NY own wildebeast tears up St. Mary's Cemetary

No matter how hard Cathleen Smith tries to stop crying, the tears just can't seem to stop flowing ever since her parents gravestone was vandalized.

This grave is just one of several that were vandalized at St. Mary's Cemetery in Staten Island. Someone drew a gun on this monument and other offensive text on another. "Satan is my god" was written on a nearby mausoleum. Vandals also wrote graffiti on others.

Aaron Smith now tries to comfort his mother. With Mother's Day just around the corner, the vandalism is hitting his family especially hard.

Because of all the beer bottles now littering the cemetery, many suspect teenagers are behind this.

Cathleen said that while this may all be just a bad prank, her pain is all too real.

The cemetery said it is going to clean up all the graffiti.

A police report was filed with the 122 Precinct.

Former LAPD Detective is a descrase to the badge

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- It was an emotional day in court, as a judge sentenced a former LAPD detective in the killing of her ex-lover's wife. Still, the victim's family says their wounds will never heal.

Stephanie Lazarus, 52, waved to her family and smiled broadly as she entered the courtroom on Friday. She was similarly upbeat as she left the courtroom, even after hearing tearful testimony about the woman she shot and killed.
Lazarus was sentenced to 27 years to life in state prison for one count of willful deliberate first-degree murder, with a special circumstance allegation. Given good behavior and time served, Lazarus was given 1,608 days credit.
She faced forward throughout her sentencing. Family members of her victim, Sherri Rasmussen, testified in tears about their loss. Not once did Lazarus glance their way, even when testimony came from Rasmussen's widowed husband - the man prosecutors say Lazarus wanted so badly that she killed Rasmussen out of jealousy.
Lazarus was found guilty in March of killing the 29-year-old nursing supervisor in 1986 in the Van Nuys townhouse she shared with her husband of three months, John Ruetten.
"The fact that Sherri's death happened because she met and married me brings me to my knees. I do not know, and fear I will never know, how to cope with this appalling fact," Ruetten said.
It took LAPD over two decades to unravel the case. Investigators initially thought burglars shot Rasmussen, and dismissed Lazarus as a suspect despite urgings from Rasmussen's family that Lazarus had a motive.
The Rasmussens have filed a civil suit against the city and LAPD.
"LAPD should want to know why it took so long, and there should be accountability for that passage of time," said John Taylor, attorney for the Rasmussens.
DNA technology, which was developed years after the crime, is what ultimately linked Lazarus to the murder. Lazarus' saliva was found in a bite wound.
"Sherri's efforts to survive, she captured the scientific evidence needed to identify her murderer. It is fitting that science is the key in this prosecution," said Rasmussen's sister, Connie.

Lazarus' family rejects the findings, saying the court was biased and Lazarus was wrongly accused. During the trial, Lazarus' attorney argued the DNA evidence from the bite mark was corrupted and not reliable evidence.
According to sentencing guidelines, Lazarus will have to complete at least 50 percent of her term before she can be eligible for parole. Given the circumstances of the case, L.A. District Attorney Steve Cooley said Lazarus will likely spend the rest of her life behind bars.

Shootings are going on all over the city and the State is not going for Domestic Terrorist charges when is she going to do her fucking job

I am tired of these shootings either the state does on of two thing charge these little fucking bastards as domestic terrorists or give the lawabiding people a chance to deffend them selves.

Two men were killed and 18 other people wounded in separate attacks across the city Friday night and Saturday morning, police said.

A 24-year-old man was shot dead in the Little Village neighborhood about 8:50 p.m., police said. He was shot in the head and chest after a male exited a light-colored pickup truck on the 2700 block of South Homan Avenue and opened fire, police said. The shooting appears gang related but police didn’t say what gave them that impression.

One man died and three others were wounded by gunfire on the 7900 block of South Paulina Street about 10:50 p.m. in the Gresham neighborhood, police said. A man in his 20s was shot in the body and died at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, police said. A 21-year-old man was shot in the abdomen and is in serious condition at John H. Stroger Jr., Hospital of Cook County. A 21-year-old man was shot in the right arm and a 32-year-old woman was shot in the ankle - they are both in stable condition at Holy Cross Hospital, police said. Three men or boys emerged from a light-colored sedan and started shooting at the group, police said, though it's unclear why. The three men in the group all affiliate with a local gang, police said, but it's unclear if that's why they were targeted. Police are not sure if the woman affiliates with a gang.

