Posted on 05/01/2015 5:43:16 PM PDT by Kaslin
RUSH: We obviously start in Baltimore today with the Baltimore state attorney, Marilyn Mosby, a press conference a little over an hour ago, announcing that six officers are going to be charged with varying degrees of second-degree murder and manslaughter in the transportation death -- ah, ah, ah -- in the death of Freddie Gray.
Now, many people are wondering what is really going on here. I would like to explain to you. I would like for somebody else to explain to you in one sound bite what is going on here. This is yesterday and the National Action Network president, the Reverend Al Sharpton, speaking with reporters. This is really what you need to know.
SHARPTON: We need the Justice Department to step in and take over policing in this country. In the 20th century, they had to fight states’ rights to get the right to vote. We’re going to have to fight states’ rights in terms of closing down police cases. Police must be held accountable.
RUSH: We need a national takeover of policing in this country, and that is what is happening. If you've heard the term "social justice" bandied about over the course of your life and wondered what it really meant, aside from another way of expressing liberalism, the press conference today by Ms. Mosby, the state attorney, pretty much defines social justice as opposed to real justice.
We all have random thoughts on this, and it's very early. There's some things here that are peculiar, contradicting. All week we've been treated to stories in the media about a rough ride that Freddie Gray had in the van. She didn't even reference that once. And what we have here essentially, I mean, if you strip it all down is the police officers who've been charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter basically are being charged with that crime for failing to strap Freddie Gray in a seat belt in the back of the police van.
Now, the seat belt law for prisoners in a van, the law requiring them to be secured in a police van, I found out looking it up -- I mean, I've been feverishly trying to find things out this morning before the program began -- is relatively new. I even had some people tell me that the police officers involved might not have even known about it, it was so new. And an interesting angle of all this -- well, first let's listen. We've got some sound bites here. This state's attorney is focused, she is passionate, she is no nonsense. If you didn't hear any of her press conference, we have three sound bites that will explain or give you an idea and set up what is next to come, so here's the first of the three.
MOSBY: The findings of our comprehensive, thorough, and independent investigation, coupled with the medical examiner's determination that Mr. Gray's death was a homicide, which we received today, has led us to believe that we have probable cause to file criminal charges. (cheering)
RUSH: Now, you heard the cheering there, and it's important to note that. It is important to note that the crowd gathered around cheered and the city is cheering. She gave the city of Baltimore, many of the people in the city of Baltimore, what they wanted to hear today, and here's the next bite. We'll just run these things by you and then have at it.
MOSBY: To the people of Baltimore and the demonstrators across America, I heard your call for "no justice, no peace." Your peace is sincerely needed as I work to deliver justice on behalf of this young man. To those that are angry, hurt, or have their own experiences of injustice at the hands of police officers, I urge you to channel the energy peacefully as we prosecute this case. I've heard your calls for no justice, no peace. However, your peace is sincerely needed.
RUSH: Remember that bite. We'll come back to it here in a couple of quick seconds. But here is the final sound bite that encapsulates this.
MOSBY: Last, but certainly not least, to the youth of this city. I will seek justice on your behalf. This is a moment. This is your moment. Let's ensure that we have peaceful and productive rallies that will develop structural and systemic changes for generations to come. You're at the forefront of this cause, and, as young people, our time is now. (cheering)
RUSH: Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Hold on here just a second. The cause? She's a state's prosecuting attorney. State attorney. Some people call 'em district attorney's. She's the state's attorney here, and she's got a bunch of people working under her that will actually try the case. By the way, in case you're wondering, the reason we didn't play sound bites of her reciting the charges, it would take from now until the end of the half hour. She went through every possible charge for all six of these cops, and it would take from here until 12:30. It would take me 15 minutes maybe to run through all that, and we just don't have that kind of time.
You just have to understand, they've had the book thrown at them, these six cops. Second-degree murder, negligent homicide. I mean, they've thrown everything at these guys, and that is also an interesting point. But before we go back to sound bite number two, "Last but not least, to the youths of this city, I will seek justice on your behalf." Remember, we're talking social justice here. I think the legal system -- What Reverend Sharpton meant here in the first sound bite, I'm gonna go ahead and say this. What Reverend Sharpton is talking about is looting the legal system. When he talks about a national takeover of policing in this country, he's talking about looting the legal system.
That's what they're gonna do. They're sick and tired of what they think is this never-ending bias and prejudice and racism. They're sick and tired of the way the cops treat them, and in their minds they've tried to work peacefully. They've supported Democrats, they've voted Democrats, they're in a Democrat town, but damn it, nothing's working. We're going to have to take over. And that's what he's talking about.
