CardinalBacker

If you watch the video the old man was trying to get his piece ready after the fight broke out. He wasn’t even locked and loaded. Which makes the whole “plan on killing some poor bastard” kinda exaggerated. The actual shooter had no choice but to shoot Mr Arbery once he started trying to take control of the weapon. What would have happened if there hadn’t been a struggle over the gun? We can only guess, but once that struggle started, somebody was getting shot, period. I don’t have all of the answers. I can’t help but think that the father/son duo (def the son) have some culpability in Mr Arbery’s demise. But I can’t ignore the evidence that clearly indicates that a portion of the blame also lies at Mr Arbery’s feet. Just my opinion, worth no more than yours, my friend.

To quote the great poet and philosopher Calvin Broaddus, aka Snoop Dogg... “It ain’t no fun if the homies can’t have none.”

That’s a good point... Here’s my problem. Based on what happened, I’m going to assume that Mr Arbery would have been even MORE likely to attack the people trying to stop him had they been unarmed. And please, stop pushing the “he was out for a jog” narrative. Much like “hands up, don’t shoot” it has been proven to be patently untrue. Mr Arbery was wearing khaki shorts and tennis shoes (not boots, as some would allege) when surveillance captures the image of him walk on to the property, look surreptitiously both ways before hurrying into the house. He is seen sprinting from the site upon being confronted by the cameraman from the final confrontation. It is also becoming clear that this was not the first time Mr Arbery has been chased from the site based on police records from 2/11. My position has evolved. When I first saw the final confrontation video, it seemed to me to be a vigilante/cowboy/wannabe cop gone wrong scenario. More evidence has kind of made me less supportive of the initial reporting. This is unedited surveillance footage from across the street from the construction site. Skip to 13:30 and you’ll see Mr Arbery enter the screen from the right side. He is absolutely not jogging. He walks past the house, pauses (some say looks both ways, I can’t tell), then hurries into the house. He comes back out, circles behind the house, and disappears from view. At 14:18 we see another person enter our view from the left side of the screen. That person has been identified as the person who filmed the final confrontation and also phoned 911 during the chase. He claims to have confronted Mr Arbery and told him that the police were being called at that time. THIS is when we see Mr Arbery sprint up the street... look quick, because he IS actually running at this point. Combined with the fact that there was already a confrontation at the same site 12 days before involving the same parties, a confrontation as the young man is leaving the neighborhood doesn’t seem so irrational. An interview with the homeowner today said that he didn’t want the outcome that we got, but he did install the surveillance system in regards to repeated entries into his site, and also that the system notified him on 2/11 that someone was in the property and at that point the owner (English) contacted another neighbor (Perez) to investigate. Travis (the shooter) and his dad were also that night and Perez stated that he believed the black man from 2/11 was Arbery. There was a police report confirming all of this, despite repeated claims that there were no other burglaries reported in the neighborhood in the last few months besides the gun stolen from Travis’ truck in January. So, if I’m a retired cop/investigator who had a gun stolen from a family members vehicle recently....AND a person (Arbery) whose probation for a previous firearm offense I had personally worked to revoke is now appeared multiple times in a house that doesn’t belong to him... I’m probably gonna arm myself before we do any business, if you know what I mean. I’m not making this stuff up I can provide links to details if it helps anybody. I’m not trying to change anybody’s mind, I’m just trying to illustrate a different perspective.

Here’s an example of the way that the media is fanning the flames of racial discord. The headline reads “Ahmaud Arbery’s killers had another incident with a black man 12 days before.” I’m thinking, “ok... this is gonna be the type of thing that will enable federal prosecutors to credibly seek hate crime charges against the shooters.” [Hidden Content] The story basically says that there was a previous confrontation at the construction site involving Ahmaud Arbery, the cops, and the shooters 12 days prior to the deadly co frontation. The headline doesn’t mention that the “incident with a black man” was actually a prior incident with the decedent. People have a vested interest in pitting black against white every chance that they get.

