The Travesty of Witness 40 in the Ferguson Case

One witness allowed to testify to the Ferguson Grand Jury on the death of Mike Brown was a self-avowed racist who had raised money to help shooter Darren Wilson. She also seems to have fabricated a "journal" in which she describes Mike Brown as "running at the cop like a football player, head down." But there's a problem - she can't prove she was even there that day, and the FBI can't find video of her car anywhere near Florissant Avenue that day.

Also, she testified that she was there after waking up that morning and deciding to "cure" her habit of saying the "N-Word" by driving through the black part of town.

Is that believable? I don't think so. No one thinks so.

Yet Bob McCulloch, the Ferguson Prosecutor, allowed her crazy-ass, obviously false testimony into the record, and even showed the Grand Jury a nutty interview she did with FBI agents in which she can't remember much and admits to being racist anyway. Then McCulloch didn't bother to question the reality of her statements, or give the jurors any sense of direction. It was admitted as if it was all factual.

This witness should be investigated and charged with perjury, or at the least needs some type of psychological intervention.

McCulloch should be disbarred and a Federal Prosecutor should cut through this crap immediately - not next week, not next month. This is a travesty of justice.

Of course, the Fox Racist News is running with Witness 40 as "proof" that Darren Wilson was in fear of his life from "linebacker" Mike Brown. Sean Hannity is using that line as often as possible - he loved George Zimmerman who killed unarmed Trayvon Martin, and now he loves Darren Wilson who shot down unarmed Mike Brown in the street. See a pattern there? Oh, but not racist, right?


Witness 40 Journal Entry Here


The FBI warned this person not to lie, but she then told them a completely garbled story, and she's probably lying about not having cable TV too. And probably everything else!
FBI Interview Transcript Here

We have to let you know that, we tell this
to everybody, if you lie to a federal agent, and
you, (inaudible) it is a crime. You are better off
not saying a word and just not talking to us if you
plan on lying and sitting in here and telling us
lies.

. . .

Transcript Via CascadianX1 on Gawker

August 9th - Saturday

8AM

Well Im gonna take my random drive to Alousant (sp. Florissant). Need to understand the Black was better so I stop calling Blacks N*****s and start calling them People. Like dad always said you cant fear an hate an entire race cause of what one man did 40 yrs ago.

4PM

OMFG it was crazy I dont even know where I was I ask Q.T. guy for directions but went wrong way. I just wanted to take drive. I ended up in Some Apartment Complex & asked directions again. Real nice kid in wife beater he had no idea he asked guy in green Shirt & Jeans that guy was realy sweet. Then I heard a weird noise caught my attention this cop was backing up saying [?]

I couldnt hear but they was some kids I almost hit with car. A big one & a skinny one. The Cop tried getting out & the big one hit the door the cop looked pissed & tryed opening door again. The big kid hit the door with his gut & the little one punched the mirror someth gold fell on the ground. The big one is half in the window/door cant Remember. I swear the little one had the cops leg. I heard a noise not sure what the guy in the green shirt was yelling stop the big kid pulled his pants up they was tan shorts & he started running the skinny one took off on opp direct the cop got out left hand on face right hand on gun. The cop scream but I could not understand . Every one was screaming. I heard 'lay yo stupid ass down' I think it was a lady next to me. The cop was wobbling the big kid turned around had his arms out with attitude. The cop just stood there dang if that kid didnt start running right at the cop like a football player head down. I heard 3 bangs but the big kid wouldn't stop. I heard cop say something but not sure what or if he was just making noise. Cop took a couple steps forward then backwards and the gun went off 2 more times. The last one the top of the kids head. OMG the blood. The green shirt man grabbed my arm and said get your ass out of here. I got in car & drove into into neighborhood some how[?] I went through parking lot across the street & back to Main Rd. Not sure how long but police were every place with Police tape. There was other cops there I seen one pull his gun but he didnt fire. Dont even remember when he got there. There was lady in parking lot of QT I just pulled up and asked for the close highway. She points & I left. Then to top shit off I got on highway going the wrong way. Had to ask for direct again. Real nice old man helped me out. Home has no cable so not sure whats on news.

9PM

Talked to [REDACTED] without telling him everything. He told me 1st I was nuts to taking drive up there and 2nd keep my mouth shut. He's prols right noone will believe me anyway.

The witness said "They need to kill the F'n Ni**ers ... It's like an Ape fest" http://t.co/1p5obF3F8O #witness40 #inners
— Funkasaurus (@Pretefunkera) December 10, 2014

Wow. I want to say unbelievable but can't. #witness40 #chargeMcCulloch
— Phillip Winston (@PhillipWinston) December 10, 2014

“@kcz_ws_mike: @seanhannity here is your favorite witness..pic.twitter.com/wuszodmTGA” ask Grand Jury 1 of many witnesses. I was not on G jury
— Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) December 10, 2014

McCulloch didn't release #Witness40's FBI transcript with the others because he knew it was damning when coupled with her journal. #Ferguson
— Robert Mitchell (@RLM_3) December 10, 2014

#inners Witness #40 may not have been at murder site but her other personalities were and they'll swear to it. <Looking for tinfoil hat>
— Bill Wong (@ten24get) December 10, 2014

Rudy Guiliani Blames Black People for #Ferguson

In a game of "change the subject," Ex-New York Mayor Rudy Giuiliani appeared on NBC's Meet the Press and stated vehemently that the REAL problem these days is "black on black violence," which has nothing to do with the topic he was discussion, which was Ferguson, Missouri, in which a WHITE cop shot down a black unarmed kid, which has led to white police harrassing black protestors.

From MSNBC

The conversation erupted when “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd began discussing the disproportion of white police forces to the communities they serve in areas across the U.S. aside from Ferguson, including Newark, New Jersey and El Paso, Texas. ”All of those places could become future Fergusons,” Todd said.

Giuliani quickly pivoted the conversation, arguing “the fact is, I find it very disappointing that you’re not discussing the fact that 93% of blacks in America are killed by other blacks. We’re talking about the exception here.”