So he's talking about looting the legal system, national takeover of policing. She comes along and starts talking about the cause. One and one equals two. "This is a moment, this is your moment." What, the charging of six cops? Or the death of Freddie? What is the moment? "Let's ensure that we have peaceful, productive rallies that will develop structural and systemic changes for generations to come. You are at the forefront of this cause, and as young people, our time is now."
Now, some may think that all she's doing is asking for calm and making that part of the moment, that justice equals calm. And that could very well be. But I think that there's a lot more going on here. Now, back up to the previous sound bite. "To the people of Baltimore and to the demonstrators across America, I heard your call for no justice, no peace, your peace sincerely needed. To those that are angry, hurt, or have their own experience of injustice at the hands of police officers --" See, it's an agreed to and accepted presumption. From the state's attorney in Baltimore we have the stated assumption that police departments are biased against African-Americans, totally unfair, including in cities that are run by elected Democrats.
Now, one of the interesting things I saw, I went to one of the networks, it might have been CNN, they went to find men on the street, men and women on the street after the state's attorney's press conference to ask 'em what they thought. There was this old crusty African-American guy who wasn't buying it. He didn't believe a word of this. He said -- I'm paraphrasing -- "Are you kidding me? All of these charges? They don't intend to pursue all of these charges. They're never gonna take all of these charges into court. You can't fool me. This is just charges. This is just designed to stop the rioting."
This old codger thinks that what this whole thing today was was a giant attempt by local authorities to tell the rioters that they are gonna bury these guys, they're gonna charge 'em with everything they can, we got it handled, now stay home. And this old crusty codger said, "I am not gonna believe any of this 'til I see it in court. And I'm not gonna believe any of this until I see convictions. I'm not buying into any of this yet." He wasn't totally doubting. He wasn't totally suspicious. I mean, there were some things he liked about it, obviously, but I'm just highlighting his suspicions about what's really going on here. And he does have a point.
I mean, they've thrown the kitchen sink at these guys. Second-degree murder, what do we have here? We have a guy that was caught doing something of a criminal nature with a long rap sheet, and he's put in the back of a police wagon, and at some point says he can't breathe and at some point is severely injured, and we don't know who, when, where, why. And the paddy wagon did not take him immediately for medical attention, didn't take him to a hospital when he said he couldn't breathe and was in pain. They stopped two or three places to pick up more prisoners, do other things.
They didn't strap him in with a seat belt, and they finally got him to where he was going, and from that we got negligent homicide. We have second-degree homicide, I mean, that's barely scratching the surface of what these six cops have been charged. And no, the racial component of the cops was not announced or revealed. I don't know how many of 'em are black, white, if any are either/or. Don't have any idea. They didn't announce that. They said that the medical examiner has determined here that the death was a homicide.
Now, I wanted to find out what second-degree murder is in the state of Maryland, and I found it at a website called PriceBenowitz.com, Maryland homicide lawyer. "Second degree murder, covered under Maryland Criminal Code § 2-204, makes it illegal to commit any murder, even if it was not premeditated, willful, or deliberate." Okay? So we can conclude from that that murder is illegal in Baltimore, Maryland.
"The distinction between second degree murder and manslaughter is in the intent. Therefore, a second degree murder must be intentional." This is from the Maryland criminal code. "For example, accusations made by the State that a defendant murdered another person in a fit of unplanned rage would likely result in second degree murder charges." Now, the Maryland code doesn't spell these things out. It's the consensus from several sites here.
But how can anybody claim that these officers were intentionally trying to kill Mr. Gray by not putting a seat belt on him or not going immediately to the hospital or wherever? I mean, as best I've been able to find here -- second-degree murder versus manslaughter -- second-degree murder, must be intentional. And not all of the cops have been charged with it, but I think three or four were.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: Yeah, yeah, I know. Yeah, a lot of people think that the overcharging here -- and it is overcharging. I mean, it's incredible, the number of charges. I'm telling you, it takes her 15 minutes to recite... That may be a little long. It took her 10 minutes recite all the charges of all six cops. Some people think, "This is not a prosecution. This is a sacrifice," and that's essentially what the old codger that I heard on CNN was essentially saying.
"Hey, I don't believe any of this 'til I see it in court. They just throw all of this, all the charges, and half of these charges ain't gonna make it to court. They're just doing this to keep us off the street," is what he was saying. It follows along with the idea that this might be a sacrifice, not a prosecution; that the city leaders are sitting in their closed boardrooms discussing what to do. Because, folks, it was just yesterday we were told that this report would not be made public.