A man was shot in the West Garfield Park neighborhood about 1:30 a.m. while he was walking down the street, police said. The 30-year-old was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in stable condition, police said.

A 26-year-old man was shot in the leg about 1 a.m. while walking on the 3600 block of West Chicago Avenue in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, police said. A friend drove him to Norwegian American Hospital, where he's in stable condition, police said.

Three men were shot on the 6800 block of South Claremont Avenue in the West Englewood neighborhood about 12:30 a.m., police said. One may have turned up at Holy Cross Hospital but it's not clear how. A 22-year-old man was shot in the right side of his abdomen, a 21-year-old man was shot in the left leg, and an 18-year-old man was shot in his right buttocks. The three were standing on a sidewalk when someone shot at them from a nearby gangway. Police said the shooting may be gang related.

A man, 21, was shot on the 3300 block of West Washington Boulevard in the East Garfield Park neighborhood about 12:25 a.m., police said. He was walking down the street when someone shot him in the knee. One of his friends dropped him off at Rush University Medical Center but he was transferred to Stroger Hospital, police said.

A 19-year-old man was shot in the leg near the corner of LeMoyne Street and Maplewood Avenue about 12:20 a.m. in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, police said. Someone shot at the man from inside a nearby vehicle, and he was hit in the leg. He was taken to St. Elizabeth Hospital in stable condition, police said. The shooting may be gang related.

About 12:10 a.m., a 22-year-old man suffered a graze wound to his right thigh and a 21-year-old man was shot in the right calf, police said. The two were on the 8200 block of South Richmond Avenue when they were shot, and ended up at Little Company of Mary Hospital. It's not clear how they got there. The two said they were shot on Richmond but police weren't able to find a crime scene and didn't get any reports of gunfire from residents in the area.

A man was shot on the 3400 block of West 83rd Street about midnight, police said. His age wasn't available but he was taken in critical condition to Advocate Christ Medical Center, police said. He was in surgery as of about 2 a.m.

An 18-year-old woman was shot on the 6400 block of South Talman Avenue about 11:30 p.m. in the Marquette Park neighborhood, police said. She was walking down the street when someone in a passing light-colored sedan opened fire, hitting her in the thigh, police said. She's in stable condition at Holy Cross Hospital, police said.

A 16-year-old boy walking with friends was shot on the 7900 block of South Avalon Avenue about 10:35 p.m., police said. He was shot in the arm and is in good condition at Jackson Park Hospital. His shooter approached on foot and opened fire, police said.

About 9 p.m., two people standing in a strip mall in the 5000 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue were shot. A 47-year-old woman was grazed on the shin and treated by Chicago paramedics at the scene. A 15-year-old boy was shot in the left bicep and suffered a graze wound on his left forearm, police said. He was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital at the University of Chicago in good condition, police said.

Friday afternoon, a 26-year-old man was shot in the abdomen on the 4100 block of West Wilcox Avenue after talking to another man's girlfriend, police said

ISRA News

On May 9, the Illinois House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 681 by a strong, bi-partisan 89 to 28 vote, after receiving approval in March in the Senate. This common sense ammunition purchase reform now heads to Governor Pat Quinn (D) desk to await his signature, and it needs your support. Please contact the Governor today and urge him to sign SB 681 into law.

Senate Bill 681, introduced by state Senators Dave Luechtefeld (R-58) and John Sullivan (R-47), would allow residents of Illinois with a valid Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) Card to mail-order ammunition from others within Illinois. Current law only allows for such orders by Illinois residents from vendors outside of Illinois, so this legislation makes a sensible change to the law.

Please contact Governor Pat Quinn and urge him to sign Senate Bill 681 into law. Contact information for the Governor’s office can be found by clicking here.

Your NRA-ILA will continue to keep you updated on the status of this and other firearms-related legislation in Illinois this session.

NRA News:

In an effort to capitalize on the Trayvon Martin shooting, this week, Reps. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), co-chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, threatened to offer a so-called "Trayvon Amendment" that would cut funding to states with "stand your ground" laws. The legislators quickly reversed course when they learned the motion would likely be ruled out of order.
Anti-gun legislators will likely continue to push to overturn "stand your ground" self-defense laws in states like Florida. Rest assured NRA-ILA will be there to fight them.

