thetennesseestar--2020-06-09--Avenatti Might Have Violated Terms of Release Again, Prosecutors Say

Attorney Michael Avenatti might have violated terms of his temporary release from jail again , prosecutors said .
Prosecutors with the U.S. attorney ’ s office for the Central District of California said in a filing made Sunday that Avenatti , who represented porn star Stormy Daniels , might have used his friend ’ s computer to write and file five different documents , according to CNN .
The computer belongs to Avenatti ’ s friend Jay Manheimer , CNN reported .
Avenatti was released from prison into Manheimer ’ s home for 90 days home confinement to protect him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Part of the terms of Avenatti ’ s release forbade him from using computers or devices connected to the internet , according to CNN .
Avenatti may be sent back to jail if he is found to be in violation of the terms of his release .
Metadata associated with the court filings indicates that Manheimer was the “ author ” of the documents .
Avenatti had told a judge recently that he needed to use a computer to prepare for trial , prosecutors said , according to CNN .
“ The government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conditions of his temporary release by using his third-party custodian Jay Manheimer ’ s internet-accessible computer to draft his last five filings in this case , ” prosecutors wrote in the filing .
“ At a minimum , defendant and his counsel have not been candid with this Court.
” They added : “ The government therefore requests that the Court hold a hearing to further inquire as to whether defendant has violated the conditions of his temporary release and provide the parties with an opportunity to address the appropriate remedy , if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commit such violations.
” Avenatti was also arrested in January while attending a California state bar disciplinary hearing for a separate legal matter following allegations that he violated terms set for his pre-trial release .

by Mary Margaret Olohan
Attorney Michael Avenatti might have violated terms of his temporary release from jail again, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors with the U.S. attorney’s office for the Central District of California said in a filing made Sunday that Avenatti, who represented porn star Stormy Daniels, might have used his friend’s computer to write and file five different documents, according to CNN.
The computer belongs to Avenatti’s friend Jay Manheimer, CNN reported. Avenatti was released from prison into Manheimer’s home for 90 days home confinement to protect him from potential coronavirus dangers in prison.
Part of the terms of Avenatti’s release forbade him from using computers or devices connected to the internet, according to CNN. Avenatti may be sent back to jail if he is found to be in violation of the terms of his release.
Metadata associated with the court filings indicates that Manheimer was the “author” of the documents. Avenatti had told a judge recently that he needed to use a computer to prepare for trial, prosecutors said, according to CNN.
“The government believes that defendant has likely violated the conditions of his temporary release by using his third-party custodian Jay Manheimer’s internet-accessible computer to draft his last five filings in this case,” prosecutors wrote in the filing. “At a minimum, defendant and his counsel have not been candid with this Court.”
They added: “The government therefore requests that the Court hold a hearing to further inquire as to whether defendant has violated the conditions of his temporary release and provide the parties with an opportunity to address the appropriate remedy, if any, if defendant did in fact commit such violations.”
Avenatti was also arrested in January while attending a California state bar disciplinary hearing for a separate legal matter following allegations that he violated terms set for his pre-trial release.
– – –
Mary Margaret Olohan is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.


thetennesseestar--2020-06-09--Increased COVID-19 Testing in Nashville Results in More Confirmed Cases, but Percentage Positive Rem

Increased COVID-19 Testing in Nashville Results in More Confirmed Cases, but Percentage Positive Remains at Nine Percent

Davidson County has had an increase in COVID-19 cases as a result of increased testing .
This , according to Metro Public Health Department spokesman Brian Todd .
“ I checked with our epidemiologist and was told we have seen a steady increase in testing in Davidson County since mid-April , ” Todd told The Tennessee Star in an email Monday .
“ At the same time , our attack rate has hovered between 9 and 10 percent .
Therefore , we have indeed observed an increase in cases as a result of increased testing.
” Todd provided a list @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 7 .
According to those numbers , there were a total of 7,171 tests conducted in Davidson County .
And 3,094 of those tests were conducted at the three Community Assessment Centers .
But other tests may have come from Vanderbilt walk-in clinics or other health care providers , Todd said .
“ We do not have all the test results back from Thursday and Friday of last week , however , of the ones we have back , between the percentage ranges from 9.2 – 9.4 percent are positive , ” Todd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Alex Jahangir said at a press conference Monday that the county ’ s 14-day average concerns him .
“ That is why we continue to pause until we enter Phase Three and see what happens over the next few days , ” Jahangir said .
“ This doesn ’ t mean that we are regressing .
It doesn ’ t mean that we are going back to Phase One .
It just means we are staying at status quo for just a little bit longer.
” As The Star reported , Cooper announced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Phase Two of a four-phased plan to reopen the city ’ s economy after COVID-19 .
In Phase Three businesses and restaurants will go to full capacity .
In addition , bars and entertainment venues will open at half capacity .
Gyms and fitness facilities will open .
Other gatherings will be limited to 100 , again with adherence to strict physical distancing protocols .
In Phase Four , bars and entertainment venues will be at full capacity , and sport venues will open with adherence to physical distancing protocols and best @ @ @ @ @ @ @ journalist at The Tennessee Star .
Follow Chris on Facebook .
Email tips to [ email protected ]

Davidson County has had an increase in COVID-19 cases as a result of increased testing.
This, according to Metro Public Health Department spokesman Brian Todd.
“I checked with our epidemiologist and was told we have seen a steady increase in testing in Davidson County since mid-April,” Todd told The Tennessee Star in an email Monday.
“At the same time, our attack rate has hovered between 9 and 10 percent. Therefore, we have indeed observed an increase in cases as a result of increased testing.”
Todd provided a list of numbers for May 31 through June 7. According to those numbers, there were a total of 7,171 tests conducted in Davidson County. And 3,094 of those tests were conducted at the three Community Assessment Centers. But other tests may have come from Vanderbilt walk-in clinics or other health care providers, Todd said.
“We do not have all the test results back from Thursday and Friday of last week, however, of the ones we have back, between the percentage ranges from 9.2 – 9.4 percent are positive,” Todd said.
Metro Coronavirus Task Force Chair Alex Jahangir said at a press conference Monday that the county’s 14-day average concerns him.
“That is why we continue to pause until we enter Phase Three and see what happens over the next few days,” Jahangir said.
“This doesn’t mean that we are regressing. It doesn’t mean that we are going back to Phase One. It just means we are staying at status quo for just a little bit longer.”
As The Star reported, Cooper announced in late May that Nashville would move to Phase Two of a four-phased plan to reopen the city’s economy after COVID-19.
In Phase Three businesses and restaurants will go to full capacity. In addition, bars and entertainment venues will open at half capacity. Gyms and fitness facilities will open. Other gatherings will be limited to 100, again with adherence to strict physical distancing protocols.
In Phase Four, bars and entertainment venues will be at full capacity, and sport venues will open with adherence to physical distancing protocols and best practices.
– – –
Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected]


thetennesseestar--2020-06-09--Bill Hagerty Says He Stands with Law Enforcement Officers

U.S. Senate candidate Bill Hagerty said Monday that he will continue to support law enforcement officials and their full funding .
This , after Minneapolis officials pledged to dismantle their police department .
“ Our law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every single day to keep our communities safe .
They are the only thing standing between anarchy and law and order , ” Hagerty said in a press release on his campaign ’ s website .
“ Over the past couple of weeks , we have seen criminals and anarchists hijack First Amendment protests with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and defunding our police departments will throw our country into chaos .
This is the wrong message to send .
In a meeting with a group of Tennessee law enforcement leaders today , none of them defended the behavior of the Minneapolis police officers that have been charged .
They want to see justice done , as do I .
But the dismantling and defunding of law enforcement in America is not the solution .
As your next Senator , I will work to uphold the rule of law , stop ANTIFA , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ support for our law enforcement officers.
” Hagerty wants to replace the retiring U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander ( R-TN ) .
As The Tennessee Star reported last week , members of the coalition that campaigned for Nashvillians to create the Metro Community Oversight Board compared the idea of defunding police to history ’ s greatest civil rights accomplishments .
Also , as reported , last week , Hagerty encouraged U.S. President Donald Trump to use the Insurrection Act to mobilize active-duty military forces to defend communities from acts of domestic terrorism .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nationwide , and Nashville was no exception .
Nashville activists held a rally late last month honoring George Floyd , who died in Minneapolis while in police custody .
Many protestors , as reported , carried signs demanding that the government either defund or abolish the police .
The crowd , composed of whites and blacks , chanted “ Black Lives Matter ” and “ No Justice , No Peace ” many times over .
Left-wing activist Justin Jones spoke .
Jones , as The Star previously reported , has had prior run-ins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was for an alleged assault on then-Speaker of the House Glen Casada .
“ Mayor , are you still here ?
” Jones asked .
“ Will you commit to demilitarize the police department and defund the police department ?
Raise your hand if you support defunding the police department ?
’ ” Jones told the crowd that he “ did not see the mayor raise his hand.
” Jones later told the crowd of thousands that “ you don ’ t just vote out your oppressor .
You overthrow them.
” Chris @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tennessee Star .
Follow Chris on Facebook .
Email tips to [ email protected ]

