Human Trafficking, a World Wide Problem

Every day, HSI agents around the globe work to uncover, dismantle and disrupt human trafficking. They come face to face with the worst of humanity – traffickers profiting off the forced labor and commercial sex of their victims using physical and sexual abuse, threats of harm and deportation, false promises, economic and psychological manipulation, and cruelty.

Human trafficking victims have been found in communities nationwide in the agriculture, hospitality, restaurant, domestic work and other industries, as well as in prostitution that is facilitated online, on the street, or in businesses fronting for prostitution such as massage parlors. Overseas forced labor can be used to produce the consumer goods that are in our homes and workplaces. The victims are men, women and children of all ages and may include U.S. citizens and foreign nationals. Many of them may have thought they had found a good paying job or a better life, only to have their hopes and dreams dashed and placed into modern day slavery.

In fiscal year 2019, HSI initiated 1,024 investigations with a nexus to human trafficking and recorded 2,197 arrests,1,113 indictments, and 691 convictions; 428 victims were identified and assisted. HSI continues to make human trafficking cases a top investigative priority by connecting victims to resources to help restore their lives and bringing traffickers to justice.

If you notice suspicious activity in your community, call the ICE Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or

report tips online

How to Make Your New Jersey Home Sell Faster

(Gloucestercitynews.net)(January 14, 2020)–If you are thinking of selling your home in New Jersey, there are a number of steps that you can take to ensure that your home appeals to the typical New Jersey buyer, regardless of the estate agent that you choose or the time that you choose to sell your home. By following these interior design tips, you will soon be able to ensure that your home only stays on the market for as little time as possible.

Paint Your Walls

Due to the fact that

more people are looking at leaving New Jersey

than staying within the state, it is important that your home is able to stand out from the crowd of houses on the market and ensure that it grabs the attention of potential home buyers. To allow your home to do this, you need to make sure that you are able to present your house to its maximum potential, and you can do this by sprucing up your home’s walls. Although you might not want to completely revitalize your home before moving out, painting your walls can help to cover any chips, cracks, or stains which can mar the modernity and attractiveness of your home. Then, to prevent your home from looking dated, you should invest in the right

painting tools

to enable you to perfect your home’s new finish yourself without having to call in professional help.

Declutter and Depersonalize

Even if your house has the best of décor and interior design, if your home is cluttered or unclean, this can decrease the viewer’s likelihood to buy your home. Instead, your home should be both clean and tidy so that viewers can see all of the features which your home provides, as well as the potential space offered by your home. Not only this, but there is evidence to suggest that depersonalizing your home is the perfect option to get your home in New Jersey sold quickly, as this will enable viewers to envision their own possessions within your home, helping them to imagine what it would be like for them to live within the property.

Make a Great First Impression

However, the interior of your home is not what makes the first impression on guests to your property. Instead, the front garden will be the first view that potential buyers have of your home, and so it is important to maximize the impact of this first impression. You can do this by creating a lavish and decorative outdoor space, ensuring that weeds are eradicated and that your garden is filled with bright and budding flowers and plants. You can also add to this sight by ensuring that your fences are strong and painted well. You can also have benches and other forms of outdoor equipment in your garden to transform it into a relaxing and peaceful space that can instantly appeal to potential buyers.

Conduct Repairs

With

house prices in New Jersey

reaching over a high $360,000 on average, potential buyers in Jersey City and beyond want to know that they are getting a good property for their money and that they will not have to spend extortionate amounts on repairs within the first six months of their tenure. You should make sure that any issues with your home are fixed efficiently before you have any viewings, and these include issues such as blocked drains, which can lead to nasty smells, leaks in the roof, and poor electrics, for instance.

Add Finishing Touches

With there being a lot of competition in

the best locations to buy houses in NJ

, it is important that you are able to add finishing touches that can wow your viewers and make them want to immediately buy your property. Your finishing touches can be added on the day of the viewing to ensure that everything goes smoothly, and these can include adding simple items such as plants and increasing natural lighting to allow your home to appeal to viewers. You may also consider adding incense burners or candles around your home to give off great smells that can influence the ambiance of the interior of your property and stun viewers into instantly loving your home.