Georgetown Professor Michael Eric Dyson chimed in, saying “First of all, most black people who commit crimes against other black people go to jail. Number two, they are not sworn by the police department as an agent of the state to uphold the law. So in both cases, that’s a false equivalency that the mayor has drawn, which has exacerbated tensions deeply embedded in American culture.”

...“What about the poor black child that is killed by another black child? Why aren’t you protesting that?” Giuliani asked.

“Those people go to jail!” Dyson fired back.

“White police officers won’t be there if you weren’t killing each other 70% of the time,” Giuliani added, as Todd attempted to ease the heated volley.

“This is a defense mechanism of white supremacy at work in your mind, sir,” Dyson replied.

Everything. | What Rudy Giuliani gets wrong about the deaths of young black men - The Washington Post http://t.co/7NphWq7CZI #twibdocket
— Imani ABL (@AngryBlackLady) November 24, 2014

This is great from @tanehisicoates on Giuliani: "Why is no one talking about American-on-American crime?" http://t.co/1mbkLp7Kxd
— BWD (@theonlyadult) November 24, 2014

Hey Rudy Giuliani, most white murder victims are killed by whites. Cops don't swarm white neighborhoods looking for white-on-white killers.
— Lisa Bloom (@LisaBloom) November 23, 2014

Rudy Giuliani doubles down on Fox: ‘The danger to a black child… is another black’ http://t.co/bE4IqG0ey5
— Raw Story (@RawStory) November 24, 2014

Every time a white cop/vigilante kills a black kid, racist asshats like Giuliani trot out "what about black on black crime." Every. Time.
— Imani ABL (@AngryBlackLady) November 24, 2014

Tea Party claims #Bundy protesters superior to #Ferguson protesters because no one looted in Nevada. Loot what??? pic.twitter.com/81NslSmk2t
— Tea Pain (@TeaPainUSA) November 24, 2014

Seriously, how much of a White supremacist do you have to be to actually believe that murder is something only Black people commit? WTF?!
— Propane Jane (@docrocktex26) November 24, 2014

Add White on White crime to your lexicon, because it's a thing too. Just FYI.
— Propane Jane (@docrocktex26) November 24, 2014

Racists are quick to scream Black on Black crime, but when you mention mass shooters' White on White crime they go dead silent. Telling.
— Propane Jane (@docrocktex26) November 24, 2014

Lies of Darren Wilson ~ No Broken Eye Socket and No Police Report

Previous Related Posts:
Racist Rescue for Darren Wilson with @GoFundMe
Monday Night Mayhem in Ferguson
Heading to #Fergustan ~ Gov. Calls Out National Guard
Ferguson Update: Shooter Identified, Tanks Return
Journalists Attacked and Arrested in Ferguson
Ferguson Missouri Uses Militarized Police on Protestors

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Twitter was abuzz last week after material was released saying that Michael Brown had given police officer Darren Wilson an eye-socket fracture during their tussle through the window of a police car. Somehow Darren Wilson supporters thought that would mitigate or explain the way he shot the young man down in anger or pain or whatever.

The source was This post by Gateway Pundit

The Gateway Pundit can now confirm from two local St. Louis sources that police Officer Darren Wilson suffered facial fractures during his confrontation with deceased 18 year-old Michael Brown. Officer Wilson clearly feared for his life during the incident that led to the shooting death of Brown. This was after Michael Brown and his accomplice Dorian Johnson robbed a local Ferguson convenience store.
. . . Local St. Louis sources said Wilson suffered an “orbital blowout fracture to the eye socket.” This comes from a source within the Prosecuting Attorney’s office and confirmed by the St. Louis County Police.

Huh? RT @rustymk2: Hannity starting his show w/ "report” that #DarrenWilson has a fractured eye socket + was “beaten nearly unconscious”.

— Goldie Taylor (@goldietaylor) August 21, 2014

The bogus eye report was accompanied by what appeared to be some type of diagram or X-ray of Wilson's head injury.



Charles Johnson of Little Green Footballs exposed that the picture wasn't connected to Wilson at all, but was lifted from a website and edited:

And there’s more evidence that Hoft is trying to pull a fast one again; here is the original image posted at the AAPOS site, showing a CT scan of a blowout fracture (on the left), compared to the image posted at Gateway Pundit by Hoft (on the right):



Notice the difference? In the version posted by Jim Hoft, the text at bottom right that says “UNIV OF IOWA” has been crudely erased. Caught you, Jim.
Was Hoft trying to mislead his readers into thinking this was the actual X-ray (or CT scan) of Darren Wilson? His text does not make it clear it wasn’t Wilson’s CT scan — and the words “UNIV OF IOWA” have been blacked out, quite deliberately.
If Hoft’s intent was to mislead, it worked. All over Twitter and right wing blogs, the wingnuts are raving about “Darren Wilson’s X-ray” that shows a fractured eye socket — but this is just a generic example image of an unknown person’s CT scan.

CNN also reported that the whole story about the "Orbital Socket" injury wasn't true.

From CNN Transcript August 21, 2014

LEMON: OK. We're learning some information regarding officer Darren Wilson's supposed injuries that we have been discussing and talking about here.

One of those injuries that has not been reported by CNN, but it's making its way around other media organizations and also on the Internet -- here's the thing. So according to a source close to the investigation, the officer, Darren Wilson, did go to the hospital after the altercation and the shooting death of Michael Brown.

He did have X-rays done. He had a swollen face. But the X-rays for a broken or a torn eye socket came back negative. That source says it is not true at all. He did not have a torn eye socket. And so he is saying that unequivocally -- he unequivocally denies that, saying it did not happen. But he did have a swollen face. He did go for X-rays. And that is the very latest on that. But he said obviously there was some sort of scuffle, Brooke, because, you know, it was swollen. But that eye socket tear, whatever, it's called a tear or rupture or fracture to the orbital lobe -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: OK. OK, so a source saying he did not have this broken or fractured eye socket.

LEMON: Did not. Did not.

