It would have been better had he had followed traffic laws and stopped at the red light rather than blasting through it running over multiple people. It would have been better to turn at he intersection and take an alternate route, and yes it would have been better to sit there and honk than run people over. How is that even a question?
By duty's apparent definition of terrorist, this guy fits. He wasn't protecting himself, he is clearly a racist who went out of his way try to injure people with his car.
Sorry, someone in a tense situation at the least, starts walking towards my car with a gun in a threatening manner, I don't wait to find out his intent. I'd bet you wouldn't either.
And that's the exact argument the jury heard. He claimed it was done in a threatening manner. That he raised the gun in a threatening manner and felt his life was in danger. The jury heard from witnesses that found it was not done in a threatening manner. Surely you don't think killing someone should be allowed simply because he was carrying a gun do you? I mean isn't that the right you uphold to the fullest? People having the right to carry in public without a permit? So if you propose that should be legal, what is it about this incident that meets the threshold of his life being in danger?
The jury heard the very argument you are trying to make. They found by a unanimous verdict that wasn't what happened.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
Texas Lawmaker Allegedly Invited Underage Intern Over to Drink, Gave Her 'Loyalty Test' Susan Rinkunas Tue, April 11, 2023 at 12:00 PM EDT·3 min read
Texas state Rep. Bryan Slaton (R) allegedly had an “inappropriate relationship” with an underage female intern, according to an internal complaint obtained by the Texas Tribune. Slaton, who is married, allegedly called the intern after 10 p.m. on Friday, March 31, and invited her to his Austin apartment. A source who works in the Capitol with direct knowledge of the incident told the Tribune that the intern was under 21 and that Slaton drank alcohol with her. Two of his fellow Republicans have now called on him to resign.
A legislative staffer filed the complaint with the House General Investigating Committee. Per that complaint, Slaton comes pretty close to blackmailing the intern: He allegedly showed her fake emails that he claimed contained information about their meetup days later and then told her not to talk about it. Sources described it to the Tribune as “something of a loyalty test”:
After the incident, Slaton allegedly showed the intern fake emails that purported to have information about the incident in what appeared to be something of a loyalty test, according to the complaint and a person with direct knowledge. After presenting her the email, Slaton allegedly told her to not speak with anyone about the incident.
Slaton, who was in the Capitol on Monday, declined to answer questions and referred to a statement put out earlier in the day by a criminal defense attorney he has retained.
Slaton declined the Tribune’s request for comment at the capitol building on Monday. Patrick Short, a criminal defense attorney representing Slaton, called the claims outrageous and false. House Speaker Dade Phelan (R) said the chamber would investigate the matter. Republican State Reps. Briscoe Cain and Steve Toth have called on Slaton to resign.
Slaton graduated from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth and, according to his website, has worked as a youth minister at several Southern Baptist churches in Texas. He had missed a key budget hearing on Thursday, which surprised insiders as he’d proposed a whopping 27 amendments. He was the only lawmaker absent, per the Tribune.
Slaton is, of course, vehemently opposed to drag shows and abortion. He introduced a bill, HB 4129, that would ban drag shows with minors present and has tweeted about drag shows leading to the grooming of children. He also loves to tweet the sentence: “We must protect Texas kids from sick adults who want to sexualize them.”
Texas journalist Mary Tuma also noted that Slaton has filed several abortion bans this session. One particularly horrific bill is HB 2709, which would define embryos as people in the state’s criminal code and allow abortions to be prosecuted as capital murder, eligible for the death penalty. The bill does not exempt pregnant people from prosecution, per Texas Monthly.
This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Another proposal from Slaton called for 40 percent property tax credits for heterosexual, married couples who have at least four biological or adopted children, and up to 100 percent for families with 10 children. To qualify, neither parent can have been divorced. He cited falling birth rates as the impetus for the bill.
Sounds like an all-around swell guy who should resign!
Nobody tried to put words in your mouth. I was simply asking and looking for further explanation from you as to your beliefs on the matter. Rather than do that, you boiled the entire Jan. 6th riot down to one person, Ashley Babbit.
