situation.

These clowns want a civil war. She denied their wish.

She too stood her ground .

Stupid, I know.

brandishing
verb
wave or flourish (something, especially a weapon) as a threat or in anger or excitement.

threatening
adjective
having a hostile or deliberately frightening quality or manner.
Similar:
menacing
intimidating
bullying
frightening
terrifying

LAW
(of a person or situation) causing someone to feel vulnerable or at risk.

Aiming a weapon at someone would fulfill that requirement but I don't think that happened in Lansing.

...where everybody was armed with semi-automatic weapons?
Me neither.
If I'd been there... I certainly would have recognized their actions as designed to instill fear. How do we know that one or more of them isn't unbalanced?.. just waiting to mass-shoot the crowd? We don't.
This WILL escalate. The law abiding parts of the population had better figure a way to safeguard at least our public buildings from these armed thugs.

You have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that it was the intent of the person legally carrying a gun in the state capitol building to instill fear.

You could file a police complaint but i don't think that'd get far.

Calling in the National Guard would have given the assholes an excuse to claim they were being oppressed and would have made them martyrs to their stupid cause. It is actually legal in MI to open-carry firearms in the state capitol building, as insane as that seems, so even though they were being intentionally intimidating assholes they were not violating the law. The governor wasn't intimidated and she effectively told them to fuck off by extending the stay at home order.

Absolutely agree.

This is a smart leader.

Lived in the Great Lakes State most of my long life.

MSP Troopers are the best and they stand with the Constitution.

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/04/30/protesters-gathering-outside-capitol-amid-covid-19-restrictions/3054911001/

I don't relish the idea of making martyrs out of militia assclowns.

This is why many of us are opposed to the Second Amendment. It has been usurped by these people who have guns only to be able to overthrow the duly elected majority government, if this minority disagrees with that government's policies. This is anti-American, violates the principles of our constitution and should be repugnant to all who love our country. I am appalled and fear for our democracy.

Keep posting!

Because they weren't breaking the law and the National Guard would have shown up long after the protesters were gone. The National Guard isn't a QRF. Barring a nearby unit in the middle of their training call up, it takes hours to muster after the guard is activated. As much as 24-48hrs, depending on the units called, location needed, and equipment needed.

And they DO, actually..

"Each U.S. state and territory is home to one or more Quick Reaction Forces, or QRFs, which are National Guard units trained to respond to state requests for emergency assistance on short notice. ... It is exactly what they need to provide the confidence to respond in times of domestic or other emergency situations."

https://www.nationalguard.mil/Portals/31/Resources/Fact%20Sheets/National%20Guard%20Reaction%20Force%20Fact%20Sheet%20(Dec.%202017).pdf

But after reading that, my main point still stands. They aim for response within 8hrs and appear to armed with LTL's. Most everyone would be gone by the time they arrive and they wouldn't be armed to deal with things if it went sideways. I'd be very surprised if Guard units were kept on standby with weapons and ammo like the QRF's were in Iraq. But admittedly I've been out since 2012 and never joined the NG, so things may be way different now.

It's the 'Murikan way.

I still say President Obama should have called in some Hellfire Missiles for those dipshits that siezed a National Park in the Pacific Northwest.

Turn some of these fucksticks into pink vapor and you'd see a hell of a lot less of them.

Before Donnie Shit for Brains, I don't think I would have ever said that, but the Branch Dividians aren't abusing underage children and shooting at FBI agents anymore.

show them on tv, social media, have their co-workers, neighbors, know who they are.

For some.. no problem. For others... BIG problem.

they can have no reasonable expectation of privacy. Their identities should be made known to everyone.

Is it illegal to openly carry a firearm or protests there? Just asking.... It is not yet illegal to be an ignorant asshole so they couldn't be charged with that.

It might make for some interesting watching if she did call in the Guard. The officers may refuse to order the protesters to be disarmed or the soldiers may refuse orders to disarm the people. Now that would be damn messy. Keep in mind, the military is not known for its liberal values.

The wise move was to defuse the situation. The one thing the governor does not need to do is make martyrs out of the idiots

"Michigan: Open carry of a firearm is allowed, no permit required. Concealed carry allowed with concealed license permit. This Capitol does NOT have metal detectors."

https://crimeresearch.org/2020/01/18-state-capitols-officially-allow-and-at-least-21-allow-in-practice-some-form-of-legal-firearm-carry/

I think she made the best possible decision. Everybody went home uninjured and she created no right wing heroes.

Where some of us might enjoy watching them hauled off in cuffs and sporting black eyes, we have to respect the laws of the state, even if we don't like them. That is what America is all about.

..on a weekend day, with all the neighbors and their family watching them get frog-marched away? They gotta get lawyers, bail, explain to their bosses, etc

Charges...? Intimidation, brandishing a firearm, refusal to disperse, mopery, talking back, ugly in public, etc. May - or may not - stick in court, but what else are we supposed to do? The wildlife refuge seige encouraged those assholes.

Just pretend they were black, or Native American, and I'll bet you see what I'm getting at. The authorities always find a way to charge "uppity" minorities.

I've been in lots of protests, never seen a gun. Certainly have seen peaceful, non-resisting people get gassed, pepper-sprayed, clubbed, and zip-cuffed. Some released... some had to get bailed out.

Odds are you won't.

because you disagree with their message or their methods? You want to do this even though they may not be actually breaking any laws?

You have to be damn careful what you wish for, not out of sympathy for the protesters, but out of looking out for your own best interests. Just because the cops have treated liberals badly in the past doesn't mean we should suggest that they mistreat others today. That kind of attitude is extremely shortsighted and it blurs the distinction of "us and them."

I am not without sympathy for your post. I also find the protesters to be a disgusting mob of low-brows. I think that their displays of firearms is dangerous on many levels. I find their display of Confederate, and Nazi symbols and slogans to be beyond reprehensible. I despise "their" President and what he stands for. I also would like to see them cross the legal line and get the baton and the cuffs, a little blood in the hair and slobber on their lips. That is my reptilian brain talking; I do my best to keep it in check.

He's viscerally responding on a message board to an uncomfortable an potentially dangerous situation. It will make zero consequences. He could call for their tar and feathering and guess what? It wouldn't happen.

You're unable to see something that obvious?

Damn... seventy-seven gallons of bliss in your life, I'd imagine.

I went back and read the post I was commenting on. Whether the post I replied to visceral or cerebral, I would't change a sentence of my response, regardless of the volume, or the lack of volume, of bliss in my life. I am, however, touched that you should be concerned about my happiness.

Sometimes I think that some of the readers here are somewhat challenged. Maybe they are too accustomed to short tweets. But, let me say, in words you will probably understand that If you were offended by my post, It really breaks my heart and disturbs what tiny bit of bliss I had left, I hope you are happy......

Savvy?

If taking firearms into a state house isn't a contravention of the peace, I don't know what is.
You act like I'm talking about just sweeping up innocent people and throwing bogus charges at them. Disrupting a lawful assembly or meeting is a crime.

anniversary of Kent State).

Given them orders to police the capitol building and grounds. Also given them orders to escort all senators and representatives throughout the grounds and building.

If anyone of the MAGAts stepped out of line, I would have given orders to suppress the threat with the force necessary to accomplish it.