George Allen (R-VA) Arrest Records May Pertain to His 1970s Hate Crimes

[nashuaadvocate]

How many opportunities will you personally have to change the course of American history? Control of the Senate? A single election? Not many. But if you're from Virginia, and you've got a car and a few free hours, you've got a chance. Literally, to single-handedly award control of the Senate to the Democrats.

At this point, it's still speculation to say this, as the media has not done the necessary legwork to unearth the documents in question, but no one, thus far, has connected the dots sufficiently to realize the obvious: that Allen is likely lying about the reasons for his arrest warrants, and that those warrants may well be for criminal acts which constituted (at the time, and now) hate crimes.

I've discussed this issue briefly here.

Consider:

* Multiple witnesses confirm that Allen stuffed a severed deer head into the mailbox of a black family during the 1970s.

* This behavior is criminal. Moreover, under existing statutes it would likely be classified as a hate crime.

* Allen's multiple arrest warrants from the 1970s come from the same period of time during which this "deer head" incident would have occurred.

* Allen has provided an explanation for these warrants which does not, from a legal standpoint, make sense (see blog post at link above). Simply put, non-criminal, violation-level warrants would not give rise to the docketing of a criminal matter. Warrants simply require the signature of a judge, not the swearing out of a complaint; however, cases are only docketed if there's a complaint. So if, as Velvet Revolution claims, there is a 1970s case docketed as Commonwealth v. Allen, this case could not be explained simply by stating, as Allen has, that he had warrants issued for violation-level (i.e. non-criminal) offenses. Moreover, as court dockets are public records, I have no idea why an enterprising DU member from Virginia has yet to go to the courthouse and ask that the clerk retrieve these records from storage for public inspection. It should not require media involvement to make this happen.

* Allen has refused to provide the necessary documents (cf. his 1974 application to the Virginia Bar Association) to establish, beyond a doubt, the bases for these warrants, though he a) has these documents in his possession, and b) was himself the author of the explanation in question, and therefore should (if he's telling the truth) have no reason to doubt that his present explanation will not match the explanation he gave when he applied for the Virginia Bar Association in 1974.

* The obvious conclusion is that Allen is not being forthcoming, and that the reason he is not being forthcoming is that the warrants were not for what he says they were for (as, if they were for what he claims, he would suffer no additional damage by releasing the records and thereby confirming his story, which is already in the press).

* The only other criminal behavior we know Allen to have committed in the 1970s is the hate crime mulitiple witnesses have confirmed he committed during that period (the "deer head" incident). Therefore, unless Allen was engaged in other criminal behavior during that period, besides the hate crime, besides the issues he's already mentioned in press releases--a fact which, in itself, would potentially turn this upcoming election against him--we are left to conclude that the warrants at issue are for criminal acts, specifically hate crimes, and that Allen is therefore not only hiding the fact of these hate crimes but is also presently lying to the voters about his criminal record (remember, Allen has denied that the "deer head" incident ever occurred, in addition to now claiming that his 70s warrants didn't pertain to this issue; but ask yourself this: does anyone believe that the black family victimized by now-Senator George Allen in the 1970s didn't call the local police and ask them to immediately initiate an investigation? Why hasn't the media uncovered the police reports which undoubtedly were issued as a result of that investigation? Indeed, these police reports, if they still exist, may well be accessible to members of the public, such as an enterprising DU member from Virginia, without requiring the involvement of the media). In either event, he would lose the upcoming election if this were revealed.

[Cooley Hurd]

1. If I lived in VA, I'd be happy to help...

I was under the impression that someone from TPM Muckraker was going to go to the courthouse in question and do exactly what you've suggested.:shrug:

Nonetheless, great post - K&R

[C_U_L8R]

2. DWI

Driving While In-Costume

Wonder whether it was his little white hood outfit
or that cute confederate slave owner uniform.

Macaca !!!!!!!!!