U.S. Senate candidate Bill Hagerty said Monday that he will continue to support law enforcement officials and their full funding.
This, after Minneapolis officials pledged to dismantle their police department.
“Our law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every single day to keep our communities safe. They are the only thing standing between anarchy and law and order,” Hagerty said in a press release on his campaign’s website.
“Over the past couple of weeks, we have seen criminals and anarchists hijack First Amendment protests with a campaign for violence and crime. Dismantling and defunding our police departments will throw our country into chaos. This is the wrong message to send. In a meeting with a group of Tennessee law enforcement leaders today, none of them defended the behavior of the Minneapolis police officers that have been charged. They want to see justice done, as do I. But the dismantling and defunding of law enforcement in America is not the solution. As your next Senator, I will work to uphold the rule of law, stop ANTIFA, and fight to secure appropriate funding and support for our law enforcement officers.”
Hagerty wants to replace the retiring U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN).
As The Tennessee Star reported last week, members of the coalition that campaigned for Nashvillians to create the Metro Community Oversight Board compared the idea of defunding police to history’s greatest civil rights accomplishments.
Also, as reported, last week, Hagerty encouraged U.S. President Donald Trump to use the Insurrection Act to mobilize active-duty military forces to defend communities from acts of domestic terrorism. This, as riots were happening in cities nationwide, and Nashville was no exception.
Nashville activists held a rally late last month honoring George Floyd, who died in Minneapolis while in police custody. Many protestors, as reported, carried signs demanding that the government either defund or abolish the police. The crowd, composed of whites and blacks, chanted “Black Lives Matter” and “No Justice, No Peace” many times over.
Left-wing activist Justin Jones spoke. Jones, as The Star previously reported, has had prior run-ins with law enforcement, one of which was for an alleged assault on then-Speaker of the House Glen Casada.
Jones, during that rally, asked Cooper a question.
“Mayor, are you still here?” Jones asked.
“Will you commit to demilitarize the police department and defund the police department? Raise your hand if you support defunding the police department?’”
Jones told the crowd that he “did not see the mayor raise his hand.”
Jones later told the crowd of thousands that “you don’t just vote out your oppressor. You overthrow them.”
– – –
Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected]


thetennesseestar--2020-06-09--Nashville Police Will Soon Have Body Cameras

Nashville Mayor John Cooper announced Monday that the city police will soon have body-worn cameras and car cameras after city officials negotiated a far more favorable agreement with vendors than they previously had .
City officials previously said that Nashville taxpayers would have to pay $ 40 million in the first year for these type of cameras .
They also said that the District Attorney ’ s Office and the Public Defender ’ s Office would hire more than 200 new full-time employees to accommodate this new technology .
“ This coincided with the biggest budget challenge in our city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immediately engaged with the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance to help Nashville develop a cost-effective approach to camera deployment that reflected national best practices , ” Cooper said at a press conference Monday .
“ We have also renegotiated dramatically more favorable agreements with our vendors .
Over the course of five months of discussions , management decisions within Metro have streamlined workflows to reduce the estimated cost of body worn cameras from approximately $ 40 million to just $ 2.1 million in Fiscal Year 2021.
” Cooper said management reduced staffing requirements @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 16 additional staff .
The operating expenses from this deployment will come from the Public Health and Safety Contingency Fund for the Metro Nashville Police Department in the mayor ’ s proposed Fiscal Year 20-21 budget , Cooper said .
“ Our negotiations with Motorola have resulted in an agreement that payments will be deferred until Fiscal Year 2023 , ” Cooper said .
Deployment , Cooper added , will begin in July at the city ’ s West Precinct , which is the only precinct currently with the IT infrastructure in place @ @ @ @ @ @ @ press conference , At-Large Council Member Sharon Hurt , who is on the Metro Council ’ s Minority Caucus , called the deployment of body-worn cameras “ a milestone for policing reform.
” “ The people of Nashville have spoken .
Our black community has shown up and made their voices heard .
It is time to take care of the people , especially those who have been marginalized and victimized over a long , tragic history of systemic racism , ” Hurt said at Monday ’ s press conference .
“ An @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any Nashvillian should worry about having to survive .
But the reality is black Nashvillians often fear for their lives when simply going about their lives performing mundane , everyday tasks.
” Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star .
Follow Chris on Facebook .
Email tips to [ email protected ] Photo “ Mayor Cooper Addresses the Metro Nashville Police Department ” by MNPD .

Nashville Mayor John Cooper announced Monday that the city police will soon have body-worn cameras and car cameras after city officials negotiated a far more favorable agreement with vendors than they previously had.
City officials previously said that Nashville taxpayers would have to pay $40 million in the first year for these type of cameras. They also said that the District Attorney’s Office and the Public Defender’s Office would hire more than 200 new full-time employees to accommodate this new technology.
“This coincided with the biggest budget challenge in our city’s history. We responded and immediately engaged with the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance to help Nashville develop a cost-effective approach to camera deployment that reflected national best practices,” Cooper said at a press conference Monday.
“We have also renegotiated dramatically more favorable agreements with our vendors. Over the course of five months of discussions, management decisions within Metro have streamlined workflows to reduce the estimated cost of body worn cameras from approximately $40 million to just $2.1 million in Fiscal Year 2021.”
Cooper said management reduced staffing requirements from an estimated 200 new staff to 16 additional staff. The operating expenses from this deployment will come from the Public Health and Safety Contingency Fund for the Metro Nashville Police Department in the mayor’s proposed Fiscal Year 20-21 budget, Cooper said.
“Our negotiations with Motorola have resulted in an agreement that payments will be deferred until Fiscal Year 2023,” Cooper said.
Deployment, Cooper added, will begin in July at the city’s West Precinct, which is the only precinct currently with the IT infrastructure in place to support full deployment.
At the press conference, At-Large Council Member Sharon Hurt, who is on the Metro Council’s Minority Caucus, called the deployment of body-worn cameras “a milestone for policing reform.”
“The people of Nashville have spoken. Our black community has shown up and made their voices heard. It is time to take care of the people, especially those who have been marginalized and victimized over a long, tragic history of systemic racism,” Hurt said at Monday’s press conference.
“An encounter with law enforcement is not something any Nashvillian should worry about having to survive. But the reality is black Nashvillians often fear for their lives when simply going about their lives performing mundane, everyday tasks.”
– – –
Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected]
Photo “Mayor Cooper Addresses the Metro Nashville Police Department” by MNPD.


thetennesseestar--2020-06-09--Democrats Bow to Progressives, Propose Sweeping Police Overhaul Measures

WASHINGTON , D. C. ( AP ) — Democrats proposed a far-reaching overhaul of police procedures and accountability Monday , a sweeping legislative response to the mass protests denouncing the deaths of black Americans in the hands of law enforcement .
The political outlook is deeply uncertain for the legislation in a polarized election year .
President Donald Trump is staking out a tough “ law and order ” approach in the face of the outpouring of demonstrations and demands to re-imagine policing in America .
“ We can not settle for anything less than transformative structural change , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the nation ’ s history of slavery .
Before unveiling the package , House and Senate Democrats held a moment of silence at the Capitol ’ s Emancipation Hall , reading the names of George Floyd and many others killed during police interactions .
They knelt for 8 minutes and 46 seconds — now a symbol of police brutality and violence — the length of time prosecutors say Floyd was pinned under a white police officer ’ s knee before he died .
Trump , who met with law enforcement officials at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as having “ gone CRAZY !
” As activists call for restructuring police departments and even to “ defund the police , ” the president tweeted , “ LAW & ORDER , NOT DEFUND AND ABOLISH THE POLICE.
” Democratic leaders pushed back , saying their proposal would not eliminate police departments — a decision for cities and states — but establish new oversight .
Joe Biden , the presumed Democratic presidential nominee , “ does not believe that police should be defunded , ” said spokesman Andrew Bates .
The Justice in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police , create a national database of excessive-force incidents and ban police choke holds , among other changes , the most ambitious law enforcement reforms sought by Congress in years .
The legislation would revise the federal criminal police misconduct statute to make it easier to prosecute officers who are involved in misconduct “ knowingly or with reckless disregard.
” The package would also change “ qualified immunity ” protections for police to more broadly enable damage claims in lawsuits .
The legislation would seek to provide greater transparency of police behavior in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would grant subpoena power to the Justice Department to conduct “ pattern and practice ” investigations of potential misconduct and help states conduct independent investigations .
It would ban racial profiling , boost requirements for police body cameras and limit the transfer of military equipment to local jurisdictions .
And it would create a “ National Police Misconduct Registry , ” a database to try to prevent officers from transferring from one department to another with past misconduct undetected , the draft says .
A long-sought federal anti-lynching bill that has stalled in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler , D-N.Y. , a co-author with Rep. Karen Bass , D-Calif. , and Democratic senators , will convene a hearing on the legislation Wednesday .
The legislation confronts several aspects of policing that have come under strong criticism , especially as more and more police violence is captured on cellphone video and shared widely across the nation and the world .
“ The world is witnessing the birth of a new movement in this country , ” said Rep. Bass , chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
She called the proposal “ bold ” and “ transformative.
” While Democrats are expected to swiftly approve the legislation this month , it does not go as far as some activists want .
The outlook for passage in the Republican-held Senate is slim .
Republican campaign officials followed Trump ’ s lead in bashing the effort as extreme .
“ No industry is safe from the Democrats ’ abolish culture , ” said Micahel McAdams , a spokesman for the House Republican campaign committee , in an email blast .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ insurance , then it was capitalism and now it ’ s the police.
” “ This isn ’ t about that , ” Pelosi said .
Congress is not calling for any wholesale defunding of law enforcement , leaving those decisions to local cities and states , Democrats noted .
It is unclear if law enforcement and the powerful police unions will back any of the proposed changes or if congressional Republicans will join the effort .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , whose Louisville hometown faces unrest after the police shooting of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he would take a look at potential legislation .
Republicans are likely to stick with Trump , although McConnell was central to passage of a criminal justice sentencing overhaul and some key GOP senators have similarly expressed interest in changes to policing practices and accountability .
Sen. Lindsey Graham , R-S.C. , chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee , has said his panel intends to hold a hearing to review use of force issues and police practices .
And Sen. Mike Lee , R-Utah , has said he ’ d like to review @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Will Hurd , R-Texas , who marched in support of Floyd in Houston , penned an op-ed Monday about how his own black father instructed him as a teen driver to respond if he was pulled over by the police .
Hurd offered his own proposals for changes in police practices .
What started with the Black Lives Matter movement after the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson , Mo.
, has transformed with the killings of other black Americans into a diverse and mainstream effort calling for changing the way America polices @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I can ’ t breathe ” has become a rallying cry for protesters .
Floyd pleaded with police that he couldn ’ t breathe , echoing the phrase Eric Garner said while in police custody in 2014 before his death in New York .
“ All we ’ ve ever wanted is to be treated equally — not better , not worse , ” said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries , D-N.Y. Biden ’ s former presidential primary rivals , Sen. Cory Booker , D-N.Y. , and Sen. Kamala Harris , D-Calif. , are co-authors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lisa Mascaro is a Congressional Correspondent at The Associated Press .
AP writer Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this report .

