[ad_1]
The FBI arrested a New York man accused of planning to blow himself up on polling day in the National Mall, during a suicide bombing. Prosecutors said his project was to draw attention to the "tri-timing", which is a "political theory that advocates the random selection of government officials."
On October 10, Paul Rosenfeld was charged with illegally manufacturing a device for destruction, interstate transportation and the receipt of an explosive, the US District Attorney's Office announced in a statement. Rosenfeld told the FBI that it was not meant to hurt or kill anyone, but federal authorities said the bombing would have put others at risk.
"According to the allegations, Paul M. Rosenfeld has come up with a twisted plan to draw attention to his political ideology by killing himself at the National Mall in Washington, DC – risking causing harm to many others. people, "said US attorney Geoffrey Berman in a statement. "Rosenfeld's so-called plan for a detonation of election day is contrary to our democratic principles. Through remarkable coordination between local and federal law enforcement, the alleged Rosenfeld conspiracy has been thwarted and is currently held by the federal government. "
The FBI said in a criminal complaint that officers had found "a functional explosive device weighing about 200 pounds" in the basement of Rosenfeld's home in Tappan, New York, in Rockland County. In a blog post in 2015, Rosenfeld said, "Those of us who feel that voting (in its current configuration) represents a scam should be shaking off the poles. [sic] at each election. "
Here is what you need to know about Paul Rosenfeld, his alleged bombardment plot and his trio:
1. Rosenfeld told a Pennsylvania journalist that he was planning to blow himself up because he was angry at the country's leadership and told the FBI that he had made smaller devices for perform detonation tests
Paul Rosenfeld began communicating with a Pennsylvania journalist about his plan to blow himself up, which led to the FBI's investigation, reports NBC New York. He told the anonymous reporter that he was "angry at the country's direction," the news channel reported.
Rosenfeld sent letters and text messages to the reporter and in these messages he detailed plans for the suicide bombing, according to the criminal complaint filed in the Southern District of New York. Rosenfeld also informed the journalist of his support for the theory of separation, the FBI said in his complaint.
The FBI served a search warrant on Rosenfeld's home in Tappan, New York, on October 9, according to court documents. He was then interrogated by agents and told them that he had ordered "large amounts of" black powder "on the Internet" and had taken her home to New York. Rosenfeld told the officers that he had manufactured "smaller explosive devices" than he planned to use on polling day and that he "had conducted detonation tests ".
According to the criminal complaint, Rosenfeld also used about 8 kilos of "black powder" to make a larger explosive device in his basement. He told the agents that he had installed "some components" in the device to make sure that he would be killed in the blast. According to the FBI, "black powder" is an explosive substance used as a propellant in guns, artillery and rockets.
The FBI said it found in the basement of Rosenfeld a plywood box containing "black powder". According to the criminal complaint, experts in explosives spent X-rays on the device and discovered that "by activating the fire switch on the explosive, an electric charge would be generated. in turn, trigger an "electronic match" inside the explosive, thus igniting the black powder. "
FBI agents have also found empty cans of black powder.
He told the FBI that he would drive the aircraft to Washington DC to detonate the aircraft on the National Mall and draw attention to his political belief in the matter. Rosenfeld told the FBI that he was acting alone.
You can read the full criminal complaint below:
2. He wrote an essay in 2015 on a blog "kletorian" in which he argued, the sorting is a "common sense", but they must "convince enough people to put our movement on the map".
In 2015, Rosenfeld wrote an essay on the blog "Equality by Lot", a site run by "Kletorians", the name advocated by supporters of the tri-sorting and "deliberate use of chance (lottery) in human affairs ". titled "Extinction of Politics", Rosenfeld argued that they needed to work harder to raise awareness of their political theory.