[Gabi Hayes]

3. go!

kr

[Caution]

4. Honestly, do you really think Webb's campaign hasn't looked already?

Not to mention everyone who has run against Allen before? Not to mention the DNC, the DSCC etc. You simply cannot get away from your record in politics today. For a grand total of $50 you can get this information online never mind going down to the political office. So if you really want to know just use any one of hundreds of background check websites.

[AlCzervik]

6. i agree, same thing with the republicans accusing democrats of having

the Foley info, if we had that and didn't use it in 04----palease.

[seabeyond]

13. kinda like allen would have never gotten the deer head past prior

to this election????

[TankLV]

16. Actually, yes, yes I do believe they didn't think of it...

I can think of all sorts of things that our so-called democratic leadership should do that their brains would NEVER come up with.

This site is a good example of countless things our so-called leadership never DREAM to do!!!

They.
Are.
That.
Dumb.

Can never go wrong UNDERESTIMATING the competence of the Democratic Party...

[LibDemAlways]

33. Back in 2000 when Allen was running against

Chuck Robb, I contacted Robb's campaign and told them all about the time Allen spraypainted racist graffiti on the walls of our high school. I then personally invited Robb's campaign manager to send a representative to California to attend our high school reunion and talk with classmates about their memories of Allen. His racism was well known and frequently discussed. After the graffiti turned up, he was caught and had to publically apologize. Any publicity given that incident just might have caused others to come forward and we would have heard about the deer's head and other instances of Allen's racism six years ago.

Robb's campaign heard me out, politely declined, and that was the end of it. You know the old saying about leading a horse to water....making him take the drink can be damn near impossible.

[TankLV]

17. Self Deleated - duplicate post.

[me b zola]

20. Sometimes records are sealed or expunged

And sometimes powerful people have a clerk remove info from a database. Normal background checks will not show up all arrests, especially if you are a powerful person. Does a normal background check show bush*s arrest for cocaine?



edited because I finally recalled the word expunged :woohoo:

[Marr]

36. Bull. Shit. If you're on the "right" side, your record doesn't matter.

We have a former cocaine user in the White House, after all. His single stint of "volunteer" work and other evidence suggests he was caught with drugs or at the very least, DUI. He also skipped out on his TANG duty. These things were simply scrubbed from the record, and when evidence does remain, the media very politely ignores it.

[in_cog_ni_to]

5. SOMEONE needs to get this information!

It's HUGE...whatever it is. Getting his sealed divorce records would be nice too.

[GreenArrow]

7. one wouldn't necessarily have

to get the actual report. It would probably be enough to publicly speculate - loudly and imaginatively - as to what's in it.

"Some people say he was arrested for ..."

Who knows; so long as he refuses to open the records, it's open season on speculation.

[in_cog_ni_to]

9. YES! Just like our MSM does whether they know it to be true or not.

We should start a whisper campaign. Pssst! Have you heard? Some people have said George Allen spit on and beat his ex-wife and was arrested for it.

[rateyes]

8. Right above this OP are links to sites for

criminal background and arrest record checks. Wonder if Allen somehow got those records sealed.

[in_cog_ni_to]

10. They ARE sealed and he won't release them. n/t

[chat_noir]

11. Unless Allen was a minor, how can the records be sealed?

Born: March 8, 1952, therefore, he would not have been a minor in the 70's.

[me b zola]

21. Expunged. You can have an arrest expunged from your record.

I don't know all of the ins & outs, but I know that you can go before a judge to have an arrest expunged from your record so that a criminal background check will not show it.

[Orangepeel]

12. what can you be arrested for and still be admitted to the bar?

I haven't been following this story closely, but I did read that the DSCC called for him to release -- his bar application? -- because it would detail his arrest record. Is that right?

What could and couldn't his application say that would have allowed admittance?

[1932]

19. Most Bars don't absolutely prohibit membership based on criminal

convictions.

You can always make a case that you're reformed, and, in most cases, the Bar has discretion to admit you.