WASHINGTON, D. C. (AP) — Democrats proposed a far-reaching overhaul of police procedures and accountability Monday, a sweeping legislative response to the mass protests denouncing the deaths of black Americans in the hands of law enforcement.
The political outlook is deeply uncertain for the legislation in a polarized election year. President Donald Trump is staking out a tough “law and order” approach in the face of the outpouring of demonstrations and demands to re-imagine policing in America.
“We cannot settle for anything less than transformative structural change,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, drawing on the nation’s history of slavery.
Before unveiling the package, House and Senate Democrats held a moment of silence at the Capitol’s Emancipation Hall, reading the names of George Floyd and many others killed during police interactions. They knelt for 8 minutes and 46 seconds — now a symbol of police brutality and violence — the length of time prosecutors say Floyd was pinned under a white police officer’s knee before he died.
Trump, who met with law enforcement officials at the White House, characterized the Democrats as having “gone CRAZY!”
As activists call for restructuring police departments and even to “defund the police,” the president tweeted, “LAW & ORDER, NOT DEFUND AND ABOLISH THE POLICE.”
LAW & ORDER, NOT DEFUND AND ABOLISH THE POLICE. The Radical Left Democrats have gone Crazy! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 8, 2020
Democratic leaders pushed back, saying their proposal would not eliminate police departments — a decision for cities and states — but establish new oversight.
Joe Biden, the presumed Democratic presidential nominee, “does not believe that police should be defunded,” said spokesman Andrew Bates.
The Justice in Policing Act would limit legal protections for police, create a national database of excessive-force incidents and ban police choke holds, among other changes, the most ambitious law enforcement reforms sought by Congress in years.
The legislation would revise the federal criminal police misconduct statute to make it easier to prosecute officers who are involved in misconduct “knowingly or with reckless disregard.”
The package would also change “qualified immunity” protections for police to more broadly enable damage claims in lawsuits.
The legislation would seek to provide greater transparency of police behavior in several ways. For one, it would grant subpoena power to the Justice Department to conduct “pattern and practice” investigations of potential misconduct and help states conduct independent investigations. It would ban racial profiling, boost requirements for police body cameras and limit the transfer of military equipment to local jurisdictions.
And it would create a “National Police Misconduct Registry,” a database to try to prevent officers from transferring from one department to another with past misconduct undetected, the draft says.
A long-sought federal anti-lynching bill that has stalled in Congress is included in the package.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., a co-author with Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., and Democratic senators, will convene a hearing on the legislation Wednesday.
The legislation confronts several aspects of policing that have come under strong criticism, especially as more and more police violence is captured on cellphone video and shared widely across the nation and the world.
“The world is witnessing the birth of a new movement in this country,” said Rep. Bass, chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, which is leading the House effort. She called the proposal “bold” and “transformative.”
While Democrats are expected to swiftly approve the legislation this month, it does not go as far as some activists want. The outlook for passage in the Republican-held Senate is slim.
Republican campaign officials followed Trump’s lead in bashing the effort as extreme.
“No industry is safe from the Democrats’ abolish culture,” said Micahel McAdams, a spokesman for the House Republican campaign committee, in an email blast. “First they wanted to abolish private health insurance, then it was capitalism and now it’s the police.”
Democrats fought back.
“This isn’t about that,” Pelosi said. Congress is not calling for any wholesale defunding of law enforcement, leaving those decisions to local cities and states, Democrats noted.
It is unclear if law enforcement and the powerful police unions will back any of the proposed changes or if congressional Republicans will join the effort.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, whose Louisville hometown faces unrest after the police shooting of Breonna Taylor in her home, said he would take a look at potential legislation.
Republicans are likely to stick with Trump, although McConnell was central to passage of a criminal justice sentencing overhaul and some key GOP senators have similarly expressed interest in changes to policing practices and accountability.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.,chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has said his panel intends to hold a hearing to review use of force issues and police practices. And Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, has said he’d like to review the package coming from Democrats.
Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas, who marched in support of Floyd in Houston, penned an op-ed Monday about how his own black father instructed him as a teen driver to respond if he was pulled over by the police. Hurd offered his own proposals for changes in police practices.
What started with the Black Lives Matter movement after the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., has transformed with the killings of other black Americans into a diverse and mainstream effort calling for changing the way America polices its population, advocates say.
“I can’t breathe” has become a rallying cry for protesters. Floyd pleaded with police that he couldn’t breathe, echoing the phrase Eric Garner said while in police custody in 2014 before his death in New York.
“All we’ve ever wanted is to be treated equally — not better, not worse,” said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.
Biden’s former presidential primary rivals, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.Y., and Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., are co-authors of the package in the Senate.
– – –
Lisa Mascaro is a Congressional Correspondent at The Associated Press. AP writer Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this report.


thetennesseestar--2020-06-09--Commentary: A Very Real Silent Majority Will Re-Elect Trump

Recently , President Trump tweeted two words that succinctly describe the winning coalition that will assure his November reelection : “ SILENT MAJORITY.
” This prompted a considerable amount of fustian mirth from the Twitter mob , a number of ostensibly serious opinion pieces in the corporate media , and contemptuous dismissal by the Democrats .
The consensus was that Trump was indulging a Nixonian fantasy whereby white suburbanites frightened by an increasingly diverse electorate would save his presidency .
This interpretation betrays profound ignorance about the term “ silent majority , ” which never had any racial connotation , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — Democratic incompetence in a time of economic uncertainty and social unrest .
The ongoing riots in cities “ governed ” by supine Democrats , combined with the genuine threat that the violence will metastasize outward to the suburbs , is their most conspicuous fear .
And they want action .
A Morning Consult poll released Tuesday reveals that 71 percent of registered voters support calling in the National Guard to assist the police in quelling the riots , including 67 percent of suburban women .
Likewise , 58 percent of voters support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including 54 percent of suburban women .
In other words , clear majorities support President Trump ’ s intention to deploy U.S. troops if state officials are unable or unwilling to contain the violence .
Moreover , he possesses the power to do so .
As Sen. Tom Cotton ( R-Ark . )
wrote in the New York Times Wednesday morning : This week , rioters have plunged many American cities into anarchy , recalling the widespread violence of the 1960s.… Some governors have mobilized the National Guard , yet others refuse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still outnumber the police and Guard combined .
In these circumstances , the Insurrection Act authorizes the president to employ the military.… This venerable law , nearly as old as our republic itself , doesn ’ t amount to “ martial law ” or the end of democracy , as some excitable critics , ignorant of both the law and our history , have comically suggested .
In fact , the federal government has a constitutional duty to the states to “ protect them from domestic violence.
” Sen. Cotton ’ s straightforward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an insurrection at the Times .
The New York Post reports , “ Dozens of New York Times staffers erupted in outrage at the newspaper publishing an op-ed from Republican Sen. Tom Cotton urging President Trump to call out the U.S. military to crack down on protests that have turned violent.
” In addition , the Times has been inundated by angry letters from its readers , a denunciation from the News Guild of New York , and outraged tweets from its own “ journalists.
” In the end , it may be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ troops to protect James Bennet , the hapless editorial page editor who decided to print Sen. Cotton ’ s heretical op-ed .
Bennett certainly can ’ t count on the protection of New York City ’ s Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio .
Mayor de Blasio has been so feckless during the riots that even New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo ( D ) called him on the carpet for failing to prevent instances of looting and destruction of property in the city : “ I believe the mayor underestimates the scope of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ City was inexcusable.
” Included on the growing list of Mayor de Blasio ’ s incredibly incompetent decisions was his refusal to accept assistance from the National Guard : “ We do not need the National Guard to come into New York City.
” Nor has Gov .
Cuomo backed up his threat to remove the mayor and call in the National Guard .
These two characters are by no means the only Democrats to remain inert while the riots escalate .
At the beginning of the week , the president made it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : My first and highest duty as President is to defend our great country and the American people .
I swore an oath to uphold the laws of our nation , and that is exactly what I will do.… But in recent days , our nation has been gripped by professional anarchists , violent mobs , arsonists , looters , criminals , rioters , Antifa , and others .
A number of state and local governments have failed to take necessary action to safeguard their residents.… If a city or a state refuses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to defend the life and property of their residents , then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them.… America is founded upon the rule of law .
It goes without saying , of course , that most Democratic governors have made all manner of ill-informed claims about Trump ’ s remarks .
Illinois Gov .
J .
B. Pritzker ( D ) said , “ I reject the notion that the federal government can send troops into the state of Illinois.
” Michigan Gov .
Gretchen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump is determined to sow the seeds of hatred and division.
” Nevada Gov .
Steve Sisolak ( D ) declared , “ Unfortunately , the President has once again taken the path of inciting combativeness , stoking racial tensions , and creating division when we need unity more than ever.
” Washington Gov .
Jay Inslee ( D ) brayed , “ I pray no soldier and no civilian is injured or killed by this reckless fit.
” Oregon Gov .
Kate Brown ( D ) claimed , “ You don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the streets.
” And the beat goes on .
All five of the Democratic governors named above have ostensibly activated the National Guard in their states .
Yet , it ’ s obvious that they don ’ t intend to deploy the troops in any meaningful way .
States with GOP governors such as Arizona , Arkansas , Florida , Georgia , Indiana , Ohio , South Carolina , South Dakota , Tennessee , Texas , and Utah have deployed their troops effectively .
Among the states with Democratic governors , the activation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relations .
In fact , when Secretary of Defense Mark Esper requested National Guard assistance from Virginia Gov .
Ralph Northam ( D ) to protect various national monuments in the District of Columbia , Gov .
Northam refused .
Esper then turned to Maryland ’ s governor , Larry Hogan ( R ) , who agreed to send the requested troops .
So , what about that silent majority ?
The Morning Consult poll noted above makes it clear that they want order restored .
This , along with a fast economic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has pledged .
Meanwhile , Trump ’ s likely general election opponent maunders about systemic racism while struggling to keep his figures straight concerning how many lives and jobs have been lost to the pandemic .
As former Clinton pollster Doug Schoen writes , “ The political risk to Democrats is becoming associated with the riots … which would result in the party losing the White House and risking their House majority.
” The Democrats already own the riots , and the silent majority is quietly counting the days to November 3 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ consultant and frequent contributor to The American Spectator .
You can follow him on Twitter at @ Catronicus .

