How was the problem growing? I think from an operational perspective, the feds did exactly what they should have -- wait these people out until they get so comfortable they do something dumb like assume they can come and go at their leisure and pick them up when they're at their most vulnerable and easily isolated thereby minimizing the potential harm to everyone involved. The fact that one of these occupiers resisted and got himself shot is pretty much all the proof you need that slow walking the situation and not escalating by adding more people into the mix was the smart way to go. That the group got off on a legal technicality or just jury nullification afterwards doesn't seem to me to be justification for putting anyone in harm's way unnecessarily, which seems to be what you're advocating for.
Seriously though, how did this happen? Did the prosecution overreach with their charges? Is this just a case of a jury being crazy? How the ever living fuck is what those guys did not illegal?
Points 4 and 5 occurred to me as well. The persecution angle is pretty tough to sell when the perpetrators are given their due process and sent home. The cynic in me wonders if the whole gang were hoping they'd get locked up, so they could call themselves political prisoners and serve as the poster children of federal tyranny and oppression. Denied!
Or, in Wonkettese: How many wingnut persecution boners were murdered by this outcome?
So they knew they were guilty, but they just said "Mah, all they did was invade a federal sanctuary, disturb the native wildlife, desecrate the artifacts inside, dig a poop ditch, and burn a barrel of dildos, while pointing weapons and making threats against any law officer that came too close, that's not THAT bad, is it?" Well, then. I would like a shipment of whatever drugs the jury was on, please.
If you mean to suggest that the outcome of this case will have some bearing on whether similar groups try this sort of stunt again, I'm not sure reality intrudes enough on the thought processes that motivate these actions to warrant that kind of speculation one way or another.
The Baker Rifle is a flintlock rifled musket. By definition a black powder firing weapon that must be loaded from the muzzle and have the charge and projectile rammed home is a musket.
How was the problem growing? I think from an operational perspective, the feds did exactly what they should have -- wait these people out until they get so comfortable they do something dumb like assume they can come and go at their leisure and pick them up when they're at their most vulnerable and easily isolated thereby minimizing the potential harm to everyone involved. The fact that one of these occupiers resisted and got himself shot is pretty much all the proof you need that slow walking the situation and not escalating by adding more people into the mix was the smart way to go. That the group got off on a legal technicality or just jury nullification afterwards doesn't seem to me to be justification for putting anyone in harm's way unnecessarily, which seems to be what you're advocating for.
I sure as hell have but in this case, the reporting was the JD guys came off as heavy handed and far too moralistic and overplayed their hand
Yep.
Seriously though, how did this happen? Did the prosecution overreach with their charges? Is this just a case of a jury being crazy? How the ever living fuck is what those guys did not illegal?
They could have come off as Satan. The jury should have still returned a guilty verdict.
Points 4 and 5 occurred to me as well. The persecution angle is pretty tough to sell when the perpetrators are given their due process and sent home. The cynic in me wonders if the whole gang were hoping they'd get locked up, so they could call themselves political prisoners and serve as the poster children of federal tyranny and oppression. Denied!
Or, in Wonkettese: How many wingnut persecution boners were murdered by this outcome?
So they knew they were guilty, but they just said "Mah, all they did was invade a federal sanctuary, disturb the native wildlife, desecrate the artifacts inside, dig a poop ditch, and burn a barrel of dildos, while pointing weapons and making threats against any law officer that came too close, that's not THAT bad, is it?" Well, then. I would like a shipment of whatever drugs the jury was on, please.
If you mean to suggest that the outcome of this case will have some bearing on whether similar groups try this sort of stunt again, I'm not sure reality intrudes enough on the thought processes that motivate these actions to warrant that kind of speculation one way or another.
....thus pissing off the jury and leading to nullification. The facts are not in dispute.
The Baker Rifle is a flintlock rifled musket. By definition a black powder firing weapon that must be loaded from the muzzle and have the charge and projectile rammed home is a musket.
And there you have it.
Don't forget we Liberals. It's our fault as well because we put that blah man in the White House against the will of "The People".
Kinda reminds me of the OJ trial. Another massive clusterfuck.
kinda like the filibuster and the "nuclear option."
sounds sexy
Yup. Two-edged sword.