The Chauvin verdict
By now you almost certainly know that Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all three counts. But this case was decided long ago – probably even before Chauvin encountered Floyd on that fateful day, culminating in the death of the latter and the ending of life as he knew it for the former. The verdict we see today is just the reflection of trends we’ve been seeing in this country for years.
For example, think of the Rodney King case (I’ve written a bit about Rodney King in this post). It was the first case I can recall of alleged police brutality towards a black man that involved inflammatory video that turned out to not be telling the whole story.
But of course it started long before that. I don’t know exactly when, but for example in 1967 the Newark riots were sparked by accusations of police brutality against a black man. And that certainly was not the first riot of its kind.
As time has gone on, all sorts of remedies have been tried, such as the obvious one of more black police officers and chiefs of police. But in recent years, with the ever-leftward movement of the Democratic Party (both on the national level and the municipal level), the turning of the MSM into leftist propaganda sheets, and the growth of mass movements like BLM fostered by social media, we have reached a crescendo of anti-police sentiment that has culminated in a verdict like this.
In the comments section, “Cornhead” writes: “I respect the jury system. The jury saw and heard all admissible evidence.” I do, too. But all that means is that I wouldn’t use extra-judicial means to try to negate or overturn the verdict. I wouldn’t try to lynch someone I thought was wrongly exonerated, and I wouldn’t try to help a convict escape from jail who I think is not guilty. It has nothing to do with whether a verdict was correct in my opinion or even in terms of the evidence submitted. Miscarriages of justice happen quite frequently at the hands of juries and of judges. Sometimes they are righted by the appeals system but sometimes they are not.
In the end, as with most systems involving humans, the jury system is only as good and as fair as the people who administer it such as judges, the laws that are passed, the lawyers for each side, and the understanding of each jury about all the elements of the trial and their decision, including what will happen out in the world as a result of their verdict.
In recent years we’ve closely followed cases that somewhat resembled the Chauvin case. For Zimmernan and Darren Wilson, the initial hype from the left and the MSM was that they were guilty guilty guilty – and in fact many people still believe they were guilty. But the justice system exonerated them when the facts came out. Other officers with different fact situations have been convicted, mostly rightly.
But Chauvin is something new, in my opinion, and his fate is a reflection of the power of videos and of propaganda. Within just a few days of Floyd’s death, most of America – the press, the left, and even many people on the right – judged him guilty merely on the evidence of a 9-minute video that only told a small portion of the story. Most of them unhesitatingly called his death a murder at the hands of Chauvin – and this was even done by lawyers, including lawyers on the right, who should know better. It seemed to me that way too many people were eager to signal how righteous they were, and they saw condemning Chauvin as a murderer without knowing the actual facts as the way to accomplish that.
That was only the beginning of what happened after Floyd’s death. America, and even some parts of the world outside America, exploded with destructive riots that lasted for many months. Cities discussed getting rid of police and replacing them with something else. Mayors let their cities burn. People were injured and killed, some of them civilians and some police. Buildings were destroyed, statues were pulled down. It was rioting and chaos the likes of which I can’t remember before in this country.
The press, the left, and organizations such as BLM pushed it further and further. And meanwhile, at the same time, facts were emerging that cast tremendous doubt on Chauvin’s guilt. I’m not going to recap that evidence here, but I wrote about it in real time, and some of it came out in the trial, more than enough to engender reasonable doubt in jurors who had not been exposed to the months of previous propaganda, or the threats of riots if Chauvin was not found guilty.
It didn’t matter. Chauvin has been found guilty of all three counts, including a preposterous charge of felony murder (most states would not even allow such as a charge, in which the felony is the same act alleged to have caused the death).
I’m fairly certain there will be an appeal. I doubt it will succeed. Because the larger issue here – and one that is not just the result of this case – is that our legal system now has been increasingly corrupted by the threat of mob action. Whether it be riots, members of Congress or a president opining on what the verdict should be, doxxing or mere cancel culture, many jurors are intimidated, many judges seem timid and afraid to go against the mob opinion, and many lawyers are afraid to defend unpopular defendants. These things undermine a legal system and can destroy it; perhaps it’s already destroyed. In the Chauvin jury selection process, people who said they were afraid to be on the jury were excused. Logic indicates to me that those people were probably more likely to have been the ones at least willing to hear the evidence and vote “not guilty.” They were rightly afraid; I can’t blame them.
Not that this verdict will sufficiently appease the mob. It will merely empower them. But a not guilty verdict would have been used to empower them, as well. Our problems are way, way beyond what happened to George Floyd and what will happen to Derek Chauvin. They are legion.
[NOTE: I was just listening to Candace Owens on Tucker Carlson, saying that we have two epidemics in this country: one of ignorance and one of cowardice. That’s true – but I’d add another, which is mendacity.]
America is finished. A fascist collaboration between Big Tech and the Democrat party has delivered totalitarian control over the media, elections, and the justice system. Look for China and Iran to threaten us while Biden-Harris apologizes for our structural racism.
Can anyone explain some of the reactions to this whole mess
One of the lines I have seen from several sources is that changes nothing. So does that mean riots in perpetuity?
And Nancy Pelosi’s bizarre comments. Thanking George Floyd for dying essentially so she can get her movement Not that anyone will notice. This will be straight down the well where all other inconvenient bodies are thrown.
This sweeping mob justice will only encourage more. Had the jury even bothered to convict him of a sustainable charge. Taken a bit of time to sort through any of it. Some people may have had enough self awareness to at least slow the train a bit.
Nope convicted of 3 versions of murder for which only one can logically and legally be sustained. In only 10 hours. Amazing…just amazing
Well, the Minneapolis area is finished, anyhow. Expect police to resign or retire in increasing numbers, and expect real policing to decline as the remaining officers think twice or three times before doing any active interventions. Violence is already up. That will continue to get worse.
The mob (BLM/Antifa etc) demanded justice, accountability. They got it. Fine.
