Yes, you read that headline correctly. To (sort of) quote the into. to a famous TV series “There is nothing wrong with your television computer screen.” Tyler Bensch had and still has dreams of becoming a Police Officer. He’s really, really really sorry for joining the “B Squad which was affiliated with the notorious far-right Three Percenters and the so-called Guardians of “Freedom.” For taking part in all that weapons and hand-to-hand fighting training. And then taking part in the insurrectionist riot. Of being part of that mob that stormed our Capitol, trashed the building, sought out the Vice-President, the Speaker of the House and generally any non-Trump loving/supporting people and at best only assaulting them within an inch of their lives.
Or worse. It was after all impossible not to miss those repeated chants to “Hang Mike Pence” and other calls to do other things to those who would DARE to even THINK about, much less vote to accept the Elector’s Certificates that would formalize Joe Biden as having won the 2020 election instead of Trump. Yes, he was 19 years old at the time. I’ll readily admit I said and did stupid stuff at that age and I’ll be most people reading this did too. I’d be willing to bet most of us have said and done stupid stuff long after the age of 19 as well. However, there’s stupid and there’s criminal.
Look, there are crimes like shoplifting, or taking the neighbor’s car for a joyride and wrecking it, or getting drunk at a party and punching someone. And there are crimes like taking part in a riot and watching others and even yourself destroying property and assaulting people including law enforcement officers. This however was no ordinary, spur of the moment riot. It was planned, and some of the participants (like Bensch) came intending to not just riot but fight. If people got hurt or even killed because they resisted Trump’s intentions then so be it.
A crybaby loser fomented the riot because he didn’t want to admit he’d been a sh*tty President who never should have gotten near the Oval Office and was rejected (“bigly”) by the voters when he tried to get re-elected. He called on his supporters, his “base”, his MAGAs around the country to come to DC. To “kick ass and take names.” (and wink, wink nod, nod for some people do rather more!) To “stop the steal.” By force if necessary. “It will be wild” he said. I won’t speak for others, but even years before I was nineteen I’d have known down to my bones answering Trump’s call and doing what he was calling on people to do was WRONG. Not just wrong but CRIMINAL.
But gee whiz your Honor, I really was a good guy Bensch said. I even wanted to become a cop! I still do! I’m really sorry I got “caught up in the moment” (“Moment?” Joining that group? Taking all that training? What group he says? What training? It’s not like we were serious or anything! Just good “clean” fun.) I’m so, sooooooo sorry your Honor. Really. Super-Duper pinky swear sorry. Can’t you give me a break? Those “mean” prosecutors want me to spend nine months in prison! That’s not fair! Not for an “all-American” young man like me who wants to wear a badge and “protect & serve” the public.
(I’ll leave aside (for the moment) that only nine months in prison was sought for this P.O.S. I’m righting because the judge took pity on this “fine, upstanding young man.” Who’s really sorry. Who’s life shouldn’t be defined for choosing to not just take part in an insurrection, but training to be part of a special unit in the carrying out of the riot.)
As this news story states, U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden agreed that prison was much too harsh for this fine young lad. Rather than nine months in federal prison as though he were some kind of criminal the good judge instead sentenced Bensch to two years probation and 60 days of house “incarceration.” (Bensch will be allowed to travel to and from his job as a pool boy) The whole thing blows my mind. Makes me not just angry but furious. From the article:
“You participated in a national embarrassment,” McFadden said before imposing the sentence. “You came ready for trouble.”
But, he added, Bensch’s involvement was “pretty minor” when compared to others, while noting that his age was a mitigating factor. Bensch was 19 years old on Jan. 6, 2021.
“I am giving you this break because of your age” at the time and a lack of criminal history, McFadden said. “This doesn’t need to define you or your life.”
I’ll give you three guesses on who appointed this judge to the federal bench but you’ll only need one.
The judge is wrong. What Bensch chose to do that day (and the preparation he undertook for it) should in fact define him (and every other person who took part in the insurrection) for the rest of his life. For damn sure it should disqualify him from being a cop, and wielding the kind of authority that law enforcement people have. Too many individuals unfit to hold that type of power are already out there wearing badges and abusing their power!
If there are any conservatives reading this who think I’m too harsh riddle me this Bat-SH*t Insane a-holes – what if the INSURRECTIONISTS had stopped the certification? And Trump managed to get a new session called where the FAKE electors certificates were presented? What if BLM protesters, along with lots of white folks like me had stormed the Capitol and done what Bensch and others did? Sit there behind your keyboards and tell me you wouldn’t have been DEMANDING every day since up to and including this one that each and every one of us would have been locked up without bail to await trial, and then locked up for YEARS if not the rest of our lives you LYING a-holes!
