It Was Really Just A Matter Of Time

There are multiple articles out today about an interview given by a Chauvin alternate juror. This was always just a matter of time, and we can now probably expect more jurors to speak out in self-justification--but, who knows, possibly in self-doubt. The fact is, however, that due to the dynamics of this show trial their stance won't matter. They participated in a show trial and nothing said after the fact will change that perception.

Now, understand that the alternates were only informed of their status at the end of the trial. However, that means, in effect, that since the experience of the alternates was essentially the same as the experience of the jurors who voted, their reactions are likely a proxy for the attitudes of the jurors who voted. 

At Zerohedge--Alternate Juror On Chauvin Trial Says She Feared Riots, People Turning Up At Her Home. No sh*t? How unique do you think her attitude was, among the jurors? Duh! But the judge could have changed the venue and/or sequestered the jury. He didn't. And so ...

UPDATED: Bonfire Of Democracy?

Stay with me here. It take a bit to get this point across.

Larry Elder has a thoughtful article out, which you can read without the extraneous ads, here: Derek Chauvin: The Great White Defendant. As you can probably tell from the title, what Elder does is try to place the Floyd/Chauvin/Police event in the context of Tom Wolfe's novel, The Bonfire of the Vanities.

Here's how Elder does that:

A review of "Bonfire" explains: 

"The overarching theme of the book is the search for the great white defendant. The vast majority of defendants in New York City are minorities, arrested for killing another minority. The vast majority of the cops and prosecutors are all about the press and their careers. One drug dealer killing another drug dealer is not going to get you any attention; it's a dog-bites-man story -- no story. What you want is a man-bites-dog story. Therefore, subliminally, the police, prosecutors and press are always looking for a great white defendant who will make their careers."

Nobody, Wolfe writes, gets upset about massive media coverage of The Great White Defendant. Blacks enjoy watching media coverage of well-off white men, in this case a Wall Street trader, accused of serious wrongdoing, in this case murder. Guilty whites are used to perpetuate the systemic racism media narrative. And the media feel noble when pushing it. Win, win, win.

This brings us to the trial of Derek Chauvin, the white ex-Minneapolis cop convicted of murdering George Floyd, a Black man who initially resisted arrest.

What's a bit different now is that the Dems have latched onto this phenomenon in, yes, a systematic way. Whereas the earlier narrative leveraged publicity for the career purposes of prosecutors--which still goes on in the usual ad hoc way--this technique is currently being deployed for ideological movement oriented purposes. That's not entirely different, of course, from past efforts to incite public outrage and unrest, although the single minded determination of the MSM (broadly speaking) to drum the desired ideological narrative into the public mind over a period decades, utilizing mass rioting and show trials, is quite impressive. 

Tucker And Turley Weigh In On Chauvin Trial

Tucker Carlson, in his own inimitable way, expressed what took place at the Chauvin trial (via RedState):

The jury in the Derek Chauvin trial came to a unanimous and unequivocal verdict Tuesday afternoon: “Please don’t hurt us.” The jurors spoke for many in this country; everyone understood perfectly well the consequences of an acquittal in this case.

After nearly a year of burning, looting, and murder by BLM, that was never in doubt. Last night, 2,000 miles from Minneapolis, police in Los Angeles preemptively blocked roads. Why? They knew what would happen if Derek Chauvin got off.

…

But here’s what we can’t debate: no mob has the right to destroy our cities. Not under any circumstances, not for any reason. No politician or media figure has the right to intimidate a jury, and no political party has the right to impose a different standard of justice on its own supporters.

Those things are unacceptable in America, but all of them are happening now. If they continue to happen, decent, productive people will leave. The country as we knew it will be over. So we must stop this current insanity. It’s an attack on civilization.

Here's the full segment:

Quick And Brief: SWC's Predictions

I wondered about not enough time to review the evidence, too:

A verdict that fast is likely a compromise - all agree to take 2nd degree murder off the shelf and accept third degree or manslaughter. Limited deliberation time indicates none were interested in thoroughly reviewing all the evidence introduced as that would take longer.