What I’m demanding now is the same thing. You commit a crime (any crime) and get the same as Derick Chauvin.
Arrested, charged and given your day in court no matter WHO you are … Black, white, politician, activist, press … who ever!
As a result of the verdict I expect arson, looting and murder to be widespread. This verdict will only encourage further riots. There are few penalties for rioting and much to be gained. Commentators have already said this verdict is not enough. The only thing that will satisfy the mob is more destruction.
Mythx:
It means that whatever way the verdict went it would not have been enough. It means it’s not about Floyd or Chauvin, and never was. Their lives mean nothing – zero, zip, zilch – to the left. Floyd was a convenient martyr for them – extremely convenient, because of the coldness of the way Chauvin looked on the videotape, and the posture (knee on neck or knee on back) that horrified people because of the images it conjured up of the past (masters and slaves, whatever that particular viewer projected onto it). Chauvin was a convenient villain – sort of pasty-looking mean-eyed white guy, lording it over the black guy and looking cold and uncaring.
It was perfect, and they milked it for all it was worth. They will continue to milk it and any other opportunity that comes their way. They are ruthless ideologues with a mission, and they have no interest in objective truth or in justice except as they define it.
What is this America is finished business?
Your arms painted on? Can’t live knowing that you face the choice of either telling your manic depressive sister-in-law to go to hell, or living under her remote control thumb?
When did Americans become so cowardly? So, a few riots; so, a few liberal cities burn down; so, a bunch of schoolmarms of both sexes are carted off in tumbrils by their former disciples. So effen what?
Geez people … calm down. I assume most of you have guns and know how to use them, and would do so if it was a matter of defending your life.
What did you think was going to happen eventually? You have all been predicting this for years. Your own kids are waving Little Red Books in your faces, while you kept your mouths shut to keep peace in the family. Meanwhile they snigger behind your backs.
What’s the reason for alarm?
It will sort itself out … one way or another.
This verdict is egregious, but you can only know that if you sifted through the trial evidence and testimony as it was being presented. The prosecution offered zero physical evidence that Chauvin’s knee in the back was the cause of death. The prosecution offered zero physical evidence that demonstrated the amount of pressure exerted on Floyd by Chauvin’s knee. The prosecution offered up only the opinions of “expert” witnesses that Floyd could not have died, zero doubt expressed on direct examination, from the fentanyl/meth mixture that was not only found in his body at autopsy, nor could have died because of his own actions and poor cardiovascular health. Even worse, on cross examination, each of prosecution’s witnesses offered up that they had signed death certificates as overdoses and heart failure with exactly the details in George Floyd’s own autopsy report, and they offered that they would have done so here had Floyd been found dead in his living room. Literally none of the physical evidence supported any other conclusion than that Floyd died from a combination of the drugs in his system and his poor health.
The only charge that Chauvin should have ever been tried on was the manslaughter charge, and only there if the prosecution could show that there was something Chauvin should have done to save Floyd’s life. However, the prosecution didn’t even try to demonstrate this since it would have conflicted with their bald assertions that Chauvin’s knee was the cause of the death, not inaction.
This verdict should be overturned on literally a dozen different grounds, but I predict there isn’t a person in the judiciary brave enough to actually do their job. The judge in this case didn’t, and neither did the jurors.
Neo-
Just today there have been several more shootings involving police. Things are still sketchy at the moment. But as the resistance ramps up. So will the shootings as more people are egged on to resist arrest. As the indignation rises so do the people who simply refuse to comply. And every single use of force runs the risk of elevating until someone dies.
The left and the Democratic party now has their ranks eagerly turning into cannon fodder for their movement.
The blacks finally got to lynch a white man. It took a lot of rioting and arson but they finally got one. Of course, it would be a policeman. They are the ones who have to deal with that criminal element. I expect now we will see police forces “go fetal” as the Second City Cop blog used to say before the blogger was doxxed and had to shut down his blog.
Frankly, I don’t care. Minneapolis voted for this. The “blue” cities will see more exodus but the voters will keep their politics. I just hope they are diluted if they move near me.
Ashlie Babbitt, you were inconsequential to the justice system.
Justine Damond, you were also inconsequential to the justice system.
Neither of you fit the mold of victims.
Derek Chauvin, you are a human sacrifice. (Right after the verdict, I went out and bought a bottle of red wine. Each sip I dedicate to you since it will be a long time between sips for you. I will take a lot of sips this evening.)
The beat goes on.
I have had it.
When will ordinary Americans take back our country? Can one enlist at age 85? Even cannon fodder can know they served a worthy cause.
Where do you sign up?
How far we have fallen since October 1770, when John Adams, one of the Founders and our second President, defended Thomas Preston and eight other British soldiers accused of murdering civilians in the Boston Massacre of March 1770. If convicted, the soldiers would have faced the death penalty.
. . . the trial of Thomas Preston took place from October 24th to the 30th, 1770 in Boston’s new courthouse. A six-day trial for a murder case was considered extremely long back then. Preston pleaded not guilty but did not testify. The plan of the defense was to prove that Preston had not ordered the shooting. The prosecution called fifteen witnesses to prove that Preston had ordered his men to shoot but on cross examination their testimony appeared contradictory. The defense produced twenty three witnesses who testified that soldiers were intimidated and provoked by the crowd. Much of the cross examination by the defense was centered on who shouted the word “fire.”
The court took the unusual step of sequestering the jury (keep them away from family and friends). After much deliberation the jury acquitted Preston on the basis of “reasonable doubt,” the first time a judge had used the phrase. . . .
The results of the trials were a great victory for John Adams, while he benefited from the prosecutions’ weak management of witnesses and facts, he performed at his best; his summation to the jury, known as Rex v Wemms, was a masterful speech. He was very careful not to antagonize those jurors who sympathized with the Sons of Liberty as they would not believe that they bore the responsibility for the tragedy. Instead he shifted the responsibility to London since they sent the troops that provoked the shootings.