Modernize Your Home

New Jersey is infamous for its

inspired home design trends

, and keeping up with the latest fashions is important if you want to appeal to homeowners in the state. In order to modernize your home, you should consider applying rules and trends such as neutral or feature walls, as well as minimalism to help your home look like an up-to-date and fashionable space that will appeal to all ages.

Summary

There are many reasons why you might need to sell your home fast, such as if you are part of a chain or if you need to take on a job in a new area. Although the New Jersey housing market can be competitive, with a few home improvements, as well as a good estate agent and selling platform, it is easy to sell your home fast and move as soon as possible.

image courtesy of unsplash.com

STUDY: New Jersey One of the States Hit the Hardest by Robo Calls

It’s not just in your head: the number of robocalls has increased sharply over the last couple of years. Robocall blocking company YouMail estimates that between 60 and 75 billion robocalls will have been placed in 2019, up from 47

billion last year and 30 billion the year before. What’s more, scams increasingly account for the majority of robocalls—45% of them in 2019, compared to just 17.6% in 2016.

To investigate this issue further,

Let’s Talk

culled robocall complaint and call frequency data from Federal Trade Commission and YouMail, and assigned each state in the U.S. a score. Based on this methodology, Maryland, Nevada, Colorado, Delaware and New Jersey have been hit the hardest by robocalls in 2019. The average Maryland resident receives a whopping

18 robocalls a month

Alaskans have suffered the least from robocalls this year—residents receive an average of 3.3 of them a month—followed by North Dakota, Indiana, Hawaii, Mississippi. Here’s a full list of the state robocall rankings.

As mentioned, scams account for the largest percentage of robocalls (45.7%), followed by alerts and reminders (22.7%), payment reminders (20.3%), and perpetually annoying telemarketing calls (11.3%). The percentage of telemarketing robocalls has hovered around 11-13% over the past three years.

Fortunately, there’s help on the way. A new federal law raises the penalty for a single robocall to a whopping $10,000—which should make spammers think twice. The major carriers have already rolled out a new robocall fighting measure called STIR/SHAKEN, which promises to help to ameliorate the problem as well.

METHODOLOGY

To come up with our state robocall rankings, we calculated each state’s ranking by giving them a weighted score based on two data points: the monthly number of robocalls per person in each state (weighted at 40%) according to YouMail, and the number of monthly robocall complaints per person made to the Federal Trade Commission in each state (weighted at 60%). The states were then ordered and ranked according to this score.

SOURCE: LET\’S TALK

Does Chairman Currie Understand What It Means To ‘Say Anything, Tell Any Lie’

Norcross wants it both ways on Economic Opportunity Act

COLLINGSWOOD – Claire Gustafson, Republican candidate for Congress in New Jersey’s first congressional district, congratulated John Currie on getting re-elected Democrat state party chairman and asked if the Chairman understood what it really means to “say anything, tell any lie” to hold onto a seat in congress.

Currie’s “say anything, tell any lie”

comments

were directed at Republican Congressman Jeff Van Drew in the second congressional district last week after the congressman added “Phil Murphy to the list of reasons” he left the Democrat party.

“While I do congratulate Chairman Currie on winning re-election as New Jersey’s Democratic Party Chairman, I think he might want to refrain from throwing stones from within the glass house of his own party,” Claire Gustafson said. “One need only look at reports of how Congressman Donald Norcross once

proudly proclaimed

he ‘led the charge on getting the Economic Opportunity Act passed into law’ and

more recently

has backpedaled and ‘is trying to downplay his role’ in getting the law that has benefitted his friends and family passed.”

“Rather than accusing a Republican Congressman of being the one to ‘say anything, tell any lie’ perhaps the Democrat chairman should be calling out Congressman Norcross for saying anything and telling any lie.” Gustafson added, “Obviously, Congressman Norcross, by his own words, ‘led the charge’ on getting a law passed before his campaign staff decided he was ‘just one of dozens of cosponsors.’”

