California State Senator Leland Yee Indicted

[freedash22]

I doubt CNN will report on this as it is against their agenda. They've already decided on it.

[Metal god]

You know who else besides Lee is buddies with Raymond Chow? Sen. Diane Feinstein has given Chow awards for his community involvement.

I wonder what the chances are that a San Francisco crime lord and the former Mayor of San Francisco have more than a passing familiarity with each other?

if Lee sings and Fienstien is connected criminally....

WOW things that make you go hmmm . That's the kind of stuff that causes fatal car crashes or sudden heart attacks

[Tom Servo]

Let's avoid speculation about who might be involved outside the indicted individuals. Would it be funny if Feinstein, Biden, or LBJ were somehow involved, it doesn't do any good to suggest such without evidence.

[Chris_B]

Well regardless, the entire thing is depressing. The things Yee is alleged to have done are disgusting to me.

[TimSr]

Operation Fast and Furious seemed to be about supplying cartels with arms in order to boost statistics to make the case to ban those arms. One has to wonder if Yee's intent was to make money and boost campaign contributions, or if it was to cause more carnage on American streets with "assault weapons" since these weapons seem to be exactly what they want the public to believe civilian own "assault weapons" actually are.

[freedash22]

Well regardless, the entire thing is depressing. The things Yee is alleged to have done are disgusting to me.

True, but if you ask me, it is favorable in a sense that it just shows how hypocritical they are and in a way, damages the agenda of the anti-gun lobby.

[Chris_B]

True, but if you ask me, it is favorable in a sense that it just shows how hypocritical they are and in a way, damages the agenda of the anti-gun lobby.

point taken, but it only damages the agenda in the minds of those who already understand and detest it. I don't see Yee really facing the music for this malfeasance and treachery. I will be shocked if he's made an example of.

[Metal god]

The real problem is politicians do that kind of stuff all the time with other types of goods and most of America does not care . I don't see a whole lot of difference writing laws or helping them pass that help company or market X . Knowing later you plan on making some money in that same market in the private sector .

[raimius]

I don't see Yee really facing the music for this malfeasance and treachery. I will be shocked if he's made an example of.

I'm not so sure. He was trying to run guns to organized crime, potentially with the aid of Islamic terrorists. I'm guessing people will want to take a hard line against organized crime and terrorist supporters!

[Chris_B]

I'm not so sure. He was trying to run guns to organized crime, potentially with the aid of Islamic terrorists. I'm guessing people will want to take a hard line against organized crime and terrorist supporters!

If you mean "The People", then I agree. But bear in mind that the attorney general should have had his hide removed by 'The People' not too long ago. I fear that when we say 'the people' the unspoken phrase missing from the end is "that matter". I don't feel Yee will have a slap on the wrist. I just don't feel Yee will stand tall for everything he's found to be guilty of. Would you, as a champion of the cause unrelated to Yee, undermine your own group's standpoint on a sensitive issue like guns, if you didn't have to? Those elements will be downplayed as much as possible if a lot of people have their say, and I'm afraid that their voices are more deafening than yours and mine.

[speedrrracer]

Originally Posted by Chris_B

point taken, but it only damages the agenda in the minds of those who already understand and detest it.

I disagree. I think there's excellent potential for an issue like this to influence the "silent majority" (people who, generally, don't care about guns, and assume whatever the legislature does / says is OK). I guess it's just a Rorschach test for each of us.

I don't see Yee really facing the music for this malfeasance and treachery. I will be shocked if he's made an example of.

Probably true, but again, the important thing is that he's done in politics. This guy was, in all likelihood, our next SecState here in CA. That's a lot of power.

The question, perhaps best answered by those in the area he represented, is, "To what degree were his extreme anti-2A views his own, and to what degree was he purely reflecting the will of his constituents?" That area, SF, is certainly generally anti-2A, but to that extreme? I don't know, and that's kind of important, because if the constituents are that rabidly anti-2A, he'll probably be replaced by someone just as rabidly anti-2A.

I would differentiate an "average" anti-2A politician from a "rabidly" anti-2A politician by saying the former will absolutely vote for any anti-2A legislation that happens on his / her desk, while the latter will also work to create anti-2A legislation.

