The developers of the defunct Iceport project have filed a multimillion-dollar claim against the City of Cudahy, saying the city committed fraud by rejecting a Wal-Mart Supercenter on the same parcel.

Below is the Iceport developer’s file claim of fraud lawsuit paperwork that was filed against the City of Cudahy, saying the city committed fraud by rejecting a Wal-Mart Supercenter. 

I am sorry for the grainy version.  I am trying to obtain a nice clear electronic version.

Please click on the individual picture for it to enlarge.

From the lawsuit, you can see that as of August 14^th 2007 or about Mayor McCue knew the intention of Wal-Mart’s involvement. 

Here is an article from October 24 2007.  Talking about Wal-Mart’s involvement.

Whispers of Wal-Mart at Iceport site swirl

http://www.cudahynow.com/story/index.aspx?id=678106

For now and the near future, I will not be accepting comments directly to my posts.  All comments will need to come from email so they can be tracked.  I am sorry for this, but with all of the sockpuppeting, fake users, name calling, un-adult like comments on an opinion blog I do not want any wrong ideas. 

As someone stated this morning “While it has happen yet, several people in the Cudahy Blogoshere are getting close to the fine line.”  That in itself is a statement of an opinion on how that person feels. 

When time has passed and people can act responsibly, comments will be turned on.  Sorry for the inconvenience.

1. April Top 10 – With over 170,000 views for just the top ten of the month of April that is fantastic.  Thank you to all that read my blog!

2. Reminder of Recall Meeting Today –I talked about when and where the meeting was to be held and a few of the reasons I was told for it possibility.

3. The Recall Of Mayor Ryan McCue  – Had a few emails about the recall and voting in the plan commission.

4. Wal-Mart & Wave Pushed Away  – Talked about the plan commission vote, thus ending the Wal-Mart and Wave site plan.

5. I Was Wrong Mayor!  – Satire of an apology to the Mayor.  I go over the Mayor’s platform and highlight important sections.

6. Tar and Feathers For McCue?   – Title came from an email to me from a McCue supporter asking me to stop the recall.  I listed a few of the reasons people emailed me why they support the recall.

7. Questions and Statements  – I took peoples’ questions and statements out of the public forum and answered them.  I had the drawings of the Wave and Wal-Mart buildings.

8. Thank You for Voting Against Wal-Mart Mayor McCue!  – Another satire this time from a person that wrote in the public forum thanking McCue for voting NO.

9. The Forbidden Store – Talked about Cobalt’s email to me and not trying to interfere with the proposal on the table.  This is before the vote.

10. Internet Child Predator Sterotype Changing Study Shows – Talks about how new studies show a change in the habits of the Internet Child Predator.

Wave may look to Oak Creek for training academy

http://seattle.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2008/05/12/story13.html

Day 7 – Monday May 12th 2008 - Still No response from the Mayor, but a new home for Wave & Wal-Mart 5 miles away in the O.C.

One starting observation to rid the mind of cobwebs, wake up the thought process, to be coffee for the brain – How is the Iceport the gateway to Cudahy?

Gateway - any passage by or point at which a region may be entered.  So no matter where the Wal-Mart is located is that not a gateway? 

So the NO crowd will complain no matter where it is!

Layton & Pennsylvania – Gateway to Cudahy from Milwaukee

College & Pennsylvania – Gateway to Cudahy from Milwaukee

Lakeshore Drive – Gateway to Cudahy from South Milwaukee and St. Francis

So no matter where the Wal-Mart is located is that not a gateway? 

Sorry if I hurt anyone’s feelings!

On to the apology

-------------

I do have to publicly apologize to Mayor Ryan McCue.  Many of you have known that I have been pretty harsh on our Mayor about the importance of “Communication”.  I have been very critical of him for a failure of “communication” with the citizens, mainly in written format.  I was wrong.  I am deeply sorry!

On the Mayor’s website (http://ryanmccue.com/Platform.html), he talks deeply about “Communication.” 

It is my fault for one, wanting the “Communication” to be a two-way street and two for it to be in written format.  We see “Communication” differently.  I actually think “Communication” means to communicate to the people.

Nowhere does he articulate that “Communication” would be either in his platform.  How about open communication to the citizens?  Is that in there? NOPE!

I guess we didn’t read the fine print.  Bait and switch, bait and switch.  Where is Ryan McCue the reformer?  Would the real Mayor please stand up!  You have heard me say that before.

