Stories & Opinions Worth Knowing but Maybe Not Quite Threadworthy 8/16

[Ptarmigan]

Homeowner arrested after trying to evict squatters from his own property: ‘Walked in on weapons, a prostitute, a bunch of dogs’
https://nypost.com/2023/08/16/homeowner-arrested-after-trying-to-evict-squatters-from-his-house/

A homeowner stopped by to check on his suburban Atlanta property — only to be arrested for trespassing.

Days after the departure of a previous tenant, Tim Arko pulled into the driveway of his house in desirable Decatur, where he suddenly encountered a stranger waving a gun in his face.

“I just jumped the fence and ran. I didn’t know what else to do,” Arko told local channel WSB-TV.

“I didn’t walk in on a family eating dinner. I walked in on weapons, a prostitute, a bunch of dogs in the back, my fence broken down,” he told a reporter.

After dialing 911 to report the intrusion, Arko was astonished to find himself being arrested and taken into police custody.

Georgia is becoming more Democratic. Squatting is becoming a bigger problem.

Back in May, a similar incident occurred in Atlanta, when an Army officer returned to her home to find a squatter living in her sprawling $500,000 residence while she was away on active duty.

Lt. Col. Dahlia Daure told WSB-TV that she came home to find a man by the name of Vincent Simon living in her home.

Simon, a man who has been convicted on guns, drugs and theft charges, refused to leave the house.

The unfortunate discovery was made as Daure’s real estate agent began making preparations for the sale of the Holly Hill Parkway home.

[Ptarmigan]

Biden administration tells 9/11 families that attack mastermind, 4 others could be spared death penalty
https://nypost.com/2023/08/16/biden-administration-tells-9-11-families-that-attack-mastermind-could-be-spared-death-penalty/

The Pentagon and FBI have notified some of the families of victims of the 9/11 attacks that suspected terrorist mastermind Kalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other defendants could be spared the death penalty under plea agreements being considered by the Biden administration.

The notice came in the form of a letter, obtained by the Associated Press, that was sent to 9/11 families as the government explores how to resolve the more than decade-long prosecution of the alleged terrorists.

“The Office of the Chief Prosecutor has been negotiating and is considering entering into pre-trial agreements,” the letter informs families, adding that while no plea agreement “has been finalized, and may never be finalized, it is possible that a [pre-trial agreement] in this case would remove the possibility of the death penalty.”

The Associated Press reports that in the letter, dated Aug. 1, military prosecutors pledge to consider the views of the 9/11 families before accepting any plea deals, and the note asks recipients to respond to the FBI’s victim services division by Monday with any comments or questions about the potential agreements.

The 9/11 mastermind should be executed. Case closed.

[Ptarmigan]

Nick Sandmann Loses Appeal Over Dismissal of Defamation Claims Against Several Media Outlets
https://legalinsurrection.com/2023/08/nick-sandmann-loses-appeal-over-dismissal-of-defamation-claims-against-several-media-outlets/

You will recall Nick Sandmann, the Covington (KY) Catholic High School kid who became the object of media fury in January 2019 when visiting D.C. on a school trip for the March for Life.

Sandmann was minding his own business when an activist got in his face banging a drum inches from his face.

Because Sandmann stood there stoicly with a slight smirk on his face, various media types went in a full-blown rage at him, falsely accusing him of initiating the confrontation, blocking and harassing the activist. Because he was wearing a MAGA hat, the full insane fury of the #Resistance was visited upon him.

Whoopi Goldberg on the media smearing the Covington Catholic boys: "So many people admitted they made snap judgments before all these other facts came in. … Why is that? Why do we keep making the same mistake?"

Nick Sandmann should continue suing.