That won't come as a surprise to anyone who has followed this case, since Wilson is seen casually walking around Mike Brown's dead body in the street instead of holding onto his own eye and screaming in pain. No paramedics are seen giving him assistance either.

If Wilson's eye socket is fractured it's from recoil or getting one of his buds to sock him! No injury as he stood over body! #Ferguson
— Everywoman (@thinker128) August 20, 2014

ABC too MT @occbaystreet Fox says man in pic is beaten nearly unconscious w/broken eye socket. White dude #Ferguson pic.twitter.com/xVsIS7nstQ
— TheObamaDiary.com (@TheObamaDiary) August 20, 2014

So you right-wing guys who believed that shattered eye socket #ferguson story must be real mad at RW media for misleading you, right? Guys?
— John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) August 24, 2014

Let me get this straight. Wilson's eye socket gets broken on Saturday, and neighbors see him out mowing lawn on Tuesday? Nope. #Ferguson
— Devin (@devbost) August 21, 2014

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Non-Report

The Ferguson Police Department finally released a "report" on the death of Michael Brown, but there are some major problems. It is barely a report at all - just a one page of fill-in-the-blanks boilerplate with nothing attached to it.

As President Obama might say, quoting Gertrude Stein, "There's no there there." It's a non-report report.

View it here, via the ACLU

http://t.co/A9BYdJNnsF "The 'missing' #Ferguson PD Incident Report on the death of MichaelBrown? #omg" @Opferguson pic.twitter.com/e9Rj8OBVRH

— Trayvon Martin (@dierdrelewis) August 23, 2014

From The Wire

The incident report the Ferguson Police Department has on file has little more than the who, where and when of the shooting. It doesn't say what happened, it doesn't say how, and it wasn't even reviewed by a supervisor until 10 days after Michael Brown died. The report was given final approval on August 20.
. . . It's clear now that Ferguson police knew then that they didn't have the incident report they were asked to release. MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell argued that Jackson essentially admitted there was no incident report last week when he said "we've pretty much given you every bit of information that we have now — I don't think there's anything else that we have to give out."

Lawrence O'Donnell did indeed predict that there wouldn't be much of a report, and his reasoning was that Darren Wilson would be told by the Police Union attorney not to incriminate himself by putting the story of that day into writing, in effect, setting himself up to plead the fifth amendment. However, that is little consolation to the family of Michael Brown, or the citizens of Ferguson, or the country for that matter, that Darren Wilson is planning to avoid any responsibility for killing Michael Brown.

Ferguson PD: explain how you did an immediate detailed report on a kid taking $48 in cigarillos but no report on his death by FPD officer
— Lisa Bloom (@LisaBloom) August 22, 2014

Even if Darren Wilson immediately invoked his 5th Amend right to be silent, other #Ferguson PD who arrived on scene shd have done a report
— Lisa Bloom (@LisaBloom) August 22, 2014

@lisabloom: #DarrenWilson should be fired for not filing an incident report in the death of #MichaelBrown. #Lastword
— MKW (@rugcernie) August 22, 2014

From Yahoo News

The two-page document, which the Ferguson Police Department released only after pressure from journalists and civil liberties advocates, is largely redacted or left blank. The most egregious omissions are the victim’s name and a description of the offense – the fatal shooting of Brown.
“They are breaking the law,” said Tony Rothert, legal director of the ACLU of Missouri.
The report, obtained by Yahoo News through the Missouri Sunshine Law, lists only the date, time and location. Fields for the type of incident, name of the complainant, and a summary of the circumstances are redacted.
. . . Missouri’s Sunshine Law states law enforcement agencies must promptly provide incident reports that include among other things, “name of the victim and immediate facts and circumstances surrounding the initial report of a crime or incident.”

Please stop saying #MikeBrown didn't follow Wilson's orders. There's no incident report. We have no idea what, if any, orders were given.
— Nathania Johnson (@nlj) August 23, 2014

I've seen hotel stationery that was more informative than the #Ferguson PD police report on the #MikeBrown killing.
— John W. Ennis (@johnennis) August 23, 2014

No incident report; #Ferguson police are building their defense for #DarrenWilson. #MikeBrown
— Larry (@expedience2) August 22, 2014

Racist Rescue: @GoFundMe Allows Page for #Ferguson Killer #DarrenWilson

Previous Related Posts:
Heading to #Fergustan
Ferguson Update: Shooter Identified as Darren Wilson
Zimmerman Verdict: Not Guilty
Best Tweets From the Zimmerman Trial

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Fundraising Site GoFundMe.com is allowing people to raise money for the defense of Ferguson, Missouri, policman named Darren Wilson, who shot Michael Brown dead in broad daylight on a city street for no apparent reason. I guess they are doing it because they like cops who kill unarmed teenagers. This echoes the NRA and Fox News support for George Zimmerman, who killed Trayvon Martin in Florida. But of course they aren't racist just for supporting a white officer who gunned down a teen, didn't write a report, and has been in hiding ever since.

Wilson Supporters also had a Rally for him today to whitesplain the Rule of Law to those who think gunning down unarmed people isn't a good idea, especially for police. But we are obviously ignorant.



I agree with this comment about the video:

these people dont know darren wilson, darren wilson hasnt issued a statement, darren wilson has filed no report regarding the incident. as far as they know darren wilson told everyone he wanted to kill the kid for fun. they have nothing of substance they are backing a person who has made no statement one way or the other. that shows their ignorance
~ JustinHolt2000

And the real tragedy is that the Ferguson Police Department is enabling this fundraiser by connecting it to their own at "Shield of Hope." How tone deaf, dumb and blind are they? Helping a child killer right after the Attorney General of the United States was in their city investigating Civil Rights Abuses - by the POLICE?

Also it has been noted by many on Twitter that the GoFundMe organization skims off some of the donations to the tune of 8%. So in this case, they are profiteering from a death which is being investigated by both the Justice Department and a local Grand Jury.

