Attorney General Merrick Garland asked the FBI to look into a recent rise in anti-mask, anti-vax kooks overrunning schoolboard meetings and threatening and intimidating educators and administrators, according to The Washington Post:
In a memorandum to FBI Director Christopher A. Wray and federal prosecutors, Garland wrote that the Justice Department will hold strategy sessions with law enforcement in the next 30 days and is expected to announce measures in response to “the rise in criminal conduct directed toward school personnel” in the nation’s public schools.
“While spirited debate about policy matters is protected under our Constitution, that protection does not extend to threats of violence or efforts to intimidate individuals based on their views,” he wrote. “Threats against public servants are not only illegal, they run counter to our nation’s core values. Those who dedicate their time and energy to ensuring that our children receive a proper education in a safe environment deserve to be able to do their work without fear for their safety.”
Honest to dog, my first thought was, “It’s about goddamn time” since this nonsense has been going on for months,” followed by, “Strategy sessions should do the trick.” I appreciate the effort to address this outrageous behavior, but damn.
I’d prefer an FBI memo to local law enforcement agencies directing them to take immediate action to roll up the nutbars or we’ll do it for you. Sort of a federal law enforcement version of a vehicle-driving mom’s “Don’t make me come back there” when the kids get out of control in the backseat.
Would Republican officials bellow like ruptured wildebeests at such a directive? Of course. Here’s how Florida’s shitty governor responded to the mild-mannered “strategy sessions” directive [Orlando Sentinel]:
“Attorney General Garland is weaponizing the DOJ [Department of Justice] by using the FBI to pursue concerned parents and silence them through intimidation,” DeSantis’ post read. “Florida will defend the free speech rights of its citizens and will not allow federal agents to squelch dissent.”
I wish Garland would respond with, “Cry harder, DeSantis — you punk-ass cockwaffle.” But that seems unlikely. No disrespect toward Garland intended. I’m just so fucking tired of terrible people being coddled and/or treated with unearned deference.
Open thread.
JoyceH
Better late than never, I guess. I’d like to see the same scrutiny applied to threats and violence against medical personnel, because the loonies are turning on them too.
Old School
The DOJ is trying to intimidate people into not using intimidation!
WaterGirl
I see this as “if you’re not going to take action in response to this, we will”. The law enforcement agencies have 30 days to get serious about this; 30 days to have input into the response.
bbleh
Would Republican officials bellow like ruptured wildebeests at such a directive? Of course.
Would Republican officials bellow like ruptured wildebeests at the absence of such a directive? Of course. Would Republican officials bellow like ruptured wildebeests completely irrespective of the existence or absence of such a directive? Of course.
We may infer from this that the existence or absence of such a directive and the behavior of Republican officials are wholly irrelevant to one another, and therefore that the latter need not figure in any decision concerning the former.
This principle may be extended to the existence or absence of any other possible policy or action.
For next lecture, please diagram this relationship using symbolic logic. Class dismissed.
Betty Cracker
@bbleh: Exactly.
debbie
DeSantis: You’re so damn vicious.
eclare
I’m tired of the coddling of snowflakes, too. I don’t fucking understand why we, the masked, the vaxxed, have to put up with these idiots who are increasingly threatening violence. Seems like if anyone has a reason to threaten violence, it’s us.
Obligatory I am not advocating that we do that.
Ken
∀P (P ∨ ¬P ⇒ bleating Republicans)
Baud
I’m actually not sure what federal law DOJ has to play with here, so that might be the reason for the jawboning.
What would be interesting is for DOJ to tell states that, if they don’t enforce the laws against white anti-mask hooligans, it would violate equal protection to enforce the law against racial-justice protestors. But I doubt we’ll get to that point.
VOR
How about the threats against public health officials? And election officials?
lowtechcyclist
@Ken:
:golf clap:
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
Maybe some targeted school official will castledoctrinestandherground some threatening ghoul in the front yard after he utters some nasty bullshit.
