Gang Deterrence and Community Protection Act of 2005
Posted by Moonage on 12 May 2005 | Tagged as: National Politics
The Gang Deterrence and Community Protection Act of 2005 just passed the House. What this does is very clearly defines what constitutes "gang" activities and the consequences thereof if committing a crime while participitating in "gang" activities. What is notable to me is the vote count. Although it was co-sponsored by three Democrats, 63% of the Democrats opposed it while only 9% of the Republicans opposed it. Now, I’m not so naive as to believe partisan politics led some of these people to oppose it. But, that sort of gets to my running point of my experience with this blog. That being, the Democrats are so polarized that they are willing to "protect gangsters" just to buck the Republicans. The Republicans are eating them up with votes like this. The Dems have pinned themselves in such a corner now that they either prove that the real polarization ( hatred of Bush and his party ) is a one-sided issue, or, they "protect gangsters". In this case, a whole bunch are much more willing to "protect gangsters" than to support a Republican initiative. These candidates can expect an issue in their next race, that issue being "pro-gangster". What a label. I guess to them it beats "obstructionist". Here they are, if your rep is on this list, I would entertain their justification for voting to protect gangsters:
| Rep. Abercrombie, Neil [D] |
| Rep. Snyder, Victor [D] |
| Rep. Pastor, Edward [D] |
| Rep. Grijalva, Raul [D] |
| Rep. Thompson, C. Michael [D] |
| Rep. Matsui, Doris [D] |
| Rep. Woolsey, Lynn [D] |
| Rep. Miller, George [D] |
| Rep. Pelosi, Nancy [D] |
| Rep. Lee, Barbara [D] |
| Rep. Tauscher, Ellen [D] |
| Rep. Stark, Fortney [D] |
| Rep. Eshoo, Anna [D] |
| Rep. Honda, Michael [D] |
| Rep. Lofgren, Zoe [D] |
| Rep. Farr, Sam [D] |
| Rep. Capps, Lois [D] |
| Rep. Sherman, Brad [D] |
| Rep. Berman, Howard [D] |
| Rep. Schiff, Adam [D] |
| Rep. Waxman, Henry [D] |
| Rep. Becerra, Xavier [D] |
| Rep. Solis, Hilda [D] |
| Rep. Roybal-Allard, Lucille [D] |
| Rep. Waters, Maxine [D] |
| Rep. Napolitano, Grace [D] |
| Rep. Sanchez, Linda [D] |
| Rep. Sanchez, Loretta [D] |
| Rep. Filner, Bob [D] |
| Rep. Davis, Susan [D] |
| Rep. DeGette, Diana [D] |
| Rep. Udall, Mark [D] |
| Rep. DeLauro, Rosa [D] |
| Rep. Brown, Corrine [D] |
| Rep. Wexler, Robert [D] |
| Rep. McKinney, Cynthia |
| Rep. Lewis, John [D] |
| Rep. Rush, Bobby [D] |
| Rep. Jackson, Jesse [D] |
| Rep. Gutierrez, Luis [D] |
| Rep. Davis, Danny [D] |
| Rep. Schakowsky, Janice [D] |
| Rep. Carson, Julia [D] |
| Rep. Jefferson, William [D] |
| Rep. Olver, John [D] |
| Rep. Neal, Richard [D] |
| Rep. McGovern, James [D] |
| Rep. Frank, Barney [D] |
| Rep. Meehan, Martin [D] |
| Rep. Tierney, John [D] |
| Rep. Markey, Edward [D] |
| Rep. Capuano, Michael [D] |
| Rep. Lynch, Stephen [D] |
| Rep. Delahunt, William [D] |
| Rep. Cummings, Elijah [D] |
| Rep. Allen, Thomas [D] |
| Rep. Michaud, Michael [D] |
| Rep. Kildee, Dale [D] |
| Rep. Levin, Sander [D] |
| Rep. Kilpatrick, Carolyn [D] |
| Rep. Conyers, John [D] |
| Rep. Dingell, John [D] |
| Rep. McCollum, Betty [D] |
| Rep. Sabo, Martin [D] |
| Rep. Oberstar, James [D] |
| Rep. Clay, William [D] |
| Rep. Carnahan, Russ [D] |
| Rep. Cleaver, Emanuel [D] |
| Rep. Thompson, Bennie [D] |
| Rep. Butterfield, George [D] |
| Rep. Price, David [D] |
| Rep. Watt, Melvin [D] |
| Rep. Andrews, Robert [D] |
| Rep. Pallone, Frank [D] |
| Rep. Rothman, Steven [D] |
| Rep. Payne, Donald [D] |
| Rep. Holt, Rush [D] |
| Rep. Menendez, Robert [D] |
| Rep. Udall, Tom [D] |
| Rep. Ackerman, Gary [D] |
| Rep. Crowley, Joseph [D] |
| Rep. Nadler, Jerrold [D] |
| Rep. Weiner, Anthony [D] |
| Rep. Towns, Edolphus [D] |
| Rep. Owens, Major [D] |
| Rep. Velazquez, Nydia [D] |
| Rep. Maloney, Carolyn [D] |
| Rep. Rangel, Charles [D] |
| Rep. Serrano, Jose [D] |
| Rep. Engel, Eliot [D] |
| Rep. Lowey, Nita [D] |
| Rep. McNulty, Michael [D] |
| Rep. Hinchey, Maurice [D] |
| Rep. Kucinich, Dennis [D] |
| Rep. Jones, Stephanie [D] |
| Rep. Brown, Sherrod [D] |
| Rep. Blumenauer, Earl [D] |
| Rep. Brady, Robert [D] |
| Rep. Fattah, Chaka [D] |
