Everyone knows that the primary fetish of Rudolph Giuliani when he was mayor of New York was "force."
But do people know that Mayor Bloomberg has a fetish for "surveillance?"
Let's check his record:
Calls for more cameras in buildings and on the streets. GPS devices that allow the city to track the location and path of all taxis on city streets (and beyond). Driver's license swipe card machines that record the identity of patrons at selected bars and clubs (especially gay bars and clubs) in Manhattan and then report that data back to the city.
Now, Mayor Bloomberg wants your DNA:
The mayor, who spoke from 1:17 p.m. to 2:05 p.m., called for taking DNA samples from every person arrested in New York City, no matter how serious the crime; ending social promotion for eighth graders, as he has already done for students in three younger grades; and extending a $400-a-year property tax rebate and a 7 percent property tax deduction despite mounting budget pressures. He promised to give "a six-figure prize" to anyone who invents a device that allows the Police Department to analyze DNA immediately, at crime scenes.
A big expansion of DNA testing, Mr. Bloomberg said, will "help keep the innocent out of jail and the guilty off our streets." The city lobbied the State Legislature two years ago to expand DNA testing to cover all convicted felons and people convicted of certain misdemeanors, but persuading Albany to expand the program to include everyone arrested — even those detained at nonviolent political protests, for example — is likely to encounter opposition from civil liberties groups.
And he can go and fuck off.
Is it any wonder that The Village loves the idea of Bloomberg as a presidential candidate?