The Senator Yee Affidavit: Bribery, Triads, Drugs, and Arms Deals

[the doom cannon]

Californian here.

The last thing I'd want is a single Republican ordering around this state and running it into the ground. The biggest problem our state has is mostly because we're allowed to vote on nearly -anything-, which means while we can approve a new road being built chances are people wouldn't approve of the taxes that logically should accompany it.

Still, I'd sooner keep our current system for the next few years then let the republican party take control. The party is dying out here in California, and it can't leave soon enough. Any republican commenting on the state of affairs here and screaming about "DERR HURR, OUR GUUUUUUURNZ" can kindly keep quiet if they aren't from cali itself. Many of us don't want their party's "help" and we're better off without it.

Please do tell me how republicans are the reason that California is the most in debt state in the US, with the most exports by far of any of them. Please tell me how it is the fault of the republicans when the state has been run by democrats for decades. I'm from cali, and I know how the state works. I am a proud gun ownership supporter, and I am registered republican because I see all the problems with democrat leadership, aka throw money at the problem to fix it. I will comment on the state of affairs wherever I please, and you have no authority whatsoever to tell me otherwise. California could use some actual budget cuts, but the only cuts democrats want to make is in education. Please tell me how that is beneficial in any way.

tldr: gtfo and go smoke some weed, like all californians do. Maybe contemplate why your party leaders are trying to take away law-abiding citizen's right to have guns while running illegal ones into the hands of criminals

 

[RA92]

The proclamation from Yee's office was considered a good middle ground - a nice gesture, but not politically dangerous. A member of Yee's staff presented it at a dinner honoring the CKT's 165th anniversary. The event must've been surreal. The guests talked money laundering and drug shipments. Chow's chosen hitman, a man named Li who'd been burned while committing arson, discussed his favorite murder techniques.

Bloody hell. Reminds me of the documentary Act of Killing, where Indonesians who committed genocide happily reenacted the various ways they killed communists.

Also, it must take balls of titanium to go undercover for years with company like that.

 

[InsanityRequiem]

Californian here.

The last thing I'd want is a single Republican ordering around this state and running it into the ground. The biggest problem our state has is mostly because we're allowed to vote on nearly -anything-, which means while we can approve a new road being built chances are people wouldn't approve of the taxes that logically should accompany it.

Still, I'd sooner keep our current system for the next few years then let the republican party take control. The party is dying out here in California, and it can't leave soon enough. Any republican commenting on the state of affairs here and screaming about "DERR HURR, OUR GUUUUUUURNZ" can kindly keep quiet if they aren't from cali itself. Many of us don't want their party's "help" and we're better off without it.

Please do tell me how republicans are the reason that California is the most in debt state in the US, with the most exports by far of any of them. Please tell me how it is the fault of the republicans when the state has been run by democrats for decades. I'm from cali, and I know how the state works. I am a proud gun ownership supporter, and I am registered republican because I see all the problems with democrat leadership, aka throw money at the problem to fix it. I will comment on the state of affairs wherever I please, and you have no authority whatsoever to tell me otherwise. California could use some actual budget cuts, but the only cuts democrats want to make is in education. Please tell me how that is beneficial in any way.

tldr: gtfo and go smoke some weed, like all californians do. Maybe contemplate why your party leaders are trying to take away law-abiding citizen's right to have guns while running illegal ones into the hands of criminals

Want to know the biggest issue of California? Prop 13. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Proposition_13_(1978) Because of this proposition, California gets practically no money. Income Tax pretty high? Blame Prop 13. Sales tax pretty damn high? Prop 13. The state's been horribly run since then, because the populous enjoys the fact that they pay a nearly non-changeable 1% on their property taxes. So all those "Million dollar homes" and businesses here in CA? The owners pay pennies in taxes essentially. When, compared to other states, California deserves the poor moniker. We're top 5 in Income and Sales taxes, but 30th in Property Taxes. Income and Sales taxes are pennies towards both the US and CA governments, while property taxes are solely to the state.

Another big issue? Horribly low voter turn out and that the people have too much say in Californian politics. There's a reason the Californian Constitution is a disgustingly large 1,500 pages long. And that is because of the more pure democratic voting style California uses. New law? Put in the Constitution. Removal of an old law? Still in the Constitution. Seriously, 45th in voter registration and 48th in voter participation. http://www.cafwd.org/reporting/entry/california-voting-participation-numbers-are-bad-is-help-on-the-way That's disgusting for such a "political" state. Don't get me started on the fact that our legislative branch has been stuck at 80 state Assembly members and 40 state Senate members for the 38+ million people in the state. 1 Senate member for nearly 1 million people, 1 Assembly member for nearly 500,000 people? There's practically no representation and no political activism in the CA government!

The final big issue? The fact that political corruption is the blood and bones of California since the Mexican-American War. Heck, California didn't ratify the 14th Amendment(1868) until May 6, 1959 and the 15th Amendment(1870) until April 3, 1962. A "Liberal" state that fought for the Union was one of the last to even go through with ratifying and accepting what are considered the two hallmark amendments that gave and protected the right to vote towards minorities? That's pretty damn "Liberal" I'd say. The government of California is not the Liberal wet dream non-CA democrats and republicans say it is. Heck, I don't even know where they even got that image from.

