I know what you're thinking from the title. Maybe you think that it has to do with all of the Pro-Palestinian protests. I mean, what better place for the Palestinian sympathizers to protest than the one city in the US that has more Jews than Israel. But no, this is much worse. What do you do when Superheroes go rogue or you're groped by a Super Mario Brother or worse, Elmo punches your child? Well, it happens all the time in Times Square these day.
It all started during the Bloomberg Years when former Mayor Bloomberg and his trusty side-kick former Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan closed off part of Times Square to car/bus/truck traffic and turned it into a pedestrian plaza. Yep, mayhem has ensued. Now the plaza is flooded with every movie, comic book, and Disney character rimaginable vying with each other to sell photos of themselves with your friends and family. I applaud the entrepreneurial spirit, but really, how many dueling Statues of Liberty is too many? [And when I say "dueling", I mean they will take that lamp of liberty and use it against you if you don't pay up...]
Yeah, so you might have heard that last week Spiderman (one of at least three) who punched out a cop and was arrested while a shocked Elmo looks on. I am not sure Mickey & Minnie Mouse weren't the instigators because they can be seen snickering in the background.
So, let's have an open forum. What do you want to discuss today? There's so much happening around the world - Hamas v. Israel, Russia v. Ukraine, ISIS v. Christians, Syria v. Al Qaeda and then there's our border issues. Oh, and the House is preparing for a showdown today on some kind of immigration package. So we shouldn't want for a topic. I am expecting breaking news sometime in the afternoon that.
The floor is now open...
It all started during the Bloomberg Years when former Mayor Bloomberg and his trusty side-kick former Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan closed off part of Times Square to car/bus/truck traffic and turned it into a pedestrian plaza. Yep, mayhem has ensued. Now the plaza is flooded with every movie, comic book, and Disney character rimaginable vying with each other to sell photos of themselves with your friends and family. I applaud the entrepreneurial spirit, but really, how many dueling Statues of Liberty is too many? [And when I say "dueling", I mean they will take that lamp of liberty and use it against you if you don't pay up...]
Yeah, so you might have heard that last week Spiderman (one of at least three) who punched out a cop and was arrested while a shocked Elmo looks on. I am not sure Mickey & Minnie Mouse weren't the instigators because they can be seen snickering in the background.
So, let's have an open forum. What do you want to discuss today? There's so much happening around the world - Hamas v. Israel, Russia v. Ukraine, ISIS v. Christians, Syria v. Al Qaeda and then there's our border issues. Oh, and the House is preparing for a showdown today on some kind of immigration package. So we shouldn't want for a topic. I am expecting breaking news sometime in the afternoon that.
The floor is now open...
Seriously, what is it with police today? I'm more or less pro-law enforcement (speeding tickets notwithstanding!) but every other day, there's some ridiculous news story that appears in my Facebook feed: another house raided... except it's the wrong house, another person strangled, another innocent person dead.
ReplyDeleteThat, and many local law enforcement agencies seem to be purchasing equipment that goes way beyond their needs.
Keeping it Middle Eastern, I'm liking the latest Twitter hash-tag meme going, this one in honor of Israel taking out Hamas TV: #HamasTVShows. What'cha got, Commentarama?
ReplyDeleteKamal & Ali
Beheadings of the Class
Scott - I am not sure whether it is that the police are becoming more aggressive or that we are just seeing it reported more by more sources. Cameras and videos on phones are everywhere and everyone is looking for the "Gotcha" viral video. And now that the police can be sued individually in NY, it is to the advantage of the perps to make sure that as much damage is done to them as possible and that it is caught on tape. Cynical, I know, when cops are shot it doesn't last too long in the headlines. Big police screw-ups mean big payoffs from the deep pockets of the taxpayers. The last payout was $100million for wrongful prosecution a few month's ago. Interestingly, since the judge ruled that cops can be sued, violent crime has risen in NYC by 35%...
ReplyDeleteEricP -
ReplyDeleteMy Favorite Martyr
Leave It To Bamdad
Bev, Why am I not shocked at the spectacle of fake superheroes or guys in Elmo costumes harassing tourists? What a world.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of which, maybe Hamas would get more traction if they started wearing Elmo costumes? Just a thought.
#Hamas...
ReplyDeleteTickle Me Mohammad
The Little Bang Theory
How I Honor Killed Your Mother
Bev and Scott, A big part of the problem derives from the militarization of the police. That's been done as a result of federal bribes to get local departments to create unneeded SWAT teams to aid in the drug war.
ReplyDeleteChristians in ISIS-held Iraqi cities are waking up to find this drawn on their homes.
ReplyDeleteLINK
A photo here: LINK
Its informing them that their homes are now the property of the caliphate. Further, ISIS says Christians living in their areas have 2 options: Leave or Die.
Originally it was Leave, pay $470 per family, or die. Now its just "leave or die".
So, basically, what we have here is ethnic cleansing. Genocide.
The US is remaining mum on this. But France's http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/france-offers-asylum-christians-north-iraq-24749988socialist government has offered asylum to them. LINK
Here is the link on the French socialist government's decision to help Iraqi Christians to seek asylum in their country: LINK
ReplyDeleteAllons enfants de la Patrie,
Le jour de gloire est arrivé!