by David Catron
Recently, President Trump tweeted two words that succinctly describe the winning coalition that will assure his November reelection: “SILENT MAJORITY.” This prompted a considerable amount of fustian mirth from the Twitter mob, a number of ostensibly serious opinion pieces in the corporate media, and contemptuous dismissal by the Democrats. The consensus was that Trump was indulging a Nixonian fantasy whereby white suburbanites frightened by an increasingly diverse electorate would save his presidency. This interpretation betrays profound ignorance about the term “silent majority,” which never had any racial connotation, and disregards what suburban voters really fear — Democratic incompetence in a time of economic uncertainty and social unrest.
SILENT MAJORITY! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 2, 2020
The ongoing riots in cities “governed” by supine Democrats, combined with the genuine threat that the violence will metastasize outward to the suburbs, is their most conspicuous fear. And they want action. A Morning Consult poll released Tuesday reveals that 71 percent of registered voters support calling in the National Guard to assist the police in quelling the riots, including 67 percent of suburban women. Likewise, 58 percent of voters support calling in the U.S. military if necessary, including 54 percent of suburban women. In other words, clear majorities support President Trump’s intention to deploy U.S. troops if state officials are unable or unwilling to contain the violence. Moreover, he possesses the power to do so. As Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) wrote in the New York Times Wednesday morning:
This week, rioters have plunged many American cities into anarchy, recalling the widespread violence of the 1960s.… Some governors have mobilized the National Guard, yet others refuse, and in some cases the rioters still outnumber the police and Guard combined. In these circumstances, the Insurrection Act authorizes the president to employ the military.… This venerable law, nearly as old as our republic itself, doesn’t amount to “martial law” or the end of democracy, as some excitable critics, ignorant of both the law and our history, have comically suggested. In fact, the federal government has a constitutional duty to the states to “protect them from domestic violence.”
Sen. Cotton’s straightforward and irrefutable essay has caused something of an insurrection at the Times. The New York Post reports, “Dozens of New York Times staffers erupted in outrage at the newspaper publishing an op-ed from Republican Sen. Tom Cotton urging President Trump to call out the U.S. military to crack down on protests that have turned violent.” In addition, the Times has been inundated by angry letters from its readers, a denunciation from the News Guild of New York, and outraged tweets from its own “journalists.” In the end, it may be necessary for the president to send in troops to protect James Bennet, the hapless editorial page editor who decided to print Sen. Cotton’s heretical op-ed. Bennett certainly can’t count on the protection of New York City’s Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Mayor de Blasio has been so feckless during the riots that even New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) called him on the carpet for failing to prevent instances of looting and destruction of property in the city: “I believe the mayor underestimates the scope of the problem.… What happened in New York City was inexcusable.” Included on the growing list of Mayor de Blasio’s incredibly incompetent decisions was his refusal to accept assistance from the National Guard: “We do not need the National Guard to come into New York City.” Nor has Gov. Cuomo backed up his threat to remove the mayor and call in the National Guard. These two characters are by no means the only Democrats to remain inert while the riots escalate. At the beginning of the week, the president made it clear that he is losing his patience:
My first and highest duty as President is to defend our great country and the American people. I swore an oath to uphold the laws of our nation, and that is exactly what I will do.… But in recent days, our nation has been gripped by professional anarchists, violent mobs, arsonists, looters, criminals, rioters, Antifa, and others. A number of state and local governments have failed to take necessary action to safeguard their residents.… If a city or a state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them.… America is founded upon the rule of law.
It goes without saying, of course, that most Democratic governors have made all manner of ill-informed claims about Trump’s remarks. Illinois Gov. J. B. Pritzker (D) said, “I reject the notion that the federal government can send troops into the state of Illinois.” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) claimed, “Trump is determined to sow the seeds of hatred and division.” Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) declared, “Unfortunately, the President has once again taken the path of inciting combativeness, stoking racial tensions, and creating division when we need unity more than ever.” Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) brayed, “I pray no soldier and no civilian is injured or killed by this reckless fit.” Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) claimed, “You don’t diffuse violence by putting soldiers on the streets.” And the beat goes on.
All five of the Democratic governors named above have ostensibly activated the National Guard in their states. Yet, it’s obvious that they don’t intend to deploy the troops in any meaningful way. States with GOP governors such as Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah have deployed their troops effectively. Among the states with Democratic governors, the activation has been largely a matter of public relations. In fact, when Secretary of Defense Mark Esper requested National Guard assistance from Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) to protect various national monuments in the District of Columbia, Gov. Northam refused. Esper then turned to Maryland’s governor, Larry Hogan (R), who agreed to send the requested troops.
So, what about that silent majority? The Morning Consult poll noted above makes it clear that they want order restored. This, along with a fast economic recovery, is precisely what the president has pledged. Meanwhile, Trump’s likely general election opponent maunders about systemic racism while struggling to keep his figures straight concerning how many lives and jobs have been lost to the pandemic. As former Clinton pollster Doug Schoen writes, “The political risk to Democrats is becoming associated with the riots … which would result in the party losing the White House and risking their House majority.” The Democrats already own the riots, and the silent majority is quietly counting the days to November 3.
– – –
David Catron is a recovering health care consultant and frequent contributor to The American Spectator. You can follow him on Twitter at @Catronicus.


thetennesseestar--2020-06-09--Commentary: The Unelected Parts of Government, Including the Military, Are Revolting Against the Ele

Commentary: The Unelected Parts of Government, Including the Military, Are Revolting Against the Electoral Control by the People