You need to look a little deeper. The whole “he was just out for a jog” narrative had been pretty much disproven. The surveillance video from outside the construction site shows him walk up, look both ways, then go into the house. They’ll only show us seven seconds of a three minute video, and it only shows him looking around. Outside surveillance cameras capture him as he’s leaving and he’s confronted from across the street by a figure who turns out to be the cameraman. Then Mr Arbery sprints away from the scene. That’s the only time we see him “jog” other than in that final confrontation. It’s okay for us to have different perceptions after watching the same clip. Our perceptions are based on our life experiences. But people keep parroting “he was just out for a jog! He was hunted down and killed” and that’s just plainly not the case. Did the actions of those two men lead to the death. Partially, I believe. But I also believe that the actions of Mr Arbery contributed to his own death as well. For a case that’s so racially charged, it’s kinda ironic that nothing is black and white.

You’d have to ask them. However, it is every one of our constitutional right to stand in the street with a shotgun. It is also our right to confront anybody we want to for whatever we want to. That’s another fact. However, I stand to face criminal and civil actions if I attempt to do something that violates the rights of another. I could also be responsible for whatever mayhem erupts from my actions if I was mistaken. However a few points keep getting overlooked. This was not the first or second meeting between these “gentlemen” and Mr Arbery. The older one was personally responsible for having Mr Arbery’s prior probation revoked several years ago. It’s come to light today that prior to this confrontation on 2/23, there was also a confrontation between the same parties at the same construction site on the night of 2/11. If you count the homeowner (English), the neighbor he called to investigate (Perez), the cameraman, the cop(s) that investigated the 2/11 intrusion, plus the shooter and his dad, no less than six people who were aware of this young man’s repeated entrances to a dwelling (under construction) to which he had no right to enter. That’s enough to warrant a confrontation. Does it justify a citizen’s arrest? Not in my opinion. But it wasn’t much of an “arrest” because Mr Arbery began fighting with the son pretty much immediately. And you don’t have to ask who initiated contact because I not going to pretend that the son was holding his shotgun while attacking Mr Arbery with the other. I wish Mr Arbery was still alive. I wish those gentlemen had safely followed at a distance instead of trying to confront him. I wish that Mr Arbery hadn’t scuffled with an armed man. I wish a lot of things.

You’re one of the people I was talking about.

You’re right on that point, my friend. White makes have committed a majority of the school shootings (and mass shootings in general). But I’m not talking about school shootings, because they make up such a tiny percentage of violent deaths in the US. Although that number is larger than the number of “unarmed black men killed by racists.” If you’d like to discuss the largest group of murders (black on black) or the second largest group of murders (black on white), join in the conversation. I’d also like to point out that contrary to what people keep saying, I don’t see the pursuit on that video... however the Atlanta Constitution is today reporting an earlier confrontation between the “rednecks” and Mr Arbery on 2/11 (less than two weeks prior)at the same construction site. I guess Mr Arbery was just out jogging that night, too.

It sells. Nobody cares when the crimes are homogenous. I can’t name a single kid that was killed in Jeffco last year. But the sides are already chosen up when the crime is across racial lines. It gets us up in arms, trolling webpages and monitoring the news for updates. We emotionally react when there’s a racial aspect, so they (the media) runs with it. It also benefits us politically... whether you’re on the left decrying racist cops or on the right blaming those criminal illegal aliens... the powers that be push their agendas on the backs of crime victims. Before anybody says it, it’s not because white people go unpunished. Cody Crabtree was gunned down in the parking lot of an apartment complex in North Beaumont in broad daylight. He was a white kid who was in all likelihood down there looking to score... but nobody saw anything and if you ask me the cops kinda felt like he was asking for it. I don’t know how we fix it. There’s no amount of “sensitivity training” that would have saved young Mr Arbery’s life.

I have (had) a good friend and former coworker from PA by way of Alabama. Solid dude (also happened to be black) from a solid family. PA firefighter and eventually went to work for one of the plants. Single Dad of a couple of great sons . I can’t express how solid of a guy he is. But he spends so much time worried that his boys will gunned down by bad cops. I’m just looking at him thinking..: your boys are so much more likely to get killed by bangers right there in PA than by a bad cop. We’re not friends on fb anymore and I’m sure it’s because of political views. I still like him, though. I just think he worries about the wrong stuff.

I’m not talking bad about you here... but I think you’ve illustrated a way of thinking that is prevalent regarding these incidents. There’s a segment of our population that believes that violence is an acceptable response to many, many situations, and that the person who is being attacked should simply take their beating. People are regularly beaten to death. People will often die because of injuries sustained from being knocked out and striking their head on the ground. An unarmed assault has a reasonable expectation of a deadly outcome. No one has to submit to a beating. There is a very real possibility that the person you intend to harm may kill you for attempting to injure them. Those are facts. To step back and say “oh, he was unarmed” doesn’t mean anything. I’m under no obligation to engage in unarmed combat with anybody. The simple fact that you are trying to hurt me gives me the right to protect myself by any means necessary. Period.