Years later, Adams recalled his role as the soldiers’ defense lawyer: “The Part I took in Defence of Cptn. Preston and the Soldiers, procured me Anxiety, and Obloquy enough. It was, however, one of the most gallant, generous, manly and disinterested Actions of my whole Life, and one of the best Pieces of Service I ever rendered my Country. Judgment of Death against those Soldiers would have been as foul a Stain upon this Country as the Executions of the Quakers or Witches, anciently. As the Evidence was, the Verdict of the Jury was exactly right.”
The full details of the trial and Adams’ role as the defense attorney can be found here: http://www.john-adams-heritage.com/boston-massacre-trials/
Incidentally, one of the victims of the massacre was Crispus Attucks, a former slave of mixed African and Native American ancestry.
It is useful to look at the differences in the Damond and Wright cases in Minnesota vs the Floyd case. In the former two, there is literally no doubt what killed Damond and Wright- both defendants more or less have admitted they shot their victims. Both claimed their shooting of the victims was a mistake/accident, and I actually believed both of them- it would take a supreme sociopath to kill someone like in those two cases and then claim an accident as a lie.
However, in both cases, the Damond case and the Wright case, the shooters are guilty of manslaughter in most states and in Minnesota, maybe even the weird 3rd degree murder- the cop in the Damond case got convicted of the 3rd degree murder charge.
But in the Floyd case, there is reasonable doubt about what killed Floyd, and the prosecution did nothing to alleviate that doubt other than to claim that Floyd literally could not have died of drugs and an ailing circulatory system. The judge in this case should have issued a directed verdict, but he is too cowardly to do so, and will let higher courts take the weight for him.
DNW-
Because I would have greatly preferred this end without what looks like a steady march to mass murder on both sides. I have no desire to see neighbor vs neighbor.
Those cities will burn and it will spread until either the government makes a serious effort to stop it. Something that appears highly unlikely judging by the comments of Democratic leaders. Or they push the other side hard enough and it snaps back.
The right gets demonized so hard partially because that is where the vast majority of people with experience in wars are likely to be. The left in this country is brilliant in inciting others to do their bidding for them. Rigidly enforcing group think through ruthless ideological enforcement.
But in the end they are immoral thugs with poor impulse control. With no practical understanding of what people trained in warfare can really do. And once they realize that. It will be far too late
People have mentioned the fears of jurors, but there are similar points I haven’t seen discussed much. Imagine how many lawyers would refuse to take the defense case, no matter how much they were paid, because it would destroy their careers and possibly their lives. How many experts refused to testify for the defense, for the same reason?
I usually do not post links to videos. I think most people on blogs tend to go past them to the clarity of the written word.
That said I think everyone here needs to see this video from Ami Horowitz doing man on the street interviews with protesters. Its 2 minutes of your time. Its disgusting and clearly what the left is revving their base up for.
https://twitter.com/AmiHorowitz/status/1384542943357202441?s=20
LTEC:
I mentioned frightened lawyers in this post.
And I’ve seen the point about defense witnesses as well. I believe that Frei and Barnes have covered it quite extensively in their YouTube podcasts, although I no longer remember which ones. I have little doubt that that is part of what’s going on these days.
And that’s why the justice system isn’t going to be working well. It is an adversarial system that depends on the defendant having access to these things. If governments refuse to defend the justice system against the mob, witnesses will be among the intimidated and the legal system collapses.
Mike K:
Why do you ascribe this to black people? Plenty of white people were involved as well.
Chauvin is a Martyr. As are the 300+ DC January folks locked up right now.
Maybe he gets off on appeal, maybe he doesn’t. I wouldn’t hold out much hope for him under the current dispensation. And the Feds haven’t even pulled out their Civil Rights Violation bag of tricks.
Sorry to say, but all that matters is Power. Should be pretty obvious who has Power and who does not. All that really matters going forward (oops… Bugmanspeak!) is avoiding becoming the target of Power and acquiring some of this magical Power stuff since it seems to be a Needful Thing in this Age of Rust.
Cue all the hand-wringing about Power and its corruptions and ironies; go sit in the Basement and watch Godfather 3 if that’s your thing. Better by far to fight to win and have your great, great grandchildren wring *their* hands over you. The alternative is no you and no grandchildren. More Melian Dialogue, less Rod Dreherish attacks of the vapors. And as the good burgers of Melos found out, Who Whom is all there is when push comes to shove.
Nobody should do anything premature or stupid, but there’s a certain romance to being a Partisan, no? Sand in their Gears whenever can be done at minimal risk for a start.
And the only people you can trust are Whites because everyone else was born wearing a uniform entitles them to defect at any time. And even then half the Whites are still potential enemies. This last bit will improve given time.
Zaphod:
i can name plenty of black people on the side of right, and plenty of white people on the side of wrong. The proportions are different, of course. But what you wrote in that last paragraph is a recipe for a different kind of disaster.
I would love to do seminars with black pastors/activist at high schools.
Titled: This is how you DON’T get shot by police!
I speculate a lot about to what degree or percentage the Media’s narrative is culpable for the marked corruption and sloth of woke senselessness. This “narrative” is now so blatant, extremely frightening. I refuse to accept its merit… zero merit. Project Veritas outs CNN’s intent to bias. Ashli Babbitt; Kavanaugh; Jussie Smollet; Covington Kids….rubbish reporting. Today’s conviction? So, I heartily agree with Neo’s observations. Formerly a lifelong news junkie—disappointment from fake news but even worse, alarmed by its wake of deception.
@Neo:
All allies good. On the personal level in personal relations everyone gets to be responsible and hopefully moral adults who make these moral decisions on a case-by-case basis.
On the populations level, well there aren’t 6M Righteous Amongst the Nations names on some wall in Yad Vashem, are there? I’m not trying to be smartass or funny or score points here.