Gustafson asked, “Was Congressman Norcross lying when he said he led the charge on getting the Economic Opportunity Act passed into law? Or is the congressman saying anything and telling any lie with his backpedaling and saying he was just one of dozens of cosponsors?

“Whatever the case, Donald Norcross doesn’t get to have it both ways on the Economic Opportunity Act and the scandals it has led to and Chairman Currie does not get to accuse any Republican of saying anything and telling any lie to hold onto a seat when a member of Congress from his own party is doing exactly that.”

YOUR GOVERNMENT: Recycling, Climate Funding, EV Charging Station Bills Go to Gov’s Desk

The following bills have passed both the Assembly and the Senate and are on their way to the Governor’s

desk.

A5681/5682 (Pinkin) / S3939/3944 (Smith):

Establishes Recycling Market Development Council. The Council would look at existing recycling markets and recommend ways to stimulate recycling and how to reduce contamination of collected recyclables. The bill passed the Assembly with a vote of

76-0-0

“We’re seeing a major drop in recycling in New Jersey. In the early 1990’s, we recycled over half of municipal and household waste. Now we are down to 37%. China’s decision to no longer import plastic waste has caused the recycling market to collapse. Some towns are no longer taking plastics. Recycling facilities are closing, or opening only once or twice a month. This bill says that New Jersey needs to develop new recycling markets. Rutgers has invented the first plastic lumber that uses recycled plastics, and more innovation needs to be encouraged. We need to focus on coming up with more markets for recycling, and establishing a Recycling Market Development Council is a step in the right direction,”

said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.

A6014 (Vainieri Huttle):

Establishes NJ Climate Change Resource Center at Rutgers University, appropriates up to $500,000. The resource center would carry out interdisciplinary research activities to help New Jersey adapt and prepare for climate change. The bill passed the Assembly with a vote of

53-20-1

“Establishing a Climate Change Resource Center is a good step forward when it comes to being prepared and stronger than the next storm, but $500,000 is not enough money to get the job done. Rutgers is spending $4 million a year on a new football coach, but we can only spend $500,000 for climate change research. They need to get their priorities straight. This is a fumble when it comes to climate change. A recent study found that much of New Jersey, including inland counties, are more vulnerable to climate impacts now than before Sandy. We must start taking real actions to fight climate change now. We are in a climate crisis, and New Jersey is the only state on the east coast that does not have any kind of sea level rise climate adaptation plan,”

said Jeff Tittel.

“This Resource Center will help use the latest science to put climate and sea level rise in DEP rules and state legislation, but more money needs to go toward this center for it to be effective.”

A1030 (Johnson)/ S2421 (Smith/Bateman):

Concerns installation of electric vehicle charging stations in common interest communities. This bill would promote, encourage, and remove obstacles to the use of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations by prohibiting common interest communities, such as condominiums and homeowners’ associations, from adopting or enforcing any rule that prohibits the installation or use of an EV charging station in a unit owner’s designated parking space. The bill passed the Assembly with a vote of

75-1-1

“This legislation is a critical step forward towards making EV infrastructure accessible for everyone. Residents should have RIGHT-To-CHARGE where people can petition their landlord or condo association for a private charging station or pay for a public charging station. We can also have the Economic Development Authority require any project with state funding to have charging stations,”

said Tittel.

Mega Millions Jackpot Rolls To $91,000,000

TRENTON (Jan. 13, 2020) – The Mega Millions jackpot has rolled to $91 million! James Carey, New Jersey Lottery acting executive director, announced that in the Friday, Jan. 10, drawing, 9 players matched four of the five white balls drawn making each ticket worth $500. Two of those tickets were purchased with the Megaplier option, multiplying the prize to $1,000. Moreover, 23,071 other New Jersey players took home $85,612 in prizes ranging from $2 to $400, according to Carey. The winning numbers for the Friday, Jan. 10, drawing were: 17, 27, 49, 51, and 66. The Gold Mega Ball was 02, and the Megaplier Multiplier was 02.