Please accept my deepest apology on this matter.  One final thing, Mr. Mayor Ryan McCue, is being silent on the issue to why you voted “NO” and not explaining yourself, open communication?  “I will treat residents with the dignity and respect they deserve”?

If McCue thinks that silence, and ignoring the people is RESPECT…Wow, we do have a bigger problem on our hands then Wal-Mart.  Instead of standing up, just give your resignation and allow a real Mayor to step forward!

Maybe the Mayor is too good for us.  Maybe somewhere in Illinois is better.  McCue is right “we can do better” – he was just talking about a Cudahy Mayor.

What is forgotten in the whole mess is the vote was about the usage of the land.  Store names should not have played into it at this time.

When Ryan McCue ran for mayor, he campaigned on his frustration of closed-door meetings on his website, and in his attacks.  When they were working out the 6-month extension for the Iceport lawyers, and all the meetings of the council and CDA regarding this MOU with Cobalt on Penn and Layton, the meeting notices all talk about going into closed session.  What happened to his idea of open government?  Maybe I was wrong about this as well!

I will leave all of you with then candidate Ryan McCue’s “Communication” talk in written format.  Courtesy of http://ryanmccue.com/Platform.html 

Communication

Once elected as you Mayor, I will carefully listen to all the points of view of my constituents and then make to best decision for the majority of the people.  My record proves that I am committed to having open communications.  As your Milwaukee County Supervisor, nearly every month since June of 2002 I have held “Round Table Discussions” to listen to what is important to my constituents.

Residents: I will return your phone call in a timely fashion.  I will treat residents with the dignity and respect they deserve.  Once elected as your Mayor, I will host “Meetings with the Mayor” to afford residence an opportunity to learn more about city issues, give suggestions and ask questions.

Businesses: Working with the Cudahy Chamber of Commerce to improve the local economy is a top priority for me.  I will re-institute breakfast with Mayor for Cudahy’s businesses.

Common Council: As a former Alderman, I understand the importance of having open communications with the members of the common council.

City Employees:  It is important to have open and honest communication with city employees.  Once elected as your mayor, I will host brown bag lunches with city employees to discuss city issues.

I know one of hang-ups to the Wal-Mart was the fact it would be open 24 hours.  To me it makes sense since it is just next door to Patrick Cudahy and other jobs that run around the clock.  It works perfect for the workers who would like to shop.  As Lisa Nelson from Wal-Mart said, "A 24-hour operation is not for us," she said, "it's for our customers.  We're not making a lot of money in the middle of the night."

I guess it is okay to over look who can benefit from shopping at the Wal-Mart, everyone.  Where are people who work at odd hours to go?

Demand and Ask for honest answers for the hard questions.

McCue wants to do what he wanted and that was not allow Wal-Mart at all costs, those costs are to the citizens in the loss, he is answerable to us.  His decision not to explain himself is unacceptable and unreasonable; maybe there is a way around just to remove him based on mental incapacity or failure to do his job properly.  I have to agree with a caller to the Jay Weber show “No public official has the authority to arbitrarily make decisions”!

I have been saying the Mayor needs to clue people in on the game plan for months.  Does he have one?  What is the BP (battle plan) for the problems in Cudahy?

People, I am not writing to just bash the Mayor.  These are important things a leader should be doing.  Maybe he has no clue besides the personal things he allows to govern over himself and us.  He is supposed to be answerable and accountable to the people, and he is not answering the call from people and I am not talking about his phone use.

I would like to put to rest that McCue did not campaign against Wal-Mart or keeping them out of Cudahy as some have wished, but the use of tax dollars going to Wal-Mart.  Wal-Mart didn’t ask for any money. 

Here is what the Mayor said, “Wal-Mart:  I do not think that the City of Cudahy should provide a $12 million tax subsidy to the world’s biggest retailer.  Residents may not even see the tax benefits from the development for 20 years” http://ryanmccue.com/Platform.html

So, it is bait and switch.

Is McCue an elitist?  A Mayor is more then just doing what you want! 

It is doing right by the city and its people.  McCue has done none of this.  He is just doing his own thing and not explaining it, because he doesn't want to or have to.  He is getting in the way of progress in the city.

K9 unit, gangs, violence – the K9 is not 100% the answer, but a huge factor.  It is another tool the police can use.