Remember that?
We were told that there was not gonna be any information forthcoming. There was gonna be a report issued but they weren't gonna release any of it, and that didn't sit well with the community. People started questioning in the media. "What do you mean you're gonna issue the report but you're not gonna tell anybody what it is?" People started getting nervous. Many people in authority said that the report was not gonna be made public. That was just yesterday.
We had a story on the front page of the Washington Post where a second prisoner in the van said he didn't see the cops do anything. It just looks like Freddie was bouncing around in there. Then that guy has asked for the record to be corrected. "Wait a minute! Wait a minute!" The headline of this story is he "fears for his life," and he's recanting it. Now (paraphrased), "Hey, anybody that says that I think Freddie was in there trying to kill himself, what kind of sense would that make?"
He's walking that back. But nevertheless, there's all kinds of stories from yesterday that make what happened today curious. Independent Journalism Review: "Baltimore Medical Examiner Reveals a Striking New Detail About How Freddie Gray Really Died." From the Independent Journalism Review story: "While many have suggested that Gray’s death was due to police negligence, the medical examiner didn't find any proof backing that narrative."
That's yesterday. The Independent Journalism Review -- reported by Channel 7, ABC News in Baltimore -- says, "[T]he medical examiner didn't find any proof backing that narrative." Today we were told the medical examiner found evidence of homicide. So something happened overnight.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: And welcome back. Welcome to Open Line Friday, hosted by me, El Rushbo: your guiding light through times of trouble, confusion, murkiness, tumult, chaos, looting -- not just of stores, but of the legal system -- yes, and even the good times. Since it's Open Line Friday we'll get to calls in the first hour of the program. I try to do that anyway. It rarely happens. I mean, I go in with the best of intentions at the outset of every program. 800-282-2882.
So, look, "Baltimore Medical Examiner Reveals a Striking New Detail About How Freddie Gray Really Died." This last night, yesterday. "ABC News 7 reported on how Gray wasn't injured during his arrest and the way he sustained his fatal injury..." This is the Independent Journalism Review yesterday. "While many have suggested that Gray’s death was due to police negligence, the medical examiner didn’t find any proof backing that narrative." I mean, this was reported yesterday. It's all we have to go on.
Today the state attorney said that the medical examiner's determination was that the death was a homicide. What happened between yesterday and this morning's press conference? "An investigation into the death of Baltimore resident Freddie Gray has found no evidence that his fatal injuries were caused during the videotaped arrest and interaction with police officers, according to multiple law enforcement sources.
"The sources spoke to ABC 7 News after being briefed on the findings of a police report tuned over to prosecutors on Thursday as well as preliminary findings made by the medical examiner's office. Sources said the medical examiner found Gray’s catastrophic injury was caused when he slammed into the back of the police transport van, apparently breaking his neck; a head injury he sustained matches a bolt in the back of the van.'"
That's yesterday. Now, according to what Ms. Mosby said today... Correct me if I'm wrong out there, but I didn't hear her say that the cops got in the back of the van and started throwing Freddie Gray around. She didn't even allude to "the rough ride," which was all we were hearing about yesterday. Well, now, this is a heck of a report here from yesterday, ABC News in Baltimore quoted by the Independent Journalism Review.
And then today, the state's attorney goes out there and tells a completely different story. Now, don't misunderstand. What she did today is the record. I'm not... I don't want to get caught in this trap where the exit polls mean more than the real polls, the real votes. That's not what I'm doing here. But, I mean, somebody sourced this stuff yesterday. These people in the media just didn't report this stuff out of the cloud.
Somebody gave them this information that they ran with and published yesterday. Here in the Baltimore Sun: "Gray Suffered Head Injury in Prison Van, Sources Familiar with Investigation Say." Now, this version... Again, this is yesterday. The Baltimore Sun does its best to preserve the rough-ride angle and to downplay the he-was-trying-to-harm-himself angle. They have no curiosity about the position of the bolt in the van that the story I just read to you says the bolt in the van hit his head.
They got evidence of that, and that's what caused his death. The Sun, they don't wonder why the second prisoner never mentioned the van ride being rough. They still claim Gray was handled roughly during his arrest, despite the two videos to the contrary. And like the rest of the Drive-Bys, The Baltimore Sun never reports the racial makeup of the rest of the six officers. We still don't know that. Well, somebody..
But it has not been officially reported.
Why is that?