The next drawing will be held Tuesday, Jan. 14, at 11:00 pm. All New Jersey Lottery Mega Millions tickets must be purchased before 10:45 pm to participate in the drawing. Mega Millions tickets cost just two dollars; by adding the Megaplier option for an extra dollar per play, players can increase their non- jackpot winnings up to five times. Mega Millions tickets are sold in 46 participating jurisdictions. Drawings are held on Tuesdays and Fridays.

GUEST OPINION: LIKE OR NOT, HE\’S OUR PRESIDENT

by George Roof, Chief Master Sergeant, USAF (Retired)

Because I am a \”lifer\” in the military, I\’ve seen the impact of a president more than many of you can imagine. I enlisted with LBJ and saw just what a Democrat cluster flock was all about. I went to Vietnam and saw how we were constantly and incessantly bombarded with micromanagement from Washington that got thousands of military people killed. I sometimes wonder if I\’ll get to heaven, but if I go to hell, I\’m sure I\’ll still be a few hundred floors above that bastard Robert McNamara, LB Johnson, John Kerry, Jane Fonda, and yes, even the \”hero\” John McCain.

After Johnson \”abdicated\” rather than having his a** waxed, I lived through Nixon who was hawkish but allowed the generals (and there WERE a few real generals back then versus now) run the show. Nixon was so out of touch that he never knew North Vietnam was about to surrender when the Paris Accord was presented. .

Only God could help us after Gerald Ford was beaten by Jimmy \’Peanuts\’ Carter who\’d been funded by Saudi money. The military was turned into Section 8 and even the White House suffered the austerity.

Then the light began to shine and Ronald Reagan swept into the fray. He not only loved the country and the military, they l loved him back. Esprit d\’corps was off the scale during his presidency. The Liberals were slowly turning into socialists, however, and about this time all the draft dodgers of the 1960\’s who\’d been given amnesty by Jimmy \’Peanuts\’ were turning out college graduates with degrees in socialism. Bush 1 was an enigma from the CIA and though he never did much either way, he NEVER DID MUCH EITHER WAY.

Welcome to Bill Clinton. Clinton spent most of his two terms wagging the dog and creating the \’Oral\’ Office, sending a bomber to blow up Quaddafi\’s tent and killing a goat or two, while allowing the UN to set up the infamous Black Hawk Down situation He made history by becoming only the second president to be impeached.

I actually felt sorry for Bush 2. He was doomed to infamy from the start. He thought most of America was still the rah rah patriots of WWII when they were \’simply socialists\’ waiting to feed him to the sharks.

Then there came the Manchurian Candidate Obama with a faked (OK Democrats, let\’s say \”of questionable origin\” to assuage your PC brains) birth certificate, who\’d gotten a free ride through college under a foreign student exemption, and whose college records and complete life history had been \’sealed.\’ (We know more about Thomas Jefferson\’s bastard children than we do about Obama, Michelle , OR their two faked kids.)

From his inaugural address, he slandered America and within days had begun to encourage dissension of the races as well as slandering police who \”acted stupidly.\” That was mild to the crap that would come in doubling the national debt from what had been built by ALL THE PREVIOUS PRESIDENTS COMBINED, feeding us bullshit about how Muslims built this country, and nationalizing American industries.

Paragraph 9: Fueled by George Soros\’ money and using the Air Force fleet as his personal charters, he appointed malcontents and traitors into positions of authority. He trashed the Constitution by installing \”czars\” (interesting he chose a title like that) to bypass Congressional authority. By that time, Congress was completely corrupt on both sides of the aisle. No one had balls to impeach this charlatan Obama.

Mysteriously, the lone outspoken conservative Supreme Court Justice Scalia suddenly dies in his sleep at an Obama pal\’s hunting lodge and the Supreme Court is evenly split. Finally, Congress shows some balls and rejects Obama\’s Supreme Court, Justice nomination. The Libertards aren\’t worried because the fix is in. Soros \’has paid\’ demonstrators to cause turmoil at all the Republican gatherings.\’ Obama concedes that illegal aliens should vote as they won\’t be prosecuted, and Soros-manufactured voting machines are caught switching votes in certain precincts Hillary has cheated her way to the nomination and her lies are completely ignored by the brainwashed minions of sycophants who follow her.

