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http://www.breitbart.tv/congressman-assaults-student-on-washington-sidewalk/

If he'd manhandled me like that he'd have a broken arm.

What a complete dumbass...those kids could have totally fucked him up if they had wanted to.

Is this totally unedited? That response seems...extreme.

I don't know. Maybe I'm jaded but I keep thinking like there is more to the story than 1 crazy dude.

Dave said:

Is this totally unedited? That response seems...extreme.

I don't know. Maybe I'm jaded but I keep thinking like there is more to the story than 1 crazy dude.

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Could be, but unless they physically threatened him, his response is completely unwarranted, to say nothing of illegal.

there's a bit more here.

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=7496362

however, NOTHING excuses his response of grabbing someone by the NECK.

IMO, in this case, apology is NOT enough. Sack this creep.

Was he drunk?

That's what I thought. Same guys who did the ACORN thing, which blew up big on initial reactions and then we found out that through editing and bullshit tactics (not to mention illegal) ACORN was in the right and the Conservatives doing the video were scumbags. It worked, but only because people don't stop and question.

We'll probably find out that they'd been following him around all day heckling and this was just the last straw or something like that.

dr_awkward said:

Was he drunk?

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..only with power? (RIMSHOT!)

...seriously... I doubt it.

Dave said:

We'll probably find out that they'd been following him around all day heckling and this was just the last straw or something like that.

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It really needs to be more than that to forgive his behavior, like physically harassing him or his staff or something like that. He may have had a bad day, but one thing we elect public representatives to do is deal with the public.

You know... the students could have said, we are <insert names> and from <school> doing a project and probably could have avoided the whole situation.

He had recentely joined a nearby fight club:



Obviously.

Shegokigo said:

He had recentely joined a nearby fight club:



Obviously.

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Medeival fight club?

full video, unedited http://blog.eyeblast.tv/2010/06/congressman-bob-etheridge-d-nc-attacks-college-student/

How is this unedited if it puts words & shit on the screen all the time?

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Never mind. Scroll down, Dave...

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Doesn't change my views. This is all suddenly on STRICT conservative blogging sites. Something smells to me.

Dave said:

That's what I thought. Same guys who did the ACORN thing, which blew up big on initial reactions and then we found out that through editing and bullshit tactics (not to mention illegal) ACORN was in the right and the Conservatives doing the video were scumbags. It worked, but only because people don't stop and question.

We'll probably find out that they'd been following him around all day heckling and this was just the last straw or something like that.

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Yeah... Holding off on this.

Yeah, he reacted very poorly. It will probably ruin him.

On another note, this Geraldo journalistic sniping style really has gotten old. I would have assaulted one of these assholes long ago if I was in their shoes.

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tegid;399332][QUOTE=Dave said:

That's what I thought. Same guys who did the ACORN thing, which blew up big on initial reactions and then we found out that through editing and bullshit tactics (not to mention illegal) ACORN was in the right and the Conservatives doing the video were scumbags. It worked, but only because people don't stop and question.

We'll probably find out that they'd been following him around all day heckling and this was just the last straw or something like that.

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Yeah... Holding off on this.[/QUOTE]
By all means, say what is on your mind. Make sure to back it up with facts, though.

Honestly, I think its appearance on conservative blogs might be meaningless. If Palin got caught on camera kicking a puppy, it would be on Maddow that night, and I wouldn't suspect the puppy of having an agenda. They might have just caught him at a bad moment. I'm a peaceful guy, and there are days where some unidentified schmuck jamming a couple of cameras in my face would cause a hostile response. Most of the time actually. Maybe the kids were egging him on, but it seems like the dude had an inappropriate response, and the conservatives are just glomming onto it as something to talk about.

I meant I agreed with Dave! I mean, it all seemed very clear with the Acorn thing, but it wasn't. At all.

Krisken said:

Yeah, he reacted very poorly. It will probably ruin him.

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I kind of think it should. Nothing required him to assault those guys. Considering his public record, he could have just said, "hell, yes" and kept walking.

