Comments on: Senator Cornyn physically assaulted me today

By: FAIR Blog » Blog Archive » Journalists Have the Right to Be Anonymous--and Not Get Beat Up

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 22:03:59 +0000

[...] as evidenced by video (pointed out by digby) of citizen journalist Mike Stark being attacked by Sen. John Cornyn (R.-Texas) and a staffer for Sen. George Allen (R.-Va.). It seems like something progressives [...]

By: Norman Rogers

Norman Rogers — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 19:59:16 +0000

More proof that you don’t just walk up to someone and start asking them questions. You’re lucky the Capitol police didn’t frog march you into the side of a dumpster.

By: Etheridge and my experience as a free-lance reporter on the Hill at StarkReports.com

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 14:44:35 +0000

[...] somehow believing they have the right to lay hands on people they consider to be disagreeable. Recall my incident with John Cornyn – a former Attorney General! And there have been others that I haven’t reported (including [...]

By: bill wilters

bill wilters — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 05:09:25 +0000

It’s sad that we live in such a sissy, litigious age that every smack and insult is a credible subject of legal action.

That said, if anyone had “touched” a senator of either party, his partisans would be yelping for blood and jail for the unruly private citizen.

I can’t stand when celebrities in showbiz who just push away or swear are charged by paparrazzi, but politicians, with real legal power and too many special protections, should be held to a stricter standard of meek and co operative, towards ALL reporters and citizens alike.

This wasn’t a fair barfight where one guy wimps out and tattles to the coppies. This is a powerful politician who should always have a bit LESS incentive to intimidate, instead of being allowed to get away with this.

By: Sandy Smith

Sandy Smith — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:23:34 +0000

What assault? All I see is a rude person holding a camera in someone’s face and the Senator asking security for assistance. You are a fool – this country has plenty of serious problems and you are trying to stir up some petty advertising. Stop now says your grandmother.

By: Berlioz

Berlioz — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:35:32 +0000

Cornyn can learn a few things about treating a reporter with propriety from Senator Alan Grayson. See how Mr. Grayson handles a similar situation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-L1U7qXWa-c

One can only hope Cornyn one day gets the favor returned.

By: Brian

Brian — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:30:26 +0000

democracy_inaction-

You should go to court, file a civil suit based on Webster’s dictionary definition of assault, and see what happens.
To be fair, if I were not a lawyer, I would have done the same thing you did. But when it comes to legal charges, there are specific statutes that must apply to the conduct.
The difference between an assault statute and a battery statute is that assault generally requires fear of serious harm, or danger. Battery is any unwanted touching – so if you bump into someone on the metro, you have technically committed battery.
As Mike notes in this post, there is no battery statute in DC – only assault. He curiously didn’t put the statute for assault up there, only related statutes.
This is not even taking into account the most important part of the criminal justice system – prosecutorial discretion (why everytime you bump into someone on the metro, you’re not arrested for battery).

-A lawyer

By: ignatov

ignatov — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:57:25 +0000

“Funny how Mike Hunt pretends to be concerned about manners, but thinks that punching someone for aiming a camera at you is somehow ok.”

Irony. A person lecturing us about rudeness has chosen the pen name “Mike Hunt.” Mike Hunt! Get it? say it fast and it sounds nasty! Boy, that would be a real knee-slapper if I was in the fourth grade. I suppose we should be grateful that this annoying scold isn’t chiding us about manners under the name “I. Fukkem Young.”

But enough about that jerk-off. Mike Stark: great work. Awesome! So inspiring to watch your vids. Keep it up!

My favorite part is at the end when you say, “Don’t touch me,” and the cop says, “You can touch him. That’s fine.” Say what? The cop should at least get censured for that.

By: Thursday Morning News Roundup « Mercury Rising 鳯女

Thursday Morning News Roundup « Mercury Rising 鳯女 — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 06:55:14 +0000

[...] Mike Stark is kicking ass and taking [...]

By: Pris

Pris — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:19:49 +0000

Senator Corny showed his disdain for the riff-raff. Pity, I thought our “social betters” were supposed to be more refined and polite. BTW Mike Hunt is not his real name. Say his name three times fast and you will “get” the puerile joke behind it.

Keep on keepin’ on, Mr. Stark.