Thus far there have been over 1000 arrests and hundreds of convictions. many convictions for assaulting police officers due to Jan. 6th. One one hand you said those involved in rioting during the summer include more people that should have or could have been killed and you had no sympathy for any on them. When asked about people conducting themselves in that very same manner on Jan. 6th and you avoided it like the plague.
And once again you claim this murder victim was "rioting". Yet you have zero evidence to base such a claim on. Why do you continue to do that?
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
Florida Republican apologizes for anti-transgender 'demons' and 'mutants' comments
Rep. Webster Barnaby made the comments during a committee hearing.
Republican Rep. Webster Barnaby called transgender people "demons" and "mutants" in a hearing about a bill that would make it a crime to use a bathroom that doesn't align with the gender assigned at birth.
Transgender people and allies were at the public hearing on Monday to share their stories in opposition to the bill when Barnaby made his comments: "I'm looking at society today and it's like I'm watching an X-Men movie … it's like we have mutants living among us on planet Earth," Barnaby said.
He later went on, "I'm not afraid to address the dysphoria or the dysfunction. The Lord rebuke you, Satan, and all of your demons and all of your imps will come and parade before us. That's right – I called you demons and imps who come and parade before us and pretend that you are part of this world."
Later in the hearing, he apologized for his comments.
"I would like to apologize to the trans community for referring to you as demons," he said.
Transgender people have long expressed concerns about the harm of anti-transgender sentiment and the influence it could have on the violence and discrimination disproportionately faced by the community.
"Today, parents and children, many of whom traveled hours to share their stories, had to listen to GOP State Representative Barnaby slander the transgender community from the dais," a statement from local LGBTQ group Equality Florida read. "And Republican leadership in the room refused to put a stop to it."
It continued, "This hideous bigotry has always been at the root of the wave of anti-LGBTQ hysteria sweeping our state."
Advocates say transgender people have historically and falsely been categorized as violent or dangerous, which perpetuates anti-transgender sentiment and discrimination.
Transgender people are more than four times more likely than cisgender people to be victims of violence, according to a study by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law.
In his comments, Barnaby expressed his lack of understanding about gender dysphoria and language around gender: "To all the folks that are in the audience that consider themselves gender dysphoria, cis – I don't know what all that means. I really don't know what all that means."
The state has seen several bills this year that restrict the LGBTQ community, as well as implementing several other restrictive laws or policies. Several bills currently being considered by the legislature restrict education, programming or curriculum relating to sexual orientation or gender identity in K-12 schools and colleges, as well as limit access to transgender health care for people under 18.
Several state laws and policies already restrict these issues, but several bills aim to expand restrictions.
One bill, SB 254, would allow the state to alter a parent's custody rights if gender-affirming youth health care is considered for their child.
The group also called on House Speaker Paul Rommel to denounce Barnaby's words.
Several other lawmakers appeared to express support for the transgender people who spoke at the hearing or distance themselves from Barnaby's statements.
"I see you, hear you, understand and love you and -- definitely still a little bit thrown off from the last comments here and I just really wanna let you all know that that that there are many here that understand and support you," said Democrat Rep. Kristen Aston Arrington.
Republican Rep. Chase Tramont, who voted in favor of the bill, also spoke against Barnaby's words.
"I'm also a Christian man and I just want to say to some of the folks in here who share their testimony ... You're not an evil being. I believe that you're fearfully and wonderfully made. I want you to live your life well," Tramont said.
Trump says police officers, court employees were ‘crying’ at his arraignment
Former President Trump said in a new interview that police officers and employees at the Manhattan court house were in tears at the sight of the former president appearing for his arraignment.
“And I’ll tell you, people were crying, people that worked there — professionally work there — that have no problems putting in murderers and they see everybody,” he told Fox News host Tucker Carlson in an interview that aired Tuesday night.
“It’s a tough, tough place,” Trump continued. “And, they were crying, they were actually crying. They said ‘I’m sorry,’ they’d say, ‘2024 sir,’ and tears were pouring down. I’ve never seen anything like that.”
Trump was arraigned last Tuesday and charged with 34 felony charges in connection to hush money payments during the 2016 election made to adult film star Stormy Daniels to cover up an alleged affair between the two. Trump has maintained that there “is no crime” and that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) was launching a politically motivated investigation against him.