I mean, in Ferguson, Missouri, that's all that mattered was the racial makeup of the cop. In New York on the Eric Garner case, that's all that mattered, right, was the racial makeup of the cops. But they're not telling us the race or races or the sexual orientations or the sexual preferences or the party registrations of the six cops involved here. So I'm just saying that it is an amazing flip to have all of this stuff reported yesterday and attributed to the medical examiner and "sources high up in the police department," to today.
So what happened overnight? What happened here? Let me share with you again audio sound bite number four. This is what happened yesterday and overnight.
SHARPTON: We need the Justice Department to step in and take over policing in this country. In the 20th century, they had to fight states' rights to get the right to vote. We're going to have to fight states' rights in terms of closing down police cases. Police must be held accountable.
RUSH: Well, that's what happened, a Justice Brother showed up. Reverend Sharpton showed up and started shepherding the mayor through her press conferences. The Reverend Sharpton showed up and started shielding the mayor and advising the mayor on her press conferences, and the Reverend Sharpton shows up and basically says, "We're going to have to fight states' rights in terms of closing down police cases. Police must be held accountable."
Sharpton comes into town and basically says he starts talking about the need for a national takeover of policing in this country. Looks like, I mean, if you just put two and two together here, looks like something happened along those lines. Here is a brief list of charges announced by the state's attorney, Marilyn Mosby. "Officer Caesar R. Goodson Jr.: Second-degree, depraved-heart murder; involuntary manslaughter; second-degree assault; manslaughter by vehicle ... misconduct in office.
"Officer William G. Porter: Involuntary manslaughter; second-degree assault; misconduct in office. Lt. Brian W. Rice: Involuntary manslaughter; two counts of second-degree assault; manslaughter by vehicle (gross negligence); two counts of misconduct in office; false imprisonment. Officer Edward M. Nero: Two counts of second-degree assault ... two counts of misconduct in office; false imprisonment. Officer Garrett E. Miller: Two counts of second-degree assault; two counts of misconduct in office; false imprisonment.
"Sgt. Alicia D. White: Involuntary manslaughter; second-degree assault; misconduct in office." Warrants were issued this morning around 9:30 or ten o'clock for the arrest of the officers, and it was at that point that Marilyn Mosby said, "'To the people of Baltimore and the demonstrators across America, I heard your call for "No justice, no peace," your peace is sincerely needed as I work to deliver justice on behalf of this young man.'"
"No justice, no peace."
That's not her phrase.
"No justice, no peace" can be traced back to the Justice Brothers, and I think actually the ownership of the phrase belongs to the Reverend Jackson and was quickly appropriated by fellow Justice Brother, the Reverend Sharpton. "The officers could face up to 20 years in prison for the charges. ... The Baltimore Police Fraternal Order of Police No. 3," the cops' union, "issued a letter to Mosby Friday morning on behalf of the officers involved saying that the death was not the officers' faults and they also requested a special prosecutor citing conflicts of interest with Mosby's office."
The conflict of interest supposedly is that Marilyn Mosby herself is very, very closely linked with the lawyers and family of Freddie Gray. The letter that she got from the police union says, "Each of the officers involved is sincerely saddened by Gray's passing. They are all committed police officers who have dedicated their careers to the Baltimore City Police Department. And that has been lost in all the publicity.
"All death is tragic. And death associated with interaction with police is both shocking and frightening to the public." And I can't help but go back to this old codger on the street that CNN found that didn't believe any of this. He thought, "All these charges? These charges aren't gonna end up in court. You wait and see. These charges are just to keep us quiet. I'm paraphrasing what he said.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: I mentioned moments ago that the police union in Baltimore has not alleged, but they have referenced that there may be a conflict of interest between Marilyn Mosby, the state's attorney, and the family legal representation of Freddie Gray. Here's what it is. The Freddie Gray family lawyer is the ponytailed Billy Murphy. He's got a cute little two-inch ponytail. He's a bald-headed guy, got male pattern baldness. You've seen him out there.
Over the course of many years in cable TV he's been a respected guest, during OJ and any number of other cases. You may not know who I'm talking about now, but if you saw him you'd recognize him. Cute little two-inch ponytail back there. You can only see it, you know, on a side shot. He's their lead attorney. There's no question that the Gray family cannot afford him, but he's their attorney. He was among Marilyn Mosby's biggest campaign donors last year when she ran for state's attorney.
He donated the maximum amount allowed (which was four grand) in June, which is fine. Don't misunderstand. I'm not alleging anything here. Mosby campaigned just a few months ago. She's only been in office for four months. She campaigned on the premise of getting the police under control. She ran unopposed in the general election. In other, the Republicans didn't even try. She did not have a Republican opponent.