"We are not a minority and we are not a marginal group (not even a whimsical fringe); from a policy point of view, we simply do not exist (at least not in the United States), "he wrote. "Our sense of things is anything but common, it is extremely rare. If we ever hope to see this thought become action, it will have to change. In one way or another, we have to convince enough people to put our movement on the map. For this we will need a very effective argument because the people we wish to convince live under the trap of a myth. "
He added:
The average citizen of our planet firmly believes in something he calls the "democratic process". Voting is its central principle. No matter how often they miss it, they rarely deviate in their devotion. And as true believers, even fundamentalists, every additional obstacle is taken as a sign; the path is right but rocky, we must purify our faith and walk forever. When we finally are worthy, the democratic process will finally deliver us. The path of true reverence has been long. Following the rise of the third estate, property qualifications fell; then the secret ballot; voting by freed slaves; direct election of senators; the initiative to vote and finally the women were included. None of this has brought deliverance and today's mantra is "business money". If only we could somehow remain the doors of corporate influence that pervert the process of "true" democracy, we will finally enter the promised land.
The origin of this myth is difficult to locate. I think Christian infused the Enlightenment political philosophy that played a role. The centuries of demagoguery that followed probably also reinforced this thought. But I also believe that it goes further than that, or any intellectual story. I think that faith in "a man, a voice" touches us directly. I believe, literally, that it is in our blood. We humans are defined by a set of political behaviors that are passed down from generation to generation. The relative importance of genetics in relation to culture in this transmission is probably questionable, but in both cases the behavior is acquired (at least in the short term). We are stuck with that. We may not care today, but this behavior has served our ancestors well for thousands of generations. It will not change overnight.
He also wrote:
The rule of the majority is the deliberate suppression of violence in favor of political maneuvering. This social truce is valid only as long as the various parties have a credible threat of violence in the event of a break in the policy. When a faction (such as the peasantry) is disarmed, disorganized or without military training, it inevitably loses political rights and returns to slavery. "
The logical end of the rule of the majority is the monarchy. The constant political maneuvering of individuals and factions must inevitably lead to an end winner. Even today, despite all our "democratic" pretensions to the United States, one could easily imagine a scenario in which President Jeb Bush (following an act of nuclear terrorism) suspends the electoral process, under the pretext that "Terrorists" infiltrated the Democratic Party. . A perpetual dynasty of Bush leaders would be a plausible result. Most people think that democracy and monarchy are different animals, but they are actually cousins.
In the comments of the blog, Rosenfeld said: "I have always assumed that legislators chosen by random draw would be treated as other" officials "and subjected to appropriate scrutiny. Cops and firefighters pass a test, no one calls them "elitist". Legislators must surely demonstrate minimal knowledge of history and economics, if nothing else. Personally, I would not want to set the bar too high because I believe it is impossible to measure much knowledge and wisdom; but a room full of ignorant and illiterate !!
You can read his full article here.
According to the Sortition Foundation, a group led by British political scientist Brett Hennig, "Sorting out is to use random selection to populate assemblies or to occupy political positions. An assembly that uses the sorting would be composed of people like you and me: it would be a representative sample of people making decisions in an informed, fair and deliberative manner. "
The foundation states: "The tripling has a long history, going back at least to ancient Athens, where selection by lot (among all free and male citizens) was the primary means of providing the courts and councils. For hundreds of years, it has been considered a fundamental aspect of democracy. it is only long after the French and American revolutions, when universal suffrage has become widespread, that the term "democracy" has been renamed "electoral democracy". Hennig and his foundation say their goal is "to recover democracy and demand true democracy now. "
Writer Michael Schulson wrote in 2014 about how the tri-run could work in America:
Here's how sorting works: for a given election, you take the names of all eligible citizens and put them in a very, very big hat. (Note: you do not have to use a hat and there are many variations of this method). Then you pull a number of pool names. They are your legislators. It's democracy in the lottery.
For the House of Representatives, for example, we could extract 435 names from a giant lottery of all US citizens aged 25 and over, and that's it: legislators!
You may think that it is an incredibly stupid idea, but keep two things in mind. First, the sorting was the main system of choice of political leaders in old Athens. As you will remember in civic education class, Athens was the model, the muse and the fundamental basis of the American Republic. Secondly, we are already using the trio to select an important deliberative body, the trial jury. The jury summons that you receive by mail? Blame the Athenians. …
Sorting relies on two rather unique properties of random sampling. The first of these, about which I have written a lot elsewhere, is that chance is essentially incorruptible, at least until someone installs your lottery machine. No matter what money the Koch or Tom Steyer brothers spend, they can not convince a lottery to choose one person over another. What is more impartial than chance?
