Musk contrasts Jacob Chansley with the man who attacked Dave Chappelle.

Chansley got 4 years in prison for a non-violent, police-escorted tour!?

Dave Chapelle was violently assaulted on stage by a guy with a knife. That guy got a $3000 fine & no prison time. https://t.co/qDRWxozD8B

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 10, 2023

Why compare these particular 2 individuals? You're always going to be able to find someone who got an easy sentence to contrast with the person you think got a harsh sentence, so why pick that specific instance of what looks like leniency?

First, is it even true that Chappelle was "assaulted on stage by a guy with a knife" and that the man received "no prison time." It says in the NY Post that Isaiah Lee received a 270-day sentence — so that was served in "jail," not "prison," making Musk technically right.

And Lee had a knife on his person, but he did not wield the knife in the attack on Chappelle, so it's deceptive/sloppy to say he assaulted Chappelle "with a knife." If you have a knife in your pocket and you give somebody a shove, have you attacked him with a knife? Is that the kind of technical correctness Musk wants to be known for?

I'd say a 270-day sentence was appropriate. What would you give Will Smith for hitting Chris Rock? 270 days? Less? More?

Speaking of Hollywood royalty, why was Jacob Chanley treated like a special guest by the Capitol Police? Here's my hypothesis: Someone selected him from the crowd because of the way he looked. He became the face of the insurrection/"insurrection" because he was chosen for the part, not because he exercised leadership. 

Chansley was like a beautiful young woman in a crowd at a rock concert, spotted by roadies and squired to the after party. 

"We did not receive that video footage. We asked for it, and not just once or twice. Whether we asked for it or not is irrelevant because the government had an absolute, non-compromisible duty..."

"... to disclose that video and they did not do so. And all the while, they were actively representing to the court and the American people that Jake was a leader, leading the charge into the Capitol....They did not disclose that footage because it ran contrary to their rote narrative.... I’ve never seen anything so vile as what I’m seeing right now.... It’s a departure from a pretty high standard they’ve maintained for a long time. Anyone who needs to have belief in the integrity of our justice system, whether they’re a left-wing New England academic or a raging right-winger, needs to say that this is really wrong and f—ing it up for everyone."

Said Albert Watkins, who was the lawyer for Jason Chansley ("The QAnon Shaman"), "‘It’s Appalling’: QAnon Shaman’s Lawyer Says DOJ Lied, Withheld Videos Aired By Carlson" (Daily Wire)

“Jan. 6 footage shows Capitol cops escorting QAnon Shaman to Senate floor.”

The NY Post reports. 

"The Giddy, Terrifying Siege of Ottawa" — a great headline with a great photograph...

"... for a NYT column by Michelle Goldberg. 

I'm blogging this because not because I'm terrified or think what's happening in Ottawa is "giddy." I'm just interested and I love the photograph (by Dave Chan). The photo centers on an exulting, shirtless man who reminds me of the QAnon Shaman:

Go to the link for the full photograph. He's surrounded by all sorts of signs and flags. The word "freedom" is key. I kept the upside down maple leaf, though I have no sense of how intense Canadians feel about their flag. Do they venerate the leaf? 

The sign on the left reads: "Freedom pour nos enfants tabarnak/tabarouette." I had to look up "tabarnak," and was interested to see that it originally means "tabernacle" — the place in a Christian church where they keep the communion materials — but has come to mean "fuck." "Tabarouette" is a toning down of "tabarnak."  Those links go to Urban Dictionary, which I'll trust at least for now. So the sign seems to mean "Freedom for our fucking frigging children."

There are 6 more Dave Chan photographs at the link, and I've been studying all the details in them rather than scanning to figure out what's so terrifying and giddy to Michelle Goldberg. None of the other photos show anyone as "terrifying" as the shirtless man I've shown you. They seem pretty nice. One photo has the caption "A relatively small number of people have snarled the capital."

Goldberg reports from Ottawa. She's actually talking to the people, not opining from afar. I like the first 2 paragraphs, but I see nothing giddy or terrifying about them:

"I am not belittling my client... but my client was wearing horns. He had tattoos around his nipples. He wasn’t leading anywhere. He was a follower."

Said Albert Watkins, the lawyer for Jacob Chansley (AKA "The QAnon Shaman"), quoted in "U.S. judge scolds ‘QAnon Shaman’ for appearing on ‘60 Minutes Plus’ without permission" (WaPo). 

