Bloomberg hypocrisy

The fact that Michael Bloomberg has a 10 million dollar home in the tax haven of Bermuda should be enough to get people to question his sincerity. And just ask a lot of questions in general.

But Bloomie does more in Bermuda than just have a place to bolt to when things get annoying in the Big Apple.

He brings armed guards. That's something that got a lot of attention a while back from the gun bloggers. But now that he is campaigning as the "Gun Violence Prevention" candidate should be discussed.

The Bermuda police didn't carry guns when Bloomberg started bringing armed guards to Bermuda in 2010. Toss in that it is pretty much illegal for private citizens to own guns.

Bermuda is not part of the UK proper, but it is an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom. But this is pretty much applicable to the issue:

Is it possible to have armed Bodyguards in the UK? 

At present, it is not lawful for any members of the public to carry a firearm, for the purpose of Close Protection. This includes SIA licensed and professionally trained Bodyguards.

Gun control laws are tough in the United Kingdom, a country that prides itself for having one of the lowest rates of gun-related crimes in the world. Since 1997, the private possession of handguns and other weapons classified as firearms (pepper spray, CS gaz and the likes), is banned in the United Kingdom by the Firearms Act 1997 that came into force after the mass shooting at Dunblane Primary School in 1996 that saw the death of 16 school children.

I would add that the Bermuda Police has its on close protection group which is supposed to protect VIPs.

Those are the people who  should be protecting Bloomie.

Unlike the rest of us, Bloomie has special dispensation to bring armed guards onto the Island.

I would like to compare Bloomie's situation to that of Charles Stein. Stein was
a former police officer in San Fernando, CA. He was also the bodyguard to Teddy Kennedy.
Stein was arrested by U.S. Capitol Police when he arrived at a Senate office building metal detector on 7 January 1986, just hours before Kennedy was to leave on his trip to South America.  Stein identified himself as Kennedy's bodyguard, told a guard he had weapons in his briefcase and asked where he could check them.

Stein was arrested.

the reason I mention this case is that one person said that "a lot of highly visible executives, celebrities and politicians, the majority take armed guards with them everywhere they go, due to kidnap and extortion risks...The armed and trained security guards who pass all sorts of background checks to protect their clients."

While that may be the case, those armed and trained security guards still have to obey the laws of the jurisdiction where they are operating.

On the other hand, being the 12th richest person in the world can buy dispensation from the laws the rest of us have to follow. I would also add that Bloomie goes to Bermuda because that's a place where the wealthy can walk around and no one will harass them. His Bermuda bolt hole is close to that of Ross Perot (another rich scoff law) and Silvio Berlusconi.

Anyway, it seems that the real message here is that there is one law for the rich and another for the rest of us.

Update: Intuit is the latest corporation to quit ALEC

Intuit, the company which owns Turbo-Tax which many people are hurriedly using as April 15th approaches, as well as Quicken and QuickBook.

They have indicated they will not renew their membership in ALEC after it expired in 2011.

The three previous multinational corporations to leave ALEC, or to discontinue their membership through non-renewal, are Pepsi Co, Coca Cola, and Kraft.

Color of Change.org and Center for Media and Democracy have drawn attention to ALEC and the controversial legislation that they promote through secret meetings with right wing legislators where they draft special interest legislation designed to provide favors and unfair advantage to the ALEC corporations.

Color of Change has vowed to continue to petition the other corporate members of ALEC to withdraw their support of the right wing agenda and special interest legislation, or risk facing widespread boycotts and other protests.  The Center for Media and Democracy has promised to continue to shine a bright light on the legislative activities and members, including both legislative and corporate members of ALEC, so as to make them more accountable to voters and consumers.

While it is unlikely that the more extreme controlling interests of WalMart or Koch Industries, or the controlling entities of the NRA which have hijacked the organization to support far right causes as well as gun manufacturers, will acknowledge the position of a significant part of the voting and consumer public, that is unlikely to be the case of the other corporate members or the politicians who do their bidding in exchange for financial support - what might be called political friends with financial benefits.

No more hiding in the darkness to do their dirty deals; now the corruption is facing the disinfectant of sunlight.  While ALEC might survive, it will do so smaller and with far less influence if this trend continues successfully.

We can only hope and pray and keep up the good work, and keep up the pressure to end this corrupt entity's damaging effect on government at the local, state and federal levels.  That is especially true of elections and the 2012 cycle.

Who will be the next to go?