As a fish swims in water, we are used to an ordered existence in an ordered world. Once inter-group strife kicks off, things are absolutely going to get complex and some Gordian Knots will be cut.
There is only one piece of evidence that matters, or should have. Nearly FOUR TIMES the lethal dose of Fentanyl in his blood.
End of story. That, right there, is reasonable doubt in this case. Period.
That there are allegedly intelligent people actually defending this crap is amazing.
@Copperdawg:
Early days, but I predict that in years to come, media commentators will be some of the first casualties of push back.
Mike K:
Why do you ascribe this to black people? Plenty of white people were involved as well.
The whites were running things from behind the curtain. Have you seen the Ami Horowitz videos?
He asks the blacks how many black men are killed by cops each year. “Thousands.”
How about killing whites ? “Good idea.”
Martin Luther King is long gone. Malcolm X took his place.
It’s starting. It was a New Mexico highway patrol officer who was killed the other day.
“[NOTE: I was just listening to Candace Owens on Tucker Carlson, saying that we have two epidemics in this country: one of ignorance and one of cowardice. That’s true – but I’d add another, which is mendacity.]”
The travesty is that the mendacity is conducted under the imprimatur of authority of one kind or another, whether it be network professionals, personalities, or in this case, a notable member of Congress, one of long tenure. And today, the gravitas of another credential was added, the most powerful man in the world, the POTUS – all interjecting themselves into the process at a moment designed for maximum interference.
The Constitutional protections for the little people have taken some hard body blows over the past year, and the process of bringing the machinery of this monstrous activity to bear on the doomed selected target-of-choice has become scarily polished in its coordination, as experience is gained.
Well, it is already there, and it has been there for a very long time; and you probably, like most of us, just preferred to ignore the reality of it while it made no critical difference in your life because “the law” was still there.
But make no mistake, your neighbors, some of them, have been against you, or if not you personally then against those whom they knew to think as you secretly do, for some decades now. Now many of them are nothing more than middle aged female neurotics of both sexes, so their firepower is not likely to count for much. But as we can see, they have been preparing for a long time now as well for the use of proxies when they finally manage to push things over the edge.
More than fifteen years ago, my often mentioned psychotherapist friend – met during debates on the RKBA – confided in me that “you conservatives have no idea how you are hated and despised in my circle”. Her friends would talk about it almost every time they gathered, she said.
My reaction was a bewildered, “Huh?” Because I never gave progressives a thought except in the abstract, as part of a philosophical framework.
But here, she was telling me that in a certain Midwestern university town a significant portion of her social circle – all of it from what I could tell – entertained and amused each other by telling themselves how they wanted the reactionary bourgeoisie dead or in reeducation camps.
There is just something about a progressive – probably having to do with the ‘progressive [i.e. developmental] evolution’ paradigm or metaphysic that informs their ‘moral conscience’, that makes everyone else a resource or a target for them.
Do you think you can reason with the Christine Blasey Fords of this world? Do you think that ignoring them, means that their malice toward you drains away? Do you imagine that their numbers are small, their determination slight, and that moral scruples will give them pause?
No, of course you don’t.
But this was set in motion decades ago. We may dodge the bullet, or we might not. We cannot know the outcome. But what is not in dispute is the level of malice the progressive feels and is willing to see directed at fellow citizens who until recently have hardly taken any notice of the progressives, at all.
The fact that they live across the street from us, means nothing to them.
@Mike+K:
Strangely enough, the Nation of Islam is amenable to a kind of twisted reason. Their stated platform involves Separatism. There you go. If they’re serious, more power to them. For the rest they can hate and propagandize against Whites, Jews, Martians as much as they like for all I care.
There’s an old joke about a guy comes home and says to his wife:
H: “I’ve won the lottery, pack your bags!”
W: “But for where? The snow or the Caribbean?”
H: “I don’t care! Just #$@# off!”
Who cares what they think about the price of eggs so long as they’re on the other side of a nice big wall? Works with West Bank and Gaza.
Still… the main game is Other Whites. If there wasn’t an Other White Problem, there would be no Black Problem, no Hispanic Problem.
Blacks are Yard Work. All you need to do is keep the lawn from becoming a jungle so that you can get to the front gate while you fix your broken roof. Roof and cladding sorted, can start to think about Landscaping.
Speaking of Yard Work, that settles my lunch decision. Sudden hankering for Yard Bird.
Once again, I overestimated the fundamental honesty and reasonableness of the average American: in this case, the Chauvin jury. I thought that, while an objective weighing of the facts almost certainly pointed to an acquittal, such a result was nearly impossible in today’s toxic climate; nonetheless, I concluded a manslaughter conviction was the likely outcome, as it could reasonably be well grounded at it would (mostly) allow for a ‘passing of the buck’.
Oh, how naive of me!
In no way do I blame the jury as a whole. While I’m sure some (maybe even a majority) went in with a firm leftist narrative mindset, I do not think all of them did. But jurors are ordinary people; with stakes this high, why would anyone risk the violence and destruction of a city (and, likely, many other cities), not to mention the threat to one’s personal safety (particularly after Mad Max’s tirade and CBS’s partial doxxing)? In such a situation, could anyone on this blog honestly say they would stand firm? I cannot.
This is a prestine example of ‘social justice’ Chauvin is guilty because of Emmett Till. And the Scottsboro Boys. And the Tulsa Massacre. And the Wilmington Insurrection. And all of the racist incidents in American history, many of them quite vile, but, of no direct relevance to George Floyd’s death. It doesn’t matter. Social Justice is about forced atonement by one group (or any random member therein) for the past sins (both real and perceived) of that group. Individual facts and context are irrelevant.
It is also about personal feelings. The vast majority of reactions I have seen so far invoke personal feelings: the verdict is ‘validating’ and ’empowering’. This, too, is ‘social justice’. Facts and context must give way to validating and empowering ‘victims’ (i.e. anyone from a ‘historically marginalized’ group) and their ‘allies’ (including white hipster millennials with six figure incomes).