PsiFighter37
Now if Garland could take on all the shit Trump did from 2017-2021 as quickly and as eagerly.
lowtechcyclist
If I were in Garland’s position, I think my response would be:
“Anyone who speaks out in public without harassing, intimidating, or threatening public servants or their fellow citizens has nothing to fear from us. If Governor DeSantis chooses to defend those who would do these things, then he is an enemy of democracy, full stop.”
Kent
@Baud: Anti-terrorism laws are breathtakingly broad. One of the legacies of the Bush Administration
All they have to do is open up an FBI investigation on some of these ringleaders, then go around and interview all their co-workers, supervisors, neighbors, etc. And most of them will wet their pants.
lowtechcyclist
@JoyceH:
@VOR:
Yes, Garland should add all of the above to his list.
All public servants and officials of any type, at any level, should be able to feel that they are safe to go about their work. Ditto any and all medical professionals, public or private. People who harass and intimidate them should experience consequences.
Baud
@Kent:
I would welcome that for the barrage of Greenwald tweets alone.
Raoul Paste
Proving once again that if you want swift action on a topic, run a skit about it on Saturday Night Live
Kay
Lead with this and make it the whole story. ” creating chaos in our schools making it impossible for those who come to school to learn to get their work done….”
Schools, schools, schools. No normal person or voter wants chaos and danger in schools and everyone at one time or another had to follow school rules.
If I were a Democrat running in one of these districts they’re targeting with the school protests I would run an ad of the screeching Trumpists disrupting a school. Normal parents will hate it and there are way more normal parents than screeching Trumpists.
Kay
Because this is what normal parents want after a solid year and half of schools disrupted by covid- they want an army of screaming adults creating chaos.
I feel like Democrats would be justified in just taking it and running with it completely – “our children are falling behind because Trumpists won’t let schools operate!” :)
Go crazy. They handed you an absolute gift. Use it.
Sure Lurkalot
I had somewhat the same thoughts in the last thread, nowhere near as well expressed.
Most of these protests are not organic, they are arranged and funded. Why can’t we go after the funding sources? Organizing threats of violence across state lines?
Relatedly, I read today that Gaetz’ co-conspirator has asked for another extension to spill the beans–out to March 22. So Gaetz gets to run around stirring up shit and Greenberg stays out of jail for another 6 months .
gwangung
A number of these “concerned parents” don’t actually live in the school’s jurisdiction. They’ve been imported and supported by outside forces, as are a number of anti-vaxx forces (see today’s trashing of vaccine stands in LA and NYC).
If they cross stateliness, then it’s very much under the jurisdiction of the Justice department.
lowtechcyclist
@Kay:
Damn straight.
What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us
@eclare: I have given serious thought to showing up at some of these meetings and getting up and saying to the school board that we appreciate their efforts to keep kids safe. And the people issuing veiled threats, well, there are a lot more of us than there are of you, and WE know where YOU live too. So if anything happens to any of these good people we’ll let the authorities handle it, but if they won’t then we will. But I live in a really blue area where we don’t have issues with these bozos so it would require driving an hour or more and I’m too lazy for that.
lowtechcyclist
@gwangung:
And of course, they’ve been squawking about ‘outside agitators’ since the days of the civil-rights movement. So it’s totally unsurprising that they’d be the ones who’d actually do that.
Ten Bears
‘Bout a day late ‘n a dollar short. Moreso when it takes six months to “study” it.
gwangung
@lowtechcyclist: It’s always projection with them. Outsiders always help the bigot elements…
West of the Rockies
@JoyceH:
I’d like to see airline travel violence be addressed as well. Why are people suddenly losing their shit on airplanes: is it essentially anti-mask mania?
I’d love to see what the ebooks 50 years from now make of this rightwing insanity.
Geminid
@Sure Lurkalot: I think the feds would arrest Gaetz tomorrow if they could prove a case. It seems to me that someone is buying the silence of the woman involved, and investigators haven’t been able to get her to incriminate Gaetz.
WaterGirl
@Ten Bears: I saw 30 days. Where did you see 6 months?
What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us
@lowtechcyclist: Yeah I don’t know why every dem everywhere isn’t stringing together the most damning footage from January 6th into an ad with a voiceover that says “My opponent wants to let these goons tear down our democracy and murder people.”
