Cesar Sayoc Gets 20 Years for Mailing Non-Explosives to Democrats, Media Figures

If you were wondering if these were explosives or not -- they're not.

Except in this way: they contained fireworks powder which could, possibly, detonate due to heat or intense vibrations.

I mean, technically, I guess that can be called an explosive?

But not really.

According to the FBI, the devices "would not have functioned as a result of their design." However, they did contain the contents of fireworks and other chemicals which potentially could have detonated if exposed to enough heat or vibration. Sayoc admitted that he was aware the devices had the potential to explode:

At Sayoc's guilty plea, he insisted the devices were "intended to look like pipe bombs," but that he did not mean for them to detonate. Pressed by the judge to explain further, Sayoc added, "I was aware of the risk that they would explode."

If I give my friend a box of fireworks, I guess I can be charged for facilitating the distribution of an explosive device, because that box of fireworks could, possibly, explode a bit due to heat or vibration.

But sure, the media wants to pretend they're Brave Firefighters so let's keep repeating the lie that they prefer.

By the way, I'm not saying this guy is innocent. Sending a fake bomb is like sending fake anthrax or fake ricin -- a serious crime. The threat, and the intent to inflict severe distress, is a transgression that should be taken seriously and dealt with harshly.

But a fake bomb is not a real bomb, and we should not claim that it is a real bomb just because a very noisy and powerful group of media elites would like to add it to their Tough Guy resumes.

I remember back in 2002 or so, a guy sent castor beans through the mail.

Castor beans are used to make ricin -- but they are not ricin.

After I learned the truth, that these were just castor beans, I did not call them "ricin." I had previously said that, because that was the initial reporting/first fear, but then I stopped, because I wanted to be, get this, accurate.

The "Ricin Mailer," as I'll now revert to calling him, was a leftwinger, so pretending he sent ricin helped "my narrative."

And yet, until just now, I did not misrepresent castor beans as ricin just because it was Narratively Correct. I also thought that being factually correct ought to matter.

But I see now that Narrative is all that matters, and calling that guy the Ricin Mailer helps my narrative, and therefore should be what I claim.

After all, while specific chemistry is usually used to make ricin, I'm pretty sure that anything you can chemically coax from a material can also be accidentally created, in small amounts, just due to heat and chance.

So those Castor Beans might have produced actual ricin, on their own, just due to happenstance.

Close enough!

BTW: There's still officially No Known Motive for James Hodgkinson's attempt to murder a dozen Republican Congressmen, per the best and the brightest at the FBI.

The guy who attacked Rand Paul with such ferocity that years later he just had to have part of his lung removed due to lingering complications?

Also, no known motive. It was about a property-line dispute or something. Maybe.

But firework powder without a fuse could be an explosive device, sort of!

Here's one good thing: I will never be on a federal jury, because when the judge asks if I can evaluate the evidence without regard to my personal feelings about federal prosecutors, I can truthfully say: "No, I cannot."

And I can't. I would vote for acquittal in almost any circumstances. I just think they're straight-up corrupt.

And I'm not alone in that.

posted by Ace of Spades at 07:15 PM

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