My only question is: Why is the college student's face blurred out?

Krisken said:

My only question is: Why is the college student's face blurred out?

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See, that at least seems suspicious to me, or that they remain unidentified to anyone. The fact that it's on conservative blogs is a no-brainer: we need something to talk about, and this dude on the other side made a mistake.

Krisken said:

My only question is: Why is the college student's face blurred out?

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Because it's important to Breitbart's narrative that Right-thinking journalists are under attack by the liberal media elite and that the identities of such people need to be protected.

SpecialKO;399350][QUOTE=Krisken said:

My only question is: Why is the college student's face blurred out?

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Because it's important to Breitbart's narrative that Right-thinking journalists are under attack by the liberal media elite and that the identities of such people need to be protected.[/QUOTE]
I guess since i don't read Breitbart, this seems silly to me. There is just as much right narrative as left narrative on the news. While in the past news organizations may have had a left leaning bias, they have swung way to the right to try to not seem biased. Overcompensating, as it were.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100614/ap_on_re_us/us_congressman_video

the yahoo news story.

Krisken;399354][QUOTE=SpecialKO;399350][QUOTE=Krisken said:

My only question is: Why is the college student's face blurred out?

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Because it's important to Breitbart's narrative that Right-thinking journalists are under attack by the liberal media elite and that the identities of such people need to be protected.[/QUOTE]
I guess since i don't read Breitbart, this seems silly to me. There is just as much right narrative as left narrative on the news. While in the past news organizations may have had a left leaning bias, they have swung way to the right to try to not seem biased. Overcompensating, as it were.[/QUOTE]

What do you expect from the guy who runs Big Hollywood? His whole schtick is based on that idea.

Holy crap on a cracker.

Krisken said:

Holy crap on a cracker.

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Adam Baldwin is a contributor.

He reminds me of someone with Alzheimer's.

I was rooting for the student to punch the guy...

And then when I read it was the ACORN scammers, I watched it again hoping maybe this time the congressman would punch the kid. Some people basically got fired and demonized for outright heroics on that bullshit.

Ah, but seriously though, he probably deserves the negative coverage from this one.

Glenn Greenwald's take.

There is some speculation that the individuals questioning him have some connection to the right-wing organization of Andrew Breitbart. I hope it goes without saying how irrelevant that is. The only reason I think this is worth noting is this: imagine what would have happened to those students if this situation had been reversed, and it was they who had physically assaulted Rep. Etheridge, rather than the other way around. How quickly would they have been arrested and prosecuted? The application of our laws isn't supposed to depend upon who is perpetrating the crime and who the victim is. Obviously, there are few principles, if there are any, more discarded than that one in Washington, but it would be nice to see its being applied in this instance by having this Congressman, obviously inebriated with an extreme sense of entitlement, arrested and charged.

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Lots more at the link.

I certainly don't excuse what Rep. Etheridge did. He was a jackass and would be held accountable for his actions. Preferable, as Greenwald says, through the letter of the law.

Of course, at least Senators don't get in pistol fights anymore.

SpecialKO said:

Glenn Greenwald's take.

There is some speculation that the individuals questioning him have some connection to the right-wing organization of Andrew Breitbart. I hope it goes without saying how irrelevant that is. The only reason I think this is worth noting is this: imagine what would have happened to those students if this situation had been reversed, and it was they who had physically assaulted Rep. Etheridge, rather than the other way around. How quickly would they have been arrested and prosecuted? The application of our laws isn't supposed to depend upon who is perpetrating the crime and who the victim is. Obviously, there are few principles, if there are any, more discarded than that one in Washington, but it would be nice to see its being applied in this instance by having this Congressman, obviously inebriated with an extreme sense of entitlement, arrested and charged.

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Lots more at the link.

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How quickly would they be arrested and prosecuted without a complaining witness? My money would be on never.

Of course since the congressman is a public official he would have to make an official report to the police but as it is the congressman hasn't been charged because there is no complaining witness and no chain of custody on the video.

