Turning a Criminal into a Martyr with Lies
So let’s be crystal clear about this issue. Ashli Babbit, brainwashed by bullshit from Trump and his sycophants, was part of the mob that unlawfully stormed the US Capitol to stop the Electoral College count, violently confronting police who were defending the buildings, the politicians, and staff who worked there. She was part of the lead group of extremists who was attempting to smash there way into the Speakers’ lobby where US Representatives and their staff were trying to escape. These extremists smashed the doors to the lobby, and when the windows were broken, Babbit was the first one to attempt jumping through to pursue those representatives. A security officer just behind the smashed door fire one shot, killing Babbit. Babbit was violently breaking the law, endangering herself and everyone around her. She was killed for that, because the security personnel had one job, and that was to protect the Congress and the Vice President. Unfortunate, certainly, but she bears 100% responsibility for the consequences of her violent criminality.
There are several videos of the incident and all of them show Babbitt being shot while breaching the door of the Speaker’s Lobby her actions were unquestionably criminal and endangering federal officials. Shortly after the shooting, though, The Noise Machine cranked up, and has been slowly building momentum to recast Babbitt as a “martyr”. I even ran across a right-winger on social media last week who said that Babbitt was “executed” for “doing nothing”. There’s a lot of words for what Babbitt did that day, but “nothing” isn’t one of them. Trump co-conspirator, Paul Gosar, has gone out of his way to defend Babbitt, even saying last week that officers were “lying in wait” to kill her. Setting aside the fact that he and other Teabagging Q Republicans should be brought up on insurrection charges, Gosar is playing with fire by repeating Fox Noise-OAN bullshit, and it’s all part of the orchestrated effort by Republicans to downplay the actual insurrection and felony violence committed by Babbitt and thousands of others that day.
It’s important that everyone else relain clear-headed and focused on bring all these people, including the Inciter-in-Chief to justice.
Prediction: She’ll have a song written about her like Horst Wessel, only country.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horst_Wessel
1I wonder how many people, let’s narrow it down and say how many people who support the January 6th insurrection would also describe an armed home invader at their house, one who busted down their front door, smashed their windows, and came after them – – how many of them would describe an attacker as a hero or a martyr (if they shot that invader)?
2Expect those insurrectionist that finally get prosecuted and sent to do some time will also become martyrs. Those same noise outlets will call them political prisoners, ala putin.
3It’s the lies that are the problem. And the outlets that spread them.
4YES, what Vic said.
5Buttermilk Sky @1, Rod Serling’s already BTDT, in 1963.
His Twilight Zone episode “He’s Alive” [season 4, episode 4] foretold precisely the types of authoritarian worshipping fools who have been lapping this RWNJ bullshit up since the time of Wessel.
The [temporarily] failed January 6th coup d’état was just a step down the path.
The shadowy masters of the MAGAots knew exactly how to manipulate their puppets, –and were even planning on having a few ‘martyrs’ minted on January 6th–. Ashli Babbit was fully anticipated.
They’ve been around the US since the 1930s and —are now gaining more strength than ever— [see ‘the German American Bunds, various Nazi financiers, etc.’].
Their extensive and long plotting for the attempted Republifascist coup d’état was thorough and meticulous.
There were many nefarious players, they all must be brought to justice. Starting with the Rufous Ratbastard and his minions, especially those most directly involved in the coup d’état, including the congresscritters.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/He%27s_Alive
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_American_Bund
Rod Serling’s intro:
“Portrait of a bush-league Führer named Peter Vollmer*, a sparse little man who feeds off his self-delusions and finds himself perpetually hungry for want of greatness in his diet.
And like some goose-stepping predecessors he searches for something to explain his hunger, and to rationalize why a world passes him by without saluting.
That something he looks for and finds is in a sewer [the present day RepubTrumpian MAGAots].
In his own twisted and distorted lexicon he calls it faith, strength, truth. But in just a moment Peter Vollmer will ply his trade on another kind of corner, a strange intersection in a shadowland called the Twilight Zone.
