Mark Twain Would Be Proud Of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Mark Twain would be proud of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for continually proving his sage advice that it’s better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt. (Twain’s actual quote was, “It's best to appear silly and keep one's mouth shut than to open it and dispel any doubt).
Ocasio-Cortez’s political career is riddled with statements that show she is delusional, a few French fries short of a Happy Meal, or both. This is the same Congresswoman who reportedly has said she would rather be “morally correct than factually correct”, “Under capitalism, man oppresses man. Under socialism, it’s the other way around” and, “we need to invent technology that hasn’t been invented yet”. Who else would state, “If people were actually concerned about undocumented people, the clear solution would be to offer documentation. It’s safer and secure for everyone?”
Her latest effort to reach gold status in the I’m a Fool Hall of Fame isn’t quite the non-sequitur of some of her classics, but it continues the tradition. It pertains to the case against Daniel Penny whom a jury found innocent of the charges brought against him resulting from the F-train subway scuffle that ensued after Neely threatened several passengers on May 1, 2023. Penny subdued Neely using a choke hold resulting in the latter’s death. What has gone largely unreported is that after Penny acted, two other passengers also subdued Neely. The other two passengers were not charged.
In typical Ocasio-Cortez fashion, per the New York Post, she stated, “If we do not want violence on the subways and the point of our justice system is a level of accountability to prevent a person who does not have remorse about taking another person’s life,” Only in the delusional world of Ocasio-Cortez is the justice system focused on leveling accountability based on remorse instead of the actual facts of an incident. And only in that same world is putting people in prison if they step up to stop violence, the best way to make subways safer.
The actual facts are that Penny was arrested almost two weeks after he was questioned and released. Obviously, the police investigation of the incident didn’t find that Penny had committed a crime. But just as obviously, district attorney Alvin Bragg’s office saw the fact that Penny is white and Neely was black as an opportunity to promote its progressive political agenda.
This in spite of the fact the threat to which Penny responded came from a man described by Penny’s attorney as a “psychotic madman with a history of violence.” And also in spite of the fact that Neely had 42 prior arrests between 2013 and 2021 and had one active warrant outstanding. (I wonder if it ever occurred to Ocasio-Cortez that a person with 42 arrests has no remorse about committing crimes and perhaps keeping people like that off the subways would be an effective means of reducing crime.)
While Ocasio-Cortez was trying to find the French fries missing from her Happy Meal, Daniel Penny was putting his life at risk in an effort to protect other passengers from being assaulted, injured, or killed. Then, he subsequently had his life turned upside down by the same DA’s office that declined to prosecute many of the thugs who comprise the cornucopia of criminals operating in New York City.
According to the Viral City website, approximately 2.5% of New York City’s violent crime occurred on the subway system. In 2023, that equated to 1,120 violent index crimes (the most serious crimes that police keep track of, including murder, rape, robbery, felony assault, burglary and grand larceny). In response, Mayor Eric Adams announced increased presence on the subways and New York Governor Kathy Hochul directed 750 National Guard soldiers be deployed to the subway system. Obviously, crime on the subways is a major concern.
Considering the millions of riders who take the subway every day, 1,120 violent index crimes in a year are statistically insignificant- unless you were one of the victims. If you were, according to Ocasio-Cortez’s logic, there’s no need to be fearful of a repeat incident if your attacker expressed remorse.
Perhaps Ocasio-Cortez would be in Happy Meal Land if Penny hadn’t stepped in and Neely, after injuring or killing a few passengers, had shown remorse.
Undoubtedly, Occasion-Cortez is incapable of understanding that Penny was between the proverbial rock and a hard place. He could sit back and do nothing, in which case there was a very real possibility that one or more passengers would be harmed, or he could step in and attempt to subdue Neely, not knowing how that would play out. He certainly did not foresee Neely’s death as being the result of his actions.
It’s not surprising that Penny didn’t show remorse. Given the history of questionable and targeted criminal prosecution in New York City, it appears that the charges against Penny originated primarily from the prosecution’s desire to politically showboat. Penny probably didn’t want to give prosecutors the satisfaction of hanging his head in sorrow after the hell they put him through.
Of course, Ocasio-Cortez is simply using the not-guilty verdict as an attempt to do her own showboating. And to demonstrate the wisdom of Mark Twain’s advice once again.
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There are certainly a number of representatives in the House, who are a couple of french fries short of a Happy Meal, but most of them don't work as hard as AOC to prove their lack of intelligence. For that, she deserves special recognition.
Early during the lockdowns, I watched a documentary on Netflix about first run Dem campaigns. I had never heard of AOC and was still naive about politics. It was either 3 or 4 with AOC among them. The others stood out for all the sweat and tears involved in a real life campaign. AOC always looked glamorous. When she 'outsmarted' her opponent, I knew the poor old fool had been fed false info to make him look bad. I soon realized I was watching a scripted reality show where the winner was already selected.