— shipwreckedcrew (@shipwreckedcrew) April 20, 2021

It won’t get that far. The Sixth Circuit will reverse if the Minn Courts do not. https://t.co/xZQx5PQdWw

— shipwreckedcrew (@shipwreckedcrew) April 20, 2021

OT, but after all, it's about our court system. Notice I didn't say legal system:

Amy Coney Barrett doesn't have time to look at election law cases or abortion cases or gun rights cases but she's got time to take $2 million for a book advance before she's done anything on the court?

— Emerald Robinson ✝️ (@EmeraldRobinson) April 20, 2021

Jason Whitlock says it:

This is what I predicted. Impossibly difficult for a jury given all the media and political focus. A quick return often means guilty but I have been surprised before. https://t.co/E9y6G1beAO

— Brett L. Tolman (@tolmanbrett) April 20, 2021

Briefly Noted: DSA in NV, Money, Jesus

I'm guessing that this is an indication that the Left is also adept at forming the circular firing squad--it's not just a GOPer thing. Not to be outdone by the Dem circus in DC, the Democratic Socialists of America took control over the Dem party in Nevada, and that result seems unpopular with the mainstream knuckleheads:

Entire Staff of Nevada Democratic Party Quit Over New Democrat Socialist Leadership

In the meantime, Thomas Lifson had a campaign finance update yesterday. It appears that the GOP is doing just fine, despite all the corporate donors who threatened to cut off the GOP after the January 6 Event:

George Parry Weighs In On The Floyd Toxicology Report

I'd like to draw attention to this excellent article:

Minnesota v. Derek Chauvin et al: The Prosecution’s Dirty Little Secret

Medical examiner’s memorandum on Floyd’s toxicology report proves cause of death to be drug overdose, not murder.

Many of you may be familiar with Parry, but it bears repeating:

George Parry is a former federal and state prosecutor. From 1978 to 1983 he was Chief of the Police Brutality/Misconduct Unit of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, which investigated and prosecuted use of deadly force by police. He blogs at knowledgeisgood.net and may be reached by email at kignet1@gmail.com.

He actually knows what he's talking about and has a lot of experience in the specific area of police use of force.

In the first part of the article Parry cuts through the chaff and comes to the obvious conclusion. It's worth reading through, once again. Then he concludes by listing the legal issues that arise from the unpardonable hiding of the documents in this case from the public:

It is quite telling that this explosively exculpatory June 1 memorandum was not released by the prosecution until August 25, 2020. All of which prompts these questions: 

First, why did the prosecution wait three months to release this memorandum?

Second, if the prosecution had released this information in a timely fashion, would that have helped to quell the anti-police outrage that has fueled the nationwide orgy of rioting and looting? 

Third, in light of Floyd’s toxicology results and the medical examiner’s assessment that Floyd’s fentanyl overdose caused him to essentially drown in his own bodily fluid, why haven’t the charges against all of the police defendants been dropped? 

The handwriting is on the wall. Through all of the rioting, looting, and burning, the prosecution has kept secret its knowledge that George Floyd died as the result of a self-administered overdose of fentanyl. The Chief Medical Examiner of Hennepin County said as much way back on May 31, 2020. 

But, now that the truth has finally emerged, it’s well past time to call a halt to this illegal and unfounded “murder” case and to let these wrongfully accused men go free.

This has always been nothing other than a politically motivated frame up of innocent police officers who were doing their jobs to the best of their ability. What it all says about America--about the Left and their complicit media enablers--at this juncture is deeply troubling.

UPDATED: George Floyd Died Of A Drug Overdose

Most of us have known that since, well, since the death occurred. It's now pretty much official, now that previously undisclosed documents have been made available. Via Big League Politics (go there to see the image of the original):

Previously unseen documents released by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office on Tuesday reveal that a medical examiner who analyzed samples of George Floyd’s blood taken shortly after his death concluded that he died of a drug overdose. 

A summary of a conversation between Amy Sweasy, a Hennepin County Attorney, and Dr. Andrew Baker, the chief medical examiner for the county, reveals that the former would conclude George Floyd died of a drug overdose if there were no other contributing factors. 

The medical examiner makes the conclusion of an overdose death on the basis of blood samples collected from George Floyd at a Minneapolis hospital. 