Scenario... 17 year old senior and 14 year old freshman... 3 years’ plus difference in age. Nude photos are exchanged, invitation to come visit offered, 17 year old sneaks into 14 year old’s house. Parents become aware, police are contacted, statement given by 14 year old. By law a crime has been committed and 17 year old should be tried as an adult. 14 year old loses phone privileges. The only reason this kid wasn’t prosecuted was because the 14 year’s parents eventually chose not to pursue the matter. If she’d been 13 they would have had no say in the matter is my understanding. If the 17 year old had been “of color” the 14 year old’s parents might not have been so willing to stand down.... hence the racial angle. It’s rough because you can have the exact same relationship (senior/freshman) and it’s okay based on the three year rule, or because those parents are cool with it. And none of these analogies matter if the contact here was malicious or the young lady (and I’m assuming the victim is female) was younger than 14 like TVC was saying. I say that about the victim being female because I know of a similar situation where both parties were male and the parents of the younger man were LIVID.... like, out for blood. I’ve always wondered if they’d have been so worked up if he’d gotten caught going to town on an older girl. The course of this young man’s life has been altered regardless. That’s a bummer for him.

We’re gonna be District Champs! Because that’s what you’re supposed to say. Disclaimer... I’m completely out of touch with the Bc team at this point. But... normally you’d expect a team dropping down to be in the hunt for a DC. But normally you don’t drop down into a district that is populated by WOS and Silsbee. I’d be disappointed by anything less than third in District behind those two. I’d also expect HJ to bring it, though... we haven’t played them since Dubois left them for BC. OF is gonna be a slobberknocker, too. Realistically 3rd, but we could absolutely miss the playoffs if our kids don’t perform. But like I said... I’m out of touch with our team.

There’s also a 10 year statute of limitations... that means that for 10 years after the offense, the young woman can still request that officials pursue her “attacker.” Rape is rape and indefensible. We all can see “consensual” situations that are also indefensible. But situations where both parties were willing and ages are not that far outside of being legal are so messy. Two kids can get themselves into a mess that leaves one grounded and the other on the sex offender registry.

The parents of the minor child typically have some sway in regards to whether the state moves forward or not. If the parents do not want their child to have to testify (with all of the social consequences that can bring about) they can be less than cooperative with authorities and even request that the youthful offender NOT be prosecuted. It typically comes down to just how angry those parents are. In addition to the sexual assault charges there was an additional charge that makes it seem like maybe the whole scenario may not have been totally friendly. I don’t know how this works out. I’m he was released from his LOI by TAMU Commerce today.

