Coming February 6, 2024 . . .
MURDER, POLITICS, AND THE END OF THE JAZZ AGE
by Michael Wolraich
Pre-order at Barnes & Noble / Amazon / Books-A-Million / Bookshop
Coming February 6, 2024 . . . MURDER, POLITICS, AND THE END OF THE JAZZ AGE by Michael Wolraich Pre-order at Barnes & Noble / Amazon / Books-A-Million / Bookshop |
Six men motivated by anti-government views were charged with plotting with a militia group to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, hoping to carry out the kidnapping before the presidential election, the F.B.I. said on Thursday.
The six men had talked about taking Ms. Whitmer, a Democrat, hostage since at least the summer, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court and unsealed on Thursday. They met over the summer for firearms training and combat drills and tried to make explosives; they also gathered several times to discuss the mission, including in the basement of a shop in Michigan that was accessible only through a “trap door” under a rug, the F.B.I. said.
The men had surveilled Ms. Whitmer’s vacation home in August and September, and they indicated that they wanted to take her hostage before the election in November, Richard J. Trask II, an F.B.I. special agent, said in the criminal complaint. In July, one of the men said the group should take Ms. Whitmer hostage and move her to a “secure location” in Wisconsin for a “trial,” Mr. Trask said.
He said the F.B.I. believed the men were planning to buy explosives this week for their plot. Court records indicated that at least five of the men had been arrested on Wednesday in Ypsilanti, Mich.; it was not immediately clear if the sixth man had been taken into the custody.
Comments
Waiting for Trump to condemn these guys.
He was the one who told people to liberate the state.
by rmrd0000 on Thu, 10/08/2020 - 9:02pm
Indictment says FBI became aware of them plotting overthrow of local governments and law enforcement by early 2020, way before COVID restrictions and Trumps rhetoric about them I'd be careful making presumptions if I were you, because so far it's looking like this group was very anti-police. They planned to target and kill police, the police contacted the FBI because they were trying to get police home addresses. You don't know who else might turn up as arrested compadres in the future. There are strange bedfellows in this particular world. Certainly there are many others recently who would like to see police "abolished" rather than just "defunded."
by artappraiser on Thu, 10/08/2020 - 9:38pm
They were planning to target police
Then Witmer locked down Michigan and armed, unmasked people showed up at the capital building
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/01/us/michigan-protests-capitol-virus-armed.html
From the NYT article you posted
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/08/opinion/militias-gretchen-whitmer.html
The men targeted Witmer as a response to the lockdown
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/08/us/gretchen-whitmer-michigan-militia.html
by rmrd0000 on Thu, 10/08/2020 - 10:08pm
In April, thousands of people gathered at the State Capitol to protest the executive orders she issued shutting down most of the state. Mr. Trump openly encouraged such protests, tweeting, “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!”
by rmrd0000 on Thu, 10/08/2020 - 10:13pm
yes I know. But these guys had already been plotting to for months, so the two things are not related. And they were trying to liberate from the rule of police as well as from a governor. And Trump likes police, remember? Reality: the world is not two simple sides of Trump vs. not Trump. Nor even Democrat vs. Republican.(You yourself don't seem to approve of much rule by Dem mayors lately and seem to support overthrow of black police chiefs!) Nor black vs. white.
I wouldn't be the least surprised that you agreed with a lot of what the The Wolverines stood for if you didn't know it was them. Certainly I can see them welcoming radical BLM and some Portland protesters into their group.
by artappraiser on Thu, 10/08/2020 - 10:27pm
The group had no specific target
In April, Trump says "Liberate Michigan" in April and verbally attacked Witmer
By summer, the group is training in Ohio
By August and September, they were surveilling Witmer
I feel Trump's words led to the group targeting Witmer
Edit to add:
Trump said there were good people on both sides in Charlottesville
Trump told the Proud Boys to stand back and stand by
He gives the desired message.
by rmrd0000 on Thu, 10/08/2020 - 11:39pm
Trumps response on twitter
by rmrd0000 on Thu, 10/08/2020 - 9:30pm
Hello, rmrd, let Maggie Trump-splain for you
by artappraiser on Thu, 10/08/2020 - 10:36pm
and BTW, good luck proving Laura Ingraham wrong, she knows how to spin this, as there isn't one damn thing in that indictment to indicate they are "right wing":
by artappraiser on Thu, 10/08/2020 - 10:46pm
It is clear that Trump doesn't like criticism.
He says that he is angry that he was not thanked in the tweets.
by rmrd0000 on Thu, 10/08/2020 - 10:54pm
by artappraiser on Fri, 10/09/2020 - 1:00am
Governor Witmer says Trump's words put her at risk
https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/08/politics/gretchen-whitmer-kidnapping-plot-cnntv/index.html
Chris Cuomo also suggested Trump was inciting violence
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/chris-cuomo-trump-gretchen-whitmer-kidnapping_n_5f7fbe02c5b6da9ba1eec02c
Edited to change Governor to Chris Cuomo
by rmrd0000 on Fri, 10/09/2020 - 8:48am
Barbara McQuade on Trump's role
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-lights-a-match-that-incites-violence-in-michigan-with-whitmer-kidnapping-plot?ref=home
by rmrd0000 on Fri, 10/09/2020 - 9:37am