#‘seditious conspiracy definition’

[flock-of-cassowaries]

Whereas I hate it when my boss and coworkers ask me about my plans for my vacation, because if I say:

“I plan to make progress on my various my extremely self-indulgent fanfiction projects, which are about the gay cannibal show, and also the horny+evil rich media heirs show; and it’s like, also extremely personal and kind of autobiographical in places, but also very horny, and no, you can never, ever read it (j/k you can, I will make a protestant version with all the sex scenes removed just for you! Do you want to hear the whole plot? I’m very, very proud of it.)”

…everyone will remember that forever, and it will make my working relationships with them even more awkward than they already are (just due to my high level of general social awkwardness).

i love it when my teachers ask about my interests because i get to yap about some gay cannibals from a decade old show and jack antonoff

[truthbombmemes]

The Proud Boys heard Donald Trump loudly and clearly when he ordered them to STANDBACK AND STANDBY and await his orders to overthrow the government of the United States. HE KNEW ALREADY that he had lost the election despite his FALSE claims of massive voter fraud. THERE WAS NO VOTER FRAUD and Mr. Trump knew it all along. TRUMP LIED because he LOST. Then, on January 6th, the PROUD BOYS willingly attacked the US capitol in the hopes of stopping the peaceful transfer of power to the LEGALLY Y ELECTED PRESIDENT. This is by definition SEDITIOUS CONSPIRACY. #seditiousconspiracy #Trump #electionfraud #trumpismypresident #trump2024 #trumprally #truthsocial #fraud #donaldtrump #proudboys https://www.instagram.com/p/CjN43apLhII/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[memesnotwelcome]

Definitions Matter; specifically when people are throwing around the word “sedition”

18 U.S.C. § 2384 - U.S. Code - Unannotated Title 18. Crimes and Criminal Procedure § 2384. Seditious conspiracy

If two or more persons in any State or Territory, or in any place subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, conspire to overthrow, put down, or to destroy by force the Government of the United States, or to levy war against them, or to oppose by force the authority thereof, or by force to prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of any law of the United States, or by force to seize, take, or possess any property of the United States contrary to the authority thereof, they shall each be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both.

From FindLaw:

In order to get a conviction for seditious conspiracy, the government must prove that the defendant in fact conspired ---to use force---. Simply advocating for the use of force is not the same thing and in most cases is protected as free speech under the First Amendment. For example, two or more people who give public speeches suggesting the need for a total revolution "by any means necessary" have not necessarily conspired to overthrow the government. Rather, they're just sharing their opinions, however unsavory. But actively planning such an action (distributing guns, working out the logistics of an attack, actively opposing lawful authority, etc.) could be considered a seditious conspiracy.

Ultimately, the goal is to prevent threats against the United States while protecting individuals' First Amendment rights, which isn't always such a clear distinction.

Using the federal legal system, in however wasteful and stupid way they deem fit, is inherently not seditious.  Please stop parroting journalists that jump at the opportunity to use legal experts’ hyperbolic hot takes.

Instead, use your social media outlets to ask public figures why judges aren’t assigning penalties for frivolous lawsuits. 

[azuremallone]

MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow pressed Newsom for details, though he would only say he had decided to utilize “the purchasing power” of California “as a nation-state"

Fox News (https://www.foxnews.com/politics/california-gov-newsom-wont-share-details-on-1b-mask-deal-with-china)

California Governor Gavin Screwsome, by saying that, is in direct conflict with the United States by declaring California independent “as a nation-state” (which it is not) of the United States and has committed an overt act of Sedition.

US Constitution

Article IV; Section 1:

Full Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other State. And the Congress may by general Laws prescribe the Manner in which such Acts, Records and Proceedings shall be proved, and the Effect thereof.

Seditious Conspiracy and Federal Law: The Basics

The federal law against seditious conspiracy can be found in Title 18 of the U.S. Code (which includes treason, rebellion, and similar offenses), specifically 18 U.S.C. § 2384. According to the statutory definition of sedition, it is a crime for two or more people within the jurisdiction of the United States:

To conspire to overthrow or destroy by force the government of the United States or to level war against them;

To oppose by force the authority of the United States government; to prevent, hinder, or delay by force the execution of any law of the United States; or

To take, seize, or possess by force any property of the United States contrary to the authority thereof.

I’m pretty sure that this is why the entrenched Democrats in the California State Legislature are losing their shit over what Screwsome said on national public television. They don’t want to get dragged into this and fulfil the requirement necessary to be arrested by Federal Marshals.

[canadasilverdragon]

These Baghdad bombings(https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1950–1951_Baghdad_bombings). There’s no solid evidence here that it was committed by Israel and honestly this is setting all my conspiracy theory senses off. This is an extraordinary claim and therefore requires extraordinary evidence to prove and there really isn’t much substantiating it. Israeli historians think they didn’t do it and Palestinian historians think they did which suggests that bias may be clouding all sides judgment. To definitely say that Israel did this requires a level of evidence that simply isn’t there. Your accusation of me(a jew) being antisemitic for critiquing your argument shows how quick you are to shut down criticism either Ad Hominems. I don’t know what you are talking about in point one. I do know that the early Zionist movement made deals with the Nazis to move Jews out of Germany to Israel but considering doing so saved them from the Holocaust, I fond it hard to criticize. I don’t have a Haaretz sub so I can’t read the article but it looks to be an op-ed not impersonal journalism. As for the second point. A) The ADL is not Jews or Israel they are a private origination who in my opinion made the wrong call on the Musk thing, B) All I can find about the Azov thing is that the keader toured Israel at some point as a publicity stunt to improve Israel Ukraine relations. The battalion themself while founded by extremists no longer seems to consist of neo-nazis(source: https://lens.monash.edu/@politics-society/2022/08/19/1384992/much-azov-about-nothing-how-the-ukrainian-neo-nazis-canard-fooled-the-world?amp=1) it seems that now accusations of Ukrainian Nazism are simply tools for Kremlin agents to attack Ukraine as if Russia(one of the most terrible country in human history in my opinion) has no nazi ties themselves. Your arguments are a shallow attempt to demonize Jews as being Nazis and I will not fall for it. Meanwhile you openly support Maoist-Leninism and honestly I’m at my wits end with you and your ilk who see fascists around every corner while refusing to acknowledge their own authoritarian tendencies. Communism is an evil ideology no intelligent person can in good faith support(though the sheer volume of propaganda you guzzle down gives me doubts as to your intelligence). The seditious bastardry you so proudly stand for was once illegal and if you ask me it still should be. That hammer and sickle you proudky wear is a symbol of genocide, actual genocide unlike what you accuse Jews of. If you are in touch with your family at all I can only assume they are ashamed of you. For all your talk of progressivism you and those like you do nothing ti make the world better for your fellow man and frankly I don’t believe that any of you are capable of it. You are so insane you defend the PLFP and Hamas as if rapist monsters are “resistance”. Honestly go fuck yourself, I’m sure you get off to telling minorities you support them as you cheer for those who wish to see them exterminated. Keep sucking actual fascists off while you pretend ti be the hero pal.