It wouldn't have matter if she had.
The Republican wouldn't have gotten enough votes to actually count. She is married to a city councilman, Nick Mosby, and that is the near conflict that the Baltimore police union is alleging is relevant here. So the question now is, "Will all of these charges...?" I mean, they are just voluminous, the second-degree murder, the manslaughter, unintended this, intended that, malfeasance over here, not caring about something over there.
I mean, there's a long list of charges for all six of these cops. Will that quiet the unrest? Will that quell the uprisings? Because many people think that that's what this is really all about. 'Cause I'm telling you, I went through this in the first hour, but you go back and you look at the news yesterday, and none of what was gonna happen today was reported, and we were told that what did happen today was not gonna happen.
But then the Reverend Sharpton of the Justice Brothers arrived and everything changed, and the Reverend Sharpton (we played the sound bite earlier) is now saying, essentially, "You know, we tried! We have tried working with the police all over this country, and it isn't working. It isn't helping. We are still the victims of injustice, and there isn't any social justice going on out there."
And the Reverend Sharpton says that basically what we need is a takeover, a national takeover of policing in this country, which they're doing with the help of Obama. Every one of these police departments... Ferguson. They tried New York City. But there have been 15 or 17 police departments after various incidents of some controversy nature, the Justice Department under Eric Holder went in, said, "You guys want federal assistance? You want federal money? You're gonna have to reform your police departments under our guidelines."
The federal guidelines choke these police departments, and they really have no choice. I mean, the Feds, the DOJ comes calling and tells you the way it's gonna be or you don't get any money, well, that's because nobody has any money. So that's the way it ends up being, and this is how Obama and the left are changing the structure and the definition, the intent, the overall purview of police departments.
The objective is to rein them in, is to really restrain them, because the presumption under which all this is happening is it's the police departments who are guilty. It is the police departments all over the country who are responsible. Now including Baltimore and Sharpton talking about the need now for a takeover. Did you see where Obama has said -- after this incident, after all the rioting that's gone on in Baltimore this week.
Freddie Gray's death ruled homicide; charges to be pressed against police
Which? Those in control of state and local governments (e.g., Baltimore) or those in control of the federal government?
The federal government. And they are already controlling what's going in Baltimore.
If you can’t see how Obama and all the rest are trying to centralize and federalize government power then I can’t help you.
Hillary Clinton did more of that than any other president with her many deals for federal pork to state and local governments, and she did it bipartisan support from local and state government interests (along with her sock puppet, Bill). Local government, federal government—same thing.
You are making my point.
BTW when was Hillary president?
My local police and schools are currently governed better than how the federal government, governs things. If they weren't, I would either move to a different area, or I would stay and fight the corruption, and face a better chance of beating the corruption than if I had to fight the police and schools run at the federal government level.
My local and state taxes are too high. Since I haven't been able to change that, in a few years I will be moving to a different state and locality to try to resolve that problem.
If Obama and Sharpton had their way as this article states, they would take control of all government functions and make things worse. They want to federalize everything and that includes the police.
The opposite of that philosophy is what is represented in our Constitution . It limits federal government power and leaves government power to the states, and better yet, to the people. This idea is one of the basic principles that is defended on this website.
I don't think anybody here is saying that there isn't local government corruption and that we are guaranteed to beat corruption at all levels of government. If that's you think people are saying here, then you are setting up "amateur" strawman fallacy "propaganda".
The point is that to centralize government is not to make things overall, better. Overall it makes things worse.
When it comes to government centralization and federalization, are you on the side of the US Constitution or are you on the side of Obama and Rev. Sharpton??
Answer the question.
The point is that to centralize government is not to make things overall, better. Overall it makes things worse.
Point being there is no guarantee with any type of government with the nature of man being what it is.............
Point being there is no guarantee with any type of government with the nature of man being what it is.............
Yes, I made that point. See above comment now in bold.
Here it is again.
When it comes to government centralization and federalization, are you on the side of the US Constitution or are you on the side of Obama and Rev. Sharpton??
Answer the question.
To all:
1. Avoid buying anything that you don’t really need. Live below your means.
2. Frequently study or work on a project to become more self-sufficient. Continuously design stealth where needed into good and honorable projects.
3. Learn and practice to manufacture something of necessity or good use as a hobby for now.
4. Avoid being distracted by dishonest and corrupt politics. Be nonpolitical for now.
5. Do what is healthy and good regardless of what vices stylish tyrants promote from their filthy bandwagons.
6. Exercise. Get in shape. Exercise with family. Exercise with friends. Develop high speed for victory!
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