Take note. It won’t stop with Derek Chauvin. His actions were certainly questionable and jarring, even if you doubt (as I do) they constituted ‘felony murder’ or even ‘reckless manslaughter’. The social justice ethos, buoyed by this conviction, will continue to metastatize. There are an inexhaustible amount of ‘villians’ for the victims and there allies to go after (what’s the current state of the McCloskeys?); and anyone (regardless of race, color, creed, gender or orientation) is a potential ‘villain’, if they deviate from woke orthodoxy.
We are all Donald Trump.
We are all Michael Flynn.
We are all Ashli Babbit.
We are all Derek Chauvin.
The narrative is that police are killing POC in record numbers. The George Floyd case was just a very visible case that allowed the narrative to get rolling. Here is some info about that:
“As of the June 22 update, the Washington Post’s database of fatal police shootings showed 14 unarmed Black victims and 25 unarmed white victims in 2019. The database does not include those killed by other means, like George Floyd.”
Why is the narrative being pushed, when it’s false? It is the Marxist plan. Instead of pitting workers against capitalists (which has not worked in the USA), the new plan is to pit races against one another. The whole idea of CRT is part of the plan. Gin up whites as oppressors and blacks/Hispanics as the oppressed. CRT tells us that whites are born racist and must admit their sins against the POC. It also asserts that a color-blind, meritocratic society is evil and oppressive. This is all a cunning plan by the Marxists to overthrow the Republic and replace it with a Marxist paradise with no private property, no individual rights, no free speech, and no equality under the law.
Christopher Rufo is speaking out and exposing this for what it is. Most Americans don’t get it. He has an essay in Imprmus, the Hillsdale College publication – “Critical Race Theory: What It Is and How to Fight It.” I recommend it highly.
https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/critical-race-theory-fight/
Once you understand what is driving this racial animus, you can see the plan. We must expose this and reject it out of hand. We must go back to a color blind society with meritocratic standards. Marxism delende est!
Social justice, Critical Race Theory, Intersectionalism, Microaggressions, the Covid-19 scam, etc… none of these are the real issue. They are the ideological means being used to achieve societal dissolution.
The left has now created the conditions wherein policing will precipitously decline. Those who defend themselves will continue to be prosecuted. If not by the local authorities, by the State or Federal ‘authorities’ because a public afraid to defend itself is a public with one leg already shackled.
Crime will continue to skyrocket. Once its bad enough, the public will go along with the nationalization of the police.
That’s an essential step in achieving the conditions James Madison summarized, “Oppressors can tyrannize only when they achieve a standing army, an enslaved press, and a disarmed populace.” — James Madison
We have an enslaved press. Sec. Def. Austin is working on a standing army that can be ‘trusted’ and the democrats will not rest until they’ve made owning a firearm a federal crime.
The Judiciary has abandoned the rule of law. And the ‘law’ has been weaponized against our liberties and inalienable rights.
When we kids got our licenses our folks made it clear to us. If stopped, no sudden moves, be polite, obey and remember the cop has a gun and has no idea who you are. And I understand that. At the same time I’m not a fan of submission or death. Some time in the late 1900’s, maybe early 2000’s, policing became militaristic. The vehicles changed. In the olden days when you saw a cop, you saw the man. Now you see the weapons arrayed around the waist, the bullet proof vest. Do you remember Sandra Bland? Stopped for a minor traffic violation, belligerent. Arrested for assaulting the cop. 3 days later she committed suicide in jail.
And what about the accusation that George Floyd was passing a fake $20? I don’t think Chauvin even looked at the bill. Do we even know if it was a fake $20? Or was it an arrest in search of a crime?
DNW
I suggest to the parents a movie night with their tweens that has; ‘The Killing Fields’, ‘Mr. Jones’, ‘Schindler’s List’, and any number of films that show the utopia of socialism/communism.
Youth in the 70’ talked about peace and love. Youth today talk about anger and the unfairness of the US. Woke is a joke. Being awake is much better.
Well, isn’t that special? The drooling dementia patient in the WH phoned the Floyd family to congratulate them on the verdict:
“We’re all so relieved, not just one verdict but all three. Guilty on all three counts. It’s really important,” Biden told the family. “I’m anxious to see you guys. We’re going to get a lot more done. We’re going to do a lot. We’re going to stay at it until we get it done.”
Biden told the family he had been watching the verdict come in alongside senior adviser Cedric Richmond and Harris. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents the Floyd family and posted the video, expressed optimism that the outcome of the trial could spur action on the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Biden said he would fly the family out to Washington, D.C., on Air Force One for the occasion.
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/549337-biden-and-harris-call-floyd-family-after-chauvin-verdict
Mob rule has worked before, this could be the biggest case of it with literally billions lost in it.
My thinking is as Leftism often shows,once successful they will do it again.
The next case this turns out like this sadly happens once a month.
Big Picture:
https://www.amren.com/podcasts/2021/04/james-burnham-power-and-prophecy/
A thoroughly terrified jury.
Pope Nancy has now canonized George Floyd. She is a disgusting human being. She should have used all that botox on her spine instead of her face. Then she might have been able to stand up to Swalwell, AOC and the Squad, and all the other scums she sold out the country too.
Floyd was a criminal drug addict, who would have died soon anyway. His mourning family are happy that Minneapolis gave them 27 million before the trial. God forbid that they might have had to pay for his burial. And no one mentions how this payoff might have influenced the trial and jurors.
I’m wondering … is that money taxable income? Hope it is.
I see that Scott Johnson is now in the tall grass along with the rest of the summertime soldiers.
everyone else a resource or a target for them.
Brilliant. For the Left, every human is a resource or a target, a tool or an obstacle. They reduce their fellow humans to objects to be used, avoided, or destroyed. It’s Australopithecine proto-humanity – only the barest theory of mind, clever hands and tool-making.
