Energize The Base!

The Ahmaud Arbery shooting I noted in April is now going national. CNN aired a video of the fatal confrontation, the case is going to a grand jury and Joe Biden is demanding justice. Now both sides (all sides?) get to grab their scripts and we can fight over whether Ahmaud Arbery is Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, or someone else entirely. Any chance he's Ahmaud Arbery and this case doesn't fit a template? Naah.

As is so often the case, the vdeo shows what people want it to show. This is CNN:

Brunswick, Georgia (CNN)The fatal shooting of a black man -- apparently recorded on video in February and posted online Tuesday by a local radio station host -- will go to a grand jury in coastal Georgia, according to a district attorney.

Elements of the disturbing video are consistent with a description of the shooting given to police by one of those involved in the incident.

 

Well, yes. Here is the Times version from last April:

 

In a separate document, [local prosecutor] Mr. Barnhill stated that video exists of Mr. Arbery “burglarizing a home immediately preceding the chase and confrontation.” In the letter to the police, he cites a separate video of the shooting filmed by a third pursuer.

 

Mr. Barnhill said this video, which has not been made public, shows Mr. Arbery attacking Travis McMichael after he and his father pulled up to him in their truck.

 

The video shows Mr. Arbery trying to grab the shotgun from Travis McMichael’s hands, Mr. Barnhill wrote. And that, he argued, amounts to self-defense under Georgia law. Travis McMichael, Mr. Barnhill concluded, “was allowed to use deadly force to protect himself.”

 

Where did that take the local prosecutor?

Mr. Barnhill also wrote that he did not believe there was evidence of a crime, noting that Gregory McMichael and his son had been legally carrying their weapons under Georgia law. And because Mr. Arbery was a “burglary suspect,” the pursuers, who had “solid firsthand probable cause,” were justified in chasing him under the state’s citizen’s arrest law.

It's all good!

I'm just a tired old Yankee who is losing patience with this bullshit. Arbery was not jogging down the street carrying a television. And if he was, you're going to shoot him because of it? Why? No one was being kidnapped, no one was being raped, no one was being assaulted - what about this suggested it was a deadly force situation?

 

Or if these vigilantes were gunned up out of fear that the jogger might be armed, well, if the situation is that dangerous just take a deep breath and let it go. I don't care how legal this shooting was, it was stupid and quite likely the law is stupid as well.

 

Now yes, Arbery should not have attacked, as the video suggests he did. Legally that may be exculpatory but I'm not even sure why that is a defense. What, the  vigilante plan was to show up with a shotgun to arrest a guy who, they hoped, would be calm and act responsibly? Just how did they picture this unfolding if the jogger was terrified, hopped up on drugs, had anger management issues, had mental health issues, or whatever? The plan was what - if he's a sensible citizen they'll arrest him, otherwise they'll shoot him? Come on, man.

 

These vigilantes faced a situation where no one was at risk of physical harm and turned it into a situation that had a high potential for disaster. And that's what they got. There ought to be consequences for cranial-anal impaction.

 

 

Comments

[Neo]

Brandon Van Grack was removed from the Flynn prosecution today after it was revealed he lied under oath to Judge Sullivan, covered up evidence, and may have committed other crimes.

[Narciso]

I would say executioner much more pinpoint.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

--Could he have w/d from all cases as he has been informed he is about to be charged? --

Possibly and hopefully but I doubt it.
I suspect his Brady violations were so egregious he has no credibility and may be disciplined.

[Threadkiller]

Do you think the governors were going to proceed with a shutdown without prior knowledge that money was heading their way, Porch?

It was never argued on JOM that the bills that filtered through the elected representatives and senators hands weren’t drafted well in advance by congressional staff and lobbyists. Is that the case now? The multi-trillion spendapalooza just appeared and conveniently just in time?

This bill started as an unrelated house bill that languished in the Senate for over a year before it was gutted and replaced with Covid language that had to take some time to draft. Then from the Senate, it went to a House that planned on passing it with only two votes because of Covid.

This kind of rush job was bothersome when it was called Obamacare. Not so much anymore.

I cannot accept that the States were completely uninformed when they cut off their own revenue streams.