[somethingjustsouthofbrilliance]

I Got You (chapter 5)

I am honestly beyond grateful for everyone’s encouragement on the last chapter.  I’ve been struggling to keep this story going, but your response definitely helped, and I am so thankful to you all 💕💕💕 I best express my gratitude with writing, so here’s another chapter for you, guys. Thank you!

Tagging:  @jamesrhodey @supernaturalyloki @chanderefk @aimeeroot21 @markedplaces @mostly-marvel-stuffs @matre-dee @le-ephemere @lo-anlurui @savedbyholmes @kimmycup @typicalcampbell @natty-ts70 @damnhiatus @pubzie @giulisetta

Links to chapter 1, chapter 4

Chapter 5

 “You know, this is a pretty decent family restaurant,” James points out, watching with a mildly disapproving frown as Stark tears into a plain-looking cheeseburger, all but moaning with pleasure as though he were savoring a most exquisite gourmet meal.  “You could have ordered some real food.”

 “What’s wrong with cheeseburgers?” Starks looks almost offended.

 “Nothing,” James shrugs, shifting his attention back to his own plate with its piece of herb-roasted chicken seasoned to mouth-watering perfection. “I just figured that after getting our breakfast and lunch orders at drive-through windows you’d want something a bit more sophisticated than a meal that usually comes in a greasy paper bag with an optional toy for customers 12 and under.”

 “I like cheeseburgers.” It’s Stark’s turn to shrug as he takes another hungry bite that drips grease and ketchup onto his chin. He reaches for a napkin, dabs it at his chin.  “S’comfort food,” he manages around a mouthful, winking at James over the remainder of his sandwich.

 James shakes his head, goes back to cutting up his food.  “Wouldn’t have pegged you for a junk food kind of guy.  Given where you come from, I figured you’d have a more… sophisticated palate,” he says, snagging a piece of chicken with asparagus onto his fork and sending the combination into his mouth.

It’s good.  It’s so fucking good and so welcome after the questionable-quality fast food Stark had forced on him earlier that he simply closes his eyes for a moment and lets himself enjoy the flavor, the texture and the aroma of actual, human food.  

 It’s why he doesn’t notice right away that something’s amiss.  Not until he opens his eyes again and finds Stark looking back at him, his expression guarded, tense.

 “Where I come from?” There’s an unpleasantly cold challenge in Stark’s tone, and James wonders what particular can of worms he inadvertently opened with this conversation, but the words are out now and it’s too late to take them back.  

 “You’re Howard Stark’s son, aren’t you?” he asks, trying for nonchalant as he goes to cut himself another piece of the chicken.  “Millionaire inventor?  One of the biggest names in weapon manufacturing? I didn’t make the connection right away, but I just haven’t seen any Stark tech around in years.  Our military contract had been picked up by Senator Hammer’s company after your father–”

 “Passed out drunk while working on an arc reactor prototype and blew up the entire mansion?”

 He frowns at the glacial callousness of Stark’s interruption, blinks uncertainly at the man.  “I’m sorry,” he tries.  

 “Don’t be,” Stark waves him off with an ugly grimace of a smile.  “Blowing himself up was the best thing he could have done with his life.  Although,” he drops his unfinished cheeseburger onto the plate, leans back in the chair, dabbing the napkin at his lips, “I heard rumors that he may have had some help leaving this world.”

 It’s so casual the way he says it, so matter-of-fact.   It makes James’ skin crawl.

 “You’re saying someone had him murdered?”

 Stark crumples up the napkin, tosses it onto the plate.  “Don’t know that for a fact,” he admits with a dispassionate shrug.

 “But?” James prompts, intrigued despite himself.

 Stark hums.  “Howard was many things – stupid wasn’t one of them. Being drunk wasn’t new for him, but he knew his limits.  He wouldn’t have gone down to his workshop if he was that hammered.” He chuckles unkindly.  “Hammered.  Now that’s a thought.”

 James feels a cold unpleasant shiver trickle down his spine.  “You’re not suggesting…”

 “The good senator?” Stark’s smile is positively predatory now, and he seems pleased somehow by James’ deduction even if he shakes his head in the negative.  “I’ve had the displeasure of observing Senator Hammer quite closely for ten very long and sadly irretrievable months of my life.  He’s a vulgar little shit with no sense of morals or civility.  But he doesn’t have enough brains or balls to pull off something like this.”  He cocks his head, winks conspiratorially at James. “Now if we assume that he was not acting alone, and we combine his financial means and his unbridled enthusiasm for fattening up his own pockets with, say, Vice President Stane’s formidable ruthlessness and an unhealthy craving for power–”

 “Stop!” James hisses, putting up his hand to shut the man up even as he glances furtively to the sides to make sure their conversation has not attracted any unwarranted attention. “Do you even realize what you’re saying? Accusing a high-ranking senator and the goddamn VP of conspiracy to murder?”

