BS: life imprisonment for protesting Trump

Subject: BS: life imprisonment for protesting Trump
From: Jack Campin
Date: 05 Jun 17 - 07:23 AM

Facebook deletes this as soon as I post it there. I assume they have some sort of filter blocking anything from Al-Jazeera.

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/05/anti-trump-protesters-facing-decades-bars-170522063956218.html

Subject: RE: BS: life imprisonment for protesting Trump
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 05 Jun 17 - 07:49 AM

You might try elsewhere Jack - the story is to be confirmed on other sites
Facebook seem to be making a point of censoring those they don't like BDS being one
As a long-time user of internet info, t's hard not to notice the amount that has disappeared from availability in our Brave New World
jim Carroll

Subject: RE: BS: life imprisonment for protesting Trump
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 05 Jun 17 - 08:07 AM

I managed to post it in facebook!

Subject: RE: BS: life imprisonment for protesting Trump
From: Jack Campin
Date: 05 Jun 17 - 08:14 AM

I just put a link to this thread on FB. It lasted less than five minutes.

Subject: RE: BS: life imprisonment for protesting Trump
From: bobad
Date: 05 Jun 17 - 08:27 AM

It might have something to do with the fact that al Jazeera, less than a news source, is the propaganda mouthpiece of the Qatari government, a government that is accused of embracing multiple terrorist and sectarian groups including Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, ISIS (Islamic State) and al-Qaeda whose aim is to destabilize the region. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, and UAE have severed ties with them over their support and funding for terrorism.

Subject: RE: BS: life imprisonment for protesting Trump
From: Mr Red
Date: 05 Jun 17 - 08:32 AM

Just asked snopes.com because they had nothing about it.
Without corroboration why would Farcebook they allow it?

This is the price we pay when anti-social media wake up to their responsibilities. They have to behave responsibly.

There is enough drip drip going on that annoys me that they feel does not need deleting. And in truth it would render their business model untenable if they were to treat responsibility with the effort it deserves.

Farcebook is a force. For good and evil. Choose your preference!
As the saying goes: "people do not analyse that which they are glad to hear".

Start anaylsing PAL!

Subject: RE: BS: life imprisonment for protesting Trump
From: Teribus
Date: 05 Jun 17 - 08:51 AM

From the linked article:

"On January 21, most of the 230 protesters and bystanders arrested the day before were charged with felony rioting, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years and a $25,000 fine.
 
But on April 27, the Superior Court of the District of Columbia returned a superseding indictment which added additional charges for some 212 defendants, three of whom had not previously been charged.

With new felony charges including urging to riot, conspiracy to riot and destruction of property, many of the defendants are facing up to 80 years in prison. Many other defendants, among them journalists, are facing more than 70 years."

Now as far as I am aware those laws were already in existence before Trump entered office - the strong hint being that these offences were committed on the day of President Trump's inauguration FFS.

Subject: RE: BS: life imprisonment for protesting Trump
From: Jack Campin
Date: 05 Jun 17 - 09:44 AM

Without corroboration why would Farcebook they allow it?

There was nothing factual in the story you wouldn't expect to see in a local Washington newspaper - like this:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/prosecutors-file-additional-charges-against-inauguration-protesters/2017/04/27/2c7eca62-2b96-11e7-a616-d7c8a68c1a66_story.html

And the opinions AJ's writer expressed about it were not particularly exceptional or extreme.

If Facebook banned every news link within minutes because it didn't have Snopes's approval they wouldn't have much of a service left, would they?

Subject: RE: BS: life imprisonment for protesting Trump
From: Jack Campin
Date: 05 Jun 17 - 09:59 AM

Looks like all my attempts to post this story have now been reposted at once.

Subject: RE: BS: life imprisonment for protesting Trump
From: Rapparee
Date: 05 Jun 17 - 10:19 AM

Same sort of thing happened during the Democratic Convention in 1968 and the "Days of Rage" that October. Those are maximum sentences, and I doubt that anyone will serve that long. The charges of destruction of property are pretty well documented.

As the prison saying goes, "If you can't do the time, don't do the crime."

Note too the small number of arrests compared to the total of those who protested.

Subject: RE: BS: life imprisonment for protesting Trump
From: Jeri
Date: 05 Jun 17 - 10:43 AM

I read part of a couple articles. Seems like they were rioters, not just protestors. I'm fine with jail time for the destruction or property, but life sentences would be ridiculous.

Subject: RE: BS: life imprisonment for protesting Trump
From: Teribus
Date: 05 Jun 17 - 10:52 AM

Jeri I think the sentences mentioned were maximum sentences not mandatory sentences. Those maximum sentences are meant to deter, in the case of those involved, and I am with you here in as much as looking at photographs of them goes, they were rioters not protesters, it would appear that they had no deterrent effect at all.

I do not think that the US legal system is all that enamoured with the Trump Administration so I would doubt if maximum sentences will be handed down, and that each case will be viewed and judged on it's own merits.

Subject: RE: BS: life imprisonment for protesting Trump
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Jun 17 - 10:53 AM

Reporters were not rioters, and there are still some of them in the mix, it looks like.

