Another ideological law. Why are the Republicans building walls if law does the job?

The USA Republicans do not recognize human rights in the way the rest of the world sees it. They don't think there should be water in the desert where illegal immigrants are crossing, etc.

July 29, 2015

(Washington, DC) – A proposed United States Senate (click here) resolution to support the criminal prosecution of migrants in mass, rapid-fire hearings would perpetuate unfair processes, at great human and financial cost, Human Rights Watch said today.

Senate resolution 104, scheduled to be considered in the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on July 29, 2015, states that the program, called Operation Streamline, has been a success and that refusing to prosecute “first-time illegal border crossers” would undermine that success.

“Operation Streamline is an unproven, wasteful program that has criminally prosecuted tens of thousands of unauthorized migrants each year,” said Grace Meng, senior US researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Many are convicted of a federal crime for wanting to return to their families or for fleeing persecution and seeking refuge.”

Under Operation Streamline, dozens of defendants at a time are charged, plead guilty, and ultimately convicted and sentenced of the federal misdemeanor of illegal entry, all within a matter of hours and sometimes even minutes. US Customs and Border Protection claims that the program reduces recidivism by deterring migrants from trying to enter the US illegally again. Although the program was originally touted as a “zero-tolerance” program, the Border Patrol sectors in which Operation Streamline is currently active have differing policies as to which unauthorized migrants should be criminally charged and which should go through the usual administrative removal process....

Operation Streamline is used under the definition of ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT and the fact these are not citizens, but, foreign criminals at the border by the simple act of crossing the border. 

That is basically correct, however, if every country in Europe never allowed German Jews to cross their borders there may have been a complete genocide to extinction.

The people that cross the border are victims of their reality and sometimes their governments. They are looking for a chance to work to achieve QUALITY OF LIFE that is not available in their homeland. The deprivation of human rights is a valid reason to allow illegal immigration, it is called asylum. 

The reason "Operation Streamline" is a violation of human rights because it does not allow for asylum and/or refugees.

I think I can draw a conclusion that Senator Sessions is motivated by ideology.

Law's practice at the level of Attorney's General is not suppose to be motivated by ideology. The practice of the law at this level is supposed to be based in fact.

Everyone in the country can come up with theories of violation of law, but, if it is not based in fact it is not prosecutable. The voter ID laws are excellent examples of designer laws based in ideology and not fact.

When the law practices OPPRESSION as is the case with the Voter ID law, the USA is no longer a democracy.

There are a few voter fraud cases from time to time and none rise to the level of numbers that change an election. The fraud was determined so the vote was intact. There is not ONE case of voter fraud that has brought about wrongful elections in the USA. The problem with Voter ID laws is not simply they oppress the electorate; it does so without valid concern.

Laws have effect on Americans and their behavior. The Voter ID laws does have an effect in oppressing the vote. That oppression is measurable. It exists.

The idea a law will exist for every human action and emotion PERCEIVED to be unlawful is completely unrealistic because it would provide oppression of Americans' free will. Americans will be asking themselves if the next action they take will put them before a court and possibly jail.

That level of oppression exists in places that allow a very broad net to be cast to control the population.

Law is suppose to be justified to prevent impacts on Americans as well as laws that prosecute. The Voter ID law is oppressive in the face of very few cases of voter fraud. There are millions of voters casting their ballots and the fraud cases are somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 per year. That number is high, too.

Voter ID law casts a broad net that victimizes Americans and estranges them from their very constitutional foundation. Voter ID enters the area of ideology and not valid law, but, it does exist and it exists because some ideologue somewhere thunk it up and harnessed hubris to drive it into law.

This administration elected in November 2016 will be heavy in hubris. The idea Voter ID is law and Jeff Session allows ideology to drive his political success; there is trouble for the democracy, not the USA, but its' democracy. The sovereign USA will exist, but, the democracy is not going to be part of that sovereignty with more and more broad net laws viewed as valid with an Attorney's General such as Jeff Sessions.

Judges have stated, "If the people want Voter ID they have a right to have it." That is grossly "W"rong!

Senator Mike Lee is wasting time on politics. There is no substance in his questions based in Law 101. He is dealing in innuendos and not fact.

THE FBI has already stated, inappropriately close to a Presidential election, there are no facts leading to prosecution of "The Clintons."

The Clinton Foundation is lead by the Clinton Family. They do not take salaries when carrying out their position in the international non-profit.

Now, there may be a need for a Special Prosecutor for the Trump Family conflict of interest in coveting the Oval Office. Why though. Do I believe such prosecution will never be held. It is called corruption. 

