The issue may finally be penetrating the halls of power

There’s no denying that public safety — in our cities, at our border, in our schools — has become a major political issue. Indeed, it may be the wedge issue in the nation’s upcoming political races. So: What to expect?     Crime On The Rise Your narrator was again flattered to join Dana and Bill to discuss the issue on America’s Newsroom this a.m. Have we indeed hit a tipping point? With Lori Lightfoot’s shellacking and Biden and the Dems backtracking on the ludicrous D.C. crime bill, I contended we likely have (but I tend to optimism). I then joined the great (just don’t tell him) Jimmy Failla on his Fox Across America radio show to double-tap these points. Jimmy’s show is always fun, funny, and informative (despite the host). Listen to our all-too brief conversation here. (Note: I’m the funny one). You Wanna Run? You Better Have An Answer Meanwhile, nearly every national, state, and local political wannabe will have to, in some way, address the safety issue going forward. Next year’s New York Senate race, for instance, could well be a referendum in the same way Chicago’s primary was. Consider that NY’s invisible Senator Kirsten Gillibrand may well be primaried from the left by AOC (whose Congressional district we showed is awash in rising crime). This potentially sets up a general election between The Duchess of Defund and the tough-on-crime Lee Zeldin. Which would certainly be one of those elections where we get what we deserve. Do As I Say, Not As I…. I discussed with Dana and Bill today the NYPD’s new request that store-owners require patrons to remove their covid masks — a clever way for high-end shops to let robbery crews know they’ve been detected and will be recorded. Here’s the (predictable) response from AOC’s fellow defunder and NYC Councilwoman, Tiffany Caban: Tiffany Cabán @tiffany_caban I wear a mask while shopping. And it’s not so I can shoplift. I wear a mask because I give a damn about public health and it’s a very easy and small thing I can do to protect myself and other immunocompromised neighbors. This Mayor. Bernadette Hogan @bern_hogan “And when you see these mask wearing people, oftentimes it’s not about being fearful of the pandemic. It’s fearful of the police catching [them] for their deeds,” @NYCMayor says he’s going to talk to Mayors across the US to come up with a national plan to tackle retail theft. 9:35 PM ∙ Mar 6, 2023 1,821Likes318Retweets And, right on cue, here’s the response from a sharp-eyed citizen: Sam E. Antar @SamAntar Hey @tiffany_caban: You are so full of s**t. This is you NOT wearing a mask at a political fundraiser one month ago https://t.co/fKkgZKYrMU H/T @BigApplePhoenix Tiffany Cabán @tiffany_caban I wear a mask while shopping. And it’s not so I can shoplift. I wear a mask because I give a damn about public health and it’s a very easy and small thing I can do to protect myself and other immunocompromised neighbors. This Mayor. https://t.co/iTS1C2CG4u 1:03 AM ∙ Mar 7, 2023 120Likes35Retweets Do they never tire of being revealed? The Scourge of New York’s Weed Shops Suddenly, they’re everywhere — but a total of three (yes, that’s right — three!) out of 1400 are actually authorized. The rest are illegal, but due to the geniuses who wrote the enabling legislation, they can’t be shut down. And because marijuana is still illegal federally, the stores can’t access the banking system (that would technically be federal money laundering). So they’re an all-cash business. Not that that might induce robberies…. From The NY Post: “Robberies at smoke shops have more than doubled. A total of $1.5 million was stolen — or an average of $2,500 for the 593 reported robberies.” And by the way: A third of these robberies were committed by teenagers between the ages of 15 and 19. Meaning most were likely immediately freed. Hilarious — one of the justifications for weed sales was that it would help New York’s tax revenue. You think these all-cash shops are “paying their fair share”? And by the way: dibs on the few legal shops is going to ex-cons. Consider: New York City now wants to put a casino in Coney Island. So we’re turning to gambling and drugs for our funding these days. Let’s just call it, “the mafia plan.” (No wonder he’s laughing…). Shoplifting Used To Be Illegal, Right? Two views of shoplifting: First, from the perspective that used to be called “reality,” an effort (by two Dems!) to craft a new law expressly targeting repeat shoplifters, who are killing businesses in NYC. (We’ll be watching as the usual suspects attempt to kill it…). Then from a progressive think tank (no! Really?). The Marshall Project opines that, essentially, attempts to crackdown on shoplifting is — of course! — racist: “Critics of the legislative response say that decades of research on crime deterrence makes clear that a harsher approach won’t have the desired effect, and will exacerbate the system’s racial disparities.” Meanwhile, as the think tanks tell us “nothing to see here,” Walmart is closing all its remaining stores in Portland due to… shoplifting. Atlanta’s Domestic Terrorists A question this nonsense again raises: Do we need a federal domestic terrorism charge? We do — and my favorite writer outlined how to do it here, in very simple terms. Make no mistake: Mostly comprised of children-of-privilege, these “protests” are about as “spontaneous’“ as a shuttle launch. They’re planned, funded, and organized — generally by using encrypted apps. Your narrator has some experience with this breed. For instance, I once had to serve an arrest warrant on a typical examplar — he lived with his parents in a place called Muttontown, NY. Average home price: $2.3 million. The driveway alone was a city block long. What these antifa-types fear nearly as much as prison is being identified for all to see — a lesson the brave Andy Ngo learned long ago (see his Twitter feed here — it’s a must). So here’s the latest: While I would like to see these characters charged with something federally, under this DOJ they are more likely to get federal funding than federal charges. So let’s hope Georgia prosecutes to the fullest. And a special OpsDesk congratulations! to Thomas Webb Jurgens of the Southern Policy Law Center on his arrest and the likely loss of his law license. You’re making great life decisions, guy. A (Final!) Murdaugh Thought It’s over for Alex Murdaugh — his appeal won’t work, and besides, he’s admitted to enough other stuff on the stand to keep him in jail forever (I hope he’s on suicide watch). But consider: The thing that did him in — that got him indicted and convicted — was almost certainly the video on his son Paul’s phone, clearly featuring Alex’s voice just minutes before Alex blew Paul’s head apart. That was what put Alex at the scene at the family kennels, and contradicted his alibi. Alex’s voice is in the background on that video for mere moments, ordering one of their hunting dogs, Bubba, to drop a chicken that Bubba had in his mouth (the family raised chickens — one got loose). So: If that chicken doesn’t run out at that exact moment, as Paul records a brief video of one of the other dogs (not Bubba), and if Bubba doesn’t decide to grab that chicken just then… Alex likely gets away with it. If I’m the prison cook, I can’t help it — I’m serving him fried chicken for a week. (the shy hero spotted in her native habitat) That’s all for now folks. Have a safe week!