Woman Who Laughed At Jeff Sessions Could Face Jail Time This Week

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussions' started by Abner, Jul 10, 2017.

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  1. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member

  2. b4cz28

    b4cz28 Active Member

    I made it two seconds into the article before they told a flat out lie about Jeff. I'm out, I mean this fake news to get Trump and anyone around his is really old. She broke the law of course on purpose, it crossed the line from a laughter. She was just being removed for the laughing...so she's not facing jail time for laughter.


     
  3. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    The very concept of being prosecuted for laughing at an elected official is completely anti-freedom.
     
  4. me again

    me again Well-Known Member

    The jury found the woman guilty - "totality of the circumstances"

    The jury listened to the evidence and found her guilty of disorderly conduct. The woman was not arrested for "merely laughing." There was much more to it then that. She was "consistently disorderly," which prevented the hearing from continuing in an orderly fashion. She was subsequently arrested and removed -- thus allowing the hearing to continue. The allegation that she was arrested for "merely laughing" is laughing.
     
  5. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    I like her name. It's Arabic /Persian /Urdu /Kurdish for "successful" or "triumphant." Does Sessions like it? Does Trump?
    ...How long in jail would someone get for just thinking about them?

    J.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 11, 2017
  6. b4cz28

    b4cz28 Active Member

    Do we even live in a world that cares about facts? Liberals knee jerk and freak out. She was not charged for laughing.
     
  7. me again

    me again Well-Known Member

  8. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    They are self-appointed: thugs and gang members, not police, and they function as criminal hate groups. They are no more representative of Islam than the Proud Boys are of Christianity. They are not the answer to any question. Is your intent to make "your" government guys look good by contrasting them with "their" low-life gang-bangers? I'd expect better of someone with a considerable amount of education, but Breitbart & co. seem to have a long reach.

    J.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 11, 2017
  9. FTFaculty

    FTFaculty Well-Known Member

    It all depends, I wasn't there and haven't looked at a video or heard an audio and thus can't say in this particular case, but the First Amendment Freedom of Speech is absolutely subject to reasonable restrictions on the time, manner and place. I tell students "If I tell you 'I got a bomb in my pocket' here in class and under the circumstances it's obviously a joke intended to teach a point about the law, no problem, but if I tell the TSA employee the same thing as I stand in line for the metal detector, I'll be taken down fast and put in cuffs quickly and no juror is likely to let me off the hook for a disorderly conduct charge (or whatever federal charges they have covering this, not an expert on national security, homeland security, et. al.). Also tell them if I want to protest the judge, I have every right to do so walking up and diwn the sidewalk in front of the courthouse, subject to reasonable permitting requirements, but if I try to do so by shouting down the judge in her courtroom, totally different, I can be arrested for contempt of court, disorderly conduct, what have you. If the lady's conduct fell into this category, which it might, then you bet she can be prosecuted. She can get away with a while lot more outside the capitol building than she can during a session of Congress.
     
  10. me again

    me again Well-Known Member

    Johann, who are "the Proud Boys of Christianity"?
     
  11. b4cz28

    b4cz28 Active Member

    We live in the best time line don't we me again?
     
  12. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member

    Don't get your chones all twisted up in a bunch. Calmate compa (calm down compadre) :smile:
     
  13. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    I will say at the outset that I don't know anything about this specific situation - I haven't even read read the article. But . . . if you go into a meeting with a government official, a press conference or some other type of meeting where there are lots of people, and you act in a disruptive manner - something that would be deliberate behavior - and actually disrupt the meeting, then it could be considered to be "disorderly conduct." Trumpeters have a history of being especially intolerant of this - remember Trumps comments about "punch him in the face" . . . "throw him out of here" etc. I'm guessing that this woman knew all of this in advance and then did it anyway. It could easily be considered to be an act of protest or civil disobedience. Protesters get arrested all the time. They lay down in the street forcing the Police to carry them away. Some of them wear their arrest record as a badge of honor. My guess is that she wasn't particularly surprised or dismayed at the outcome. It's just the price of doing business.
     
  14. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Are members of the public supposed to not laugh out loud when officials say ridiculous things?
     
  15. FTFaculty

    FTFaculty Well-Known Member

    Sure they can laugh out loud at things they believe are ridiculous, just as you can, be it the claim that Sessions is as white as snow, Hillary's as honest as your mother, or Trump's a humble feller.

    But if they disrupt a session of congress or a court proceeding, they can be arrested. Again, I can't say if she actually did, wasn't there, haven't seen anything on video. May be just purely vindictive politicians behind it, which wouldn't be a totally new concept. But if she'd been standing outside with 50 other people in pink carrying out a laughing protest, then they sure better not arrest her, and in fact, political speech, including that which is harshly critical of government, has extra protections, e.g., if you drop the F-bomb while protesting against Jeff Sessions in a public speech, that has redeeming merit and in most instances shouldn't be prosecuted (as opposed to one of my students having a few too many foamy ones and stumbling out the doors of the bar loudly shouting "F***! F***!", who is far more likely to be prosecuted for disorderly conduct).
     
  16. jhp

    jhp Member

    This is a video of the event within a Slate "article".

    I think the best venue is to get rid of juries, and let all things be decided by the impartial and always correct internet. Now that would be really "by your peers". /s
     
  17. FTFaculty

    FTFaculty Well-Known Member

    Checked the video out. I didn't hear anything major with the laugh, and it didn't look like it particularly disrupted anything, so this whole affair probably should never have happened in the first place, but like the juror said, her loud demonstration after she was arrested was disruptive and is the sort of thing you probably shouldn't have to put up with either in a session of Congress or a courtroom. As for the officer, it looks like it might have been an example of a jumpy rookie with more zealousness than common sense--probably would've been best to give her a sharp look and say quietly "M'am, no more of that." That said, I wasn't there, didn't see what the officer saw, wasn't in his shoes. The perfect cop would be like my three cousins who worked in law enforcement: large, physically imposing and more than capable of taking care of themselves and handling tough situations, yet gentle, relaxed and slow to anger.

    In any event, even though this may fall within reasonable time, place, manner restrictions, I sincerely hope she doesn't get smacked too hard by the law. The government should tread very lightly dealing with political protests; it's why I get so angry when parties have their national conventions and sometimes crack down on free speech and set up ridiculous free speech zones for protest.
     
  18. jhp

    jhp Member

    Unfortunately in my recent expereinces with disruptions "large, physically imposing" is exactly what "frail, only-laughing woman" looks for. The juxtaposition helps the narrative. The disrupting individuals are convinced nothing will happen to them, and if something does, they will be heroes on reddit, Salon. They will be invited for a Politico interview, and lauded on CNN as a victim of brutality. It would enhance their "career".

    I have plenty of experiences where "just laughing" people got significantly louder to the point of completely cancelling events. There are many incidents where those minor events escalate into brawls, feces slinging and people seriously hurt.
     
  19. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    I understand your point and I don't disagree. It could be that the cops jumped the gun. It could be that Session et al are intolerant of criticism. I don't know. Usually a disorderly conduct thing is just a fine, no? Maybe she doesn't even deserve that. It might be good to hear from some witnesses.
     
  20. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

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