 Stark watches him calmly, seemingly unperturbed by his agitation.  “I’m not accusing them of anything, Sugar Plums,” he deflects easily, the sharp piercing gaze of his amber-brown eyes pinning James in place. “Don’t have enough facts for that. I’m merely pointing out that together those two individuals have both the appetite and the means for any sort of hostile takeover.” Stark’s eyes narrow ever so slightly.  “Such as, for instance, the removal of an undesirable president.”

 For a brief moment James forgets how to breathe.  Just sits there, blinking owlishly at Stark, his heart stuttering like a scared animal inside his chest.  “You...,” he chokes out, fingers tightening convulsively around the handle of his knife. “You’re insane.  Do you even hear yourself?”    

 Stark snorts quietly, picks up his glass of water, leaving a ring of condensation on the wooden surface. “Relax, Platypus,” he responds easily and takes a long drawn out sip before setting the glass back down onto the table. “This is all purely hypothetical at this point.”  The mask of feigned impassivity slips for a moment, his eyes flashing steel like the metal of a drawn sword.  “Believe me,” he says, leaning forward into James’ space, and his voice, though quiet, has that same unmistakable edge of steel as well, “if I had any concrete proof that they had anything to do with that bomb that landed Happy in the hospital, they both would have been dead by now.”  He waits a beat, lets the words sink in.  Then pulls away, settling back in his chair, the already familiar plastic smile firmly in place.  “Now, what was it you were saying about my… palate?”

 James blinks rapidly, thrown completely off balance first by the wild accusations bordering on seditious and now by the dizzying change of topics.  He needs time to think, to process everything that Stark just said. Because it can’t be right what he’s implying.  It’s crazy. It’s the words of a madman.  And yet… and yet…

 “Um…,” he begins inarticulately, looking down at his poor unfinished chicken as though somehow hoping to find inspiration there for something meaningful to say when his mind is drawing a complete stunned blank.

 “Hold that thought, Buttercup,” Stark interrupts him unexpectedly, and the subtle change in his tone, a slight but unmistakable strain of warning, draws James’ attention back to the man.

 Stark’s whole demeanor has changed.  He still sits sprawled against the back of his chair, looking for all the world like he’s relaxing over a meal and a friendly chat, but James can see a kind of battle-ready tension in him now, a cold wariness of a professional on the job.

 “What’s wrong?” he asks, knowing instinctively that he needs to whisper this part.

 Stark flicks a lightning quick glance somewhere past James’ shoulder, reaches once again for his water glass.  “Seems like your secret admirer wasn’t quite happy with you leaving Washington so abruptly,” he murmurs into the glass.  

 “He’s here?” James straightens out in his seat, fighting the urge to look around.  “Who is he?”

 “It’s not the puppet master himself,” Stark shakes his head, setting the glass back down.  “But I will bet good money that the merry little group that just sat down at the table behind us is not overly interested in today’s specials.”  

 James swallows tightly, rubs his suddenly sweaty palms.  “How many?”

 “Five that I can see. Probably more waiting outside.” Stark shifts forward a bit, casually leaning his elbows on the table, bringing him that much closer to where James is sitting.   Smiles a wide artificial smile that doesn’t reach his eyes.  “Listen to me very carefully,” he says, his voice so low that James has to strain to hear him even at this short a distance. “You’re gonna excuse yourself now and get up to go to the restroom – it’s in the back of that hallway behind me.  The moment you step inside that hallway, you take the first door to your left – that’s the kitchen.  You’re gonna go in and you’re gonna keep walking until you reach the back door. Don’t open it, just stay there and wait for me.  Understood?”

 Stark’s gaze bores into his, intense, burning, demanding, and James wants to object, wants to know what exactly is it that Stark plans to do while he makes his escape to the kitchen, wants to insist that he stay and help, but there’s a grim urgency in Stark’s expression that makes him hold his tongue.  He nods once, mutely, and finds himself oddly comforted upon seeing something in Stark’s posture relax slightly at his assent.  Decided now, he puts both hands on the table, takes a deep, steadying breath and pushes up, plastering on a painfully artificial smile of his own.

 “I’ll be right back,” he hears himself say, holding Stark’s gaze for a brief moment before gesturing widely in the direction Stark had indicated to him earlier.  “Just gotta use the little boys’ room.”  

 And he walks off, silently repeating to himself that Stark is a professional, that he can handle himself, that it’s his job…. And tries very hard to stop himself from turning back around when he hears the first telltale crash of splintering wood behind him.

[hereistheend]

Tweet from Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman)

Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) Tweeted:

So today Americans definitely found out that the guy on trial for seditious conspiracy was texting with a member of the secret service who was communicating with the former president of the United States while said president was waiting to see if Mike Pence was hanged. https://twitter.com/RexChapman/status/1578247818938298369?s=20&t=KrdC_R_Lht0jAJNKZKX3Aw

[theyoungturks]