But a shocking thing happened on the way to the forum.

Middle America had had enough and although the pollsters and the pipers tried to convince middle America not even to bother to vote, they were fed up with the denizens of the swamp. It was time. Florida was designated a \”swing\” state ignoring that all those old retirees living in St. Petersburg, and the fed up Cuban Americans of Miami weren\’t interested in their platform. Ohio and Pennsylvania, where coal production was blacklisted and where Obama had ridiculed them for \”clinging to their Bibles and their guns,\” lay awaiting this supposed \”landslide\” Hillary vote,…. and creamed it.

The Socialist world of the Democratic Party disintegrated. An American who expressed unbridled love of country and respect for police, firemen, and military steamrolled across the heartland and the liberals realized their scheme was trashed. A CONSTITUTIONALIST would be nominated to the Supreme Court and if the old hag Ginsburg who\’d claimed to retire if Trump were elected would actually retire and leave, the Supreme Court would have a massive majority of CONSTITUTIONALISTS for the next 40-50 years.

Now, the same party who\’d ridiculed Trump on his comments about the election being rigged, started screaming that the election \’was\’ rigged. They even advocated having the election repeated. They created mobs that burned and pillaged, stopped traffic, threatened murder, battery and rape of Trump supporters, and became the anarchists that the socialist dream thrives upon. They run like castrated pigs for safe zones and use diaper pins as their national symbol.

This is exactly what happens when political correctness takes over and participation trophies are awarded to everyone. They can\’t conceive how disgusting and subservient they have become.

Donald Trump may NOT be the best person for the job, but he\’s such a welcome respite from the candy-assed wimps who\’ve been running the swamp that it\’s refreshing to see. At the very least, Donald Trump derailed the Socialist train and bought us precious time. If he only does half of what he\’s promised, we\’ll still be legions ahead of where Obama has dragged us. Already countries who held us in contempt are lining up to be found in the favor of America. Donald Trump has done more in his short time in the public eye..he prevented Hillary Clinton from becoming president!

So for you liberal lurkers and you half-assed fence-sitters, Tough shit! You had your big hurray and now your party is over. For you staunch Republicans in office, don\’t gloat so much yourselves. You\’ve been put on notice by the American people that we\’re fed up with

ALL YOU BASTARDS

and if you don\’t start putting America first, you do so at your own peril. You might want to buy a copy of George McGovern\’s autobiography and see how shocking and humbling it can be for a professional politician to have to try to find legitimate work once he falls from grace.

This election was pure, unadulterated AMERICAN!!! Hillary was beaten and AMERICA WON THE ELECTION. You can claim he\’s not \”your president\” all you want, but unless you \’forfeit\’ your American citizenship, ….

HE IS YOUR PRESIDENT!!!

Go cry a river some place they need water.

EDITOR\’S NOTE: This article was first published in 2016. It was submitted last week to CNBNews for publication by Frank K.

Letter of Disappointment To Jersey City Council From Jersey City Educator

January 11, 2020, 8:52 am | in

Franky Maldonado – McNair Educator

JCEA – 1600 Kennedy Blvd.

Jersey City NJ 07305

I am writing this email as a taxpayer, voter, educator, and parent. When Mayor Fulop announced that he was presenting a resolution for a Mayor-Appointed School Board, I immediately thought of Mayor Frank Hague’s consolidation of power in Jersey City from 1917-1947. As Mayor of Jersey City, Mayor Hague created a system of political patronage and cronyism, turning Jersey City into a “Nefarious Political Machine.”

According to a NJ historian, “you couldn’t attain any job in that city unless you had something to offer Hague.” Additionally the historian goes onto to say, “Jersey City politics was so overtly corrupt that even President Franklin Roosevelt funneled [New Deal] funds to Hague for favors and votes.”