A day after Trump was arraigned, he had thanked the court employees and police officers working at the Manhattan courthouse in a Truth Social post.
“The great patriots inside and outside of the Courthouse on Tuesday were unbelievably nice, in fact, they couldn’t have been nicer,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform last week. “Court attendants, Police Officers, and others were all very professional, and represented New York City sooo well.”
I don't think this falls under cuckoo but didn't see a better thread to put this article in. I actually agree with these changes that she is making.
Arkansas Gov. Huckabee Sanders signs parole changes into law
ANDREW DeMILLO Tue, April 11, 2023 at 6:32 PM EDT·3 min read
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders approved an overhaul of the state's sentencing laws Tuesday that will eliminate parole eligibility for certain violent offenses.
The Republican governor signed into law legislation that will require anyone convicted of any of 18 violent offenses, including capital murder and rape, to serve 100% of their sentences. That section takes effect next year, so it doesn't impact people sentenced before 2024.
Another part of the law that takes effect in 2025 will require offenders convicted of several other offenses to serve at least 85% of their sentences.
“No more letting violent offenders back on the street without serious prison time,” Sanders said at a bill signing ceremony at State Police headquarters.
The sentencing overhaul comes as parts of Arkansas have seen a spike in crime in the past year. Arkansas' capital of Little Rock reported a record number of homicides last year.
Republicans in a number of states have been proposing longer prison sentences after making tough-on-crime promises a cornerstone of last year's election. It’s not yet clear how many of those proposals will pass into law. In Georgia, for example, only a limited number of proposals for longer sentences passed. Alabama lawmakers on Tuesday sent the governor legislation that reduces the use of good behavior incentives to shorten prison stays
Critics of the sentencing changes have cast doubt on whether they will reduce crime and said the measure could further crowd a prison system that is already beyond capacity. More than 2,000 state inmates are being held in local jails to ease the crowding. The state’s prisons are at least 106% above capacity, according to the Department of Corrections.
Opponents also have warned that eliminating or restricting parole eligibility will eliminate an incentive for prisoners.
“I think that's going to make prison a more dangerous place,” Democratic Rep. Andrew Collins, who voted against the measure, said during debate last week.
Sanders has called for 3,000 new prison beds to ease overcrowding, and lawmakers have set aside $330 million for that.
The Corrections Department plans to open 500 beds at prisons around the state within the next month as a temporary measure, Secretary Joe Profiri said.
“I'm looking at every opportunity that I can provide some level of relief for those particular sheriffs and those county jails" that are housing state inmates, Profiri told reporters.
The new sentencing law also will require other offenders to serve at least 25% or 50% of their sentences. The law doesn’t spell out how crimes will fall under each of those minimums. Instead, they will be determined by a table set up by the state sentencing commission and approved by the Legislative Council.
The changes are projected to cost the state more than $163 million over a 10-year period because of the increase in prison population, according to an estimate from the state sentencing commission.
Sanders on Tuesday also signed legislation that creates an “aggravated death by delivery” charge for someone who delivers fentanyl to another person who dies from taking the drug. If convicted, the person would face between 20 and 60 years or life in prison.
I won't say that I'm totally against such laws but what I will say is that it's certainly yet another sign that some see prison as a source of punishment only rather than a method of rehabilitation. I think that's why the recidivism rates are so high in this country. As long as the main focus is on punishment and not rehabilitation the recidivism rate will never improve.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
My understanding from reading the article is that this only targets violent crimes. These people ruined/ended someone else's life. They don't deserve to get parole in my opinion.
As for recidivism rates, while many people like to spout that prison is about rehabilitation, it doesn't seem like it is really designed to do that. Additionally, when released, the now ex-cons end up going back to the same situation they came from that made them feel the need to commit the crime.
This is not true. If its your first offense you can work out a plea deal, serve no time, pay a fine, take some classes, and have it expunged or sealed off your record after serving probation. (This is what happened to people I know who got DUI or domestic violence crimes)
This is not true. If its your first offense you can work out a plea deal, serve no time, pay a fine, take some classes, and have it expunged or sealed off your record after serving probation. (This is what happened to people I know who got DUI or domestic violence crimes)
Not in California. And a professional licensing board is different than a court. They publish the listing regular. Would you really want someone with a domestic violence charge as a therapist?
