situation once the possible suspect was located. They could have immediately alert the security detail surrounding Trump in order to cover him and get the former president to a safe location.

As they acknowledged, one officer actually claimed up to roof but ducked down and left the scene. Why? It makes no sense. They could have swarmed the building using internal access ladders or immediately put an officer (or their own sharpshooter--who was present on the scene--on an adjacent roof and eliminated the threat.  

The FBI's "Response Team" was dispatched immediately to the Butler to assist with the investigation. They are also conducting their own inquiry of events as well along with the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general. The FBI has been in deep dodo with Trump and the Republicans since early on in Trump's administration. No doubt they're hoping to get back into Trump's good graces.

Lastly, perhaps the biggest beneficiary of all this is Trump himself. Trump has been saying for months that Biden and the Democrats were "out to get him". In a fundraising email sent out to supporters in May, Trump alleged that Biden had secretly approved of the FBI's use of "deadly force" against him.

He also claimed that two FBI agents tried to "kill him" in a raid on his Florida residence, Mar-a-Largo. in August 2022. Given the fanaticism of some of Trump's supporters, the event of July 13th was all the proof they need. If anything, the shooting attempt has only elevated "The Donald's" persona further into a near mythical status among the faithful.

Most of the politically motivated lawsuits against Trump have either been dropped or thrown out. The Supreme Court essentially gave him a "Get Out Of Jail" card when it recently ruled that a president could be charged with actions undertaken while in office.  Even many of those on the fence has slid on over to the red side of the grass.

Regardless, the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, coupled with Biden's dismal public appearances and lingering questions about his mental and physical health and retaining Kamala Harris on the ticket, may have all but sealed the reelection of Donald J Trump.

As for the American public and the world, we saw on vivid display the vindication of an individual many call a "depot", an "enemy of democracy" or a "potential American Hitler".  They've witnessed a nation in turmoil over alleged massive voter fraud and supposedly an attempted coup (or was it a "false flag"?).  They witnessed the end result of manufactured division and hatred created in earnest by the ruling Stat Quo some 15 years ago play out for all to see. 

They also vividly saw a near total failure of our federal law enforcement agencies to protect a former president and current presidential candidate, which just reenforces the image of a nation in decline and unable to adequately protect its past and possibly future president (whether that was intentional or just incompetence due to a lack of proper preparation remains to be determined. But what's beyond question is that this certainly hasn't been our "finest hour". 

We must remember that as Americans we have more in common with each other than not. The ruling class wants us divided. Divided and we're more easily manipulated and controlled. We are less focused on their dismantling of the Republic. Divided, even if we are aware of the destruction of our nation, we're to weak to act. Only by coming together can we save this country and restore our democratic Republic and Constitution to its original meaning.

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Amber Rose Delivers "DANGEROUS" Speech at Republican National Convention

 

How Assassin Evaded Secret Service Security 

The Attempt on Trump's Life: The Real Story?

AR-15: The Blast Effect

Veteran sniper says it makes no sense no doubt in my mindthe shooter had help from somewhere with an agency

Trump shooting investigation gives FBI chance to dig itselfout of a deep hole with Republicans

Kimberly Cheatle

When Government Doesn't Trust The People: Who Blinks First?

 

The Founding Fathers didn't trust government. Nearly everything they did politically before, during and after the revolution was a reflection of that mistrust. Well, it should come as no surprise that modern Americans don't trust the government either.

Opinion polls have shown lows which borders on contempt for Congress, the judicial system, and the Presidency for decades. Even our trust of mainstream media, religion, financial system and our educational system and governmental bureaucracy with its myriad of agencies have reached anemic levels.

Perhaps even worse than our mistrust of institutions, is our lack of trust in our fellow citizens. We are more divided than at any time since the 1760's of the pre Revolution War. Others have argued that we're in fact much closer to the pre-Civil War years of the 1850's. Either way, it doesn't bode well for the country.

So, what should we make of government's apparent mistrust of its citizens? After all,  we've become a de facto surveillance state with camera nearly everywhere. We're monitored and tracked everywhere we go. Facial recognition is practically universal. Government has the technology to implement a police state unlike anything ever seen in the history of civilization.  

The following video from an episode of "On The Homefront" on CBN News entitled "Federal Agencies Arming Themselves" which brings home the point. The government has been on a buying spree of military grade weapons and ammo. It has been challenging our constitutional rights at an alarming rate. Some, as indicated in the video, claim that for all intents our Constitution is no longer a living document.  

There's no question that we've become a corporatocracy led by a super wealthy Oligarchy.   All we have to do is watch the biased "news" to see the two tier justice system at work (or should I say "not at work'?). Our trust of the mainstream media is nearly as low as that of Congress, which is something relatively new (as an aside, conservatives distrust the media at a higher percentage than liberals do).

There have been numerous psychological studies which have shown that when an individual or small group of individuals are treated with distrust, it tends to provoke anti-societal like behavior in that individual or group. Thus, one has to wonder whether we are being maneuvered into some reaction?  