Florida's "stand your ground" law says a person has "the right to stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly force if he or she reasonably believes it is necessary to do so to prevent death or great bodily harm."

The public strongly supports "stand your ground" self-defense laws. As reported this week in the South Florida Sun Sentinel, a recent opinion poll revealed that a majority of Florida voters support the state's law. In fact, the vast majority of states do not impose a duty to retreat from criminal attack and most Americans support laws that clarify this common law, common-sense rule.

NRA will continue to work to protect self-defense laws currently on the books and advocate for their passage in those states that do not fully respect this fundamental right.
On Thursday, May 10, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 5326--the appropriations bill for the Departments of Commerce and Justice, Science, and Related Agencies fiscal year 2013--by a vote of 247-163.

One of the most important ways that Congress has protected the Second Amendment is through a number of general provisions included in various appropriations bills. We are happy to report that 11 provisions to protect the Second Amendment were included in the bill.

Specifically, the bill makes permanent the following protections:

• Curio and Relic Definition. A prohibition on the use of funds to change the definition of a "curio or relic." This provision protects the status of collectible firearms for future generations of firearms collectors.
  
• Physical Inventory Prohibition. Prohibition on a requirement to allow a physical inventory of federal firearms licensees. The Clinton administration proposed a rule in 2000 to require an annual inventory by all licensees. While the Bush Administration eventually withdrew the proposal, Congress has still passed this preventive provision every year since FY 2007.
  
• Business Activity. This provision prohibits BATFE from denying federal firearms license applications or renewals based on a dealer’s low-business volume alone.
  
• Firearms Trace Data Disclaimer. A requirement that any trace data released must include a disclaimer stating that such data cannot be used to draw broad conclusions about firearms-related crime.

In addition, the bill restores four provisions that the Obama administration's budget proposed to strike:

• Firearms Parts Export to Canada. A prohibition on the use of funds to require an export license for small firearms parts valued at less than $500 for export to Canada. This provision is intended to remove an unnecessary and burdensome requirement on U.S. gun manufacturers that was imposed under the Clinton Administration (restored and made permanent).
  
• Importation of Curios and Relics. A prohibition on the use of funds to arbitrarily deny importation of qualifying curio and relic firearms. This provision ensures that collectible firearms that meet all legal requirements for importation into the United States are not banned from import by executive branch fiat (restored and made permanent).
  
• Prohibit Funding for "Gun Walking" Operations. No funds may be used to knowingly transfer firearms to agents of drug cartels unless U.S. law enforcement personnel control or monitor the firearms at all times. This amendment is designed to prevent the Justice Department (or any government entity) from spending taxpayer dollars on "gun walking" programs like Operation Fast and Furious.
  
• Shotgun Importation Prohibition Protection. Prohibits the Department of Justice from requiring imported shotguns to meet a "sporting purposes" test that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has used to prohibit the importation of shotguns with one or more features disliked by the Agency, such as adjustable stocks, extended magazine tubes, etc.

The bill retains the following provision:

• Transfer of BATFE Authority. A prohibition on the use of funds to transfer any duty or responsibility of the BATFE to any other agency or department. This provision was written in response to a Clinton Administration plan to transfer firearms enforcement to the FBI or Secret Service. It also prohibits the Executive branch from skirting the will of Congress by allowing another agency to implement policies the BATFE is prohibited from implementing.

Finally, the bill includes two new provisions:

• DOJ Funding Restriction. Disallows funds to the Department of Justice if the DOJ falsifies documents, makes misleading or inaccurate statements, or covers up or conceals information. It is intended to ensure the Department of Justice is truthful and forthright with ongoing Congressional investigations of "Operation Fast and Furious." (Also known as the Chaffetz/Gosar/Farenthold "Fast and Furious" Amendment, this provision passed by a vote of 381-41.)
  

Southwest Border Rifle Registration. Prohibits the use of federal funds to carry out the BATFE’s requirement that firearm dealers in the four southwestern border states file "multiple sales" reports on individuals who buy more than one detachable-magazine semi-automatic rifle of greater than .22 caliber in a five-day period. (Also known as the Rehberg/Boren Amendment, this provision passed in committee by a vote of 30-19, despite a threatened veto by President Obama.)