Last edited by WooferDawg; 04/13/2303:33 PM. Reason: additional comment.
Welcome back, Joe, we missed you!…. That did not age well.
I applaud the Republican members of the Arizona House who stepped up to the plate on this one.......
Arizona GOP-controlled House expels Republican in historic vote
The Arizona House expelled freshman GOP Rep. Liz Harris on Wednesday for inviting a speaker to a joint elections committee hearing who spread baseless accusations of drug cartel bribery and election rigging by elected officials, judges and others.
Driving the news: The House expelled Harris by a 46-13 vote.
It takes a two-thirds vote to remove a member of the Legislature. The 28 Democrats on the floor voted unanimously for expulsion, as did 18 of 31 Republicans.
Why it matters: Harris is only the fifth member of the Arizona Legislature to be expelled, and a majority of her fellow Republicans voted to remove her from the GOP-controlled chamber.
Catch up quick: Harris was elected last year and had been in office about three months. The House and Senate held a joint elections committee hearing Feb. 23 in which Harris invited Jacqueline Breger, a Scottsdale insurance agent, to give a presentation.
Breger alleged that Gov. Katie Hobbs, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, members of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, legislators, the mayor of Mesa, judges, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and others of being part of a scheme involving Mexican drug cartels, money laundering, fake housing deeds and election fraud.
Breger presented no evidence to back up her claims, which were widely condemned.
Zoom in: Democratic Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton, of Tucson, filed a complaint March 6 with the House Ethics Committee, which found Harris violated the chamber's rules and left it up to the House to determine disciplinary action.
Harris said she was unaware of Breger's allegations, but the committee's report stated she knew ahead of time.
What happened: House Speaker Ben Toma, R-Peoria, who was also a target of Breger's accusations, introduced the resolution calling for Harris to be expelled for disorderly behavior.
The resolution said Harris was not "surprised or upset" by Breger's accusations, that she violated her obligation to protect the integrity of the House and undermined the public's trust in the institution.
What they said: "This is not personal. This is about standing up for the right, no matter how difficult it is and how much it hurts," Rep. David Livingston, R-Peoria, said before casting his vote for expulsion.
Rep. Alexander Kolodin, a Scottsdale Republican, said Harris made an error in judgment and he was disappointed, saying expelling her sets a bad precedent and makes her a martyr for the "awful allegations" Breger made.
House Democratic leader Andrés Cano, of Tucson, called it a "sad and somber day," criticizing Harris for causing "real and lasting damage to the reputations of people who did not deserve it."
"The only thing we have down here is our word and our integrity," Toma told reporters after the vote. "When you can no longer count on someone's word or integrity, they can no longer be an effective legislator."
The other side: Harris did not speak during the vote and didn't respond to a request for comment from Axios, but she told Arizona's Family the ethics committee's report "is a lie."
"If you don't toe the line, this is what happens," she said as she loaded her belongings into her car in the House parking lot.
Breger could not be reached for comment, either.
What's next: Elected Republican precinct committeemen in Harris' district will have five days to nominate three candidates to fill the vacancy.
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors will choose which candidate will fill the rest of Harris' two-year term.
The intrigue: Chandler-based District 13 is one of the most competitive in the state, and Harris was likely to be one of Democrats' top targets in next year's election as they seek to take control of the Legislature.
Of note: Because Republicans had only a one-vote majority in the House, they won't have the 31 votes needed to pass legislation on a party-line vote until Harris' replacement is chosen.
I am surprised the Clarence Thomas news is not garnering a little more comment - I don't know the extent and facts of all the claims that have recently surfaced. But the idea that he can accept millions of dollars of gifts/travel/entertainment - or can broker deals and take money that is not reported seems troubling. If the claim is that somehow showering free holidays and gifts on your friends is the norm - then provide some details of others that have received the same treatment to the same extent in continuously over the last 25 years.
Ironic - the "Right" claimed Trump was being singled out for persecution based on who he was, but there was a list of many others prosecuted for the same infringements .... I have a feeling the "Right" is going to claim it's no big deal for a SCJ to be showered with free gifts potentially worth millions, and yet I think it'd be hard to find many/any other recipients of such freebies. And I don't really care if the freebies come from Mother Theresa or someone with political affiliation - it's simply something that should not be acceptable, and if it were acceptable there needs to be 100% transparency.