[Narciso]

Probably tk although a quorum wouldnt have made a difference.

[Threadkiller]

a quorum wouldnt have made a difference.

Stupid Founding Fathers.

[Neo]

What does Joe Pientka, the mystery FBI agent at the center of the Flynn and Carter Page cases have on other DOJ/FBI officials, that he, with the help of his lawyer wife, has been able to relocate to California and keep everybody at bay ?

[Old Lurker]

As noted above, there is plenty of blame to be spread around.

Every bit of it will land on a public servant somewhere.

Not a drop on a private citizen.

[Narciso]

Now with gaetz and diaz balart they have a quorum, what happened with the former.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

VDH on how the guy who would be the most offensive person any normal mortal would know is in fact the least offensive candidate the Dems had and is now their presumed nominee.

I have to say that watching progs, who nearly asphyxiated themselves upon hearing Trump's accurate description of how some chicks throw themselves, crotch first, at the rich and famous voluntarily, now say, "yup, I believe Joe Biden didn't just talk about chicks voluntarily having sex with rich guys and didn't just nuzzle women and young girls weirdly nor did he even just sexually harass one, but in fact he digitally penetrated her against her will which amounts to forcible rape and then told her she liked it and it was her fault and silenced her and had his staff bully her and had her fired afterward, yup, he, a powerful, white Senator did all those things to his underling and I'm proudly voting for him anyway".

There is no foul act, no immoral position, no virtue that will not be betrayed, no innocent who won't be sacrificed and no run-on sentence too long if it or she stands between a prog and power.

[Narciso]

What happened with bolsonaros security advisor there are so many loose ends that havent been wrapped up.

[clarice]

https://apnews.com/ae1ad252bb13490db2ceffc5d17b6d92?utm_source=Twitter&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=AP&fbclid=IwAR1yq1EtChNoxI50AqmaHyRJjtJoMQfSBhrNIrXYfmyacv_VBbkQqZWKlPo

[lyle]

I think I’ll skip the Coulter article

I did but I’m still shaking my head. Neocons? Aren’t they the ones manning the USS Bulwark? If so, why would they be blaming the chinks and not the prez? Not that I GAF.

[clarice]

DOJ dropped Flynn case.

[Jane]

"That is much more assertive than his Lt Governor’s wimpy grandstanding plan to pay her fine."

TK they tried to get her out, but she wasn't jailed for a crime but for being mean to the judge so they didn't have the ability. No one was being wimpy.

[henry]

Link on Flynn case being dropped

https://apnews.com/ae1ad252bb13490db2ceffc5d17b6d92

[Extraneus]

The decision is certain to be embraced by Trump, who has relentlessly tweeted about the case and last week pronounced Flynn “exonerated,” and energize supporters who have taken up the retired Army lieutenant general as something of a cause celebre. But it may also add to Democratic concerns that Attorney General William Barr is excessively loyal to the president, and could be a distraction for a Justice Department that for months has sought to focus on crimes arising from the coronavirus.

Wait til the MSM/left find out the crimes were committed by their own people.

[Melinda]

Does Sullivan get a say, Clarice?

[Jane]

Thanks JIB,

I want the 12"Ipad, but I can't figure out the difference between the $700 one and the $1200 one and I don't think it's gigabytes.

[Tom R]

We know that Rod Rosenstein is an idiotic tool

Iggy @ 2:04

The "we" refers to all the bad pundits who haven't figured out yet how that scope memo set the stage for future criminal indictments of corrupt DOJ/FBI personnel.

Everyone by now should have figured out the DOJ is releasing all this damning evidence in a controlled manner. A few days ago we got confirmation that the FBI knew the Steele dossier was Russian disinformation from the outset. Later we learned that Strzok kept the case against Flynn active by invoking the Logan Act.

End result is a situation where corrupt members of the FBI couldn't get Flynn to lie so they open up an official active case for violation of an obscure federal law.

