Recent posts

#41

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by Grey Fox - May 16, 2024, 07:04:53 PM

The 1st Eric Trump presidency.

#42

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by DGuller - May 16, 2024, 05:46:54 PM

I wonder how long before we have pardon-backed death squads.

#43

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by Jacob - May 16, 2024, 04:37:07 PM

I wonder how long before the US sees vigilante killings of people like Daniel Perry.

#44

Off the Record / Re: Russo-Ukrainian War 2014-2...

Last post by Jacob - May 16, 2024, 04:35:33 PM

We are not fighting, what does it matter if we talk about the reality of what is happening? 

I don't think we have a particularly clear line of sight on the reality of the situation.

#45

Off the Record / Re: The China Thread

Last post by Jacob - May 16, 2024, 04:30:09 PM

I don't think "kids waving flags" is inherently a totalitarian aesthetic. You'll see it with royal birthdays and visits and whatnot.

I think other things around it can make it more or less totalitarian feeling, of course - mostly staging and context.

#46

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by Barrister - May 16, 2024, 03:58:24 PM

If Texas has such a strong "stand your ground" law then why was the guy convicted, huh?

Progressive District Attorneys

Try as hard as I might, but juries don't just do what I tell them.

#47

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by Syt - May 16, 2024, 03:56:30 PM

If Texas has such a strong "stand your ground" law then why was the guy convicted, huh?

Progressive District Attorneys

#48

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by Barrister - May 16, 2024, 03:47:04 PM

If Texas has such a strong "stand your ground" law then why was the guy convicted, huh?

#49

Off the Record / Re: NHL Hockey thread

Last post by Grey Fox - May 16, 2024, 03:33:24 PM

It's arbitrary in the sense that in the NHL everything is governed by the CBA.

[Gov. Abbott pardons Daniel Perry immediately after Texas parole board recommendation]

#50

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by Syt - May 16, 2024, 03:33:16 PM

https://eu.statesman.com/story/news/politics/state/2024/05/16/daniel-perry-pardon-recommended-garrett-foster/73719220007/

Gov. Abbott pardons Daniel Perry immediately after Texas parole board recommendation
SERENA LIN ,  TONY PLOHETSKI   Austin American-Statesman
50 minutes ago

Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday granted a full pardon to Daniel Perry, who was convicted of murder for the 2020 death of a Black Lives Matter protester in downtown Austin, immediately after a unanimous recommendation from the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles.

In a series of rapid developments, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice said in a statement that was working "expeditiously to release Daniel Perry." An exact timeline remained unclear, however. Perry is housed in the Mac Stringfellow Unit in Rosharon, about 30 miles south of downtown Houston.

Perry may also be able to apply to have his record expunged, according to TDCJ.

The board announced its recommendation to pardon Perry and restore his firearm rights in a statement posted on its website on Thursday. Its decision came after a "meticulous review of pertinent documents, from police reports to court records, witness statements, and interviews with individuals linked to the case," the statement said.

In July 2020, Perry shot and killed Garrett Foster after driving into a racial justice protest on Congress Avenue. Perry claimed that he shot Foster, who was carrying an AK-47 rifle, in self-defense. During Perry's trial last year, prosecutors argued that Perry had sought out confrontation.

"Texas has one of the strongest 'Stand Your Ground' laws of self-defense that cannot be nullified by a jury or a progressive District Attorney," Abbott said in a statement Thursday. "I thank the Board for its thorough investigation, and I approve their pardon recommendation."

Less than 24 hours after a jury in April 2023 found Perry guilty of murder, Abbott said on social media that he would approve a pardon if one were recommended by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. The announcement came after prominent conservative figures called on him to undo Perry's conviction.

Shortly after Abbott's announcement, a state district judge unsealed court records that contained Perry's previously unreleased messages and social media posts, which contained racist rhetoric.

Doug O'Connell, who represents Perry, declined to comment Thursday, saying that he was awaiting any action from Abbott.

Attorney Angelica Cogliano, who represents Foster's girlfriend, Whitney Mitchell, said she and her client had no immediate comment.

Mitchell told the Statesman in February, upon learning that the board was considering the pardon: "I feel like everything was put out there, the evidence, everything we went through and all I can say is it is devastating and just brings it up all over again."