Wal-Mart – It is not the silver bullet, but an economic clog in the wheel, a piece of the puzzle.  People are not busting down the doors to get in Cudahy, we are much like Cuba in many ways.  Just think about it!

This is round one - The people pushing for Wal-Mart ousting seem to be winning these battles. But will they win the war?

It is a win, be it a small one, that the Mayor is silent for Wal-Mart.  Maybe there is hope a real Mayor who doesn’t govern by personal thoughts, but sound plans will come forward.

To use the NO Wal-Mart crowd’s battle cry, anything is better than McCue!  No wait – I did change a key word there!!!!

On Second thought – No, I am not sorry on any counts!

A few people said they just about missed my thoughts that I include in the April Top 10 post because they keep up with my daily posts and if it was not that they just wanted to see the order, it would have been missed.  I have included them again in this post.

I hope everyone enjoys reading my posts.  You may not agree with me, but maybe what I have to say will shed some new light on matters and make you pause.  I am not a reporter, but a commentator.  I do not get paid, work for the city, or have a secret agenda.  I gain nothing personally from doing this blog other than the satisfaction of being able to put “The Way I See It” out for others to read.  I do it because I think it needs to be said.  I try to be fair and when I see something I don’t agree with, I let it be known.

Many people have said I am hard on the Mayor in his first year and I write blogs that don’t show his job performance in a good light.  When I see something that he does great, I will blog on it.  Hey, I am not the only one blogging on the Cudahy Now website, Greg Janisch was McCue’s campaign Treasurer and he can blog.  Just because I am critical of the Mayor’s job performance, does not make me a person who is attacking Ryan McCue personally nor am I character assassinating him!  This is about his job performance period!  We all have freedom of speech and a voice; I just choose to use mine.

Here is what a reader, Dave Taylor, said in a comment:

“Randy, there's a lot of people in Cudahy who back you up, even if they are too scared to admit it.  We should all be thankful that someone is willing to take a stand for what is right for our city; like you said, "...just want Cudahy to be better", too bad there are egos that get in the way of the good the city could do.  There isn't any reason to be shameful of an opinion, that's what makes us human (not robots) and why our country is a great one!

Sometimes you may feel your comments fall of deaf ears, but the truth is that people ARE reading and they ARE listening.  We rally behind you and hopefully, you are stronger in your plight for a better Cudahy because of it.  You are a voice that matters!  You are looking out for the betterment of Cudahy!  You are taking a stand, unafraid of whose feathers you ruffle!  Those of us who stand behind will continue to support you, even if the “powers that be” wish we weren’t listening!

Keep up the good work…your supporters need your voice!”

Someone has talked to my superiors at mycommunitynow.com to have my work censored or shutdown.  The claim was I lie, spread rumors, and have false and inaccurate information.  I try to source my work and some comes from people in government that do not like the direction we are headed or people close to a situation that feel some injudicious is being done.  I have always believed in correct information and not disinformation.  If something is truly wrong let me know and I will correct it, but don’t be all that upset and try and shut me down because you don’t LIKE what I am saying!  People, if what I am hearing from those inside is true, some scary things are coming or happening.  Hypothetically, it might even be something like a change of salary ordinances for health insurances that is not fair and done evenly.  Should it not be changed for all and not leave out anyone?  Fair is fair.  That is a hypothetical, but watch,  it might just come true.

I will not stop until the misinformation, disinformation and no information are brought to light.  More and more people are emailing me with things.  These are very reliable people and trustworthy people.  Together we can all make a difference.  I will NEVER sell you out and I have been asked who is telling me things.  The wheel of information doesn’t need to stop spinning just because it might ruffle some feathers.

http://www.620wtmj.com/shows/charliesykes/18804009.html

WAL-MART HATERS

By Charlie Sykes

Story Created: May 9, 2008

Story Updated: May 10, 2008

Cudahy Mayor Ryan McCue... and these guys:

And more..... here they focus on the role of unions in Wal-Mart hating (WARNING GRAPHIC LANGUAGE; GRAPHIC IMAGES, NUDITY):

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Educating the Idiot Politician of the Week

Day 5 – Still No response from the Mayor

Amazing, the leader (in name only) votes something down, is silent, and will probably gets away with it.  Hey, only in Cudahy!