As a tabloid interest, the Trumps receive salary for their mixing of business and pleasure and self-directed wealth.

Storms in California come with mixed blessings. Enjoy the beauty of Earth. It is free.

A break (click here) in a series of storms moving across California highlights the snow covered White Mountains looming over US Highway 395 in Crowley Lake.

The higher elevations are looking good. There is not overwhelming accumulations. The danger in any state to observe SNOW MELT and realize it's volume and potential in flooding.

In the past snow melt was seasonal. However, in this climate crisis, there can be warmer air that brings early snow melt. This POTENTIAL exists and needs to be realized as policy to protect Americans and their homes.

Skiers should enjoy any new snow pack. Kindly check with destinations before embarking on a trip. Keep an outing happy and not tragic. Common sense. Contact the ski resort or public ski hill and/or the state police and state weather services. Thank you.

WHITE OUT CONDITIONS ARE REAL.

New organizations can keep the public abreast of conditions when skiing is on the agenda.

Ski resorts and public ski hills can provide news media with pertinent information. If one makes it easy for the public to enjoy this land it will happen and expand the economy.

There is flooding in areas of the State of California. Some people, approximately 97,000, are without electricity. They need attention to return their lives to normalcy.

January 10, 2017
By Joseph Serna and Paige St. John

The latest round of a powerful series of winter storms (click here for video) barreled into Northern California on Tuesday, bringing white-out conditions and blizzard warnings for the Sierra Nevada and closing Interstate 80 and U.S. 395.
Forecasters warned of wind guts topping 150 mph, drifting snow, and zero visibility at high elevations.
There were also fears of more flooding, with new warnings issued for the Napa and Russian rivers.

The impending storm is expected to bring up to 7 feet of snow to higher elevations. By the end of the week the total for the year could already be up to 20 feet. That means a generous addition to the Sierra Nevada snowpack, whose spring and summer runoff are a precious water supply for California cities and farms....

Well, it took completely obliterating the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) to begin to turn the corner on California's drought, but, it is a beginning that grows exponentially by itself. Once water vapor is deposited in drought areas as solid (snow) or liquid (rain) it will begin to rebuild moisture in the AIR. That water vapor will begin to build clouds and the water cycle has a chance of growing into normal conditions. This is a good start. Let's hope the exponential recovery from drought continues. 

A message from Mozilla.

Dear Friends, (click here)

Over the next few days, President-Elect Trump's key cabinet nominees will be facing questions from members of the U.S. Senate and moving towards confirmation votes for their roles. These hearings offer the first real opportunity to pin incoming cabinet members down and to hear where they stand on important questions about your privacy and security.

Why it's important:

It's critical that we demonstrate strong public support for privacy and security and that we build accountability for any actions that may undermine the security of users online. What's more, by simply paying attention, we can create more space for leaders to step up and safeguard our digital privacy. 

Here's a snapshot of the views of key players: 

• Senator Jeff Sessions, the nominee for Attorney General, has argued that law enforcement investigations should be able to compel companies to defeat their own encryption — putting their users at risk. (1)
• Senator Dan Coats, the nominee for Director of National Intelligence, has previously supported a bill that would have forced companies to provide special access (in other words a backdoor) to encrypted data when compelled to do so by a court. (2)
• Representative Mike Pompeo, CIA Director nominee, has said that: "the use of strong encryption in personal communications may itself be a red flag" for law enforcement. (3)
• General John Kelly, nominee for Department of Homeland Security (whose department would play a leading role protecting the country from cyber threats) is not on the record about encryption and other crucial issues. We'd love to find out more about his approach to such crucial issues in his department.

What you can do:

With so many hearings happening at the same time on the same day, highlighting the stances of the nominees on privacy and encryption will be a challenge. But it can be done! Each hearing will be streamed live online and there will be a real-time conversation happening on Twitter using the hashtag #SenateHearings.

Join this conversation today — add your opinions, ask your questions, speak up about privacy and security to make sure this critical issue gets the attention it deserves.

For an easy start, feel free to retweet Mozilla now, or post a tweet directly from your account.

Thank you so much,

Ashley Boyd
Vice President, Advocacy
Mozilla

P.S. Not on Twitter, but still want to do something? Call your Senators via the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Let them know that these issues are important to you, and that you'd like for them to stand up for privacy and strong encryption as the new administration begins. 

Sources:
1. Wired, November 18, 2016.
2. National Public Radio, April 14, 2016.
3. Motherboard.Vice.com, November 18, 2016.

Senator Sessions holds a radical view on authors of regulations when interpreting the law.

