Truckers to Bring 'Citizens Grand Juries' to DC

[mpo]

Apparently some truckers are unhappy with the state of affairs in in the US in general, Washington, DC in particular.

They are bringing their protest to the capital next week. To make their presence known, they are planning on snarling traffic.

One of the tools up their sleeve--citizens grand juries to arrest congressmen who they feel have broken their constitutional oaths.

An article from US News:

"We are not going to ask for impeachment," Conlon said. "We are coming whether they like it or not. We're not asking for impeachment, we're asking for the arrest of everyone in government who has violated their oath of office."

Conlon cited the idea of a citizens grand jury – meaning a pool of jurors convened without court approval – as the mechanism for indicting the officials.

"We want these people arrested, and we're coming in with the grand jury to do it," he said. "We are going to ask the law enforcement to uphold their constitutional oath and make these arrests. If they refuse to do it, by the power of the people of the United States and the people's grand jury, they don't want to do it, we will. ... We the people will find a way."

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/201 ... ongressmen

There is a web site, facebook page, et al. Their web site is particularly annoying--it spawns audio without warning.

[Famspear]

From the cited report:

Tractor-trailer drivers will intentionally clog the inner loop of the Washington, D.C. beltway....

Sounds like a plan for what could be construed to be civil disorder. In doing that, the participants had better be careful not to obstruct, impede, or interfere with any fireman or law enforcement officer in a way that obstructs, delays or adversely affects commerce or the movement of any article or commodity in commerce.

Whoever commits or attempts to commit any act to obstruct, impede, or interfere with any fireman or law enforcement officer lawfully engaged in the lawful performance of his official duties incident to and during the commission of a civil disorder which in any way or degree obstructs, delays, or adversely affects commerce or the movement of any article or commodity in commerce or the conduct or performance of any federally protected function—

Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.

---18 USC section 231(a)(3).

The report says that these folks are "seeking" the arrest of some congressmen. The report seems to indicate that if these folks can't convince real law enforcement officials to arrest the congressmen, these folks just might try something else. I hope they're not thinking of trying to do the arrestin' themselves. I'm wondering whether attempting to arrest members of Congress in this way could properly be construed to be kidnapping under 18 USC section 351(b). That could get you up to life in prison if convicted.

[fortinbras]

This sounds a lot like the farmers' convoys in DC during the (IIRC) Carter Administration, with about a dozen tractors and two dozen trucks arriving, and - something that I will remember - various of these farmers thinking they could impress and stampede the politicians by pretending to have private conversations only a foot away from the TV cameras where they would enlighten each other loudly about hundreds more farmers on their way to Capitol (who never, of course, materialized). After a few arrests and a lot of traffic tickets and parking tickets, this crowed melted away after a week. Not exactly the Bonus Army.

[grixit]

While the Bonus Army has a certain stature to it, my feeling is that most supposedly mass marches want to be the Pilgrimage of Grace.

[JamesVincent]

This sounds a lot like the farmers' convoys in DC during the (IIRC) Carter Administration, with about a dozen tractors and two dozen trucks arriving, and - something that I will remember - various of these farmers thinking they could impress and stampede the politicians by pretending to have private conversations only a foot away from the TV cameras where they would enlighten each other loudly about hundreds more farmers on their way to Capitol (who never, of course, materialized). After a few arrests and a lot of traffic tickets and parking tickets, this crowed melted away after a week. Not exactly the Bonus Army.

I was just old enough to remember that happening. Remember, that was what a lot of people said about the Million Biker March and they came damn close to one million bikes. I think by the time all was said and done they had over a million people. I think all of these are caused by people being frustrated by what happening in DC now.

[fortinbras]

If they come to DC now - there will inadequate police coverage including to prevent crimes against the truckers, virtually none of the tourist attractions to entertain the truckers' wives and kids, some luncheonettes and sandwich shops shut down for the duration so the truckers will have some trouble getting affordable food, etc.

But what the heck, how often do we have TWO circuses in town?!

[AndyK]

From the cited report:

Tractor-trailer drivers will intentionally clog the inner loop of the Washington, D.C. beltway....

They need to time their arrivals and approach routes carefully.

Given the normal state of the Beltway and the major routes into Washington, they will likely find themselves stuck in one of the normal day-to-day traffic snafus.

It doesn't take a convoy of trucks to shut down the Beltway -- one stalled car in a traffic lane can tie up traffic for hours.

For example, as of 8:00 AM Tuesday

In Stafford County, only the left shoulder is getting by on northbound I-95 between Route 17 (Warrenton Road) and Centreport Parkway/Stafford Airport because of a fatal multiple-vehicle crash.

[fortinbras]

Yes indeed, their plans to clog traffic will probably be derailed by the fact that traffic is almost always clogged without any conspiracies.

