This is part three taken from my own blog written on November 21st. Despite being a few months old, everything still rings true. You can read the original here: http://markskull.blogspot.com/2007/11/civil-rights-and-possible-crime_19.html

I was going to post this yesterday, but I've been sick for a bit and it came to a head yesterday.

We've discussed the basic civil rights questions, and asked how long this Crime Emergency could last.

We've discussed the new Police Commissioner, his background in the issue, and and his impact on Crime.

Today, we're going to tackle a few things.

• Guns
• The impact Ramsey had in Washington D.C. (Part 2)
• What all of this boils down to.

So to start things off, we can kill two birds with one stone and discuss Ramsey, D.C., and Guns at once. Why? Because in case you didn't know, handguns have been banned in Washington D.C. for 31 years. OK, let's think about this: Despite BANNING HANDGUNS in Washington D.C., they still had ONE OF THE HIGHEST MURDER RATES IN AMERICA. So all that talk about "banning guns solve everything" is true, right? Ramsey's impact to lower the murder rate 50% during his time there must deal with simple enforcement of existing laws.

This is part two taken from my own blog written on November 19th. Despite being a few months old, everything still rings true. You can read the original here: http://markskull.blogspot.com/2007/11/civil-rights-and-possible-crime_19.html

THE CHARLES RAMSEY EFFECT

Hello, and welcome to Part 2 of my discussion of the Crime Emergency and the Crime Emergency. Yesterday, I discussed the basic civil rights issues that I feel could be threatened by declaring a Code 10, and asked the question of how long this would last and if it was needed.

Today, we'll start the discussion on the new Police Commissioner, Charles H. Ramsey. But before we do, I want to mention a few things first that I forgot to mention yesterday.

A large amount of my problem with this is, of course, Civil Rights. In all of my writing yesterday, I neglected to mention something that has been bugging me about all of this. Back in May, when Nutter's "Stop-and-Frisk" program was being called to task for violating civil rights, supporters brought up a Court Case where it was declared constitutional.

It was Nutter himself who coined this phase: "It's a Civil Right not to be Shot."

This bumper-sticker phrase was done so well, it is next to impossible to argue against it. To do so seems to allow for the same type of argument used by Conservative Republicans when you disagree with them; "What, do you mean you WANT people to be shot? You don't think it's wrong to kill and murder people?! No wonder you didn't win the election, you cold hearted bastard!"

The fact of the matter is, you don't. You have a right to live, a right to the pursuit of happiness. You have a right to be free and happy, and to live in a safe environment.

You don't have a right to not have bad things happen to you.

This is part one taken from my own blog written on November 17th. Despite being a few months old, everything still rings true. You can read the original here: http://markskull.blogspot.com/2007/11/civil-rights-and-possible-crime.html

I want to state one fact here: Despite how much I disagree with him on the Crime Emergency issue, I highly respect the man and was ready to hire him myself once elected. I agree with a large portion of what he wants, but on this issue and mainly this issue alone more than anything else, I feel he is wrong. This article, along with Part 2, are serious looks and criticisms I have about this and I have, and will, state as many facts as possible to back me up on not only my view, but the counterpoint as well.

When it comes to any and all comments, I ask you keep them civil. Thank you.

-Larry

The keystone of why I ran for mayor after the May Primary can be summed up into these words:

To make sure Nutter NEVER declares a Crime Emergency.

In essence, a Crime Emergency is this:

• prohibit or limit gatherings of people on sidewalks, streets, or any outdoor place in the designated neighborhoods;
• halt or limit the movement of vehicles through or within the designated neighborhoods;
• establish a curfew limiting the hours people could be outside their houses; and
• prohibit the sale, carrying or possession on the public street or public sidewalks, or in any public park or square, of weapons of any kind.

Let's stop for a second and look at this. To quote Nutter himself:

Title 10 of the Philadelphia Code authorizes the Mayor to take specified measures if the Mayor determines that “the City or any part thereof is suffering or is in imminent danger of suffering civil disturbance , disorder, riot or other occurrence which will seriously and substantially endanger the health, safety and property of the citizens.” Parts of Philadelphia are clearly suffering a wave of violence that endangers the safety of residents.

In other words, it's exactly what it sounds like: A last resort in case it is incredibly dangerous to even leave your house. For example, say we're under a real threat of terrorism and we've been attacked, that would be grounds to declare a Crime Emergency. Or a massive gang war erupted, where you have two rival gangs killing each other and anyone in their way. That's a good reason to declare it as well.