During the Iraq War , the insurgency spent a lot of its resources attacking infrastructure , particularly the electrical grid .
This made life miserable for ordinary Iraqis .
That outcome seems to go against the logic of insurgency , where the center of gravity is the people ’ s allegiance .
But making life uncertain and unbearable means that even if the insurgents can not win , they ensure the regime can not win either .
The cultivation of chaos exposes the government as ineffective and ultimately removes its legitimacy .
A different kind of planned chaos has challenged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tactics are different , the effect has been the same .
Even before President Trump was sworn in , commentators and Democratic Party officials spoke openly of impeachment .
Simultaneously , the intelligence services were spreading tall tales of Russian “ collusion , ” leading to a nearly three-year-long distraction in the form of the special counsel .
Then Trump faced nationwide injunctions from courts intent on blocking his core executive powers .
When Trump wanted to withdraw U.S. forces from the Syrian quagmire , the entire foreign policy community joined in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defense , James Mattis , resigned in protest .
Later , Trump was impeached – though not convicted – after a cabal of intelligence agents were unhappy with his phone call with the leader of Ukraine .
Now , after a months-long , highly destructive coronavirus shutdown also supported by the establishment , the country is facing war in the streets .
The spark was an arrest in Minnesota , where the suspect , George Floyd , died in police custody .
Local protests and looting ensued .
But a united effort by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and other sources of influence fanned this spark into a nationwide conflagration .
Practically every corporation in America has now weighed in with gestures of support and a vague message that we all need to “ do better.
” Politicians , cops , and national guardsmen have taken a knee .
In the nation ’ s capital , rioters defaced statues and set fire to an historic church across the street from the White House .
The disorder has now gone on for more than a week .
Trump has so far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ directing the Justice Department to investigate Floyd ’ s death .
He has been so reticent to act that his conservative supporters are begging him to do something .
Trump did suggest at one point he might call in the military , but so far he has demurred .
On Sunday , he announced the National Guard would begin to withdraw from Washington , D.C .
In spite of this , the president has been pilloried .
The use of police to clear out rioters from the vicinity of the White House is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre .
His conciliatory words have been twisted by the media .
The mere suggestion of using the military to restore order has led to particularly harsh criticism from former military men , including some who served in the Trump White House .
His former secretary of defense , and esteemed former Marine Corps General Mattis said , “ Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people — does not even pretend to try .
Instead , he tries to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership.
” Mattis concluded , ominously , “ Only by adopting a new path – which means , in truth , returning to the original path of our founding ideals – will we again be a country admired and respected at home and abroad.
” The arsonists in Lafayette Square were described by former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mike Mullen as having a “ peaceful protest.
” Channeling community college Marxism , he said , the riots should not distract us from “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ignited this rage.
” Worse , active-duty Army general and current Joint Chiefs chairman Mike Milley implied that the proposed use of the military to stop riots would violate an unwritten code , warning his subordinates that “ we all committed our lives to the idea that is America – we will stay true to that oath and the American people.
” While this all sounds very idealistic , it is mostly middlebrow horseshit .
Like the FBI ’ s claim of independence , it is anti-democratic elitism masquerading as the protection of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one actually enshrined in the Constitution , is civilian control of the military .
The people are sovereign , they elect a president , and the president is the commander in chief of that military .
The military is an instrument in his hands .
Understandably , the military has a strong aversion to being used domestically .
This tradition deepened during America ’ s 75-year exercise in global empire-building .
This tradition , however , is not a constitutional requirement , but rather a creature of statute .
Even after the advent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been used to reestablish order during domestic disturbances and is permitted to do so under the Constitution and the Insurrection Act .
Under George Washington , it put down the Whiskey Rebellion and after that fought hostile Indian tribes on American soil for over a century .
The Civil War , of course , was its most dramatic domestic deployment .
But even in the 20th century , President Eisenhower deployed the 101st Airborne to Little Rock to enforce Supreme Court orders on desegregation in 1957 .
President Johnson and President Nixon relied @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anti-Vietnam protests , both in Washington , D.C. and Detroit .
Most recently , President George H. W. Bush deployed the Marines to help suppress the 1992 Los Angeles riots .
Local and state police can normally control riots .
But riots , combined with media support , big business support , local government support , organized Antifa groups , billionaire financiers , and a conspiracy against the president by factions within the government , is something both new and dangerous .
The rhetoric and the tactics are reminiscent of CIA-funded “ color @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump to “ step down ” because it is “ inevitable.
” As in those color revolutions , the current protests are made in the name of managerial class ideology—the fight for progressive values and globalism against structural racism .
In other words – as the “ heartfelt letters ” from Fortune 500 companies make clear—this is an establishment-supported riot .
They consider Trump , and his deplorable supporters , hostile outsiders .
Prestigious ex-generals joining this struggle and directing military power away from presidential control is entirely new and extremely dangerous .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ on to live in obscurity or joined the board of a defense contractor .
They usually continued the nonpartisanship that marked their career in public service .
Now they are combining with aggrieved ex-officials , civil servants , and mutinous active-duty officers .
And for what ?
There is no constitutional right to riot .
There is no constitutional obstacle to using the military to suppress riots .
Our globalist foreign policy is certainly not enshrined in the Constitution .
Mattis ’ and his peers ’ invocation of the Constitution is a pretext @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like the undisciplined units taking a knee , are overawed and easily manipulated by the language of anti-racism .
This is the chief moral foundation of the managerial class and the modern administrative state .
It is also one of its chief mechanisms of social control .
The Left for a long time worried about a right-wing military coup .
In the 1960s and 1970s , this was somewhat plausible .
While nonpartisan , the military became a belligerent in the culture war during Vietnam , where the anti-draft movement united various leftist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the all-volunteer military began , most of the protests ended , too .
The military retreated from public consciousness , becoming an increasingly separate society held in some contempt by the elite .
Multigenerational military families became common .
The South was overrepresented among recruits .
And the military – particularly the officer corps – became more Republican over time .
Like Clinton before him , Obama spent at least some of his energies reining this in .
During his presidency , the military became soaked in the same corporate diversity speak that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ended “ Don ’ t Ask , Don ’ t Tell ” and extended protections to transsexuals .
The military academies became hotbeds of leftist indoctrination , where militant cadets and a literal Communist could receive commissions .
Thus , many of the top brass today had been molded by the eight-year social revolution of Obama ’ s presidency .
Even if not leftists or liberal Democrats , most were hostile to Trump ’ s style and his proposed reformation of the military and foreign policy in a more nationalist , America-First direction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mission , as it would reduce the need for long overseas deployments .
Policing streets among civilians is not something the military brass is necessarily averse to doing ; they just think it ’ s more important that the streets of Baghdad are safe than the ones here at home .
Second , being dragged into a domestic conflict involving the intersection of race and policing under the direction of a controversial president would risk the social ostracism that the military had endured during the post-Vietnam era .
With many of the top @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , D.C. during the last phase of their careers , this would impose a significant personal burden .
Presumably , some are true believers as well .
Mattis and his peers have brought shame on themselves .
They have decided to ally with people whose lives , goals , and vision of America is not only contrary to the Constitution but contrary to everything the American military stands for , not least order and discipline .
They have adopted extreme notions of “ white privilege ” and “ systemic racism ” that were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decade ago .
Some have appealed to the military ’ s own ethos of color-blindness and national unity .
But the military is a place where racial peace prevails primarily because neither the individual nor the ethnic group is paramount , but rather the unifying mission of national defense .
And , unlike the nation at large , the military can remove those who don ’ t snap and salute at the latest progressive ideological fad .
Generals and soldiers should vote for whomever they like .
But generals , like the soldiers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ orders from the elected commander in chief .
No one elected these generals or gave them a greater voice than the most humble citizen in our national affairs .
They transform themselves from honorable servants to dangerous mutineers when they encourage those in uniform to disobey the commander in chief .
The FBI and the CIA did not succeed in galvanizing the American people against the president .
Their prestige and power were never the same as the military ’ s .
If the military joins the left-wing resistance , it would succeed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the state .
Anyone who really cares about the Constitution and the rule of law should be alarmed .
The unelected parts of the government , including the military , are revolting against the electoral control by the people enshrined in the Constitution .
While not yet in full coup mode , the preconditions are now there : the idea that election results do not deserve respect , that a faction of the country is beyond the pale , and that patriots with a “ higher loyalty ” must save the country from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least some young soldiers willing to join them .
The nation will be irrevocably changed if the resistance succeeds with the military ’ s help , and this would usher in a far bloodier domestic conflict than the one Mattis and company now claim they want to avoid .
As the great conservative statesman Edmund Burke observed , “ The nature of things requires that the army should never act but as an instrument .
The moment that , erecting itself into a deliberative body , it shall act according to its own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what it may , will immediately degenerate into a military democracy—a species of political monster which has always ended by devouring those who have produced it.
” Christopher Roach is an attorney in private practice based in Florida .
He is a double graduate of the University of Chicago and has previously been published by The Federalist , Takimag , The Journal of Property Rights in Transition , the Washington Legal Foundation , the Marine Corps Gazette , and the Orlando Sentinel .

