BY RAUL HERNANDEZ
New York’s Democratic U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer said Sunday that he is introducing a bill that would force any lifting of sanctions against Russia to be approved by Congress, according to ABC News.
The stakes are very high in keeping the sanctions in place, according to Schumer.
I agree, and this is why: lifting the economic sanctions against Russia will breathe new life into Russia’s weak economy. An economically strong Russia will flex its military muscle throughout the world, and Putin’s poll numbers in Russia will soar.
Trump is an imbecile who doesn’t understand that Russia is a danger to Europe and the rest of the free world. Still, Trump will compromise national security to enrich himself and his pals. Once the sanctions are lifted, Putin will open his oil fields to Exxon. The corporation run by CEO Rex Tillerson who accepted in 2013 Russia’s Order of Friendship from Putin. Tillerson is now Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State.
The Financial Times published a story about Tillerson, Exxon, ties to Russia and the nomination: “Rex Tillerson, ExxonMobil and the separation of oil and state”
To read the entire article click here: Financial Times
Meanwhile, Marines are currently on maneuvers to Norway because of increasing threats by Russia.
This story, which wasn’t widely published, quoted Norway’s defense minister:
“However, in a 2014 interview with Reuters, Norway’s Defense Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide said Russia’s annexation of Crimea showed that it had the ability and will to use military means to achieve political goals.”
https://www.adn.com/…/hundreds-of-us-marines-land-in…/
These are stories by Forbes on the frail Russian economy in November and December:
http://www.forbes.com/…/russias-road-to-economic-ruin/…
http://www.forbes.com/…/russia-2016-economy-rosneft…/…
Chuck Schumer said that he and a bipartisan group of senators will take steps to block President Trump from being able to singlehandedly weaken U.S. sanctions on Russia.
The New York senator said such an exchange would be misguided, according to ABC News.
“For us to repeal sanctions, given what Russia has done in Ukraine and threatened the Baltics, and now they have clearly tried to intervene in our election — whether it had an effect or not — that is something, that’s a danger that we have never faced to this extent in American history.
“We repeal sanctions, it tells Russia, ‘Go ahead and interfere in our elections and do bad things;’ it tells China; it tells Iran. That would be terrible,” Schumer said.
The Democratic senator added that Republican Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham, both of whom have been vocal critics of some of Trump’s rhetoric on Russia, support the bill.
Jeff Sessions
Trump’s nominee Jeff Sessions insists that he isn’t a racist. He just wore the red “Let’s Make America Great,” cap of oneC, stands next to him during a political campaign and sings his praises.
Sessions comes at a bad time when this country is split into two camps – Trump supporters, and many of us who believe this man is mentally unstable and a danger to this country’s security and democracy.
Sessions nomination hearing also comes on the heels of two reports critical of policing in Chicago and Baltimore that were released this month by the Department of Justice.
The DOJ’s report on Chicago is scathing. The report notes example after example of rank racism, unprofessional conduct, and cops behaving like brutes on the streets with no accountability.
Is police misconduct limited to Chicago or Baltimore?
Here is a fact about many police departments practices and patterns, according to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.
” Since 2009, the Special Litigation Section has opened 25 investigations into law enforcement agencies. The section is enforcing 20 agreements with law enforcement agencies, including 15 consent decrees and one post-judgment order.
The division also recently released a comprehensive report that provides an overview of the police reform work done under pursuant to the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, which can be found at the following link:https://www.justice.gov/crt/file/922421/download.
Other Issues in Policing
Although many people may be familiar with the Division’s police reform agreements addressing use of force or discriminatory policing on the basis of race or national origin, the Division’s agreements have addressed a wide range of issues in policing.
For example:
In Baltimore, the Division found a pattern or practice of systemic violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act by the police department, focusing on the failure to make reasonable accommodations when interacting with people with mental health disabilities.
In Los Angeles County, the Division’s reform agreement addresses a pattern of singling out people who receive federal housing subsidies for unconstitutional stops, searches, arrests and uses of force linked to community bias against people poor enough to qualify for such assistance.
In New Orleans, the Division found that officers systematically undercounted rapes and other sex crimes. Officers also wrongly arrested transgender women for prostitution and then charged them under the state’s “crimes against nature” law. Multiple convictions under this law forced them to register as sex offenders, hurting their chances of landing a job or finding a home. The Division’s reform agreement addresses these practices.
In Ferguson, Missouri, the Division’s reform agreement addresses municipal court practices that imposed court fines and fees on people unable to pay them, which contributed to discriminatory and unconstitutional policing through the use of police officers as municipal debt collection agents.
In Portland, Oregon, the Division’s reform agreement addresses interactions between police and people who are in mental health crisis, requiring department-wide policy changes and training designed to reduce use of force and facilitate the diversion of such people into community services and treatment, where appropriate, as well as supporting local government efforts to increase the availability of such services.
In Puerto Rico and New Orleans, the Division’s reform agreements contain provisions aimed at eliminating policing practices that discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.
In Evangeline Parish and Ville Platte, Louisiana, the Division’s recent letter of findings addresses the use of so-called “investigative holds”—illegally jailing people who police think may be witnesses to or otherwise associated with a crime, but who police do not have any probable cause to arrest, often for the purpose of coercing the person into confessing or providing information about the crime. The Division also addressed a similar practice in Ferguson, Missouri, where officers issued “
In Baltimore, the Division found a pattern or practice of systemic violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act by the police department, focusing on the failure to make reasonable accommodations when interacting with people with mental health disabilities.
In Los Angeles County, the Division’s reform agreement addresses a pattern of singling out people who receive federal housing subsidies for unconstitutional stops, searches, arrests and uses of force linked to community bias against people poor enough to qualify for such assistance.
In New Orleans, the Division found that officers systematically undercounted rapes and other sex crimes. Officers also wrongly arrested transgender women for prostitution and then charged them under the state’s “crimes against nature” law. Multiple convictions under this law forced them to register as sex offenders, hurting their chances of landing a job or finding a home. The Division’s reform agreement addresses these practices.
In Ferguson, Missouri, the Division’s reform agreement addresses municipal court practices that imposed court fines and fees on people unable to pay them, which contributed to discriminatory and unconstitutional policing through the use of police officers as municipal debt collection agents.
In Portland, Oregon, the Division’s reform agreement addresses interactions between police and people who are in mental health crisis, requiring department-wide policy changes and training designed to reduce use of force and facilitate the diversion of such people into community services and treatment, where appropriate, as well as supporting local government efforts to increase the availability of such services.
In Puerto Rico and New Orleans, the Division’s reform agreements contain provisions aimed at eliminating policing practices that discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.
In Evangeline Parish and Ville Platte, Louisiana, the Division’s recent letter of findings addresses the use of so-called “investigative holds”—illegally jailing people who police think may be witnesses to or otherwise associated with a crime, but who police do not have any probable cause to arrest, often for the purpose of coercing the person into confessing or providing information about the crime. The Division also addressed a similar practice in Ferguson, Missouri, where officers issued “wanteds” for arrests without probable cause.
Policing Getting More Tougher
Law enforcement officers today are asked to do more than ever in communities, often amidst fraying infrastructure and social support networks, as well as rising community anger and frustration that makes the job of police officers more complex and challenging than ever before. In that context, it is no surprise that the need for police reform is so great, according to the Department of Justice report.
The Division also receives a large quantity of complaints and information intended to prompt a pattern-or-practice investigation, requiring the exercise of discretion and judgment to ensure that its law enforcement authority is used efficiently and effectively.