The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

How to Maintain Your Sanity

Posted on | December 9, 2020 | 4 Comments

Some readers have noticed that I have barely commented at all about the legal wrangling over the presidential election. My post on Monday (“The Margin of Theft”) laid out a few points of circumstantial evidence pointing toward fraud in “battleground” states. If you believe Democrats stole the election, I’m totally with you, but the real question is what can be done about it and, because I’m not a lawyer, I am not qualified to estimate the likelihood of success of efforts to challenge the results.

Nothing I might say here is going to influence the court decisions. We have on our side commentators who are eminent attorneys and law professors, fully qualified to speak on the subject, so that there is no need for me to contribute my two cents’ worth of uninformed opinion. You can go on Twitter and find plenty of ignorant opinions on the election. Personally, I’m avoiding the hair-on-fire screeching hysteria, which strikes me as irresponsible and unnecessary, and which also possibly might be harmful to my mental health. Not joking here.

Self-awareness is crucial to good mental health. You must be aware of your own vulnerabilities, the tendencies that might lead you down the escalator to the abyss of stark raving lunacy. And I have assessed that this post-election imbroglio is tailor-made to make me crazy.

First of all, it’s completely beyond my control. Nothing that I say or do is likely to have any impact on the final outcome.

One of the foundations of good mental health is a sense of agency, the belief that you control your own destiny, and that your individual actions make a difference. This election controversy inspires me with a sense of helplessness which is not merely an emotion, but is unfortunately an objective assessment of the situation. While I have a remarkably large and loyal blog readership, and while my audience is potentially much larger through my columns at The American Spectator, what could I possibly write about this subject that would not duplicate what others have written? It has never been my habit to engage in “pack journalism,” part of the media herd swarming around The Big Story. No, my preference has always been to find some story others have overlooked — a diamond in the dungpile — and turn that into The Big Story.

So there was a feeling that the post-election controversy offered no work opportunities, as it were, and this was connected to my sense that the whole thing was beyond my control — no agency, and therefore a source of needless anxiety. That kind of stuff can make you crazy.

Consider what happened to Melissa Rein Lively, the Phoenix businesswoman who fell into the rabbit hole of QAnon conspiracy theories. By the time people started expressing concern about her obsession, Lively was past the point of no return. The intricate web of shadowy QAnon allegations was perfectly designed to trigger Lively’s personal vulnerabilities as a trauma survivor, and once she started digging into it, she rapidly became fixated on the subject.

What drives people crazy? Paranoia is rooted in an urgent sense of threat, a belief that people are getting away with sinister activity, so that when you call attention to this threat, and other people seem to dismiss your concern, you feel isolated, alienated, marginalized. In the case of cult-like conspiracy theory, the True Believer builds a sort of echo chamber around themselves. They tune out any voice that does not share their sense of urgency about the threat — whether that threat is Satanic pedophiles (as in QAnon) or foreign intelligence operatives (as in the “RussiaGate” conspiracy theory) — and feed themselves on a steady diet of information that supports their cult worldview. What drives such people crazy is the belief that they are entirely sane, that the sinister forces are real, and that anyone who doesn’t share their concern is either (a) a deluded “sheep” too stupid to understand the threat, or (b) an active agent of the sinister conspiracy. So you must either buy into their conspiracy theory completely, or else you’re the Enemy.

Trust me, I’ve seen how this works. Remember Jared Loughner, the Arizona wackjob who shot Rep. Gabby Giffords in 2011? He had become obsessed with a conspiracy-theory “documentary” called Zeitgeist. Part of that cult video’s appeal was its “9/11 Truther” angle, but it also wove this into a larger tapestry of conspiracy theories, including a critique of the global financial system, especially the Federal Reserve. No, there are legitimate critiques of the Federal Reserve, just as there are legitimate critiques of the international banking industry, but if you become obsessed with this subject, it can drive your crazy. Let us stipulate that Loughner was always a few french fries short of a Happy Meal; still, the impact of the Zeitgeist video on his vulnerable psyche was not trivial.

Loughner was a not-very-bright community college student, who had no effective means of acting on the information he got from Zeitgeist which, like all conspiracy theories, included a certain necessary amount of verifiable facts mixed into its far-fetched nonsense claims. There is no more reliable formula for mass paranoia than making ordinary people believe they are being victimized by forces beyond their control. That’s what “Black Lives Matter” is doing, for example, by telling black people they are helpless victims of “institutional racism.” Might as well blame it on the Rothschilds, really — it’s those cunning Jews! — in terms of any problem that people can actually do something about.

This same problem exists in relation to the election controversy. However much we might believe that Democrats stole the election, and however much actual evidence we can produce in support of this belief, what are the chances that the Supreme Court will agree with us? Even if I think it’s an ironclad certainty that Democrats cheated (they’re Democrats, and cheating is their historic modus operandi), I am not one of the lawyers working on the cases being sent to the Supreme Court, nor have those lawyers sought my advice. This means that it is beyond my control, and there’s no point getting myself all worked up about it.

A massive show of force — turning out Saturday for the #StopTheSteal rally in D.C. — is perhaps our only way of influencing the outcome. It is important to demonstrate that there is a large number of Americans angry about what’s happening, to petition for a redress of grievances, a right guaranteed under the First Amendment. What worries me, however, is that some people are teetering on the brink of craziness.

If indeed we are victims of a massive conspiracy to steal the White House, after all, what redress do we have? If our electoral system has been subverted, and if Republican Party leadership is complicit in this fraud, what can be done? For some weeks now, I have been struggling against the feeling that we have traveled round-trip, and are headed toward a familiar historical destination in Charleston Harbor.

Surely I am not the only one who perceives the danger here. And I’ve talked to others who share my sense of foreboding. Intelligent, well-informed people who aren’t the least bit crazy are very concerned about the prospect of violence that could explode into civil war. When I shared with one such person my fear that someone on “our” side might commit some kind of terrorist-type attack, this person replied flatly: “It’s not a question of when, it’s a question of how many.” That is to say, he was 100% certain that some kind of “right-wing” violence will happen, and the only question is how numerous such acts will be. In other words, some people on “our” side have already gone past the point of no return on their road to violent craziness, and that sizzling sound you hear is of a fuse burning inexorably toward an explosion.

Everyone who has seriously studied history must share my sense of dread about the near future. We may be only days or weeks away from an inevitable catastrophe which we are powerless to avert.

Here’s a taste of what’s driving this madness:

“Syndicated radio talk show host John Fredericks . . . reported that a GOP member of Georgia’s legislator told him that veteran members of the Republican party are afraid they are going to be harassed and attacked by the left. The older Republicans are worried BLM and Antifa are going to burn down Atlanta and they will be blamed for it.”

Yeah, you can’t have a civil war without burning down Atlanta.

If it’s truly beyond our control, then all we can do is try to keep from letting it drive us crazy. Do what I have done — turn off the TV and tune out any voice that might inspire you toward either homicidal rage or suicidal despair. However bad the situation gets, and it may get very bad, don’t let irrational fear consume your mind. Focus your attention on something that cheers you up, or at least will keep you occupied doing something pleasant and constructive. I should mention that I have an issue with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) so that I always get slightly depressed this time of year. The only thing that cheers me up is when you remember the Five Most Important Words in the English Language:

HIT THE FREAKING TIP JAR!




 

Category: Conspiracy Theories, Election

No More Mr. Nice Kruiser

Posted on | December 9, 2020 | Comments Off on No More Mr. Nice Kruiser

Stephen Kruiser is normally a nice guy, a comedian, a joker. Humor is his natural métier, but yesterday he announced a new policy:

“I didn’t used to be this mean-spirited about politics but after what they did for the last four years I find myself a bit bereft of any charitable feelings for the Democrats.”

That got him a shout-out from Rush Limbaugh, referring to the massive Trump rally in Georgia over the weekend:

[Democrats] thought all this was gonna go away. They believed that the Republicans would give up, that they would recognize that they’ve been defeated and just go away. And it isn’t happening. . . .
The whole point of making America great again or putting America first, it is as important now as it was in 2016. And just because there’s been a potential electoral setback, it doesn’t mean that they’re gonna disband, and they’re not gonna become the Tea Party where you can’t see ’em anymore. They’re gonna be active. They’re gonna continue to be a thorn in the Democrat Party’s side. And that’s going to be fun.

This is not the kind of “fun” we might have wished for, but you have to take what you get and be grateful. No more Mr. Nice Guy.

Remember: There will be a giant #StopTheSteal rally Saturday in D.C.




 

Category: Election, Rush Limbaugh

In The Mailbox: 12.08.20

Posted on | December 9, 2020 | Comments Off on In The Mailbox: 12.08.20

— compiled by Wombat-socho

Silicon Valley delenda est.

The helpful fox spirit Senko-san plays Firefox mascot

OVER THE TRANSOM
357 Magnum: Memphis Tennessee Hits The 300 Number
EBL: General Chuck Yeager, RIP
Twitchy: Rep. Kevin McCarthy Trolls Democrats Who Won’t Be Coming Back Next Year
Louder With Crowder: Texas Files Suit Against Four States Over Their Mishandling Of 2020 Election
Vox Popoli: Flynn Team Collects MI Dominion Data, also, The Election Is Moot!

RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES
American Conservative: Foreword – The Work Remains, also, A Populism Deferred
American Greatness: Georgia Gov. Kemp Awarded $107 Million Contract To Dominion Two Weeks After Meeting With Red Chinese Consul, also, Will This Texas Lawsuit Overturn The 2020 Election?
American Power: After 2020 Losses, Some Democrats Question Party’s Healthcare Focus
American Thinker: Where’s The Kraken? Where’s The Storm? also, How Google Falls
Animal Magnetism: Animal’s Daily Blue State Exodus News
Babalu Blog: Goya Names Occasional Cortex Employee Of The Month After Her Call For Boycott Actually Increased Sales
BattleSwarm: California’s Coronavirus Policy In One Video
Cafe Hayek: Drop The “It’s Guided By The Science” Pretext
CDR Salamander: Deadheading To Buy Time With Iran
Da Tech Guy: Red China’s Continuing Maritime March & The Coming Hard Reckoning, also, Report From Louisiana – Treading Water
Don Surber: Proof Red China Owns Congress
First Street Journal: Things Aren’t Just Bad In Philadelphia, They’re Getting Worse, also, A “Social Justice” Prosecutor In LA – What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
The Geller Report: Arkansas, Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, South Carolina & South Dakota Join Texas’ Election Fraud Lawsuit Before SCOTUS, also, Red Chinese Sex Spy Targeted Democrat Politicians, Including House Intel Committee Member Eric Swalwell
Hogewash: Team Kimberlin Post Of The Day, also, Note What He Isn’t Saying
Hollywood In Toto: Critic Confessions – Missing Miller & His Signature “Option”, also, The Bitter Truths Behind Trigger Warnings
JustOneMinute: Nuke The President!
The Lid: Pelosi Creates Tiny 101-Day Working Schedule For 2021 Congress
Legal Insurrection: Red Chinese Professor – “We Have People At The Top Of America’s Core Center Of Power”, also, Judge Sullivan’s Petty Parting Shot At General Flynn
Nebraska Energy Observer: Rowan’s Way 3 – First Course
Power Line: A Christmas Diversity Grinch, also, MMT Gets A WWF-Style Smackdown
Shark Tank: Sen. Scott Warns Congress Off Blue-State Bailout
Shot In The Dark: House (Of Representatives) Poor
The Political Hat: LA DA To His People – Welcome To The Jungle, also, Missouri Vs. The Gaia Cult
This Ain’t Hell: General Chuck Yeager, 97, Departs The Fix, also, A Whopping 14 Officers At Fort Hood Get Fired
Victory Girls: Heidi Heitkamp & Cindy McCain Want Us To Kiss, Make Up, & Unite With Biden
Volokh Conspiracy: Statistical Nonsense At SCOTUS
Weasel Zippers: Tucker Carlson Delivers A Monologue So Good, POTUS Shares It On Twitter, also, Bernie Sanders Admits Democrats Blocked COVID Relief For Months
The Federalist: Time For Mass Civil Disobedience Against Lawless Lockdown Orders, also, FBI – Red Chinese Spy Penetrated American Politicians Including Russia Hoaxer Swalwell
Mark Steyn: Seven Days In Shenanistan, also, A Bureaucracy For Life

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Category: Linkagery

Number Of States Joining Texas Suit Against PaGaWiMi Hits 7

Posted on | December 8, 2020 | Comments Off on Number Of States Joining Texas Suit Against PaGaWiMi Hits 7

by Smitty


Category: Uncategorized

Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn Will Headline Saturday’s D.C. #StopTheSteal Rally

Posted on | December 8, 2020 | 2 Comments

Just got this press release:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Jericho March and Stop the Steal will welcome a special guest speaker — Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn — and members of his family on December 12th at the “Let the Church ROAR!” Prayer Rally on the National Mall, in partnership with the “One Nation Under God” grassroots rally. Eric Metaxas, author, speaker, and conservative radio host will emcee the ROAR! Prayer Rally on the National Mall. The partnership among planners of the Jericho March, Stop the Steal, and the “One Nation Under God” Grassroots Rally shows the groups’ commitment to a unified effort to gather as patriots and people of faith in prayer for election integrity, transparency, and reform.
The Jericho March and Stop the Steal is supported by the Phyllis Schlafly Eagles. Jericho Marches will take place from 9:30-10:45 AM simultaneously around the U.S. Capitol, Supreme Court, and Department of Justice as they march around the buildings seven times and pray for the walls of corruption and election fraud to fall down, just as Joshua and the Israelites walked around the walls of corrupt Jericho. Following the simultaneous marches around these buildings, patriots and people of faith will converge on the National Mall for the “Let the Church ROAR!” Prayer Rally from 11 AM-4 PM where they will hear from national faith leaders, political leaders, and musicians.
To register, go to: www.jerichomarch.org/national-march.
Prior to his speech at the National Mall Prayer Rally, Lt. Gen. Flynn will first speak at 10 AM at the Supreme Court, an event hosted by Alice Butler-Short of Virginia Women for Trump, Jo Reitkopp of California Women for Trump, and other affiliates with the “One Nation Under God” grassroots rally. This will be Lt. Gen. Flynn’s first public appearance since he has been pardoned by President Trump and the case dismissed.

Click here for the full list of speakers.




 

Category: Election

Judge Releases Satan-Worshipping Murder Suspect, With Predictable Result

Posted on | December 8, 2020 | Comments Off on Judge Releases Satan-Worshipping Murder Suspect, With Predictable Result

This has become a pattern in Houston, Texas:

According to a victim’s advocate, Derrick Mike has become the 70th person in Harris County to be murdered by a suspect out on felony bond.
The suspect, 23-year-old Edward O’Neal IV, had been charged in the 2016 slaying of his friend Ryan Roberts in a case that drew international attention since O’Neal claimed to be a worshipper of Satan.
Records indicate O’Neal had confessed to several people including his mother that he had stabbed Roberts to death. Family members told police and media that they knew O’Neal worshipped the devil, and his mother stated that he had killed two family pets.
Robert’s family believed the killing was part of a satanic ritual and said the teen had been “hit” in the back and stabbed multiple times while he begged for his life.
O’Neal’s father told investigators his son had mental health issues and had been hospitalized after a suicide attempt following the discovery of Roberts’ body. He was ruled not competent to stand trial and later that year a judge ordered him committed for up to 120 days.
Court records indicate O’Neal was returned to competency in January of 2020, and his trial was reset repeatedly during the first quarter of this year. In June, however, a judge reduced his original bond by half to $25,000, and in August he was released.
On December 5, O’Neal was arrested and charged in the shooting death of Derrick Mike, reportedly his cousin’s boyfriend.
After being shot multiple times on November 28, Mike was able to describe the suspect to police before his death the following day. Police also say O’Neal confessed the shooting to his mother. . . .
Andy Kahan, Victim’s Advocate for Crime Stoppers Houston, has been tracking victims murdered by suspects out on either multiple felony bonds, bond forfeiture, personal recognizance (PR) bonds, or failure to revoke bond since 2018. Kahan lists Derrick Mike as the 70th victim and told The Texan he was shocked by the bond given O’Neal this year.
“I’ve been doing this for a long time and I’ve never seen a bond that low given for a murder charge,” said Kahan.
Kahan also pointed out that Mike is the second victim he has identified who has been killed by a suspect released with alleged mental health issues. Shortly after being released from custody at a psychiatric hospital, suspect Randy Lewis allegedly stabbed to death 80-year-old Rosalie Cook before being shot by police. Lewis had been arrested more than 70 times and had been out on two felony PR bonds at the time.

Have I mentioned lately that Crazy People Are Dangerous?

UPDATE: People have asked the judge’s name. It’s Mark Kent Ellis.




 

Category: Crime, Texas

In The Mailbox: 12.07.20

Posted on | December 8, 2020 | Comments Off on In The Mailbox: 12.07.20

— compiled by Wombat-socho

We remember.

Silicon Valley delenda est.

OVER THE TRANSOM
Bacon Time: How To Make A Cannoli
357 Magnum: Life In A Police-Free Utopia – Or Not
EBL: Pearl Harbor, December 7
Twitchy: What Happened To Election Integrity, Twitter?
Louder With Crowder: Unhinged Teacher Ye;;s “Kill Yourself” To Shutdown Protesters
Vox Popoli: Dominion & The Virtual Precincts, also, Biden Delta = +26%
Stoic Observations: Remembering West Adams
Surakblog: Munchausen Projection Derangement Lemmings (h/t Red Pilled Jew)

RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES
Adam Piggott: Saudi Arabian Adventures
American Conservative: The Widow Jobs’ Charity For Profit
American Greatness: The Burden Of Proof, also, The Scars Of 2020
American Power: It’s A Con. It’s Been A Con The Whole Time.
American Thinker: I’m A Pennsylvania Legislator, And I’m Suing The Governor For Election Fraud, also, The Supreme Court & The Electoral Coup
Animal Magnetism: Goodbye, Blue Monday
Babalu Blog: The Lady Vanishes, also, Do The “Dreamers” Really Want DACA Back Before SCOTUS?
BattleSwarm: A Poor Tank, A Useless Tank, & The Worst Tank In The World, also, Election Fraud Update For December 7
Cafe Hayek: Hospital Utilization In The U.S., also, Resisting Tyranny
CDR Salamander: Infamy, also, From Fleet To The NSC
Da Tech Guy: IL Democrats May Finally Eject Boss Madigan, also, The Heroic Press
Don Surber: Trump Ends Another War, also, America’s Pornocracy
First Street Journal: More COVID-19 Idiocy From Andy Beshear, also, Democrats Using 1984 As Instruction Manual, Not Cautionary Tale
The Geller Report: GA Suitcase Election Fraud Suspects Identified, also, GA County Runs Equal Numbers of Trump & Biden Ballots Through Dominion Machine – Machine Reports 26% Lead For Biden
Hogewash: Team Kimberlin Post of The Day, also, One Analyst’s View
Hollywood In Toto: TikTok & Instagram Censor Ryan Long’s “Hating White Men”, also, Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood Is Better Than You Remember
JustOneMinute: From “See You In Court” To “See You Later, Alligator”
The Lid: Antifa-Linked Democratic Op Faces Terrorism Charges For Attack On Railway
Legal Insurrection: GA, MI Federal Courts Dismiss Powell Election Lawsuits, also, Socialist Seattle Councilwoman Facing Recall For Abuse Of Office
Nebraska Energy Observer: Random Observations
Power Line: The Teachers Unions Are Evil, also, Rules Are for The Little People
Shark Tank: Senators Rubio & Scott Call For “Federal Standards” For Compromised Election System
Shot In The Dark: Zellen/iot Page
STUMP: COVID Mortality With Meep
The Political Hat: Restorative Justice In Seattle – Community Wrist Slaps & Collective Restitution
This Ain’t Hell: More Charges For William Tucker Of Alabama, also, A Date That Will Live In Infamy
Victory Girls: Politifact Claims Ossoff & Warnock Aren’t Radical
Volokh Conspiracy: Justice Alito Walks Back De Facto Denial Of PA Emergency Appeal
Weasel Zippers: GA Judge Dismisses Sidney Powell Lawsuit – “It Doesn’t Matter, Trump Lost”, also, House Democrats Schedule Just 101 Days Of Work For 2021
The Federalist: No, The Georgia Vote-Counting Video Wasn’t Debunked. Not Even Close. also, What Is Mark Zuckerberg’s Election Money Doing In Georgia?
Mark Steyn: Full Of It In Fulton County, also, Ikiru

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Category: Linkagery

How to End Your Criminal Career

Posted on | December 7, 2020 | 1 Comment

When did Lakita Annette Davis begin her criminal career? We don’t know, although we do know that she was already familiar to police in Tennessee when she was arrested in Madison County in March 2016 for a string of thefts of fingernail polish from stores in Jackson, Tenn. This arrest did not end Davis’s criminal career, however, as she was jailed in Shelby County, Tenn., six months later on similar charges. Two years later, Davis was imprisoned in Jackson, Mississippi.

When was Davis released from prison? Again, we don’t know, but in October of this year she was in Jonesboro, Arkansas, evidently engaged in her accustomed modus operandi. Along with three accomplices — two of them teenagers — Davis was shoplifting at the Dollar General store. An employee called 911 and the suspects fled the scene with Davis behind the wheel of a silver 2018 Honda Civic. From the moment she drove away, the rest of her criminal life was measured in mere minutes.

Let me interrupt this narrative to tell you about the 1985 Supreme Court decision in Tennessee v. Garner. In 1974, two Memphis police officers responded to a burglary call, and the suspect, Edward Garner, was shot to death while attempting to flee. Garner was unarmed, but Memphis police department’s policy authorized officers to shoot a fleeing suspect, consistent with a Tennessee state law which provided that “if, after notice of the intention to arrest the defendant, he either flee or forcibly resist, the officer may use all the necessary means to effect the arrest.”

Laws differed from state to state, and department policies varied between jurisdictions, but in general prior to the Tennessee v. Garner decision, a suspect fleeing arrest was at risk of getting shot by cops. Obviously, this was a powerful incentive for suspects not to flee. But in a 6-3 ruling, the Supreme Court claimed to locate a “right” to flee from police in the Fourth Amendment. Dissenting from the majority’s opinion, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, joined by Chief Justice Warren Burger and Justice William Rehnquist, declared: “I cannot accept the majority’s creation of a constitutional right to flight for burglary suspects seeking to avoid capture at the scene of the crime.” Justice O’Connor noted that police must often make split-second decisions regarding use of force, and also noted that burglary is not a trivial crime, as it is not uncommon for burglars to assault, rape or murder residents of homes.

Nevertheless, Tennessee v. Garner became law of the land, and the “right to flee” has created dangers that were unimaginable prior to 1985. Whenever you see helicopter TV coverage of one of those endless police pursuits in Los Angeles, you are witnessing an unintended consequence of the Supreme Court’s folly in Tennessee v. Garner. If the fleeing criminals know the cops can’t shoot them, why stop for the blue lights?

Well, Lakita Davis didn’t intend to stop, but fate had other plans.

Davis and her accomplices had stolen only $30 worth of stuff from Dollar General, but the store employee who called 911 told the dispatcher it was a “robbery,” when it was actually just shoplifting. The word “robbery” implies the use or threat of force, usually with a weapon, and so this 911 call set in motion a fatal chain of events.

Probably because of her prior criminal record, Davis was desperate to escape. Getting caught even on a misdemeanor shoplifting charge would be a violation of her parole or probation, likely meaning a return to prison. Also, she had a .45-caliber Glock in the car, which would almost certainly be a felony for a convict like Davis. Jonesboro police soon spotted Davis’s car, and she took off at high speed. The confusion caused by the store employee’s 911 call meant that the cops thought they were chasing a dangerous robber, not someone who had shoplifted $30 worth of stuff. That’s where an Arkansas state trooper enters the story.

Trooper Tanner Middlecoff was at the Arkansas State Police barracks when he “overheard radio traffic from Jonesboro PD in reference to a robbery in progress at the Dollar General on Southwest Drive. Due to the close proximity of the call, I responded for assistance.”

Trooper Middlecoff was soon part of the pursuit, behind Jonesboro officers, as the fleeing Honda careened recklessly through traffic, running red lights, etc. “I turned south onto I-555 and advised Jonesboro dispatch to have officers allow me through so that I could perform a PIT on the vehicle to end the pursuit. I was then able to take lead in the pursuit as we were nearing the end of the construction area at mile marker 40.”

Only seven minutes elapsed from the time Trooper Middlecoff left state police headquarters until the time he hit Davis with the PIT maneuver.

If you are not an aficionado of police-chase videos, let me explain that the PIT maneuver (Precision Intervention Technique) involves a police vehicle striking the suspect vehicle on the rear side in such a way as to cause the vehicle to spin out of control. Performing a PIT correctly requires a lot of training and, as a matter of policy, most law-enforcement agencies only allow the PIT to be used at speeds under 45 mph.

Arkansas State Police, however, allow the PIT at any speed.

This no-limit PIT policy can be dangerous. In April, a guy named Justin Battenfield led police on a 20-mile chase before the Arkansas State Police supervisor authorized a PIT maneuver. Trooper Michael Shawn Ellis hit Battenfield’s truck while running 109 mph. Video of the resulting crash looks like a scene from a James Bond movie.

 

Trooper Ellis miraculously survived that crash. Battenfield died.

Here’s the thing about a high-speed chase — the fleeing suspect is a threat to public safety. Innocent people’s lives are at risk. Using the PIT maneuver to stop the pursuit is therefore justified, in defense of innocent lives. And the officer performing the PIT maneuver is also risking his own life, particularly in a high-speed PIT.

So, guess how fast Lakita Davis was driving when Trooper Tanner Middlecoff hit her with the PIT maneuver? Answer: 126 mph.

 

Davis’s Honda flew some 250 feet off the road, flipped over and smashed into a tree. The Honda Civic is a very safe car, and somehow Davis’s three passengers survived. Alas, it was the end of the road for Lakita Davis, who died like she lived — committing felonies.




 

Category: Arkansas, Crime
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