'QAnon Shaman' sentenced

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https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/qanon-s ... d=81203981

I understand Fnord is shouting drinks for everyone.

Last edited by Pepe on 17 Nov 2021, 5:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.

The serious side of me hopes he's able to get the mental health care he needs because I don't think that prison is likely to improve his ability to function as part of society, but a part of me really wants to agree with TT here:

That's absurdly high for a completely non-violent offense. God I hate criminal justice reform hypocrites, they know that prison is beyond worthless, and yet they cheer when their political enemies are locked up, they're one of the few groups of people I actually wish some harm would come to.

His sentence would likely have been lighter had he not carried a lethal weapon during the commission of a crime.

It is good to see you have a compassionate side.

<Pepe feels nostalgic thinking about the days gone by of well-meaning tree-huggers>

The flagpole? Did he actually use it as a weapon?

The incursion of politics is a major problem in the courts, these days.
We have the same problem in Victoria, Australia, in particular.

People have gotten more time for weed possession than he did, so I don’t feel sorry for him a bit.

Seems you skipped over what I said seriously to fixate on the joke.

Unless that comment wasn't sarcastic.

Last edited by funeralxempire on 17 Nov 2021, 8:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I think Fnord means the pole with a spearhead on the end - the one Bison Man carried throughout his incursion.
Also, is it necessary for a spear to be used before it can be called a weapon? (and probably a lethal weapon, going by the length of that pointy bit)

Yes, the spear. It is a lethal weapon. Carrying any weapon during the commission of a crime is legally justifiable grounds for doubling or maximizing a sentence.

The idea is that if you carry a weapon, you have the intent to use it, and that you will use it if given the opportunity, like when someone recently carried an AR-15 into a BLM rally…

Hopefully, this means the actually violent rioters - as well as the high level planners - will get even more severe sentences.

Good riddance

Yes, the flagpole, which to my knowledge was only used as a flagpole as the defendant wasn't charged with any violent offenses. I would say intent should have to be proven, as there are many, many, items that are not weapons per se but can and have been used as such, off the top of my head flashlights, rolls of coins, keys held in a clenched fist, knitting needles, rocks, etc, and if you're going to argue that mere possession should trigger a sentence enhancement, you should have to prove that the item was intended as a weapon, not that it merely could be used as one. If a guy shoplifts something and when he's caught and searched he has a roll of quarters in his pocket, should that be used as a sentencing enhancement because it could have been used as a weapon, despite his crime not involving violence and no evidence that he intended to use the coins as a weapon? That's the level of "logic" being employed here, which I would term motivated reasoning.

The end of the flag pole was razor sharp - looks like a weapon to me


The nutter was also threatening people

Mixed feelings on this.

It appears he has multiple mental health problems and prison won't help with those one little bit. So that's actually quite sad.

On the other hand having such issues doesn't give anyone a free pass to do as they please, and he clearly dolled himself up in the hope of getting a wide audience, and succeeded.

I don't believe he was carrying that pointy flagpole around just in case there was suddenly an urgent need to fly a flag, either.

I don't know what the options are within the US system, but I'd hope there might be more appropriate ways of handling someone like this, that focus more on help than punishment. Especially as Aspies sometimes end up in similar situations, or worse.

The punishment he's actually got seems to be more about what he represented, rather than his individual circumstances. But if he was going through an obsessive or manic phase (for example) it's unclear to what extent he was able to calculate the risks and likely consequences of his own actions.

It's also a great demonstration of just how easily stirred up some people can be, and therefore the dangers of political hyperbole. The "oh I was exaggerating, I was only joking" defense is a weak one, because it assumes everyone hearing inflammatory spin is able to process it rationally and draw their own, logical conclusions. Well guess what? That's not true.

Greater accountability is needed, to prevent what's essentially continuous political shitposting. I see Alex Jones has been found guilty of defamation over Sandy Hook, so that's a start.