Dr. Baker reveals that Floyd’s blood tested positive for the presence of 4ANPP, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and norfentayl. He described the level of fentanyl found in George Floyd’s bloodstream as a “fatal level under normal circumstances.” 

This revelation could potentially have significant implications for the upcoming second-degree murder trial of Derek Chauvin, and the criminal proceedings of the other Minneapolis Police Officers facing charges for their role in the infamous arrest of Floyd. 

Bodycam footage of Floyd’s arrest show the 46-year old man acting in a seemingly delirious and excited manner, resisting arrest before being pinned to the street by Derek Chauvin.

I believe it's quite possible Floyd thought he was using heroin, but he had been given cheaper but far more powerful fentanyl. Whatever.

BTW, within the past week I read an article about Covid that explained that we--meaning, medical personnel--now have a far better understanding of how to treat Covid. Among other things mentioned in the article was that we now understand that Covid patients having trouble breathing should be placed on their stomachs, as that position allows them more easily to use their lungs to the full extent possible.

With that in mind, recall what Derek Chauvin said to the young cop who said he was worried that Floyd was undergoing excited delerium. Chauvin responded: That's why we have him on his stomach. Oh! Seems Chauvin knew exactly what he was doing in restraining Floyd on his stomach when Floyd claimed to have trouble breathing.

UPDATE: It's beginning to appear increasingly clear that the Hennepin County Medical Examiner succumbed to political pressure:

UPDATED: The George Floyd Body Cam Transcript

I've been busy with a variety of things recently, so haven't had as much time for the blog as I would ordinarily have. One thing I have done was, yesterday, I read the body cam transcript that details the arrest and subsequent death of George Floyd. You can find the entire transcript here.

The body cam in question was worn by J. Alexander Kueng, who was the black officer involved. Everything in the transcript confirms what we discussed here weeks before: Floyd's non-compliance, the police recognition that Floyd was seriously impaired, the call for an ambulance, etc. There will be no surprises for you as you read the transcript but, by the same token, you'll be left without any doubt as to why this transcript wasn't released earlier. It's very clear from all available evidence that Floyd ODed on fentanyl and was not killed by anything the police did or did not do.

For a good running commentary on the early part of the transcript, see Larry C. Johnson's coverage: Body Cam Transcript Tells a Different Story on the Death of George Floyd.

All of the above was very obviously known to the Dem authorities and anyone who did any remotely serious inquiry into this incident. Instead, they used a false narrative to try to throw the whole country up for grabs for a malign Leftist political purpose.

Conservatives who went along with this, even referring to Floyd's supposed 'murder' or 'killing' by police should be ashamed.

UPDATE: To his very great credit, President Trump has refused Minnesota's Dem Governor's request for aid. I quote Don Surber:

Now the Democrat governor wants taxpayers in 49 other states to pay for the damage by his fellow Democrats. 

Hahaha. 

President Donald John Trump told him no. 

The Star-Tribune just reported, "The federal government has denied Gov. Tim Walz’s request for aid to help rebuild and repair Twin Cities structures that were damaged in the unrest following George Floyd’s death. 

"Walz asked President Donald Trump to declare a “major disaster” for the state of Minnesota in his request to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on July 2. More than 1,500 buildings were damaged by fires, looting and vandalism in the days of unrest that followed Floyd’s May 25 death in Minneapolis police custody, racking up more than $500 million in damages, according to Walz." 

It was not unrest. It was organized chaos. 

Organized. Dem sanctioned. Earlier in the week Minnesota LE officials stated that it could have been contained or mitigated. Public safety was way down on the list of Dem priorities, and now they own it.

Republican Congressman Tom Emmer of Minnesota wrote to the president, "If the federal government is expected to assist in the clean-up of these unfortunate weeks, it has an obligation to every American — prior to the release of funding — to fully understand the events which allowed for this level of destruction to occur and ensure it never happens again."

Recommended Read: Photographs Do Lie

The article is by Maureen Mullarkey, whom I normally read regarding religious commentary:

Why You Shouldn’t Make Up Your Mind About A Shooting From Watching The Video

Just as with Eddie Adams's famous 1968 photo from the Vietnam War, the images of Derek Chauvin and George Floyd only tell us part of the story.