"Justice must satisfy the appearance of justice."
The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.
I think it all boils down to what I've often stated over the years. And it certainly doesn't apply strictly to Republicans. It applies to people of wealth and or power.....
There's the Justice System which most all of us must live by and then there's the Just Us system which certain people are entitled to.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
There's the Justice System which most all of us must live by and then there's the Just Us system which certain people are entitled to.
Allow me to offer up the reverse analogy to your proposition. It comes from a quote by Richard Pryor, in one of his stand-up routines. Here's the quote:
"Down at the court, they give [brothers] time like it's lunch. You go down to the courthouse lookin for justice, and that's what you find- just us." Two different takes- on the exact same thing.
If I'm not mistaken, the only body that has the power to launch an investigation into Thomas is the house. And the person leading that group is Jim Jordan.. Of course, that will never happen.. Not with him in charge anyway.
I've also been made to understand that the DOJ can investigate but man that's a whole other can of worms... One that I think Garland doesn't want to open up.
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe." Damanshot
Jan. 6 rioter who pinned officer in door sentenced to more than 7 years in prison
A man who pinned an officer into a doorframe with a stolen riot shield during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, was sentenced to more than seven years in prison on Friday.
A release from the U.S. attorney’s office for the District of Columbia states that Patrick McCaughey III, a 25-year-old from Connecticut, was sentenced to 90 months in prison for nine offenses.
McCaughey was convicted in September on seven felony charges, including three counts of aiding or abetting or assaulting, resisting or impeding law enforcement officers and one count of obstruction of an official proceeding, and two misdemeanors.
McCaughey was involved in one of the most widely known moments of the day, when Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer Daniel Hodges screamed as he was crushed into a metal door frame for more than two minutes.
Hodges was disarmed and attacked by other rioters as the mob tried to force their way through the lower west terrace tunnel.
The release states that McCaughey, along with 26-year-old Tristan Stevens from Florida and 63-year-old David Mehaffie from Ohio, traveled from their homes to D.C. and illegally came to the Capitol grounds.
McCaughey and Stevens taunted officers at the West Front, while Mehaffie called on other rioters to break the police perimeter.
The release states that the three of them broke through a police line at about 2:30 p.m. and scaled the southwest scaffolding and staircase to come together at the tunnel under the platform that was being designed for use in President Biden’s inauguration.
Officers stationed at the lower west terrace guarded the door to the Capitol from the mob, but the three men tried to break into the building by directing other rioters, participating in “heave-hos” against a police line, using riot shields stolen from police and assaulting three officers.
McCaughey specifically used a riot shield as a “weapon.” The three remained illegally on the Capitol grounds even after officers cleared the tunnel, according to the release.
The release states McCaughey was arrested on Jan. 19, 2021, in South Salem, N.Y.
The DOJ sought an almost 16-year sentence for McCaughey.
Stevens and Mehaffie were convicted of crimes from the insurrection in September along with McCaughey.
BLM Protester’s Killer’s Posts Revealed After Texas Guv Floats Pardon
Daniel Perry, the man whose prospective life sentence the Texas governor indicated he would nullify last weekend, wrote of wanting to kill protesters in the years before he was convicted of killing a man at a 2020 Black Lives Matter protest in Austin, a newly released set of court documents show. The 76-page filing, unsealed by a Travis County judge on Thursday, is stuffed with private messages and social media posts in which Perry shared racist “white power” memes and talked of a desire to hunt and kill people. “Black Lives Matter is racist to white people… It is official I am racist because I do not agree with people acting like monkeys,” Perry wrote in one message, according to the Austin American-Statesman. It was a favored analogy of his; he also referred to the Black Lives Matter movement as a “zoo full of monkeys” and the protests as “monkey s#!+.” In a May 2020 Facebook message, Perry told a friend he “might have to kill a few people” participating in a demonstration outside his apartment. On Friday, he was convicted of murdering Garrett Foster at the 2020 demonstration. A day after his conviction, Gov. Greg Abbott said he would approve Perry’s pardon if the parole board brought it to his desk.
