Government tyrant Mary Rose Wilcox is one of the tyrants who help Jerry Colengelo's gang of thieves steal a billion or so bucks from us to build Bank One Ball Park.
And because of that some of us think the only problem with Larry Naman is that he is a crummy shot!
April 19, 2011 |
Veto SB 1201 and return sanity to Arizona's society
by Mary Rose Wilcox - Apr. 19, 2011 12:00 AM
Special for the Republic
On the morning of Aug. 13, 1997, I showed up for work just as I have every day in the 18 years I have served as a Maricopa County supervisor. On that day, however, I left in an ambulance after being shot at a meeting of the Board of Supervisors by a crazed man who was angered by a vote I had cast.
It was a situation that created instant chaos and permanent security concern, and the presence of more guns in the room would only have made it far, far worse. [What your saying is you don't want any guns, except the guns of the cops who help keep you in power] Even a room as spacious as our supervisor's auditorium becomes confined and dangerous when bullets are flying and ricocheting off walls and people.
And that is why I am so concerned about Senate Bill 1201, approved by the Legislature last week and now on the desk of Gov. Jan Brewer, a former colleague on the Board of Supervisors who was only a few feet away from me when I was shot. SB 1201 would require state and local governments to either allow guns in public facilities or secure those buildings with metal detectors and armed guards.
It is backed by many well-meaning people who believe more guns mean more safety: That the bad guys would think twice about robbing a store or shooting up a restaurant or a public meeting if they thought that the people they were going to harm could fire back.
The logic has some merit - when you're talking about rational criminals who carefully calculate the odds when casing out a "job." But the most dangerous threat comes from the madman, the terrorist, the delusional, deranged person who doesn't make rational decisions. SB 1201 doesn't deter them. In America of the 21st century, you don't need to be packing heat to go to a school board meeting, a library or a public swimming pool.
The current protections and restrictions that keep guns out of tense, controversial situations are not "big government." They are common sense.
Disagree? What about the situation that occurred earlier this year in Tucson? As you remember, there was an armed civilian at the Tucson shopping mall when U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was conducting her "Congress on Your Corner" session. His name is Joe Zamudio and he helped subdue the killer. At the time, he was clearheaded enough not to pull his gun out and just shoot. Would everyone act the same in such a chaotic situation?
I understand, respect and have always supported our Second Amendment rights. [Bullshit! You are a tyrant and want to take our guns because you are afraid they will be used against you, again!] I also know the havoc, harm and heartbreak that gun violence can wreak.
Those who dedicate their lives to government service should not be threatened or intimidated for doing so. [How can you call your self a public servant? You are a government tyrant!] Neither should those dealing with government consider intimidation or violence to be an option. There is no reason to take a gun to city hall. [Again Bullshit! What part of the 2nd Amendment don't you understand!]
Gov. Brewer, whom I consider a friend, has the chance to bring sanity and safety back to Arizona society.
She experienced the fear and confusion of that August morning with me. I ask that she remember that moment of danger and veto SB 1201.
Please make sure we keep violence out of public service and political discourse.
Mary Rose Wilcox is a Phoenix resident and a member of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.
BY LINDA BENTLEY
DECEMBER 1, 2010
Wilcox is still a county supervisor
PHOENIX – With Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox under scrutiny again, readers have been asking what happened to the man who shot Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox in the butt in August 1997 just outside the auditorium where the five-member board of supervisors were leaving a meeting.
Larry Naman, 57, was released from the Arizona Department of Corrections in May 2010 after spending nearly 12 years of a 15-year sentence after being found guilty of attempted first degree murder for the incident. Naman was also ordered to pay Wilcox $27,000 in restitution.
Homeless at the time and without as much as a parking ticket, let alone any sort of criminal record, Naman said he shot Wilcox because she voted in favor of the sales tax to pay for the construction of Bank One Ballpark, or BOB, which is now Chase Field.
According to Naman, the tax should have been put to a public vote.
He was right.
In 1989, Phoenix voters passed a referendum, by a 2-1 majority, requiring public approval to build any sports facility costing more than $3 million.
However, to circumvent the will of the voters, the Arizona State Legislature passed a bill transferring stadium development authority from the city of Phoenix to Maricopa County.
In February 1994, by a vote of 3-2, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors voted in favor of the one-quarter cent sales tax to raise the $238 million to build the baseball stadium.
Wilcox, as the tie-breaking vote, is the only one of the three supervisors voting in favor of the tax who was reelected.
Although he was facing a sentence of up to 21 years in prison after he was convicted, Naman told Wilcox, “I will say I’m sorry I shot you the day you stand before the court and admit what you did was an act of violence.”
Of course the one-quarter cent sales tax wasn’t even close to covering the $238 million ballpark and the Arizona Diamondbacks ended up having to pay for cost overruns of $127 million.
Meanwhile, Naman spent his 12 years as a model prisoner, working, performing details ranging from general labor to kitchen help to landscaper to groundskeeper, without a single disciplinary action.
As our readers may know, there are people who can prove Wilcox has committed numerous criminal acts while in office.
Failure to prosecute Wilcox, who was indicted on numerous felony counts by two grand juries, was a political decision by acting Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley, a long-time political ally of Wilcox, not lack of evidence.
Time will tell if the recently sworn in County Attorney Bill Montgomery will see those charges through.