CLARKE IS AT IT AGAIN!

No longer content with simply tracking your purchases and banning "offensive" images, he now wants to personally oversee where restaurants go. I'll simplify the bill for you; If you have a take-out restaurant, then your going to be zoned just like if you were a strip club! In order to get a variance from the city, you would need to talk to your City Council rep. And, oh look, Clarke is in control of half of Center City! Namely, the WESTERN HALF! Considering that means everything west of City Hall, the business district and the places where the most revitalization has happened, it's obvious that this bill is here to make life hell for anyone running a business.

Credit where's Credit Due, City Council President Anna Verna is also sponsoring the bill.

Let's not forget what Darrell Clarke also wants to do:

Clarke wants to ban being able to display nooses, burning crosses, and swastikas in public. Being a fan of the First Amendment, as well as belonging to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, a First Amendment group, I oppose it with every American bone in my body. It doesn't mean I entirely agree with these symbols, but at the same time, let's consider that the Swastika alone has a VERY long history of non-violence before the freakin' Nazi's bastardized it.

It's all detailed here in Bill No. 070914.

He also wants to pass two other bills. Both would create electronic tracking of beer, alcohol, spray paint containers, indelible markers and etching acid!

Bill No.: 070875 - The bill that would track cigarettes and beer:
http://www.hallwatch.org/councilnotices/bills/1192803462538

Bill No.: 070876 - The bill that would track spray paint:
http://www.hallwatch.org/councilnotices/bills/1192803462937

I think it's safe to say that not one person running for office in this city has even mentioned the dreaded 3-letter word during this election; SEX. Despite what has happened in this city during the last 4 years, I could only assume that it isn't something they either feel comfortable talking about, or something that they feel isn't an issue.

It is, and I just want to point out why it is an issue.

In 2004, one out of 12 teenage girls in the city of Philadelphia had Chlamydia. The result was a massive outbreak in our cities high school of multiple STD outbreaks. Despite this, there is still a lack of overall good sexual education in our public high schools and the availability of free condoms to promote safe sexual health is lacking.

Despite the fact that there are 10 clinics run by the Philadelphia Health Care Center, only 2 of them offer STD testing.

There is no federal website informing citizens of STD rates in Philadelphia, or just what STD's are around. If there is, they've made it incredibly difficult to find!

In my platform, and when I'm elected, I plan on reforming this and making sure that Philadelphia becomes a national leader in safe sexual health! To simply ignore our most basic instinct and to hope it works itself out is not going to work.

Sometimes this city makes me sick.

In the last two years, the citizens of Philadelphia has seen what can only be called "Too Much Government!" I have always been aware of the fact that we as citizens must constantly ask ourselves some rather basic questions about our government, namely this: What is the roll of government in a democracy? To some, the roll of government is meant to be nothing more than a "thing", something that sits as an obelisk and sometimes intervenes. To others, it is a constant babysitter.

But to me, and to those who want freedom and liberty, the roll of our government is to simply be there when we need them! The roll of these employees of ours, the roll of those we hire and have decided to put in charge, the people we are in charge of... their job is to be our safety net. They are here to enforce OUR laws and OUR ideas. They are not here to tell us what to do and when to do it! We all live in a constant fear of a Big Brother Government, where those in the government can look up anything and everything we do, that they track our every move.

Yet, we allow them to do just that!

No, there are not cameras in your houses. No, there are no bar codes on your neck. And, no, your not forced to stand in front of a TV screen for 5 minutes and told to hate the enemy or face ridicule from everyone and possibly be called a terrorist. But we ARE allowing our government to control us, and we are simply letting it happen!

In the last two years in Philadelphia, the rights of citizens have been stripped away! Layer by layer, pound by pound, we are falling prey to our fears of criminals, of murders, and allowing those fears to govern our ways of thinking and our politics! Yes, Big Brother is here, and the signs have been there for you to look out for!

The smoking ban. A lot of people supported this as a way to clean up the air in Philadelphia, to make our city a shining example of what a pro-health law can do! But the reality is that it was just the beginning of a slippery slope, one that many who opposed the ban warned us of but many chose to ignore. Lets consider this fact: A large number of restaurants and businesses have taken it upon themselves to ban smoking. Before the ban, it was nearly impossible to smoke in most restaurants in Philadelphia. If you did, you were put in an uncomfortable and awkward smoking section. That alone should make you want to quit but, at the very least, you had the freedom and your right to smoke.

