Are You Now Or Have You Ever ...

Been a QAnon Fellow Traveler?

If so, you might not be eligible for bail.

That’s the conclusion one would have to draw from the account Jonathan Turley gives of the disturbing Doug Jensen case:

'MyPillow Guy' becomes a nightmare for a Jan. 6 rioter — and for justice

Jensen was one of the January 6 Event participants who was arrested. He was held for six months in jail before being granted bail by Trump judge--I’m allowed to say that, right?--Timothy Kelly. What was Jensen up to on January 6 to get that treatment?

Jensen was one of the best-known figures, pictured standing before police with his arms spread wide wearing a QAnon T-shirt emblazoned with an eagle.

He was charged with seven counts, largely for trespassing, parading or unlawfully entering the building; just one count alleges "assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating, or interfering" with officers. Jensen did not appear to be armed and was shown moving through the halls, verbally confronting officers.

It wasn’t until July 13 that Jensen was able to persuade Judge Tim that he had really and truly renounced his QAnon views. Nevertheless, Jensen was also required by Judge Tim to give up internet and cell phone access. Really.

This isn’t some novelty dreamed up by Judge Tim. Here’s what’s going on and here’s the rationale:

According to the Washington Post, Judge Kelly initially was not inclined to release Jensen because "he wanted to be part of a revolution.” Kelly said it was "a close question" but decided to release Jensen because the accused man renounced his prior political views and said he was deceived by “a pack of lies.”

That scene is being repeated across these cases, as defendants are told to renounce their prior political association or, like Jensen, pledge to seek "therapy."

I pledge to attend a reeducation camp, conducted by Social Justice therapists?

The concern, however, is that courts increasingly demand political reform as a prerequisite for bail or more favorable sentencing. The "close call" for Judge Kelly was resolved by Jensen denouncing those, such as former President Trump, who accused Democrats of stealing the 2020 presidential election.

Strangely--or perhaps not--court demanded political recantations are quite one sided. I believe Antifa, for example, is quite open about seeking revolution. It’s also quite violent--far more so than Jensen ever was. But if any Antifa sympathizer has ever been required to recant his/her/its/their views as a condition for bail, I have yet to hear of it.

Most of us view QAnon as a bizarre group of conspiracy theorists, one of the most active on the internet on either the left or the right. However, it is a bit unnerving to hear judges asking defendants if they are or have ever been a QAnon member. Kelly made clear that, if Jensen did not renounce the views of figures like Lindell and Trump, he would be left to wallow in jail.

We have seen this before. In the 1950s, liberal writers, unionists and others were pulled before Congress to state whether they were or ever had been communists.

All that is bad enough. The reason this is coming up now, however, is that two weeks after being released on bail under those onerous conditions …

a court officer reportedly found Kelly [sic--he means Jensen] in his garage secretly listening to Lindell.

OMG! In other words, Jensen was under surveillance for the express purpose of catching him on the internet, or using a cell phone. For that he was rearrested. This is America, 2021. Thought crime is a real thing.

Judge Tim has been a member of the Federalist Society since 2009.