Dumb and despicable were those BLM/Antifa rioters. If the Governor of Texas pardons this man. I am in agreement with him. They burned down peoples businesses, property, threatened citizens, and killed people all around the Country. I will never stand with those people.
If the Governor of Texas pardons this man. I am in agreement with him.
If the Governor of Texas pardons this man, he'll be putting a convicted killer back on the streets. This time, it doesn't bother you- because he's a convicted killer who likes the things you like, and hates the things you hate.
Your posts consistently show all of us who and what you are. End of story.
Oklahoma governor seeks resignation of officials accused of talking about killing journalists
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma’s governor is seeking the resignation of four county officials after a newspaper’s audio recording apparently captured some of them complaining about two of the paper’s journalists and knowing hit men and where two holes are dug.
A portion of the recording was released by the paper, and it also appears to capture one of the four making racist comments about Black people.
Gov. Kevin Stitt said Sunday he was seeking the resignations of McCurtain County Sheriff Kevin Clardy and three other county officials: sheriff’s Capt. Alicia Manning, District 2 Commissioner Mark Jennings and Jail Administrator Larry Hendrix.
“I am both appalled and disheartened to hear of the horrid comments made by officials in McCurtain County,” Stitt said in a statement. “There is simply no place for such hateful rhetoric in the state of Oklahoma, especially by those that serve to represent the community through their respective office.”
The McCurtain Gazette-News released portions of an audio recording following a March 6 county commission meeting in which Clardy, Manning and Jennings appear to discuss reporters Bruce and Chris Willingham. Jennings tells Clardy and Manning “I know where two deep holes are dug if you ever need them,” and the sheriff responded, “I’ve got an excavator.”
Jennings also said he’s known “two or three hit men” in Louisiana, adding “they’re very quiet guys.”
In the recording, Jennings also appears to complain about not being able to hang Black people, saying: “They got more rights than we got.”
The Associated Press could not immediately verify the authenticity of the recording. None of the four returned telephone calls or emails from The Associated Press on Monday seeking comment.
A spokeswoman for the FBI’s office in Oklahoma City said the agency’s policy is not to confirm or deny any ongoing investigation. Phil Bacharach, a spokesman for Attorney General Gentner Drummond, said the agency had received an audio recording and is investigating the incident, but declined to comment further.
More than 100 people gathered outside the McCurtain County Courthouse in Idabel on Monday, with many of them calling for the sheriff and other county officials to resign.
Bruce Willingham, the longtime publisher of the McCurtain Gazette-News, said the recording was made March 6 when he left a voice-activated recorder inside the room after a county commissioner’s meeting because he suspected the group was continuing to conduct county business after the meeting had ended in violation of the state’s Open Meeting Act. Chris Willingham, a reporter at the paper, is Bruce Willingham’s son.
“I talked on two different occasions to our attorneys to make sure I wasn’t doing anything illegal,” Bruce Willingham said.
Bruce Willingham said he believes the local officials were upset about “stories we’ve run that cast the sheriff’s office in an unfavorable light,” including the death of Bobby Barrick, a Broken Bow, Oklahoma, man who died at a hospital in March 2022 after McCurtain County deputies shot him with a stun gun. The newspaper has filed a lawsuit against the sheriff’s office seeking body camera footage and other records connected to Barrick’s death.
Bruce Willingham said he has also turned over his audio recordings to the FBI and the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office and added he has had several conversations with federal investigators.
Joey Senat, a journalism professor at Oklahoma State University, said he was shocked to hear the comments made in the recording, especially in light of recent killings of journalists in the U.S., including the arrest last year of a Las Vegas-area elected official accused of fatally stabbing a veteran newspaper reporter who had been investigating him.
“The whole conversation seemed deplorable,” Senat said. “I was shocked as I assume most people were not only about the comments about journalists, but the racist comments regarding African Americans. Joking doesn’t excuse that.”
Senat said under Oklahoma law, the recording would be legal if it were obtained in a place where the officials being recorded did not have a reasonable expectation of privacy.
McCurtain County is in far southeast Oklahoma, bordering both Arkansas and Texas, in a part of the state often referred to as “Little Dixie,” because of the influence in the area from white Southerners who migrated there after the Civil War.