| Rep. Kennedy, Patrick [D] |
| Rep. Clyburn, James [D] |
| Rep. Cooper, Jim [D] |
| Rep. Tanner, John [D] |
| Rep. Green, Al [D] |
| Rep. Hinojosa, Ruben [D] |
| Rep. Jackson-Lee, Sheila [D] |
| Rep. Gonzalez, Charles [D] |
| Rep. Doggett, Lloyd [D] |
| Rep. Green, Raymond [D] |
| Rep. Johnson, Eddie [D] |
| Rep. Scott, Robert [D] |
| Rep. Sanders, Bernard [I] |
| Rep. Inslee, Jay [D] |
| Rep. Larsen, Rick [D] |
| Rep. Baird, Brian [D] |
| Rep. Dicks, Norman [D] |
| Rep. McDermott, James [D] |
| Rep. Smith, Adam [D] |
| Rep. Baldwin, Tammy [D] |
| Rep. Kind, Ronald [D] |
| Rep. Moore, Gwen [D] |
| Rep. Obey, David [D] |
| Rep. Mollohan, Alan [D] |
| Rep. Rahall, Nick [D] |
Hey! There’s Cynthia McKinney again. The woman who embarrassed the entire county, takes money from extremist organizations, and makes racial slurs, is now proudly defending any gangster before she supports a Republican bill. Actually, I’m just assuming she’s just opposing a Republican bill. Given her track record, I’m probably wrong. More than likely she is truly supporting her donors.
Don’t think this is stopping here. I despise people like Cynthia McKinney on a much deeper level than politics. Pelosi supporting gangsters is purely politics, I know that. When it becomes questionable, in the case of McKinney, is when it gets dangerous. What the hell were you people in Atlanta thinking?
And there’s Doris Matsui as well, just as I expected, towing Pelosi’s beck and call. Guess she didn’t want to chase off her donors either.
3 Comments »
on 17 May 2005 at 5:18 pm 1.Forrest said …
I don’t think it was a partisan issue. Read this dissenting view. They have real and valid concerns.
- The Transfer Provision Endangers Youth and Public Safety
- Legislation Imposes Ineffective and Discriminatory Mandatory Minimums
- The Legislation Unjustifiably Expands the Federal Death Penalty
- Legislation is Not Necessary
- The Legislation is a Questionable Exercise of the Commerce Clause Power
on 17 May 2005 at 9:21 pm 2.Moonage
said …
Did any of them offer amendments to satisfy their concerns?
The problem I am pointing at here is not so much this particular legislation. I am more concerned with the overall strategy that seems to be nothing but obstruction as opposed to constructive compromise. Not all of the Dems, but a definite caucus of them, are just simply voting no and then crying about polarization. This is not helping the Dems. It leaves them without an agenda for people to latch onto.
Thanks for the clarification of their concerns tho. I’m waiting for some of them to offer new legislation to make this act better. Do you think I should hold my breath?
on 22 May 2005 at 8:22 pm 3.Bryan Kerwick
said …
Same old same old.It appears the dissenters have used statistics to further their argument which are fundamentally flawed.In as much as the figures are arbitrary and have no basis in fact, I will address the major issues brought forth.
- The Transfer Provision Endangers Youth and Public Safety
The issue is basically simple. If one commits crimes as a juvenile, one is treated as a juvenile. However, should a juvenile commit a crime as a gang member, the chance of “out of touch with reality (Liberal)” judges returning them to the streets has been legislated away.
- Legislation Imposes Ineffective and Discriminatory Mandatory Minimums
This legislation is dicriminatory on purpose. Get the gang criminals off the streets. It is effective in as much as crimes can not be committed against law abiding citizens outside of prison, hence, the mandatory minimum sentances. See above for more detail.
- The Legislation Unjustifiably Expands the Federal Death Penalty
That is a matter of opinion. The vast majority of the American electorate disagree.
- Legislation is Not Necessary
See above.
- The Legislation is a Questionable Exercise of the Commerce Clause Power
That is a question to be answered by the courts. I would suspect it may be overturned in the 9th Circut but upheld in the Supreme Court.
Starting to understand the desperation of the Liberal Democrats as they attempt to circumvent via fillibuster the up or down votes for Apellate Judges? I can’t wait for the 2006 Senate elections.