…
Beginning one night, Vollmer is periodically visited by a shadowy figure who teaches him how to enthrall a crowd. The figure teaches Vollmer how to speak, and pays Vollmer’s rent at the hall where he holds rallies.
***– He also instructs Vollmer to arrange the death of one of his followers, Nick, thereby creating a martyr to rally everyone around (a reference to the 1930 murder of Horst Wessel, a low-ranking officer in the Sturmabteilung). ***
Following the figure’s instructions and assistance, Vollmer becomes considerably more successful and his group’s following grows.
…
Hitler congratulates him and asks how it felt; Vollmer replies that he felt immortal.
Hitler responds, “Mr. Vollmer! We ARE immortal!”
Police officers arrive soon after, to arrest Vollmer for conspiracy to murder Nick. Shot while fleeing, Vollmer is astonished by the sight of his own blood. Hitler’s shadow appears on the wall behind Vollmer as he gasps out, “There’s something very wrong here… Don’t you understand that I’m made out of steel!?” ”
* My early years were spent in a small, rather diverse, but quite segregated town. There were many Anglo nationalities, French, German, Dutch, etc. The best bakery in town was –*Vollmerhausens Bakery.
6@ Buttermilk Sky – Agreed, 100%
7What impressed me at the time were the “men” in combat gear *behind* Babbitt, urging her on, helping her (when she didn’t break the window out by herself, they did) and urging her on again…climb this go on through, hurry up, he won’t shoot, open it up for us, we’re right behind you.
Either they believed she wouldn’t be shot (or it would delay the shot) or they believed she’d make the perfect martyr figure.
But they knew damn well they were pushing her to take point, to “accept the lance” and you notice none of THEM got out in front. They had the Kevlar vests, the helmets, the whole set of gear…but they made it clear they wanted a woman to go first.
Just as none of the Republicans in the House saw those stuck in the gallery–including Rep. Payapal who had just had knee surgery and ended up having to struggle down many flights of stairs with the aid of two other women–none of those GOP “men” bothered to worry about the women stranded up there–all of them unarmed and unescorted by security personnel. No, they scurried out and into an elevator to get to safety. (I am once more failing in “respect for the dignity of every human being” but when men who talk big about courage and responsibility and tradition abandon the tradition of protecting the injured and instead run away…my respect for their dignity is permanently impaired.)
Ashli Babbitt chose to come to D.C. with ill intent. She chose to come to the Capitol with ill intent. She chose to attack the fabric, the windows and doors, with ill intent. She had ample warning that it was against the law and against the commands of those inside that doorway to keep trying to get in. She chose terrorism, insurrection, sedition, treason, against her responsibility as a citizen and as a veteran. She shamed her former branch of the military and she shamed other, LOYAL, veterans, by her violent, illegal, treasonous actions…and I do not respect her choices or her reasons. She was no angel. She was no innocent. She was no child. She was not mentally ill. She was a determined terrorist, and as such, in that situation, it was the duty of the man inside with the gun, charged with defending members of Congress, to shoot her…and he did, reading the situation while in it (much harder than me reading it remotely) and he shot at the moment I said “Now!” to the computer screen.
Not a martyr to any cause I care about.
8Rick @2: Yes but in the fever dreams of those you describe, the armed invader smashing his/her way into their house is….not white. So as Miss Emily would say, that’s very different then. Never mind.
9those are “tourists” trying to open doors at the capitol…
10Elizabeth Moon @8
Looking at the men in front of the door, do you REALLY think they could be boosted up and crawl through the small opening of a broken window? Whatever else Ashli might have been, she was small enough to get through and open a door.
11Felony murder rule.
DC law allows people who commit felonies to be charged with the murder of anyone who dies during the crime, accomplice, victim, by-stander, etc.
Can some of your lawyer followers enlighten us on whether there is a federal equivalent, and whether it’s likely any of the insurrectionists might be charged with Ashli Babbitt’s murder, under the felony murder rule?
12At least she was only shot once and not in the back. Cop should get good marksmanship medal and a hefty raise for not wasting ammo.
13