RUSH: A couple days ago we told you that Fresno, California, was contemplating a plan to offer stipends — cash money, as the Reverend Sharpton says, “Cash money!” — to gang leaders and gang members not to pull the trigger. Well, they voted, and they have “decided to move forward with the funding initiative program for gang members.” “The city of Fresno is moving forward toward funding an incentive program for gang members, in an effort to curb gang violence in the city. The program is called Advanced Peace…” (chuckling) Advanced Peace.

It “would offer gang members [money, cash money] and incentives to abandon the lifestyle. The council agreed to fund $200,000 dollars, a portion of the funding needed to start the program, on Thursday. It passed the council in a 3-2 vote. Esmaralda Soria was not there and did not vote.” It says here, “The program is causing heated debate. Those against it say gang members shouldn’t be paid to put down their weapons, and those in favor say that’s not what the program is about — but rather supporting their transition out of the gang lifestyle.”

(chuckling) “[S]upporting their transition out of the gang lifestyle!” If this works, we could pay the mullahs! Oh, we already did that. We could pay the mullahs of Iran to give up Islam. Ah, we already did that. We gave ’em $1.6 billion in cash money on the tarmac! (laughing) We’re not paying ’em not to fire their guns. We’re paying them to begin the “transition” out of the “lifestyle. ‘As bad as you think it is to lose your child, if it ever happens, you realize it’s ten times worse than you could ever imagine,’ said community organizer and advocate for the program Aaron Foster.

“Foster lost not one, but two of his children to gang violence, both Memorial Day weekends four years apart. … ‘They both got shot in the back of the head but his body was a lot easier to look at because the bullet didn’t exit. With my baby, I’m shell shocked forever,’ said Foster.” So they want to pay people to stop doing this. Well, no, no, no, no. We’re not paying ’em to stop doing it. We’re paying ’em to “transition … out of the lifestyle.”