Our Nation's Capital

Frank Borelli
Editor-in-Chief
Officer.com

So, as I sat doing my morning work it occurred to me that things are a bit... ah... off in our nation's capital city: Washington DC. It would seem to me that our capital should be the ONE place that EVERY law is not only just consistent with the Constitution, but is ground breaking; trend setting; progressive. In other words, it shouldn't just be another city but should be the MODEL city for all other U.S. cities to try to follow. However... Washington DC is rarely (if ever) in the news for some trend-setting action or program. Instead, it seems like the city is most often in the news for something controversial that the city government or police department is doing. Let's look back at the past year: 1) DC vs. Heller: an 2nd Amendment case taken all the way to the Supreme Court. For decades DC has prohibited residents from owning handguns and from possessing functional firearms. If you owned a shotgun, it had to be kept disassembled EVEN IN YOUR OWN HOME if that home was in DC. Once this law was tested, DC's own courts said it was unconstitutional. From everything I read there is the same expectation from the Supreme Court. POSSIBLY this will be the case where the Supreme Court will clearly state that the 2nd Amendment is an individual right and not a group right. Still, staying on topic, why would the government of our nation's capital city intentionally and for decades pass a law that is unconstitutional? I know, I know. Someone somwhere reading this is saying, "But it's not unconstitutional until the Supreme Court says so." I have to throw the BS flag on that statement. It's unconstitutional from the day it's enacted into law. It's just not corrected until someone fights against it up to the Supreme Court. Now, on the other hand, there is an argument put forth by many in favor of gun control. That argument being that a complete absence of firearm possession, with the exception of military and law enforcement, will HAVE to reduce gun crimes. 2) The recent program where DC's police cordoned off a certain community within the city and prohibited FREE CITIZENS from entering that community unless the FREE CITIZEN could prove a good reason why they were trying to go in or through there. Isn't this America? Isn't freedom of travel one of our most carefully protected rights? How can ANY government agent refuse me passage on a public roadway UNLESS they can prove an immediate threat, crime scene existance, etc.? I'm an AMERICAN CITIZEN. I CAN WALK DOWN ANY DAMNED SIDEWALK I WANT. If it's risky then the most DC's police should be able to legally do is WARN ME and then let me make my FREE CHOICE. Of course, The DC government DOES have a responsibility to provide as much public safety and protection as they can within the law. As a cop I know that those cameras are of high value, but I think we all have a duty to make sure we perform our jobs while protecting those liberties our Founding Fathers tried their best to guarantee us. 3) Just this morning (June 17th, '08) there's a news article about DC setting up thousands of cameras to monitor public places, all being fed into and monitored by a central hub manned by police and other city employees. A number of DC GOVT employees have questioned the violation of privacy that these cameras may represent but DC's govt is defending them by comparing the camera system to that of LONDON. Wait... didn't we come to this continent and throw off the oppression of the English government because we wanted to be free? Why then would ANY city in this country try to be more like a city in England? Now I understand that other big cities all over our country are using such camera systems and they are of obvious high value. My point is that HOW the cameras are used and what the ultimate goals are should be in line with our country's values. I have a suggestion for the leadership of the DC Government and anyone who agrees with them: MOVE TO ENGLAND. It's not about what they're doing, but more about how they justify their actions. 1) (related to the numbered items above): You can't own a gun in England. Just like in DC this law has proven completely unsuccessful in reducing gun violence. In fact, it was just yesterday reported that England's gun crimes have spiked over 400% since they enacted the laws prohibiting citizens from owning or possessing guns. Knife crimes are up too. 2) You'd be delighted to know that there are chunks of London and other cities where you can't go simply because the city leadership or the English govt doesn't want you to. Freedom of movement? Get over it. Your a subject; not a citizen. It is a monarchy after all; the one we escaped from at that. 3) London has over 10,000 cameras that track your movements in public, constantly watching you and monitoring what you do. Don't do anything that even remotely LOOKS suspicious or you may have your freedom of movement further hindered as the bobbies investigate why you had the audacity to look like anything but a submissive sheep in public. Folks, we live in the United States of America. Our nation's capital is Washington DC. How we got to the point where it was one of the most socialist cities in our country is beyond me. Why it has its own government for that matter is beyond me. Virginia was smart to take its piece of land back and that chunk of land is doing FAR better in every measurable way when compared to the piece Maryland gave on the other side of the Potomac river. I KNOW I'm an extreme right winger. I KNOW that I am narrow minded and opinionated. But from my narrow minded, opinionated, right wing extremist point of view, NO ONE should live in DC except those who work for the federal government. Embassies for foreign countries should be located there. National institutions such as the museums and zoo should be there. THE REST SHOULD BE PARK LAND. The entire piece of geography should be owned and operated by the federal government. It should NOT be an incorporated municipality. Just like members of the military service, those federal employees who live there should maintain their permanent residence in their home state and THAT is where they should vote. "Taxation without representation" should be a non issue because there should be NO DC residents. Hell, even the President and the Vice-President have their own homes elsewhere. As an American Citizen I am disgusted by the state of our Nation's capital city. What are your thoughts on the matter?

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