The above video is the cell phone footage taken by Jon Taylor’s son during his arrest in Louisa, Virginia. Something has made me uncomfortable about this video for the past 24 hours.
First off, we have to footage of what precipitated this scuffle. From what I can tell, Taylor, his wife and son went to the Solid Grounds Coffee Shop on Main Street in downtown Louisa. They had accepted an RSVP on the Cantor Website. Ms. Taylor was carrying a sign for Canter’s opponent.
The car, parked at a meter directly in front of the restaurant, was Taylor’s. His wife sat inside. A poster for Democratic candidate Rick Waugh, calling Cantor a chicken, was taped to the car window facing the coffee shop.
Taylor said Cantor had promoted the event on his website, so he assumed it was a public event.
This unsavory, violent story has been developing for a few days now.
This behavior is simply unacceptable and illegal. Several names surface here–Lauren Valle of Moveon.org was the victim. Tim Profitt, Bourbon County campaign coordinator (for Paul) has admitted to being the head stomper. Mike Pezzano of Frankfort, Kentucky was allegedly the man who threw Valle to the ground.
I had intended on just posted a 1 minute clip of what happened. It seems that those clips have been removed by youtube.com. That usually happens when a complaint has been filed.
Profitt issued the following statement:
“I’m sorry that it came to that, and I apologize if it appeared overly forceful, but I was concerned about Rand’s safety,” Tim Profitt told The Associated Press.
The Paul campaign has issued a series of statements, the latest being:
“The Paul for Senate campaign is extremely disappointed in, and condemns the actions of a supporter last night outside the KET debate. Whatever the perceived provocation, any level of aggression or violence is deplorable, and will not be tolerated by our campaign. The Paul campaign has disassociated itself from the volunteer who took part in this incident, and once again urges all activists — on both sides — to remember that their political passions should never manifest themselves in physical altercations of any kind.”
Hopefully, this violent incident will serve as a notice to all involved in the political process that thug behavior is totally and unequivocally unacceptable. Mr. Profitt and Mr. Pezzano need to be dealt with by the legal system. Ms. Valle needs to do what she needs to do. There are times when throwing an individual posing a threat to a candidate might be acceptable–this is NOT one of those times. There would never be a time when stomping someone’s head or back of the neck would be acceptable.
The Gadsden Flag, “Don’t Tread on Me,” which used to be one of my favorite historical flags, has suddenly taken on a new and much more literal meaning. It doesn’t matter which ‘side’ any of the players were on or who was supporting whom. Its an example of bad behavior–behavior that we, as Americans, disdain.
Dead woman walking–Convicted killer Teresa Lewis is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection this Thursday, September 30. If the execution goes through, Lewis will be the first woman to be executed in Virginia since 1912.
Lewis was convicted of killing her husband and stepson for $250,000 in insurance money. Death penalty activists say that Lewis is being treated unfairly because the 2 gunman who killed the victims only got life in prison.
Lewis, then 33, plotted with her then-22-year-old lover, Matthew Shallenberger, and his friend Rodney Fuller to murder her husband and stepson on Oct. 30, 2002. Killed were Julian Lewis, 51, and C.J. Lewis, 25, a soldier visiting the Lewises’ mobile home.
She was to be the beneficiary of her stepson’s $250,000 life insurance policy should he and her husband die. She left a door unlocked so Shallenberger and Fuller could enter early that morning. The two arrived armed with shotguns paid for by Teresa Lewis. She left the bedroom and waited in the kitchen during the shooting.
The gunfire over and her husband dying, Lewis retrieved his wallet from their bedroom and divided the money with the killers. She waited 45 minutes before calling for help, but Julian Lewis lived long enough to tell a deputy sheriff, “My wife knows who done this to me.”
Teresa Lewis, Shallenberger and Fuller pleaded guilty. The judge sentenced Shallenberger and Fuller to life and Lewis, whom he called “the head of this serpent,” to death.
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water.
‘Jaws Beach’ in the Bahamas was the site of where part of Jaws the Revenge was filmed back in 1987. Now it seems that Jaws has had his revenge. On August 29, Judson Newton and friends developed engine trouble. They called for help. Before it arrived, Newton and a friend tried to swim ashore, leaving 3 of their crew with the disabled boat. Newton and friend were never seen again, despite a massive search effort by officials.
Well, never seen again in one piece. An local investment banker hauled in a 12 foot tiger shark who still had part of a leg in its mouth. Upon further inspection, other parts of limbs were found in its stomach. Finger prints matched those of Judson Newton. Officials are awaiting DNA tests before declaring this New-Jaws the killer. It is unknown if Judson was alive at the time he was eaten.
Jaws Beach might have a tourist problem after this grizzly discover.
UVA is lowering the hammer on students who may have an evil twin. When students return August 21 for the fall session, they will be required to disclose any arrests or convictions. Failure to report an arrest or conviction will result in an honor code violation. Honor code violations are good for a trip home–permanently.
This crackdown is a result of the death of lacrosse star Yeardley Love who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend, George Huguely who was a fellow lacrosse player. UVA hopes to flag those with violent tendency. The dean’s office will be interviewing those who report an arrest or conviction or any crime committed other than a routine traffic violation.
University President Teresa A. Sullivan discussed the new rule at a news conference marking the end of her first week on the job. University leaders hope screening students for criminal encounters will flag those who might commit violent acts.
Students return to Charlottesville the weekend of Aug. 21. When they log onto the campus computer system for the first time, each will be prompted to report any arrest, other than minor traffic infractions, since enrolling.
UVA is getting serious about domestic violence and it’s about time all colleges follow suit. Domestic violence was a problem 40 years ago at UVA. Hopefully students will police themselves and take any and all expressions of violence seriously and report cases to the campus police. Young people are all too willing to dismiss acts of violence and blame them on drinking, stress, and ‘personal problems.’ These young adults need to understand that these types of behavior are harbingers of worse to come. The message must be sent that domestic violence, even that which can be classified as verbal assault, is dangerous and will not be tolerated in a civilized society.
Is violence that prevalent on campus? What else can be done to ensure students report it so we don’t have another Yeardly Love on our hands? How much does substance abuse contribute to the violence problem? How does the Love killing really differ from the beheading at Tech or from the Tech Massacre?
