[ENP83]

Isn\'t that how it goes though....

Michael Moore's Bodyguard Arrested on Airport Gun Charge

Thursday, January 20, 2005

NEW YORK — Filmmaker Michael Moore's (search) bodyguard was arrested for carrying an unlicensed weapon in New York's JFK airport Wednesday night.

Police took Patrick Burke, who says Moore employs him, into custody after he declared he was carrying a firearm at a ticket counter. Burke is licensed to carry a firearm in Florida and California, but not in New York. Burke was taken to Queens central booking and could potentially be charged with a felony for the incident.

Moore's 2003 Oscar-winning film "Bowling for Columbine" criticizes what Moore calls America's "culture of fear" and its obsession with guns.

Another Rosie O'Donnell, hates guns, wants to ban guns, critisizes people who own guns as being fearful over nothing...yet then has a body guard carrying a gun. :808876-nono: Gee, wouldn't it be nice if every American had their own armed body gaurd, then "nobody" would need to carry a gun....right? :rolling: This is like someone saying people shouldn't have cars because they pollute and gloat about themselves not owning a car while then having their own personal chauffeur on call 24-7 and their own a private jet. :808993-banghead:

[ QUOTE ]
''They are possibly the dumbest people on the planet. Our stupidity is embaressing." – Michael Moore. "They" being Americans, you, me, most people on this board

[/ QUOTE ]

 

[Stray]

Re: Isn\'t that how it goes though....

Yeah, well we knew he was inconsistent unless it suits his own purpose.

I would suppose that he would say that guns are only okay if used by "responsible" people to protect himself (not realizing the irony).

 

[novos]

Re: Isn\'t that how it goes though....

the left has moore, the right has limbaugh. :rolling:

 

[OldFatGuy]

Re: Isn\'t that how it goes though....

Interesting that Michael Moore's bodyguard is one of the handful of people who managed to obtain a CCW permit in California, Dianne Feinstein being another. It seems like you have to be a vocal anti-gunner in order to legally carry a gun.

 

[ebbtide]

Re: Isn\'t that how it goes though....

When has Moore been anti gun? Not that I like the guy, but I saw "Bowling" and it didn't come off as anti-gun or with the idea of banning guns at all... /wwwthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

And if I were him, i'd have two armed body guards. Some crazy ass ******** out there....

 

[Nottobright]

Re: Isn\'t that how it goes though....

[ QUOTE ]
ebbtide said:
When has Moore been anti gun? Not that I like the guy, but I saw "Bowling" and it didn't come off as anti-gun or with the idea of banning guns at all... /wwwthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

And if I were him, i'd have two armed body guards. Some crazy ass ******** out there....

[/ QUOTE ]

He tried to make anyone who ever owned a gun look like a nut

 

[ebbtide]

Re: Isn\'t that how it goes though....

That's not how I read it after watching the movie. I came away with a sense that he was showing america's obsession with guns and violence in the media, specifically in contrast to the gun nut owning nation of Canada, with it's incredibly low crime and 3 guns per capita. And I own guns and belong to the NRA. Maybe I missed something....

 

[PorradaVFR]

Re: Isn\'t that how it goes though....

He's a lifetime NRA member and owns guns, did you see the same movie I did?

As for the bodyguard - what a schmuck. How he got a CA CCW is beyond me - you have to know the laws as a common citizen, but a CCW holder has to REALLY know the laws, especially when carrying.

NY does not fool around with enforcement. He may be in for a major hard time.

 

[ENP83]

Re: Isn\'t that how it goes though....

[ QUOTE ]
novos said:
the left has moore, the right has limbaugh. :rolling:

[/ QUOTE ]
Look at the date of the news story, 1/20/05...I don't think Limbaugh comes on at 3:30am CST :rolling:

 

[novos]

Re: Isn\'t that how it goes though....

what does the story time have to do with the polar opposites of propaganda ministers?

 

[Gruneun]

Re: Isn\'t that how it goes though....

[ QUOTE ]
PorradaVFR said:
He's a lifetime NRA member

[/ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]
Micahel Moore said:
"After Columbine, I decided that I would run against Charlton Heston for the presidency of the NRA. If elected, my plan was to try to return the NRA to a gun safety organization, instead of its current agenda of gun fanaticism. The rules said that to run for president, you had to be a member for the past five years or buy a lifetime membership for $750. And that's what I did. But after a while I realized this endeavor was going to take too much time, so I decided to focus all my attention on the movie I was making."

[/ QUOTE ]
Saying he's a lifetime member implies he has been an active member for quite a long time. In fact, he had to purchase the lifetime membership because he hadn't been a member for even five years. He freely admits that he only reason he's a "lifetime member" was for the election... an obvious publicity stunt, which he could subsequently spin in his next movie.

