No, really! And the fire is coming from no less a non-partisan luminary of the American tradition of rule of law than ... James Clyburn?
What was Barr's great offense?
In remarks yesterday at Hillsdale College in Michigan--a liberal arts college that, OMG!, doesn't accept federal funds of any sort, not even for scholarships--Barr characterized the Covid "lockdown" as the “greatest intrusion on civil liberties in American history” since slavery.
Apparently Barr was doubling down on remarks--and instructions--that he gave during the spring:
WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General William Barr on Monday ordered federal prosecutors across the U.S. to identify coronavirus-related restrictions from state and local governments “that could be violating the constitutional rights and civil liberties of individual citizens.”
The memo to U.S. attorneys directs the head of the Justice Department’s civil rights division and the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan to coordinate the department’s efforts to monitor state and local policies and take action if needed.
“If a state or local ordinance crosses the line from an appropriate exercise of authority to stop the spread of COVID-19 into an overbearing infringement of constitutional and statutory protections, the Department of Justice may have an obligation to address that overreach in federal court.”
This comes shortly after Barr directed US Attorneys to consider sedition charges against violent demonstrators who also claim to be attempting to overthrow the lawful government of these United States. Those directions to US Attorneys, by the way, appear to have been in the context of the establishment of the CHOP/CHAZ in Seattle with the connivance or cooperation of local elected officials.
Better late than never. I have long argued that the Admin should be filing civil rights actions against state authorities who deprive citizens of Constitutional protections. From a PR pov, find black churches denied the right to worship and file high profile suits against the CA governor and any mayors, helath officials, and LEO enforcing these unconstitutional edicts.
ReplyDeleteRecall the Federal Judge who struck down PA's lockdown. A Trump appointee of course.
DeleteRob S
Yeah, black churches, (Ortho) synagogues, even mosques (*if* any were teed-off upon).
DeleteI must wonder, why so late?
Possibly Barr is seeing things come to light in all these various investigations that make him think things are more dire than he thought merely weeks ago.
DeleteFor instance I've read a couple of articles questioning the sudden cessation of the violence in Portland for no obvious reason, certainly not prompted by any action on the part of the authorities. Maybe school was out.
I wonder if Portland, ground zero for Antifa for the last several years, has been merely boot-camp for the last three months, with Antifa circulating cadres from all over the country through for hands on training in organization, methods, and technics to be sent back home to prepare for a country wide explosion come November. Entirely doable for the dedicated and well resourced, and Antifa has proven itself both. What would be the optics of a hundred Portlands happening simultaneously with media blasting out that Trump refuses to concede, while concealing electoral facts.
As it happens, I mentioned this phenomenon to my wife at dinner just yesterday.
DeleteThis may have something to do with the cessation of violence in Portland:
Deletehttps://www.justice.gov/usao-or/pr/74-people-facing-federal-charges-crimes-committed-during-portland-demonstrations
Those not arrested, yet, maybe aren't totally stupid
This fits in with that in its own way:
Deletehttps://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/09/internal-polls-must-really-bad-initially-embracing-maoist-mob-pelosi-now-calls-prosecution-rioters-video/
Sorry. Just don't believe they are that easily cowed, with the legal/political assets at their disposal, or the stakes they are playing for. The people running this are not children acting out. They are trained, organized, and focused. To my knowledge not one leader has been identified, much less charged. What happens to the useful idiots is irrelevant.
Delete@CTD; Getting your good ole name listed in the paper with your wrap sheet just like the good ole days can sometimes serve as a deterrent or at least it used to. Then again, most of these folks are probably dead beats who couldn't give a rat's ass.
DeleteHe's kicking some backside this month. I like this.
ReplyDelete"There undoubtedly are many people in the government who surreptitiously work to thwart the administration ... I think we are getting into a position where we’re going to find ourselves irrevocably committed to a socialist path. And I think if Trump loses this election — that will be the case."
ReplyDeletehttps://wgnradio.com/wgn-plus/thechicagoway/the-chicago-way-w-john-kass-ag-ob-bill-barr-on-an-out-of-control-chicago-and-ed-obradovich-on-life-before-the-nflx/
Here's a link to Barr's prepared remarks: https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/remarks-attorney-general-william-p-barr-hillsdale-college-constitution-day-event
ReplyDeleteThe comment about the lockdowns was in a Q&A session after his speech. Here's a link: https://nypost.com/2020/09/17/barr-covid-19-lockdowns-worst-civil-liberties-intrusion-since-slavery/
And another link to a Redstate article https://www.redstate.com/streiff/2020/09/17/attorney-general-bill-barr-uses-hillsdale-speech-to-hammer-dojs-culture-of-political-and-extreme-prosecutions/
ReplyDeleteThanks for the links.
DeleteBarr is ON FIRE! Caught something from DJT...thank god!
ReplyDeleteAG-ing like a Boss.
DeleteMark, it’s funny you mention James Clyburn here. It’s like you read Sundance’s blog yesterday re; Obama and Clyburn control of Biden’s election.
ReplyDeleteActually, I didn't. But if that's true it's probably great news for Trump.
DeleteHere’s SD’s link. https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2020/09/16/the-background-of-the-harris-biden-ticket/
DeleteAnd today’s RedState article questioning what’s going on... https://www.redstate.com/brandon_morse/2020/09/17/trump-jr-nashville/
Interesting timing.