Once again, the narrative has turned to the epidemic of unarmed young black men being gunned down by racists. I've gotta cry foul on this one. Let me start by saying that it is unfortunate that this young man lost his life so needlessly. It is a tragedy. I can't imagine what his family must be feeling. However, the narrative of "he was just out for a jog when he was hunted down and killed by racists" is hollow, if not outright false. There is an epidemic in our country, but it's not one of white on black violence, but rather an epidemic of violent behavior by young black men. The statistics speak for themselves, but you don't have to go all scientific. Just scroll through Youtube... there are countless videos of young black men attacking people in fast foot restaurants, schools, parking lots at apartment complexes, and any other public place you can think of. The black community refuses to acknowledge this fact. This past Friday the community in Beaumont poured into the streets to protest the Arbery killing... yet I don't remember any such protest or show of support for any of the 2 dozen or so young men that were killed right here in our community last year. That's so hypocritical that no one participating in Friday's protest can be taken seriously. The Bible teaches us not to remove the mote from our brother's eye before removing the beam from our own... yet here we are again. Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and now Ahmaud Arbery.... and who knows how many others. The media tells us that these young men were just out buying skittles, or out for a jog when they were senselessly killed. In reality, you have three documented cases where young black men got angry and attacked people who (unfortunately for the attackers) were armed. That's the real story. George Zimmerman was getting his skull bounced off of the sidewalk when he killed Trayvon Martin. The photos are there. Michael Brown was trying to walk down a uniformed police officer whose weapon was drawn after committing a strongarm robbery of a convenience store. Young Mr. Arbery tried to fight a guy who was holding a shotgun. I don't think he was scared. I don't think he was brave or valiant. I think he was just pissed. Just like every other person of color that we see attacking a kid behind the counter at McDonald's. People who have heard a lifetime of "leaders" trying to convince that segment of the population that all of the discomforts of their lives are the fault of others. I'd be mad, too, if all I ever heard was that all of the struggles of life were the fault of someone else. You can talk all you want about "well, that neighborhood watch guy shouldn't have had a gun" or "that cop COULD have used a tazer" or "those rednecks had no right to stop that kid whether he'd just broken into a house or not." That can be debated from both sides all day... but it's a lot harder to argue that none of those three young men could easily be alive today if they had kept their hands to themselves. There are some bad people out there. There are even a few bad people out there who would kill another for the color of their skin. But there's not a murderous klansman behind every bush. Here's the thing that nobody is actually saying. The eventual shooter had a constitutional right to be standing in the street holding a shotgun. He also had a right to ask the deceased to stop. The deceased had no obligation to stop. If the deceased had been illegally detained, then the man holding the gun would have legal problems of his own. Instead, the young man attempted to disarm the eventual shooter. Don't get me wrong.... things were tense out there. The possibility of someone getting hurt or killed was there as those young men initially approached one another. But once they began to struggle over the gun, it's obvious that someone was going to get shot. And I wonder how much of that kid's reaction was based on a lifetime of lies about being in danger of being killed by whitey? Three takes.... 1. That young man was out for a jog and he was hunted down and murdered for being black. 2. That was a messy situation that should not have happened, but now it's up to us to figure out who was responsible and if (and in my opinion, how severely) someone needs to be punished. 3. I literally saw that young man chase down that truck and attack the driver... luckily the driver was armed. Only one of those three is rational.

I'll be shocked, disappointed, and dismayed if academic probation isn't a part of this young man's collegiate experience.

Looking at my Farmer's Almanac it's about time for Newton to reach the 5/6th round again soon.

Nah.... I think their window slammed shut in early February when Carthage got bumped down. I expect WOS or Silsbee (whichever is still standing at that point) to go down on Carthage in the regionals (4th round). Either Silsbee or WOS will be done no later than the 3rd round, and neither will be standing after the fourth. That's not saying they're bad teams or regressing... they're just gonna walk into a saw. That's my prediction for 4AD2 Region 3 in 2020. Vidor should make decent run, IMO.... I'm not familiar with their personnel at all, but I think of the success that we had in 4AD1 with decent personnel and good coaching in 2016. They're gonna be one of the largest schools in the classification and anything less than District Champs playing on Thanksgiving Weekend would be a bitter disappointment for me if I were a Pirate fan. Which I'm not.

Nah.... You gotta flunk out at least once to get on academic probation.

I wondered about the same thing. Honestly, though... the police won't act without a report. Once the report is made, they're obligated to investigate.

[Hidden Content] Not the code, but more of an explanation. Most educators and LEOs that I know hate this legislation. 2 years, 364 days is okay. 3 years and 1 day is a felony. Plus you have some kids whose parents don’t care... so THIS kid had a freshman GF and it’s ok but THAT kid looking at jail time because this other girl’s parents were not. I’m also self aware enough to know that if 17 year old me was getting pictures of fur/early morning dew and an invitation to come over, I would have probably gone through that window. The only problem is that if it goes wrong she gets grounded and he goes to jail. There’s really not any flexibility as far as the law is concerned once the ball gets rolling. Thats the reason I was curious as to whether the state was alleging that something less “consensual” had occurred.

Beaumont Enterprise broke this story today. [Hidden Content] Can anybody from Jasper say if this was an underaged girlfriend type situation or is something more sinister being alleged?

It's getting a little dated now... most of the actor/actresses are much older in real life now, so it's a little depressing. I'd like to run away with Coach Taylor's wife. Then, not so much now. It's far-fetched, of course, but it's a really good series. You'll still see usernames on the boards that originated on that show.

I liked it a lot.... I wasn't nearly as impressed by the follow up season(s) at the reform school. I liked Last Chance U (the first two seasons, mostly) as well as QB1 on Netflix. Definite binge-worthy material. Haven't gotten to watch All American yet. And I still like to watch Friday Night Lights (the tv show) during the summer to get ready for tackle football season. I've probably watched the whole thing about 5 times now.