Second, as your random sample expands, you tend to get closer to a sample reflecting, in almost every respect, the qualities of the entire population. More than any other system, random sampling gives you "an accurate picture of the general population". This is the law of large numbers. (That does not work, of course, for small samples, and you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who wants to elect a president by random draw).
In 2015, Rosenfeld posted a comment on the kletorian blog, claiming that Ted Talk's videos and other YouTube sorting presentations are an important way to spread their message. He wrote: "It's not perfect, but it's accessible to the masses. There must be many more. Most people, even "educated", have an extremely short attention span and have no interest in political theory. Media like this one could be our best hope, "he wrote.
Rosenfeld also published a long article on the rankings and her political opinions in 2015. You can read Rosenfeld's full essay on the rankings below:
3. Rosenfeld could have "claimed the lives of innocent victims and caused untold destruction," according to the FBI
The FBI said Paul Rosenfeld's suicide bombing plot could have put people at risk in the National Mall on polling day.
"As claimed in the complaint, Paul M. Rosenfeld intended to blow up a large explosive in order to kill himself and draw attention to his radical political beliefs. If he had succeeded, Rosenfeld's alleged conspiracy could have made innocent victims and caused untold destruction, "said FBI deputy director William F. Sweeney Jr. in a statement. "Fortunately, his plans were thwarted by the quick action of a concerned citizen and by the diligent work of a multitude of our law enforcement partners and the group of joint work of the FBI on terrorism. "
Sweeney added, "I would especially like to thank our partners from the Orangetown Police Department, the Rockland County Sheriff's Office, the Rockland County District Attorney, the New York State Police. York, New York City Police Department and Stony Point. Police for their respective roles in the conclusion of this investigation. "
According to the press release, "Mr. Mr. Berman paid tribute to the outstanding investigative work of the FBI's Terrorism Task Force in New York, consisting mainly of FBI agents and detectives from the New York City Police Department. Mr. Berman also thanked the Rockland County Sheriff's Office, the Stony Point Police Department, the Rockland District Attorney's Office, the New York State Police and the Orangetown Police Department for their precious help.
4. He worked as a painter and in the visual arts department at Lord & Taylor
According to a Linkedin profile now removed, Paul Rosenfeld is a painter and has worked at Lord & Taylor's visual arts department in the department's painting and decorating division.
Little is known about Rosenfeld, who has been living in Rockland County for many years. He lived in Tappan, New York, with Piermont, New York; Berkley Heights, New Jersey; and Manhattan, the public records show.
In a discussion on the "Equality by Lot" blog, Rosenfeld wrote: "Call me an elitist if you will, but my hands are dirty, I live paycheck paycheck and I've never been to the # 39; university. My proletarian references are intact. But I do not believe that there is a snowball chance that a large group of humans (whatever their choice) is able to handle themselves in a manner compatible with social justice or even rational self-preservation UNLESS precise conditions are defined in advance for the management of this body. Otherwise, nature will follow its course; I do not care if the group is made up of janitors, university professors or even a 'statistically accurate' sample of the population. I'm sure it'll end badly.
He added, "One day maybe, if our culture evolves, things could be different. But today, that's what we're stuck with. I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. There are certainly many more people in your camp than in mine. Therefore, probably, you must be right. "
5. Rosenfeld risks up to 20 years in prison if he is convicted of the charges
Paul Rosenfeld risked up to 20 years in federal prison when he was found guilty of the charges against him. In accordance with federal law, the illegal manufacture of a destructive craft, interstate transportation and the receipt of an explosive are punishable by imprisonment up to the date of imprisonment. 10 years.
It is not known if Rosenfeld hired a lawyer. According to prosecutors, he is still in federal custody after his arrest on 10 October. He appeared in federal court for the first time on Wednesday before US judge Paul E. Davison in White Plains, prosecutors said.
The US District Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York said, "This lawsuit is being handled by the Bureau of Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit. United States Assistant Attorney Michael K. Krouse is responsible for prosecutions. "
It is unclear when Rosenfeld is scheduled to appear in court.
READ NEXT: These are the victims of the limousine crash in New York
Source link