[Blackhatjack]

32. The standard is usually crimes of moral turpitude/lacking good moral character

You can be convicted of a crime and be admitted to practice law. It depends on the crime. If you accidently kill someone and are convicted of manslaughter, you could be licensed since that type of crime does not usually involve moral turpitude. However, if you lied under oath, engaged in a plan or scheme to defraud another, or knowingly and intentionally engaged in an activities that present a risk of injury to others(ie. multiple DWIs, sales of illegal drugs, or sex with minors, assault with a deadly weapon, etc.) that likely would be enough to keep you from being licensed.

However, the structure of the Bar Association making the decisions and the exact standard may vary from state to state.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

14. We need to hone in on the who, when, where, and what. A clue may

be found at http://www.wonkette.com/politics/george-allen/george-allen-in-using-nonhilarious-slur-shocker-202948.php :

'Gunner- says:
Here's the money line from the article:
"Chisholm also confirmed that the Lanahan family owned hunting land near Bumpass, Va., about 50 miles east of the University of Virginia campus."
Bump Ass Virginia!
09/25/06 02:59 PM'

Even if Allen followed Dubya's lead and purged court records when he was Governor of Virginia, a police blotter column in some local or University newspaper archive or some library, or some person with a long memory, may have a line on this incident.

EXACTLY who was with Allen on his hunting trip?

EXACTLY when--year, month, day--did Allen mail his "Deer John letter"?

EXACTLY where did the hate crime take place?

EXACTLY what were the gruesome details of the shock and destruction of mail and property?

EXACTLY who were the victims? Where are they or people who knew them now?

[Virginian]

26. Two points and a question

Bumpass is just west of Rt 95 and north of Ashland. It wouldn't be in Albermarle County. The arrest record is in Albermarle County, the Charlottesville, University of VA, area.

Other posts have stated that the detail paperwork has been destroyed as is the normal procedure for that courthouse regarding old, closed records. He wasn't political back then, he was the spirited, mischievous son of the highly regarded NFL coach of the local team.

Since the Post Office Department is Federal, wouldn't it be a federal offense to put the bloody deer head in a mailbox? I guess it would have to be reported to the right people, but it seems like that would be interfering with the US Postal Service.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

30. The "Deer John Letter" was supposed to have been "mailed" on the

way BACK to Charlottesville from the hunting trip. So far, I've seen no contradiction in Gunner's speculation. The U of Va is in zip 22904, 52 miles west of Bumpass (zip 23024, in Louisa county). Get directions and maps connecting those two dots at http://www.mapquest.com .

The scene of the crime well could be somewhere along the way between 23024 and 22904. Albemarle appears to be west of Louisa and east of the University.

Some of the questions I have include,

Where were the predominantly minority neighborhoods along those routes in the early 1970s?

What local newspapers published police blotters in that area at that time?

Who would have ratted Allen out for the "Deer John Letter"?

Bumpass well could have been the scene of Allen's deer hunt, according to zip code demographics. 23024 is 100 percent rural even today!

From http://www.cityfactsusa.com/zipcode/23024.html :

"BUMPASS
State : Virginia
Zip code class :STANDARD
Zip Code 23024 Demographics
Population Characteristics of Zip Code 23024 :
Total Population 6216
Total Population - Urban 0
Total Population - Rural 6216
Population by Race:
Population - white 5383
Population - Black 746"

[nashuaadvocate]

15. It is possible...

...to have an arrest record expunged/annulled. It's possible this happened. Though the police who investigated at the time are probably still alive and could be reached.

Moreover, just because Dems haven't pursued this doesn't mean it isn't fruitful. One, they might wrongly think it will make them look bad for pursuing it, and two, how many OTHER mistakes have they made which we can't imagine anyone making?

S.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

18. Especially if you are the governor, as Allen was 1994-1998.

[formercia]

22. Just what the Bush Gang loves.

someone who can be blackmailed.