It was requested that I do a monthly review of the most looked at topics I wrote.  I will run down the top 10 and give a small overview of each. 

Some of these have an unfair advantage because they are older and have had the chance to be looked at longer.  By far, the shorter time Wal-Mart articles have more people view them quicker.  Many people still want to hear about Wal-Mart from both sides of the issue.

People keep emailing me offline in private and that is good.  I would like people to start making comments.  The South Shore viewers don’t seem to want to publicly comment, by how many private emails I get vs. the comments feature used.

1. Turf War – What to Build? –Yes it is a Wal-Mart post and I talked about TIFs and how the Mayor doesn’t want the Wal-Mart and how this chance may not come again. I also included a letter from a reader that they sent to the Mayor and my responses to what the Mayor replied.

2. Real Voter Intimidation – I talked about how during the 2006 election my neighbor was intimidated and took down his sign in fear of retribution from his union steward.

3. ** Adults Only **  – The title maybe misleading to a few, but the subject matter was how adult content is on the web and we must watch what our children do on the web.

4. One Must Look Back To See The Future  – Here I wrote about that sometimes one must look back to see the future and how Mayor McCue had some foreshadowing in his campaign pledge about Wal-Mart.  Cudahy, as is the nation, is in a recession and how in a downturn we should not pass up the opportunity of this Wal-Mart.

5. History Repeating Page Two  –I wrote about the info a reader emailed me about a Cudahy School closing and Wal-Mart spin.

6. Plan Commission   – I wrote about what happen at the last Plan Commission meeting about Cudahy Station.  How some members didn’t even understand what they were to be voting on that night.

7. Proposal On The Table  – I wrote about what is the Wal-Mart proposal, TIF, and the Plan Commission.

8. Teen’s Common Sense Sometimes Lacking  – I wrote about a report I came across on how Florida legislators are encouraging a review of their "abstinence only" sex education programs after a recent survey completed by Florida teens returned some curious results of not understanding things like drinking bleach prevents HIV.  By now way am I attacking "abstinence only", just bring to light what they found.

9. Flamethrower  –I wrote about what a person said to me about how I deal with the Mayor and if I hate him.  I may be ruffling feathers and again once you write it, and sign it, you can’t hide from it something I wish the city would do.

10. Keeping Us In The “Noir”  – Keeping Us In The "Noir" is about how we are in the dark (Noir) on may things in government and how with open records laws, the information should be public and easily obtainable.  I wrote about how many of these very things should be on the web at a mouse click away from you and I to read and know.

I hope everyone enjoys reading my posts.  You may not agree with me, but maybe what I have to say will shed some new light on matters and make you pause.  I am not a reporter, but a commentator.  I do not get paid, work for the city, or have a secret agenda.  I gain nothing personally from doing this blog other than the satisfaction of being able to put “The Way I See It” out for others to read.  I do it because I think it needs to be said.  I try to be fair and when I see something I don’t agree with, I let it be known.

Many people have said I am hard on the Mayor in his first year and I write blogs that don’t show his job performance in a good light.  When I see something that he does great, I will blog on it.

Hey, I am not the only one blogging on the Cudahy Now website, Greg Janisch was McCue’s campaign Treasurer and he can blog.  Just because I am critical of the Mayor’s job performance, does not make me a person who is attacking Ryan McCue personally nor am I character assassinating him!  This is about his job performance period!  We all have freedom of speech and a voice; I just choose to use mine.

Here is what a reader, Dave Taylor, said in a comment:

“Randy, there's a lot of people in Cudahy who back you up, even if they are too scared to admit it.  We should all be thankful that someone is willing to take a stand for what is right for our city; like you said, "...just want Cudahy to be better", too bad there are egos that get in the way of the good the city could do.  There isn't any reason to be shameful of an opinion, that's what makes us human (not robots) and why our country is a great one!

Sometimes you may feel your comments fall of deaf ears, but the truth is that people ARE reading and they ARE listening.  We rally behind you and hopefully, you are stronger in your plight for a better Cudahy because of it.  You are a voice that matters!  You are looking out for the betterment of Cudahy!  You are taking a stand, unafraid of whose feathers you ruffle!  Those of us who stand behind will continue to support you, even if the “powers that be” wish we weren’t listening!

Keep up the good work…your supporters need your voice!”