Sessions concerns about Cass Sunstein

...But it is a matter of real importance. (click here) Persons who produce these regulations are nameless and faceless denizens of the bureaucratic deep. They possess enormous power. As a prosecutor, I prosecuted cases. At the DEA, many of the drug regulations enforced by the Drug Enforcement Administration are based on regulations they pass, not what was actually required by the Congress of the United States. Major policy decisions are often set forth in that fashion, including environmental regulations, health care regulations, and reimbursement rules and hospital requirements. Financial institutions can be done through regulations and controlled through them. Truly, there is a concern about the disconnect between the democratic accountability we are known for in our country and this process of administrative regulations....

It is a political viewpoint and has never been proven.

Senator Session holds odd points of view mired in GOP Rhetoric. There have never been prosecutions of clerks writing regulations derived from law. If there are issues with regulations written from law it goes to the courts for interpretation. This point of view held by Senator Sessions is ingrained in GOP rhetoric and bias.

In regard to health care for women is the idea Senator Sessions will challenge "Roe v. Wade" as unconstitutional. Take that for fact and falls in lie with the advise he will give to President Elect Trump in his choice of US Justice replacing the Late Justice Scalia.

When it comes to Roe v. Wade; it is not about being Pro-Life, it is a matter of being Pro-Quality of Life. Pro-Life/Anti-abortion does not care about quality of life and drops woman and their families at the door step of poverty. Considering this fact also realize Republicans work to reduce benefits to the poor and victimize them with claims of laziness and immorality.

Oppression of poor, including women and their children, is viewed most accurately when considering the cost of raising a child to their potential.

January 9, 2017
By Tribune News Services

Expecting a baby? (click here) Congratulations! Better put plenty of money in your savings account.

The Department of Agriculture says the estimated cost of raising a child from birth through age 17 is $233,610, or as much as almost $14,000 annually. That's the average for a middle-income couple with two children. It's a bit more expensive in urban parts of the country, and less so in rural areas....

The American poor love their children as intensely as the middle class, upper class and hideously wealthy. The difference with the poor is the potential for their children to obtain education that will realize their potential. Currently, the working poor still have little to no way out of poverty. Since the law that turned welfare to work made no provision to insure the middle class was attainable for these people. The current minimum wage is not only oppressive, it is victimizing to the point of helplessness.

Besides any objections registered with this nominee, one has to reflect on the fact Senator Jeff Sessions solely endorsed Donald Trump as a candidate for the Presidency. This is a loyalist nominee.

January 9, 2017
By Adam Serwer

Thirty-five years ago, (click here) the U.S. Attorney’s office in the Southern District of Alabama played a crucial role in ensuring that the lynching of 19-year-old Michael Donald by two members of the Ku Klux Klan was investigated and punished.

That gruesome case has become newly relevant with the nomination of Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions to run the Department of Justice. Sessions was the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District when the Donald case was tried....

The nomination process of Senator Sessions is repeatedly protested during Senator Sessions statement. He simply waited until the protesting Americans were removed from the room and then continued his prepared speech. Never once did he recognize the interruption, but, simply quietly waited his turn to speak without interruption. In not recognizing Americans that feel strongly enough about his performance in government to risk arrest to be heard he has ignored their reason to protest. He should have addressed their protest in answering their statements. Those Americans are just as important to be heard as Senator Sessions is to be heard in his statement.

...The principal duties of the Attorney General are to: (click here)

• Represent the United States in legal matters.
   
• Supervise and direct the administration and operation of the offices, boards, divisions, and bureaus that comprise the Department.
   
• Furnish advice and opinions, formal and informal, on legal matters to the President and the Cabinet and to the heads of the executive departments and agencies of the government, as provided by law.
   
• Make recommendations to the President concerning appointments to federal judicial positions and to positions within the Department, including U.S. Attorneys and U.S. Marshals.
   
• Represent or supervise the representation of the United States Government in the Supreme Court of the United States and all other courts, foreign and domestic, in which the United States is a party or has an interest as may be deemed appropriate.
   
• Perform or supervise the performance of other duties required by statute or Executive Order.

Senator Sessions in his vote regarding water torture shows the leanings of calling USA law interpretative to specific situations. That is not possible in applying laws. Laws are written by the legislature. If the US Army had objections to the laws of the USA governing waterboarding it is up to the leaders of the US Army to make their argument known. There was nothing obstructing the US Army from addressing the legislature to ask for considerations differently. It is not up to Senator Sessions to make decisions that apply to the US Army simply based in politics.

