Why is This Man Smiling?

Because he's rationalized putting his crack-pot idealism ahead of the lives of others.

On Wednesday, (Edwin) Ramos pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder in the deaths of Anthony Bologna, 49, and his sons, Michael, 20, and Matthew, 16. Bologna and his older son died in the intersection on June 22. His younger son succumbed to his injuries days later.

The victims' family learned that Ramos had been arrested at least three times before the shooting and evaded deportation, largely because of San Francisco's sanctuary status. The policy, adopted in 1989 by the city's elected Board of Supervisors, bars local officials from cooperating with federal authorities in their efforts to deport illegal immigrants.

The Bolognas' relatives say Ramos apparently benefited from the policy when he reportedly was convicted twice of felonies in 2003 and 2004 but never was turned over for deportation. "All San Francisco's sanctuary ordinance has done is bring violence and death to this once-great city," said Frank Kennedy, who is married to Anthony Bologna's sister.

Oh now, come on; just because three of your family members were gunned down in public by an illegal alien and repeat felon doesn't mean you should harsh the mellow of Gavin Newsom and the field-of-daisies Utopia that is San Francisco.

Nathan Ballard, a spokesman for San Francisco's mayor, said city officials were wrong to shield undocumented, juvenile felons from federal immigration authorities. "The sanctuary program was never intended to shield felons," Ballard said. "The policy was inappropriate." However, Newsom "still supports the worthwhile aims of denying the federal government" assistance in deporting otherwise law-abiding undocumented residents, he said.

That's EXACTLY the sort of backpedal you'd expect form a politician whose fantasy land policies result in the death. The finger pointing between the public pension-promised civic entities makes me physically ill. Oh, I get it Gavin; you hate the president so much, you're willing to sacrifice the lives of the citizens of you city to make your petty point.