I pity the people in whatever jurisdiction this P.O.S. Bensch finally becomes a cop in. (Trust me, some police chief somewhere will hire him) It won’t be just “those people” who will suffer but “god fearing” MAGAs too. Amped up on roids, and with his judicially granted pass making him feel he can get away with anything he wants no one will be safe from him. Worse, I’ll guarantee you that already there are counties and towns out there in MAGA territory with Police Chiefs or Sheriffs that can’t wait for a chance to hire this a$$hat. Talking to pillars of the community about creating a “discrete recruitment/welcome package” – say a sweetheart priced house, a home loan at a point or so less than market rate, a really nice almost brand new car or truck at a reduced price etc.
It’s infuriating as I said. But you know what? It’s also infuriating that prosecutors only asked for nine months! EVERY person who took part in that riot deserves real, serious time in prison. By serious I mean measured in years. And though sentences for some of the leaders are getting tougher, not a single one has gotten a sentence as long as what their CRIMES warrant. But that’s another whole new article. Perhaps I’ll tackle that soon.
For the moment I’m focused on the LACK of justice that’s been handed down in this particular case with this particular CRIMINAL. An insurrectionist guilty of the federal crime of seditious conspiracy. He should never be allowed to hold any “office of trust” (such as police officer) for the rest of his effing life! But, since he’s not some BLM protester or (as the once common where I grew up and is increasingly common again) race traitor n***er lover like me he’s been given a pass.
Yes, there are Trump judges that have done their duty and demonstrated loyalty to the Constitution and the cause of justice. And then there are Trump judges like Trevor McFadden.
“you came ready for trouble”. Oh Trevie, he not only came ready for trouble, he PARTICIPATED IN IT. Someone needs to sit this idiot down and explain what went on that day with pictures, video, audio–the whole works–because he’s apparently forgotten that a large number of P.O.S. white people did not like it when their loser nominee lost the general election so they sought to force upon the country a result they liked better: put a criminal f*ck in the w.h. This idiot judge also needs to be taught that 19 year old males are legally MEN.
Do the crimes of sedition, insurrection, hell, treason mean nothing? These are serious crimes dammit. where in the hell does this P.O.S. judge get off? There comes a point when a judge’s behavior on the bench (and off) becomes so egregious that they need to be removed. This fool immediately.
Our problem is, the right doesn’t see what the insurrectionists did as ‘treason’, ‘insurrection’. They are “PATRIOTS”. We not only don’t have common realities between right and left, we don’t even use the same damned dictionary. Until we agree on right and wrong, we can’t agree on anything. We see what they did as “wrong”, “treason”, “insurrection”. THEY see it as “First Amendment protected free speech”. Yes, that needs to be purged.
Yeah. If he was old enough to vote in November of 2020 (and, if he was 19 at the time of the insurrection, he was certainly old enough to vote 2 months earlier), he was legally responsible for ALL the actions he took. And he certainly couldn’t claim “diminished capacity” because that will pretty much rule out his ever being a real cop (a mall cop or private security job he could probably still get–though you usually do have to be able to be certified and licensed).
As to your point about the judge’s behavior, well, you’re right. Unfortunately, judges can only be removed by their deaths, their voluntary retirements or their being impeached. The first option is completely random and the second option is highly unlikely (unless someone finds some really good blackmail material to use against the guy) and, in today’s climate, the third option isn’t going to happen (I imagine there are plenty of GOPers in the House who might be willing to impeach since the judge still put the guy on probation rather than just declared him innocent of all charges but the House GOP leadership could probably still remind the dissenters that the judge was still “one of them at heart”; but, in terms of the Senate, you’re never going to get the 67 votes necessary to remove the guy from the bench–unless you somehow managed to lock up the 30 worst GOPers so the Dems could get the 2/3 vote on their own).
Even back in normal times impeachment of a federal judge was exceedingly rare. Unless I’m mistaken only once or twice. It is something that simply hasn’t been done even though I’m sure there are numerous times it should have happened. But even if the House did it’s part even in the old days you’d have still had the problem of getting two-thirds of the Senate to convict and therefore remove the person. As you say, now it would be an impossible thing to have happen. That’s why the Senate SHOULD take approval of judges more seriously than it often has. This particular federal judge was confirmed in an 84-10 vote! Since it was apparent for so long what McConnell had been up to our side bears considerable possibility for not fighting like hell to ensure every single judge confirmed was both well qualified and likely to be loyal to the Constitution instead of the Federalist Society agenda.
Just what this country needs: Another violent,racist, misogynist cop.with white supremacist connections.
Jesus F**king Christ. Our judges are idiots.