I think it has the twin virtues of being completely true and effective. It’s a variation on the same theme as going after the goons threatening educators and health care workers.
West of the Rockies
@Ken:
I was told there would be no math.
West of the Rockies
@Kay:
I’d love to see the Venn diagram for anti-mask schoolboard freaks and heinous Little League parents.
Geminid
@What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us: A lot of school boards now require proof of county residency to attend meetings anyway. Loudon County, Virginia has started checking ID, and many other school boards have done so.
Mike in Pasadena
I’m sure I missed a thread on this in the past weeks, but the 4 hour documentary on Hearst and his use of his papers to incite hatred (especially the yellow peril and the Japanese after Pearl) and violence reminded me of TFG and Twitter and social media. Rethuglican politicians have done the same to stir up violence against school boards and Democratic governors. Glad that Merrick finally roused himself from his months-long slumber. It’s like BC said, it’s not like these threats and other intimidation tactics by Rethuglicans started last Thursday.
MisterForkbeard
@Kay: My brother tell me that his kids school had a couple of dudes outside it screaming at kids that they’re “sheep” and “Don’t listen to your parents, you don’t have to wear a mask and the masks kill you!”
The police (eventually) stopped them. After 10 days. In California. Now one of them hangs out the in parking lot with a bunch of signs and tries to persuade kids to revolt but isn’t screaming at anyone. Cops say they can’t do anything since they guy is technically there to pick up his kid.
ETA: Meaning, we coddle the shit out of these people – even in very liberal areas.
Roger Moore
@gwangung:
If they’re getting funding from another state, DOJ could probably get involved, too.
debbie
@gwangung:
I doubt they’re even parents.
Ruckus
@lowtechcyclist:
Projection. It’s always projection with conservatives. They have zero new ideas, that’s the entire point of their political ethos.
West of the Rockies
@MisterForkbeard:
The. Police. Are. Complicit.
They dig the anti-mask Qanon bullshit.
leeleeFL
@lowtechcyclist: And, Garland should totally refer to him a a feckless thug! Or reckless cockwaffle! Or vicious shit stain! I would applaud any and all of these titles for that little shit.
Obligatory, sorry his First Lady has Breast Cancer. He would otherwise bust my chops about his sad news.
Breast Cancer shouldn’t happen to anyone.
Full stop!
MisterForkbeard
@West of the Rockies: During the first big summer covid surge we had a local sheriff explicitly announce he didn’t believe the health authorities and wouldn’t be enforcing any masking or health requirements.
Because that only covered the unincorporated areas of the county, it didn’t have a huge impact. But the guy got yelled at into submission – the community did not tolerate it and he fell back in line, at least publicly.
Kay
@MisterForkbeard:
I’m ok with that although I feel sorry for his kid. The school should get him an uber. Have the driver toot the horn as they go by the protestor on the way home.
Elizabelle
@Mike in Pasadena:
Oh get over yourself. Really?
UncleEbeneezer
I would also be fine with Garland doing this on the down-low and then seeing FBI start arresting people in 30 days. But I get why he’s saying it publicly.
Sure Lurkalot
@Geminid: If Greenberg hasn’t delivered the prosecution what it needs so far, then what’s another 6 months going to do? Why should he get counts against him dismissed and a stay out of jail card meanwhile? Can’t we put at least one of those pervs in jail?
eclare
@West of the Rockies: That Venn diagram would be a perfect circle.
oatler
I’m just so fucking tired of terrible people being coddled and/or treated with unearned deference.
Chuck Todd’s ears are tingling…
Gretchen
Rod Dreher over at American Conservative is very upset about this. It’s just like the Soviet Communists suppressed dissent, concha know.
Geminid
@Sure Lurkalot: The counts against Greenberg have not been dismissed. He is going to prison, the only question is when and for how long. As for Gaetz, the feds may not have the goods yet, but that doesn’t mean they won’t.
Greenberg’s testimony alone probably won’t convict Gaetz. Gaetz’s father can hire defense attorneys that could tear apart the testimony of a proven criminal.
