Staggered
I’m staggered that a bunch of armed men can take over federal property, maintain their siege–and then get off scott free. Does anybody think the outcome would be the same if armed Muslims, black men, or Native Americans tried this? And I fear it may encourage others to try similar stunts. Thoughts?
My thoughts: yes, no, yes. I too am staggered and horrified that they got off. I don’t for a second think the outcome would be the same if armed Muslims, African Americans, or Native Americans tried this. I fear that it’s overwhelmingly likely that this idiotic verdict will encourage others to try similar and worse violent crimes against our national parks and refuges. The assault on Malheur was no stunt, it was a long string of crimes committed by heavily armed gang members.
And you can probably count on a violent outcome of all this over the next couple of years.
I find it especially disturbing coming so close to the election as i consider the prospect of what it might mean if people who are not happy with the (most likely) outcome see the verdict as a sign of permission (or even encouragement) to “take matters into their own hands” so they can Make America Great Again.
This is a classic (perhaps soon to be seen as the classic) example of jury nullification: every single goddamned one of those motherfuckers on the bench knew these assholes were guilty as hell, but they disagreed with the law (and agreed with the assholes) so much that it just didn’t matter. And just in time for the election, too. Who wants to take even money that at least some of the defendants are going to be martyrs for the cause of liberty before Inauguration Day?
Ther had better be a goddamn appeal, followed by a higher court rebuking the lower.
I wonder if there could also be an element here of the ongoing crap being done by law enforcement that has led to people who would normally be more sensible seeing these people as somehow in the same mold as Occupy and Black Lives Matter? The police are killing unarmed black men, therefore all police are bad, therefore all law enforcement is wrong, therefore all who protest against law enforcement are good noble souls?
I’m not saying there is anything wrong with Occupy or Black Lives Matter, or that we shouldn’t bring these things up – I’m just wondering if some people on the jury have become so much in that anti-government mode from a progressive left point of view that they just want to stick it to the government. It seems possible, listening to some of the people I’ve talked to in my own town. The sensationalist reporting of the news leads to a simplification of the issues, leading to a lack of nuanced understanding in people who are only superficial consumers of the news.
@4: An appeal? Of an acquittal?
Yeah, can’t be done. Double jeopardy. A Not Guilty is final.
I’ve been wondering if there could be civil suits though.
Civil suits? Daddy owes how much money to the Federal Government, but can’t be forced to pay. Not sure how much good a civil suit would do.
An Oregonian’s Appeal – Please, we have enough of our own fringe element without having to host out of staters.
As to the verdict – my art is my only outlet –
Ophelia,
The double jeopardy rule might not apply if significant irregularities were discovered in the trial procedure.