This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis. It was originally published at The Conversation.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1460513
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1460513
Gee, whatever could the citizens of Atlanta possibly have to worry about, what with prosecutors clearly itching to break the law and send innocent people to prison to protect a massive paramilitary complex filled with halfwit, angry racist cops set loose with enough firepower to invade a small country? I mean, American Fascism has to be protected from the people somehow, right?
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Compare the treatment of these three nonprofit paper pushers vs the leader of an actual insurrection to overthrow the government using violence and fraud. These three were arrested by swat teams, at gun point, perp walked, mug shot, and held for two days on trumped up charges.
While Trump will be (imminently) (most possibly) charged, but allowed to negotiate the terms of his arrest, arrive by motorcade, not be photographed, and then be released without bond and without travel restrictions. He’ll hold a fundraising rally that evening and blast the DOJ, and the entire atlanta police force, as a bunch of racist losers.
Everything is totally FINE in Georgia.
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You left out the part where the “law-and-order” racist fuckwits in the state legislature are desperately trying to kneecap an uppity black female prosecutor in Atlanta so they can protect a fat orange dictator.
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I hope TPM keeps up with this story. Sounds outrageous to me, and I want to know the outcome for these three activists.
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Damn! If there are any organizations who need to be arrested for money laundering and such…why don’t they start with the rightwing churches??
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I have no idea if the board members who were arrested were diverting funds or whatever else the authorities are claiming. The article certainly makes it sound like the claims are ill-founded. But it’s too early in the process, and I have too little information to form anything other than a knee-jerk opinion.
That said, the description of the process involved so far – a SWAT team for this? – looks very bad. Unless they had some sort of solid tip-off, the fact that they went digging through these people’s garbage certainly makes it look like this was targeted policing aimed at political enemies.
I hope there is a federal investigation – and soon – to answer some of these questions.
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Thanks for thos story. First I’ve heard of this.
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It is entirely predictable that the GOP, which has been taken over by extremists, would try to criminalize as “extremist” a perfectly legitimate issue-oriented organization.
Trying to violently overthrow the government is mere peaceful tourism, whereas organizing against police brutality is by definition subversive (although it’s interesting that the Deputy AG thinks even being “anti-establishment” is by definition criminal).
Also noteworthy that the feds have never to my knowledge used RICO against the J6 criminals or any other right-wing extremist groups. But of course these despotic little semi-fascist state governments do not hesitate, because they are very difficult to defend against.
I’m sure the mainstream media will use this as an opportunity to engage in bothsiderism – “see, they’re going after left-wing extremists, who are EXACTLY like the people who murder synagogue congregations and attack the Capitol.”
ADDENDUM: I now wonder whether the feds will ever get around to applying RICO to Trump’s fundraising off overturning the election or his indictment. The RICO process of “arresting” the money would seem to be ideal in the circumstances.
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You’re projecting negativity in the response from MSM which hasn’t happened. If it does, we can talk about it then.
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It’s pretty frustrating that none of the people blatantly corrupting the criminal justice process will themselves hear the slam of the jailhouse door. This is outrageous and I hope you will continue reporting on this.
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Interesting choice of charges for the GBI to use, isn’t it. Wonder where they got the idea to use that?
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Cop City is such a horrifying escalation of the militarization of the police in the United States. Why is the federal government still offering surplus equipment to local jurisdictions? It’s insane.
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Georgia Law. The old powers are showing their faces left amd right these days. Oh, how hard they are having to work to keep the scam going.
Wait til you find out the grandsons of the Klan now operate for-profit jails to incarcerate blacks at will, work them for less than it cost to feed them in the days of slavery, then send a fat bill to the Northern Oppressor to feed them meatloaf while serving them pig feet.
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Immediately post-indictment, the Washington Post wrote a headline on a feature (not an opinion piece) saying that Trump’s indictment was a potential threat to Biden’s credibility, and the NYT used the headline that Trump’s indictment meant the justice system was on trial.
So it’s not projection, it’s detection of a pattern.
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Those snakehandlin’ bastions of the silk suit industry are on tape breaking the law, every weekend. It is no wonder the GOP don’t want the IRS funded.
I have it on good authority that evangelicals have a free pass at the IRS. All IRS letters to go directly to the pastor.
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Damned mainstream media, they just keep on reporting and we just keep on reading and flipping out over it. But here’s a rebuttal to its reporting worth reading.
No, the justice system is not on trial. Trump is. Period. Why do hack pundits keep validating his obvious attempts to discredit the justice system working the way it’s supposed to?
What we’re seeing from the justice side is the system working exactly as it’s supposed to, and what we’re seeing from the other side is an attempt to discredit it because it’s literally his only way out of this.
But our legal system is in no way on trial.
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Off-topic, but with all the outrageous clams by Republicans, their misuse of agencies, and their baseless claims (Biden’s bribe) that they then back away from when smacked in the face with reality (i.e., get called out on their fabrications, and no, that is not politics), here is another link to an article undercutting their phony arguments:
It’s lengthy, but worth the read in my estimation.
Follow that with this read:
And this link might be of additional interest to those wanting to see what else is happening in Georgia:
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tRump™’s Fed indictment involved:
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No SWAT team
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No handcuffs
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No perp walk
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No mugshot
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No fingerprinting
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No courtroom photos nor video
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No pre-trial incarceration
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No travel restrictions - domestic or foreign
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No ban on running for president
Woah Nelly! That shor ain’t your grandaddy’s Witch Hunt!
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Cruelty is the whole point and not just with immigrants either…
It’s hard as a resident of a very hot climate to imagine (southern Arizona’s temp today is 102F) that a state government would deny workers something as simple as water on a hot humid day.
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