Anthony Watts:
You may have heard about the climate activists who had charges and a trial pending over obstruction of commerce by blocking a coal barge to the Brayton Point electric power plant with a lobster boat? Well the DA just caved, and announced he drank the kool-aid, and is going on the climate march. Video follows
From WBGH Boston:
It was intended to be a show trial, with climate scientist-turned-activist James Hansen and 350.org founder Bill McKibben both slated to testify. Ward and O’Hara planned a necessity defense, arguing that climate change presented such a crisis – and federal climate action was so inadequate – that they had no alternative but to place their lobster boat between the barge and the power plant. Whether or not the defense was successful, it would be a statement.
Instead, Bristol County District Attorney Samuel Sutter made a surprise appearance in court Monday morning with a statement of his own. Sutter announced that his office was dropping all criminal charges, and that he, himself, would be attending the People’s Climate March in New York City later this month. He called climate change “one of the gravest crises of our time.”
Ward and O’Hara still face civil charges.
And from The Nation:
And what happened, the truly remarkable thing, was this: the prosecutor, Bristol County District Attorney Sam Sutter, not only dropped the charges (which could have resulted in months, or even years, of jail time), he then proceeded out to the courthouse plaza where he made a statement to the media and to the hundred or more people gathered in support of Ken and Jay. Here’s what he said:
[youtube]http://youtu.be/Uxi-oycFwc4[/youtube]The decision that Assistant District Attorney Robert Kidd and I reached today was a decision that certainly took into consideration the cost to the taxpayers in Somerset, but was also made with our concerns for their children, and the children of Bristol County and beyond in mind.
Climate change is one of the gravest crises our planet has ever faced. In my humble opinion, the political leadership on this issue has been gravely lacking. I am heartened that we were able to forge an agreement that both parties were pleased with and that appeared to satisfy the police and those here in sympathy with the individuals who were charged.
I am also extremely pleased that we were able to reach an agreement that symbolizes our commitment at the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office to take a leadership role on this issue.
Source: http://bristolda.com/2014/09/statement-on-the-disposition-of-the-brayton-point-protest-case/
Another victim of noble cause corruption: Bristol County District Attorney Sam Sutterwebsite: http://bristolda.com/
The definition of noble cause corruption is:
Noble Cause Corruption is a mindset or sub-culture which fosters a belief that the ends justify the means.
– source: Public Agency Training CouncilA recent tweet says its something they feel strongly about:
http://twitter.com/#!/NJRob973/status/509160517865570304
Lady Justice was forced to take her blindfold off by this action:
Lady Justice has often been depicted wearing a blindfold. The blindfold represents objectivity, in that justice is or should be meted out objectively, without fear or favour, regardless of identity, money, power, or weakness; blind justice and impartiality.
This was how the 14th amendment came about, when law enforcement officials would not prosecute racial crimes committed in the south.
![LadyJusticeImage[1]](https://wattsupwiththat.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/ladyjusticeimage1.jpg)
Must be for Hillary, she said:
What she meant was:
This is simply one of the results of a President and Attorney General that pick and choose which laws they want to enforce, which cases they feel are worthy of prosecution (or dismissal) and what, in their and their alone opinion, laws should look like.
What if a restaurant owner decided to ban blacks that wear their pants low from entering his place of business because that’s “something he feels strongly about”? Would that be OK? I kind of doubt it.
Despicable. Reprehensible. And typically leftist.
Imagine the leftist outrage if a DA refused to prosecute a prolife group that had marched into an abortionist’s office and blocked them from performing abortions – which are (shamefully) legal under current law – then marched out and held a TV conference saying he dropped the criminal charges because the cause of the prolifers was too critical an issue.
Hypocrisy is integral to the leftist cult.
Would you prefer the “show trial” to have proceeded, with Ward and O’Hara becoming an environmentalist cause célèbre and the testimony of Dr. James Hansen becoming the center of national media attention? I rather doubt that any high-placed democrats who are worried about climate change applied pressure to keep such a thing from happening.
@Greg: I would prefer the law to be followed. I notice that when Dinesh D’Souza had a minor campaign contribution infraction, charges against him were not dropped. I also notice that when some New Black Panthers threaten white voters and are convicted, their charges ARE dropped. Now, I notice that some enviro-terrorists can have their charges of obstructing lawful commerce dropped, which of course signals a great big “GO AHEAD” to other enviro-terrorists.
These people should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. That is how we discourage further violations.
Lawlessness is now rampant throughout law enforcement in this nation, due mainly to the lawless example provided by Obama and Holder. Under them, government officials that obstruct, harass, lie, steal and violate get pensions and rewards. Go check out the other posting about the DOJ idiot that accidentally called Issa instead of Cummings and began arranging collusion between them on further obstruction of the IRS probe. More “phony” scandalous behavior, no doubt.
Isn’t it also said climate change is affecting the Polar Bear Population and their environment? That they are ‘dying’ off? Because of…. Climate Change?
I was watching a show on cable. It had to do with the police in Alaska, you know, the 57th state (a little sarcasm there). Well, there was a statement made in the show, the polar bears there, who wander into ‘certain small villages’ wound up getting shot because they are a danger to the population especially the children. Also, if they can get away with it the villagers will hunt them as well.
When I heard that, well, so much for climate change affecting their ‘numbers’.
I don’t think I would be far off saying there are those who either want to believe the lies of climate change because they are just that lost, or, they believe it because they find it will forward their careers politically AND line their pockets with lots and lots and lots of MONEY. I would suggest it is the second half of the observation.
OR… Someone ‘got to them’ and they were ‘persuaded’ to change their ‘thinking’…
Think about it. Most of these liberals, and sheep who follow them on this issue will be dead and buried by the time the ‘devastation’ of so called ‘climate change’ comes around.
The way America is being dummed down…- a large chunk of them pay more attention to the Kardashians, rap music, dancing with the stars, Air Jordan sneakers, implementing socialism, gay men/women ‘rights’, illegals, riots and ‘that’s racist’… ‘you’re racist’… to notice anything else going on around them, not even how they are being infiltrated by fundamentalists bent on their destruction…let alone how the Liberals/Progressives in this country in cohesion with our own Government is screwing them over….in every way.
Two (2) generations behind us is in debt up to their eyeballs, no, wait….in debt way, way PAST their eyeballs and growing… And, they have the threat of savages beheading them if they do not turn to and convert to Islam and these people (I use people loosely) could care less about climate change….
We’ve got a lot of dysfunction here in America. Everyday it get’s worse. And the problems we (they) are facing has absolutely nothing to do with the climate per se ….but, has so much to do with the ‘climate’ of dysfunction, multiculturalism, illegals and amnesty, open southern borders, redistribution, socialism and radical Islam…lawlessness by our Government…these are all controllable things, correctable things right now…the ever changing climate born by Mother Nature is not the issue.
There are only 2 reasons, maybe three, why climate change is an issue right now and they have nothing to do with climate.