Perhaps the result of this provoked behavior could trigger mass protests, riots, looting, violence such as we're now seeing in places like San Francisco, and so forth. If these manufactured  actions produce a certain "critical mass", it would be all the excuse needed to declare martial law and implement a police state. 

Then too, what about claims on both sides of mass election fraud and "stolen elections"? Are we going to start asking the United Nations to send in election monitors like we would for some failed democracy? 

The ongoing use of the FBI and judicial system to conduct a political vendetta and character assassination to neutralize an opponent is a gross misuse of power worthy of some third world banana republic.  Loss in faith of the electoral process has been central to the eventual fall of nearly every government down through history. Have we reached that point? 

There's no question that since 9/11 and the subsequent "Patriot Act" was implemented, the United States has moved in a decidedly anti-democratic direction. The Department of Homeland Security, the growth of the deep state and its affiliated intelligence agencies, and our state of perpetual war (be it direct or indirect) gives us about as much of a warm and fuzzy feeling as jackboots outside our front door.

Check out the video from CBN and see what you think. It runs just 7:05 minutes.  

 

Video: Federal Agencies Arming Themselves

CBN News

 

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Crime, Race and Ethnicity in the United States: Where Are We Headed?

Since the beginning of 2023 there has been 15 mass shootings. As of April 10th, there has been 11,500 deaths due to gun violence and dozens of acts of mass violence ranging from the "takeover" of streets and intersections to the swarming and looting of local businesses.  In many cases, the police are simply outnumbered and outgunned. Meanwhile, police officers are either quitting or taking early retirement in droves, leaving cities severely shorthanded.

 As of March 7, 2023, there have been 63 police officers shot in the line of duty.That's up by 33% from 2021. Of those shot, 8 were killed by gunfire. 323 were shot in 2022. Also since the beginning of 2023, there have been 18 ambush-style attacks on police officers. Many were by individuals who had committed by a "bait" crime and waited not just for police officers to show up, but EMS or firefighters to arrive on the scene. There ambush-style attacks have resulted in 21 officers being shot, of which 3 were fatal. In 2022 there were 124 such attacks. The majority of these attacks occurred in Texas, Arizona, California, and Georgia.

According to a October 2022 Pew Research Report, 61% of registered voters said that violent crime was serious issue. 73% of Republicans said the violent crime was serious which needed to be address by Congress.  On the other side of the aisle, just 49% of Democrats saw violent crime as a serious issue. 34% of liberals in general considered violent crime was an issue which needed to be addressed by Congress. Bearing that mind, when we look at violent crime and race, we see an different picture.

According to the Pew survey, 81% of blacks, the majority of whom vote Democrat, saw violent crime as an issue which needs to be immediately addressed while 65% of Hispanics, who also tend to vote Democrat, also saw violent crime as a serious issue. Among whites, 56% also agreed. It's worth noting that just 33% of white Democrats agree with their fellow Hispanic and black Democrats.

On a related note, according to the most recent statistics regarding "hate crime" compiled by the FBI, since 2021 indicated that were 7,074 incidents of a hate crime reported. Of those, the majority---64.8%---were based on race or ethnicity. 15.6% were due to sexual orientation, and 13.3% were the result of the victim's religion.  3.6% were based on gender identity, 1.7% on disability, and 1% was solely on gender.

The report also indicted that 66.7% of the attacks were against individuals while 30% was on property and 3.3% of the attacks were generic. Just over 32% of the attacks were in or near the victim's home or place of work. 16.9% took place on a road, highway, street, sidewalk or alley. 8.1% happened at a school or on a college campus.

7% occurred in a parking lot or garage while 2.8% of the reported hate crimes were at restaurant or diner. 2.7%  took place in a park or public outdoor setting. Finally, 26.1% of the reported hate crimes happened at multiple locations.

When we look at the offenders, the FBI reported that 56.1% were white. 21.3% were black and 13.5% were unknown. When it came to the ethnicity of the offender rather than race, 7.6% were Hispanic or Latino. 8.9% were of multiple ethnicities, while the largest segment---28.1%---were simply unknown. Lastly 82.3% of the offenders were 18 years of age or older.

Using data from the 2021 FBI Uniform Crime Report, the Feds pointed out that while blacks make up just 13% of the U.S. population, they make up 33% of those arrested for non-fatal crimes which include robbery, aggravated assault, rape, and robbery. For more serious non-fatal violent crimes in which violence was used, they made up 36% of those arrested.

Hispanics comprise 18% of the U.S. population and yet are 21% of those arrested for serious non-fatal violent crimes. Whites make of 60% of the overall population and represent 46% of those arrested for non-fatal violent crimes and 39% of the more serious non-fatal violent crimes.  They also are perpetrators of 52% of the violent crimes. Victims were able to identify the race of their assailant in 85% of the cases.

When it came to multiple assailants, the average number of attackers were two, in which 43% of the assailants were black, 38% were white, and 16% were Hispanic. When there was a single attacker, 59% were white compared to 22% who were black and 14% who were Hispanic. As for Asians, they consistently had the lowest percentages of any group with an average of about 5% of crimes committed, which is in proportion to their 5.7% of the U.S. population. 

