A Georgia attorney who joined the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and then went on social media to brag about breaking into then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office has been sentenced.

A Georgia attorney who joined the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and then went on social media to brag about breaking into then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office has been sentenced.

  • saxysammyp@lemmy.world
    592·
    1 year ago

    You would think an attorney would have the forethought to recognize how posting online might hurt his case in the future. This lends evidence to my hypothesis that being a republican really is a mental illness.

    • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
      22·
      1 year ago

      I wonder how badly he ruined his own life. I don’t know a single attorney that worries about feeding their family. 4 years of undergrad, 2 years of law school, and 3 years of eating shit at some law firm. And these are some of the most productive years of life. All pissed away.

      He could have gone to the protest at Mall of America. You have a right to be a dumbass and have dumbass opinions. Could have gone to the peaceful protest and shouted out his dumbass opinions, then gone home. Plenty of dumbasses did. There were plenty that went and made some noise and are not facing jail time. No one wakes up and finds themselves accidentally in a coup.

    • cassetti@kbin.social
      18·
      1 year ago

      This lends evidence to my hypothesis that being a republican really is a mental illness.

      I had to search for his name, and wow what a doozy: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/18/us/W-McCall-Calhoun-Jr-georgia-capitol-riot.html

      It’s a long read but here’s a preview:

      Over the past three decades, as the state around him turned ever more resolutely Republican, W. McCall Calhoun Jr. remained an outspoken and unwavering liberal. He gave money to Democrats, ran for office as a Democrat and zealously championed Democratic policies in social circles that were far from sympathetic. If friends admitted they voted for Donald J. Trump, his reaction could be blistering.
      “He was hard core, there’s no doubt about it,” said Dr. Michael Busman, a physician who has known Mr. Calhoun for years. “He wouldn’t even want to talk to you if you were Republican.”
      But last year, as the progressive movement in Georgia was on the cusp of historic electoral triumph, Mr. Calhoun, a small-town lawyer whose family had long roots in the state, suddenly abandoned the Democrats. And not only that, he pledged to kill them.

      • kent_eh@lemmy.ca
        91·
        1 year ago

        He wouldn’t even want to talk to you if you were Republican.”
        But last year, as the progressive movement in Georgia was on the cusp of historic electoral triumph, Mr. Calhoun, a small-town lawyer whose family had long roots in the state, suddenly abandoned the Democrats. And not only that, he pledged to kill them.

        That sort of dramatic 180 feels a lot like some form of mental health issue.

        Assuming the account in the article is accurate.

        • LeadSoldier@lemmy.world
          6·
          1 year ago

          Yeah but somebody who won’t even talk to Republicans maybe the indicator of a long-standing mental health issue. I have been arrested protesting and have been in three wars and I’m very liberal about my constitutional rights. But I still talk to my republican neighbors.

      • cmbabul@lemmy.world
        4·
        1 year ago

        I don’t want to downplay the stupidity of republicans but the assumption that the act of becoming a lawyer makes on intelligent is also just untrue. There are a bunch of stupid lawyers

        • cassetti@kbin.social
          6·
          1 year ago

          Did you read the article I linked to? This guy was NOT a loyal republican. He was a hardcore anti-trump long-time democrat.

          Apparently something “clicked” in his head back in 2019 and he made a HARD right turn which totally shocked everyone who knew him.

          • cmbabul@lemmy.world
            1·
            1 year ago

            No I agree with you, both in this specific instance and the GOP is brain rot, I just think the instant intelligence we as a society generally assign to people in difficult careers(doctors, lawyers, engineers, etc) is something we should try to correct. Skill and intelligence in one area doesn’t make one intelligent in general. Sorry, more of a tangential point than anything

    • eek2121@lemmy.world
      7·
      1 year ago

      The somewhat popular “theory” is lead poisoning.

      If I had the links handy I would drop them here. Not much (if any) evidence, however.

      Lead poisoning makes people dumb which makes them vote “R” and do dumb stuff.

  • Hazdaz@lemmy.world
    32·
    1 year ago

    We are literally asking for this to happen again when all we do is give these traitors a slap in the wrists.

  • Bluehood380@lemmy.world
    14·
    1 year ago

    Where’s my lover autotldr bot?:

    WASHINGTON - A Georgia attorney who joined the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and then went on social media to brag about breaking into then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office has been sentenced. William McCall Calhoun, Jr., 60, of Americus, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for obstruction of an official proceeding, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building. Calhoun’s social media accounts referenced his alleged ability to fire sniper headshots, and called for the “slaughter” of political enemies, FBI Special Agent Tim Armentrout testified. Calhoun bragged on social media that he was among the first rioters to break into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office on Jan. 6, and predicted the powerful Democrat “probably would have been torn into little pieces” if rioters had found her there, prosecutors said.

    “We occupied the Capitol and shut down the Government — we shut down their stolen election shenanigans,” Calhoun wrote, according to a sworn statement from an FBI agent. “I was there and saw it all. My buddy Andy Nalley and I were in the first two hundred to rush up the steps and inside after the Vanguard had clashed hard with the police and had made them retreat.” Calhoun wrote he was going to Washington “to give the GOP some back bone” as the House and Senate met to certify the November election won by Democratic President-elect Joe Biden.

    Calhoun, who described himself as a practicing attorney in Americus for 30 years who primarily handled criminal defense cases, was arrested on Jan. 15, 2021, in Macon. Prosecutors were able to draw a line from his appearance at the “Stop the Steal” rally to his entering the Capitol. As he approached the Senate Wing Door, Calhoun stated, “This is it. We’re storming the Capitol.” One video depicts Calhoun amongst other rioters who pounded on doors and walls as they passed by members’ offices. Calhoun stated in the video that they were “looking for people.” Calhoun ultimately made it to the outside of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s Office. Calhoun was sentenced in March after a bench trial. He was also ordered this week to serve 24 months of supervised release and pay restitution of $2,000. This story is being reported out of Georgia. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

  • LEDZeppelin@lemmy.world
    12·
    1 year ago

    Going forward every defendant in courts needs to demand lenient sentences like these. Refer back to these cases and ask for equal justice.

    Would the sentences be this laughably light if if were POCs protesting against injustice?

  • dragonflyteaparty@lemmy.world
    2·
    1 year ago

    Ah, so here’s the Antifa who really tried to enact a coup and overwhelmed the peaceful, Republican protesters. This attorney talking about stolen elections and ripping Nancy Pelosi to pieces. Yep, we all know Antifa is all about that stolen election.