As leaders of the Oath Keepers, a far-right Trump-loyalist militia, await trial on federal sedition charges for their role in the January 6th coup attempt, their legal team has crafted a defense that will definitely anger Donald Trump: the Oath Keepers seriously believed Trump was going to invoke the Insurrection Act, thus giving them legal protections as Trump’s personal federal militia. Cenk Uygur, Francesca Fiorentini, and Jordan Uhl discuss on The Young Turks. Watch LIVE weekdays 6-8 pm ET. http://youtube.com/theyoungturks/live Read more HERE: https://www.businessinsider.com/oath-keepers-to-tell-jury-they-believed-trump-would-federalize-them-2022-6 "When nine accused leaders of the Oath Keepers go on trial this fall to face seditious conspiracy charges for their role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, jurors in the government's first big, showcase trial will hear a defense argument that will sound outlandish to many. Jurors will be told that the far-right extremists believed President Donald Trump would invoke the Insurrection Act as they gathered at the Capitol — 100 strong in their camo-colored tactical gear — and turn them into his own, ultra-loyal federal militia. Their fantasy mission? To "Stop the Steal," "Defend the President," and "Defeat the Deep State," according to since-deleted rhetoric from their website. A defiant Trump would officially be their commander in chief. "Do NOT concede, and do NOT wait until January 20, 2021," Inauguration Day. "Strike now," the Oath Keepers leader and founder, Elmer Stewart Rhodes, urged in an open letter to Trump on December 14, 2020." *** The largest online progressive news show in the world. Hosted by Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian. LIVE weekdays 6-8 pm ET. Help support our mission and get perks. Membership protects TYT's independence from corporate ownership and allows us to provide free live shows that speak truth to power for people around the world. See Perks: ▶ https://www.youtube.com/TheYoungTurks/join SUBSCRIBE on YOUTUBE: ☞ http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=theyoungturks FACEBOOK: ☞ http://www.facebook.com/TheYoungTurks TWITTER: ☞ http://www.twitter.com/TheYoungTurks INSTAGRAM: ☞ http://www.instagram.com/TheYoungTurks TWITCH: ☞ http://www.twitch.com/tyt 👕 Merch: http://shoptyt.com ❤ Donate: http://www.tyt.com/go 🔗 Website: https://www.tyt.com 📱App: http://www.tyt.com/app 📬 Newsletters: https://www.tyt.com/newsletters/ If you want to watch more videos from TYT, consider subscribing to other channels in our network: The Damage Report ▶ https://www.youtube.com/thedamagereport TYT Sports ▶ https://www.youtube.com/tytsports The Conversation ▶ https://www.youtube.com/tytconversation Rebel HQ ▶ https://www.youtube.com/rebelhq TYT Investigates ▶ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwNJt9PYyN1uyw2XhNIQMMA #TYT #TheYoungTurks #BreakingNews 220701__TA01Oathkeepers by The Young Turks

[cksmart-world]

SMART BOMB

The completely unnecessary news analysis

by Christopher Smart

July 20, 2021

IN UTAH, YOU COMMIT A HATE CRIME WHEN...

1 – In Utah, you commit a hate crime when you smirk at a cop.

2 – It could be a hate crime, in Utah, if you eat fries without fry sauce.

3 – It's a hate crime to teach white kids that discrimination still exists.

4 – In Utah it's a hate crime to say everyone should get vaccinated.

5 – You commit a hate crime if you say flag wavers are dangerous.

6 – In Utah it's a hate crime to put Jack Daniels in your Diet Coke.

7 – It could be a hate crime if you tell Mike Lee to shut the F--- up.

8 – You've committed a hate crime if you turn off your neighbors sprinklers.

9 – It's a hate crime in Utah if you throw red paint on the D.A.'s office.

10 – And it's a hate crime to dress as Capt. Moroni and attack the Capital.

JAN. 6 WAS NOT TREASON THEY SAY BECAUSE...

Just because former President Donald Trump for weeks urged supporters to come to Washington D.C. because the election was stolen, doesn't make it treason. Just because Trump told a crowd of up to 40,000 people to march to the Capitol to stop the election of Joe Biden from being certified, doesn't mean he was attempting a coup. Just because he said, “If you don't fight like hell you won't have a country anymore,” doesn't mean he was pushing the mob to insurrection. Of course not. The Constitution defines treason as one of two distinct, specific acts: “levying war” against the United States or “adhering to its enemies, giving them aid and comfort.” But Carlton F. W. Larson, a treason scholar at U.C. Davis, told New Yorker writer Jeannie Suk Gerson that the attempt to stop certification of the election met the definition. “It’s very clear that would have been seen as ‘levying war'.” But he does not expect the feds to file treason charges against Trump or the mob because there are too many legal complications. However, seditious conspiracy, where two or more people conspire to overthrow, or to destroy by force the Government of the United States, or to levy war against it is a much easier prosecution. Don't hold your breath.

GOV. COX: WE MOSTLY HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE

Our squeaky-clean governor, Spencer Cox, wants to assuage fears that any skullduggery is afoot and there really is nothing to see here. Sure, there are a whole bunch of documents that news reporters want to see about how no-bid inside deals with friends for the Covid response cost Utah taxpayers truckloads of dough. None other than Tribune hefe Paul Huntsman has filed suit against the state, contending Gov. Clean is delaying access to public documents because... well, just because. We already know about one boondoggle when Meds in Motion of Draper got an $800,000 no-bid contract to buy hydroxychloroquine touted by Trump that, of course, is not a treatment for Covid. Other records reveal that personal connections led state officials to let contracts to friends. As Midvale Democrat Andrew Stoddard told The Tribune: “[W]e’re spending taxpayer dollars without any accountability.” Like $18 million worth of gloves, gowns, masks from the vendor Future Stitch. Other no-bid contracts include a $2.75 million deal with mobile developer Twenty to create an app to track people potentially exposed to Covid. Of course, it didn't work. But don't worry because there really isn't anything to see here. And our nice governor isn't hiding a darn thing.

Post script — Well, that was the week that was here at Smart Bomb where we keep of the Apocalypse so you don't have to. It is conflagration season and it's so bad that 30,000 square miles of forest in Siberia has gone up in flames as temperatures in the Arctic have soared to100 degrees. Meanwhile, the Covid Delta variant is raging across the globe, including the U.S. where we are again up to 30,000 infections a day. But a lot of Republicans don't want to get vaccinated because QAnon says it's a plot. Well, let's just forget all about that stuff and have a good time. Nero fiddled while Rome burned and that seemed to have worked out all right. It's been a big week for Utah in the national news. Salt Lake City-based Black Rifle Coffee made The New York Times for it's great success with right-wingers. The Times also focused on the Utah Department of Natural Resources for stocking lakes with an airplane that drops fish by the hundreds from it's underbelly. And last but not least was Nathan Wayne Entrekin who dressed as Capt. Moroni for the Jan. 6 insurrection. OK, Entrekin is actually from Arizona but we can claim him on account Salt Lake City is the Rome of The Church with a really long name. And if that doesn't make you feel religious, what would?