As most of you already know, the United States has the dubious honor of having the highest percentage of individuals behind bars of any industrialized nation with an average of 505 individuals per 100,000. However, among countries in general, the U.S. is sixth.

El Salvador is ranked first with 605 individuals per 100,000 behind bars. This followed by Rwanda with 580 per 100,000, Turkmenistan with 576, American Samoa with 538, and Cuba with 510. After the U.S., we have Panama's 478 per 100,000. By comparison, Turkey's infamous prison system has 374 while Russia has "only" 304 and Costa Rica, with 301, is among the lowest in the world.

When we examine the latest available information (2021) regarding the prison composition of U.S. prisons, the Prison Policy Initiative reports that the largest racial segment behind bars are blacks. As stated above, blacks make up roughly 13% of the total U.S. population. However, according to the report they comprise 38% of the total number of inmates.

The arrest rate of blacks compared to whites is 6,109 to 2,795 per 100,000 while the conviction and incarceration rate is an astonishing 2,306 to 450 per 100,000. They also make up 30% of those on parole. Hispanics are 30.2% of the prison population. Whites make up the majority of the inmate population with 57.5%. Asians are 1.4% of those behind bars while Native Americans make up 2.6%.

In terms of age, the largest segment are those between ages 36 and 40 at 17.7% of all inmates. This is followed closely by those ages 31 to 35 with 16.9% and those 41 to 45 at 16.7% of the prison population. Next in line are those between 46 and 50 who make up 11.8% of those behind bars. Ages 26 through 30 comprise 11.7% of those incarcerated.

When it comes to the crime, almost half of all federal prisoners---44.7%---got busted on drug charges. Weapons, arson, and explosives charges make up 21.7%. This is followed with 12% charged for sexual offense. Next are those busted on immigration violations. They make up 5.2% of inmates.

Extortion, bribery, and fraud make up 4.3%. Murder and other non-sexual violent crimes comprise 3.2% of federal inmates. 4.8% of inmates were convicted of burglary, larceny, and property offences charges. Robbery is 2.7% of prison population. The balance is made up of those serving time for wide range of charges such as bank robbery, embezzlement, criminal enterprises, and insurance fraud.

The majority of those sentenced to federal prison are slated to do 5 to 10 years (25.5%). 22.6% are sentenced to 10 to 15 years. Those incarcerated for 15 years but less that life make up 15.1%. Those doing up to 20 years make up 12.6% of the inmates. 9.8% are doing 1 to 3 years behind bars with 2.2% doing less than 2 years. Lifers make 2.5% of prisoners.

When it comes to gender, while women are 51% of the total U.S. population, they are only 6.8% of those serving time in a federal prison. Males are by far the largest group, making up 93.2%. The federal prison system doesn't keep track of those who identify of  a gender different from their birth certificate.

So, what does all this mean? The media, as well as those on the Far Left, claim that the majority of people shot and killed by police are those of color, and therefore, call for the total disarming of everyone.  In truth, whites are more likely than any other racial group of being shot by law enforcement.

In 2022 there was 1,097 individuals killed by the police. Of those, 225 were black while 125 were Hispanic. 22 were classified as "other", meaning Asian, Native American, or mixed race. 329 of those killed were white while the race of 321 were unrecorded or undetermined.  We have similar racial numbers going back to 2017. The only number of any real significance  is that the number of those shot and killed by police have continued to increase, from 981 in 2017 to 1097 as noted above.  

Using the FBI's most recent report of crimes committed by race and ethnicity, the "2019 Crime in the United States", there were over 6.8 million crimes committed in 2019. Of those, whites committed 69.4% of all crimes. However, the report also indicates that minorities, particularly blacks, were more likely than not to be stopped and ultimately arrested for a violent crime.  Is that due to institutional racism and "profiling"?

Not according to the report. It stated that blacks were responsible for 55.9% of all murders while whites made up 41.1%. The reminder were categorized as of "unknown" race/ethnicity. In looking at the victims, the report stated that 54.7% were black. Whites made up 32.3% and the victim's race of 3.1% of was undetermined or not listed.

When it came to violent assaults, non-Hispanic whites were likely to be the victim in half of the reported cases that didn't include a weapon. Black and Hispanic victims accounted to the majority of non-fatal firearm injuries.

Concerning robberies, whites victims and black offenders were 12 times more likely than not according to a National Crime Victimization Survey conducted in 2002. When it came to carjacking, blacks were the victim 56% of the time, followed by 21% of whites. Asians and Native Americans were carjacked 16% of the time.

It's worth noting that a 2009 Pew Hispanic Center report mentioned that Hispanics accounted for 40% of all sentenced federal offenders, while is triple their share of the population. Of this, 48% related to immigration issues, 37% for drug violations, and 15% for other crimes.

The 2019 FBI report added that while black youths made up 16% of the under 18 population, they were responsible for 52% of violent juvenile crime. Could this be a symptom of growing up in a single parent household? Perhaps. 64% of black juveniles live in a single parent household compared to 24% of white children and 15% of Asians. 40% of Hispanic kids also fell into this category.