You know, I just had a thought. Why didn't the "student" ID themselves when asked? the more time I watch this video, the less I believe they are students

I agree. And as to why it matters whether or not they were related to this website, of course it makes a difference! They've already been known for Gotcha! techniques and LYING about things that are supported by their videos. Does it matter if these two were associated with the same group who pulled the ACORN stunt? Of course it does! It shows a way of doing things that are underhanded and skewed/edited/spun so that the truth is obscured behind layers of bullshit tactics.

Having made that point, am I sticking up for the congressman? Nope. It could very well be as cut & dried as it seems and he could be a loony tunes. In fact, he would not comment on the video which may be giving it more validity.

I'm just saying that taking these things immediately at face value is very, very naive and is one of the problems we have with the media-run public opinion these days.

Dave said:

I agree. And as to why it matters whether or not they were related to this website, of course it makes a difference! They've already been known for Gotcha! techniques and LYING about things that are supported by their videos. Does it matter if these two were associated with the same group who pulled the ACORN stunt? Of course it does! It shows a way of doing things that are underhanded and skewed/edited/spun so that the truth is obscured behind layers of bullshit tactics.

Having made that point, am I sticking up for the congressman? Nope. It could very well be as cut & dried as it seems and he could be a loony tunes. In fact, he would not comment on the video which may be giving it more validity.

I'm just saying that taking these things immediately at face value is very, very naive and is one of the problems we have with the media-run public opinion these days.

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I have to agree. The Congressman's action is not appropriate and could be consider criminal. Wouldn't congressman's hitting consider battery? (especially grabbing the neck part) but also the "students" keep egging him on by NOT answering the simple question on "who are you" a name (even a fake one) and a school (pick a local college) would have been suffice and the congressman move on.

Also, I wonder how many of these congressman/women, these kids try to ask before they get their one "gotcha"

I'm not even saying that this WAS a Gotcha! moment. I'm saying we don't know.

Probably just a coincidence he's up for reelection. Well, probably not.

Chibibar said:

You know, I just had a thought. Why didn't the "student" ID themselves when asked? the more time I watch this video, the less I believe they are students

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So what?

Dave said:

And as to why it matters whether or not they were related to this website, of course it makes a difference!

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I'm sorry, Dave, but no it doesn't. Not to whether it was assault or not.

If the Congressman (or some other Breitbart target) wanted to file charges of harassment, it would, but that hasn't happened yet.

I think he may have reacted a bit poorly, but grabbing someone's arm is assault? I'm not saying that I condone violence, but this is hardly anything worth discussing. He was pissed off, and reacted poorly. Who doesn't do that?

Dubyamn said:

How quickly would they be arrested and prosecuted without a complaining witness? My money would be on never.

Of course since the congressman is a public official he would have to make an official report to the police but as it is the congressman hasn't been charged because there is no complaining witness and no chain of custody on the video.

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That didn't stop the guy who got punched by Buzz Aldrin from filing charges. Looking for the link, but apparently the judge threw it out not because of the chain of custody issue, but because he believed Aldrin was suitably provoked (the guy did get in his face and call him a liar and a coward, after all).

Covar;399721][QUOTE=Chibibar said:

You know, I just had a thought. Why didn't the "student" ID themselves when asked? the more time I watch this video, the less I believe they are students

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So what?[/QUOTE]

well.. I am thinking that these freelancer are egging the Congressman on. They notice that he is getting increasing hostile while keep asking "Who are you?" over and over and over again. This to me, seems a bit fishy and that these "kids" are actually trying to get a rise out of this congressman and hope to get it on tape. That is just my feeling.

@Dave: I know it is not a "gotcha" crew, but it seems a bit fishy that the whole situation could have been avoided if the kid just ID themselves. It is much simpler to say "I'm John Wong from Washington University doing a project" than just avoiding the answer. To me, avoiding the answer and keep going just "egging" the congressman.