Did I mention that many of the comments from those donating were so racist they were taken down by GoFundMe?
Mother Jones screencapped a bunch of the comments here

Here's another screencap in a tweet - click to enlarge:

The .@gofundme campaign for #DarrenWilson reminds us all that the #MichaelBrown killing isn't about race... Oh.. pic.twitter.com/oZ0451ebNF

— KHARY PENEBAKER (@kharyp) August 23, 2014

Officer Darren Wilson GoFundMe Page



Here is the message:

New GoFundMe site through Shield of Hope: https://www.gofundme.com/OfficerWilsonFundraiser

Good Afternoon,

We (being the admins of the page) began this GoFundMe site after our Facebook page “Support Darren Wilson” grew and we saw that there was a need for an online donation site for those who wanted to donate. We set up this GoFundMe page and it quickly gained enormous support for Officer Darren Wilson. Then, once we located the local charitable foundation, Shield of Hope (a non-profit organization), that has been designated as the authorized charity for donations on behalf of Darren Wilson, we began working together to have a GoFundMe page set up to collect and disburse donations for Officer Wilson through the Charitable Foundation. Unfortunately, to do so requires us to end collection on the current page that you are viewing now. GoFundMe does not allow transfer of existing campaigns, even to charities. Please know that all funds received from our events, this GoFundMe site and our TeeSpring campaign will be donated to Officer Darren Wilson, and in the future, donations will still be donated to Officer Wilson, but will be tax deductible for donors as well. Shield of Hope is a Certified Charity on GoFundMe, is available via public search with GoFundMe, and has been designated by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

. . . The Ferguson Police Department has requested that all donations that supporters may wish to mail be made payable to “Shield of Hope” and mailed to Shield of Hope, 9620 Lackland Rd., St. Louis MO 63114.

New GoFundMe site through Shield of Hope: https://www.gofundme.com/OfficerWilsonFundraiser

Mailing Address for All Mail in Donations:
Shield of Hope
9620 Lackland Road
St. Louis, MO 63114
Phone Number: 314-423-8003

Contact E-mail Regarding T-shirts and questions about the original GoFundMe page: istand4darren@gmail.com

As a group, "Support Darren Wilson" is comprised of many people who want to give others the opportunity to support Officer Darren Wilson during this time. 

We truly hope that everyone who has donated understands the transition. If not, please reach out to us. We do not want this to become a hindrance of the support Officer Darren Wilson is receiving.
Thank you for your understanding. We truly appreciate your time, efforts, prayers, kind words and donations. It means more than you could possibly know.
God Bless

No tweets from @gofundme for over 24 hours. Feeling guilty much? Stop racist fundraiser for #DarrenWilson! #Ferguson pic.twitter.com/jahc0Wqj4N
— Revolution❤️MacInnes (@InsurgentLove) August 24, 2014

At the very least, if they won't take the #DarrenWilson donation page down, @gofundme should give their fee ($18K!) to the #MikeBrown family

— April (@ReignOfApril) August 22, 2014

Is the #DarrenWilson @gofundme being run by the #furgeson PD?? http://t.co/EF3FI29qRT

— Simon @ Skeletonland (@skeletonland) August 23, 2014

#BundyRanch Militia Moves To Utah

Previous Related Posts:
Cliven Bundy Talks About "The Negro" as #GOP Stampedes Away From #BundyRanch
Bye-Bye Bundy
Wingnuts Declare Victory as Feds Leave Bundy Ranch
Bundy Ranch Stand-Off in Nevada Attracts Militia

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Militia members who flocked to Bundy Ranch a month ago made a spectacle of brandishing their firearms and pointing them at law enforcement. There are countless hours of video from Alec Jones's "Info Wars" on YouTube, as well as video from Fox News, CNN, NBC and local Nevada TV. The militia crowd cheered when the Bureau of Land Management pulled back and let some of Bundy's cattle go free, but maybe their celebration was premature. Justice is often delayed, but usually it comes back to bite people who threaten the government. Just because the Bureau of Land Management high-tailed it out of there that day doesn't mean this is over.

And some of these guys went so far as to threaten Senator Harry Reid with extreme bodily harm, which is also a no-no.

Don't poke the wolverine with a sharp stick, Harry,
unless you want your b*lls ripped off.
~ Mike Vanderboegh


Sorry, Posse Comitatus ~ you may have just shot yourself in the proverbial ass, or the b*lls or whatever body-part you are obsessing over today.

There was also the story that the Bundy Militia were stopping motorists near Bunkerville, Nevada, and asking people to see their official citizenship papers. Yeah, nothing wrong with that except ILLEGAL.

From Talking Points Memo

Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV), who represents the area, sent the letter Sunday to Clark County Sheriff Doug Gillespie, asking him to investigate.

"I am writing to bring your attention to the ongoing situation in northeastern Clark County which has caused many of my constituents to fear for their safety," Horsford wrote. Residents in the area "have expressed concern over the continual presence of multiple out-of-state, armed militia groups that have remained in the community" since Bundy's dispute with the Bureau of Land Management came to a boil.

The militia, as reported by Horsford's constituents, "have set up checkpoints where residents are required to prove they live in the area before being allowed to pass," the letter said.

Here is one of the snipers interviewed at Bundy Ranch:



Yeah, he's a brave foot-soldier in the fight against the government, and he has no problem using children as human shields. What a guy! But now the FBI is investigating, so good luck with that.

From the Las Vegas Sun

Clark County sheriff's officials say they've been interviewed by the FBI as part of an investigation into armed supporters of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy.
Assistant Sheriff Joe Lombardo tells KLAS-TV that federal agents are looking into the conduct of people who reportedly pointed guns at officers during a standoff at Bundy's ranch April 12.

More From 8 News Now Las Vegas

Last week, the I-Team talked with Metro officers who intervened to protect the lives of federal employees from the 400 or so Bundy supporters and armed militia members. Officers told the I-Team they feared for their lives that day because of the assembled firepower, and because many in the crowd had pointed weapons at officers, taunted them, told them they should be ready to die.