Well Wilson, we're living in some pretty weird times. Maybe you and the guys in the band have a little something to capture its essence and help us through this, whatever it is:

Twas in another lifetime one of toil and blood When blackness was a virtue, the road was full of mud I came in from the wilderness a creature void of form "Come in," she said "I'll give you shelter from the storm"

In a little hilltop village they gambled for my clothes I bargained for salvation and she gave me a lethal dose I offered up my innocence, I got repaid with scorn "Come in," she said "I'll give you shelter from the storm" Well I'm living in a foreign country but I'm bound to cross the line Beauty walks a razor's edge someday I'll make it mine If I could only turn back the clock to when God and her were born "Come in," she said "I'll give you shelter from the storm"

(Shelter From They Storm — Bob Dylan)

[seekeroftheobjectivetruth2]

Donald Trump was charged with incitement of an insurrection in the the Articles of his 2nd impeachment. https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-resolution/24/text

He was acquitted by the senate. No other person has been charged with sedition, insurrection, seditious conspiracy, treason or any other charges related to the insurrection and sedition act.

The idea of an "insurrection" on January 6, 2020 is a fallacy. A simple review of any reasonable dictionary definition of the word proves that.

Add to that, by definition, an elected office holder is not an "officer" of the United States, and the decision further disintegrates.

The Colorado Supreme Court justices are clearly legislating from bench and turning the constitution over to fit their political ideology. When the decision is overturned by the US Supreme Court, the Colorado Justices should all be recalled or resign.

The Colorado Supreme Court decision is based on fictional evidence and is laughable, at best.

[aion-rsa]

Fall River Review: The Satanic Panic Scares Up Another Bad Conviction

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Fall River, a four-part docuseries running on Epix, is structured like a rollercoaster. Every episode cranks up the suspense, building to a conclusion, and then drops the viewer into an emotional freefall. Almost 90 years after Lizzie Borden was acquitted of murder, Fall River, Massachusetts, hosted a second trial of the century. But this one was more like the witch hunts held in Salem, just over an hour’s drive away. Three women were killed in 1979, and the police and media blamed a devilish sect. The cult leader, a pimp named Carl Drew, declared himself Satan, and held his flock in scared awe by exacting human sacrifice at demonic rituals in the woods.

Fall River is one of the most graphic documentaries to come out of the recent glut of the televised true crime genre. Most of this comes from the archival footage the series uses to capture the atmosphere of the time and neighborhood. We see junkies fixing, prostitutes hooking, beat cops beating, and other sensational street scenes luridly captured in the gritty frames of low-grade celluloid. They are all bathed in red or orange glows, which give a red-light-district ambiance to the past.

The footage of Satanic rituals, from promotional films Anton LaVey made for the Church of Satan, to home movies from smaller sects, are obscenely seditious, and macabrely revealing. The full-frontal male and female nudity doesn’t come across in any way gratuitous, but it is completely exploitative. This proves to be subversive, because the tale intentionally undermines all the expectations laid out in the opening arguments. It is a consistent rhythm throughout each installment.

Director James Buddy Day (The Shocking Truth, Sex, Lies & Murder, Slender Man Stabbing: The Untold Story, The Disappearance of Susan Cox Powell) conducted the last interview Charles Manson would ever give in his film Charles Manson: The Final Words. He is no stranger to the cinematic possibilities of charismatic manipulators, and he’s learned valuable storytelling lessons from his sinister subjects.

On October 13, 1979, the body of 17-year-old Doreen Levesque was discovered behind the Diman Vocational High School. Her wrists were bound with fishing line. She had also been stabbed in the head and sustained multiple skull fractures. Forensic evidence suggested a possible death by stoning. There were signs of sexual torture. Investigators found she had been working as a prostitute. A month later, a 22-year-old prostitute named Barbara Raposa is reported missing. Police only found skull fragments and clumps of hair from a third victim, Karen Marsden. All the women could be traced to the sex trade being plied in the Bedford Street area. The report noted concerns about a Satanic cult.

Carl Drew called himself the “son of Satan” and is immediately tagged as the head of the “Fall River Cult Murders.” He ran his Bedford Street district prostitution ring as a Satanic coven and kept everyone around him in line through fear. “Satan will take his toll,” he warned. The first episode lays out how Drew orchestrated the nighttime rituals, ordering Marsden’s throat slashed after her skull was crushed. Witnesses recount how Drew chanted and prayed in inhuman languages. One follower, Robin Murphy, says he painted a cross from the dead body on her forehead. The audience is pummeled with descriptions of how Drew beheaded the woman with his bare hands and told his followers he had offered the girls’ souls up to Satan.

But the episode closes with the revelation that Drew could not possibly have committed the crime.

The next episode does the same with another suspect. Tightening the noose around the neck until the eyes begin to bulge, only to give a last-minute reprieve because another detail has distracted the hangman. The documentary adds layers of duplicitous evidence over sheets of maniacal theoretics to present an investigation so twisted it’s a wonder anyone was arrested, if not everyone.

After he retired, the lead investigator on the original case, Sgt. Paul Carey, reinvestigated it because he was never convinced of the official conclusion. He didn’t reopen the files to sell a book, he says in a taped interview, but he pulls in new evidence which proves the first convictions were hastily concluded and presented a false narrative.

The mythology had been set in place since the anti-counterculture paranoia of Christian fundamentalists turned into the counter-cult movement. The Satanic Panic was sparked by religious fanatics, fanned by psychiatrists, and weaponized by the tabloids. To this day, an ear-shattering minority is screaming about how some Democrat-led Satanic criminal cabal is delivering dead baby spinal fluids in under a half hour, or your money back. The documentary expansively indulges former detective sergeant Alan Alves, who was one of the occult criminal experts on the original case. He spent his career in the satanic crimes unit of the Freetown Police Department, and testifies to the darkest of doings.

While there are a few self-styled Satanic criminal conspiracies doing dastardly deeds in the country, they are isolated from each other, as well as being few and far between. The Fall River Cult practiced crude theistic satanism. They worship the Devil like Christians worship God, only backwards. Not like the more populist LaVeyan Satanists who use it as a Darwinian metaphor. Carl Drew’s alleged cult resembles a Charismatic Christian sect. This might be because it is colored by the attitude of who is determining the definitions.