Hispanic juveniles also made up 46.2% of all gang activity. Blacks comprised 35.3% while whites made up just 11.5%. 7% were of other or mixed racial groups. As indicated earlier, the reports stated that larger cities, suburban areas, as well as some smaller cities and towns were where the majority of these gangs were found.

The take away here is that all racial groups are affected by the rise in violent crime, but not equally. Whites are more likely than other groups to commit a crime, most being non-violent, in terms of raw numbers, but this owing to the size of the white population.  Blacks are overrepresented by percentage of population when it comes to offenders. They are also 3 times more likely to be arrested than not. However, blacks are also more likely than not to be the victim, especially if the offender is also black.

Hispanics, especially under the age of 18, are more likely than not to belong to gang. That's particularly so if they're male, come from a single parent home, and live in a urban environment. Next would be black youth (again applying the same criteria), followed by whites and Asians.

However, none of the data indicated that taking guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens would do little to reduce crime, especially violent crimes, but it would likely lead to an increase in potential victims. There's nothing criminals like better than easy pickings.

While tighter restrictions pertaining to gun ownership may slow the sale of certain types of guns, most offenders---85.8%--- acknowledged that they acquired their weapon either from a family member, friend, or the weapon had been stolen at the time it was acquired according to the U.S. Sentencing Commission. In addition, 95.6% of those arrested are given the recommended minimum sentence for the use of a firearm in carrying out a crime.

It should be noted that according to the DOJ, 79.1% of all weapons used in carrying out a crime were handguns. Rifles (including semiautomatics like the AR-15) comprised just 11.1%. Of those stolen, 20.5% were .38 caliber revolvers followed by .22 and .357 caliber revolvers  11.7% and 11.6% of the time respectively. 9mm semiautomatic handguns such as a Glock were next with 8%.

Instead of taking guns away from law abiding citizens, the emphasis needs to be on better gun security to reduce their access by criminals and out of the hands of children as well as mandatory firearms training to reduce accidental shootings.

Schools need to adopt better discipline standards in the classroom as well as implement additional programs for pre and after school activities. Curriculums need to include developing critical thinking skills and civics.  Adding community based volunteer programs would also help.

The Justice System needs to reevaluate how it treats juveniles arrested for crimes including shoplifting or bullying. Instead of slapping them on the wrist and letting the go, juveniles need to bear responsibility for their actions. There needs to be expanded rehabilitation programs for non-violent first offenders and tax credits for potential employers. In addition to more and better trained law enforcement,  there needs to be a regular presence in not just high crime areas, but in schools and government housing.

There needs to be an emphasis on keeping adult male parents in the household of their children. However, in the absence of a proper male role model, there needs to be more community based programs aimed at high risk children such as Big Brother/Sister programs. More job based programs also need to be introduced, including trade schools.

The approach we've been using since the 1970's obviously doesn't work anymore, if indeed it ever really worked. Only by instilling a sense of responsibility in youth of all races and ethnicity, better discipline in schools, and providing access to opportunities can we ever hope to reduce the current trend in violent crimes and produce more productive adults.  

 

If you want to know more about this article's topic, please check out the links below. If you enjoyed the article, please consider passing it along to others and don't forget to subscribe. It's free! Lastly please be sure to "like" us on whatever platform you use to read anotheropinionblog.com. It helps with the algorithms and keeps our articles in circulation. Thank you! 

 

FBI 2021 Hate Crime Statistics

U.S. DOJ Statistics on Race and Ethnicity of Violent CrimePerpetrators

Countries with the largest number of prisoners per 100,000of the national population as of January 2023

Prison Policy Initiative: Race and Ethnicity

Federal Bureau of Prisons: Inmate Age

Federal Bureau of Prisons: Inmate Statistics

Number of people shot to death by the police in the UnitedStates from 2017 to 2023 by race

Race and crime in the United States

DOJ: Guns Used in Crimes

National Institute of Justice: Preventing Crime: What Works, What Doesn't, What's Promising

 

"No Go Zones" in America? A Look at the Reality and the Possibility

Following my recent article on "sanctuary cities", I came across an article on "no go zones" here in the United States. Well, that certainly got my attention since these so-called "no go zones" were all Muslim in nature. Some were apparently just a small community centered around a mosque while others were said to be much more sinister in their purpose. Typically these were described as Muslim "terrorist training camps". If true, then that's certainly something I wanted to know more about.

According to the articles (I say "articles" since, in my research, I came across other articles which made similar claims), there are somewhere around nine states which harbor these encampments. These include the West Coast states of California, Oregon, and Washington, along with Florida, Arizona, Colorado, Texas and Oklahoma. In addition, the Mid-West states of Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, and Michigan were included. Other states, such as New York, Alaska, Massachusetts, Virginia, and North Carolina also appear. A few articles mention Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky.

The articles reminded me of the same type of fear generated by claims of neo-Nazi/White Supremacists having similar types of closed off communities in places like Idaho or Montana back in the 70's and early 80's, as well as Black Supremacists living in de-facto sealed off urban neighborhoods in Detroit, Philadelphia, Chicago, and elsewhere during the late 60's and early 70's; places where even the cops allegedly feared to tread. Of course, from the late 1960's through the 1990's there were numerous religious or cult communities which were closed to outsiders scattered all the country, though mostly in the Western states.