. . . FBI agents also spoke to an entire squad of Metro officers, who were on the scene to act as a buffer between the crowd and the BLM. Bundy supporters have insisted in emails and calls to 8 News NOW that no one in the crowd pointed weapons at BLM or Metro, but officers told the I-Team that is exactly what they saw, that many with guns set up behind women and children.
"It is not a rumor. When we first got out there and made a left to divide I-15, that is all you saw. You saw kids and women and horses in the backdrop and then men with guns, laying on the ground, in the back of pickup trucks. We're going, 'wow, this would never happen in Las Vegas,' But it was there. That is not a rumor. It is reality and I saw it with my own eyes," Metro Police Sgt. Tom Jenkins said.

Sgt. Jenkins has been interviewed by the FBI. A second squad is expected to be interviewed by week's end. The bureau does not confirm or deny the existence of any investigation but the I-Team have confirmed from multiple sources that a criminal investigation is underway.

It is illegal to point loaded weapons at federal agents, and most people know what would happen, if a suspect pointed a gun at a Metro officer in the Las Vegas valley.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Funny thing - as soon as it was announced the other day that the FBI was investigating these guys, the gun nuts on Twitter started chirping that THEY were the victims, that the BLM was scary and had pulled guns on THEM - "So shut up you Libtards, don't you know the Militia is in our desert saving our Liberty?" Also, they ain't skeered of no FBI!!! It was all someone else's fault - the BLM, Harry Reid, Barry Obummer, and Benghazi - don't ever forget Benghazi!!!!!

@M24Miles Time for the FBI to investigate Sen. Harry Reid and all of his corrupt associates for trying to steal the #BundyRanch .
— Montana Miles (@M24Miles) May 10, 2014

Note to FBI, BLM, Barack Obama, Harry Reid, et al. You are our employees, not our masters. Don't forget. It'll be on the test. #bundyranch
— Rob Jones (@robjones3030) May 10, 2014

"@Cap_Institute: BREAKING: FBI “Investigating” Bundy Ranch Supporters. Wouldn't it be great if they put as much energy into Benghazi
— Donald Cole (@ColeTous3495) May 10, 2014

The FBI Doesn't Intimidate #BundyRanch Protesters Take BLM Opposition On The Road http://t.co/fTGv4FxxId #StandWithBundy #RedNationRising
— RedNationRising (@RedNationRising) May 10, 2014

Meanwhile, the Locals are ready

for the Militia to Leave

And the Militia is obliging for now, taking their act of defiance on the road - to Utah.

From Las Vegas Sun

Ryan Payne, a Montana resident who had been staying at the ranch for a month, said he drove eight hours to arrive in the eastern Utah town this morning. Three militia members from the ranch and a handful of people from a group called Citizens Action Network came to Utah, too, he said.
"This is where it’s happening Saturday,” he said.
They and others Saturday will be armed, he said, and ride ATVs into Recapture Canyon, an area the BLM declared off-limits to motorized vehicles in 2007. The ride is organized by San Juan County, Utah, Commissioner Phil Lyman.
Payne met Friday morning with the San Juan County, Utah, Sheriff Rick Eldridge. Afterward, he said he expects Saturday’s protest to be peaceful because Eldridge pledged to “protect us from the BLM.”

More from Mother Jones

This Saturday, angry residents of San Juan County, Utah, plan to illegally ride their ATVs through Utah's Recapture Canyon—an 11 mile-long stretch of federal land that is home to Native American archeological sites—because they don't think that the federal Bureau of Land Management should have designated that land off-limits to motor vehicles. The protest was meant to be a local affair. But on Thursday, Bundy, the rancher who wouldn't pay the feds grazing fees and sparked a gun-drenched showdown in Nevada, called on his supporters to join the anti-government off-roading event, Phil Taylor reported. Bundy, whose crusade against the federal government became tainted by his racist comments, is looking to spread the cause from cattle to cross-country cruising.

"We don't expect any violence," San Juan County Sheriff Rick Eldredge told the Denver Post last week. Others aren't so sure, especially since the out-of-staters in attendance could help rile things up—which is what happened during the Bundy stand-off. "This may blow up to be significantly more than they thought," Bill Boyle, a resident of San Juan and publisher of the San Juan Record newspaper told the Post. "I think there are those who would like everyone with an AK-47 to be here."

From the Houston Chronicle

"This is where it's happening Saturday," Bundy backer Ryan Payne of Montana told the Las Vegas Sun. "This is a continuation of the Bundy affair."
. . . A 14-mile section of trail in the canyon is closed to motorized vehicles, BLM officials said, but there are more than 2,800 miles of trails open to them on public lands around Blanding.
Environmentalists and Native Americans criticized the protest ride, saying the ban is needed to preserve fragile artifacts. Mark Maryboy, a former Navajo Nation Council delegate, called it disappointing that the group had no respect for Native American culture.
"The American tradition of civil disobedience doesn't change the fact that the rule of law needs to mean something," Josh Ewing of the conservation group Friends of Cedar Mesa told The Tribune. "I'll be very disappointed in my government if it doesn't follow through on upholding the law."

Denver Post

. . . Juan Palma, Utah's director of the BLM, issued a less conciliatory statement.
"The BLM-Utah has not and will not authorize the proposed ride and will seek all appropriate civil and criminal penalties against anyone who uses a motorized vehicle within the closed area," Palma's statement read in part.

San Juan County, with more than 90 percent of its land public or belonging to the Navajo Nation, is a likely setting for another set-to.
It has long been a hotbed of far-right anger over federal intrusion into local affairs, especially after what were viewed locally as heavy-handed federal raids that rounded up dozens of longtime residents for artifact looting in the 1980s and in 2011.

San Juan County residents who support Saturday's protest ride identify themselves on their Facebook pages as fans of Bundy and guns-rights rocker Ted Nugent. They express hatred for President Barack Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat.
BLM employees in San Juan County have had windows shot out of their homes and their yards torn up by ATVs in the middle of the night.