What Alves comes up with sounds more like a Hammer Horror movie than any real dark rite. He believes the cult exacts blood sacrifices every 30 days on the full moon in rituals where victims are offered up as a sacrifice to Satan, who rises from the center of a pentagram. Apparently, he does this personally. Alves describes orgies and rituals he’d never partake in because they’ve replaced the wine and the host of Catholic ceremonies with bodily fluids. Alan Silvia, a former detective at the Fall River Police department, says the details of the case caused him to put more faith in his faith.

Fall River gives extensive backgrounds on all the players. Carl Drew was raised on a small farm in New Hampshire. His father was an alcoholic who abused him, and traumatized him, with Silvia recounting one particularly damaging incident where the father lowered Carl down a well by his feet to get rid of a nest of rats. Fall River also gives a face and voice to the victims, who were marginalized because they were sex workers.

Karen Marsden was a 20-year-old single mother. She wound up working in the red-light area because she was a runaway and drug addict. She and Carol Fletcher took police to the Freetown State Forest, where the cult allegedly congregated. Weeks later, the top half of a human skull was found in Westport, a beach town not too far from Fall River. Authorities identified the remains as Marsden’s by comparing bone fragments with skull X-rays taken in 1978.

Maureen “Sonny” Sparda, a former prostitute who hosted Satanic gatherings, fingers Robin Murphy as Karen’s killer. Murphy was 17 at the time, although has a problematic childhood and relatively little schooling, we learn she has an I.Q. of over 137. Later we hear she had practiced Paganism before she was ten years old. The details of her eventual story are all so graphically convincing it makes the blood boil. But Murphy’s testimony doesn’t match the forensic evidence.

The first person interviewed for the Raposa murder was Andy Maltias, who denied any personal knowledge of the crime, but could clue police in on what he saw in a psychic dream. This included the exact location the dead woman’s body was found. Maltias was a pedophile who had been preying on Murphy since she was 11.

Maltias was convicted in the first-degree murder of Barbara Raposa and given a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Carl Drew was convicted in the first-degree murder of Marsden. He is serving a life sentence, with no possibility of parole, at the MCI in Shirley, Massachusetts. The public believed this was the tip of the iceberg and a dangerous cult was active in the area.

But then everyone says they made the story up. Witnesses recant statements, saying the police pressured them into it. The District Attorney’s office worked with Murphy, used Carl Davis to threaten witnesses. Sunny Sparda was threatened by the D.A. and assistant D.A. We learn Drew’s public defender John Birkness not only had never worked a murder trial, but never defended anyone before. The court claims one witness, Carol Fletcher, was incompetent because she was on diabetes medication. Murphy confessed at her parole hearing that she had been lying all along.

Inasmuch as any true crime documentary about multiple murders can be, Fall River is a fun watch. Day seems to revel in the twists and turns of the case, turning contradictions into assaults and facts on their heads. We know along who did it because he says it up front, everyone who was put away, or anyone who got away with it. Maybe Drew took the fall for Maltias, possibly the 17-year-old true witch Robin Murphy manipulated the entire scenario by sheer force of her intelligence. Fall River lays out every fact, but also pulls the rug out from under every conclusion.

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Fall River premieres May 16 At 10pm on Epix.

The post Fall River Review: The Satanic Panic Scares Up Another Bad Conviction appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[virginiaprelawland]

An In-Depth Look At The Siege On Capitol Hill

By Lima Shekib, George Mason University Class of 2020 

January 12, 2021

A violent mob of President Donald Trump’s supporters caught the world’s attention as they stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. They forcefully made their way onto the Capitol grounds as Congress convened to affirm the election of President-Elect Joe Biden [1]. Due to the chaos that ensued, members of Congress had to either escape through secret passageways or hide from the rioters. Police officers were attacked while trying to maintain peace, one of whom ultimately died of injuries sustained during these events. [2]

The nation is still reeling from the events that unfolded on Wednesday afternoon. Many are unsure what to make of the events. Was this merely a protest gone wrong or an attempted coup d'état? Here is what remains certain: regardless of the intent or severity of the protest, many criminal statutes were violated. Lawmakers, such as Mike Pence, vow that “those involved will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” [3]

To begin, it is worth discussing one’s right to protest along with what actions deems a protest to be unlawful. After all, the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution grants us the “...the right of the people peaceably to assemble.”[4] The key word to look at here is peaceably. As soon as a protest becomes a disturbance to the peace, it is unlawful assembly [5]. When an act of violence is threatened or occurs in the name of furthering one’s cause, the protest becomes a riot [6].

When a protest becomes violent, law enforcement has the right to act accordingly in order to maintain the peace [7], as per Cantwell v. Connecticut (1940). If there is “clear and present danger of riot, disorder, interference with traffic upon the public streets…” or any other immediate threat [8], law enforcement has the right to disperse protestors and take any reasonable measure to do so. An important distinction to make is that there must be an actual threat of violence for law enforcement to step in, as per Cox v. Louisiana (1965) [9]. The mere presence of protestors is not enough to warrant a dispersal or arrest.

It can be fairly concluded that the protestors at the Capitol engaged in violent conduct to where it was justified for law enforcement to intervene. It would also be justified for prosecutors to bring out several charges against the protestors. This would not be an exhaustive list of the charges that could be levied against them but is an estimate at how much is covered under the law.

To begin, the protestors could be charged with unlawfully coming onto government property without permission. To paraphrase 18 U.S.C § 1752 [10], it is unlawful for one to knowingly enter a restricted building without the lawful authority to do so, knowingly disrupt or impede government business while trespassing, and to knowingly engage in any act of physical violence against the people or property of the restricted building. Doing so would incur a fine and imprisonment of up to 10 years, especially if the person were to carry a deadly weapon and if their actions resulted in significant bodily injury. They could also be charged for interrupting Congress that day. In accordance with 18 U.S.C § 1505, whoever obstructs the proper administration of the law "under which any pending proceeding is being had before any department or agency of the United States" or any inquiry being held by Congress, would be fined or imprisoned for up to 5 years (8 if domestic terrorism is involved in the act) [11].