The idea of wanting to live in a community of like minded individuals isn't new to this country. Almost from the beginning, Quakers, Puritans, and even Catholics segregated off together. Later, as the population grew, we saw Jews, Poles, Germans, Irish, Lithuanians, Italians, and others settle in their own ethnic/religious communities. Some groups, like Blacks and Chinese, followed suit, although this was partly the desire to be together (safety in numbers) and partly due to bigotry.

In fact, it's actually only been relatively recent that these type of communities have begun to break up, although newer groups such as Hispanics, Africans, Bosnians, and, yes, Muslims, have tended to cluster together (Hispanics from poorer and less educated countries like Costa Rica, Honduras, and El Salvador) tend to stay close to Spanish speaking Roman Catholic parishes while Muslims may remain close to a particular mosque which has connections to their hometown, sect, family, etc. That's also why small ethnic businesses are usually established nearby; everyone likes familiarity. We are, after all, a tribal species.

So, is there any truth to these articles, particularly that they are engaged in terrorist training? That's hard to say. Certainly, the FBI, ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) along with Homeland Security would want to know (I would imagine the IRS would also have more than a passing interest too). Naturally, we all remember how well the Feds handled Ruby Ridge and the Branch Davidian Compound in Waco (sarcasm intended).

In the past, terrorist acts in this country have tended to be either comprised of a small group (usually two or three individuals, with the exception of the cowardly 9/11 attack), or more often than not, the lone individual. In fact, the majority of these individuals described themselves as "self radicalized"; usually starting with a psychological "kinship" with the terrorist group's cause, and then become increasingly more radicalized through articles, books, and especially the internet; particularly via websites produced by these groups. These websites are usually very well designed with terrific graphics, and typically done in wide range of languages to give them that "personal" touch.

As a rule, the websites are divided into three segments: propaganda, ideology, and the "how to" section. The first two are pretty self explanatory. They are designed to attract those who may have a curiosity (perhaps under the auspices of trying to find out the "other side" of the story). They also present a skewed worldview as you might expect, complete with images of throngs of cheering well-wishers as their conquering heroes march into a newly "liberated" neighborhood or town complete with smiling men and happy children (a surefire tug at the ole heartstrings). They include "correct" religious instruction, especially for those interested in a do-it-yourself religious conversion, along with the proper religious diet and even physical training programs for that jihadi on the go!

The last part is where the newly recruited ideologue comes in. These individuals are typically encouraged to come and join the fight against--insert cause "here"-- where you'll be rewarded with whatever lights your fuse. However, if you are unable to make the trip, no problem! These websites come complete with videos instructing the dumbest of would-be terrorists with information on how they too can be become a mass murderer in just a few easy-to-learn lessons! They can learn everything from simple harassment techniques, improving their shooting skills, to the ever popular improvised bomb making. Perhaps the best thing about these sites are the ease at which they can be setup and accessed at little to no risk to the actual terrorists.

Nevertheless, while these type of sites do exist, they are pretty closely monitored by the NSA, FBI, Homeland Security, and Interpol (and thankfully so). Naturally, there are certain mosques where Imams (religious leaders similar to a minister) of questionable moral character may secretly operate their own illegal terrorist training cells. These rarely ever contain anymore than just a small handful of utterly devout students. The goal is to create as many disconnected and independent cells as possible. That way, if one is compromised, it doesn't affect the others (as expected, these eventually show up on the radar too). As an aside, this technique was used to great success by the various resistance groups in Nazi occupied Europe; India during British colonial rule; Vietnam and Southeast Asia.

However, it's important to point out here that the majority of terrorist attacks in the U.S. haven't come from Muslim or any other religious groups. They tend to be the loner with their own unique cause, be it being snubbed by students at school or a girl, feeling like an outcast, pissed off at an employer or fellow employees, and so forth. Despite media propaganda, not all mass shooters are "Right Wingers" either. The man who attacked the Congressional Baseball Charity game singled out Republicans. The latest two mass murders were done by individuals who were members of Antifa, the so-called "Anti-Fascist" group which acts more like Hitler's Brownshirts or the Communist "Red Faction" than not. Nevertheless, in terms of voter registration, the majority are Democrats. More importantly, they are also usually young, male, disenchanted with life, and more often than not, mentally ill.

Europe, on the other hand, does have "no go zones" in truest sense where Sharia law is enforced, whether you're a Muslim or not. In fact, there is an active and ongoing attempt to spread its influence beyond the localized Muslim communities. There is little doubt that religious radicalization is alive and well, along with the possibly active terrorist training (we know rape gangs not just exist, but that there is actual training on how to organize rape gangs). Without a question, the attacks which have taken place in Europe have had a strong religious extremist undertone whether the governments there have the courage to admit it or not.