But City Council with Nutter at the helm said that wasn't enough. They decided, not us, that there needed to be a large ban on this. That this ban must apply to bar and outdoor restaurants. They, not us, decided what was better and healthier for us. We, as grown adults, were declared too foolish to do so. They decided that businesses were inept at deciding their own policies. Thus began the slow decay.

Hello again, everyone.

While I was on the train today, I happened upon this article in the Philadelphia Metro. It was very refreshing to read it, and I would like to point it out to all of you:

My View: Time to clean up elections

By Thomas Keown

Imagine if the best candidate could get elected no matter how little money they had. Imagine if the best arguments and not the best lobbyists delivered the best decisions. Fundraising for next year’s presidential elections is at nosebleed levels. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are already shattering Democratic records, and Mitt Romney has practically bought television in Iowa and New Hampshire. A wit once quipped that “in America, anyone can become president — that’s just one of the risks you live with.” Not anymore. You need a fortune.

Wow, what a title, huh? The NEWS MEDIA lowering the murder rate? Frankly, this is the post I've wanted to write for a LONG time!

Today, there were ARRESTS made in the Killing of a 15-year-old for a Dirt Bike. The story got a lot of press immediately, and there was a large sense of outrage from the community about it. Again, no one was coming forward. Finally, someone saw 3 teenagers walking down the street with the bike covered.

What did this person do? THEY CALLED THE POLICE!

http://www.nbc10.com/news/13789091/d...l?dl=mainclick

Yes, someone in Philadelphia did the right thing and alerted the police of this, helping to get a 16-year-old killer off the streets! It shows that there are people, even young people, who are taking steps to make sure Philadelphia is safe for everyone. Insult to injury? "Adult Told Teens To Get 'Dead Kid's' Bike Out Of House"

Philadelphia City Council has passed over 50 resolutions this year, including one to honor animal birthdays, Miss Philadelphia, and declaring Philadelphia a "Pro-Choice" city. These resolutions mean absolutely nothing and are often used for political grandstanding! Considering both the large number of resolutions this year and since this is an election year, these moves are generally seen as ways to promote these City Council members instead of enacting legislation to save the lives of Philadelphians!

TELL CITY COUNCIL YOU'VE HAD ENOUGH!!!!

OK, NOON! TOMORROW! DILWORTH PLAZA (CITY HALL)!!

Be there to protest STUPID RESOLUTIONS THAT MEAN NOTHING! aLook for the guy with the mohwak! I plan on being on the stairs leading up to City Hall, and I'll have a sign for it, too! If you can, bring and make signs, too!

TELL THEM:

NO MORE STUPID RESOLUTIONS!
STOP WASTING TAX PAYER TIME AND MONEY!

-Larry West

OK, not really, but I wanted a funny way to phrase an otherwise serious post. I, Larry West, am going to ask for the Green Party of Philadelphia to give me the nomination for mayor. While I love the idea of going out as an Independent, the Green Party of Philadelphia can offer support that I would not otherwise get. The funds they have may be small, but they more than make up for it in determination! The Green's are, by far, the most passionate political party I've ever seen, and they are dedicated to grassroots democracy. It's for those reasons and more I've decided to try and make this move.

As much as everyone in Philadelphia has said the 2007 Mayoral Election is actually about the issues, in the last few weeks we've seen it come down to one thing; Charisma.

The Nutter Bandwagon has gotten more members than ever and people are quickly going to him and declaring him the single greatest thing to hit Philadelphia since the Cheese Steak. Now, I myself am a Nutter fan. Of all the candidates I've met, he is the only one who actually recognized me as an actual candidate. Along with that, he has proposed more "common sense" initiatives than anyone else. But with the non-stop stream of endorsements from all the major local print media outlets, and the throngs of supports on the Internet, I'm wondering if this support is more for his charismatic attitude and less for his issues. The man has had a great ad campaign. He has used humor effectively, brought his daughter into the mix, and his no-nonsense approach is refreshing. All of this is adding fuel to the Nutter fire, and the charismatic nature is shinning as bright as ever. Nutter is promising to clean up City Hall, have Zoning Reform, and restore the Arts & Culture Department. But in all of this, criticism and real debate about where he stands on other issues is getting lost.