The second scope memo was issued 6 months after Trump announced to the world Obama was spying on him. That is plenty of time for Team Trump to formulate a plan on how to bring the Obama criminal cabal to justice. Corrupt members of the FBI swore under oath the contents of the Steele dossier were true. Corrupt members of the FBI knew Flynn was innocent and still sought to get him fired or trick him into lying. All of these corrupt FBI actions fell under the scope of the Crossfire Hurricane investigation.

Rosenstein's scope memo directed Mueller to investigate these allegations of criminal activity by the FBI. When the FBI informs the DOJ that a federal crime has been committed, the DOJ is required to act on the case. During the course of Mueller's investigation the facts indicate that the only crimes committed were those by members of the Obama criminal cabal. Keep in my Mueller sent 14 redacted criminal referrals to the DOJ many of which we still don't know the identity of the person who committed criminal acts. I'm hoping some of those referrals will soon be indictments issued by Durham.

Like I've pointed out many times, there was some reason AG Barr and Sessions gave Rosenstein a heroes sendoff when he retired. I don't think an "idiotic tool" conspiring with the Obama criminal cabal to destroy Trump would have gotten that kind of treatment.

[Threadkiller]

We differ, Jane.

[Jane]

Headline on Fox says:

"Justice Dept dropping the Flynn case"

[Extraneus]

So are they going to pay his legal fees?

[Old Lurker]

Good on Flynn.

[lyle]

From Clarice’s 2:37:

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department on Thursday said it is dropping the criminal case against President Donald Trump’s first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, abandoning a prosecution that became a rallying cry for Trump and his supporters in attacking the FBI’s Russia investigation.

Um...because everyone—and I mean EVERYONE—knew it was a “set-up,” not an investigation, you AP putzes.

[henry]

@whitehouse

This is a big moment in America's history: opening up our Country again and rebuilding the greatest economy anywhere in the world 🇺🇸

https://twitter.com/whitehouse/status/1258465459130830850?s=21

[vid at link]

[Stephanie Nene Not Your Normal Granma]

CASE DROPPED AGAINST FLYNN

Now we know why ass hoe lawyer is gone.

[Extraneus]

What a black eye for Mueller.

I'd love to lock him and Flynn together in a soundproof room.

[Old Lurker]

Ext "Wait til the MSM/left find out the crimes were committed by their own people."

Ext. They just don't care.

[Threadkiller]

I wonder when Flynn will reveal that he and Trump and Sessions and Mueller and Rosenstein and Comey were perpetrating a multi year fraud upon the court.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Kyle Smith harpoons Big Mike's big butt;
Unbecoming; Nobody done knows da troubles I done seen, but ah aint no ways tired.

The cult of Michelle Obama is a puzzler. Thousands of strong, smart, independent women flock to every public appearance of, and hang on every platitude of, a woman whose sole notable accomplishment is her marriage. Lucking into marrying a celebrity is not usually posited to be the aim of feminism. No one can name a single other exceptional, or even unusual, achievement.

The only difference between Hillary and Michelle is the latter hasn't been ambitious enough to screw up much beyond school lunches.
And as far as I know she hasn't ordered anyone offed, although this probably came close;

[Old Lurker]

Jane "I can't figure out the difference between the $700 one and the $1200 one"

$500 Jane. Told you girls are no good at math.

[Captain Hate]

Does dropping the case let Covington off the hook?

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

We differ, Tom.

[Threadkiller]

That is what I am wondering as well, CH.

[Threadkiller]

:-) Iggy!

[henry]

Jane, is the $700 WIFI only, and the $1,200 WIFI or Cell Phone Service connect? That was the difference when I got my newer a iPad a year ago.

[Tom R]

Good news for Flynn. Wish it had been Sullivan who tossed the case instead of Barr.

[Captain Hate]

I need Stedman to be a convicted felon and lose his dogshit law license.

[Threadkiller]

I think you will have to settle for Strzok and Van Grack, CH.

[Old Lurker]

Cap'n, I don't see how it let's Covington off any hook. If anything it proves how wrong they were.

Seems to me Flynn has a simple civil case for shoddy work at best or perhaps even worse, and his damages go way beyond "we'll tear up your bill". If a case has ever deserved Punitive Damages, this would be a poster for it.