As for the "no go zones" in the U.S., they really don't exist, at least not like they do in Europe. Yes, some are restricted to some religious or some other denominator, but as I've said, that's hardly new nor does it constitute an actual "no go zone" since law enforcement and first responders have access. Historically, the biggest concern has not been keeping out but in preventing people from leaving (the "Moonies" and Jim Jones' "People's Temple" come to mind), which is why it's important for police access. Perhaps the most often overlooked "no go zones" are Native American reservations, which are defacto separate and semi-independent nations within the U.S. though they are freely visited.

Do they stockpile weapons, ammo, or conduct paramilitary training? Perhaps, but so far nothing has surfaced by the Feds, but that doesn't mean that something isn't happening. After all, both the White and Black supremacists groups back in the day conducted paramilitary training. On the other hand, perhaps their training involves is no more than of a matter of providing internal security (reservations have their own police for instance). Unfortunately, until they either act or the Feds find something that's pretty compelling, it's virtually impossible to know for sure. Not very comforting is it?

Personally, I don't really have an issue with a group of like minded individuals deciding to set up their own little community and living a peaceful existence off the grid. During the late 60's and early 70's, there was a proliferation of so-called "Hippie communes" which attempted to do the same thing. Their goal was to self-sufficiency; grow their own food (sell or trade any excess), make their own clothes, and so forth. The vast majority of these failed after a few months or years, but a couple did succeed and lasted for a couple of decades.

Of course, they lacked the defining religious element. If that element is benign, then there should be no problem. If it's not, then it could become a breeding ground for disaster. The treatment of White and Black supremacists communities in the past have tended to be more than a little heavy handed as well. Given how the Federal Government has acted in the past, there is always the possibility that one misstep could trigger another Waco or worse.

The Bill of Rights is perhaps one of Mankind's greatest accomplishments, along with the Constitution. They are also uniquely American. We were born out of a desire to be free from government's interference. That included the right to associate with whom we want, to protect ourselves, and to believe in what we wanted. However, time has tempered those ideals. For instance, felons aren't free to associate with other felons. Perhaps that's a good idea. Perhaps not. We are free, in theory at least, to live with whomever we want, which would include those of like race or faith. But how about practice? Can a neighborhood association specifically say only Chinese or Hispanics are allowed? Nope. What about only Jews or Baptists in a particular neighborhood? Hardly.

Can we buy machine guns, flamethrowers, or landmines to protect ourselves? Not a chance. In fact, while the Second Amendment is one of the most important amendments, especially from the perspective of our Founding Fathers, it is also perhaps the most heavily restricted amendment with everything from what you can own, how old you have to be, and where you are allowed to carry it.

In terms of religion, we're free to believe as we choose. We're even allowed to follow certain social and dietary laws without paying a "pew tax" like in some countries. However, what if that religion allowed pedophilia? What about covering covering your face for official identification? What if it allowed so-called "honor killings" (religiously sanctioned murder to "protect" a family's "honor")? How would you feel about the right---and duty---to beat your wife or of restricting her rights under the Bill of Rights? Does their religious laws supplant our secular natural laws (laws bequeath to us simply for being human beings)? What about their religious belief that everyone must conform to their religious laws and traditions regardless of your personal beliefs?

This is what potentially makes these communities different. It's an entirely different culture which follows entirely different laws (in fact, they hold that our secular laws have absolutely no value whatsoever). They believe they have the right to exclude others who do not follow their laws and traditions. They believe in the right and obligation to impose their beliefs on others by any means at their disposal.

Yet, those very things---freedom of association, religion, and even the Second Amendment---are fundamental to America. How are we going to handle this as the Muslim population in America grows and the risk of radicalization increases as we admit those from areas where religious extremism is common along with an anti-West or anti-American sentiment?

Hopefully, it will never become an issue. Hopefully a peaceful coexistence will prevail as it has between others of different races, ethnic groups, and religions. Of course, this worked because we operated under the old "melting pot" concept where immigrants were strongly encouraged to integrate. Today, it's "multiculturalism" where assimilation isn't encouraged or even considered necessary! Obviously this hasn't worked well at all in Europe. Can the American temperament prevail where the European has thus far failed? So far these communities have been peaceful. Let's hope it stays that way.



Muslim Terrorist Training Camp Found In Alabama

Muslim of the Americas: Enclaves in the U.S.

Center for Immigration Studies: No Go Zones and Assimilation

No Go Zones: Alt Right fantasy or a new face of Europe?

The Catholic World Report: Raheem Kassem's No Go Zones is unsettling, necessary reading

Crime In America: Where Do Our Cities and States Rank?

On March 8th of this year, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer delivered a well prepared speech with his embattled Chief of Police, Steve Conrad, standing behind him and told the residents of Louisville that we didn't have a crime problem. He claimed that homicides, shootings, and robberies were down 30%.

Perhaps they are, but other than the local media, complainant as always, and a few beholden supporters, no one was present to ask him the tough questions and demand the straight forward answers which this administration seems to go to great lengths to avoid. Never mind the fact that we hear or read about a shooting or murder nearly every night. Never mind the fact that in some parts of the city, the crime is so bad that even the police are hesitant to go there after dark. Never mind the fact that areas once considered "stable" and safe, are increasingly becoming havens of violent gangs, which local government denied even existed for years.