We Neanderthals at least made art and mourned our dead.
After a little research it depends on how the settlement is structured. The settlement is not taxable UNLESS any of the settlement is designated “punitive damage” … that part is considered taxable income.
I firmly believe the jurors were intimidated. The case should have been moved to Duluth or Rochester and the jury sequestered the entire time.
I didn’t watch the entire case; in fact very little of it. Plenty of reasonable doubt. A jury could go either way.
I respect the jury system because they did the best they could under all the circumstances.
John Hinderaker said last night that the Strib ran a story that nearly identified by name one of the jurors. People could easily figure out who the jurors were and go terrorize and destroy them for not voting to convict. That’s why the case had to be moved.
I think reversible error by the MN Supreme Court won’t agree. They don’t want their houses burned down.
The Dems have created a political violence and intimidation machine of extraordinary power.
EvaMarie:
Yes you must always be careful when stopped by a LEO who has a quota to fill even if you have a license, especially a CCL. That was the license you meant, of course (not). And if you Epstein yourself in custody that LEO is surely (or are you truly Shirley) responsible, that murderous LEO who made the “cop,” not the evil turnkey who lynched you? Or was your license a driving license because Shirley, or is it EvaMarie, a vehicle is never used for homicide?
We need unarmed LEOs who will suggest proper behavior, if asked.
For George and justice. Lord love a duck, and bless your heart.
Reading this morning that the mob is not appeased by this verdict. No lesser than Keith Ellison, MN chief law enforcement officer, says “I would not call today’s verdict justice…but it is accountability.”. AOC chimes in with, “This is not justice… frankly, I don’t even think we call it full accountability”. It’s only a matter of time until we hear from Maxine Waters.
Nothing short of a public execution for Chauvin will do. Also need to eliminate all that Systemic Racism. Then perhaps the rioting will be over. <= That is sarcasm.
Remarkable that the thug Floyd now has the status of saint and martyr.
Remarkable that cartoon characters like Maxine Waters and Ben Crump are taken seriously.
Remarkable that Mr. Non Compos Mentis and Ms. Cackling Hyena are in charge of the nation.
re: Mendacity — Saw a reference to a poll that said 8 of 10 blacks believe that more blacks are shot by police than die in auto accidents. That is stunning. If true, it also demonstrates the ignorance part of the epidemics (and perhaps a stupidity one as well).
The BIG LIE dominates our society.
—–
Neo, haven’t been back since I made a comment about evil which you apparently used to make another post. I’ll respond in that thread, but just note here that any time we use a word such as “evil” we really need to define our terms. It simply means too many different things to different people.
—–
In this post you wrote:
“way too many people were eager to signal how righteous they were, and they saw condemning Chauvin as a murderer without knowing the actual facts as the way to accomplish that.”
I hope we can all agree that this eagerness is more than simply an ordinary human moral failing. There is something much worse at work. Perhaps labels serve to confuse rather than communicate, but this is morally depraved.
This was and is a witch hunt. Chauvin is a scapegoat. And millions of people not only watched without demanding real justice, they chose to join the mob in cheering on the lynching by legal system. And, as we have both noted previously, it made them feel good about themselves to cheer the lynching.
Maybe we can excuse the ignorant and foolish. But what of the millions who should know better? The trained lawyers and others who understand how the system is supposed to work? They not only failed to stand up for justice, but actively cheered on its subversion while patting themselves on the back for their moral purity in doing so. It makes me shudder. It’s scary.
It’s moral hubris on steroids.
M Scott Peck wrote a book about evil “People of the Lie” following his blockbuster “The Road Less Travelled”. It’s been many decades since I read it, but my recollection is that he’s certain evil exists and he provides examples. But other than “he knows it when he sees it”, he fails to adequately define it or draw a bright enough line between ordinary sin and the special case of evil.
I guess what I am trying to express here is that there is something seriously depraved going in. The eagerness to condemn without facts and the glow of moral preening that clearly results is frightening. Use whatever term suits you to describe it. I find it smacks of evil.
Jesus was particularly critical of the Pharisees for their hubris. Their sin was magnified both by the fact of their training in the spiritual law and by their moral preening. They should have known better.
I see Woke Pharisees throughout the land. Their celebration of their moral depravity has an extra dimension. It seems worse to me. Both in quantity and quality. Call it whatever, but it’s extra ugly.
“Many though will let go of that last reed that was tethering them to the old America they grew up believing was real. Many will go through the stages of grief, maybe skipping to step three by this point. The realization that this is not their country and they are now second class citizens will not bring them comfort. It will free their mind of the frustration of believing in a myth. They will quit Red Team and start the process of looking for a new team, which will lead them to this side of the great divide.”
https://thezman.com/wordpress/?p=23531
This person, Bree Newsome, apparently a well-known black activist in the Charlotte, NC, area, says, in response to the police shooting of a black teenaged girl who was attacking another with a knife:
https://twitter.com/BreeNewsome/status/1384725341550305281
When the riots broke out in Kenosha because police shot a man who threatened his girlfriend with a knife and was about to drive away with a car full of children, I asked if leftist activists really want police NOT to respond to requests for help from black citizens. Apparently the answer is yes, that’s what they want. Incredible.
I get into regular disputes with Creighton alums, Creighton law profs and even some Creighton undergrads. The vast majority are liberal. They won’t even consider a conservative opinion. I’ve been kicked out of The Bluejay Underground (a sports message board with an off topic section) four times (true!) because I’m conservative.
I don’t know how we turn this around. The Dems have the media and the schools. And now they have this political violence intimidation and destruction arm in BLM and antifa. They stole the 2020 election and will steal every important election in the future.
Burn Loot Murder then Buy Large Mansions.
In our culture teens settle disputes with knives and guns. You are the problem, you and your law. Bree Nuisance (sociopath) BLM, North Carolina.
stan wrote, “… this is morally depraved.”