Hope I'm right about that.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

--"Wait til the MSM/left find out the crimes were committed by their own people."--

See my 2:35.
The #metoo brigade is now justifying why they're voting for someone they believe is a rapist.
Tara Reade's personal friend who she told at the time and who believes her is even voting for Biden.
There are no means the ends don't justify to the left.

[Threadkiller]

Covington has a couple of low level button pushers the can shove under the bus, OL, and I imagine they have the dough to cover a nice settlement to Flynn.

[Melinda]

I want Sullivan to dismiss with prejudice, so Miss Sydney can flip the table.

[MissMarple2]

Great news about Flynn! Now I am off to pick up my Kroger order!

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

It let's Covington off the hook criminally for their FARA work but seems to me to put them rather more deeply on it for not only their conflict of interest in persuading Flynn to plead but also for the withholding at least some of the documents that ended up kicking this thing out of court.

[jimmyk]

Since OL mentioned relying on "back-of-the-envelope" calculations, I did what I suggested yesterday and plugged in NYC numbers to the standard SIR epidemiology model. Unless I did something wildly wrong, the fact that the daily growth rate of cases has gone from around 15% 5 days after shutdown to about 1% now implies that roughly 2/3 of the population is immune. Could be 50%-75%, but that's the calculation. That's pretty much herd immunity.

[Old Lurker]

Plus lots of insurance, TK.

[Old Lurker]

Thanks Jimmy. What are you going to do with the left over 14,800 lines of Basic?

[jimmyk]

Great news about Flynn!

So now for the prosecutions of the prosecutors....

[Extraneus]

Yeah, I was just commenting on this ridiculous part of the AP piece:

But it may also add to Democratic concerns that Attorney General William Barr is excessively loyal to the president, and could be a distraction for a Justice Department that for months has sought to focus on crimes arising from the coronavirus.

What crimes would those be? All Barr has ever said was that he's keeping an eye out for governors who violate the rights of citizens. Oh, and hoarders and price gougers. Maybe that's what AP is worried he might be distracted from while hunting down the coup plotters.

[Jane]

Now Flynn can sue the daylights out of them!

[Captain Hate]

Speaking of iPads, I must have been listening to Spotify when the app did an upgrade yesterday evening. I was running it on my iPad through the stereo and using my iPhone as kind of an ad hoc remote when it started acting squirrelly on my phone, specifically not keeping current with what track was playing. I rebooted my phone and when I hit the Spotify app nothing happened. The iPad app kept playing until the album I was listening to ended and when I went to put something else on it disappeared too.

So now I'm furious and walked Teddy while I contemplated exactly what I'd yell at customer relations but when I got back 20 minutes later everything was perfect. Usually when an app upgrades the icon has a clock image tracking the progress but that didn't happen, so that's just a semi educationed guess as to what happened.

[Jane]

"Does Sullivan get a say, Clarice?"

Decision has to be approved by "a judge".

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

No word from Jeralyn Merritt on Flynn.
Her last post was Monday wherein she says she is ways tarred, about thinking about coronavirus and also because she's sad because Biden shouldn't be facing any investigation if'n Trump ain't.

Yeah, it made no sense to me either but there you have her steel trap reasoning.

[Threadkiller]

I am like a kid on Christmas Eve waiting to open presents. How much longer do I have to wait for Patterico to weigh in on Flynn’s exoneration?!???

[Tom R]

Iggy @ 2:48

That’s OK. I think we will find out soon who is correct about Rosenstein. I also think the chances of Durham getting convictions is much higher if it turns out I am correct. I’m betting Van Grack is worried about that right now.

Food for thought. Remember when I pointed out RR appointed Mueller SC to protect Trump from McCabe?

https://twitter.com/themarketswork/status/1258180501535252480?s=21

[Captain Hate]

Hope I'm right about that.

Me too but it would be nice for Sullivan to exercise some criminal law retribution if possible.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

How hilarious would it be if Trump hired Flynn tomorrow?
Maybe as his Iran czar.

[Jane]

Maybe Henry. Would I ever need cell?

[jimmyk]

Thanks Jimmy. What are you going to do with the left over 14,800 lines of Basic?