The famous 1968 photo by Eddie Adams is of a South Vietnamese Brigadier General--Nguyễn Ngọc Loan--summarily executing a handcuffed man in civilian clothes. Mullarkey discusses both photos and concludes:

Leave the last word to Adams who grew to admire the man he had photographed, ultimately to his detriment in the post-war years. He eulogized Loan at his death in Burke, Virginia, in 1998, adding: “Still photographs are the most powerful weapon in the world. People believe them, but photographs do lie, even without manipulation. They are only half-truths.”

If you follow one of the links in the article you'll also read this:

Adams said Wednesday that Gen. Loan's actions were misinterpreted because of the picture.

"The guy was a hero. America should be crying," said Adams, now a freelance photographer. "I just hate to see him go this way, without people knowing anything about him."

Worthwhile read.

The Truth About George Floyd's Encounter With The Police

I don't publish long excerpts from other sources without good reason. In this case the reason should be obvious--there has so much misinformation, disinformation, and outright falsehoods propagated regarding the conduct of Minneapolis PD officer Derek Chauvin that the interests of getting the truth out require a wide republication of this article (below). What this article demonstrates is that, not only did Chauvin NOT commit murder but that all his actions were taken and were justifiable in the interest of actually saving Floyd's life.

Beyond that important point, the article demonstrates the way in which the police are placed in an impossible position precisely because the citizens who demands that they fulfill such a difficult function also fail to educate themselves regarding the realities of police work. This allows the police to become pawns in the hands of political radicals when a claim of brutality is made because the informed opinion and forthright defense that is required is lacking.

The portions that I have omitted largely have to do with police deparment policy. The author makes most of the points that I have previously tried to make here, but with greater detail. He unfortunately indulges in a bit of the usual attempts to placate the mob, with bows to PC opinion. For that reason I've done some editing.

The anecdotal remarks made at Reddit by EMS personnel are, IMO, particularly revealing.

UPDATED: Polling On Use Of Force Against Rioters

Guy Benson at Townhall has an enlightening article regarding two recent polls on public attitudes toward the use of force by police during the recent riots. I offer this for comparison with recent polls that show Trump trailing. I simply find it very difficult to reconcile the results of these two use-of-force polls with the notion that Americans think Biden and the Dems would deal with civic violence more effectively. So, here's the link for the full article: WaPo Poll: Three Times As Many Americans Say Police Used Too Little Force to Stop Rioters, Versus Too Much Force.

Now, Benson buys into the idea that there's been a big shift in public opinion, indicating that many believe police use excessive force against African Americans (57% of Americans, 49% of whites). My own view is that those polling results reflect a number of factors. One is the reluctance of many Americans to avoid expressing opinions on controversial matters--or to state what they believe is the safe view. Another factor is the effect of the disinformation fed to the public. Most people have seen pictures of Floyd with a white cop's knee against his neck and believe that Chauvin killed, or even murdered, Floyd--despite the fact that the medical examiner's report shows that to be a false view. Far fewer, in my belief, have any particular knowledge of the actual details of what went down--drug use, the call to the paramedics, the autopsy report, etc. There's plenty of time before the election for the public to become more informed and to feed that into what happened.

UPDATE: Not to put too fine a point on it, I believe that when people realize that they've been had once again, that the George Floyd event is most likely something in the nature of the Trayvon Martin event, that realization will add to the backlash against the Left's violence and general craziness. The voting public will not see the Dems as the party that is likely to restore order, but--coupled with the Russia Hoax--the party of hoaxes designed to sow division.

Now here's the meat of what was found. As you'll see, despite sympathy for Floyd--likely based on disinformation--Americans are very unhappy with what followed:

UPDATED: Instructive: Chicago Officials Recorded Discussing Riots

Chicago's PBS radio affiliate, WTTW, has obtained a recording of a conference call involving the mayor and all fifty aldermen. They are sharing their experiences of the "peaceful protests". Their attitudes are pretty much what you'd expect, although not so much like what you hear in public:

The recording begins with Ald. Michelle Harris (8th Ward) wondering how she could convince businesses like Walmart and CVS to rebuild on the South Side [Black] after the destruction. 