by Christopher Roach
During the Iraq War, the insurgency spent a lot of its resources attacking infrastructure, particularly the electrical grid. This made life miserable for ordinary Iraqis.
That outcome seems to go against the logic of insurgency, where the center of gravity is the people’s allegiance. But making life uncertain and unbearable means that even if the insurgents cannot win, they ensure the regime cannot win either. The cultivation of chaos exposes the government as ineffective and ultimately removes its legitimacy.
The Anti-Trump Resistance
A different kind of planned chaos has challenged Trump’s presidency. While the tactics are different, the effect has been the same. Even before President Trump was sworn in, commentators and Democratic Party officials spoke openly of impeachment. Simultaneously, the intelligence services were spreading tall tales of Russian “collusion,” leading to a nearly three-year-long distraction in the form of the special counsel.
Then Trump faced nationwide injunctions from courts intent on blocking his core executive powers. When Trump wanted to withdraw U.S. forces from the Syrian quagmire, the entire foreign policy community joined in a chorus of condemnation. His secretary of defense, James Mattis, resigned in protest. Later, Trump was impeached – though not convicted – after a cabal of intelligence agents were unhappy with his phone call with the leader of Ukraine.
Now, after a months-long, highly destructive coronavirus shutdown also supported by the establishment, the country is facing war in the streets. The spark was an arrest in Minnesota, where the suspect, George Floyd, died in police custody. Local protests and looting ensued. But a united effort by journalists, Antifa terrorists, social media, and other sources of influence fanned this spark into a nationwide conflagration.
Practically every corporation in America has now weighed in with gestures of support and a vague message that we all need to “do better.” Politicians, cops, and national guardsmen have taken a knee. In the nation’s capital, rioters defaced statues and set fire to an historic church across the street from the White House. The disorder has now gone on for more than a week.
Trump has so far had a pretty light touch, even directing the Justice Department to investigate Floyd’s death. He has been so reticent to act that his conservative supporters are begging him to do something. Trump did suggest at one point he might call in the military, but so far he has demurred. On Sunday, he announced the National Guard would begin to withdraw from Washington, D.C.
In spite of this, the president has been pilloried. The use of police to clear out rioters from the vicinity of the White House is being treated like a rerun of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. His conciliatory words have been twisted by the media. The mere suggestion of using the military to restore order has led to particularly harsh criticism from former military men, including some who served in the Trump White House.
His former secretary of defense, and esteemed former Marine Corps General Mattis said, “Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people — does not even pretend to try. Instead, he tries to divide us. . . . We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership.”
Mattis concluded, ominously, “Only by adopting a new path – which means, in truth, returning to the original path of our founding ideals – will we again be a country admired and respected at home and abroad.”
The arsonists in Lafayette Square were described by former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mike Mullen as having a “peaceful protest.” Channeling community college Marxism, he said, the riots should not distract us from “deeper concerns about institutional racism that have ignited this rage.”
Worse, active-duty Army general and current Joint Chiefs chairman Mike Milley implied that the proposed use of the military to stop riots would violate an unwritten code, warning his subordinates that “we all committed our lives to the idea that is America – we will stay true to that oath and the American people.”
While this all sounds very idealistic, it is mostly middlebrow horseshit. Like the FBI’s claim of independence, it is anti-democratic elitism masquerading as the protection of democracy.
A more important tradition, one actually enshrined in the Constitution, is civilian control of the military. The people are sovereign, they elect a president, and the president is the commander in chief of that military. The military is an instrument in his hands.
All Enemies, Foreign and Domestic
Understandably, the military has a strong aversion to being used domestically. This tradition deepened during America’s 75-year exercise in global empire-building. This tradition, however, is not a constitutional requirement, but rather a creature of statute.
Even after the advent of professionalized police, the military has been used to reestablish order during domestic disturbances and is permitted to do so under the Constitution and the Insurrection Act. Under George Washington, it put down the Whiskey Rebellion and after that fought hostile Indian tribes on American soil for over a century.
The Civil War, of course, was its most dramatic domestic deployment. But even in the 20th century, President Eisenhower deployed the 101st Airborne to Little Rock to enforce Supreme Court orders on desegregation in 1957. President Johnson and President Nixon relied on the army to deal with violent anti-Vietnam protests, both in Washington, D.C. and Detroit. Most recently, President George H. W. Bush deployed the Marines to help suppress the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
Local and state police can normally control riots. But riots, combined with media support, big business support, local government support, organized Antifa groups, billionaire financiers, and a conspiracy against the president by factions within the government, is something both new and dangerous. The rhetoric and the tactics are reminiscent of CIA-funded “color revolutions,” complete with calls for Trump to “step down” because it is “inevitable.”
As in those color revolutions, the current protests are made in the name of managerial class ideology—the fight for progressive values and globalism against structural racism. In other words – as the “heartfelt letters” from Fortune 500 companies make clear—this is an establishment-supported riot. They consider Trump, and his deplorable supporters, hostile outsiders.
Prestigious ex-generals joining this struggle and directing military power away from presidential control is entirely new and extremely dangerous. Until recently, retired generals either went on to live in obscurity or joined the board of a defense contractor. They usually continued the nonpartisanship that marked their career in public service. Now they are combining with aggrieved ex-officials, civil servants, and mutinous active-duty officers.
And for what?
There is no constitutional right to riot. There is no constitutional obstacle to using the military to suppress riots. Our globalist foreign policy is certainly not enshrined in the Constitution. Mattis’ and his peers’ invocation of the Constitution is a pretext.
The military critics of Trump, like the undisciplined units taking a knee, are overawed and easily manipulated by the language of anti-racism. This is the chief moral foundation of the managerial class and the modern administrative state. It is also one of its chief mechanisms of social control.
A Left-Wing Military Coup?
The Left for a long time worried about a right-wing military coup. In the 1960s and 1970s, this was somewhat plausible. While nonpartisan, the military became a belligerent in the culture war during Vietnam, where the anti-draft movement united various leftist factions.
When the draft ended and the all-volunteer military began, most of the protests ended, too. The military retreated from public consciousness, becoming an increasingly separate society held in some contempt by the elite. Multigenerational military families became common. The South was overrepresented among recruits. And the military – particularly the officer corps – became more Republican over time.
Like Clinton before him, Obama spent at least some of his energies reining this in. During his presidency, the military became soaked in the same corporate diversity speak that originated in our elite universities. He ended “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and extended protections to transsexuals. The military academies became hotbeds of leftist indoctrination, where militant cadets and a literal Communist could receive commissions.
Thus, many of the top brass today had been molded by the eight-year social revolution of Obama’s presidency. Even if not leftists or liberal Democrats, most were hostile to Trump’s style and his proposed reformation of the military and foreign policy in a more nationalist, America-First direction.
First, this would limit their mission, as it would reduce the need for long overseas deployments. Policing streets among civilians is not something the military brass is necessarily averse to doing; they just think it’s more important that the streets of Baghdad are safe than the ones here at home.
Second, being dragged into a domestic conflict involving the intersection of race and policing under the direction of a controversial president would risk the social ostracism that the military had endured during the post-Vietnam era. With many of the top brass making a permanent home in Washington, D.C. during the last phase of their careers, this would impose a significant personal burden. Presumably, some are true believers as well.
Mattis and his peers have brought shame on themselves. They have decided to ally with people whose lives, goals, and vision of America is not only contrary to the Constitution but contrary to everything the American military stands for, not least order and discipline. They have adopted extreme notions of “white privilege” and “systemic racism” that were only heard in professors’ lounges a decade ago.
Some have appealed to the military’s own ethos of color-blindness and national unity. But the military is a place where racial peace prevails primarily because neither the individual nor the ethnic group is paramount, but rather the unifying mission of national defense. And, unlike the nation at large, the military can remove those who don’t snap and salute at the latest progressive ideological fad.
Generals and soldiers should vote for whomever they like. But generals, like the soldiers they command, are required to follow orders from the elected commander in chief. No one elected these generals or gave them a greater voice than the most humble citizen in our national affairs. They transform themselves from honorable servants to dangerous mutineers when they encourage those in uniform to disobey the commander in chief.
The FBI and the CIA did not succeed in galvanizing the American people against the president. Their prestige and power were never the same as the military’s. If the military joins the left-wing resistance, it would succeed in commandeering the most powerful instrument of the state.
Anyone who really cares about the Constitution and the rule of law should be alarmed. The unelected parts of the government, including the military, are revolting against the electoral control by the people enshrined in the Constitution.
While not yet in full coup mode, the preconditions are now there: the idea that election results do not deserve respect, that a faction of the country is beyond the pale, and that patriots with a “higher loyalty” must save the country from itself. Mutinous generals would find at least some young soldiers willing to join them.
The nation will be irrevocably changed if the resistance succeeds with the military’s help, and this would usher in a far bloodier domestic conflict than the one Mattis and company now claim they want to avoid. As the great conservative statesman Edmund Burke observed, “The nature of things requires that the army should never act but as an instrument. The moment that, erecting itself into a deliberative body, it shall act according to its own resolutions, the government, be it what it may, will immediately degenerate into a military democracy—a species of political monster which has always ended by devouring those who have produced it.”
– – –
Christopher Roach is an attorney in private practice based in Florida. He is a double graduate of the University of Chicago and has previously been published by The Federalist, Takimag, The Journal of Property Rights in Transition, the Washington Legal Foundation, the Marine Corps Gazette, and the Orlando Sentinel.


thetennesseestar--2020-06-09--Officer Charged in Floyd’s Death Makes First Court Appearance, Held on $1 Million Bail

MINNEAPOLIS , Minnesota ( AP ) — A judge on Monday kept bail at $ 1 million for a former Minneapolis police officer charged with second-degree murder in George Floyd ’ s death .
Derek Chauvin , 44 , said little during an 11-minute hearing in which he appeared before Hennepin County Judge Jeannice M. Reding on closed-circuit television from the state ’ s maximum security prison in Oak Park Heights .
He wore a mask and handcuffs as he sat at a table , where he answered yes or no to routine housekeeping questions and confirmed the spelling of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not enter a plea ; a step that usually comes later in Minnesota courts .
A judge raised Chauvin ’ s bail from $ 500,000 to $ 1 million when a second-degree murder charge was added on Wednesday .
Monday ’ s hearing was a chance for arguments over the higher bail .
Prosecutor Matthew Frank argued for keeping the higher bail , saying the seriousness of the charges and the “ strong reaction in the community , to put it mildly , ” made Chauvin a flight risk .
The judge agreed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 1.25 million unconditional bail , or $ 1 million with standard conditions including surrendering firearms , remaining law-abiding and making all future court appearances .
Chauvin ’ s attorney , Eric Nelson , did not contest the bail amount and didn ’ t address the substance of the charges , which also include third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter .
Nelson did not speak with reporters afterward .
He has not commented on the case publicly since Chauvin ’ s May 29 arrest .
Attorneys for two of the three other ex-officers charged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ separate first appearances for their clients on Thursday that a key element of their defenses will be to argue that their clients were rookies who tried to intervene verbally to help Floyd , but that they had no choice but to defer to Chauvin , the most senior officer at the scene .
Chauvin ’ s next appearance was set for June 29 at 1:30 p.m. Floyd , a handcuffed black man , died May 25 after the white police officer pressed his knee into his neck for several minutes even after Floyd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ His death set off protests , some violent , in Minneapolis that swiftly spread to cities around the U.S. and the globe .
Chauvin and three other officers on the scene were fired the day after Floyd ’ s death .
The other three officers – J. Kueng , Thomas Lane and Tou Thao – are charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and with aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter .
They remain in the Hennepin County jail on $ 750,000 bail .
If convicted , they potentially face the same maximum penalty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in prison .
Lane ’ s family has set up a website seeking donations to help him post bond .
The site highlights Lane ’ s relative lack of experience – he had only recently completed his probationary period – and his questions to Chauvin about whether Floyd should be rolled onto his side .
It also noted his volunteer work .
Floyd ’ s death has ignited calls to reform the Minneapolis Police Department , which community activists have long accused of entrenched racial discrimination and brutality .
A majority of Minneapolis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ favor disbanding the department entirely , though they have yet to offer concrete plans for what would replace it .
“ Nobody is saying we want to abolish health or safety , ” Council Member Alondra Cano told WCCO-AM on Monday .
“ What we are saying is we have a broken system that is not producing the outcomes we want.
” The state last week launched a civil rights investigation of the department .
On Friday , the council approved a stipulated agreement that immediately banned the use of chokeholds and neck @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That investigation is ongoing .
Written by Associated Press ’ Steve Karnowski .
AP writer Todd Richmond contributed from Madison , Wisconsin .
About the Headline Photo : In this courtroom sketch , former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin , right , appears before Hennepin County Judge Jeannice M. Reding in Minneapolis on closed-circuit television from a maximum security prison in Oak Park Heights , Minn. , Monday , June 8 , 2020 .
Prosecutor Matthew Frank , center left , and defense attorney Eric Nelson , center right , face the judge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million for Chauvin , who is charged with second-degree murder in George Floyd ’ s death .
( Cedric Hohnstadt via AP )