[Al Norris]

Originally Posted by speedracer

I think there's excellent potential for an issue like this to influence the "silent majority" (people who, generally, don't care about guns, and assume whatever the legislature does / says is OK). I guess it's just a Rorschach test for each of us.

One of the headlines from ARS Technica: California anti-game-violence legislator arrested on bribery charges [Updated] | Ars Technica

There's a Rorschach test for you. Yee is not anti-gun, he's anti-video game violence!

To be sure, the article mentions the gun thing... But it is focused on a law he helped to pass in 2005 and was struck down by the SCOTUS in 2011 on 1A grounds.

[Chris_B]

I disagree. I think there's excellent potential for an issue like this to influence the "silent majority" (people who, generally, don't care about guns, and assume whatever the legislature does / says is OK). I guess it's just a Rorschach test for each of us.

Could be, but I think it's a tall order for those people to suddenly start questioning anti-firearms policies because of Yee's malfeasance. On the whole my belief is that it will not affect those people one way or another. One black mark on the record does not a battle win, and for those people, this will be an isolated incident in the vast majority of cases, and those that do look deeper are not inclined to take to the subject as readily as you or I.

In other words, I believe permissive ambivalence will rule the day just as always. I also think what Napoleon once said about rights:

"A man will fight harder for his interests than for his rights". If those people are not interested in 'guns' for the want of a better term to describe the pastime you and I have, what here will make them do anything about their rights?

[raimius]

As much as I love the irony, painting the entire movement off one criminal is exactly what we ask people NOT do to us!

[steve4102]

As much as I love the irony, painting the entire movement off one criminal is exactly what we ask people NOT do to us!

...but that has never stopped "them" nor has it even slowed them down. Sometimes ya just have to fight fire with fire!

[Theohazard]

Originally Posted by steve4102

...but that has never stopped "them" nor has it even slowed them down. Sometimes ya just have to fight fire with fire!

That's a very bad strategy and it's destined to fail at winning people to our side. I agree completely with raimius. We all need to keep in mind that we're trying to convince the voting public that we're not all crazy gun nuts. How in the world are we going to do that if we use extreme political rhetoric that's just as ignorant as what the other side uses?

[Tom Servo]

Could be, but I think it's a tall order for those people to suddenly start questioning anti-firearms policies because of Yee's malfeasance.

You're right. Any time we bring up Yee as an example, the response will be, "yes, maybe one guy did some bad things, but OMGASSUALTGATS."

The biggest takeaway from this is that a very staunch and effective adversary of ours has been removed from the fray. For Californians, that's a pretty big deal.

[TimSr]

Could be, but I think it's a tall order for those people to suddenly start questioning anti-firearms policies because of Yee's malfeasance. On the whole my belief is that it will not affect those people one way or another. One black mark on the record does not a battle win, and for those people, this will be an isolated incident in the vast majority of cases, and those that do look deeper are not inclined to take to the subject as readily as you or I.

I have to agree. When Fast and Furious was uncovered, and the US Justice Dept was gun running to drug cartels, Americans yawned. I can't imagine a state senator doing the same thing having any greater impact.

[Colt46]

He's been in the game far too long not to be able to take many of his friends in high places down with him. The Democratic party wants to cast him adrift(in the eyes of the public he's poison) but I don't think the political machine will allow him to fall too far or deep.

[Evan Thomas]

I've edited/deleted some posts. Discussion of gun laws, or the lack thereof, in other countries is off-topic for this thread.

[Tom Servo]

In a December 2012 news release, Yee had this to say:

Laundering money through nonprofits in an attempt to avoid transparency is fundamentally undemocratic. Our democracy should not be bought and sold in shady backroom deals. SB 3 will close this loophole and ensure that Californians are well aware of who is funding campaigns and ballot measures.

Gun laws weren't the only thing on which he practiced double standards.

[steve4102]

You would think that a State Senator would Know that we do NOT have Democracy, but a Representative Republic!

Of course not many Citizens in America Know this either.

Our democracy should not be bought and sold in shady backroom deals

[SHR970]

This gets even better....add RICO indictment to the mix!

Linkarooni