Wonder why you lose track of these stories, or have a tough time finding them? Read this all of the way through. How the Trump-Russia Data Machine Games Google to Fool Americans

Subject: RE: BS: life imprisonment for protesting Trump
From: Donuel
Date: 05 Jun 17 - 01:06 PM

Extreme sentences has always been a danger of the Patriot Act.
No one expected a President who would use these powers unjustly and unwisely.

till now

Subject: RE: BS: life imprisonment for protesting Trump
From: Jack Campin
Date: 05 Jun 17 - 02:20 PM

Extreme sentences have been the norm of the American justice system for decades and people like Mumia Abu-Jamal and Leonard Peltier could tell you they have been applied to political dissidents for a very long time.

Rounding up 200 people at once and threatening them with the same shit is new, but it's only the same "justice" in industrial quantity.

Subject: RE: BS: life imprisonment for protesting Trump
From: robomatic
Date: 05 Jun 17 - 03:45 PM

Mumia and Peltier are not mere political dissidents. They are convicted murderers.

Your mileage obviously varies.

Subject: RE: BS: life imprisonment for protesting Trump
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Jun 17 - 04:04 PM

It's pretty clear to an awful lot of people that Peltier was framed by the FBI. That's where the mileage varies.

Subject: RE: BS: life imprisonment for protesting Trump
From: Jack Campin
Date: 05 Jun 17 - 04:06 PM

Even if they were (which no human rights organization outside the US believes), they would have been released decades ago in any European country. The US is the only advanced country that still chucks political prisoners into oubliettes forever.

Subject: RE: BS: life imprisonment for protesting Trump
From: robomatic
Date: 05 Jun 17 - 04:46 PM

And both Mumia and Peltier were convicted, sentenced, and incarcerated well before the incursion of Trump. i.e. no relation to this thread topic.

Subject: RE: BS: life imprisonment for protesting Trump
From: Joe Offer
Date: 05 Jun 17 - 06:51 PM

The black-uniformed people were not protestors. They did their best to change peaceful demonstrations into riots, ruling by fear rather than protest. Many peaceful demonstratives got swept up in attempts to control what the black-uniform people brought about. I hope the courts will be able to bring justice to the situation, so that only the guilty are punished.
From what I've read, it seems unlikely that anyone will be imprisoned for life as a result.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: BS: life imprisonment for protesting Trump
From: Jack Campin
Date: 05 Jun 17 - 07:06 PM

it seems unlikely that anyone will be imprisoned for life as a result.

That's what the prosecutors want, and the American legal system allows it. With Sessions demanding the absolute maximum sentence for trivial offences, anything is possible.

Subject: RE: BS: life imprisonment for protesting Trump
From: Joe Offer
Date: 05 Jun 17 - 07:11 PM

Believe it or not, Jack, Trump hasn't been able to organize troops of brownshirts to take over the U.S. yet. I really don't think even he will be able to make that happen.

But the black-uniformed people who took over peaceful demonstrations did a lot of harm. They scared enough people, that some conservatives are calling for suppression of all protest. It we lose our right to protest, it may well be brought about by violent people on our own side. If our own side turns to violence, we lose all credibility.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: BS: life imprisonment for protesting Trump
From: Greg F.
Date: 05 Jun 17 - 07:51 PM

Trump hasn't been able to organize troops of brownshirts to take over the U.S. yet.

Unh Hunh. Yet. However, inl light of Portland and the other myriad attacks he has encouraged and condoned and supported, its only a matter of time.

Wake up, Joe - you're too smart to be pursuing this head in the sand approach.

Subject: RE: BS: life imprisonment for protesting Trump
From: michaelr
Date: 05 Jun 17 - 08:14 PM

Acme, thanks for that link on Google and the manipulation of internet news. I encourage everyone to read it.

Subject: RE: BS: life imprisonment for protesting Trump
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 05 Jun 17 - 09:12 PM

here in the land of Oz in 2003 when several hundred thousand protestors marched against the Iraq war, from our office we looked down on a protest meeting in the Town Hall square with lines of police officers shoulder to shoulder across the square. (This was in the days before militarised uniforms so the police were in their normal uniforms or overalls.) Other officers were on the Town Hall roof & on the balconies of an old office building opposite.

One of my colleagues was a policeman's son who had also had done security work before getting an office job. He pointed out the high powered guns on the balconies, explained what they were watching for & pointed out the small groups of officers going after the hot heads hiding their faces with scarfs & removing them before they could cause further trouble.

Around the same time one of my old leftie folkie mates wrote a simple marching protest song so that marchers could unite & the messages from the trouble-making hotheads would not disrupt peaceful protests.

sandra

Subject: RE: BS: life imprisonment for protesting Trump
From: Mr Red
Date: 06 Jun 17 - 05:19 AM

I read that article

How the Trump-Russia Data Machine Games Google to Fool Americans

It confirms and explains in greater detail what my understanding has evolved to. Farcebook* and Google* are being used by people who know how to use it. Before Brexit it was thought to be commerce, then the extremes got so obvious - clearly political forces were pushing. But the article shows how it can be far more pervasive.

My policy is to delete any post on Farcebook that doesn't say anything about Folk music events (my raison detre) and I unfollow people when they don't tell me relevant info. I post and share Folk Music, and rarely photographed oddities. If I comment it is with humour or to remind people "Farcebook" - if they are susceptible to "drip drip" the message may get through. May!
I certainly get my NEWS elsewhere. I am not averse to doubting the BBC, but not too often.

* other anti-social media are available, the jungle is big and steamy.