We should hope that Jeff Sessions’ recently-instituted changes are not the result of the administration, and rather that he is the sole architect of those abrupt changes in DOJ policy. On the surface, some of them may seem “effective,” however, Sessions’ credibility has been under scrutiny recently for his meetings with the Russian ambassador prior to the President’s election, along with his reluctance to investigate Comey, Mueller, or Hillary Clinton. The first item was supposedly to meet with the Russian ambassador to discuss Ukraine and the separatist conflict in the Donbass.
The remainder? The Russian Uranium deal was made by Bill Clinton in 2005, finalized two years later. Hillary Clinton became Secretary of State under Obama in January 2009, and Kazakhstan was already sending in tens of millions to the Clinton Foundation. Rosatom and Uranium One (a Canadian firm), the GRU (also known as the “Aquarium,” the Russian (formerly USSR’s) version of our CIA, almost 300,000 acres of Wyoming that would be mined for Uranium…
The complexity is staggering, although it is not the scope of this article. Rosatom supplies technicians and equipment to Iran: it is a Russian firm, and as much as Hillary Clinton verbally denounced Putin, she was more than willing (while in her official role as Secretary of State, mind you) to broker a deal giving Putin and Rosatom controlling interest in Uranium One. The Russians would acquire a tremendous amount of American uranium.
The point: all of this is going on, and the Attorney General of the United States, Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III is much more heavily-engaged in cementing a policy of almost Draconian “reforms” that will help big business, increase statist and oligarchic power in the United States, and tighten the noose a little more around the neck of the American people.
As reported by Rachel Blevins writing for Activist Post, a recent article entitled War on the Poor: Jeff Sessions Rescinds Legal Doc That Ended Debtors’ Prisons, published on 12/30/17. The article covers how Sessions rescinded a policy letter of 2016 that forbids the imprisonment of the poor because they cannot pay court fines and fees. Here is an excerpt from that article quoting Sessions:
“Last month, I ended the longstanding abuse of issuing rules by simply publishing a letter or posting a web page. Congress has provided for a regulatory process in statute, and we are going to follow it. This is good government and prevents confusing the public with improper and wrong advice. Therefore, any guidance that is outdated, used to circumvent the regulatory process, or that improperly goes beyond what is provided for in statutes or regulation should not be given effect. That is why today, we are ending 25 examples of improper or unnecessary guidance documents identified by our Regulatory Reform Task Force led by our Associate Attorney General Rachel Brand. We will continue to look for other examples to rescind, and we will uphold the rule of law.”
So, Sessions is now the Champion of the Rule of Law (De Facto or De Jure being synonymous apparently). Rather, the champion of the will of the corporate and political hierarchy to continue its slow-sliding repeal of justice for the common citizen while turning a blind eye to those nabobs who should be bedecked in orange this very moment.
The prison industries (another “partner” of the federal government) stand to benefit by such a thing. Read Blevins’ article for some sterling examples of where a few dollars due to happy Mayberry-type municipalities were turned into thousands, along with prolonged incarceration and, of course, a ruined record for the individuals. Sessions’ actions are not confined to the justice system, however: as a “moral guardian” and the head of the Department of Justice, Sessions is now attacking marijuana.
Personally, I am against the consumption of cannabis for what is termed “recreational use.” From a medical perspective, however, marijuana (Cannabis sativa) has many applications: for the treatment of glaucoma, and the treatment of severe cancer pain, among many others. For years the AMA (American Medical Association) as well as the federal government denounced and denied the potential for Cannabis to be used medically.
It may interest you to know that even with this denial through the years, the FDA acquired the patent for Marinol, a synthetic derivative-replacement for Cannabis.
Sessions (on January 3) announced that he would be rescinding policies that advocated a “hands off” policy of feds regarding actions in states that legalized the use of marijuana. Federal law supersedes subsequently-created state laws; however, the problem is more than what it appears on the surface. The reasoning by Sessions was given as a way to combat illegal trafficking in marijuana, but the spillover will occur in the state-approved facilities used for genuine medical reasons. An article from the Daily Beast summarizes the new DOJ position on the Sessions maneuver:
The Justice Department itself had trouble explaining why Sessions was making his move now and what immediate ramifications there would be for the decision. In a morning teleconference with reporters, a senior DOJ official simply said that “U.S. Attorneys’ offices need to determine what cases need to be brought.” As to whether or not this decision would lead to more marijuana prosecutions, there was no definitive answer.
“I can’t sit here and say whether it will or won’t lead to more marijuana prosecutions,” one of the officials told reporters.