I read that, and just stopped. Wow.
stan, those two words accurately, briefly and forcefully describe the situation you wrote about above. Thank you very much.
Excellent analysis, neo.
@EvaMarie – yes, it was a fake $20. Floyd’s dealer had already tried passing it earlier in the day and the store wouldn’t take it (probably because he wasn’t 6’6″ and 230lbs and hopped up on meth). I don’t believe there is any legitimate question as to the veracity of the original complaint. Beyond which, when you arrive on scene as backup to an arrest in progress where the subject is resisting, it is not your job to determine the veracity of the original complaint. At that point, resisting arrest ALONE is enough to continue subduing the subject.
@om – the point you’re trying to make is incoherent. If you’d like to make a point, hang up and try again. This time in ENGLISH
“ Teenagers have been having fights including fights involving knives for eons.”
This is true. Bree Newsome is correct and anyone who has listened to their family stories knows this. Look at the movies from the 1920’s to 1980’s. West Side Story. There never was this overwhelming police presence that technology makes possible now. These resentments to the cops aren’t a lot different from the resentments that a lot of people have to the impact of control from above in their lives.
deadrody, you’re right and I’m wrong about the forged $20.
deadrody:
Eva Marie is concerned about 1) police and the militarization of police and 2) their guns and how scary they are now that she is older, 3) that a POC “Epsteined” herself in custody, and 4) police arresting Saint George on a pretext.
Clear enough for you?. You spent 60 words for her fears and concerns on point 4).
My sarcasm failed. Do you think police should be unarmed as well? Is that unclear as well? Is the joke on me or on you?
You found you all caps too, clever.
The whole Chauvin case is a morality play. On one side, several commenters here illustrate this, is the theory that no one should ever have to pay for bad behavior. Race enters because those who have difficulty with statistics don’t understand why one race sees so many encounters with police. Is it behavioral or genetic ? Many deny the LBJ/welfare theory. Fatherless boys, etc. If that is not the cause, what is? The “Warrior Gene?”
Right now we are going through a phase in society where “equality” means equal outcomes. Because so many blacks lag in achievement, “White Privilege” is assumed. Asians , who are discriminated against by Ivy League colleges, are ignored except as a club to beat whites about “Asian Hate.” The fact that most attacks on Asians are by blacks is ignored as it does not fit the narrative.
My personal response is to get out of California, then out of dense cities, stay armed and avoid crowds. I wish I could ensure that my children and grand children are safe but that may be too much of a reach.
Eva Marie:
The cops were CALLED to that knife fight. Had they not answered the call, and had one girl killed the other, they would have been blamed and maybe sued.
But the way, West Side Story was a musical, not a documentary. Thomas Sowell, who grew up in Harlem, said it was quite safe in his youth relative to now. When I grew up, fistfights were common. Not knife fights or gun fights.
Eva Marie:
Should police respond to domestic violence and family disputes, as they been going on for ages? Let me guess, “It sucks to be a victim, move along, nothing to see. She had it coming (battered wife/partner).” Been that way for ages. Used to have laws about these things. Oh well.
And should they wear those scary bullet “proof” vests? Or just be in loin cloths so as to be less threatening?
Please flesh out this approach.
Thomas Sowell, who grew up in Harlem, said it was quite safe in his youth relative to now.
Before Bilge diBlasio got his hands on the NYC government, the homicide rate in the police precincts covering Harlem was 8.5 per 100,000. Harlem wasn’t any more dangerous than Utica, it it was safer than a generic neighborhood in Rochester or in Buffalo.
Eva Marie:
Dead horse time: should police have radios, radar for traffic/speed limits, tasers, tear gas, pepper spray, computers, helmets, hand cuffs, authorization to enforce laws, voices that aren’t soothing?
om,
I’ll play:
Should police have radios – yes, radar for traffic/speed limits – no, tasers – no, tear gas – riot control only, pepper spray – no, computers – yes, helmets – yes, hand cuffs – yes, authorization to enforce laws – yes, voices that aren’t soothing – yes. Also body armor – yes, expanding bullets – yes, license plate scanners – no, automatic weapons – no, killer robots – no.
I think I have a good point to make and I’m just not articulating it well. I will have to put some thought into it ( that’s a novel idea). I’m sure this topic will come up again. I will just say this – the Dems are succeeding in putting a wedge between Republicans and Blacks in particular and minorities in general. We have a lot more in common with these groups than Democrats + media + big tech has.
Chases Eagles:
No to radar for speed/traffic laws? Curious
No to license to plate scanners? Curious
No to pepper spray? Curious
No to Tasers? Curious
Canine units?
Bean bag rounds?
Smoke grenades/rounds? Flash bangs?
Rifles with optical sights?
Suppressors for rifles/sub guns?
Gunshot identification/location and reporting computer systems?
I think I have a good point to make and I’m just not articulating it well
https://alchetron.com/cdn/pugsley-addams-c3bce0b2-5a1d-4fc0-9965-651ccac23d3-resize-750.jpg
Eva Marie:
“Republicans/conservatives are evil. Black Republicans/conservatives are Uncle Toms or not black. Asians and Hispanics are white or not depending on the time of day and issue at hand. Africans or dark skinned people not who are not leftists/progressive African Americans are not black, depending on the time of day and the issue at hand. ”
– om delves into leftist and progressive mind mode, a scarier place than usual.
Neo: “When I grew up, fistfights were common. Not knife fights or gun fights.” Yup.
I don’t think Dems are succeeding in putting a wedge between Republicans and black Americans. Leftist black Americans, yes, but that disagreement was already there. Numbers of black Americans are waking up to the fact that leftist policies are not really good for their ethnic groups, and voting R. The same is happening among hispanics. That’s really what Democrats are scared of. If they don’t cement control now, they may lose long-term.
Eva Marie:
Democrats have calling Republicans racist for at least 50 years. And black voters have voted overwhelmingly for Democrats since then. So the wedge isn’t recent. It’s entrenched and hard to overcome. Trump made slight inroads. But not much.
deadrody:
If you have to explain a joke (or sarcasm) you failed.