Someone has talked to my superiors at mycommunitynow.com to have my work censored or shutdown.  The claim was I lie, spread rumors, and have false and inaccurate information.  I try to source my work and some comes from people in government that do not like the direction we are headed or people close to a situation that feel some injudicious is being done.  I have always believed in correct information and not disinformation.  If something is truly wrong let me know and I will correct it, but don’t be all that upset and try and shut me down because you don’t LIKE what I am saying!  People if what I am hearing from those inside is true, some scary things are coming or happening.  Hypothetically, it might even be something like a change of salary ordinances for health insurances that is not fair and done evenly.  Should it not be changed for all and not leave out anyone?  Fair is fair.  That is a hypothetical, but watch it might just come true.

I will not stop until the misinformation, disinformation and no information are brought to light.  More and more people are emailing me with things.  These are very reliable people and trustworthy people.  Together we can all make a difference.  I will NEVER sell you out and I have been asked who is telling me things.  The wheel of information doesn’t need to stop spinning just because it might ruffle some feathers.

It was requested that I do a monthly review of the most looked at topics I wrote.  I will run down the top 10 and give a small overview of each. 

Some of these have an unfair advantage because they are older and have had the chance to be looked at longer.  By far, the shorter time Wal-Mart articles have more people view them quicker.  Many people still want to hear about Wal-Mart from both sides of the issue.

People keep emailing me offline in private and that is good.  I would like people to start making comments.  The South Shore viewers don’t seem to want to publicly comment, by how many private emails I get vs. the comments feature used.

1. The Mayor and I – I talked about the fact that Mayor McCue and I were mentioned in the OnMilwaukee.com article In Bars & Clubs and how the Mayor may or may not feel about bars in Cudahy.  You can make up your own mind.

2. Cudahy Wal-Mart Time Line – I talked about and laid out the time line for the IcePort and the Wal-Marts and how we have gotten here.  I pose some questions that still remain unanswered.

3. A Wal-Mart Hypothetical  – I talked about “what if” someone voted NO that had connections to Wal-Mart’s competition and why they voted the way they did and what should happen.  Just a hypothetical, right?

4. Soccer Economic Impact  – I talked about and had info from other cities on how soccer tournaments economic impact were positive for the cities involved and how having a training facility would be even bigger boost.

5. Death Penalty  – I give my viewpoint on the death penalty while the high court weighs in on lethal injection for Death Row Inmate.

6. Crime Part I – How to Reduce Crime In Cudahy  – I talked about what can be done to reduce crime in Cudahy.  This is a six part series.

7. State of Cudahy Address  – I talk about what I would have liked to see in the Mayor’s State of Cudahy Address

8. Wal-Mart What If  – I talked about other possible locations and what if they are working behind closed doors with the city.  Had a very good comment from an informed reader.

9. Lawn Care Part I – Correct Time and Fertilizer Selections  – I talk about the correct time and proper fertilizer selections to have an awesome lawn using the EMIL method.

10. What If Not Wal-Mart  – I talk about what should go there if not Wal-Mart as asking the question, I showed some awesome pictures of the proposed Austin Texas Wal-Mart.  These are truly beautiful.

My fastest one day viewer-ship was History Repeating  – This is where I talk about the proposal of closing a school and how in a few years we will be asked to build a new one.  We can learn from history if we choose to.

I don’t know where the city stands in the issue of the Eminent Domain on the two bars in Cudahy, it was in the infancy, and I am not sure if it has grown up or faded away. 

In the online article from onmilwaukee.com “Good times still flowing on Cudahy's Packard Avenue” Mayor McCue said "The taverns that are undesirable are fading away," as I pointed out in my post “The Mayor and I” was confusing to which Mayor Ryan McCue was doing the interview.  Talking out of both sides of his mouth is not something the Mayor should be doing.  Straight answers are what we need.

Are the bars in question fading away or are the Mayor and the council going to proceed on the Eminent Domain?  I should stop into the bars in question, take some pictures and talk to the owners and show everyone them.  If someone knows the owners, please let them know I will try and find time to have their side of the story heard.  It would be nice if they would publicly post on my blog.

As I have stated before, I would hope the city would use that power on the vacant Kohl’s Food Emporium building just north of Layton Ave in the heavily eyed downtown revival.  From City Lounge you can see the decrepit Kohl’s lot.  There is graffiti on the building and the vacant building is looking blight, paint chipping away.  See pictures below.  I was not fast enough to get the camera out and take pictures of kids playing on the parking lot during school hours.