So, the “official’s” nebulous response is only too apparent: those with influence and those who pay more taxes into the system will (as par for the course) not be prosecuted. As for those others? Who knows what is in store for them.
“U.S. Attorneys’ offices need to determine what cases need to be brought.”
Is this not selective interpretation of the law? Deciding which ones will be brought to trial, and which ones will be ignored?
With liberty and justice for all, right?
So, Sessions is on a crusade that apparently leaves the “prominents” such as those mentioned earlier out of the loop. The last question is how much the administration either knows about or approves of such maneuvers. As can clearly be seen from the Uranium One example provided earlier, Hillary Clinton abused her position…and the “big” fish…Obama…squirmed out of the net completely. Interestingly enough, Clinton resigned after Benghazi…where a U.S. consular outpost and CIA annex were attacked and destroyed, and a U.S. ambassador and four of his staff were killed. Obama’s Teflon allowed those rotten eggs to slide right off the surface and onto Clinton’s head…and she resigned before any formal charges could be brought up while she was in office.
How much does this President know? Sessions did try to resign earlier, and the President did not accept his resignation. Surely that could be a ruse to show disagreement between the two, and distance the President from Sessions while the latter came under scrutiny for his meetings with the Russian ambassador. Yet Sessions is still in the DOJ’s top slot, isn’t he? It is unknown whether his changes are his own “reforms,” or rather, a reflection of administration policy.
Follow the money, and there will surely be a trail of some sort in Sessions’ direction. Follow any increases in his bank account, especially any contributions from GlaxoSmithKline, or the other pharmaceutical companies with a vested interest in keeping the public addicted to crippling opium-based painkillers such as morphine or oxycontin. Insys Therapeutics is a company that paid $500,000 in 2016 to quell cannabis-favorable initiatives in Arizona by contributing to the opposition groups. The company peddles Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid analgesic 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine, and very addictive.
The final item to mention: Sessions owns investments in two mutual funds that hold stock in private prisons. In a financial disclosure to Congress in December of 2016, Sessions revealed that he owned Vanguard fund accounts…and Vanguard is the investment management company that owns the most stock in private prisons than in any other in the U.S. You can read more about it here.
Here’s a little more to interest you. This report from Nonprofit Quarterly explains how former aides to Sessions are in deep with the private prison industry. Here’s an excerpt from that report:
…NPQ wrote about the new memo from Attorney General Jeff Sessions that brought private prisons back into play on the federal level. We pointed out that stocks for private prisons plummeted when then-Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates ordered they be phased out last year. We reminded you that the day after Trump’s election, those stocks soared. Now, we read in The Nation that in October, just before the election, two of Sessions’ former Senate aides, David Stewart and Ryan Robichaux, became lobbyists for GEO Group, one of the two largest private prison companies, and that the two were specifically engaged to lobby on government contracting. The private prison industry has a big investment in the future of mass incarceration. Even more infuriating, much of that in the short term may be tied to immigration enforcement policies. “With respect to detention services,” said GEO Group CEO George Zoley on a recent call with investors, “we would continue to be the largest provider of detention services to the three largest government agencies—that is, ICE, the Bureau of Prisons, and the U.S. Marshals Service.
No “handwashing” or favoritism there, right? Wrong. Sessions’ rescinding of protection for citizens unable to pay fines from debtors’ prisons and his new crusade on marijuana will surely help to swell the ranks of new “serfs” within the private prison system. If he can do this and skate out of any conflict of interest? Then next he will be receiving something from the pharmaceutical companies to pursue an “attack dog” policy and shut down competition from Cannabis against their opioid analgesics. Sometimes there is no money trail initially, but it always surfaces with time. Business as usual in what used to be the United States of America.
Jeremiah Johnson is the Nom de plume of a retired Green Beret of the United States Army Special Forces (Airborne). Mr. Johnson is also a Gunsmith, a Certified Master Herbalist, a Montana Master Food Preserver, and a graduate of the U.S. Army’s SERE school (Survival Evasion Resistance Escape). He lives in a cabin in the mountains of Western Montana with his wife and three cats. You can follow Jeremiah’s regular writings at SHTFplan.com or contact him here.
This article may be republished or excerpted with proper attribution to the author and a link to www.SHTFplan.com.
Charges against rancher Cliven Bundy, three others are dismissed
ht tp://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/01/08/charges-against-rancher-cliven-bundy-three-others-are-dismissed.html
Good!
Waiting for Durango Kidd to come along and tell us all how Bundy should be in jail.