Throughout his recent election campaign, Fischer insisted that crime was on the decrease; Louisville was a safe city despite the residents believing otherwise. But he also insisted that Louisville had a solid financial base, but as soon as the election was over, dropped a $65 million dollar bomb on the public; claiming that the tax on insurance would have to go up 300% or otherwise he was going to cut essential services like police, fire protection, and EMS (the bill was the city's portion of state pensions which the city knew about for two years but said nothing about) So, what is the truth? Where does Louisville stand with respect to crime? For that matter, where are the safest places to live by state and city? We'll address those questions one by one.

According to an article by US News and World Report, the safest state to live in is Maine. It was ranked first for having the lowest number of violent crimes and fifth in terms of property related crimes. This was followed by Vermont and New Hampshire which were numbers two and three respectively in terms of violent crimes. New Hampshire was ranked first for having the lowest number of property related crimes while Vermont was sixth.

In fourth place was New Jersey, which I'm sure comes as a surprise, but it was ranked second for the lowest number of property related crimes and twelfth in terms of violent crimes. The fifth spot went to Idaho. Property crime was ranked eighth while violent crime was sixth. Rounding out the rest of the top ten positions, in order, was Connecticut, Virginia, Rhode Island, Wyoming, and Pennsylvania. Kentucky was ranked twelfth overall. Violent crimes in the state was ranked seventh while property crime was 20th. Now, let's look at the five worse states to live in.

Coming in 46th place was Tennessee. Violent crime placed the Volunteer State near the bottom at 47th while property crime was 37th. In the 47th spot was Arkansas. Property crime landed it in 46th place and violent crime was 45th. The 48th place belongs to Louisiana. Violent crimes was ranked at 46th worse while property crime was 47th. The runner-up state of worse places to live in terms of crime goes to Alaska! Now seriously, who saw that coming? Alaska?

Yelp, the snowball capitol of America came in 49th. Property crimes ranked the state as 48th worse while violent crime made it the absolute worse state, coming in 50th place. Finally, the worst state in terms of crimes belongs to New Mexico, which was 50th in property crime and 49th in violent crime. Perhaps one important reason is due to all the illegal immigrants crossing the border along with the influx and influence of criminal drug cartels and their gangs.

Some honorable and not-so-honorable mentions go to Ohio in 21st place, Illinois at 25th, Colorado holding the 27th spot, Hawaii in 29th and North Carolina is 31st. Meanwhile, California is 34th, Florida is 35th and Texas is 36th. Delaware is in 40th place, Alabama is 43rd, followed by South Carolina and Nevada. Now, what about cities and crime? In terms of "big cities" as defined by the FBI (cities with 250,000 or more residents), the city with the worst crime rating was Detroit, Michigan, which as most people know, is an example of gross mismanagement, poor government, high taxes, and a largely ineffective police department.

The result has been a "hollowing out" of the city's core as people and businesses moved out, taking their tax revenue with them. This is something all city mayors, regardless of size, fear (some have suggested that this may be Louisville's fate as well if it keeps to its present course). The second worst city to live in when it comes to crime was Memphis, Tennessee (which shares part of its crime problem with West Memphis, which is just across the Mississippi in Arkansas).

The third place winner...or loser in this case...goes to Oakland, California, across the bay from San Francisco. Next was St. Louis, Missouri followed by Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Rounding out the top five is Baltimore, Maryland. Other states to make the top tier of the worst cities to live in terms of crimes include Cleveland, Ohio, Stockton, California, Indianapolis, Indiana, and Kansas, Missouri. Of the three largest cities in America, Chicago had the highest violent crime rate followed by New York City, and Los Angeles.

Regarding homicide rates, the worse place to be was again in St. Louis, Missouri followed by Detroit, Michigan. The "Big Easy", New Orleans comes in third place. Next comes Baltimore, Maryland and then Newark, New Jersey, which may be a spillover from NYC. Rounding out the top ten are Buffalo, New York, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Memphis Tennessee, Atlanta, Georgia, and Cincinnati, Ohio.

Among medium size cities (cities with 100,000 to 199,999 in population), Birmingham, Alabama was the place not to be. It claimed first place 1588.29 crimes reported per 10,000. In second place was Little Rock, Arkansas, followed by Rockford, Illinois. Springfield, Missouri was fourth with Lansing, Michigan completing the top five. Other dishonorable mentions go to Hartford and Springfield Connecticut, Springfield, Massachusetts, Springfield, Illinois, and San Bernardino, California.

If we look at the murder rates for medium size cities, Jackson, Mississippi takes first place. Coming in second was Birmingham, Alabama. The third place city with the highest murder rates was Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Fourth place was New Charleston, South Carolina, followed by Little Rock, Arkansas. Finishing up top ten are San Bernardino, California, Richmond, Virginia, Dayton, Ohio, Inglewood, California, and Montgomery, Alabama.

Finally, the small cities (cities with populations from 10,000 to 9,999). Darby, Pennsylvania has the most violent crime, which was followed by East St. Louis, Missouri and Florida City, Florida. Next on the list was Espanola, New Mexico and Benton Harbor, Michigan. Other cities on the FBI's list of small cities include Opa Locka, Florida, Anniston, Alabama, College Park, Georgia, Gallup, New Mexico, and Cocoa, Florida.