OL, no doubt Cuomo used at least that number of lines to come up with his requirement that the city needs to hire 2,520 tracers before it can reopen. Because he's all sciency and everything.

[Rocco]

I hope Flynn goes for their throats, all of them. They threatened his son and called him a Traitor.

[Jane]

Now let's watch SChiff get arrested for the the best day EVAH!

[Neo]

That slowdown in Twitter is all the Blue Checks scrambling to delete their Flynn posts.

[Threadkiller]

Didn’t you post that same link earlier when you stated “vindication” Tom?

Should we start a tally so you know we read the link?

BTW, what Carlson wrote is ambiguous enough that it is helpful to the rest of us and what we theorized. It certainly isn’t a vindication of your theory.

[Jane]

Trump is going to speak soon!

[Captain Hate]

The Loon and Dopehat aren"t having a good day.

[henry]

Jane, I don’t know if you would need a cell. I got the cheaper one because the two places I might use it have WIFI.

[Threadkiller]

Iran czar! That is great.

[Threadkiller]

Trump is going to speak soon!

Where?

[henry]

CH, was Spotify down at the server? Server no response will do that to Apps.

[Stephanie Nene Not Your Normal Granma]

You would need cell if you have a need to tether your ipad to your phone with bluetooth. I do that whenever I am in a hotel and don't want to use their super slow wifi for business. And if the wfi ever goes out at home, which, even though I'm on Comcast Business with a 3 hour guarantee, can happen during bad storms.

[Tom R]

TK @ 3:10

Since last week you stated you had come to the conclusion Flynn was running a sting operation to entrap the bad guys (or words to those effect), you should be amenable to the idea that Team Trump would do something to set that sting operation all into motion. If you want to get convictions of corrupt DOJ/FBI officials isn't catching them in the act the easiest way to do that?

[Extraneus]

So was Van Grack the DoJ person who asked Flynn's Covington lawyer to see if Flynn could dish on Trump in return for leniency?

[Stephanie Nene Not Your Normal Granma]

Thinking about it or maybe if you want to be able to take/make calls on your ipad. They will give your ipad a cell #. It is a PITA if you have it rigged for your phone to forward to your Ipad.

I killed it after about a month on my ipad.

[Captain Hate]

Maybe, henry, I didn't do anything beyond reboot it before taking the dog out. iPads aren't exactly brimming with diagnostic tools.

[Melinda]

Isn’t National Security Advisor still open?

[henry]

TK, Trump here:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/live/

[Pinandpuller]

The best thing to come out of Georgia is now we can call criminals “Joggers” without getting spiked on Twitter.

[Captain Hate]

32 Flaming Skulls

http://acecomments.mu.nu/?post=387149

[Threadkiller]

or words to those effect

Your MO in a nutshell. Find my actual words and go from there.

[Threadkiller]

Thanks henry.

[Porchlight]

I cannot accept that the States were completely uninformed when they cut off their own revenue streams.

Sounds like Tom R-tier assumption levels, TK.

What about the governors who didn't shut down? Did they not get the secret memo or something?

[Captain Hate]

As predicted

http://patterico.com/2020/05/07/doj-to-drop-case-against-flynn/

[Another Bob]

“Your 12:51 sounds defensive.”

So did the 12:21.

Congrats to Flynn. Now let’s see the dirty cops and prosecutors in the dock. Not holding my breath.

I thought the hairdresser was released earlier today?

[Tom R]

TK @ 3:23

I don't pretend to have memorized your exact choice of words. You definitely created the perception last week you didn't like having to acknowledge you reached the same conclusion I had been supporting for a long time. If you are now saying you don't think Flynn was running a sting operation then I am perfectly fine with that as well.

[jimmyk]

TK, more likely the governors just figured they could play 'chicken' with DC, shut down, and dare Trump not to bail them out.

They already got a partial bailout from the Fed's program to buy their crap municipal bonds.

[Captain Hate]

lol at Bill Kristol's tweet:

"So Trump doesn't need to pardon Flynn; Barr dropped the charge to which Flynn had pled guilty. This is a foretaste of what a second Trump term would be like - the entire executive branch weaponized to help Trump's friends, punish his enemies, and undermine the rule of law."
Posted by: TheOriginalBlackOrchid at May 07, 2020 03:32 PM (j9HX3)

[Momto2]

A banner day!

jimmyk's birthday - Happy Birthday!!!