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (AP) — A judge on Monday kept bail at $1 million for a former Minneapolis police officer charged with second-degree murder in George Floyd’s death.
Derek Chauvin, 44, said little during an 11-minute hearing in which he appeared before Hennepin County Judge Jeannice M. Reding on closed-circuit television from the state’s maximum security prison in Oak Park Heights. He wore a mask and handcuffs as he sat at a table, where he answered yes or no to routine housekeeping questions and confirmed the spelling of his name and address. He did not enter a plea; a step that usually comes later in Minnesota courts.
A judge raised Chauvin’s bail from $500,000 to $1 million when a second-degree murder charge was added on Wednesday. Monday’s hearing was a chance for arguments over the higher bail. Prosecutor Matthew Frank argued for keeping the higher bail, saying the seriousness of the charges and the “strong reaction in the community, to put it mildly,” made Chauvin a flight risk. The judge agreed with the state’s request for $1.25 million unconditional bail, or $1 million with standard conditions including surrendering firearms, remaining law-abiding and making all future court appearances.
Chauvin’s attorney, Eric Nelson, did not contest the bail amount and didn’t address the substance of the charges, which also include third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Nelson did not speak with reporters afterward. He has not commented on the case publicly since Chauvin’s May 29 arrest.
Attorneys for two of the three other ex-officers charged in the case made it clear at separate first appearances for their clients on Thursday that a key element of their defenses will be to argue that their clients were rookies who tried to intervene verbally to help Floyd, but that they had no choice but to defer to Chauvin, the most senior officer at the scene.
Chauvin’s next appearance was set for June 29 at 1:30 p.m.
Floyd, a handcuffed black man, died May 25 after the white police officer pressed his knee into his neck for several minutes even after Floyd stopped moving and pleading for air. His death set off protests, some violent, in Minneapolis that swiftly spread to cities around the U.S. and the globe. Chauvin and three other officers on the scene were fired the day after Floyd’s death.
The other three officers – J. Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao – are charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and with aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. They remain in the Hennepin County jail on $750,000 bail. If convicted, they potentially face the same maximum penalty as Chauvin: up to 40 years in prison.
Lane’s family has set up a website seeking donations to help him post bond. The site highlights Lane’s relative lack of experience – he had only recently completed his probationary period – and his questions to Chauvin about whether Floyd should be rolled onto his side. It also noted his volunteer work.
Floyd’s death has ignited calls to reform the Minneapolis Police Department, which community activists have long accused of entrenched racial discrimination and brutality. A majority of Minneapolis City Council members said Sunday that they favor disbanding the department entirely, though they have yet to offer concrete plans for what would replace it.
“Nobody is saying we want to abolish health or safety,” Council Member Alondra Cano told WCCO-AM on Monday. “What we are saying is we have a broken system that is not producing the outcomes we want.”
The state last week launched a civil rights investigation of the department. On Friday, the council approved a stipulated agreement that immediately banned the use of chokeholds and neck restraints and included several other changes. That investigation is ongoing.
– – –
Written by Associated Press’ Steve Karnowski. AP writer Todd Richmond contributed from Madison, Wisconsin.
About the Headline Photo: In this courtroom sketch, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, right, appears before Hennepin County Judge Jeannice M. Reding in Minneapolis on closed-circuit television from a maximum security prison in Oak Park Heights, Minn., Monday, June 8, 2020. Prosecutor Matthew Frank, center left, and defense attorney Eric Nelson, center right, face the judge. Reding kept bail at $1 million for Chauvin, who is charged with second-degree murder in George Floyd’s death. (Cedric Hohnstadt via AP)


thetennesseestar--2020-06-09--Ohio House Dems Call for Additional Security After Threats on Black Lawmakers

Ohio House Democrats called on Speaker Larry Householder ( R-Glenford ) to publicly condemn the threats of violence made against their leader and provide “ additional security measures ” for lawmakers .
“ As Speaker and in recognition of your leadership role in the Ohio House of Representatives , you are granted additional security while in the statehouse , ” House Democrats said in a letter to Householder last week .
“ As members of the minority caucus , we feel strongly that our own leadership is similarly deserving of heightened security protection , especially given the recent threats and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” the letter added .
The request for additional security was made after an unidentified caller threatened to kill the father of House Minority Leader Emilia Strong Sykes ( D-Akron ) if she didn ’ t resign from office .
According to a report from The Cleveland Plain Dealer , the caller made it look like he was calling from her father ’ s phone number .
Her father is state Sen. Vernon Sykes ( D-Akron ) .
“ The suspect told Emilia he had her father and he would kill him , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from May 29 .
“ He repeatedly told Emilia to ‘ step aside ’ referring to her political stance , telling her to resign from office , or he would kill her father .
The suspect told Emilia not to contact police.
” In their letter to Householder , Democrats said they have “ serious concerns regarding whether the House is properly addressing the safety of its members.
” “ As of today , Governor DeWine , Senate President Obhof , Senate Minority Leader Yuko , Attorney General Dave Yost , and Secretary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public statements supporting Leader Sykes and Senator Sykes and condemning the threats made against them ; they have even offered their assistance .
A similar statement from you as well as an offer of temporary additional security for Leader Sykes would go a long way in addressing our concerns , ” the letter continued .
Specifically , House Democrats asked for a “ more secured parking spot ” and a temporary increase in security personnel for the minority leader .
Sykes has issued a number of forceful statements in recent days regarding the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allegedly murdered by a Minneapolis police officer on Memorial Day , and Gov .
Mike DeWine ’ s proposal for combating the spread of the coronavirus in Ohio ’ s black population .
“ If you feel uncomfortable talking about racism , imagine what it feels like to live with it , ” Sykes said in one statement .
“ Black Ohioans are not OK. We need immediate action , not the creation of another task force or study group to confirm what we already know is wrong and broken .
The time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have reports and recommendations that are created , publicized and then placed on a shelf and forgotten about , but never codified.
” Members of her caucus have also introduced a bill to declare racism a “ public health crisis , ” The Ohio Star reported .
“ When we selected you as the Speaker , you committed to being a leader for all 99 elected representatives , ” the letter to Householder concluded .
“ While our caucuses may sometimes disagree on policy , we should always agree on the fact that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our positions without being threatened with physical violence.
” Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star .
Follow Anthony on Twitter .
Email tips to [ email protected ] .

Ohio House Democrats called on Speaker Larry Householder (R-Glenford) to publicly condemn the threats of violence made against their leader and provide “additional security measures” for lawmakers.
“As Speaker and in recognition of your leadership role in the Ohio House of Representatives, you are granted additional security while in the statehouse,” House Democrats said in a letter to Householder last week.
“As members of the minority caucus, we feel strongly that our own leadership is similarly deserving of heightened security protection, especially given the recent threats and increasing animus in this political environment,” the letter added.
The request for additional security was made after an unidentified caller threatened to kill the father of House Minority Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron) if she didn’t resign from office.
According to a report from The Cleveland Plain Dealer, the caller made it look like he was calling from her father’s phone number. Her father is state Sen. Vernon Sykes (D-Akron).
“The suspect told Emilia he had her father and he would kill him,” said an Akron Police Department report from May 29. “He repeatedly told Emilia to ‘step aside’ referring to her political stance, telling her to resign from office, or he would kill her father. The suspect told Emilia not to contact police.”
In their letter to Householder, Democrats said they have “serious concerns regarding whether the House is properly addressing the safety of its members.”
“As of today, Governor DeWine, Senate President Obhof, Senate Minority Leader Yuko, Attorney General Dave Yost, and Secretary of State Frank LaRose have all issued public statements supporting Leader Sykes and Senator Sykes and condemning the threats made against them; they have even offered their assistance. A similar statement from you as well as an offer of temporary additional security for Leader Sykes would go a long way in addressing our concerns,” the letter continued.
Specifically, House Democrats asked for a “more secured parking spot” and a temporary increase in security personnel for the minority leader.
Sykes has issued a number of forceful statements in recent days regarding the death of George Floyd, who was allegedly murdered by a Minneapolis police officer on Memorial Day, and Gov. Mike DeWine’s proposal for combating the spread of the coronavirus in Ohio’s black population.
“If you feel uncomfortable talking about racism, imagine what it feels like to live with it,” Sykes said in one statement. “Black Ohioans are not OK. We need immediate action, not the creation of another task force or study group to confirm what we already know is wrong and broken. The time for studying racism is over. We have reports and recommendations that are created, publicized and then placed on a shelf and forgotten about, but never codified.”
Members of her caucus have also introduced a bill to declare racism a “public health crisis,” The Ohio Star reported.
“When we selected you as the Speaker, you committed to being a leader for all 99 elected representatives,” the letter to Householder concluded. “While our caucuses may sometimes disagree on policy, we should always agree on the fact that we all have a right to express our positions without being threatened with physical violence.”
– – –
Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].