“It’s like, what are we going to have left in our community?” Harris asks her colleagues before answering herself. “Nothing.”

The Chicago City Council’s Black Caucus criticized Lightfoot’s decision to use 375 members of the Illinois National Guard to block off the Loop and the central business district starting Sunday morning, making business corridors on the South and West sides [Black] an “easy target” for looters and criminals because they “did not have the same level of protection.” 

“I feel like I am at ground zero,” Harris responded. “My major business district is shattered. Why would Walmart or CVS come back to our communities?”

Ald. Emma Mitts (37th) said her West Side [Black] ward was like “the wild, wild west out there.”

As everyone knows, the first places targeted were any stores with a pharmacy section. Yeah, like the looters didn't know about George Floyd's troubles?

UPDATED: Terrific: The Night Of The Generals

Lately everyone is looking for historical parallels for America's continuing crisis--French Revolution, Russian Revolution, etc. Commenter aNanyMouse has drawn attention to a question posed today by Audacious Epigone (more on the rest of his blog post, Hard Left: Police Have It Coming, later):

Many young leftists are in a revolutionary mood. 

Will America get their revolution, her own Sulla, or end the hate and separate?

AE's question is provocative and well worth considering in depth. To put things in context, consider who Sulla was. Sulla was a Roman general who intervened in Rome's civil strife and sided with the Power Elite (the Senatorial class, the Optimates) against the Populists (the Populares).

Sulla, was a Roman general and statesman who won the first large-scale civil war in Roman history and became the first man of the Republic to seize power through force. 

He ... crushed the Populares and ... then revived the office of dictator, .... He used his powers to purge his opponents, and reform Roman constitutional laws, in order to restore the primacy of the Senate [the Power Elite] and limit the power of the tribunes of the plebs [We the people]. ... 

Sulla's military coup ... permanently destabilized the Roman power structure. 

Related issues are raised--in spades--by Christopher Roach in a terrific article at American Greatness:

Night of the Generals

The unelected parts of the government, including the military, are revolting against the electoral control by the people enshrined in the Constitution.

Obviously Roach is taking our generals to task--Mattis, Kelly, McMaster, Milley, Mullen. But Roach goes further and identifies our generals--like Sulla--as acting (for now, because power corrupts) in the interests of our modern Power Elite. And he identifies that Power Elite, as well.

The article itself is lengthy, so I'll just give you a flavor. In what follows I've selected passages plucked out of their proper context but arranged to hopefully provide a coherent argument. Please read the entire original:

Ah, I Was Waiting For This ...

When my wife turned on the radio to listen to the news on Sunday morning she heard CBS reporting that "thousands" of protestors had turned up in DC on Saturday. What? "Thousands?" Not "a million" as predicted? Not "hundreds of thousands?" Not "tens of thousands?" I'm seeing unconfirmed reports that it was "barely ten thousand" (quoted by Don Surber). I'd been waiting for that news. Could the Democrats really muster only those few people in DC, of all place--possibly the Bluest place in America? What does this tell us?

Have you noticed how many people--liberal and conservative alike--have been referring to "the murder of George Floyd"? Not to his "suspected" or "alleged" murder--which, in view of much of the evidence, would be rather more accurate. Rush to judgment anyone? Two track system of justice?

If you owned a store or a business--anything from a mom and pop business to a Walmart to a corporate office block--would you continue to do business in a city that defunded and/or dismantled the police force? If you ran an insurance company, would you continue to insure such businesses? Not just hike their rates--would you refuse to insure those businesses in areas where there was no police protection, or where it had been seriously curtailed?

How would you feel as a parent about sending your kid to a public school in such a locality? Or as a teacher, would you want to teach in a school where the seating chart had to take into account rival gang affiliations--P Stone Nation v. Latin Kings, perhaps--or rival ethnicities--Hmong v. Somali? With no police protection.

As disgraced former FBI Director Jim Comey would say: So many questions.

And you can bet Americans will be asking those questions and more from now until election day in November.

Here's Alisyn Camerota interviewing Lisa Bender, President of the Minneapolis City Council. I can see this--and so many more similar sound bites--featuring in Trump campaign ads:

CAMEROTA: "What if in the middle of the night my home is broken into. Who do I call?"