June 22, 2015

By Howard Koplowitz

Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., (click here) said he voted against an amendment last week reaffirming the prohibition on torture against enemy combatants because he doesn't think the FBI or CIA should be bound by the same rules on interrogations as the U.S. Army. The amendment, attached to a Defense Department spending bill, passed the Senate last week by a 78-21 vote.

"I believe the CIA and the FBI should be able to use all lawful procedures to interrogate individuals who are committed to the destruction of America," Sessions said in an interview with AL.com, adding that torture, including waterboarding, is already illegal. "I think the country is on a sound path to curtailing abuses, but we don't need to go so far that an individual who's maybe associated with a group of people who are plotting to blow up Manhattan - that that person can't be interrogated lawfully but not just according to the Army manual."

Sessions was referring to the Army Field Manual on Human Intelligence Collector Operations, which sets the rules for how Army personnel handle prisoners of war. The Alabama senator said the drafters of the manual, which sprang out of the Geneva Conventions following World War II, wrote it without being able to envision modern terrorist threats....

The US Army revised it's Field Manual regarding Human Intelligence Collector Operations in September of 2006. You'll excuse me, but, these regulations were written after the attacks of September 11, 2001 which included the Pentagon and members of the USA military. I think the US Army was dedicated to protecting Americans, well after understanding the deaths of September 11, 2006. The vote occurred June of 2015. Senator Sessions response to the law and his vote was completely based in politics and this picture.

HE LIED about the US Army for his own purposes. There are no reasons to believe he would not use the Office of the Attorney General for his own purposes as well.

FM 2-22.3 (FM 34-52) 

HUMAN INTELLIGENCE

COLLECTOR OPERATIONS

HEADQUARTERS, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
September 2006
DISTRIBUTION RESTRICTION: Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
NOTE: All previous versions of this manual are obsolete. This document is identical in content
to the version dated 6 September 2006. All previous versions of this manual should be destroyed in accordance with appropriate Army policies and regulations.

This is the only picture Senator Sessions should have had in mind when he voted.

Among the most crucial roles (click here) of the United States military in the global War on Terror is the collection of human intelligence from prisoners of war, unlawful combatants, and others. On the heels of controversy over some of the techniques used to extract information—such as waterboarding—the Department of the Army completely revised its interrogation guidelines. The result is this book, the United States Army’s human intelligence collection playbook, which gives instructions on the structure, planning and management of human intelligence operations, the debriefing of soldiers, and the analysis of known relationships and map data. The largest and most newsworthy section of the book details procedures for screening and interrogation, which permits a specific number of interrogation techniques, described in Chapter 8 as “approach techniques.” These techniques, described in great detail, carry such names as Emotional Love, Mutt and Jeff, False Flag, and even Separation. A must-read for today’s military buffs, U.S. Army Human Intelligence Collector Field Manual is also a valuable resource for anyone seeking strategies to employ in the gathering of information.

As a side note, I found this interesting:

Who will replace Senator Jeff Sessions when the Alabama Governor decides on his replacement? (click here)

November 23, 2016
by anker

This may sound cynical, but Luther Strange could very well be the pick of Governor Bentley BECAUSE, the choice of Strange would get him off the impeachment case and possibly delay the investigation long enough to "run the clock out" on the investigation.  Remember, Mike Jones, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, stopped his investigation at the request of Strange.

Bentley gets to serve out his second term scott free as governor and Strange gets a leg up on running for Sessions seat in 2016...how comfy...

Senator Sessions is a Class 2 Senator and was re-elected in 2014. His replacement would be a Senator until January 3, 2021 without being elected initially. His replacement would then be eligible for re-election.

On such a day as the governor may direct, (click here) unless vacancy occurs between 2 and 4 months before the next regularly-scheduled general election, in which case it is held at that election. If vacancy occurs within 60 days of the next regularly-scheduled general election, a special election must be held on the first Tuesday after 60 days have elapsed since the vacancy occurred.

The Democrats should hold Donald Trump to every promise he made to his electorate.

FILIBUSTER the funds for the southern wall until there is submission by Mexico a payment method that will pay for it. When President Elect Trump met with the Mexican President his electorate wanted to know what was being arranged for Mexico to pay for the wall.

Then candidate Trump stated, "This was only our first meeting and the cost of the wall will come later."

NOW, the American people are expected to pay for the wall without any indication there is payment methods from Mexico to pay for it. The Mexican payment method has to be written into the bill before the funding is issued by Congress.

This is ridiculous. A foreign power that has oil being pumped from the ground isn't going to pay for a wall that will prevent ILLEGAL aliens from crossing to the USA sovereign land.

Ridiculous!

January 10, 2017
By Debra Killalea

He has raised eyebrows in China (click here) over comments made on trade, Taiwan and North Korea.