I don't care that his bodyguard was carrying. Hell, if I was him, I would be carrying. Still to make him into some hero protector of the right to bear arms, rather than a common hypocrite, is a bit ridiculous.

* I'm not an NRA member or a particular supporter of the fanatical knuckleheads that exist in the organization, but their existence is required to balance the fanatical knuckleheads on the other side. When I picture myself roughly in the middle of that argument, I don't see Michael Moore standing anywhere near me.

 

[pudding7]

Re: Isn\'t that how it goes though....

Yay Fox News! Getting it wrong again!

[ QUOTE ]
Dear Fox News Editors:

Our firm employs Patrick Burk.

Fox News has now removed the link for this story from their home page; their original story contained several errors (below). We want to be certain you are aware of the appropriate corrections.

I know that Fox News editors must rely upon others when preparing their stories, and I offer with no judgment that their story titled “Michael Moore’s Bodyguard Arrested on Airport Gun Charge” contains several errors, including its entire headline.

Please correct the errors in your story below as soon as possible, because, as you are aware, the errors reach an ever-widening audience with each passing minute - and will predictably be picked up by other news agencies.

Our full-time employee, Patrick Burk, is not “Michael Moore’s bodyguard.” Accordingly, the headline in the Fox News Web site story is false and misleading.

If you believe Patrick Burk was ever assigned to protect Michael Moore, or any number of other public figures, you might accurately report that “A bodyguard who was once assigned to protect Michael Moore...”

You could as accurately say “A bodyguard that was once assigned to protect President Clinton,” because Patrick Burk has also been assigned to protect President Clinton in the past - but you wouldn’t be accurate if you said “President Clinton’s Bodyguard.”

Patrick Burk is not Michael Moore’s bodyguard, nor was he protecting Michael Moore or in any way involved with Michael Moore on Wednesday night, when he (Burk) was checking in at JFK for a flight to Los Angeles.

When checking in for the flight, Patrick Burk voluntarily advised United Airlines that he was transporting an unloaded, locked firearm in his checked luggage, precisely as regulations require, and not “carrying” a weapon, as your story inaccurately reports. Advising the counter ticket agent is a routine procedure for police officers and security professionals. In this case, a Port Authority officer decided to arrest Patrick Burk on the charge that he is not licensed to carry a firearm in New York City.

The Fox web site headline contains an error not present in the story. The headline indicates that Patrick Burk was arrested on an “airport gun charge.” He was not. The charge involves having a firearm without a New York City License to carry it. On that note, Patrick Burk was not carrying a weapon on his person (only locked in his baggage), and the police do not allege that he was carrying a weapon on his person, as your story implies.

Police, security professionals, sportsmen, and citizen gun owners who fly on the Nation’s airlines are legally bound to advise the airlines of firearms in their checked baggage - and the firearms are transported just like any other baggage.

The Fox News story also says Patrick Burk was carrying “an unlicensed firearm.” Please correct that error. Patrick Burk’s firearm is legally registered to Patrick Burk - it is not “unlicensed.” Patrick Burk is licensed to carry a firearm in several States, and a court will determine if any charge is appropriate for Patrick Burk in this matter, which involves New York City.

Though I realize a Michael Moore connection would be of interest to your web site, Patrick Burk is not Michael Moore’s bodyguard, and has never been employed by Michael Moore.

An important note for you is that Patrick Burk is not a public figure and even the smallest inaccurate detail that is widely disseminated could predictably interfere with his ability to pursue his profession. Patrick Burk is a former Marine who served with distinction in an elite and specialized Marine unit, and he protected, among others, then-President Clinton.

Our firm (www.gavindebecker.com) provides protective coverage for public figures and others, and Patrick Burk is a leading professional in his field.

I highlighted in red below the specific errors where they appear in the Fox News story.

Please let me know that you have received this email, and if you need further information or need to reach our firm, please call (redacted), and ask for (redacted).

Sincerely-

Gavin de Becker


[/ QUOTE ]

 

[ENP83]

Re: Isn\'t that how it goes though....

and already I dont see the story linked anywhere on the sites that i found it on or on FNC's website. None the less, MM who trys to make gun owners look like a bunch of crazies who really have nothing to fear and dont really need guns....has armed bodyguards.

In a related story, I just saw this one pop up....

 

[OldFatGuy]

Re: Isn\'t that how it goes though....

[ QUOTE ]
pudding7 said:
Yay Fox News! Getting it wrong again!



[/ QUOTE ]

Maybe they need Dan Rather to bring some integrity back to their news reporting. I hear he's going to be available. :wink:

 

[novos]

Re: Isn\'t that how it goes though....

ROFL!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: