http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/gangsters/ en-us Sun, 21 Jun 2009 05:30:52 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2276139/posts http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thR-lVuztIY uTube http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2276139/posts#comment Sun, 21 Jun 2009 05:30:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2247301/posts Michael Barone departs from his normally moderate tone in today’s Investors Business Daily column to label the Obama administration as Gangster Government. Instead of following the rule of law, Obama and his henchmen have threatened to kneecap their opposition in the press and use Porkulus as an extortion device to dictate policy. So far, only one group has been the beneficiary of the gangster tactics: Hot Air http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2247301/posts#comment Sat, 9 May 2009 00:15:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2212478/posts WILL our economic trou bles produce a significant rise in crime? It's not as certain as some suggest. The common predictions of rising crime bring to mind the eminent criminologists who warned in the 1990s that "super predators" were about to go on the rampage or that the country would soon experience "a bloodbath." In fact, the reverse happened. Since 1990, cities across America have seen large drops in crime with New York, down 75 percent, leading the way. A look at the Great Depression of the 1930s suggests a jump in the crime rate is not inevitable now. And... NY Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2212478/posts#comment Mon, 23 Mar 2009 09:37:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2153635/posts Craig's assertions that the transition team was unaware of Blagojevich's efforts to sell off Obama's old seat do not correspond to the transcripts of wiretapped conversations released by the FBI two weeks ago in which the governor repeatedly swears and expresses frustration in his attempts to strike a deal on the Senate seat. The Guardian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2153635/posts#comment Wed, 24 Dec 2008 08:58:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2153560/posts I have a feeling the prosecutors are not about to cause serious legal problems for the incoming Obama administration as they pursue Blagojevich. So Team Obama is fairly confident that their self-examination will stand. The country has two wars on its hands and an historic economic crisis facing it. I don’t think that Fitzgerald is about to blow the whistle on Team Obama that could disrupt the smooth transition of power from Bush to Obama. If there is incriminating evidence, it will be spiked “for the good of the country.” Ace of Spades comments: Obama's lawyer Gregory Craig (remember him?)... The Virginian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2153560/posts#comment Wed, 24 Dec 2008 03:13:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2153501/posts President-elect Barack Obama was interviewed by the office of U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald as part of Fitzgerald's criminal probe into embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Obama was interviewed last Thursday. Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett was interviewed Friday, and incoming White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel was interviewed Saturday. CNN Political Ticker http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2153501/posts#comment Wed, 24 Dec 2008 01:23:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2151592/posts CHICAGO – Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich says he is not guilty of any criminal wrongdoing and plans to stay on the job. In his first official statement since his arrest on corruption charges last week, Blagojevich (blah-GOY'-Uh-vich) says he will fight until he takes his "last breath." ... The Democratic governor says he intends to "answer every allegation in a court of law." AP on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2151592/posts#comment Fri, 19 Dec 2008 20:28:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2151311/posts Suppose you're Bashir Assad or Putin, and you watch the Blago Blowup, a month before the next president even takes office. What are you thinking right now? First, Obama looks vulnerable to blackmail. His homey network is full of people who can't stand the light of day. They know all kinds of things the leftist media suppress -- people like Auchi (the Iraqi billionaire), Rezko (the corrupt Syrian multimillionaire), Emil Jones (the Godfather of Southside), and the whole Daley Machine. That's not even counting the freaky radicals or the pols Obama has surrounded himself with. Mayor Daley's brother is one... American Thinker http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2151311/posts#comment Fri, 19 Dec 2008 07:10:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2148324/posts Blagojevich refuses to budge NBC Nightly News VIDEO: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/vp/28200681#28200681&gt1=43001 MSNBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2148324/posts#comment Sat, 13 Dec 2008 21:58:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2148025/posts Extorting