To me and many that have emailed me, that makes common sense, use it at the Kohl’s building. 

While in the shower the other day, I was thinking - Is the city not doing the Eminent Domain at the VACANT land or building because they don’t want to occur the cost of litigation of fighting with big powerful property owners and it is EASIER to pick on the small businesses who will not have large cash reserves?  (Being a small business owner myself, this is worrisome.)  If it is not those, then we have a bigger problem.  Someone’s ego is dictating this.

McCue said he is prepared not only to "put an end to the Iceport" but also to control taxes, ensure safe neighborhoods, eliminate blight and hold absentee landlords accountable for their properties.

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=578865

That must not have included vacant business properties.

While I am told Dusty’s is not in good shape, there are other ways of correcting the situation.  Either forcing the business to cleanup or pop them on legitimate violations taking away their liquor license.    

Hopefully between my posts Has the Genie already been let out of the bottle? and The Mayor and I many people will see the mixed message that the Mayor is sending.  Part of that is not his fault, but that of a politician playing politics.  Some feel you have to play on both sides of the fence and NEVER truly stand for something. 

I don’t agree! 

The Mayor is full of mixed messages, like he will end the Iceport debacle, yet gives them six more months.  People need to “Say what they mean” and “Mean what they say.”

Here is a comment that was left on onmilwaukee.com about this issue:

“Nice upscale restaurants and bars are nice, but the Mayor should not rip the livelihoods out from under the current proprietors in order to accomplish this.  I agree with Hollenbeck, as current liquor license is turned in or taken away for a legitimate violation, then the city should be looking at upgrades.  The Mayor should not consider the use of Eminent Domain to tear down Cheers.”

And here is an email I received on the issue:

You should ask yourself, “Why is the city not looking at bettering the city in these vacant buildings?”  Better then that, ask the city and the Mayor yourself.  As the Mayor said "There's a great potential for something better," and he is right, better and more productive then empty buildings that are VACANT and BLIGHT, he just has his sites set on the wrong locations. 

Here is someone who does,

http://badgerblogger.com/?p=5017

 or

 http://badgerblogger.com/?p=5687. 

You should be able to see the difference between him and me.

Bill of Rights - Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

High court to weigh in on lethal injection for Death Row Inmates

Amendment VIII (the Eighth Amendment) of the United States Constitution, which is part of the U.S. Bill of Rights, prohibits excessive bail or fines, as well as cruel and unusual punishment.

I am for the Death Penalty!  I wish Wisconsin had it and that it was used more often in states that do.

It's interesting that no one, in these death row cases, ever discusses the victims of the people's crimes.  The media never discusses the families of those victims. Why is anyone caring about the rights of Death Row Prisoners?  If a person is truly guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, it is probably certain that they killed people without regard to their victims not feeling any pain.  Now these prisoners are complaining that they should be executed in a painless manner.  A criminal is sentenced for lethal injection, yet no one gives it to them.  Where in the constitution does it state that a convicted killer deserves better treatment than his/her victim?  If these criminals think getting a needle and going to sleep is cruel and unusual, then I say let their victims' families have their way with them for about an hour.

Please, give me a break!!  If you want to use a painful method of execution, bring back hanging to the United States.  It is painless if all is done correctly, but most of the time something indeed goes wrong, then it is very painful.  The person’s head could even be ripped off and it’s painful, for only a short time.  Remember hanging is still how the justice system in Iraq works.  Saddam Hussein, he found out how hanging feels.  Now he is dead.

Worried about pain?  All be it messy, the guillotine is painless and quick. 

Anyone that's known someone that died from cancer or some other horrible disease, surely if given a choice of a needle to end it all instead of withering in pain for months, would consider that relief and not cruel.  Strangely, the dying are legally limited on the amount of morphine they get for pain, something about lawmakers fearing addiction.  Death row inmates die a better death than decent citizens do.  Yeah, this makes sense.

Do we need to find another way to euthanize our animals?  They are put to sleep in the same fashion. 

We cannot let uncivilized people among the civilized or you have no civilized nation.  With irrefutable proof of guilt, I have no problem whatsoever with the death penalty.  It is the only sure way of keeping a murderer from hurting anyone else.  For those who think the death sentence does not deter the crime, I can prove you wrong very simply.  After the sentence is carried out, that person will not murder another ever again.  That is 100% effectiveness.  You cannot get any better than that.