Omnes Omnibus
@Gretchen: Dreher is also upset about “primitive root wieners” today. Perhaps we should be nicer to him.
Sister Golden Bear
I’m not advocating physical violence, but we need to bring the hammer down, hard, on those creating chaos to shut things down, those threatening others, and those actually attacking others. Because forceful pushback is one of the few things that they understand.
Falk
Considering the bang up job Wray and his minions did on their Kavanaugh investigation i’m not overly optimistic.
Ken
@Omnes Omnibus: One of those moments when the psychological picture leaps into sudden focus.
LongHairedWeirdo
Obligatory followup: stop insulting punk-ass cockwaffles by comparing them to Desantis. I know some rotting turds that would be insulted by such a comparison. (“Hey, we rotting turds give fair warning that we’re brimming with disgusting toxins!”)
Sure Lurkalot
@Geminid: They have dismissed over 20 counts for his cooperation. He will go to jail on the remaining and hopefully for a good long time but meanwhile justice is not being served.
Kay
Im reading some actual critical race theory. Derrick Bell. I figure if they hate it there must be something to it, and there is. I’m think about affirmatively promoting it in schools after I retire. There’s a lot to think about there! It’ll be good for the youngsters.
Betty
@Kent: There seem to be dark money folks pushing these “rebellions”. Find them and expose them.
Baud
@Kay:
Now that’s something the police will do something about.
Ten Bears
@WaterGirl: @WaterGirl: My estimation as to when whatever reaches the trenches.
dnfree
@Ken: great response!
A few months ago I saw a faded bumper sticker that said “Honk IFF you love formal logic”. I laughed and I honked.
TriassicSands
@Elizabelle:
Do you really think Garland has adequately met the challenges he and this country face?
Kirk Spencer
@lowtechcyclist: Really? I laughed, and I’m thinking about putting it on a home-made logo t-shirt.
J R in WV
@TriassicSands:
I think it’s several months too early to tell.
I also think lots of FBI people need to be forcibly retired, for starters everyone involved in the Clinton email scandal, by which I mean the phony scam the FBI concocted about her email, which was the only scandal in there.
Also — Everyone not helping put the right-wing fascists in prison, if there are any of those. I’m going to give Garland time. He may need new leadership at the FBI, ya’ think?
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
@TriassicSands:
No.
He comes from the background of the federal judiciary, where they wallow in cases overlong, adoring the sanctified notion of extraordinary timelines, getting to results when they get to results.
Fuckin’ thing is offensive.
Emma from Miami
@Mike in Pasadena: Really? Garland has inherited a zoo full of diseased animals. He has had to deal with cleaning up internally. And he has been working at it. Stop demeaning our side. IIRC, Biden has been president since… oh yeah. And he hasn’t performed liberal miracles yet.
I get so bloody tired of this crap.
TriassicSands
@Emma from Miami:
Unfortunately, I’ve never thought Garland is the right person for that job at this time. He would probably have been an OK SCOTUS justice, but a more aggressive and assertive AG is likely needed for the massive cleanup job that is needed. It would be a daunting task for anyone, but I haven’t seen anything in Garland’s past actions or his months in office that lead to believe he will rise to the occasion or be successful.
Like all presidents, Biden made some great, some good, some adequate, and some poor appointments. That will always happen. For example, Walensky may be a great doctor, but she’s a terrible communicator and, I believe, she’s made a mess of the CDC’s public response to the pandemic, which has contributed to many unnecessary deaths. Biden’s best appointment is probably Jen Psaki, who strikes me as the best person I’ve ever seen in her position.
I’m actually far more supportive of Biden’s performance than I thought I would be. However, I honestly think Garland was a mistake. AG is not a consolation prize for what happened to him. Clearly, Garland isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, so I just have to hope he’s doing things behind the scenes that will eventually result in concrete, aggressive action on all fronts.
