An Idaho man who went missing in October has been charged with attempted to assassinate the president and/or his family after he allegedly fired two shots at the White House residence, cracking a window.
The man, 21-year-old Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez of Idaho Falls, was obsessed with President Obama and the date 11/11/11, according to members of his family. It is thought that Ortega-Hernandez, clad in black, approached the White House last Friday night and fired two shots from a knockoff AK-47, which was later found in an abandoned car near a bridge leading to Virginia.
There were indications that Ortega-Hernandez had spent time at Occupy DC gatherings in McPherson Square, and indeed, this bunch of Occupiers in San Diego held a “moment of solidarity” for him as they pondered why he “might have felt the need to shoot the White House.”
Ortega-Hernandez could face life in prison if convicted.
More here and a graphic on the path of the bullets here.
Wait, wait--how can a guy with a Hispanic name Ortega-Hernandez be charged with doing this? I thought only white veterans belonging to radical militias were the ones to watch for this type behavior according to Big Sis? I am confused. But wait--one of the "groupings" is "non-Hispanic white" in our governments list of ethnicities that means this guy must be a "Hispanic white guy" so part of the problem is solved there. But he was at the Occupy Wall Street campout across from the White House you say? Yes, but only as a diversion to keep the guv-mint from suspecting him as he chameleon like blended in with the true patriots you say! I am more confused than ever. Maybe the truth was he was just a nut job—hiding with a pack of nut jobs so wasn’t noticed till he started shooting up the White House. (One thing is for sure, if the AK he was using came from Fast and Furious we will never hear about it!)
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseYour own sense of persecution and self-pity seems to have survived the assassination attempt.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI'm sure we can expect the usual lunatics on this site, those who condemn Romney as a "flip flopper" and praise the ever changing Newt Gingrich as a "man of conservative principles" to all praise this psycho drive by shooter as a "hero of freedom."
I'm starting to think most of the rabid "conservatives" on this site are really just DNC flunkies doing their worst impersonation of what they think a "conservative" is and believes...
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseCan we, Ryant?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseNo, not going to happen, you can forget about whatever sick satisfaction that would give you. Cordially, Bill
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWe need to push back on the lie that this guy is a tea partier. He is not.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseBut Obama wasn't there. I wonder, if the guy knew that, would that be a defense against "attempted assassination"? Drop it down to vandalism or something like that?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThis guy fired a rifle into a home. MAYBE you can reduce the charge from assassination, but it needs to at least acknowledge he could have killed someone.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThat's a 600 yard shot, and the AK-47, especially in stock form, isn't very accurate beyond 300 - 400 yards. Glad though, that Obama wasn't home.
A few articles state that they found nine spent shell casings in his car. If that's how many he actually fired, with only two actually hitting the building, it's lucky that nobody was injured by a shot that flew long or fell short.
Since Obama wasn't home and it was well known that he was traveling, how can they charge Ortega-Hernandez with an attempted assassination? Is that the only charge available?
Seems like it would be better for them to make a lesser charge that would be easier to win in court.
Then again, the guy sounds like he's nuts, so it appears he'll be put away for a long time no matter what.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseCharging the highest possible crime is a way some DAs use to seek a stipulation to a lesser charge. Also, it helps them in negotiating any future plea to potentially secure a plea to a serious felony, which has all sorts of permanent ramifications to a defendant.
The problem arises where, as in the case of Casey and Caylee Anthony, the prosecution proceeds to trial on the highest possible charge. They can end up with a proof problem and leaving the jury holding a half-empty bag of sand.
Did this guy clearly know that the president was not at the WH residence? And if so, did he know that the other three immediate family members -- the First Lady and the two children -- were not home or near the area of the residence upon which he allegedly fired?
Remember -- he currently stands accused of attempting to kill the president and his family.
I'd like to know if this guy is here legally, and what his criminal background may be, if any.
But it will be interesting to see the left call for much harsher treatment of this fella than for John Hinkley, who currently enjoys furloughs, I believe.
I'm against the death penalty, and if this guy was firing live rounds from an automatic weapon at the WH, he deserves the death penalty if he's not certifiably insane.
I suppose your comment could conceivably provide the gist of a defense, irrespective of his mental state -- given the weapon of choice, he was too far away from the perceived target to be able to cause any actual damage.
As a committed non-owner of guns, and one who's never used one (but would die for the right of others to do so), I plead ignorance on that score.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseYou're against the death penalty, except for a guy who didn't actually injure anyone?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThat's a hell of a long shot for a knock-off AK with iron sights. Was there a scope on the weapon?
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"In trying to determine why he recently traveled to the nation’s capital from the western part of the country, investigators searched the Occupy D.C. campground near the White House but have found no connection between him and the Occupy protesters, according to three law enforcement officials familiar with the case."
Washington Post
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Which didn't stop Occupy Sand Diego from finding "solidarity" with him. Their choice.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThat's just plain weird. What are those people thinking!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI just watched the video from OSD. The guy sounds a little disjointed, and he asks for a minute of silence in solidarity with the shooter AND the White House.
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So really not sure if he's actually siding with the shooter or thinks its a bad thing.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe guy's a dope. I liked the incredulous look on the face of the gal who was first holding the microphone (she was hot, btw. Too bad those good looks are wasted.) Still, she didn't exactly say anything after she took back the mike.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseYeah, she is cute. The lighting's bad, so it's hard to tell, but she looks like she could be of Mexican, Filipino, or Indian ancestry. If that's her voice at the end, it sounds like there's a hint of a Spanish speaking accent.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseConsidering the only correct reaction is to condemn the shooting . . .
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseLuckily, hughman, no one from the Occupy San Diego group seems to care what you have to say, and they went ahead and expressed solidarity with the shooter. So you and the Post can try to make up whatever BS you want, but the actual folks in your movement are way ahead of you. You all realllllly need to work on your propaganda, the folks on the ground and their enablers in the MSM/you are way out of synch. It's a little embarrassing, almost as if you actually have no idea what the Occupy folks truly think, or you're just trying to cover for them. Either way, give it a better effort next time. Down Twinkles to you!
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