The way the protestors broke into the Capitol and its offices (ie. breaking the glass) could also carry federal charges. 18 U.S.C § 1361 protects government property from “actual or attempted depredation,” which is defined as “the act of plundering, robbing, pillaging or laying waste [12]. We saw many counts of this, such as when protestors were found breaking glass windows, tearing down American flags, putting Trump 2020 flags on presidential statues, and in one case, carrying House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s podium through the Capitol. These people could also be in violation of 18 U.S.C § 2101, which punishes those who travel over state lines in order to incite, organize, promote, or to take part in a riot [13].

Those who were carrying firearms could be in violation of 18 U.S.C § 930, which states that those knowingly carrying firearms or dangerous weapons in a federal facility will be punished under the law [14]. They could also be charged in accordance with 18 U.S.C § 231, which prohibits people from transporting or manufacturing any firearm or explosive device to be used for furthering a civil disorder [15]. This is especially true of the man who was found putting two pipe bombs onto the Capitol grounds, for whom the Federal Bureau of Investigation currently has a $50,000 reward [16]. He could also be found in violation of 41 CFR § 102-74.435, which explicitly forbids people from entering federal property with explosive devices [17].

The protestors that attacked police officers at the scene could also be charged with assaulting and impeding law enforcement. According to 18 U.S.C § 111, those who assault or impede a police officer that is doing his/her official duty is subject to a maximum of 8 years [18]. These acts would also be in violation against 18 U.S.C § 231 section A, as they impeded on law enforcement during a civil disorder [19]. In this case, many officers sustained injuries and one died of the injuries sustained during the protests. Under 18 U.S.C § 111, those responsible could be imprisoned for up to 20 years [20].

Finally, the protestors could be charged with insurrection and sedition according to the definition laid out by 18 U.S.C Chapter 115. 18 U.S.C § 2383 prohibits the act of “...incit[ing],...assist[ing], or engag[ing] in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof [21]”. One could argue that storming the Capitol building and driving Congress out falls within this charge. If someone were to take it a notch further by attempting to overthrow, oppose the authority of, or hinder the duties of the U.S government, they would fall within the realm of seditious conspiracy, as defined by 18 U.S.C § 2384 [22]. While this is a serious accusation to make, the attempt to prevent Congress from affirming President-Elect Joe Biden could fall within this definition of sedition.

Regardless of where one stands on the political spectrum, the events that took place on Wednesday should not be taken lightly. Many agree that they were inappropriate at the very least, while some say that it was one of the United States’ ugliest days. As more of the protestors are identified and arrested, it is only a matter of time before they are brought to justice.

______________________________________________________________

Lima Shekib is a recent graduate from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. She majored in Criminology, minored in both Psychology and Forensic Psychology, and pursued a concentration in Homeland Security. While pursuing intelligence analysis as a career path, she holds a passion for writing and learning more about law.

______________________________________________________________

[1] Fisher, M., Flynn, M., Contrera, J., & Leonnig, C. D. (2021, January 07). The four-hour insurrection. Retrieved January 09, 2021, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2021/politics/trump-insurrection-capitol/

[2] LeBlanc, P., & Perez, E. (2021, January 08). US Capitol Police confirm death of officer after pro-Trump riot. Retrieved January 09, 2021, from https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/08/politics/capitol-police-officer-killed/index.html

[3] Fisher, M., Flynn, M., Contrera, J., & Leonnig, C. D. (2021, January 07). The four-hour insurrection. Retrieved January 09, 2021, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2021/politics/trump-insurrection-capitol/

[4] U.S. Const. amend. I.

[5] Unlawful assembly. (n.d.). Retrieved January 09, 2021, from https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/unlawful_assembly

[6] Riot. (n.d.). Retrieved January 09, 2021, from https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/riot

[7] E.A. Gjelten, A. (2020, June 23). What Can the Police Arrest You for at a Protest? Retrieved January 09, 2021, from https://www.criminaldefenselawyer.com/resources/what-can-the-police-arrest-you-for-at-a-protest.html

[8] 310 U.S. 296

[9] 379 U.S. 536

[10] Restricted Buildings or Grounds, 18 U.S.C § 1752

[11] Obstruction of Proceedings before Departments, Agencies, and Committees, 18 U.S.C § 1505

[12] Destruction of Government Property, 18 U.S.C § 1361

[13] Riots, 18 U.S.C § 2101

[14] Possession of firearms and dangerous weapons in Federal facilities, 18 U.S.C § 930

[15] Civil Disorders, 18 U.S.C § 231

[16] Szymanowski, G., & Gordine, E. (2021, January 08). US Capitol siege: Will rioters face legal action? Retrieved January 09, 2021, from https://www.dw.com/en/us-capitol-siege-will-rioters-face-legal-action/a-56168507

[17] What is the policy concerning explosives on Federal property? 41 CFR § 102-74.435

[18] Assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees, 18 U.S.C § 111

[19] Civil Disorders, 18 U.S.C § 231

[20] Assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees, 18 U.S.C § 111

[21] Rebellion or insurrection, 18 U.S.C § 2383

[22] Seditious conspiracy, 18 U.S.C § 2384

Photo Credit: Tyler Merbler

[michaelajoann]

It’s Time for a Reckoning: an Open Letter to my Pastors and Church Family

Wednesday’s insurrection was years in the making. We saw the fruit of people being discipled by cable news instead of the Bible. While there are many great people who profess to be Christians, the displays at the Capitol are our spiritual rot visible for everyone in this world to see. This piece is aimed at Christians because this has long-term implications for the Church.

The display of signs saying ‘Jesus Saves’ in the midst of nooses and bloodshed is blasphemous. To those who proclaim the name of Jesus and say that this was a good thing: A rebellious (or seditious) spirit is that of Satan, not of Jesus Christ. I am telling you now because you need to repent to make Christ a priority again. See how encouraging these things on social media and elsewhere does not reflect the character of Jesus. See how you’re giving someone one more reason not to listen to you when you talk about Christ.