Children's Hospital is a new political low. Chicagoans and Illinoisans love political scandal the way that Milanese love opera. We trade recollections, like baseball cards, about the secretary of state (Paul Powell) who stashed money in shoeboxes, and the Chicago mayor (Harold Washington) whose birthday was April 15 but never filed his income tax return. Rod Blagojevich stands a chance to be the fourth Illinois governor in recent history, and the second in a row, to wind up in prison. This run suggests that Illinoisans are indifferent to political corruption, and it's hard to argue with such an impressive... The Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2148025/posts#comment Sat, 13 Dec 2008 04:16:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2147760/posts America wanted change and we sure got it. We elected a politician who looked and sounded fresh and new and different (and don't forget "clean" as Senator Biden once remarked), and promised that magic word "change." Aren't we lucky? It appears that the change we got is that we've moved Chicago machine-style politics into the White House. We found out on Tuesday what that business model consists of- the good Governor of Illinois was arrested for allegedly trying to sell Barack Obama's United States Senate seat. Yes, I said sell Obama's seat to the highest bidder. It's nice to know... Wayne Alyn Root's Blog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2147760/posts#comment Fri, 12 Dec 2008 19:47:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2147545/posts Wow. Ace of Spades highlights a photo that suggests when Obama said, "I had no contact with the governor or his office," what he really meant was "I met him and shook his hand in front of photographers at the National Governors Association meeting last Tuesday." Which, you know, kinda makes that "no contact" statement not accurate. Or, in some less generous eyes, a lie. NRO http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2147545/posts#comment Fri, 12 Dec 2008 14:45:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2147056/posts LINK ONLY: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-12-10-corruptstates_N.htm?se=yahoorefer Yahoo/USA Today http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2147056/posts#comment Thu, 11 Dec 2008 20:26:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2146914/posts CHICAGO – President-elect Barack Obama said Thursday that he's confident no member of his staff was involved in discussing deals for his Senate seat with disgraced Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Obama also said once again that he had no discussions about the seat he is vacating with the Democratic governor, who was arrested by federal agents this week in connection with an alleged corruption scheme. "I was as appalled and disappointed as anyone," Obama said at a news conference called to announce a series of new appointments to the administration he is setting up. "I have never spoken to the... Yahoo News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2146914/posts#comment Thu, 11 Dec 2008 16:42:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2146675/posts There's nothing like a little Guilt-by-Association Red Meat to bring the anti-Obama crowd back to the comment boards. Hundreds of posts have found their way to various articles on washingtonpost.com and elsewhere about the dramatic arrest yesterday of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich for, among other things, allegedly trying to sell the Senate seat vacated by President-elect Obama. Federal prosecutors said without equivocation that there is no evidence of Obama's involvement in the matter, but the noisy anti-Obama comment crowd stirred from its post-election silence to fire away. Because, as Michael D. Shear and Chris Cillizza wrote, "the conspiracy allegedly dreamed... Wash Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2146675/posts#comment Thu, 11 Dec 2008 05:25:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2146626/posts Somewhere, Ulysses S. Grant is thrilled, Richard M. Nixon’s chuckling, and Warren G. Harding sighs with relief, because Obama seems destined to give them all a real run for their money to become the most corrupt administration this nation has ever seen (and that’s even before we get into doling out billions in infrastructure spending, which will be a Pandorrian Box of potential graft and corruption). The media deliberately ignored Obama’s connections to Tony Rezko (convicted felon), Valerie Jarrett (known in Chicago for her housing fraud and slumlord deals), James Meeks (rabid homophobe), Yesse Yehudah (whom you have probably never... hillbuzz.wordpress.