With its rolling, forested hills in the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains, the area has become a tourism hotbed attracting a steady stream of visitors from the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
State Rep. Eddy Dempsey, a Republican who represents the area in the Oklahoma House, said the recorded comments don’t reflect the values of his constituents and echoed Stitt’s call for the four people involved in the conversation to resign.
“All my life, we’ve always said we don’t get enough recognition in southeast Oklahoma,” Dempsey said. “But we don’t need this kind of recognition.”
Michigan man gets 10 months over racist attempts to scare Black Lives Matter protesters
A Michigan man was sentenced to 10 months in prison over attempts to intimidate Black Lives Matter protesters.
Kenneth Pilon, 62, called nine Starbucks stores and told employees to threaten and racially demean employees supporting Black Lives Matter. He also threatened to kill Black people, according to court records.
He called the stores in the days after Starbucks announced it would provide T-shirts for employees who wanted to support Black Lives Matter in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis.
Pilon also left nooses and threatening notes at Starbucks parking lots and other establishments.
One note read, “An accessory to be worn with your ‘BLM’ t-shirt. Happy protesting!” court records show.
Jan. 6 Defendant Opens Fire at Cops Checking on Him
A Texas man facing charges over the Jan. 6 Capitol riot fired on local deputies as they tried to perform a welfare check the day he was scheduled to surrender to the FBI, federal prosecutors said on Thursday. Nathan Pelham, 40, was arrested in connection with the shooting earlier this week and charged with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. If convicted of the gun charge, he could face up to 15 years in prison on top of the potential three-year sentence he’s already staring down in his Capitol case. Last week, federal prosecutors charged him with four misdemeanor counts stemming from his alleged breach of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. An FBI agent instructed Pelham to self-surrender on Monday, and he agreed, according to North Texas e-News. But that day, Pelham’s family called the Hunt County Sheriff’s Office, informing deputies that he had a firearm. Officers sent to his home were shot at several times by Pelham, who ignored orders to put down the weapon. No injuries were reported.
Texas man indicted for alleged threat to kill US Rep. Waters
A federal grand jury in Los Angeles has indicted a Houston man for allegedly calling the office of California U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters several times last year and leaving voice mails threatening to harm the Democratic congresswoman
LOS ANGELES -- A federal grand jury indicted a Houston man Friday for allegedly calling the office of California Democratic U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters several times last year and leaving threatening voice mails, including saying he intended to “cut your throat.”
Brian Michael Gaherty, 60, was charged in the indictment with four counts of making threats in interstate communications and four counts of threatening a U.S. official, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles said in a statement.
Gaherty was arrested April 13 after prosecutors filed a criminal complaint alleging that he had threatened Waters, other elected officials and a news reporter in Houston.
The indictment says Gaherty called the congresswoman’s office four times — twice in August and twice in November — and each time left a threatening message.
Prosecutors said that in one, he told the congresswoman he intended to “cut your throat.”
The indictment alleged Gaherty “knowingly threatened to assault and kill” Waters while she was engaged in the performance of her official duties.
There was no immediate response to messages requesting comment from an attorney who was believed to be representing Gaherty.
After Gaherty was arrested at his residence in Houston, he made a court appearance Monday and was ordered released on $100,000 bond.
He is expected to appear for an arraignment in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles in the coming weeks.
Each count of making a threat to a federal official carries a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. The charge of making threats in interstate communications carries a maximum penalty of five years.
Alabama secretary of early childhood education forced out over ‘woke’ teacher training book
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has forced out the state’s education director over a teacher training book she called “woke.”
Barbara Cooper resigned from her post as director of the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education this week after Ivey took issue with a book of guidance Cooper suggested for Pre-K teachers in the state.
An Ivey spokesperson told The Associated Press the book is the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Developmentally Appropriate Practice Book, 4th edition. That’s a textbook intended for teachers, including instructions on how to best teach students through age 8.
NAEYC is a nationally accredited education association, and Cooper sits on the organization’s board.
The governor’s office said the book teaches “woke concepts” including acknowledgement of structural racism, white privilege, and the existence of LGBTQ identities.