Utah ATV Riders in Showdown with #BLM - http://t.co/jKMrWX7yQZ #tcot #tlot #OathKeepers pic.twitter.com/j4JcXrjIU8
— Infowars News (@InfowarsUpdates) May 10, 2014

The "next BLM showdown" is currently brewing in Recapture Canyon, Utah: http://t.co/7HMhbzvRhm pic.twitter.com/sVB5cUYRMj
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) May 9, 2014

#recapturecanyon rally continues… #Recapture pic.twitter.com/FPB2KRN5G2
— BenGhazi Runkle (@Ben_Runkle) May 10, 2014

@PlaysWithAshes — "Uberfragile"? I don't think so, Tim. Great ride and we didn't disturb anything. #recapture pic.twitter.com/TDWtZ8xUv1
— BenGhazi Runkle (@Ben_Runkle) May 10, 2014

From Salt Lake Tribune

Under the watch of several horse-mounted sheriff’s deputies, some 50 ATVs carrying multiple riders, including children without helmets and militia members with weapons at the ready, motored across an invisible line in the dust where the canyon was off limits.
"We are here to keep the peace and safeguard the constitutional rights of everybody," said San Juan County Sheriff Rick Eldredge. "We don’t want to see clashes between citizens and clashes between BLM and militia. This is not going to be Bunkerville."
The sheriff was referring to BLM’s recent stand-off with armed supporters of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who has long refused to pay grazing fees. Bundy’s son, Ryan, joined the protest ride into Recapture Canyon.

The Militia members want to make it sound as if everything is just a peaceful ride in the desert, but just the other day a Bureau of Land Management employee told police he was accosted by a group of "hooded" men on a lonely road in Utah. Is this group part of the Bundy Militia? Are they targeting BLM employees? If so, the FBI needs to make their own round-up of these thugs quickly.


From the Southern Poverty Law Center - HateWatch

At first, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) livestock wrangler driving on Tuesday along Interstate 15 in Utah, about 260 miles from the scene of the Bundy Ranch standoff in Nevada, thought he was experiencing fairly standard road rage. But then it quickly escalated into a freeway stalking with masks and guns, and ended with a law enforcement manhunt.

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, the wrangler was pulling a load of burros and horses northbound on the freeway when a dark blue extended-cab Dodge pickup pulled up alongside him and a man gestured at him with a one-fingered salute. The wrangler eased up and let the men drive past him, then he continued on. Just after passing the town of Nephi, the men caught up to him again.

This time, they were wearing hoods. And they showed him a sign that read: “You Need to Die.” Then one of them pointed what appeared to be a Glock handgun at the wrangler.

As the wrangler again dropped back, he tried to get a license plate number. But it had been covered with duct tape.

. . . In response, Utah BLM employees began removing the agency’s decals from their vehicles as a “precaution,” according to Eric Reid, the wrangler’s supervisor at the BLM field office in Fillmore. “We’re toning things down.”

Oklahoma and the Unusually Cruel Execution

Oklahoma gave an inmate an untried chemical cocktail in an attempt to perform an execution. The only problem was the prisoner didn't die right away, and instead suffered a horrible death that was witnessed by reporters. Thanks to the secrecy of the state of Oklahoma, we'll probably never know exactly what went wrong, but at least they stayed execution for the next prisoner in line. As if OK wasn't backward enough, now they have this new blot on their record. One more good reason to get rid of Governor Mary Fallin.

Live Tweets of horror by reporter Bailey McBride:

First execution botched, second execution stayed.
— Bailey Elise McBride (@baileyelise) April 30, 2014

6:23 p.m. execution started, stopped when blinds were lowered at 6:39 p.m.
— Bailey Elise McBride (@baileyelise) April 30, 2014

Prison officials said they will try to get Lockett to hospital to resuscitate him.
— Bailey Elise McBride (@baileyelise) April 30, 2014

He was conscious and blinking, licking his lips even after the process began. He then began to seize.
— Bailey Elise McBride (@baileyelise) April 30, 2014

At 6:33 the doctor said Lockett was unconscious and then at 6:34 Lockett began to nod, mumble move body.
— Bailey Elise McBride (@baileyelise) April 30, 2014

7:06 inmate Clayton Lockett suffered heart attack and died.
— Bailey Elise McBride (@baileyelise) April 30, 2014

Her feelings the next day, April 29, 2014:

Live tweeting an execution seems unnecessary and kind of sick to me. After what happened, I felt like it was important for people to know.
— Bailey Elise McBride (@baileyelise) April 30, 2014

From The New Yorker

Oklahoma’s secrecy laws make it impossible to know anything beyond the names of the ingredients injected into the condemned prisoner. The state has declined to provide the public with reasons for selecting a particular drug cocktail, or with any details about the drugs themselves, or about the supplier. The state reportedly buys the drugs with petty cash, to make the purchases more difficult to track and, therefore, harder to legally challenge.

What is known, though, is that, ten minutes into Lockett’s execution, a prison official told a doctor, “Go ahead and check to see if he’s unconscious.”
After checking, the doctor said, “Mr. Lockett is not unconscious.”
“I’m not,” Lockett said.

Courtney Francisco, a reporter for KFOR-TV, in Oklahoma City, was one of the witnesses at the execution. She told the BBC that Lockett, strapped to the gurney, was moving his arms and legs and mumbling, “as if he was trying to talk.”