California's shit. But you know what? There's still good things in California. One of the major things? Overdosing is not a crime. If you overdose and contact 911? You will not be charged, unlike in the rest of the country. The worst is 3 days in the hospital to recover and receive a medical evaluation. Right now I'm blanking, since Political Science is on Spring Break, but there are things that CA does better, other times CA does worse. Just like the rest of the country.

 

[Sarge034]

So when a liberal paints with a broad brush (referencing the unrelated 'news' article we're mentioning) and insults people, I'm just supposed to take it and not fight back just as dirty as my political opponent is? This goes right to my point of not hamstringing oneself with being the "better person." And good luck finding more than a couple people who actually disagree with you around here. We're in a very limited supply at The Escapist. So by all means, just shut down the opposition to your view and refuse to negotiate, much like Yee would do to people who thought average citizens shouldn't be able to protect themselves from Yee's buddies. Though one major difference is that Yee's a lying, sack of criminal shit, and you're just someone who holds a different view from me.

No, you are not supposed to become your opponent. You call them out on their bullshit, sure, but you do not employ the same tactics or you lose all credibility for being hypocritical. No side can be right if everyone is acting like a scumbag. You are making the conservative side look just as childish and ignorant as the contributor was making the liberal side look. Your tactics ensure everything will devolve into a "you're fat" exchange like you would find at an elementary because no one stepped back and said, "Wow, you're mature". I have no problems with conflicting views, I actually enjoy being able to discuss things from different angles, but as I said I will not abide hypocrisy. If you want to keep arguing with these tactics fine, but don't call out others that do the same.

Wow... you're making some grand assumptions there bud. Would it surprise you to know that I'm an independent with conservative leanings? That I support gun ownership, own several myself, and carry concealed? That I chewed that contributor's ass for being so biased?

 

[sageoftruth]

Personally I don't see much of a connection between his criminal background and his crusade against video games. Just because he's a criminal doesn't make it wrong for him to try to do something to lessen crime, even if I think cracking down on video games is a pretty dumb solution.

 

[sageoftruth]

Scariest bit is that this is just the one we caught. The FBI only came across Lee by coincidence. Also, this is a state senator. Imagine what the senators in Washington get up to.

I hope someone adapts this story for a video game - a violent one.

It already sort of reminds me of Sleeping Dogs, probably because I just started playing it.

Well it's a good thing this story is being carried far and wide for the american people to know the kind of corr... oh wait, nope.
Here's my post from back when this was posted in the forums:

My favorite part of this whole story is the part where CNN / MSNBC / ABC News still aren't carrying this story, 2 days later. MSNBC, upon searching "Leland Yee" briefly mentions it a few paragraphs into a story about political corruption, CNN returns absolutely no search results regarding the arrest or release on bond, and many other of the expected "news sources" aren't showing this story on homepage, US News, or Politics sections.

http://www.cnn.com/search/?query=leland+yee&x=0&y=0&primaryType=mixed&sortBy=relevance&intl=false
Lol, the violent video game bill is the most relevant search result for "Leland Yee" on CNN.

Can't go smearing the Democrat / anti-gun politicians, can we?

Are you really all that surprised. All TV news programs are garbage.

 

[sageoftruth]

This is more like the sequel to Sleeping Dogs than anything I ever would have imagined.

No, we can't. The mass media covers up for them all the time, and even game journalists (really no different from the rest of the media) will almost never mention which party he belongs to and focuses most on his anti-games policies, not the fact he wants to strip Americans of legally bought guns while giving illegal guns to criminals and terrorists. But it's not hypocrisy to be anti-game and then run guns. That would be like saying you're against wearing fur but then eating meat. It would be hypocritical if it turned out he was a huge gamer. The fact he's a huge anti-gun nut is where the hypocrisy is.

He's not a hypocrite. Bigger restrictions mean bigger money. He's a good businessman. Sure, he screws all of us over, but think of the cash!

well, actually he is a hypocrite. someone denouncing violent videogames and the legal ownership of firearms turning around and getting favors from actual crime organizations and actively facilitating illegal arms deals is hypocrisy. the fact that he got money from it, doesn't change that.and given that the whole reason he got into this mess was crushing debt preventing him from running for a public office, I wouldn't call him a good businessman either. he got into a situation that was way over his head and ended up being used by people. he would've probably gotten away with it too were not our government's Agents Provocateurs there

It still makes me wonder if his crimes really did anything to make his crusade against games any wronger than it already was. I've never supported attempts to shut down games, but does the fact that he's a criminal actually make it bad that he was making an honest effort to do something about crime (assuming it wasn't just a political move)? I got the impression that while he felt dangerously dependent on crime, he never actually supported it. To me it still feels like his crusade against games and his life of crime have nothing to do with each other. I'm still glad this was exposed.