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2146626/posts#comment Thu, 11 Dec 2008 03:38:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2146603/posts On the campaign trail, Barack Obama liked to boast that he was a tough survivor of the bare-knuckled world of Chicago politics. But the president-elect also has steered clear of most of its scandals, navigating a careful middle ground that has left him relatively unscathed in a city synonymous with corruption. AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2146603/posts#comment Thu, 11 Dec 2008 02:35:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2145723/posts Sweet catch by Tapper, showing why he got that promotion. Obama today…“I had no contact with the governor or his office and so I was not aware of what was happening, ” Obama told reporters today in Chicago. “It’s a sad day for Illinois. Beyond that, I don’t think it’s appropriate to comment.” …versus Axelrod on November 23, as seen below. Be sure to read Tapper’s post, as he has plenty more on The One’s long history as a friend of — and advisor to — Blago. Axelrod himself begged off Blagojevich’s first gubernatorial campaign because “I was concerned about... hotair.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2145723/posts#comment Tue, 9 Dec 2008 21:51:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2145475/posts <p>A source said today that Gov. Rod Blagojevich was taken into federal custody at his North Side home this morning. The U.S. attorney's office would not confirm the information, and a spokesman for the governor did not immediately return a phone call for comment.</p> Chicago Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2145475/posts#comment Tue, 9 Dec 2008 14:14:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2145651/posts 78 Pages of corruption by the numbers........... llnw.static.cbslocal.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2145651/posts#comment Tue, 9 Dec 2008 19:52:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2057634/posts COSTA MESA – Three teens, including the son of a former City Council candidate and community activist, have been arrested in connection with a shotgun attack on a teenage girl, police said today. The arrests stem from a July 28 shooting on Shalimar Drive – a notorious area barricaded with concrete stumps at all but one access point because of rampant gang activity – that resulted in a 15-year-old girl being hospitalized with a shotgun wound to the torso. The three suspects - one young man and two juveniles - were booked on suspicion of attempted murder, conspiracy and street... Orange County Register http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2057634/posts#comment Wed, 6 Aug 2008 21:45:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2024290/posts Mexico: the danger of 'drug ballads'  Last Updated: 12:01am BST 01/06/2008       In the past two years, 15 mexican musicians have been murdered. Their crime: to fall foul of the country's drug barons. Ioan Grillo reports It was three in the morning and the Mexican group Banda Guasavena were driving back from a concert at a cockfighting festival, just over the border from Texas. The audience had been even more rapturous than usual and Fausto Castro-Elizalde, the band's horn player, recalls them chatting happily about the evening.   Grupo Cartel de Sinaloa pose in a cemetery full of extravagant... The Telegraph (U.K.) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2024290/posts#comment Sun, 1 Jun 2008 06:00:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2024175/posts RIVERSIDE Two recent shootouts between law officers and several members of the Soboba Indian tribe have prompted the Riverside County Sheriff's Deputies Association to warn the public that it considers the tribe's casino to be unsafe, it was reported on Saturday. The 3,700-member union considers the tribal reservation to be "unstable" as a result of "recent violence against Riverside County deputy sheriffs," the Los Angeles Times and Riverside Press-Enterprise reported. Tribal leaders shot back that the deputies union has brought the shootouts into the poitical arena, and said in an e-mail that "the recent tragic events were unrelated to the... cbs http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2024175/posts#comment Sat, 31 May 2008 23:51:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1826952/posts A federal appeals court on Monday upheld Gilroy's right to exclude members of a motorcycle club from the annual garlic festival because their garb violated a ban on clothing that could be associated with gang colors. In a 12-page ruling, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the arguments of the Top Hatter motorcyle club, which argued their free speech rights were violated when they were ordered to leave the garlic festival in 2000. The club sued in federal court in San Jose, but a judge ruled against their arguments in 2005, prompting the appeal. The 9th Circuit concluded... San Jose Mercury News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1826952/posts#comment Wed, 2 May 2007 03:06:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1838648/posts May 23, 1934: Police kill famous outlaws Bonnie and Clyde On this day in 1934, notorious criminals Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow are shot to death by Texas and Louisiana state police while driving a stolen car near Salles, Louisiana. Bonnie Parker met the charismatic Clyde Barrow in Texas when she was 19 years old and her husband (she married when she was 16) was serving time in jail for murder. Shortly after they met, Barrow was imprisoned for robbery. Parker visited him every day, and smuggled a gun into prison to help him escape, but he was soon caught... History.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1838648/posts#comment Wed, 23 May 2007 21:02:02 GMT