By Robert Willmann
At 9:00 a.m. Mountain Standard Time tomorrow in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the local District Attorney, Mary Carmack-Altwies, will announce whether a criminal case will be brought against actor Alec Baldwin, who fatally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on a movie set on 21 October 2021. Quite a bit of activity has gone on in civil lawsuits and in other discussions since the event, but a possible criminal charge is the most significant, because all the other court action and maneuvering has been about money.
From a criminal law standpoint, the case has fascinating issues. It also poses more practical problems than usual for the investigation of what happened and for analyzing a possible prosecution. The glitz of Hollywood masks snake-like behavior.
Rather than face the music herself, the DA has hired a communications consultant, Heather Brewer, who describes her business this way: “HB Strategies is a full-service public affairs firm, specializing in crisis communications, that can work with your campaign, business or nonprofit organization to get your message into the media and in front of thought-leaders and policy makers”.
The announcement apparently is not going to be a press conference, but instead will be presented as a written statement to the media. It is kind of odd that a DA will say in advance that an announcement will be made about whether there will be a prosecution, because usually you will not say that criminal charges will be filed in the future (if you are going to file them), but that they have already been filed.
Totally off topic.
I would like to point out Emmanuel Todd’s latest production:
“The Third World War has already begun”
https://www.herodote.net/Textes/todd-ukraine-guerre-mondiale.pdf
[could not find a French-English translator. Goooogol doesn’t seem to work with a pdf file.]
Worth reading. Refreshing. You don’t have to follow it blindly.
Emmanuel Todd, historian and anthropologist, is imho the least infuriating French intellectual. I’ve been following him since exactly 1978. Date on which he predicted the disappearance of the USSR for several all relevant reasons.
He’s not anti-US. He has family in the US and say he will take refuge there if things get hot around here.
Today it was announced by Iran’s foreign monster that his country does not recognize – get this – neither the 4 republics including Donetsk & Lugansk Nor Crimea as belonging to the Russian Federation. I was almost surprised. Was I deceived? I can’t think what that can be about other than that they have evaluated the RF as weak. Or some massive leverage applied?
A film clip of a Pantsir Air Defense system being installed on an office building in Moscow. Translation of the text is pasted below link. Is this a new form of judo or are they filming a movie? I can see why maybe Kommersant ran that story. But not really. There are several such posts on telegram today. They are commented on with jokes such as: “see – Moscow is being defended.” Is it thought that Kiev will be retaliating for the Dnipro missile event 2 days ago? Paging TTG.
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https://t.me/anatoly_nesmiyan/7135
Some strange story. In Moscow, the Pantsir air Defence system is being installed on the roof of the office building.
What’s the strange thing? The fact that there is already an air Defence/ABM area around Moscow is the only one in Russia, by the way. Including anti-missiles with nuclear warheads. A similar missile Defence area is located in the United States around the launch mines in Nevada.
If suddenly it stuck to put air Defence in the city, it is with a certain probability that the missile Defence area around Moscow rotted and froze during the reign of effective geostrategists. That’s why you have to do such fierce amateur activities.
The Baldwin decision will be very interesting. If for no other reason than that he shot a woman who was born in Ukraine but who, according to wiki at the time of the incident .. oh let’s not go into that now.
This article below pasted & auto-translated from Kommersant ru today. Mr Willman’s inclusion of a picture of a gun hanging on the wall reminds me of a famous story of Pushkin’s (or was it a comment by Gogol on a Pushkin tale?) whereby a gun on the mantle in act 1 means it will go off by the end of the play (or story), so this may not be so off topic. Note several things:
A) Princeton, when General Mark Milley went to school. He’s over in Ramstein now I thought – Austin is for sure.
B) Lots of people were “tested” in this not so innocuous exercise. Oh really? Why so? Anticipating several “footballs” and “presidents” in case of a surprise attack? Would appear so.
C) Most tested press the red button. Also interesting.
D) The source … FT! Oh .. “journalists” again I see. Yes, Patrick McGoohan was always a “journalist” checking into overseas hotels.
E) The situation where 300 missiles land but the button isn’t pressed yet because you are certain you possess a strike deterrent anyway. That’s good to hear.
F) I could go on, but will close with the suggestion that the entire leadership of both (every side, better) sides be arrested and permanently jailed so the rest of us human beings can get on with our lives.
