FBI says Fox News and Bill Kristol are full of shit!

On the heels of my post about Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer's ridiculous claim that illegal immigrants are roaming around her state decapitating people, comes this wholly expected regurgitation of the "rampant crime" in Arizona by illegal immigrants hysteria. And of course it comes as no surprise that this pernicious form of political dog-whistling is emanating from Fox News.

Kristol misrepresents Phoenix crime levels to defend AZ law
3 hours and 13 minutes ago

On Fox News, Bill Kristol stated that crime along the Arizona border "may be down" but that "a lot of the crime has migrated up to Phoenix." In fact, crime rates in Phoenix and the surrounding metro area have dropped over the past decade and reportedly "plunged" in 2009.

FBI statistics put the lie to the claims:

FBI data shows crime rates in Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale Metropolitan Statistical Area have dropped. According to the FBI's "Crime in the United States" annual reports, the violent crime rate in the Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale metro area has declined from 560 per 100,000 population in 2000 to 490 in 2007 and 455 in 2008 (a 19 percent decrease from 2000 to 2008). The property crime rate has also declined from 5,644 per 100,000 population in 2000 to 4,653 in 2007 and 4,256 in 2008 (a 25 percent decrease from 2000 to 2008). The FBI's 2009 crime statistics for the Phoenix metro area have not yet been released.

Phoenix Police Department: Total violent and property crimes declined 44 percent from 2002-2009. According to a Phoenix Police Department report, the total violent and property rates in Phoenix declined 44 percent from 2002 to 2009. During that period, the violent crime rate fell 30 percent and the property crime rate fell 46 percent.

WSJ: Violent crime in Phoenix "plunged" in 2009. The Wall Street Journal reported on May 25 that according to preliminary FBI figures, "[t]he incidence of violent crimes such as murder, rape and aggravated assault ... plunged 16.6% in Phoenix, despite a perception of rising crime that has fueled an immigration backlash." The Journal further reported that "Arizona's major cities all registered declines."

Gee -- apparently the FBI and the Phoenix PD must must be populated with lying, dirty fucking hippie liberals eh?

I honestly cannot comprehend how it is that Fox let's such blatant lying spew out over their airwaves ad nauseum, day in, day out. Well -- actually I can .. they're stringing the rubes along because one - the rubes are easy to manipulate, and two - because their zombie-like viewing of Fox generates a lot of revenue from advertising.

What price to American society Rupert Murdoch exacts with his big media lie machine. And all to consolidate his own media power and enhance his financial empire. The creep.



----k