We have a fundamental standard in this country that even when the death penalty is justified, it must be carried out humanely. I think everyone would recognize that this case fell short of that standard.
~ White House Spokesperson Jay Carney

You’d think that a modern society endlessly searching for a “humane” way to kill people, and finding that all of its methods turn out to be some form of torture, would do one of two things: realize there’s no humane way to kill people, and stop it, or accept that the point is cruelty, and just torture the hell out of them. Mary Fallin and her Oklahoma allies appear to have decided the latter. They should be honest about it.
~ Joan Walsh on Salon

The botched execution of Clayton Lockett in Oklahoma this week is yet more evidence that the death sentence is barbaric and has no place in a civilized society.
The fact that, as reported, Lockett was left "writhing in agony" on the gurney of the death chamber of Oklahoma state penitentiary after a cocktail of lethal drugs had been administered, and that it took 43 minutes for him to die of a heart attack, should be reason to call a moratorium on the death sentence in the US, else it can no longer claim to be that symbol of freedom and justice it claims.
~ John Wight, Huffington Post

The death penalty may be on its death bed.
The botched execution of an Oklahoma inmate Tuesday night has temporarily halted planned executions in that state, but the horrifying death of Clayton Locket is only the most recent in a series of executions to illustrate that lethal injection is not a humane alternative to options like the electric chair or firing squad. With crime rates dropping across the U.S., states abolishing capital punishment, and drug companies abandoning the execution market – forcing the creation of secret and unproven drug combinations – the fight to end the death penalty may have reached a tipping point.
~ Meredith Clark, MSNBC

From KFOR News in Oklahoma City

ACLU of Oklahoma Says Governor’s Proposed Investigation is Not Independent

UPDATE 7:38 p.m. - Shortly after the execution of Clay Lockett, the American Civil Union of Oklahoma called for a moratorium on all executions in Oklahoma pending a complete and independent investigation into the botched execution and the events leading up to the fundamental breakdown in the state’s execution process.

The ACLU of Oklahoma issued a statement in response to Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin call for an investigation to be conducted by a state agency under her control.

The Executive Director of the ACLU of Oklahoma Ryan Kiesel said, “It is impossible for the Department of Public Safety, the Attorney General’s office, or anyone who is under the control of any agency or politician who played a role in this matter to offer a truly independent assessment. It is absurd to think that the same group of people that unnecessarily rushed last night’s execution and fought openness at every turn, can now be expected to hold themselves accountable in an investigation. This began as a question of whether we trust the government to kill its citizens, even guilty ones, in a secret process. Now we add to that the question of whether we trust the government to investigate itself and hold itself accountable when something goes horribly wrong during its secret execution process.”

Excellent reporting by Rachel Maddow on this horrible topic:

CNN Has Loads of Sympathy for Poor Convicted Rapists in Steubenville Case

The way some media outlets covered the Rape conviction in Steubenville, Ohio on Sunday:

BBC News

Two high school football players in the US state of Ohio have been found guilty of raping a 16-year-old girl.
Trent Mays, 16, and Ma'lik Richmond, 17, attacked the girl after a drunken party in the town of Steubenville. Both wept as the verdict was read out.
The case came to light via text messages, online videos and social media posts made the morning after, attracting nationwide attention.
The two were sentenced to at least a year in juvenile detention.
Mays was sentenced to another year for taking pictures of the naked victim, and the judge said both might stay in detention until they reach 21

AtlanticWire

On the fifth and final day of a long and emotional rape trial recounting a drunken and violent evening, Judge Thomas Lipps delivered a guilty verdict on all charges Sunday morning in the Steubenville rape trial, calling the situation "profane" and "ugly" as the boys cried aloud and were handed the maximum sentencing. The Ohio attorney general said a grand jury would convene around April 15 to "bring finality" to a case that captured the attention of a nation — and that "additional charges could be filed" after 16 people, most of whom were students at the post-football game parties last August, had refused to talk to his investigators.

Trent Mays and Ma'lik Richmond — stars on the Steubenville High football team and 17 and 16 years old, respectively — were found "delinquent," which Lipps informed the boys in front of him was "similar to a finding of guilty in an adult court." Richmond was sentenced to a minimum of one year in a juvenile rehabilitation facility and a maximum of until he turns 21 on a juvenile charge of rape; Mays, who was also found delinquent on a charge of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material, was sentenced to a minimum of two years and a "consecutive" sentence that could last until he turns 24. As the lead prosecutor said there was "no remorse" for the victim from the convicted, Mays cried out in the Ohio courtroom and frequently returned to his handkerchief as his attorneys consoled him. Lipps said the boys "might be dealing with emotions" since the consequences "were now dawning on them."

Dan Wetzel on Yahoo Sports

Rape, experts say, is a crime of power and control more than sex. Underlying all of that is arrogance, and in Steubenville it was taken to the extreme.
Throughout this trial, the two defendants and a parade of friends who wound up mostly testifying against the defendants, expressed little understanding of rape – let alone common decency or respect for women. Despite the conviction, the defendants likely don't view themselves as rapists, at least not the classic sense of a man hiding in the shadows.

"It wasn't violent," explained teammate Evan Westlake when asked why he didn't stop the two defendants as they abused a non-moving girl that Westlake knew to be highly intoxicated. "I always pictured it as forcing yourself on someone."
That was part of the arrogance.
Arrogance from the defendants. Arrogance from the friends. Arrogance within the culture.

And the way CNN chose to cover the Rape Conviction in Steubenville, Ohio, on Sunday ~ by sympathizing with the perpetrators who assaulted a young girl:




From CNN Transcripts:

CROWLEY: Again, this case was played out in juvenile court, that is why there was a judge, no jury. He decided on the verdict, as well as, you heard there, talking about the sentence.

We want to go now to CNN's Poppy Harlow. She is in Steubenville, and has been covering this trial.

I cannot imagine having just watched this on the feed coming in. How emotional that must have been sitting in the courtroom.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I've never experienced anything like it, Candy. It was incredibly emotional -- incredibly difficult even for an outsider like me to watch what happened as these two young men that had such promising futures, star football players, very good students, literally watched as they believe their life fell apart.

One of -- one of the young men, Ma'lik Richmond, when that sentence came down, he collapsed. He collapsed in the arms of his attorney, Walter Madison. He said to me, "My life is over. No one is going to want me now."

Very serious crime here. Both found guilty of raping this 16- year-old girl at a series of parties back in August, alcohol-fueled parties. Alcohol is a huge part in this.

But Trent Mays was also found guilty on a second count and that is of felony illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material because he took a photograph of the victim laying naked on the floor that night. Trent Mays will serve two years in a juvenile detention facility. Ma'lik Richmond will serve one year on that one count that he was found guilty for.