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=…And don’t call me shirley
Top definition…And don’t call me shirley Famous line from the comedy movie “Airplane!”. Used when someone uses the word ” Surely ” in their sentence.
https://youtu.be/KM2K7sV-K74
This was very simply a verdict by and for the mob -Antifa, BLM, aided by Dems and media. And you can bet your life (and that’s not just an expression) that it won’t be the last such verdict, now that they see how readily they can do it.
Art Deco:
Sowell grew up in Harlem in the early 1940s. That’s the era he was talking about. Nor was he comparing it to Harlem in the last two decades. The comparison was to the years when cities were more violent – the 70s and 80s in particular, if I recall the years correctly.
He was comparing Harlem later to the Harlem he knew way back when. He wasn’t comparing it to other cities and saying it was so much worse than those cities during any era.
not quite on topic… unless you write about chauvin and others on social media… then the post office may tag you…
The law enforcement arm of the U.S. Postal Service has been quietly running a program that tracks and collects Americans’ social media posts, including those about planned protests, according to a document obtained by Yahoo News.
The details of the surveillance effort, known as iCOP, or Internet Covert Operations Program, have not previously been made public. The work involves having analysts trawl through social media sites to look for what the document describes as “inflammatory” postings and then sharing that information across government agencies.
“Analysts with the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Internet Covert Operations Program (iCOP) monitored significant activity regarding planned protests occurring internationally and domestically on March 20, 2021,” says the March 16 government bulletin, marked as “law enforcement sensitive” and distributed through the Department of Homeland Security’s fusion centers. “Locations and times have been identified for these protests, which are being distributed online across multiple social media platforms, to include right-wing leaning Parler and Telegram accounts.”
A number of groups were expected to gather in cities around the globe on March 20 as part of a World Wide Rally for Freedom and Democracy, to protest everything from lockdown measures to 5G. “Parler users have commented about their intent to use the rallies to engage in violence. Image 3 on the right is a screenshot from Parler indicating two users discussing the event as an opportunity to engage in a ‘fight’ and to ‘do serious damage,’” says the bulletin.
“No intelligence is available to suggest the legitimacy of these threats,” it adds.
The bulletin includes screenshots of posts about the protests from Facebook, Parler, Telegram and other social media sites. Individuals mentioned by name include one alleged Proud Boy and several others whose identifying details were included but whose posts did not appear to contain anything threatening.
“iCOP analysts are currently monitoring these social media channels for any potential threats stemming from the scheduled protests and will disseminate intelligence updates as needed,” the bulletin says.
The government’s monitoring of Americans’ social media is the subject of ongoing debate inside and outside government, particularly in recent months, following a rise in domestic unrest. While posts on platforms such as Facebook and Parler have allowed law enforcement to track down and arrest rioters who assaulted the Capitol on Jan. 6, such data collection has also sparked concerns about the government surveilling peaceful protesters or those engaged in protected First Amendment activities.
On another note…
the kind of people that end up being ‘victims’ of such police, live in certain areas in which the good people that live there are THEIR victims…
i predict two things..
1) that the rate of crime and violence will go up as police just let criminals go rather than deal with them. It will only take as long as it takes for them to realize that this is not a one off, but a new normal. At that point they will just refuse to risk without extra pay… period..
2) the negative opinions of certain groups will not go down, but will go up as the above becomes more true, and more videos of those actions come out, and on and on… people will not want to risk having criminals who cant be punished anywhere near them… and their only way of filtering, right or wrong, will be by the same method that the press is deciding things..
hold on to your seats..
its not going to get better…
[and my invest in ovens comment still stands, there are no brakes on this rail car]
Artfldgr:
Ace of Spades has a recent post about the post office surveillance.
Yancey wrote (emphasis added):
I share your sentiment, and I pray we are both wrong.
The general public had access to more evidence than the jury was allowed. We could read the autopsy; that was disallowed to the jury. We saw the full 19 minutes that led up to the fatal moments; only the 9 minutes and 29 seconds of the videos were allowed. We could see the 2019 video of Floyd being arrested in a previous police encounter in which he resisted, disobeyed officers’ instructions, and cried, babbled, and blubbered all while another Black man calmly complied, was treated respectfully, and went unhurt. We were shown a pattern and history of George Floyd being an ass; the jury was only allowed to see the “gentle giant.” Evidence suppression always leads to no good.
Indigo Red:
I wasn’t aware that the full video wasn’t shown to the jury. Did Nelson try to get it shown and it was denied? Or did he decide it wasn’t going to help Chauvin to show it?
Neo – I don’t know why the full video was not shown.
re:
AppleBetty on April 21, 2021 at 11:02 am
thank you for your kind words. I know we are all flawed, imperfect, ignorant, often stupid, sinful humans. We fall short every day. But, but, but. but, but.
There is something uglier about the piling on by the Woke of officers such as in Ferguson and Minn. They aren’t just in error or engaging with lies and slanders. For me, the extra in ugliness has an additional moral dimension. They celebrate themselves while knowingly engaging in the ugliest stereotyping. They KNOW they are lying about cops. They KNOW they are destroying black neighborhoods. They KNOW they are driving good people away from serving as police officers. They KNOW that slander is wrong. And yet they persist AND they preen with moral righteousness for doing so.
They are proud of their lies and slanders and stereotyping. They feel good about themselves, even morally superior about themselves, because of it. That’s sick.
One more thing. Why do they do it? My guess — showing solidarity with black expressions of grievance has become in their minds the ultimate moral good. Even if you have to lie, slander and destroy to do so. It’s a sick moral hierarchy, but I think that is what is going on.
Racism is bad. It is the worst thing ever. Thus, supporting “blacks” must be the ultimate good. Even if the blacks are BLM. Even if it destroys people and neighborhoods and a nation.