Shire Network News #133

Shire Network News #133 has been released. The feature interview is with Martin Bright the political editor with the left-leaning New Statesman magazine.  When Israel marked it’s 60th anniversary recently, he decided to mark the occasion by publishing an article questioning the Left’s increasingly hysterical assaults on the country, which have escalated from criticism of individual policies to an outright questioning of it’s very legitimacy and existence.  Click here for the show notes, links, and ways to listen to the show; directly from the web site, by downloading the mp3 file, or by subscribing with your podcatcher of choice.

Below is the text of my commentary.

Hi, this is Doug Payton for Shire Network News asking you to "Consider This!"

This is a story about a city under siege, a city in a war zone.  The munitions that it swims in threaten its inhabitants day after violent day.  Some won’t even go outside for fear of what might happen to them. 

In one zone, during the first 5 months of 2008 there have been more murders than in all of 2007.  It’s because of statistics like this that the local police have started cracking down harder than ever.  It’s these kinds of zones that they will cordon off and completely shut down for hours at a time.  Checkpoints will be set up and all cars inspected.  Failure to cooperate will result in arrest.

Now, it’s been well known that crime in this city has been on the rise.  However, the government, even with of its attempts to curb the violence, hasn’t been able to achieve even the most modest benchmarks.  While local politicians worry about a police state mentality, they do support the measures.  Some residents are not thrilled with the manner in which the police are making their presence known, but others say it’s better than nothing.

And yet, with all the efforts of government and local police, the tide is not turning fast enough for some.  Pundits have called the situation a quagmire, and suggested pulling out.  Perhaps, with a change of US administrations in November, Washington can bring our men and women home.

To the suburbs.

Because, you see, this isn’t Baghdad or Mosul I’m talking about, but it is a city torn apart by violence.  Good thing they have some of the most stringent gun control laws.  That got them off the street.  Or not.  No, this city is a lot closer to home than you might think.  So perhaps it’s time to pull out…

…of Washington, DC.

Paul Harvey would say, "And now you know the rest of the story."  I’d say, "Consider that."

Technorati Tags: podcast, Shire Network News, Baghdad, Washington DC, quagmire

Filed under: Guns • Podcasts • Shire Network News

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