“The education of Alabama’s children is my top priority as governor, and there is absolutely no room to distract or take away from this mission. Let me be crystal clear: Woke concepts that have zero to do with a proper education and that are divisive at the core have no place in Alabama classrooms at any age level, let alone with our youngest learners,” Ivey said in a statement.
The book instructs teachers to be aware of the issues when teaching, but does not instruct them to teach students about the concepts directly, according to an Alabama Reflector analysis of the book’s contents.
Ivey’s criticism of the book makes Alabama the latest state where politicians have influenced curriculums, claiming that some teaching concepts are “woke.”
Last year, Florida implemented the “Don’t Say Gay” teaching bill which prevented the discussion of “sexual conduct,” which includes gender identity and other LGBTQ issues, in school through third grade. This week, that measure was expanded to all K-12 schools in the state.
The Hill has reached out to Ivey’s office for comment.
Not only is it illegal to teach about such issues, but you better not even suggest that the state considers or reviews any teaching guidelines that tell teachers to be aware that topics such these may present themselves in their classroom. The level of crazy this has gotten to is amazing.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
Man who attacked church with Molotov cocktails over drag show events federally charged
The man was part of a White Lives Matter group with racist and pro-Nazi views.
A man who allegedly attempted to burn down a church with Molotov cocktails after it planned to hold a series of drag show events has been charged with federal crimes.
The incident occurred on March 25 when the 20-year-old suspect involved in the attack -- Aimenn D. Penny of Alliance, Ohio -- threw Molotov cocktails at the Community Church of Chesterland in Chesterland, Ohio, in an attempt to burn the church to the ground after learning the church was holding multiple drag show events the following weekend, according to a statement from the Department of Justice.
Penny was initially arrested and charged with federal offenses on March 31 but the Department of Justice formally announced all the charges he would be facing on Monday.
“A federal indictment was returned charging [Penny] with a violation of the Church Arson Prevention Act for using Molotov cocktails against the Community Church of Chesterland, in Chesterland, Ohio, in an attempt to burn the church to the ground,” the Department of Justice said. “He was also indicted on one count of using fire to commit a federal felony, one count of malicious use of explosive materials and one count of possessing a destructive device.”
Penny could face a lengthy jail sentence for his role in the attack, officials say.
“If convicted, Penny faces a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison for the violation of the Church Arson Prevention Act. Penny also faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 20 years in prison for the malicious use of explosive materials charge and up to 10 years in prison for the possession of a destructive device charge,” the Department of Justice said. “In addition, if convicted of using fire to commit a federal felony, Penny faces a 10-year mandatory prison sentence that will run consecutively with any other prison term imposed.”
Following the attack, the Cleveland Field Office of the FBI gathered information that Penny was part of a White Lives Matter group that espouses racist, pro-Nazi and homophobic views and that at a March 11 drag queen event in Wadsworth, Ohio – just two weeks prior to the Molotov cocktail attack on the Chesterfield Church -- Penny joined members of the group who showed up carrying flags with swastikas and yelling homophobic slurs, prosecutors said.
Penny reportedly attended the event wearing military-style gear and carrying a firearm.
According to an affidavit released on March 31 Penny was interviewed by police last October after handing out racist flyers and told authorities that he believed African Americans were a "problem" and that there was a civil war coming between races.
Police found a handwritten manifesto, a Nazi flag and other memorabilia during a search of his home, according to the affidavit.
"PENNY stated that he was trying to protect children and stop the drag show event," the affidavit said. "PENNY stated that night he became more and more angry after watching internet videos of news feeds and drag shows in France and decided to attack the church. PENNY stated that he would have felt better if the Molotov cocktails were more effective and burned the entire church to the ground."
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian Deckert and Matthew W. Shepherd for the Northern District of Ohio and Trial Attorneys Jacob Warren and Justin Sher of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case with assistance from Trial Attorney Eric Peffley of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section, the Department of Justice said.
The FBI Cleveland Field Office’s investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Could it be they are all trash? Well the elite are on it bro, they are determined to make the middle class all move to the trailer park so broke they can never leave, except to work… until AI and automation replace them over the next decade. Then the trailer park will become their fearmongering predicted detention camps.
Trump drug the GOP to the trailer park, inspiring the rest.
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