Let us not forget that Nutter is proposing we have a Crime Emergency declared in Philadelphia. This is, without a doubt, the boldest solution to the crime problem out there. And as much as I like the guy, this is the deal breaker. The Crime Emergency would limit or prohibit gatherings in public on sidewalks or elsewhere. It would halt or limit cars and trucks within targeted areas, establish a curfew, and take away the right to legally carry a weapon. It is, in essence, putting away the U.S. Constitution and deciding that the freedom of the citizens of Philadelphia is only secondary to safety. The fact that this has not been made into a major issue is something that makes me wonder just what the citizens of Philadelphia considers "progress".

Market Street is empty.

A few newspapers, memories of a day that has now come and gone, flutter and tumble down the sidewalk. Old, beaten, and unloved, they are left to roam the streets waiting for nothing more than their eventual demise at the hands of giants, to be picked up and tossed away. Although they knew and understood their life on earth and their time was short, it was a faith they greatly accepted at the hands of both their creators, the public that enjoyed them, and the giants that would dispose of them. Thus is also the faith of the youth of Philadelphia.

When I announced that I was going to run for Mayor of Philadelphia earlier this year, I knew, understood, and welcomed the cynicism and ridicule that comes with someone so young aiming so high. While the news was met with arms wide open by not only those who wanted to see more young people involved in politics, it was also welcomed by many who were in politics for ages and wanted to see new blood, those who wanted real and dedicated reform, and those who were fed up with the archaic ideas and traditions of the past and wanted an end of the corruption, crime, and nepotism that was prevalent in modern-day Philadelphia politics. Anyone who so quickly gains the heart and the minds of so many people so fast is often, then, and understandably, seen as a true threat, a novelty, or something that can easily be dismissed as a fad. While many see my campaign as nothing more than a "cute little stunt", the fact that the very people who say they want progress and promote it have also been the one so quickly to dismiss it.

After appearing on 900AM WURD on Sunday, April 15th, Larry West has  decided to simply give himself airtime the only way he knows how;  Through his Heavy Metal Radio Station, Mark Skull Pirate Radio.

Though not an official "pirate radio" station (Larry pays Live365 to  host and play it non-stop), the station was started in June of 2005  with the single goal of trying to give heavy metal a real voice and  introduce listeners both young and old to bands that he enjoyed. This  relationship has also resulted in Larry, who goes by Mark Skull on the  air, a chance to discover artists as well since many listeners send him  tracks by their favorite bands.

On Saturday, April 21st at  7PM, Larry West will take to the airwaves for the first time in nearly  two months to talk about his campaign and play of his favorite heavy  metal and punk tracks. "I haven't had a chance to do a show for a  while, and this is as close as I can get right now," jokes Larry about  the move. "I was actually inspired by Dwight Evans and his Web Cam  chats. I can't do something that nice, but I started kicking myself  when I realized I could just use my station to do something similar."  Stating that he can not have people call into his show since he doesn't  have a way to get them on the air, instead he has opening the door to  questions, thoughts, and comments through both his web site and MySpace  account.

Mayoral Candidate Larry West will be on 900AM WURD Philadelphia today to discuss his campaign for mayor at 6:30 PM EST. For those of you who can not listen to it on your home radio, please tune in at their web site:

http://www.900amwurd.com/

As you can see... this is going to be one INTERESTING interview! Be sure to listen! Heck, if you want, call in and ask me questions or voice your support!

-Larry
http://www.larrywestformayor.com

Well, it's that time again! The time where we finally go into our inclusive side and decide that the outside world is FAR too scary and dangerous to us and we need something to protect us! You may keep getting older, but your instincts are timeless; We all want to feel safe and we all want to feel secure. When you were a child and the world grew scary and mean, you may have had a Security Blanket. For me, it was a teddy bear. I loved the bear to death, and whenever the world got tough, I'd go straight to that bear.

But then you get older. You either forget about the blankets or bears or whatever and you find new ways of solving that old problem of the burden of life coming down on you. But you ALWAYS will have a need for something, some symbol, to make you feel safe and secure, even if you know it's only an illusion.

So now your older, maybe in your 20's, 30's, or even in your 50's. You keep hearing that a bunch of "bad kids" are going around running shooting each other. When you were younger, the solution was simple; Criminals are killing each other, so get more cops out there and fight the bad guys! Simple enough! Stop the bad guys and lock them up! It was simple and it worked! But now the bad guys have changed!