An FBI agent is suspected of lying about firing twice at Robert "LaVoy" Finicum and may have gotten help from four other FBI agents in covering up afterward... [More]Government not only failed in its duty to resolve matters without bloodshed, it contributed to the conditions making it all but inevitable when their demand for obedience was forced upon a man who would not kneel. They knew this man of unbending principle had never initiated violence and would only react if forced. They set things up so that would be the outcome.
He told them at the first roadblock he was going to go to turn himself in to Sheriff Palmer. Given the circumstances, he could have been escorted securely to do just that, to resolve things peaceably. The enforcers had waited all that time -- they could have called Palmer, assured Finicum he was on his way and no action would be taken, and waited another couple hours.
Lying FBI agents shooting into the truck with no identified threat target as Finicum was trying to exit with his hands up not only violates rules of engagement, it criminally endangered the occupants. As an aside, considering all the years its been in existence and all the money that's been poured into it, how many hostages has the Hostage Rescue Team actually rescued?
Finicum was shot in the back. As for the "justification" that he was going for his gun, not only would self-defense have been warranted, all we really have to go on to accept that, without better video and sound from on-scene recorders, is the word of people who were part of a kill team that is now being investigated for withholding critical information.
This whole thing did not have to happen. Finicum DID initially emerge with his hands up. Government actions prevented that scenario from unfolding. And now they're making noises about how justified they all were.
Another thing that's instructive about all this is in comments under another article about not releasing the names of the police shooters just yet. The hatred, the reveling and joy in the death of a man they revile, and the outright bigotry against Finicum's religion are all evident in those who think agents of the monopoly of violence ought to be able to kill with anonymity. If someone made similar slurs against Islam, these same Prozis would be screaming "Bigot!" and worse. And funny, how they'd take a polar opposite position had a person of a different set of circumstances been killed in a different place, like, say, Ferguson.
I said "Prozis," a term I use to combine "progressive" with Nazi, which is what they really are, as much as they try to project and pin that label onto advocates of Constitutionally-limited government. It's not just an example of Godwin's Law when they really do hate, and really do want the state to crush anyone who's not part of their cult.
As for what happens next, I won't be surprised to see push-back as more and more people have personal lines in the sand forcibly crossed. I don't see that as having a calming effect -- quite the opposite. I won't be surprised if some totally unforeseen wild card decides "it's time."
Whether the Rubicon has been finally crossed or not, and whether more are going to be dragged into this, is yet unknown. I guess we'll all find out.