Note: I am NOT condoning the Congressman's action. I think it is over the top, but I feel that BOTH party are to blame.

You gotta ask the questions Dave, if Ive learned anything from Glenn Beck it's that you gotta ask the questions no matter how far out or irrelevent they might be.

seriously though, I don't think it matters whom the students were affiliated with, it does matter if they were harrasing him all day. However, due to him addressing his behavior in his statement and not brinigh up any harrasment it's not crazy to assume this is somewhat legit video.

Oh no! Espy is caught in a loop. Someone has to give him a nock, but not too hard... don't want shaken baby syndrome to occur...

Krisken said:

Oh no! Espy is caught in a loop. Someone has to give him a nock, but not too hard... don't want shaken baby syndrome to occur...

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Yeah my work Internet is being wonky on my iPod Touch...

SpecialKO;399724][QUOTE=Dave said:

And as to why it matters whether or not they were related to this website, of course it makes a difference!

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I'm sorry, Dave, but no it doesn't. Not to whether it was assault or not.

If the Congressman (or some other Breitbart target) wanted to file charges of harassment, it would, but that hasn't happened yet.[/QUOTE]

Really? Association means nothing? That's odd. And I wasn't talking about the association making it assault or not. I'm talking about the association with this particular site or group of people making the entire episode suspect or not complete in it's disclosure of information or actual events. Yes, we see the dude coming in physical contact with the "student", but it shows nothing more than that and is a very incomplete story as they are withholding a lot of information about the people filming.

Association makes a hell of a difference no matter what charges are brought up against the congressman. I'm fine with his being charged with assault, but I don't think it was as cut & dried as it may seem on the video specifically because the individuals are associated with a group known for creative editing, gotcha tactics and outright lying about how things went down.

Bob Ethridge has apologized and is making no effort to dispute the events of the video. He is not claiming that he was harrassed for days, that his family was threatened, or anything else other than that he over-reacted and should have kept his cool.

So why does the person he attacked (to use the thread titles term) matter?

Covar said:

Bob Ethridge has apologized and is making no effort to dispute the events of the video. He is not claiming that he was harrassed for days, that his family was threatened, or anything else other than that he over-reacted and should have kept his cool.

So why does the person he attacked (to use the thread titles term) matter?

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And I said above that he hasn't disputed it. Reading is fundamental. But I'm also saying that I don't trust the makers of the video specifically because of their relationship with the people who LIED about the whole ACORN thing. If I associate with liars and cheats then no matter what I do my motivations and results are going to be suspect.

Ethridge is certainly not helping himself here. Had a bad day? What kind of lame ass excuse is that? I've had bad days, too and even though it was close to sunset I didn't accost anyone.

But I'm not giving the victims a pass on this until full disclosure, if we ever get it.

Covar said:

Bob Ethridge has apologized and is making no effort to dispute the events of the video. He is not claiming that he was harrassed for days, that his family was threatened, or anything else other than that he over-reacted and should have kept his cool.

So why does the person he attacked (to use the thread titles term) matter?

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Maybe because everything matters? Your willingness to be obtuse is a trait that needs to be seen to be believed.

Krisken;399773][QUOTE=Covar said:

Bob Ethridge has apologized and is making no effort to dispute the events of the video. He is not claiming that he was harrassed for days, that his family was threatened, or anything else other than that he over-reacted and should have kept his cool.

So why does the person he attacked (to use the thread titles term) matter?

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Maybe because everything matters? Your willingness to be obtuse is a trait that needs to be seen to be believed.[/QUOTE]

It does matter cause if these "students" are associate on some level with the same people who did ACORN thing, then there are some facts missing. The ACORN video cause a good organization to be tarnished and probably never recover ever again, LATER a true unedited video was release and it was taken out of context altogether.

I feel we are missing some facts, but the Congressman did apologize but the "students" didn't file charges either. It is assault so......... something is fishy (unless they recently did then I take it back)

Dave said:

But I'm also saying that I don't trust the makers of the video specifically because of their relationship with the people who LIED about the whole ACORN thing.