This type of top-down city corruption was eventually targeted by the FBI under J. Edgar Hoover, the NJ State Prosecutor’s office, and progressive-minded political reformers who sought to wrestle power away from political machines. After Hague’s tenure, others attempted to mimic the precedent he set; however, most if not all Mayors failed in their attempts to rule “with an Iron Fist.”

Today, in 2020, we have the reincarnation of Mayor Hague in the form of Steven Fulop. There are many differences between these two men, both in terms of upbringing and experiences however, their unsaturated thirst for power are very similar.

Both men have used their power to bend the will of city commissioners and elected council members.

Both men have created intra-city emergencies and crises to strengthen their positions in the eyes of the public.

Both men have manipulated, cajoled, and undermined true reforms by hijacking the democratic process.

Both men have behaved as if they do not have to answer to the taxpayer and voter.

As a matter of opinion, I believe that both men have convinced themselves that they are smarter than the voter, thus taking on a paternalistic approach to politics proclaiming themselves as “Savior” or “Anointed One.” This unchecked hunger for political power is both dangerous and poses a threat to our democracy. Then on Wednesday’s January 8th council meeting, after many people expressed their opinions (resounding no), most of you (with the exception of Mr. Boggiano whom voted NO & Mr. Lavarro whom ABSTAINED) voted to enact his “master plan.”

What do you have to gain from this?

What does the taxpayer gain from this? How will the students benefit from this? Did you do your due diligence in researching how an appointed Board got Jersey City State-Controlled Schools?

Mayor Fulop attempted to exert influence over the schools with Dr. Lyles and Board members that he once upon a time supported. What did they do to the schools? They left them underfunded and understaffed! Now he is asking you for the schools and you hand him the keys with your resounding vote. Jersey City: Make It Yours! Meanwhile, people are being priced out of their homes due to high taxes. Developers are coming in and bulldozing traditional communities in favor of luxurious condos for New Yorkers.

These developers get all sorts of “perks” but the traditional taxpayer gets shafted. Gentrification is suffocating our communities. Invest in what you have here! Stop pandering to the developers and their cronies. Leave our schools alone! We all know once the Mayor gets his hands on the schools he is going to consolidate them (especially in the South Ward) just like the failed Newark One Plan and he is going to give the schools away.

Just look at what Senator Booker did in Newark while he was Mayor.

In closing, what you did cannot be undone. Some of you put your interests above what is best for the taxpayers and our children. Maybe you were naive about what the Mayor was asking. Maybe you were not paying attention because you have a life outside of council chambers and a phone in your hand. If you want to reconcile your position before the community start by opposing the Mayor. Speak out against his power grab and maybe then we will believe in you. I had a dream last night that I was in a dense fog. I was frightened and lost. Then I heard a loud voice calling onto me. I thought it was God. So I searched for the voice in the fog. As I got closer and closer the voice became stronger and louder. The fog began to dissipate as I neared the source. As the fog disappeared I found a mirror, and in the mirror I saw my reflection. It was my conscience reminding me that I am only human and I can make mistakes.

Don’t let this MISTAKE define your tenure and career as a City Councilperson of Jersey City. All the Best for the Year,

Sincerely,

Franky Maldonado

NJBIA Calls for Re-authorization of Tax Incentive Program in Support of Film Credit Expansion Bill

The New Jersey Business & Industry Association testified in support of a bill that extends the film tax credit, while calling for the urgent need to re-authorize a comprehensive tax incentive program.

New Jersey has been without a tax incentive program, a fundamental tool in most states\’ economic development strategies, since July 1.

NJBIA Vice President of Government Affairs Chris Emigholz said that bill S-3842 (Weinberg, D-37; Sarlo, D-36), which was released by the Senate and Budget Appropriations Committee today, could ultimately be included in a broader tax incentive program.

\”It has now been more than half a year that New Jersey has been without a tax incentive program,\” Emigholz said. \”Without this tool, we continue to put future job creation, economic development and prosperity at risk.\”

The film tax credit bill would extend by five years the availability period for tax credits to offset expenses incurred for the production of films and digital media content in New Jersey. Emigholz added that the bill increases the caps for this film credit program without a formal net benefit test in place.