[JudyM]

23. Maybe trysending your post to the Webb folks - they've got $$$ now. nt

[BlooInBloo]

24. As soon as you convince me that terrorizing black folks...

... was illegal at all in the 70s in VA, I'll give your evidence-free conjecture a moment's worth of thought.

[Clark2008]

28. Well, it was illegal in the rest of the South in the 1970s - just

as it was in the rest of the country: defacing mailboxes and using them for purposes other than mail delivery was a federal offense then as it is now.

Just because it was in the South doesn't make any difference: a federal offense is a federal offense is a federal offense.

I'm so tired of everyone thinking that ONLY the South is racist. My God, there are racists everywhere and, probably, in greater numbers outside of the South, considering we have the largest population of black people in per capita in the country. Racism here is open and confronted much more rapidly than places were they tuck it under and, shhhhhh, don't mention it.

:eyes:

[AspenRose]

25. Normally I don't engage in schadenfreude, but

*muahahahahahhaha* }(

Nail that racist bastard to the wall.....I want his senatorial/presidential ambitions to become TOAST.

[Toots]

27. Allen's records like Bush*s have conveniently just dissappeared

:shrug: who could have anticipated this?

[ProgressiveEconomist]

37. I wonder who were Allen's Harriet Miers and Dan Bartlett,

the people who apparently did such a great job scrubbing all documentary traces of several of the Shrub's worst screw-ups.

No wonder Dubya made Dan Bartlett WH Communications Director, and thought Harriet Miers was the best lawyer in the US for the USSC!

From http://archive.democrats.com/display.cfm?id=171 :

"Bush Aides Possibly Altered National Guard Records To Conceal Grounding and Missed Duty; by Bob Fertik -- November 4, 2000

"Aides to Texas Governor George W. Bush visited the Air National Guard archives at Camp Mabry in 1997 and possibly altered Bush's military service records to conceal Bush's grounding from flight in 1972 and subsequent missed duty, according to a former senior official of the Texas National Guard. Bill Burkett, a Lt. Colonel who was the State Plans Officer of the Texas National Guard at the time, said Bush operative Dan Bartlett headed a high-level operation to "scrub" Bush's Air National Guard record, to make sure it was in synch with the biography that the campaign was preparing. The book, "A Charge to Keep," was authored by Bush and his principal spokeswoman, Karen Hughes.... At the time, Bartlett was Governor Bush's liaison to the Texas National Guard. Bartlett is now the campaign spokesman who has provided misleading information to the press on several occasions about Bush's military service.

... there is corroborating evidence that Bush campaign operatives have devoted considerable effort to "scrubbing" public records to conceal other evidence of Bush's wrongdoing. For example, Bush got a new driver's license after he was elected Governor, which appears to be completely unprecedented. This new license may also be concealing a prior DUI or drug arrest in 1972 or 1973, when Bush went to work with an inner-city community service group in Houston called Project PULL. There has been considerable speculation that Bush performed this work as a form of alternative sentencing for a DUI or drug arrest, but reporters have been stymied by the fact that Bush's 1995 driver's license contains no prior information.

Moreover, Newsweek reported on July 9, 2000 that the Bush campaign "launched a secretive research operation designed to scour all records relating to his Vietnam-era service" during preparation for Bush's 1998 re-election campaign. They paid "hard-nosed Dallas lawyer named Harriet Miers" $19,000 to review the records. According to Newsweek, one result of her work was to deflect charges that former Texas House Speaker Ben Barnes helped Bush get into the Texas Air National Guard despite low qualifications and a long waiting list. Barnes was later forced to testify under oath that he helped Bush. The same Newsweek article also discusses the absence of evidence that Bush fulfilled his orders to report for duty in Alabama in the fall of 1972. According to the article, "Dan Bartlett conceded that the records 'were either lost or misplaced... we are not sure.'" If Burkett's charges are true, Bartlett may have had a hand in losing or misplacing these records...."

[MyDogSpot]

29. I have no fucking doubts about that.

Allen is as racist as they come--on the level of Trent Lott and Bob Barr.