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FT: Princeton University has created a simulator of Russia’s nuclear strike on the United States
Financial Times journalist John Thornhill described the experience of participating in a virtual reality simulator that simulates the strike of “300 nuclear missiles” of Russia on the United States. The simulator was created by security experts at Princeton University Sharon Weiner and Moritz Kutt and tested it on dozens of people. The developers propose to participate in events on behalf of the President of the United States.
According to the plot of the game, before the nuclear strike, the head of state sits in the Oval Office and watches “reports on the escalation of hostilities in Europe.” A secret service agent breaks into the room and asks to go down to the White House crisis center (Operational Room), where the president is informed about the upcoming attack. According to the conditions, it is impossible to contact the enemy by phone. The main character has 15 minutes to make a decision.
“While the clock is ticking, I am offered three options, each includes retaliatory strikes on Russia, as a result of which, according to forecasts, from 5 million to 45 million people will die. What should I do?” Mr. Thornhill describes his participation in the experiment.
Three responses to the nuclear strike that the simulation offers:
* application of a limited counterattack at Russian intercontinental ballistic missile deployment facilities and their main underwater and air bases, in which from 5 million to 15 million people will die;
* attacking all nuclear facilities in Russia – the number of casualties can range from 20 million to 25 million;
* in addition to the above goals, striking the main industrial enterprises and facilities where the Russian leadership is located. As a result, up to 45 million people may die.
According to the Finacial Times, 79 people participated in the experiment and 90% of them preferred to retaliate with a nuclear strike. The authors of the simulation said that the problem presented in the game does not have the right solution. Some participants decided to “press the red button” and were sure that they had made the right choice. Some regretted such a step immediately after the decision was made.
The FT journalist said that he did not choose any of the options presented. He explained his decision by the fact that it would still not have been possible to prevent a nuclear strike. Moreover, in the context of the game, it is impossible to understand whether the threat is real and who initiated it. “Having made sure that the U.S. retains its ability to retaliate, I came to the conclusion that there is no need to hurry up with the answer,” he explained.
After the outbreak of the armed conflict in Ukraine, the risk of nuclear escalation has increased to its highest level since the Cold War. Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said today, January 19, that Russia is one of the nuclear powers, so “the loss of a nuclear power in an ordinary war may provoke the beginning of a nuclear war.” Russian President’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that “this is in full compliance with our nuclear doctrine.”
Read more about the risk of using nuclear weapons in the material “Kommersant” “Colder than cold”.
https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/5774641
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Well, that’s creepy. In light of my suggestion in F) above, here’s a great Russian language hip-hop style song from 2020 by Mary Gu
Mary Gu – Дисней (Disney):
https://youtu.be/HvfidSVrDQc
mary gu disney lyrics https://g.co/kgs/TNavZp
Looks like AB will be charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Whitewall,
Both Baldwin and the armorer were charged. There was serious and continuous negligence on that set. I don’t see how the prosecutors could have let it go with a simple “Oh, these things happen” statement.
It is serious negligence. I wonder how a live round could even be available to the armorer for this to happen. Two separate trials maybe? A PA firm working the media will make some tricky jury selection I imagine.
Alec Baldwin joins John Holmes as a famous actor accused of manslaughter:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Holmes_(actor)
(See last entry under “Holmes Mythology.”)
I haven’t seen Colonel Lang in a few days. All is well I trust?
Whitewall,
I talked with Colonel Lang a short while ago. He’s in the hospital for what I can best describe as depot level maintenance. He’s in good spirits and will be back.
I read that if convicted, the Baldwin negligence charge carries with it an associated mandated 5 yr sentenced as a fire arm was used.
https://www.koat.com/article/alec-baldwin-jail-rust-shooting-charges/42571724
The second charge is involuntary manslaughter in the commission of a lawful act. This charge must prove there was more than simple negligence involved in a death. This second charge is also punishable with up to 18 months in jail and up to a $5,000 fine. This particular charge includes a firearm enhancement, which means there’s an added penalty that is mandatory because a firearm was involved. The enhancement includes a mandatory five years in jail.
the whole “I did not pull the trigger argument’ is going to be a sticking point for Baldwin in court. The fact that the district attorney tried to ‘prove’ the gun could have ‘gone off’ without the trigger being pulled makes me wonder if there will be a just (as in fair justice) legal outcome.
https://www.emilypostnews.com/p/plot-twist-alec-baldwin-now-says?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
the photo of Baldwin on the phone with his attorney while Hutchins was receiving medical attention is where I just stop caring what happens to him (Baldwin).
kj
another good link from Emily Post (she has followed this closely)
https://www.emilypostnews.com/p/alec-baldwin-pulled-the-trigger-toldyaso?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
kj