thetennesseestar--2020-06-09--Eight Bars, Restaurants Sue Acton, DeWine Over ‘Constitutionally Vague’ Restrictions

A lawsuit has been filed against Ohio Health Director Dr. Amy Acton and Gov .
Mike DeWine in Lake County Common Pleas Court over “ constitutionally vague ” restrictions on restaurants and bars , The News-Herald reported .
The case has been assigned to Lake County Common Pleas Court Judge John P. O ’ Donnell .
The plaintiffs are eight bars and restaurants , all but one being located in Northeast Ohio .
Connick Law filed the lawsuit June 4 , arguing Acton ’ s orders require that “ restaurants and bars in the state of Ohio enforce constitutionally vague @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and , which if not enforced , expose the restaurant and bar owners to constitutional strict criminal penalties and/or reprisal for conduct of others that they have no reasonable control over.
” News 5 Cleveland said the complaint includes an example of customers who break social distancing rules , which would place the owners in legal jeopardy .
“ If somebody gets up out of their seat at the restaurant , what are our clients supposed to do , grab them and put them back in their seat ?
” asked Tom Connick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restaurants .
“ Obviously the COVID-19 pandemic is a national health emergency and we ’ re all very sensitive to that , ” said Connick .
“ What we ’ re saying is that does not suspend our constitutional rights.
” The 1851 Center for Constitutional Law , working on behalf of 35 independent gyms , in May won a victory before the same judge in Lake County , The Ohio Star reported .
The Ohio Court of Common Pleas in Lake County on May 20 handed down a decision that castigated DeWine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a preliminary injunction to prevent the gym owners from being prosecuted for opening while awaiting a court trial .
The ruling is available in its entirety here .
The 1851 Center for Constitutional Law last week said it filed suits to enjoin the Ohio Department of Health from continuing to enforce its criminalization of Ohio ’ s amusement and water parks .
The cases are filed on behalf of Ohio ’ s three largest amusement and water parks : Cedar Point , Kings Island , and Kalahari Resorts .
The May 29 Order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as nearly all other Ohio businesses are permitted to operate .
The Order provides no opening dates for these seasonal businesses that employ thousands and generate the bulk of the economic activity in their respective counties , even though these businesses are safe to operate .
The cases are pending in the Erie County Courts of Common Pleas before Judge Binette , and the Warren County Court of Common Pleas , before Judge Oda .
Jason M. Reynolds has more than 20 years ’ experience as a journalist at outlets of all sizes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gov .
DeWine ” by Gov .
Mike DeWine .

A lawsuit has been filed against Ohio Health Director Dr. Amy Acton and Gov. Mike DeWine in Lake County Common Pleas Court over “constitutionally vague” restrictions on restaurants and bars, The News-Herald reported.
The case has been assigned to Lake County Common Pleas Court Judge John P. O’Donnell. The plaintiffs are eight bars and restaurants, all but one being located in Northeast Ohio.
Connick Law filed the lawsuit June 4, arguing Acton’s orders require that “restaurants and bars in the state of Ohio enforce constitutionally vague regulations and laws against their patrons, and, which if not enforced, expose the restaurant and bar owners to constitutional strict criminal penalties and/or reprisal for conduct of others that they have no reasonable control over.”
News 5 Cleveland said the complaint includes an example of customers who break social distancing rules, which would place the owners in legal jeopardy.
“If somebody gets up out of their seat at the restaurant, what are our clients supposed to do, grab them and put them back in their seat?” asked Tom Connick, one of the attorneys representing the restaurants. “Obviously the COVID-19 pandemic is a national health emergency and we’re all very sensitive to that,” said Connick. “What we’re saying is that does not suspend our constitutional rights.”
The 1851 Center for Constitutional Law, working on behalf of 35 independent gyms, in May won a victory before the same judge in Lake County, The Ohio Star reported.
The Ohio Court of Common Pleas in Lake County on May 20 handed down a decision that castigated DeWine and the health department director and granted a preliminary injunction to prevent the gym owners from being prosecuted for opening while awaiting a court trial. The ruling is available in its entirety here.
The 1851 Center for Constitutional Law last week said it filed suits to enjoin the Ohio Department of Health from continuing to enforce its criminalization of Ohio’s amusement and water parks.
The cases are filed on behalf of Ohio’s three largest amusement and water parks: Cedar Point, Kings Island, and Kalahari Resorts.
The May 29 Order singles out amusement and water parks even as nearly all other Ohio businesses are permitted to operate. The Order provides no opening dates for these seasonal businesses that employ thousands and generate the bulk of the economic activity in their respective counties, even though these businesses are safe to operate.
The cases are pending in the Erie County Courts of Common Pleas before Judge Binette, and the Warren County Court of Common Pleas, before Judge Oda.
– – –
Jason M. Reynolds has more than 20 years’ experience as a journalist at outlets of all sizes.
Photo “Health Director Acton and Gov. DeWine” by Gov. Mike DeWine.


thetennesseestar--2020-06-09--Anoka Sheriff Says ‘Many Agencies’ Have ‘No Appetite’ for Helping Minneapolis If It Abolishes Police

Anoka Sheriff Says ‘Many Agencies’ Have ‘No Appetite’ for Helping Minneapolis If It Abolishes Police Department

Anoka County Sheriff James Stuart said “ many agencies ” have “ no appetite ” for helping Minneapolis in the future if its leaders follow through on a plan to abolish the Minneapolis Police Department ( MPD ) .
“ The members of the Minneapolis City Council should be mindful that numerous other law enforcement agencies have responded to support them , to restore order , to protect their citizens and to return peace to their city during recent tragic days .
We did this while joining our communities in disgust over the way in which George Floyd lost his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , unified future , ” Stuart said in a statement released on Facebook Sunday night .
The statement was issued shortly after nine members of Minneapolis ’ s 12-member council committed to defunding and abolishing the city ’ s police department .
With nine votes , the idea has a veto-proof majority and can move forward with or without the support of Mayor Jacob Frey , who favors reforms over full abolition .
The plan to defund the MPD was announced during a Sunday event at Powderhorn Park hosted by Reclaim the Block @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of which have been calling on the Minneapolis City Council to defund the police force since 2018 .
According to a press release , the nine council members have committed themselves to “ ending ” the MPD and “ creating a new transformative model.
” “ We ’ ll be taking intermediate steps towards ending the MPD through the budget process and other policy and budget decisions over the coming weeks and months , ” said the release , which called for a “ police-free future.
” Council Member Phillipe Cunningham said the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that is not rooted in white supremacy.
” “ We have a paradigm for safety that is rooted in community and justice .
We have seen it the last two weeks .
The reality is that people have been doing this work for decades and are not being paid .
We have poured that money into the police department and where has it gotten us ?
” Cunningham said .
Although Stuart believes there are “ concerns to be addressed and areas to be fixed , ” he called the plan to defund @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ However , if they choose to eliminate their police department through defunding operations without a realistic plan , they must also choose to live with the consequences of their decisions .
We are one of many agencies who have no appetite for going back to their city to restore order again ; especially if their decision is to actively compromise the safety of the city , ” he said .
“ Cooler heads who seek actual answers while working with their community will find realistic answers , ” he concluded .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the consequences and I think we have all suffered enough from a variety of bad decisions.
” Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star .
Follow Anthony on Twitter .
Email tips to [ email protected ] .
Photo “ Sheriff James Stuart ” by Sheriff James Stuart .

Anoka County Sheriff James Stuart said “many agencies” have “no appetite” for helping Minneapolis in the future if its leaders follow through on a plan to abolish the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD).
“The members of the Minneapolis City Council should be mindful that numerous other law enforcement agencies have responded to support them, to restore order, to protect their citizens and to return peace to their city during recent tragic days. We did this while joining our communities in disgust over the way in which George Floyd lost his life and in hopes of a stronger, unified future,” Stuart said in a statement released on Facebook Sunday night.
The statement was issued shortly after nine members of Minneapolis’s 12-member council committed to defunding and abolishing the city’s police department. With nine votes, the idea has a veto-proof majority and can move forward with or without the support of Mayor Jacob Frey, who favors reforms over full abolition.
The plan to defund the MPD was announced during a Sunday event at Powderhorn Park hosted by Reclaim the Block and the Black Visions Collective, both of which have been calling on the Minneapolis City Council to defund the police force since 2018.
According to a press release, the nine council members have committed themselves to “ending” the MPD and “creating a new transformative model.”
“We’ll be taking intermediate steps towards ending the MPD through the budget process and other policy and budget decisions over the coming weeks and months,” said the release, which called for a “police-free future.”
Council Member Phillipe Cunningham said the city has “no paradigm for policing that is not rooted in white supremacy.”
“We have a paradigm for safety that is rooted in community and justice. We have seen it the last two weeks. The reality is that people have been doing this work for decades and are not being paid. We have poured that money into the police department and where has it gotten us?” Cunningham said.
Although Stuart believes there are “concerns to be addressed and areas to be fixed,” he called the plan to defund the MPD an “impulsive action.”
“However, if they choose to eliminate their police department through defunding operations without a realistic plan, they must also choose to live with the consequences of their decisions. We are one of many agencies who have no appetite for going back to their city to restore order again; especially if their decision is to actively compromise the safety of the city,” he said.
“Cooler heads who seek actual answers while working with their community will find realistic answers,” he concluded. “Those who embrace impulsive actions must live with the consequences and I think we have all suffered enough from a variety of bad decisions.”
– – –
Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Sheriff James Stuart” by Sheriff James Stuart.