Life in a Giuliani America

Think what life would be like in a Rudy-run America.

Not like we're ever going to consider the incompetent former New York City mayor's rule valid if he wins the presidency, seeing how his party pretty much screwed the pooch with the phone-jamming scandal in New Hampshire that the media usually ignores. (Some states probably have laws requiring political parties to have not been found to have engaged in election fraud.) But if you're still not sold on the idea of enjoying local autonomy instead of suffering under Giuliani's repressive thumb, let me warn you of what you're going to have to put up with if Giuliani wins.

Under Giuliani, it's his way or else. It used to be a person was allowed to sort of, like, do stuff. But in New York there's almost nothing left of the Constitution now that Giuliani's gotten through with it. We just read an article that says the city bans the sale of spray paint and permanent markers to people under 21. We hate seeing historic buildings blighted by graffiti, but look at all the innocent people punished by Giuliani's despotism.

Spray paint and markers do have legitimate purposes, ya know. You might need them for work, or even for school (especially if you take art).

And why 21 instead of 18? The age of majority can't be any higher than 18 (and is in fact 18 under New York state law). You can pass law after law after law making it 21, and it can still be no higher than 18. It's a principle of common law that applies everywhere. So the New York ordinance not only restricts what kids can do, but adults as well. Not just those who are over 21 who are carded to do something as simple as buying art supplies, but also those between 18 and 21 who can't buy them at all.

Carding for such an ordinary purchase borders on being the modern American equivalent of having to "show your papers" - the thing we used to hear about in anecdotes of foreign dictatorships. Anyone who can buy the items legally probably feels like they have to give a whole speech to the clerk justifying their purchase. In free countries, of course, you shouldn't feel like you have to do this.

Has this right-wing law been successful at curtailing graffiti? We think you know the answer to that. (Here's a hint: It's no.)

The retail industry doesn't have the guts to ignore and challenge the ordinance. With all the chain stores today, and with so many of Giuliani's followers among the big locals, lockstep adherence rules the roost.

All over America, there's so many silly laws to control everyday behavior that you or someone you love probably breaks these laws at least monthly without even realizing it. The right-wing solution for everything is another law against personal conduct. To the Far Right, this whole big, bad world looks like a nail, and all they have is a hammer.

More Giuliani examples? New York City has also had an ordinance restricting sales of laser pointers (that fun little late '90s fad). And during Giuliani's administration, he had city police drive hundreds of miles upstate (somewhere around Syracuse) to arrest people for having fireworks (even though the state's enforcement of fireworks laws was far less heavy-handed than the city's was). One police official under Giuliani arrogantly threatened to seize people's cars if they had fireworks (even though fireworks themselves are actually a relatively minor offense). There's other preposterous examples, but we'll try to deal with them later.

The right-wing media likes to tout Giuliani allegedly lowering New York City's crime rate. For one thing, we have a hard time believing it, especially after reports that political pressure caused the statistics to be deliberately skewed to help him and his party. (Any regular viewer of 'America's Most Wanted' is constantly bombarded with stories out of New York featuring the types of horrific crimes that the media usually credits Giuliani with eliminating.) For another, seizing a car without a warrant is constitutionally forbidden and therefore illegal. It constitutes the crime of theft. If I was a motorist in New York City during or after Giuliani's reign of fright, I'd feel far less safe than I would have before.

I don't why Giuliani was such a right-wing mayor. Maybe his dick is small. However, his influence was so immense (thanks to a fawning media) that he (along with assholes like Newt Gingrich) was one of the individuals most responsible for the growth of the American police state in the '90s. Contrast what you could get away with in 1990 versus 2000, and there's no comparison.

So, in today's America, just be sure to always walk very carefully, don't look at anyone, don't make a sound, and don't touch anything. Then you just might not find yourself in the state pen.

(Source: http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070827/NEWS01/708270354)