The Feds are getting ready to prosecute a couple more Oath Keepers.
Ohio residents Sandra Ruth Parker, 60, and her husband Bennie Alvin Parker, 70, face charges of conspiracy, obstructing an official proceeding, destroying government property and unlawful entry.
Mr. and Mrs. Parker are guilty of a lot more than this. In non-legal terms, they actively participated in a coup attempt which, if successful, would have spelled the end to representative democracy in the United States of America. They no doubt made this decision because they were guilty of colossal gullibility and actually believed Donald Trump and his army of media misleaders.
This particular couple could be in more significant trouble than the average January 6 insurrectionist. That’s because they’re connected to three other Oath Keepers.
In January, a grand jury indicted alleged Oath Keeper associates Thomas Caldwell, Jessica Watkins and Donovan Crowl on charges they conspired as far back as November to storm the Capitol and to have an armed “quick reaction force” outside the city ready to move if ordered by Trump.
In particular, the Parkers are connected to Jessica Watkins.
In court records, investigators said the Parkers were part of the plot, and that texts exchanges show extensive planning between Watkins and Bennie Parker ahead of Jan. 6, including what gear to bring…
…After the siege, Watkins and Bennie Parker did not seem too concerned they would face criminal charges, according to texts obtained by the FBI.
“I’ve been following FBI wanted list, seems they’re only interested in people who destroyed things. I wouldn’t worry about them coming after us,” Watkins told Parker.
“I’m sure they’re not on us,” Bennie Parker replied.
There were very wrong. Watkins was arrested on January 18. Warrants were issued for the Parkers on February 12 and they were taken into custody on February 18.
I don’t know if these people are just garbage in general or if they just got caught up in the nonsense, but it doesn’t really matter when it comes to the law. These folks need to be locked up.
Yet, as Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah said in a statement he released Thursday and had entered in the congressional record, it’s ultimately Trump who bears the most responsibility. He, too, needs to be locked up. It’s wrong for the Parkers to do serious prison time while Trump walks free.
Now they’re up to six Oath Keepers indicted today.
Well, well, well! I’ve been wondering how long it would take here for a local to get rounded up. There was a guy in an adjacent county to me that got picked up in the early days, but now we have some true locals sitting in Federal detention. I knew it was just a matter of time. These fine Americans live about 15 minutes from me. I read the affidavit during my lunch break today, and it seems that Bennie was just not happy with the lack of enthusiasm in his local militia (“ours is about gone”, he said in a text), so he reached out to Jessica Watkins to see if he and his wife could join up with her merry band of insurrectionists affiliated with The Oathkeepers. And, of course, “the more the merrier”! However, for Bennie, it all depended on the weather. He apparently wasn’t up for a Washington insurrection if the weather was going to be crappy. He was reserving the option to just go up to the capitol in Columbus if he was going to be forced to stand in the rain or snow in D.C. But hey, things worked out for them and he and his wife ended up with their mugs plastered all over the photo collages of the FBI, and his wife made the mistake of joining in the “stack” charge of the Capitol with the rest of “The Ohio Regular Militia”, all linked with hands on shoulders as they charged toward victory in their battle dress.
I don’t know these people, though her Facebook page is very Trump heavy, as most of these types are. They live in a very comfortable middle class neighborhood, filled with $200-300K homes, and have all the trappings of white, middle class comfort. They are the prototypical resident of this area. Which is the reason that I am not at all surprised. They are no different than most of the other people here, they were just in a position to be able to block out the time necessary to make the trip. I hope they enjoyed it.
Trump’s base isn’t the poor, working class. To borrow a term from old-school lefties, they are the petite bourgeoisie. They tend to be small business owners, skilled tradespeople, shop floor supervisors and the like. I’ve read that the same economic class of people make up the base of France’s National Front and also the base of Duterte’s supporters in the Philippines.
I don’t think they’re driven by economic hardship although the do have a fear of falling down and joining the poor, working class, whom they despise.
There was a time I enjoyed my meetings with a small group of the old guys around me but I now think we are from different planets. I mean to hear them tell it Trump is one hundred and ten percent right, the election was stolen. Any proof you ask? Well you know he didn’t just make it up. Really. Prove he made it up. Oh fuck nuts. I hate living in this red hell.