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Old 01-28-2017, 02:46 PM  
Elli
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Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Vancouver, BC
Posts: 17,991
Quote:
Originally Posted by woj View Post
Can you go into it? "send in the feds" is a bit vague, but clearly state and local authorities will never solve the problem, so what's wrong with someone else taking a serious look at it?

are you satisfied with the status quo in Chicago? or should something be done, if so, what solution do you propose that doesn't involve "the feds"? (keep in mind that Chicago has been and still is one of the most corrupt and violent cities in the US, and local authorities have been unable to put a dent in any of it)
I object to the manner with which Trump has handled the Chicago thing.

First, he was watching Fox News (feedback loop, anyone?)
Trump tweets response to another cable news segment - Business Insider
This is the clip he saw: https://twitter.com/Walldo/status/824082877503721472
Bill O'Reilly listed crime statistics in Chicago, then suggested "sending in the feds," and then a talking head discussed how this is possible. This is the graphic he saw.

A few hours later he tweeted this:


Funnily enough, Feds are already there. The FBI has a permanent field office in Chicago and works closely with Police there. So, what did he mean by "the feds?" Does he mean Reserves? Army? Imposing Martial Law?

If he is considering sending in the army, then he is considering an impeachable offense and someone needs to tell him this. It's called the Posse Comitatus Act. Interestingly, he could Federalize the National Guard, which would make it somewhat exempt from this act, but Congress would have to allow that.

With such an attitude towards BIG gestures and BIG actions, this definitely sounds like something he would be considering.

Let's slide down the slippery slope a bit further: Chicago has nowhere near the country's highest murder rate. Also, the mayor, just a few hours before the Fox clip that Trump obviously watched, was told to "shut up" and resign by a Fox news anchor because he had suggested the President should stop worrying about his crowd sizes. Rahm has instead requested the federal aide to come in this form: "he pointed to federal help tracking illegal guns and prosecuting these cases, increased gun control measures and “help [paying for] additional police officers.”

In fact, Chicago had a higher murder rate in the 1990s.


Chicago isn't even the highest rate in the country:


If Trump is truly concerned about murder rates, why is he making an example of Chicago instead of going after the more dangerous cities? The only answer is that the clip on Fox News caught his attention and he responded without critical thought.

This is a man who can be aimed in any direction and triggered by someone with an outrageous statistic and a TV show. This the MOST concerning aspect of all of this, aside from what his actual intentions in Chicago are.

Does that help?
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