BENDER: "Yes, I hear that loud and clear from a lot of my neighbors. And I know — and myself, too, and I know that that comes from a place of privilege."

CAMEROTA: "What if in the middle of the night my home is broken into. Who do I call?"

BENDER: "Yes, I hear that loud and clear from a lot of my neighbors. And I know — and myself, too, and I know that that comes from a place of privilege." pic.twitter.com/WhubQ9yJIf

— Eddie Zipperer (@EddieZipperer) June 8, 2020

UPDATED: Highly Recommended: Larry Johnson On Floyd's Death

Larry Johnson has a really good guest article at TGP: Death of George Floyd in Minneapolis is a Result of Approved Minneapolis Police Training. As not infrequently happens, the title of an article may not fully communicate the true import of the piece. That's the case here. Johnson covers a lot of ground, including Floyd's toxicological condition as well as the operative Minneapolis PD regulations on "neck restraints." I've selected some excerpts that include a brief passage that in my opinion communicates very clearly what was most likely going on in Floyd's encounter with the police. This will surely be coming out at any trial. The only reason we haven't heard some of these things already is because the Fake News Media doesn't want us to know.

So.

First, be aware that throughout Johnson appears to be assuming that Officer Chauvin's use of a "neck restraint" was applied in order to subdue Floyd. I'm going to argue that that's not exactly the case. More precisely, I argue that the restraint was applied to Floyd to immobilize him for his own safety while the police waited for the paramedics to arrive.

Second, I highly recommend that you follow the link below re "Speedballing." It will give you a very clear idea of Floyd's likely condition. Again, bear in mind that Floyd had in his body 4x the amount of Fentanyl known to cause death. In addition to the Meth and other stuff.

We turn to Johnson:

Food For Thought: Excited Delerium

We're now starting to see the real agenda behind the riots, and it looks like a typical Soros agenda. We've seen how his DAs, those who were elected with his money, have been releasing all arrested looters and rioters, now the call is: Defund the police. In MN, they're calling for a "dismantling" of the police. Uh huh. What could go wrong? Everything--and that's what the Left wants. Create another crisis, one that they won't allow to go to waste.

With that backdrop, an interesting article:

Minneapolis Disaster: Fentanyl, Methamphetamine & Excited Delirium

The Case Against Officer Derek Chauvin Is Anything But Solid

I obviously can't say I know what happened, but there are real questions. For example, my first question was: Why the wait, with Floyd on the ground? My first assumption was: They must have been waiting for alternate transport. Now it appears they were ... waiting for paramedics to arrive. Paramedics whom they called at an early stage of the encounter. But we can't know the timing for that because, oh, the body cam footage hasn't been released. But the presence of two dangerous drugs in combination in Floyd's system was a red flag.

We'll see how this all plays out, but ... Right now it seems the greatest danger to the public is not from police but from politicians who use and abuse the police to further highly suspect agendas.

=========================

The death of George Floyd after an interaction with the Minneapolis Police Department has rocked the world and while everyone reading this believes that an officer that put his knee in the back of Floyd’s neck for close to nine minutes was the cause of death, the facts and evidence are anything but that.

...

But what we know at this time gives us reason to believe that the criminal case is weak at best and there are several reasons for that.

From the charging documents on Officer Derek Chauvin we hear, for the first time the issue of excited delirium.

We know Chauvin was concerned about it and that was the reason Floyd was subdued. We will know more when the body camera footage is released but oddly, that has not been done. Frankly, it makes us wonder what the footage shows and whether it supports the evidence of excited delirium.

The Western Journal of Emergency Medicine says that

“Excited delirium is characterized by agitation, aggression, acute distress and sudden death, often in the pre-hospital care setting. It is typically associated with the use of drugs. Subjects typically die from a heart attack and the majority of the patients die before hospital arrival.”

“All accounts describe almost the exact same sequence of events: delirium with agitation (fear, panic, shouting, violence and hyperactivity), sudden cessation of struggle, respiratory arrest and death.”

Once again, the body camera footage showing the initial encounter, discussions among officers and the call to paramedics about the issue of excited delirium will be a major factor in this case.