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No one here is asking you to. We're just saying that as far as his behavior is concerned, and as far as a possible assault charge is concerned, it doesn't matter who they are. Even for publicly-elected officials, there are no particular groups or associations of people who are legal to physically assault in public without physical provocation.

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Chibibar said:

It is assault so......... something is fishy (unless they recently did then I take it back)

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They don't need to. They got what they wanted, if not exactly in the way they were probably expecting. This is even better than a soundbite, and backs up everything the Wingnut-o-sphere and Fox News pundits try to claim about the "liberal elite".

Krisken;399773][QUOTE=Covar said:

Bob Ethridge has apologized and is making no effort to dispute the events of the video. He is not claiming that he was harrassed for days, that his family was threatened, or anything else other than that he over-reacted and should have kept his cool.

So why does the person he attacked (to use the thread titles term) matter?

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Maybe because everything matters? Your willingness to be obtuse is a trait that needs to be seen to be believed.[/QUOTE]

Is that why you put me on ignore, but still read my posts?

Aside from the fact that the video has already tarnished the congressman's reputation, isn't it possible that the students haven't pressed charges because they don't want to deal with a lengthy trial?

Baerdog said:

Aside from the fact that the video has already tarnished the congressman's reputation, isn't it possible that the students haven't pressed charges because they don't want to deal with a lengthy trial?

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Or maybe they are just really nice, forgiving guys. We just don't know.

SpecialKO;399727][QUOTE=Dubyamn said:

How quickly would they be arrested and prosecuted without a complaining witness? My money would be on never.

Of course since the congressman is a public official he would have to make an official report to the police but as it is the congressman hasn't been charged because there is no complaining witness and no chain of custody on the video.

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That didn't stop the guy who got punched by Buzz Aldrin from filing charges. Looking for the link, but apparently the judge threw it out not because of the chain of custody issue, but because he believed Aldrin was suitably provoked (the guy did get in his face and call him a liar and a coward, after all).[/QUOTE]

Evidence that the guys in the video have filed charges.

The fact that the video wasn't obtained through proper channels and they don't have a complaining witness is why they can't bring charges to bear against the congressman.

If they had this footage off of a dashboard camera or a police operated survelience camera they could proceed with charges without the complaining witness. With a complaining witness they could use the video footage because it provided context. Without either the police can't even investigate the crime.

Dubyamn said:

Evidence that the guys in the video have filed charges.

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Um, no one is saying they have. Just that they could. And I've been saying that they won't because they have they probably wanted in the first place, just not in the way they expected.

With a complaining witness they could use the video footage because it provided context. Without either the police can't even investigate the crime.

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Was there a complaining witness for Aldrin? The tape belonged the guy he punched.

No charges pressed, because there was no injury, and the defendant was provoked.

If you throw fighting words, be prepared to defend yourself.

sixpackshaker said:

No charges pressed, because there was no injury, and the defendant was provoked.

If you throw fighting words, be prepared to defend yourself.

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You are talking about the Buzz Aldrin one, right? Just clarifying before people start things.

sixpackshaker said:

No charges pressed, because there was no injury, and the defendant was provoked.

If you throw fighting words, be prepared to defend yourself.

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If we're talking about the Aldrin one, apparently the guy tried, and the court laughed at him for claiming a man who was 40 years older, 4 inches shorter, and 80 pounds lighter had assaulted him after he called that same man a "thief, liar, and coward", and dropped the charges.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2272321.stm

Dave;399923][QUOTE=sixpackshaker said:

No charges pressed, because there was no injury, and the defendant was provoked.

If you throw fighting words, be prepared to defend yourself.

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You are talking about the Buzz Aldrin one, right? Just clarifying before people start things.[/QUOTE]

Well there are perks to being a national hero. Punching a nutball in the jaw is one of those perks.

This "attack" was a wrist grab and a hug. He batted the camera away because it was like 2 inches from his nose. Why he got all pissed off in the first place is beyond me.