Flynn's case is dropped!

Could it be a hat trick? Shifty Schiff?

[Threadkiller]

Sounds like Tom R-tier assumption levels, TK.

That is a pretty good insult! ;-) I will go over my reasoning more carefully.

What about the governors who didn't shut down? Did they not get the secret memo or something?

When Ron Paul was in the House he would always vote to move egregious spending bills forward and then vote “no” on final passage. When questioned about it he would explain that he owed his constituents the opportunity to recapture some of their stolen tax money and inserting language that builds a bridge in his district, that the district wants, is his obligation. But overall the pork filled bills were abhorrent and he wanted his final vote to reflect that.

The non shutdown governors are in the same position. They couldn’t stop it, but they can, at least, make sure the tax payers they represent have a shot at getting some of their money back.

[Momto2]

Donald Trump Jr.
@DonaldJTrumpJr

I’m certain everyone in America still wants to see what’s in there. The FBI can’t conduct themselves this way & then refuse to shed light on the subject.

It’s time for some transparency & bad actors should be punished accordingly, you know, the way they would have punished us!

[henry]

Kristin, how’s the buffet at Chez Dumpster?

[henry]

Kristol. Even auto cucumber hates him.

[clarice]

Here is the DOJ filing dropping the Flynn prosecution--it's 20 ppp well worth reading:https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.191592/gov.uscourts.dcd.191592.198.0.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0zc8-ZF1cutPkySAd_UuDJYFHCDTKvYZOmip_CKBhvIi5K1r7YoY1tpOE

[Threadkiller]

I don't pretend to have memorized your exact choice of words

You don’t pretend to come close to what I have said, so this is no surprise. You do have, from your very own double posted link, Carlson’s exact choice of words. You can always cut and paste those here and diagram how he vindicates you.

BTW, your new rhetorical game of “If you are now....then I am fine with it” is daft. If you were fine with anything anyone else wrote, you wouldn’t be so compelled to complain.

[Captain Hate]

Who will get the first Flynn interview?
Posted by: Mark1971 at May 07, 2020 03:26 PM (xPl2J)

HANNITY: Welcome to Hannity. With us is Great American General Flynn. How does it feel?

FLYNN: Well, I...

HANNITY: I'm flying my flag, I don't know about you, but I'm flying my flag. I saw your flag tweet. Great American! What will you do nexs?

FLYNN: I plan...

HANNITY: Has the President talked with you about hiring you back?

FLYNN: He...

HANNITY: blah blah blah talkover blah blah blah talkover cutoff
Posted by: artisanal 'ette at May 07, 2020 03:45 PM (8fB/R)

[Old Lurker]

"Jane, I don’t know if you would need a cell. I got the cheaper one because the two places I might use it have WIFI."

Reverse for me. I have my iPad mini with me 24x7. But it is WiFi only. My iPhone gets fewer miles per year than my car which stays in Potomac. The only time I locate it and charge it is when I travel.

My next iPad will have cellular and I will dump my iPhone. Too bad Apple won't let you have a iPhone App on the iPad, but Skype or some such will give me enough phone access when I want to call somebody. I prefer to NEVER get incoming calls. That is another subject... :-)

[Threadkiller]

Hahahahaha. That is perfect, CH.

Back to chores.

[clarice]

I didn't know you could get an ipad with cellular. I hate iphones. I keep it only so my mother's carers can reach me in case of emergency and mostly I just get crap calls on it that I do not want to get.

[Porchlight]

Ok, thanks, TK. I don't quite see it. The governors were taking enormous economical and political risks for the possibility of *some* payback.

In my view the blue staters who shut down were politically motivated, and smelled a power grab. The red staters who shut down, like Abbott, were spooked because everyone seemed to be bending to the 15 days thing. So they went along. And of course some governors didn't shut down, figuring that was the correct decision for their (mostly low population) states.

That explains the shutdowns, to me, more completely than the shaky unspoken promise of Fed bucks.