True, by killing someone, you cannot undo the harm they did.  No, matter how you punish them.  Doesn't a civilized society protect the innocent?  Death row would not be so expensive if people were not on it for decades.  Finally, the eighth amendment is one of the most misconstrued, in my opinion.  I do not believe that the founding fathers would consider lethal injection cruel or unusual.  I simply think they were against torture.  Besides, what could you do to someone who chopped up his family with a meat cleaver that would be cruel or unusual? 

As long as executions are done behind closed doors, no one "fears" them.  When hangings were a public event kids grew up afraid of death if they broke the law.  When we started hiding the consequences, kids stopped respecting the law.  I’m not advocating for public executions...but I am saying we need to get some form of punishment back in the forefront and make it a punishment to go to jail so kids stop seeing it as a badge of honor.  What "punishment" is there for a street kid when going to jail means he gets 3 meals, a bed, heat, cable TV, a computer with the Internet, a chance to go back to school, a gym to work out in, etc?  We need to reinstate true consequences.  Imprisonment rewards murderers with lifelong medical and social care incentives.  Just imagine authentic reality TV if public executions did occur.  Let us go back to hanging and be done with it!

We must reject the idea that every time a law is broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker.  It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions.

- Ronald Reagan

Should there be tighter gun controls in the US?

Amendment II (the Second Amendment) of the United States Constitution’s Bill of Rights declares a well-regulated militia as "being necessary to the security of a free State" and prohibits infringement of "the right of the people to keep and bear arms."

The idea behind allowing citizens the right to bear arms is a necessary check on government.  The provision of the US constitution that guarantees us this right was not an unintended aspect of this country's beginnings, but rather a deliberate tool of construction.  The direct intention was to establish a check that even the most powerful government could not overcome.  Although gun control may seem specifically applicable in a broader sense, an American gun ownership rights (not an illegal’s right, notice the word illegal, they do not have rights under the Bill of Rights since they are not citizens) is a necessary check.  Gun control alone is not the solution for crime prevention.  The package to achieve the goal should include the control of guns shown in movies or on TV, family guidance and stricter sale of guns (to find those mentally unstable and keep guns out of their hands) with strict background checks for which Congress has only partially addressed.  Gun crimes in the US are more of a moral issue, with a failure at the core level of family values.  We have good gun laws; we only need too enforce them.  More un-enforced laws will not change a thing.

There are more guns per head of population in Sweden and Finland than in the US, but only a tiny fraction of the gun crime.

Why?

The problem is the justice system that continually releases repeat offenders back into society and the overwhelming concern for the criminal’s civil rights, while ignoring how badly the victims and their family’s rights have been violated.  There needs be tighter controls on the politicians and judges who allow this sort of thing to get out of hand in the first place.  Gun laws have gotten stricter for decades.  Gun crimes have increased at the same level.  If these stricter gun laws were working, we would have seen results by now. 

Stricter background checks for the purchase of firearms is a nice idea; unfortunately, this will do nothing to curb their malicious use.  Gun control laws fail because firearms can easily be obtained from sources other than your local gun store.  There are an estimated 200,000,000 unregistered guns in the worldwide black market for criminals to purchase!  Someone planning mass-murder would have no qualms about illegally obtaining semi- or fully automatic weapons, which are plentifully and available from "private" sources.  No matter how well meaning legislation is, twisted killers will never be stopped!

I am a gun owner.  I own 5 rifles and 2 shotguns and no handguns as of yet.  For me, shooting and hunting is a great hobby and an excellent form of exercise.  I eat what I kill.  I respect the law and deeply value life.  I believe all of my family and friends are responsible, safe and cautious gun owners.  Most of us were taught this disciplined behavior by our parents and grandparents back to the founding of the country.  We keep the peace and obey the laws; we are NOT the ones using guns illegally.

If the goal is to reduce gun crime, perhaps instead of the government passing more laws that in effect change nothing, there should be a focus on enforcing the current laws.  Presently, the police are out gunned by criminals with larger more sophisticated weapons, who don’t care about the laws and don’t value human life.  I will happily give up all my guns when the bad people out there can promise the same thing.

While the opinions stated here are mine, they are just that opinions.