Politics, pop culture and entertainment news of interest to the LGBTQ community
Jon Moseley, attorney for Stewart Rhodes – who was charged with seditious conspiracy yesterday for his alleged role in the violent January 6 invasion of the Capitol building – tried to explain his client’s planning as a “fanciful idea.” Continue reading “Lawyer: Oath Keepers Planning Was Just “Their Fanciful Idea””
The Justice Department charged 11 people, including Stewart Rhodes – founder of the far-right militia known as the Oath Keepers – with “seditious conspiracy” for their alleged roles in the violent January 6 invasion of the U.S. Capitol. Continue reading “Oath Keepers Charged With Seditious Conspiracy For Alleged Roles In Capitol Invasion”
Stewart Rhodes, leader of the Oath Keepers – self-proclaimed anti-government “Patriots” – has issued a statement saying they plan on protecting rogue Kentucky County Clerk Kim Davis from “dictatorial powers” who may try to arrest her again should she interfere with the issuance of marriage licenses upon her return to work on Monday.
“We believe Federal District Court Judge David Bunning grossly overstepped his bounds and violated Mrs Davis’ due process rights, and in particular her right to a jury trial. This judge has assumed unto himself not just the powers of all three branches of government, but has also taken on the powers of judge, jury, and “executioner.”
[snip]
“Now we see the rise of an imperial judiciary that not only legislates from the bench but is attempting to expand their ‘contempt’ power to likewise swallow up our Bill of Rights and circumvent jury trial.
“Both methods are used to allow the powerful office holder to merely point his finger and have his opponent thrown behind bars without a grand jury indictment and without being found guilty by a jury of their peers. No innocent until proven guilty before a jury. Just ‘guilty’ because the leader says so. That is a dictatorship, whether done by a president or by a judge.
“No one man should have that kind of power in his hands alone to decide guilt and impose a sentence of indefinite detention. Under our Constitution, that dictatorial power does not exist. We must stand against this. And so we will protect her and prevent it from happening again.”
Yesterday, in a radio interview Rhodes says he and his band of domestic terrorists plan to intervene should federal marshals seek to re-arrest Ms. Davis.
We pretty much call this “taking the law into your own hands.”
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| Oath Keepers stationing themselves as snipers near Bundy Ranch near Las Vegas last year |
You’ll recall the Oath Keepers, a heavily armed, anti-government “Patriot” group, from their standoff last year at the Bundy Ranch near Las Vegas, Nevada, and also stationing themselves armed with heavy duty assault rifles outside military recruitment centers this year after the Chattanooga shooting.
In addition, they made an unsettling appearance in Ferguson, Missouri, with their assault rifles, walking among protesters in an act of intimidation.
Now, the group says they will offer to be Kentucky County Clerk Kim Davis’ “personal security detail” in order to stop federal marshals from arresting Ms. Davis should she renege on her agreement to not interfere with the issuance of marriage licenses to same-sex couples in Rowan County.
Via Right Wing Watch:
Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes announced yesterday that he had reached out to Davis’ lawyers at Liberty Counsel to offer the protection of his group, which he says is already forming a presence in Rowan County, Kentucky, where Davis was recently released from jail after prohibiting her office from issuing marriage licenses.
Rhodes said in a statement that his position has nothing to do with gay marriage, but rather his conviction that Davis had been illegally detained by the federal judge who held her in contempt for violating multiple court orders.
Rhodes said that the Rowan County sheriff should have blocked U.S. Marshals from detaining Davis, but since neither the sheriff nor the state’s governor will do their “job” and “intercede” on behalf of Davis, the Oath Keepers will have to do it instead. “As far as we’re concerned, this is not over,” he said, “and this judge needs to be put on notice that his behavior is not going to be accepted and we’ll be there to stop it and intercede ourselves if we have to. If the sheriff, who should be interceding, is not going to do his job and the governor is not going to do the governor’s job of interceding, then we’ll do it.”
Rhodes says his guys are already in the area and more are on their way. He says his group plans to “lead by example” should law enforcement seek to arrest Ms. Davis again.
In my opinion, this is basically private citizens choosing to take the law in their own hands (or oppose it). Bad idea.
Let’s see: assault rifles in the hands of folks who aren’t trained to handle high pressure situations.
What could possibly go wrong?
Listen to Rhodes below discuss the issue with Jackson County, Kentucky, Sheriff Denny Peyman: