Let’s call the whole thing off
Here’s the New York Times on the Hamsher/House business:
David House and blogger Jane Hamsher say in a statement they had not had problems previously driving onto the Quantico base. But they say they were detained and unable to visit Army Pfc. Bradley Manning on Sunday.
Quantico spokesman Col. Thomas V. Johnson says the car was towed after the pair could not provide proof of insurance and guards found the vehicle’s license plates had expired. He says both weren’t detained.
Manning’s civilian attorney said Friday he has filed a complaint over Manning’s treatment. The former intelligence analyst in Iraq is being held while the Army determines whether he’ll be tried.
Detained? Not Detained? Turned Away? Oh semantics — how delightful you are.
Given that Hamsher has a credibility problem and given that Quantico has obvious reasons to downplay the incident, I’d be interested to know how and why Hamsher and House were held or detained. Was it the expired license plates and registration? Is the Army trying to further isolate Manning? Did they have to wait for the tow truck to deal with the car? Was it the petition?
These are going to be the important questions as we prepare for Hamsher, et al. vs. The Marines.
I don’t want to speculate, but it would be irresponsible not to.
Hahaha, they are funny and stupid. I used to teach at the Bangor Trident Sub Base, prior to 2001, and even then in order to get on base with my vehicle I had to show proof of insurance, my plates had to be up to date, and they even tested that everything in my car was working, brakes, lights, turn signals, etc. I also had to prove I was an employee of the University to even apply for my pass each quarter so I could get on base. Hamsher et al, lie so they can turn around accuse the President of being a criminal, just one more time. They know damn well what the rules are to get on a US Military Base. However, their cult followers have no clue and this will play right into their paranoia, the government is out to get usssssss. Yeah right. Sigh. Detained… hahahaha, pretty funny stuff if you give it any thought at all.
And at last America exhaled the collective breath it had been holding for lo, those many tortured hours of uncertainty, as brave Pixie Princess broke free from the brutal dictator Obama’s military thugs…
I have to admire you. I saw this headline and considered chewing the power cord to my PC in half rather than roll in the intellectual excrement of Jane Hamsher. Was that a sentence? Now, who’s going to pay for the citations? There were citations, right? We’re talking Virginia. Where are the fucking tickets?
oh, but i have an axe to grind, dontcha know? you betcha!
I see you posted this over at BJ. I do not think I’ll be wading into the shit over there.
Here’s the thing. When I first read about this, I thought it sounded suspicious on all levels. Detained, but able to tweet? Car towed, what? If she had no proof of insurance and the tabs were expired, then, duh! They were lucky ALL that happened was their damn car was towed. Privilege, oh, to look you smack dab in the face.
I’m going to speculate: They were not detained. She tried to do some bullshit grandstanding bullshit and then proudly proclaimed the mantle of victimhood. Seriously. No proof of insurance and expired tabs?????
The hate here is amazing. She gave David House a ride as she has done several times in the past. She never visited Manning and was not going to visit him this time. Both she and House were detained and House was prevented from visiting Manning. There is no reason that House should have been detained as it was neither his car nor was he driving it. This is of course assuming that the facts concerning her license and insurance were as the marines claimed. Which she denies, at least as to the insurance is concerned.
It is obvious that the goal was to prevent a little outside contact with Manning. The Marines kept them around until about 2:50 or too late for visiting hours. So you play with the words as you will.
Incidently teresa, I also have come and gone on military bases and if they actually do what you describe at Bangor then I would guess that people who were trying to get in for Xmas are still waiting in line.
Actually LawBuy, there are always people waiting in line to get on the base, at the main gate. After 9-11, the additional step of dogs and mirrors to look under vehicles by the Marines standing guard. In that you are saying you can just wander onto a military base without being checked out at all is evidence you are not telling the truth. Bangor is a trident nuclear sub base, you do know that right? PSNS is Naval Station Bremerton command post, if you can get in there without permission, a badge, a security clearance, and you can just wander about, well, you certainly are special. I know for a fact you are not telling the truth, unless you have military credentials of course. Nice try, I know the facts, but apparently you do not. So you let me know when you will be here, and I will come on over to Bangor or PSNS for that matter, to see you drive onto base without going through the proper procedures. It should be fun watching!
It isn’t hate so much as disgust, derisive snorts, and a certain amount of sadness that so many people sharing a number of ideals we value are so bamboozled by a soiled diva who lives off misdirecting their energies towards her own agenda, which consists of Jane, Jane, Jane, and Jane.
You do know that her PAC lines her own pockets, that she sold her email list (that would be YOU, sugarcube, who was promised when you signed up that your name wouldn’t be sold) to herself, that she castigated people for taking money from BP while her own advertising arm took money from GP, etc etc?
And now she’s St. Jane, Martyr of the Expired License Plates. Poor Manning–he’s pretty much a prop. Do you really think that having this raving egotist making an embarrassment of herself at the gates of his base will help him? She has never, never, gotten one objective accomplished, not one representative elected, not one piece of legislation either enacted or killed.
BTW, has she denied that her plates were expired? Because if her insurance and plates are not expired, that of course changes the equation considerably. But right now, it looks very much like incompetence + SKREE = (attention + money)
I heart Mrs. Polly.
And I hate that I’m internet-speaking like my sixteen year-old daughter.
Somebody slap me.
Well teresa since you know I’m lying then hey why talk about it. Although I noticed that no one responded to my main points.
Further she said that her insurance was good and she had the same proof she used before. If the plates were expired, well maybe or maybe not, but how many of us haven’t forgotten to renew a license at one time or another.
The point is that the passenger was detained, he was the only one who was going to see Manning.
The allegations made by Mrs. Polly are interesting. Nice of you to provide no links though.
You know a further thought, you all hate her so much you will take the word of torturers. Where does that leave you in the moral universe.
Yes Lawguy, you are lying. That’s all, mama’s not playing with you anymore.
Well, there are some subjects about which the left is dumber than the right. This is one. And while the conditions of Manning’s detention are, I think (knowing that I don’t know details and I don’t know the brig’s issues) a little extreme, it doesn’t rise to torture.
What bothers me more than anything is the extent to which people lose their collective shit and abandon any capability for rational thought.
It seems that batshit crazy and stupid are not the exclusive preserve of birthers.
And I’ll second what teresa says and I’ll extend it to the fact that there are no nukes on Quantico (that we know of) but there are other things that need protecting and securing. Infantry weapons are relatively cheap and don’t need any specialized knowledge to kill a lot of people. That’s kind of the whole point of them, and there are tens of thousands of those things on Quantico. Radios–even the tactical radios are classified Top Secret inside the casing. They cost anywhere from $2,000 to $20,000 depending on the model. Night Vision Devices are not cheap. At $3,500 to $22,000 each, they’re sensitive, unclassified pilfer-ables.
If you come on the base and act remotely screwy, you’re going to have problems, because they’re directive is to ensure the safety and security of Government personnel, dependents, and property, and that takes precedence of whatever you think matters.
I find it very interesting that two functional human beings, one of whom has been on the base several times, used a car that was absolutely guaranteed to draw the attention of the security force, and did so, arriving with less than two hours available for their claimed intent to visit Manning. Really? This guy is building himself up as the only guy with any balls to stand up to the US Marines, who he and Hamsher are claiming are bullying all of Manning’s visitors to stay away, and he can’t be bothered to be there to spend as much time as possible with his friend, who is supposedly on the very edge of insanity because he’s so lonely?
REALLY?
When one considers that Hamsher is well known for her casual relationship with facts, and the fact that Manning’s buddy has said things that were directly contradicted by Manning’s lawyer on more than one occasion, I have to wonder exactly who was acting with malice and intent.
It looks like I’m going to need a new blog home, because matoko_chan, with her tenuous link to reality is becoming the standard for critical thought at BJ.
soonergrunt, I hear ya, man. I just waded through AL’s post, and man, I am disappointed in her and many of the commenters. It’s possible to question the treatment of Manning and think it’s horrible while also thinking Hamsher is a fucking diva who is not helping matters.
lawguy, if I were to go on to a base and not have proof of insurance AND my tabs were expired…well, I wouldn’t do it. More to the point, I would be painfully aware beforehand that I have to be very careful while on a military base. It bespeaks of a poorly-planned stunt and a sense of privilege that Hamsher didn’t have her shit in order before going.
P.S. It’s not a question of believing the base or not–it’s a question of believing Hamsher or not. I do not find her credible in the least.
Welcome home! :)
Anyone else get the feeling that Jane is getting a bit desperate for attention lately? I mean, the glory days of bravely fighting the evil awful no-good hippie-punching ObamaCare sellout to the insurance companies are over. Even she can’t claim any longer with a straight face that PBO’s popularity is tanking because he refuses to follow her brilliant demands — er, advice. Where, oh where is the noble gallant cause in which to battle heroically against the demon Obama (and thereby generate lot$ and lot$ of the all-important click$ for her web$ite)?
What’s John Cole’s problem?
Does he have a crush on Hamsher?
isn’t telling how Hamsher claims to be an expert on insurance and regulations, yet she let her registration lapse and she didn’t carry a proof of insurance card in her glove box.
Has lawguy (and every other person who uses that “links” line) never heard of Google? You’re ON the freakin’ internet.
Used to read BJ a good bit, but lately it, like FDL, it is full of Santorum.
THAT kind of Santorum.
No thanks.
I used to have clearance onto a military base. I had to have current proof of insurance, my tags, and all my badges every day to drive through. I didn’t work on the base, it just happened to be a shortcut to my office. I couldn’t go off in certain directions because my badge didn’t provide access to those areas. As a result, at any point I could be subjected to a vehicle search. If you are on military property, you must know these things before you go. Failing to be informed is just stupidity on your own part. The base I drove through is not nearly as important nor as top secret as Quantico. I can’t imagine the security at Quantico.
Plus if the USMC has you detained, you damned sure aren’t posting to Twitter until you are released.