[LibDemAlways]

34. Probably worse. I don't believe Lott or Barr have any children

named for the founder of the KKK.

[MyDogSpot]

42. Quarterbacks v. cheerleaders

Quarterbacks have a reputation of living on the edge. They're the figher pilots of the football field and feel they're immune.

No doubt, Allen's legal problems revolve around the racist oriented risks he took in life.

[wicket]

31. K & R

:kick:

[musiclawyer]

35. Someone please send this to Keith Olberman

I have not see this on the MSM and it should be there.

[Moloch]

38. I'm willing to do whatever it takes...

I'm in Virginia and have a car and as many free hours as I can give to get Jim Webb elected as our senator.

Where did the deer head incident occur?

That would help a lot.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

39. See above posts 14, 26, and 30.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

41. Allen definitely was arrested in Albemarle County, according to

photos of court document logs at the courthouse, and case numbers in blogs at dailykos If Allen was arrested for sending a "Deer John Letter", then it may have been in Albemarle County somewhere en route from Bumpass 23024 to Charlottesville 22904. See .http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/10/13/10202/206 , http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/10/10/102323/66 , andhttp://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/10/10/16584/516 .

[wiggs]

40. What's his explanation for having a noose and conf flag in his office? nt

[LibDemAlways]

43. George Allen explanations/excuses:

1. Noose - Part of a collection of old west memorabilia

2. Confederate flag on wall of home - Part of flag collection

3. Confederate flag lapel pin in (Southern California) high school senior portrait - Youthful rebellion

4. Confederate flag stickers on car when he was in high school - Doesn't remember them, BUT "they may have been there."

5. Racist graffiti on walls of high school - Owes up to the graffiti. Denies it was racist. (It was.)

6. Accusations of frequent use of the "n" word - Basically doesn't "remember" ever using it.

7. Deer's head in mailbox - complete denial

8. Why his son Forrest shares a name with the founder of the KKK - to my knowledge has never been asked

George Allen is one hell of a piece of work.

[Marie26]

45. How has he managed

to be elected to the Senate before w/o all this stuff coming out?

[LibDemAlways]

46. When I heard George Allen was running for the Senate

in 2000, I contacted his opponent Chuck Robb's campaign manager and told him everything I remembered about Allen from high school. I said he was a well-known racist back then who had once vandalized the school with racially charged graffiti. I told him Allen had been caught and had to publically apologize. I invited him to attend our class reunion that year to speak with classmates, and I said that once word of Allen's past racism got out, I was sure others would come forward.

The Robb campaign politely declined and never brought up the issue of Allen's character, probably because Robb had character issues of his own. However, if anyone deserved to have his past laid bare it was George Allen.

I think people finally began to speak out this year because Allen was being touted as a possible GOP frontrunner for Pres. in 2008, and the mere thought was sickening to anyone who knew the "real" George Allen. Once he opened his mouth with "macaca," he finally became fair game. Before that the press mostly treated him with kid gloves.

[wiggs]

47. It amazes me that this guy -- a slippery, beaurocratic, rubberstamping racist -- is

tied with an articulate, centrist, honest war hero that offers opposition and checks/balances to the worst administration ever? How can this be? I understand that the incumbent usually has a significant advantage...but that's not helping Santorum and it shouldn't be as much of a factor when the voting public is as engaged as we seem to be now. I would think that incumbent advantage is more effective when the electorate is passive and uninterested...different this time.

I think part of it might be that Webb is too classy to personally point out how bad Allen actually is. Others are hopefully doing it for him.

[LibDemAlways]

49. I think a big part of the problem is that there

is a significant segment of the voting population in Virginia who will vote for George Allen because of his racism. They don't perceive it as a negative at all. Rather, it's a plus.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

44. How about the Smoking Gun website?

They've dug up all kinds of things.

[silvermachine]

48. Best idea I've heard so far...

...thanks!