And while Beijing has hardly been thrilled about US President-elect Donald Trump's comments regarding the Asian powerhouse, he will have much bigger issues on his plate than China.

That is the view of China expert Professor Greg Austin, a researcher at University of NSW, Canberra.

He warned the path to good diplomacy between the US and China would not always run smoothly.

Asked what a Trump administration would mean for the US-China relationship, Prof Austin said there would almost certainly be strained relations between the two powerhouses.

"I predict there will be many hiccups because of Trump but no major earthquakes," he said....

There have been statements about Trump's plans for infrastructure and tax policy and how it will increase the national debt. I think the American people need to start now and hold him and Congress responsible for their statements to the electorate that put them in office.

The American electorate listened to rhetoric to determine the candidate with the best outcome for their health care.

Critics can point to the Dems or the Republicans for false statements regarding the ACA, but, in the final analysis the electorate has proven they are brainless to their own best outcomes.

THIS IS HEALTH CARE PEOPLE!

January 10, 2017

Washington (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump (click here) says that President Barack Obama's health care law "will fall of its own weight."

House Speaker Paul Ryan says the law is "in what the actuaries call a death spiral."

And Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says that "by nearly any measure, Obamacare has failed."

The problem with all these claims: They are exaggerated, if not downright false.

As congressional Republicans prepare to repeal the health law, they are working to portray it as a mess of Democrats' making, and themselves as the ones who will clean up that mess.

In the process they are exaggerating the law's very real problems, according to health care experts, who largely believe that the Affordable Care Act's troubles with high prices and lack of competition could be addressed with bipartisan solutions....

Republicans, who've gained political advantage from campaigning against the law since its passage in 2010, aren't interested in playing along. Instead they've denounced the law and made the case to repeal it, although there are signs some are getting cold feet now that the reality is upon them....

It was the quintessential place to raise concerns with the industry.

The Cecil B. DeMille Award is an honorary Golden Globe Award bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for "outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment".

This is Mr. DeMille on the set of "The Ten Commandments"

A born showman, (click here) a master director, producer, and screenwriter. One of the single most important influences in the history of film. When citing the career of Cecil B. DeMille, there is no shortage of accolades, and no end to the wonder.

Ms. Streep was most correct in raising concerns. It was the exact place where the industry, including the press, should have been reminded about the brevity of their profession and practice and not just the rewards.

It might be noted, the concerns were noted without raising the name of the most offensive.

Election infrastructure is critical to insure a valid election. But, the problem of "One Voter, One Vote" is also in critical need of identifying as a valid concern that would require a re-evaluation of the Electoral College.

If the country is ever suppose to move forward with a majority vote, there needs to be a cyber security infrastructure that is closed to the internet. The "One Voter, One Vote" concept would require a dedicated polling frequency with enough protection to insure a valid vote. The country wants to move to a "One Voter, One Vote" and it should be considered. The only way to secure such an infrastructure is to license a company such as Apple to create a definitive security with rotating encryption software to prevent hacking. 

Additionally, a re-evaluation of the two party system should ensue and provide secure cyber for their parties.

After all that is completed, costing billions and there are still vulnerabilities, then a change in strategy has to conducted rolling back any and all computer related election platforms. FAX machines have yet to prove an infrastructure risk and hard wired telephones have proven to be safe and secure with only a court order to qualify a wiretap.

As a matter of fact, the smaller parties should consider taking an approach that limits their security to FAX and hard wired infrastructure. Party internet cites can be for information only, except, for donations which are a matter of convenience of the citizen. After this election I would think any serious candidate would replace any type of electronic communication or be considered unpatriotic.

9 January 2017
By Scott Nicholas

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson (click here) has said election infrastructure should be recognized as a subsector of the existing government facilities critical infrastructure sector and be a priority for cybersecurity assistance and protection.

Johnson wrote in a blog post published Friday such determination will add election infrastructure, including centralized vote tabulations locations, communications technologies, polling places and storage facilities, as a priority on the National Infrastructure Protection Plan.

“Now more than ever, it is important that we offer our assistance to state and local election officials in the cybersecurity of their systems,” said Johnson.

“Election infrastructure is vital to our national interests, and cyber attacks on this country are becoming more sophisticated, and bad cyber actors — ranging from nation states, cyber criminals and hacktivists — are becoming more sophisticated and dangerous.”

The post noted that there are currently 16 critical infrastructure sectors that include 20 subsectors which may ask for cybersecurity assistance from the Department of Homeland Security including commercial facilities, communications, emergency services and information technology.