Chazwozel said:

This "attack" was a wrist grab and a hug. He batted the camera away because it was like 2 inches from his nose.

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Exactly. It was not an attack. It wasn't even assault. Put a camera in my face when I am in a good mood, and I probably won't be as friendly as Bob. I don't even like him, but if this 'tarnishes' his reputation or hurts him politically then that's totally stupid.

Some one needs to spin this, and make him out to be a man of action.

sixpackshaker said:

Some one needs to spin this, and make him out to be a man of action.

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Or a mashup with a Who song...

Dave;399965][QUOTE=sixpackshaker said:

Some one needs to spin this, and make him out to be a man of action.

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Or a mashup with a Who song...[/QUOTE]

It would be the best thing ever if he was walking from a mid-day karaoke bar session, and was trying to get the students to join him.

"After failing to get the student to sing the next line of the song, he concluded, obviously, that the kid just wasn't understanding him, so he grabbed him and enunciated as hard as he could. Unfortunately, the kid's taste in music clearly sucked, so he let him go and walked away, in search of mic partner who would actually know the darn words."

SpecialKO;399892][QUOTE=Dubyamn said:

Evidence that the guys in the video have filed charges.

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Um, no one is saying they have. Just that they could. And I've been saying that they won't because they have they probably wanted in the first place, just not in the way they expected.[/quote]

I know they could and until they do the police can't investigate the charges of assault. And I agree that this probably worked out much better than they ever expected so they probably won't file charges.

With a complaining witness they could use the video footage because it provided context. Without either the police can't even investigate the crime.

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Was there a complaining witness for Aldrin? The tape belonged the guy he punched.

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Yes the guy he punched was the complaining witness. He wanted charges filed and that's why the the police investigated the incident.

If he hadn't wanted to press charges then the police wouldn't have done anything when the video hit the internet.

Dave sides with other old people.

escushion said:

Dave sides with other old people.

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Fucking A man. He knows it's the only way his AARP card is ever going to help him take over the world.

dr_awkward;399947][QUOTE=Chazwozel said:

This "attack" was a wrist grab and a hug. He batted the camera away because it was like 2 inches from his nose.

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Exactly. It was not an attack. It wasn't even assault. Put a camera in my face when I am in a good mood, and I probably won't be as friendly as Bob. I don't even like him, but if this 'tarnishes' his reputation or hurts him politically then that's totally stupid.[/QUOTE]

I see.. so it's totally ok to grab someone by the neck and hold them against their will for asking if they support a political agenda?

Matt²;400533][QUOTE=dr_awkward;399947][QUOTE=Chazwozel said:

This "attack" was a wrist grab and a hug. He batted the camera away because it was like 2 inches from his nose.

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Exactly. It was not an attack. It wasn't even assault. Put a camera in my face when I am in a good mood, and I probably won't be as friendly as Bob. I don't even like him, but if this 'tarnishes' his reputation or hurts him politically then that's totally stupid.[/QUOTE]

I see.. so it's totally ok to grab someone by the neck and hold them against their will for asking if they support a political agenda?[/QUOTE]

I don't like Etheridge, but I don't really see it as assault. He also wasn't holding him against his will. It wasn't very smart to do that's for sure. At least he apologized for it.

When someone has to ask "please let go of my hand" and he switches instead to GRABBING you by the back of your neck, and then attempt to hold you against his body with his arms, YES, that is assault. I've been there before and been abused in that way before. It IS holding him against his will. He did not voluntarily go "hey would you please hold me by my neck, my head feels tired".

I'm afraid Matt's right. It's pretty much textbook assault. In fact, it's assault and battery.

Two separate offenses against the person that when used in one expression may be defined as any unlawful and unpermitted touching of another. Assault is an act that creates an apprehension in another of an imminent, harmful, or offensive contact. The act consists of a threat of harm accompanied by an apparent, present ability to carry out the threat. Battery is a harmful or offensive touching of another.

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