my crackpot theory

I wrote this comment over at Instapundit regarding the Jordan Neely/Daniel Penny incident:

I don't normally put on my tin-foil hat, but please bear with me.

If you watch the video of Penny administering the chokehold, you see signs that he might have been attempting a rear naked choke,* which is not a "true" choke in the sense of cutting off air. The rear naked choke puts the crook of the elbow in front of the trachea, making it impossible for the choke, when done right, to close the windpipe. Instead, the purpose of such a choke is to stop blood flow to the brain, inducing a brief fainting response in a matter of seconds. If this was indeed an attempt at a rear naked, it's possible that Penny didn't execute the technique as cleanly as he could have. That said...

The medical examiner apparently concluded that Neely died of blocked airflow, and that this was definitely a "murder." But Neely was—as seen on the video—still moving after the chokehold had been released. What if the act of putting Neely in a chokehold was enough to activate other reactions because, say, Neely had a chemical cocktail in his bloodstream? If this is the case, and if Penny had indeed performed a rear naked on Neely without cutting off his airflow, then it seems to me that the medical examiner could be saying this was a murder just as a way to cover his own ass and keep the PC outrage mob off his back. Acknowledging that this was another George Floyd-type incident would enrage the mob. There are many things about this case that don't add up, and New York is a dirty city in general, so it really wouldn't surprise me to find out the ME was shady.

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*Commenters who know how to administer the rear naked choke can confirm my suspicions by looking at one of the many closeup photographs available online that show Penny and Neely on the ground. If the left arm is the choking arm, then the left hand goes onto the right bicep, the left elbow is placed in front of the opponent's trachea, and the right hand goes on the top rear of the opponent's head, pressing the head and neck forward firmly into the "V" formed by the left choking arm. Pressure from the left radius bone and the left bicep cut off blood flow to the head, resulting in the glassy stare that you see Neely giving. Neely's moving around moments afterward is consistent with the aftereffects of such a choke: people revive pretty quickly. I'm inclined to think Penny performed the choke 90% correctly, based on the pictures, and Neely died from a combination of stress resulting from his own mental instability, the fact of being tackled to the floor, and whatever evil brew was likely in his bloodstream at the time of death. Will any of this matter in a city and a system rigged against good people? Of course it won't.

Penny wasn't initially charged, but he's been charged now. There is no justice anymore: it's all mob rule, and we're all living out The Bonfire of the Vanities.

A while back, Charles reminded me that no one reads long comments. He's probably right: this comment has thus far received only two "like"s.