We also need to talk about the fact that so many Christians are deflecting from the issue. “What about the BLM protests?” “What about Antifa?” “What about…” Do you want to know what you’re doing? You are absolving yourself of being complicit in this. If you make any excuses for Trump, you are no different than making excuses for a domestic abuser even though you know he’s been beating his wife. 

Pastors, I am disappointed and angry. I acknowledge that addressing terrorism done in Jesus’ name is hard, but it’s time to step up and stop tickling ears. It is not hard to say what happened Wednesday was evil on display and does not represent who we ought to be with Christ within us. A love of anything above God is idolatry, and Christian Nationalism does not reflect Christ. Few brave pastors came out to condemn these acts of violence as an attempt to undermine democracy, but to also undermine the witness of the Church. I don’t care what side of the aisle you’re on, you needed to speak the Gospel into this. Ignorance is not the Gospel.

Also, please stop talking about just getting along with another in hopes that it will create unity. It won’t. If people want a cheap country-club Christianity, they can go elsewhere. If you are committed to the Gospel like I hope you are, you will talk about the hard stuff. You can’t have unity without confession, lament, and repentance. 

Lament is an act of worship just as singing praises is an example of worship. It took me being abused by a pastor to begin to understand lament. He didn’t just sin against me, he sinned against the Body. I had to deal with the grief of his sin on our church alone. There are others who were hurt by him and because we didn’t deal with this corporately, there’s a good chance that the people he abused will end up abusing themselves due to unresolved trauma. We chose to move on instead of grieve and we are missing out on the chance for God to do His redemptive work on this body.

We have to fight against cheap grace. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote in The Cost of Discipleship, we have to fight against:

Preaching forgiveness without repentance,

Baptism without church discipline,

Communion without confession,

And absolution without personal confession.

If we don’t preach about a costly grace, we are feeding the flock a “grace without discipleship, grace without the Cross, and grace about Jesus Christ.” Right now, I am seeing the harvest of cheap grace in America- people having the benefits of “being a Christian” no contrition required. 

Maybe if people were taught to rightly divide the Word of God, there wouldn’t be so many Christians falling for conspiracy theories and joining QAnon. This is an issue that definitely needs to be addressed, but is beyond the scope of this piece.

Where do I stand in all of this? I’m struggling. I’m at a point where I never want to step foot in a church again. I get up on Sunday morning and walk through those sanctuary doors to use my gifts to edify the body. I am struggling to find sanctuary because I can’t wrestle with issues without empty platitudes. Just when I start to feel safe, I’m reminded that it’s not.

I was cyberbullied by a church member and he blocked me on social media after he called me a liar. How do I deal with that? His need to be right is more important than trying to make amends. He made that choice and I just have to learn to take communion without guilt I guess. He is not the only person who feels his need to be right is more important than listening to other point of view. This is being passed on to the next generation.

There are studies saying going to church can be good for your mental health, but it’s destroying mine. I’ve endured Trumpism Christian Nationalism for years. I tried to believe that those I’ve seen at church are people who actually love Christ. There are a few people I can say for certain, the rest I don’t know. It’s hard to say when they believe their side is the right side, when they truly don’t understand racism or just use simplistic platitudes to avoid the issue, when they minimize instances of sexual assault and abuse, when they don’t even show compassion to the families of the hundreds of thousands who died from COVID. I feel like I’m the only one who believes that the integrity of the Gospel is more important than politics. If your theology doesn’t inform your politics, it won’t align with the Gospel.

I’ve read hundreds of stories of people leaving their church and Christianity for good. The sad thing is I understand why. It’s not just not being able to reconcile the teachings of Christ with a specific political party. It’s the disconnect of who we are and who we ought to be. There’s a reason why we ought to be slow to speak, quick to listen, and slow to become angry. We are missing the chance to hear how people view us as Christians and there could be some truth to it. We ought to examine ourselves to see if the way we interact with others in real life and on social media is congruent to the spirit within us.

I believe in revival and resurrection, but it also means I have to believe in death. We wouldn’t have the resurrection of Jesus Christ unless he was crucified, dead, and buried. Resurrection is the only reason I stuck around this mess I call the Church. I’m hopeful because of a community of believers on Twitter, I see the freedom from the idolatry of Christian Nationalism. I want to see every single member of my church experience the true freedom that is from Jesus Christ. In 2020, there was a lot of talk about God doing a new thing. Maybe that new thing is rebuilding His Church, but we needed to experience a reckoning to tear the veil from our eyes. 

These past few years, I had to learn to die to my false self to understand my value as a child of God. That meant confronting the person I was. The person I was before the election was evil. I was willing to sacrifice my relationship with my sister to gain a few followers on Conservative Twitter. I believed that I was the arbiter of truth since I was a conservative. I didn’t care about berating people on Facebook and Twitter. I actually made ageist and ableist remarks just so I could belong. If it wasn’t for the resurrection power of Jesus Christ, I would have been on those Capitol steps charging at those police officers. Even though I changed, there are times when I experience sorrow knowing that I might have led people away from Christ. For that, I am sorry.

[definitearticle]

The Constitution has a very narrow definition of treason which doesn’t include domestic insurrection or seditious conspiracy. You have to levy war against the United States, which the January 6 insurrection doesn’t quite reach. So the worst Trump is facing (for this heinous act) is 20 years in prison if and when Attorney General Garland decides to prosecute.

To your larger point, everyone is entitled to legal representation in criminal court, and in an ideal country everyone would get competent legal representation. But Trump in an impeachment trial is not the hill to die on for this particular cause; he’s a nominal billionaire who’s only lost his counsel due to malfeasance and a refusal to heed their advice. He will have someone representing him when the Senate convenes the trial; if nothing else, Minority Leader and confirmed waterbearer Kevin McCarthy will walk over from the House chamber to make the case against conviction.