\”NJBIA believes that increasing these caps is a good first step, but caps are unnecessary for tax incentive programs as long as there are strong net benefit tests to protect taxpayer dollars,\” Emigholz said.

\”The goal should be not to cap success, but allow incentive programs shown to be successful through net benefit tests to create as many jobs as possible. We believe the broader tax incentive program should follow that theme wherever possible of greater flexibility with enhanced accountability,\” Emigholz said.

NRA-ILA: Bloomberg Dismisses Texas Hero

Insists It Wasn’t His “Job” to Have a Gun or Decide to Shoot

SUPPORT NRA-ILA

Jack Wilson – a 71-year-old congregant of the West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, Tex. – is a hero to most Americans. When a deranged man savagely murdered two of Mr. Wilson’s fellow worshippers during a service at the church on Dec. 30,

Wilson took swift action

. He exposed himself to danger to deliver a single shot from his lawfully carried handgun

that instantly ended what undoubtedly would have been even more terrible carnage among the hundreds present.

Other congregants were also seen producing lawfully carried handguns in response to the threat. Several closed in on the fallen assailant to ensure he was neutralized. None of them panicked or acted rashly and no errant shots were fired.

The entire episode was over in six seconds and was captured on the church’s livestream.

The evidence is inescapable and available to anyone who cares to view it. Anybody who has ever tried to justify a public policy proposal on the grounds that it could save “just one life” is now on notice that lawful concealed carry saved many lives in just that one episode.

Yet one person who did not bother to watch the video or acquaint himself with the facts is Democrat presidential contender Michael Bloomberg.

Commenting on the incident

at a campaign stop in Montgomery Ala., Bloomberg did not mention Jack Wilson’s name. Bloomberg did not even acknowledge that the events depicted in video and widely reported in the media – including on

Bloomberg’s self-named news site

– were authentic.

But if they were, he huffed, it didn’t change his mind that only the police (which apparently include the current and former officers on his own armed protection detail) should be able to carry firearms in public.

“It may true, I wasn’t there, I don’t know the facts, that somebody in the congregation had their own gun and killed the person who murdered two other people,” he said. “But it’s the job of law enforcement to, uh, have guns and to decide when to shoot.” He continued, “You just do not want the average citizen carrying a gun in a crowded place.”

In the best-case scenario, responding police would still have been minutes away from the violence breaking out in the West Freeway Church of Christ. The shotgun-wielding assailant could have killed many more people in that time had he not faced armed resistance of his own.

But Bloomberg’s own words indicate he would consider that an acceptable price to pay to vindicate his arch-statist and anti-constitutional view that the government should have a complete monopoly on the lawful use of lethal force.

What, in Bloomberg’s mind, make police the only people who can be trusted with firearms?

Does he feel that only law enforcement can effectively and safely use firearms?

Jack Wilson answered that question on Dec. 29, 2019, by delivering a single, precise shot at 15 yards that felled its target and only its target, saving innocent lives.

But somehow that’s still not good enough for Michael Bloomberg because Wilson is not an active-duty police officer.

What lesson are we supposed to learn from Bloomberg’s response to the White Settlement events, other than who shoots whom isn’t as important to him as who gets to decide who lawfully wields lethal force?

Are you willing to helplessly take one for Team Bloomberg’s scheme of law and order if you end up in the wrong place at the wrong time?

Note that Michael Bloomberg isn’t taking that risk himself; his payroll includes plenty of armed men to keep him safe.

The Second Amendment is your guarantee that you need not take the risk either, which is why Michael Bloomberg’s worldview cannot be reconciled with that fundamental liberty.

This stands in stark contrast to President Trump, who understands exactly what the right to keep and bear arms is all about and unabashedly respects that right.

“It was over in 6 seconds thanks to the brave parishioners who acted to protect 242 fellow worshippers,”

President Trump tweeted on Dec. 30

. “Lives were saved by these heroes, and Texas laws allowing them to carry guns!”