I want to let our viewers listen because for the first time in this entire trial we have now heard from the two young men. Trent Mays stood up, apologizing to the victim's family in court. After him, Ma'lik Richmond.

Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRENT MAYS, FOUND GUILTY OF RAPINGIN JUVENILE COURT: I would really like to apologize to (INAUDIBLE), her family, my family and community. No pictures should have been sent out or should be taken. That's all. Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anything you'd like to say, Ma'lik?

MA'LIK RICHMOND, FOUND GUILTY OF RAPE IN JUVENILE COURT: I would like to apologize. I had no intention to do anything like that and I'm sorry to put you guys through this. (INAUDIBLE) I'm sorry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: I was sitting about three feet from Ma'lik when he gave that statement. It was very difficult to watch.

*snip*

CROWLEY: Poppy Harlow in Steubenville, Ohio, for us.

I want to bring in Paul Callan, our CNN legal contributor.

You know, Paul, a 16-year-old now just sobbing in court, regardless of what big football players they are, still sound like 16 year olds. The other one, 17. A 16-year-old victim.

The thing is, when you listen to it and you realize that they could stay until they're 21, they are going to get credit for time served. What's the lasting effect, though, on two young men being found guilty in juvenile court of rape, essentially?

PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR: Well, you know, Candy, we've seen here a courtroom drenched in tears and tragedy and, you know, Poppy's description, I think, you know, sums it all up. But across America scenes like this happen all the time.

I know as a prosecutor and defense attorney, when that verdict is handed down, usually it's just the family and families of the defendants and the victims, there's always that moment of just lives are destroyed. And lives have already been destroyed by the crime. And we got a chance to see that.

But in terms of what happens now, yes, the most severe thing with these young men is being labeled as registered sex offenders. That label is now placed on them by Ohio law and, by the way, the laws in most other states now require such a designation in the face of such a serious crime.

That will haunt them for the rest of their lives. Employers, when looking up their background, will see they're registered sex offender. When they move into a new neighborhood and somebody goes on the Internet where these things are posted. Neighbors will know they're a registered sex offender.

It's really something that will have a lasting impact. Much more of a lasting impact than going to a juvenile facility for one or two years.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear media, the #Steubenville *verdict* did not ruin the rapists' lives.The *rape* ruined the rapists' lives..
— FuzzyWuzzyHuzzah (@C_onfessor) March 17, 2013

CNN's attempt at eliciting sympathy for those punks in #Steubenville is journalism at its worst, and is morally reprehensible.
— Abraham Lincoln (@Mr_Lincoln) March 17, 2013

@georgiebc #CNN showing favoritism to alleged rapists simply because they're "very good students"? Disgusting
— K Kelly (@GrainOfSands) March 18, 2013

The slant of the day's coverage was revealing in two capacities. First, CNN appears to have bet on the emotions of those it could show on camera -- for obvious reasons, the victim's identity has been protected, and the victim's family was not shown weeping in court. Networks know that people crying make for great TV. Secondly, it's telling that this tone continued over multiple segments, despite a cadre of tweets and blog posts deriding the network's earlier coverage.
Later on Sunday, Whitfield wrapped the first segment of her coverage on the case by describing it as "a heart-breaking case to watch, no matter how you look at it." That CNN can find so many ways to look at a rape trial is perhaps to blame for their embarrassing and damaging coverage.
~ Huffington Post

Absolutely appalled that @cnn is giving any shred of compassion to the #Steubenville boys that were convicted. Actually sick to my stomach
— B (@shutupbea) March 18, 2013

CNN is wearing their sad face today over the Steubenville rapists' 'promising lives'. No, really.... fb.me/1zrpthhMQ
— FreakOutNation (@FreakOutNation) March 18, 2013

CNN has been moving further to the right and now they just fell off the Crazy Cliff. #Steubenville
— Anomaly One Hundred (@Anomaly100) March 17, 2013

Speechless: CNN grieves that guilty verdict ruined ‘promising’ lives of Steubenville rapistsrawstory.com/rs/2013/03/17/…#RapeIsRape
— Navy Mom (@USNavyMom08) March 17, 2013

Why isn't #CNN eulogizing the girl's ruined life? She faces a lifetime of shame, regret, PTSD, etc....Worse than the boys. #Steubenville
— Ani Sangye (@SangyeH) March 17, 2013

Dear @crowleycnn - Save False Equivalency for Politics. It won't work with Rapists and Victims. #CNN #Steubenville
— Jeanne Kimsey (@SnarkAmendment) March 17, 2013

wow, truly disgusting coverage of the #Steubenville guilty verdict, @crowleycnn #Despicable
— Haden (@nanakepichu) March 18, 2013

Sorry #CNN while I love @andersoncooper I can not watch any part of a company who engages in #slutshaming. You lost a viewer today :(
— MelB (@bejust4laughs) March 17, 2013

For readers interested in learning more about how not to be labeled as registered sex offenders, a good first step is not to rape unconscious women, no matter how good your grades are. Regardless of the strength of your GPA (weighted or unweighted), if you commit rape, there is a possibility you may someday be convicted of a sex crime. This is because of your decision to commit a sex crime instead of going for a walk, or reading a book by Cormac McCarthy. Your ability to perform calculus or play football is generally not taken into consideration in a court of law. Should you prefer to be known as "Good student and excellent football player Trent Mays" rather than "Convicted sex offender Trent Mays," try stressing the studying and tackling and giving the sex crimes a miss altogether.
It's perfectly understandable, when reporting on a rape trial, to discuss the length and severity of the sentence; it is less understandable to discuss the end of two convicted rapists' future athletic and academic careers as if it were somehow divorced from the laws of cause and effect. Their dreams and hopes were not crushed by an impersonal, inexorable legal system; Mays and Richardson raped a girl and have been sentenced accordingly. Had they not raped her, they would not be spending at least one year each in a juvenile detention facility.
~ From Gawker