As for the highest murder rates, East St. Louis, Missouri has the highest homicide rate. In second spot was Chester, Pennsylvania followed by Muskegon Heights, Michigan in third place. Fourth place belongs to Helena-West Helena, Arkansas. Completing the top five was College Park, Georgia. In addition, you have Gary, Indiana, which is just outside of Chicago, Trenton, New Jersey, Eunice, Louisiana, Lumberton, North Carolina, and Rivera Beach, Florida.

So, were any of your states or cities listed? Should they have been listed higher or lower on the FBI's list? What about Louisville, Kentucky? With a post-merger population of around 770,000 (1.2 million in the Greater Metro area), it should have fallen in with the large size cities. Obviously it's not among the top ten worse cities in term of crime. Where is it ranked then? Maybe Mayor Fischer was right and crime isn't so bad after all.

According to the Neighborhood Scout, Louisville is ranked number five on its Crime Index (the top score was 100), meaning that it's safest among 5% of US cities. Being the state's largest city, it also has (by far) the highest crime rate, 6.89 per 1000 residents compared to the state average of 2.26. In 2018, there was 31,145 reported crimes. Of these, 21,266 pertained to property while 4,281 were violent crimes. The reports also points out that your chances of being involved in violent crime in Louisville is 1 in 145 compared to 1 in 443 out in the state. How does that stack up nationally?

Louisville's murder rate was 106 in 2017, which equals 0.17 per 1000. The national rate is 0.05. There were 167 rapes reported. This equates to .027 of the violent crimes locally. Nationally this figure is 0.42. In terms of robbery (armed or otherwise), there was 1,315 reported. That's about 2.12 per 1000. Nationally that figure is 0.98. Finally, assaults. There was 2,693 reported assaults in 2018, which is translates to 4.33 per 1000. Nationally, that number is 2.43. Not exactly what I'd call "safe" would you? The murder rate improved slightly in 2018, down to "only" 80 homicides. Let's check another source to be sure.

The next place I looked at was a US News and World Report article which looked at crime rates and safety. According to the report, Louisville is the 61st best place to live and 56th when it comes to retirement (owing mostly to the number of parks and location of the city to other areas such as Nashville, St Louis, Indianapolis, and Cincinnati). However, in terms of crime, the report gave Louisville a big ole red thumbs down. Louisville ranked a 4.8 out of a possible 10 with the notation that it had a higher than average crime rate of similar sized cities. Louisville's index was 451.9 compared to Charlotte, North Carolina (441), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (227) and Portland, Oregon (276) . Not looking good Mister Fischer. Let's try one more site shall we?

The next the site I looked at is called "Only In Your State", which examines a plethora of independent data to do their rankings. In fact, they even comprised a list of the top ten worse cities in Kentucky to live in due to crime. Working backwards and starting in tenth place was Somerset, Bowling Green (aka "Little Chicago"), Versailles, Lexington, Hopkinsville, Frankfort (the state capitol, so criminals of all types are a automatic given), Shively (which is located in Jefferson County with Louisville), Newport (located across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, which as we saw earlier, has one of the top murder rates in the country), and Georgetown.

The number one city in terms of crime in Kentucky is...drum roll please....Louisville! Yelp, that's right. The city in which the mayor, police chief, and Metro Council have all proclaimed to be safe, is ranked as the "most dangerous city in Kentucky". How about that? As the site pointed out, Louisville led the US in murders in 2015, beating out New York, LA, Atlanta, and even Chicago (in 2016, it had 118 homicides). Put that on your tourism posters! The site also mentioned that most of the victims aren't the only one's getting buried. So is all the actual crime reports apparently; hidden under the mayor's well fertilized doublespeak PR campaigns.

So, while it's doubtful there will be any serious cuts to police, fire protection, or EMS as a result of the mayor's now defeated 300% tax increase proposal (it was defeated in a rare bipartisan vote of 15 to 11 on March 21), there will be cuts to an over-inflated bureaucracy, a comprehensive audit, and (hopefully) an end to pet projects. When it comes to tax increases, there should be no sacred cows. However, one thing is for sure, Louisville is not as advertised. It has an higher crime rate than comparable cities of the similar size, and yet it's already one of the highest taxed cities in the US (currently 8th; just behind Detroit) and it's about to get much worse.

Aside from the now defeated 300% "Fischer Tax", there are still four other taxes and rate increases in the pipeline---water, electricity, waste, and gasoline being considered, plus the possibility of an increase in property tax. Politicians, regardless of their political party, have historically proven that they can't manage our money and few have ever met a tax they didn't like or couldn't justify. That's why I think all rate and tax increases (included salaries for elected officials) should have final approval by the voters. After all, it's our money and we should have the final say as to how we want it spent don't you think?



Public Safety Rankings

FBI's Violent Crime Statistics For Every City In America

Louisville Kentucky Crimes Rates

Best Places To Live: Crime and Safety