A New Jersey electrician who repeatedly attacked police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, siege at the U.S. Capitol was sentenced on Friday to 12 years in prison by a judge who called him “a menace to our society.”

Christopher Joseph Quaglin argued with and insulted U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden before and after the judge handed him one of the longest prison sentences among hundreds of Capitol riot cases.

“You’re Trump’s worst mistake of 2016,” Quaglin told McFadden, who was nominated to the court by then-President Donald Trump in 2017.

“What an outrage. What a disgrace,” the judge said.

Quaglin complained about his jail conditions and pushed conspiracy theories about the Jan. 6 siege during his rambling remarks in the courtroom. He also took issue with labeling the Jan. 6 attack as an insurrection.

    • girlfreddy@lemmy.caOP
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      6 months ago

      Honestly I’d be happy if there was punishment for it. Assholes running around screaming about the flag should be called to the table on defacing it.

      • GreyEyedGhost@lemmy.ca
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        6 months ago

        Flag burning is probably the highest you can get in the ratio of dissatisfaction with your nation to violence caused. I say leave it just for that alone. There is the free speech/expression argument, too.

    • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      I’m pretty sure that only counts for remaking a literal flag into one of those things, not clothes, bedding, or drapery designed to look like one.

      Silly distinction, I know, but that’s how it usually goes in that FUBAR “justice” system…

      • MagicShel@programming.dev
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        6 months ago

        People burn the flag, and I think most of us feel we should have the right to burn it even if we personally find it distasteful. (I think I’ve said that exact same thing before to people on the right about folks on the left.) These people are assholes and criminals, but let’s apply the law equally to all. I wouldn’t endorse punishing someone on the left for disrespecting the flag, so I wouldn’t endorse it for someone on the right. We’ve caught them committing actual crimes, and that’s sufficient for me.

        • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          Agreed. I’m pretty sure the other commenter was just pointing out the hypocrisy of disrespecting their religious symbol (since that’s how fervent their jingoism is) like that and I was just explaining how the law specifically endorses duch hypocrisy lol

    • prowess2956@kbin.social
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      6 months ago

      Just like the Second Amendment, there was no possible way for our ancestors to foresee the multitudinous manners of future flag disrespect.

      • TigrisMorte@kbin.social
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        6 months ago

        Flags cost money and they’d never believe anyone would be stupid enough to make a burkini out of them for a 325lb “Christian” man.

      • Fal@yiffit.net
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        6 months ago

        That’s not true. Abraham Lincoln designed the flag specifically to prevent it from being disrespected. The color choices make it physically impossible to defecate on.

          • Agrivar@lemmy.world
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            6 months ago

            Shit, I must have missed a memo! Did we collectively decide to start poisoning Lemmy comments proactively?

            (don’t get me wrong, I support this idea, just looking for clarity)

          • Fal@yiffit.net
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            6 months ago

            It’s actually a reference to a Mr show sketch. But yeah that’s a bonus