Although kooky kongress members like Louie Gohmert and Marjorie Taylor Greene depict the incarcerated people who stormed the Capitol on January 6 as patriots and political prisoners, whom they visit and tuck in at night, the sentences which are now being handed out for criminal trespass and destruction of government property that day are starting to carry a message. This is the second stiff sentence to be handed down in the past few days. Scott Fairlam, a former mixed martial arts fighter who pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer during the riot, was sentenced to 41 months in prison and today Jacob Chansley, the QAnon Shaman, received the same sentence. CNN:
For more than 30 minutes, Chansley spoke to [Judge] Lamberth about the impact jail has had on him, and the guilt he feels for breaking the law.–He said he was wrong to enter the Capitol on January 6, and that he is not an insurrectionist or domestic terrorist.–His sprawling speech held the attention of the judge, as Chansley quoted Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and “The Shawshank Redemption,” and described wanting to live his life like Jesus Christ and Gandhi.–“The hardest part about this is to know that I’m to blame. To have to look in the mirror and know, you really messed up. Royally,” Chansley said.–“I was in solitary confinement because of me. Because of my decision. I broke the law … I should do what Gandhi would do and take responsibility,” he says. “There’s no ifs, ands or buts about it, that’s what men of honor do.” He promised to never have to be jailed again.–“I think your remarks are the most remarkable I’ve heard in 34 years,” Lamberth told Chansley, calling his speech “akin to the kind of thing Martin Luther King would have said.”But, Lamberth added, “what you did here was as horrific as you now concede,” and he could not justify a shorter sentence.
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As you no doubt recall, Chansley asked Trump for a pardon. All of the insurrectionists felt that they would be able to get either legal counsel paid for or a pardon or both. Now is the day of rude awakening. If you depend upon Donald Trump to save your bacon, you will find it blackened and burnt along with destruction to the rest of your life.
The speech was before the actual sentencing, IIRC. But he’s been getting help in jail, I think.
To date there hasn’t been a single person sentenced who got as much as I believe is warranted and that includes this dude. Some folks, including it would seem some who show up now and then here to offer critical comments about the prevailing views expressed on this site think that any sentence is too much. However I think there are plenty of people who fee like me and want the book, hell the whole library thrown at every seditionist asshole who entered the Capitol or took part in the riot to allow those who entered to do so. Having said that, one thing is reassuring. Since this is a federal case, worries from those who fear he will be out in a year or so for so-called good behavior behind bars needn’t worry. For federal convictions, a convict can only earn a MAXIMUM of 54 days per year off their sentence. Note the “maximum” part because earning the full credit apparently is far from a given. Also, a convict has to have served the full year to obtain a credit for a year of good behavior. Why is that important? Well, assuming Chansley really has changed, turned over a new leaf etc. the most time off his sentence he can earn is 162. That translates into roughly five and a half months. 41 months minus 5.5 months comes out to about three and a half years in prison. Here’s the kicker. He can’t even apply for the credit for the third year until after it has been served. So he’s going to wind up serving about three and a half years in prison. Again, not as much as I’d have like to see happen but if you’re worried he’s going to wind up paroled (no parole in the federal system) or out after less than a couple of years (or way less) rest easy. He’s going to be stuck in there for most of the time the judge gave him. And for those who think that’s too harsh, I say go away and melt you fucking snowflake. He not only took part in, but went to great lengths to lead a bona fide riot that meets the legal definition of sedition. He took part in a criminal action designed to overthrow our system of government. Now he can spend well over three years thinking about it, and if he’s really reformed how to atone for the damage he’s done to our country.