As for arresting Congressmen - attractive as that thought is - there is a very serious penalty for assaulting a Member of Congress, with a prison term attached. I suspect that drivers of the big rigs are unprepared for all the congratulatory hugs and thumpings they will receive in prison.

[Famspear]

...As for arresting Congressmen - attractive as that thought is - there is a very serious penalty for assaulting a Member of Congress, with a prison term attached....

Yeah, and to expand on 18 USC section 351 cited above, the statute provides (in part):

(b) Whoever kidnaps any individual designated in subsection (a) of this section shall be punished

(1) by imprisonment for any term of years or for life...

[ . . . . . ]

(c) Whoever attempts to kill or kidnap any individual designated in subsection (a) of this section shall be punished by imprisonment for any term of years or for life.

(d) If two or more persons conspire to kill or kidnap any individual designated in subsection (a) of this section and one or more of such persons do any act to effect the object of the conspiracy, each shall be punished

(1) by imprisonment for any term of years or for life, or

(2) by death or imprisonment for any term of years or for life, if death results to such individual.

(e) Whoever assaults any person designated in subsection (a) of this section shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned not more than one year, or both; and if the assault involved the use of a dangerous weapon, or personal injury results, shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both.

The category of individuals "designated in subsection (a)" specifically includes Members of Congress.

[mpo]

It looks like Earl Conlon has been fired as a coordinator of truckers.

As a result of the inappropriate comments made by Earl Conlon he is no longer the coordinator for thetruckers. Our message is strictly Constitutional and lawful, and we will not associate with anyoneparticipating in the event who would consider breaking the law

http://ridefortheconstitution.org/earl- ... kesperson/

The quote is from the email embedded in the web site. Sorry about the link to the web site--the spawned audio is annoying.

[Chados]

So much for fake grand juries in DC.

[fortinbras]

It turns out that the govt shutdown also frustrated another gathering:

http://www.splcenter.org/blog/2013/10/0 ... -shutdown/

The Confederate White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan was planning a big klan gathering and demonstration at Gettysburg Battlefield for last weekend but had to cancel it because the battlefield, as a national park, was closed down due to the shutdown.

[JamesVincent]

It turns out that the govt shutdown also frustrated another gathering:

http://www.splcenter.org/blog/2013/10/0 ... -shutdown/

The Confederate White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan was planning a big klan gathering and demonstration at Gettysburg Battlefield for last weekend but had to cancel it because the battlefield, as a national park, was closed down due to the shutdown.

There was an article about that in the Washington Times also. I also ran across mention of another potential march: the Million Vet March aimed at demonstrating against vets benefits being cut off. The article I saw only said it is in the planning stage.

[Judge Roy Bean]

...
But what the heck, how often do we have TWO circuses in town?!

Actually THREE are permanently open - congress, the administration and the "news" media.

[LPC]

One of the organizers of the trucker rally seems to believe that Osama bin Laden and Barack Obama are the same person.

Some of her other beliefs are also on the fringe:

Zeeda Andrews -- a co-organizer of the effort who made October 8 appearances on Fox News and Glenn Beck's The Blaze to promote the event -- apparently thinks that President Obama and Osama bin Laden are somehow the same person; that Obama is a secret Muslim; that the Boston bombings were a "false flag"; that the CIA murdered Buzzfeed journalist Michael Hastings; and that the Department of Homeland Security is stockpiling ammunition in order to slaughter Americans.

[fortinbras]

I have lived in the DC area for 40 years. Every year or even oftener, some group with particular interests has staged a rally, a march, some sort of demonstration, on the Mall or around the Capitol or the White House or Pentagon, etc., to call attention to their issue. Lately it seems to be a monthly or even weekly occurrence. After a few years they all blur into each other. With zero results.

The truckers may think they've hit on something new and effective, but it's really very old and very stale. Especially if they bring their big rigs into downtown, they may run into serious problems of the sort that don't go away easily.

[AndyK]

It's difficult enough to manuver a normal automobile through the streets of DC even when one is intimately familiar with which streets / avenues / roads / circles lead in what particular direction.

A driver of a big rig will eventually find himself at a dead end requiring that he back the unit about two blocks before he can turn. Also, they are certain to become befuddled by the various roads / turn signals which totally reverse themselves depending on the time of day.

[mpo]

One of the organizers of the trucker rally seems to believe that Osama bin Laden and Barack Obama are the same person.

I guess the forecast has been downgraded from full-sovereign to garden-variety tin foil-capper.

[Arthur Rubin]

One of the organizers of the trucker rally seems to believe that Osama bin Laden and Barack Obama are the same person.

Well, Capitol Steps - Obama Meets Osama discussed this a few years ago.

[fortinbras]

Presumably these truckers hit DC about Friday afternoon -- coincided with the remnants of Tropical Storm Karen, so they arrived in rain that resembled a fire hose. Monday is Columbus Day, a federal holiday with all the govt offices shut (regardless of the budget crisis), so essentially they held a war and nobody came.