Just Chuck
FYWPfart, nothing to see…
Just Chuck
@Ken: I’ll go with Prolog:
republican(X) :- bleats(X)
Roger Moore
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:
Before Merrick Garland was in the Federal Judiciary, he was in the DOJ; he led the team that prosecuted Timothy McVeigh. He understands prosecuting criminals, including right wing terrorists. He hasn’t completely revamped the department in 9 months, which says more about the size and complexity of DOJ than it does about his willingness to do so.
cain
I saw a billboard where the FBI was encouraging everyone to report hate crimes. I was glad to see this.
Just Chuck
@dnfree: FORTH LOVE IF HONK THEN
Burnspbesq
I’m curious as to how DeSantis thinks he’s going to keep DOJ and the FBI from doing whatever they damn well please. An armed standoff between local cops and the FBI isn’t likely to end well for the locals.
Just Chuck
@Burnspbesq: He’s not. All he’s good for is putting out press releases of sputtering poutrage and then he’ll quietly go along and hope no one will notice. And because it’s Florida, no one will.
TriassicSands
@Roger Moore:
Actually, I don’t think it tells us anything definitive, because we really have little or no idea what he has done overall.
Garland was in his mid-forties when he prosecuted McVeigh; he’ll be 70 next April. That can make a huge difference. Robert Mueller seemed more dead than alive (or at least asleep) during his investigation of Trump. His performance testifying was horrendous. People age very differently, so I have no idea how much “zip” Garland has, but nothing I’ve seen conveys an image of an energetic, aggressive prosecutor.
What we need right now is the best Attorney General we’ve ever had. Garland simply doesn’t give that impression — at all. As I said, he’s not going anywhere, so I’m just hoping I’m wrong about him.
eddie blake
@Sister Golden Bear: yeah, that was a SHARP skins and RASH skins, AFA/ARA thing in the late eighties and nineties in MANY places in nyc..
boneheads show up, you show them the door.
cain
I expect the OathKeepers and all the crazy militia to show up to help “support the cops” against big government.
Emma from Miami
@TriassicSands: Garland was a DOJ prosecutor before being a judge. IIRC, he prosecuted Tim McVeigh (sp?), So he is not without experience in the job.
Emma from Miami
@TriassicSands: Do you have a nominee for this new miracle man?
Omnes Omnibus
@Emma from Miami: Elvis Costello?
TriassicSands
@Emma from Miami:
Amazingly, Emma, that isn’t my job, which, I’m sad to say, makes your response pretty silly.
TriassicSands
@Emma from Miami:
I’m aware of that — as I pointed out in an earlier comment. Experience is obviously a necessary, but hardly sufficient qualification. Mueller had all the “experience” in the world and lots of other qualifications for the job he bungled. His failure was probably due to both his age and some personal characteristics that only someone who knew him reasonably well at the time of his appointment would have known.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky is in all probability a great doctor, but she’s been a dismal head of the CDC primarily because of poor communication skills and her failure to take into account human behavior (of right wingers) when relaxing pandemic recommendations. With someone like Jen Psaki we see immediately how qualified and excellent she is at her job. (I will mourn her loss when she leaves.)
CVs are only worth so much. They can hide as much as they reveal.
TriassicSands
@Emma from Miami: I will say this — it should be a much younger man. Probably someone in her or his fifties. That means lots of experience, but still young enough to have exceptional drive and energy. We’ve seen some excellent prosecutors over the years, but only people working in a particular field are likely to have the expertise to recommend great candidates. After that, both appearances and results matter and those can be judged by non-experts. At least to some degree.
I could throw out a name like Preet Bharara (age 52), but I couldn’t possibly know if he is the best person for the job. I could, however, offer an informed opinion after he had been in office.
For example, I’m not a lawyer, but it hasn’t been difficult to tell that John Mitchell, Ed Meese, and Alberto Gonzalez were all terrible AGs.
Mike in Pasadena
@Elizabelle: you are right. Overstatement. Yes, on this issue, the DOJ has not been visible or heard.
Procopius
@Falk: I remember when The Old Queen was still alive. As far as I can tell, the FBI has always been a fascist institution. Hoover always claimed “organized crime” was a myth. He was in his glory when McCarthy was running his mouth.