As for the controversy over appearing on TV:

During a detention hearing Friday, Judge Royce C. Lamberth of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia questioned whether Jacob Chansley appeared in the interview that aired Thursday without the required clearance from the U.S. Marshals Service, the detention facility or the judge. The judge also questioned whether Chansley’s attorney, Albert Watkins, was deceitful in skirting proper authorization to appear on the show.... Watkins said he did make “independent arrangements” with “60 Minutes Plus” but denied conducting “subterfuge.” He said he assumed his client would be allowed to be captured on camera from his office.

What is the government interest in suppressing communication by persons charged with crimes? I can understand why someone's lawyer might advise him not to give public interviews, but why is there a requirement of "clearance from the U.S. Marshals Service, the detention facility or the judge" — and what is the extent of the clearance? Is it just about giving interviewers access to a detention facility? If it's nothing more than that, then the lawyer's assumption was correct. If it is more than that... why is it more than that?

"Well, I sang a song. And that's a part of shamanism. It's about — creating positive vibrations in a sacred chamber."

"I also stopped people from stealing and vandalizing that sacred space, the Senate. Okay? I actually stopped somebody from stealing muffins out of the — out of the break room. And I also said a prayer in that sacred chamber. Because it was my intention to bring divinity, and to bring God back into the Senate." 

Said Jacob Chansley, quoted in "'QAnon Shaman' claims he wasn't attacking the country in first interview since Capitol riot arrest/Jacob Chansley, the man seen wearing face paint and a fur helmet with horns during the January 6 insurrection, tells 60 Minutes+ he was trying 'to bring God back to the Senate'" (CBS News). 

60 Minutes+ correspondent Laurie Segall pushed him: "But Jake, legally, you were not allowed to be in what you're calling the sacred chamber." 

He responded: "And that is — and that is the one very serious regret that I have, was believing that when we were waved in by police officers, that it was acceptable." He also said he regretted not receiving a pardon from Trump and that "while he regrets entering the building 'with every fiber of my being,' he doesn't regret his loyalty to the former president."

"If the Chief Justice is required, then what Leahy is about to do is not a duty. Taking on a role that is not yours under the Constitution is an abuse of power."

I wrote, in my post yesterday, "Did Chief Justice John Roberts decline to preside over the Senate trial of the Trump impeachment?" 

In the comments, Meade wrote: "Will Leahy be costumed in his horned animal skin shaman outfit?" 

I said, "Can someone do a photoshop of this? I'd like to put it on the front page." 

Asked. Received:

I'll credit the Photoshopper by name if he emails to say he wants to be named.

ADDED: We really ought to learn Photoshop here at Meadhouse. I can't do it at all, and Meade's effort was at a level that I call "South Park" (and find rather charming, especially coming from Meade):

I like that this image shows the Shaman/Leahy on the Senate dais, because that is where the Chief Justice belongs, if this is an impeachment trial that requires the Chief Justice.

ADDED: Laslo Spatula sends this:

And I do see that Senator Leahy was taken to the hospital after today's session. I wish him well. These jokes are just a way of saying if the Chief Justice should be presiding over this trial, then Leahy, like the QAnon Shaman, does not belong in that seat.

"Federal prosecutors offered an ominous new assessment of last week’s siege... saying in a court filing that rioters intended 'to capture and assassinate elected officials.'..."

"The detention memo, written by Justice Department lawyers in Arizona, goes into greater detail about the FBI’s investigation into [Jacob] Chansley, revealing that he left a note for Pence warning that 'it’s only a matter of time, justice is coming.' 'Strong evidence, including Chansley’s own words and actions at the Capitol, supports that the intent of the Capitol rioters was to capture and assassinate elected officials in the United States government,' prosecutors wrote.... 'When questioned as to the meaning of that statement, Chansley went on a lengthy diatribe describing current and past United States political leaders as infiltrators, specifically naming Vice President Mike Pence, former President Barack Obama, former Senator Hillary Clinton and U.S. President-elect Joe Biden as infiltrators involved in various types of wrongdoing,' prosecutors wrote. 'Although he stated his note was not a threat, the Government strongly disagrees.' The prosecutors’ assessment comes as prosecutors and federal agents have begun bringing more serious charges tied to violence at the Capitol.... In Chansley’s case, prosecutors said the charges 'involve active participation in an insurrection attempting to violently overthrow the United States government,' and warned that 'the insurrection is still in progress' as law enforcement prepares for more demonstrations in Washington and state capitals...."

From "'Strong evidence' suggests Capitol rioters intended to ‘capture and assassinate’ officials, US prosecutors say" (Fox News). Chansley is the rioter who's getting extra attention because he costumed himself in a fur hat and horns. He also, as the detention memo says, "has spoken openly about his belief that he is an alien, a higher being, and he is here on Earth to ascend to another reality."