I hope the Bundy’s sue the living shit out of them! Both the agencies and the personal people involved.
Note that “if you have a medical marijuana card you can never, ever buy a firearm” seems to be part of this.
But the war on drugs and on guns are two sides of the same coin.
How ironic is it that a medicinal marijuana card holder cannot have a firearm, yet the ATF and top DOJ Eric Holder sent hundreds of firearms to drug cartels.
Of all the gigantic and complex problems facing this country, and all the issues Sessions has to deal with, they have to get worked up over pot. This is silly, there has to be more to the story. I am assuming that the managers in the DOJ are supposed to be among the most qualified people there are to lead that Dept. if so, they should know that problems and issues are dealt with in a rational manner, mainly by prioritizing or consensus or by what resources are available. This pot business defies all that. Like I said, there’s more to the story, or maybe it’s just incompetence.
Bill, if Sessions were to scrap the Civil Rights Division and let cops start being harsh with black criminals, then maybe I’ll start looking at him differently. This black civil rights crap is really hurting our country.
Sorry if I step on toes; but, Sessions looks like the type of guy that hangs around grade school boys’ bathrooms. He’s got NO credibility and is about as trustworthy as that snake that bit the woman who found one almost frozen to death.
The kickback thing has some merit, but I believe Sessions is playing this card so that he can set the FED up to get a slice of the state’s pie. Re: “We will let you slide but where is our cut”?
I have come to the conclusion that Jeff Sessions is an absolute moron……or just another deep state toadie.
I wonder if these pissant tyrants realize just how close they are to touching off civil war.
Anonymous5, agreed about Sessions.
Speaking of credibility, I’d have to question the credibility of someone who hides behind a screen and preaches how jade helm would be the introduction of martial law, the military might of NKorea and their threats to nuke the US. And why defend the use of medical marijuana? It’s an excuse to begin the legalization of that and other drugs. Look at Colorado and Washington in that both states now allow recreational use of weed. There are vending machines at certain places in Washington state that dispense crack pipes. If you wanna smoke weed then smoke weed but you don’t need to be doing that shit in public and influencing young kids. They have enough to deal with through peer pressure. I’m sure JJ, you’re gonna omit this post, suppression of free speech is what you left wing commies do when you don’t wanna hear the truth. Fraud
Jeff Sessions has already proven he’s against the Constitution and Bill Of Rights just like his predecessors. Now he scraps the policy that protects people from being jailed if they can’t pay their fines immediately? This is just more proof of how illegitimate the legal system is. Sounds like Sessions is really asking for trouble.
The Progressive Left picks and choses through the Bill Of Rights selecting this, bypassing that and attacking what they distain. The Neo-Con Right picks and choses selecting this, bypassing that and attacking what they distain. Sessions is an authoritarian as Holder was. Libertarians accept the entire Bill Of Rights and are attacked by both Left and Right. Liberty scares them both.
Sorry, but the Republican Establishment is not the political “right”. They are merely a different variety of the political left.
We’ve bought into the false paradigm that the Democrats are on the left and the Republicans are on the right. It just simply isn’t so.
Compare the Republican Establishment of today with the Republicans of 60 years ago. They are light years apart. The Republican Establishment has been drifting to the left for years. The ONLY reason to prefer Republicans to Democrats is that their progression into tyranny has just been a little slower. The Neo-con “right” is simply a different flavor of leftism.
A true libertarian is what the REAL political right represents.
Anonymous5
“The Neo-con “right” is simply a different flavor of leftism.”
I’m not disagreeing with your general premise or its reversal with the left being an offshoot of the Neo-con right. Regardless my point is many support the Neo-con right such as Bush 41 and 43, ignoring their contribution to the fall of the US.
“A true libertarian is what the REAL political right represents.”
I’ve been attempting to get that point across to an 86 year old self described conservative cold war anti marijuana (all dope is dope) friend. Years of propaganda keep them in the left v right argument.
Kevin2, your comments are right on. Need more people that can wake up, challenge what they think they know and see whats really going on around them.
I suggest EVERYONE go to http://www.thecommonsenseshow.com to read Dave Hodges’ well-documented article showing that Jeff Sessions is a Member of the Deep (CREEP) State!
Forget about what you feel/think about Hodges, and look at the evidence.
Maybe Trump needs to fire him?
– the Lone Ranger
Trump to I assume get “top talent” unfortunately surrounded himself with Trilaterals and Bilderberg’s with Pence a globalist doing his LBJ impersonation awaiting in the wings.
Everyday there are babies and children being raped on the dark web that Sessions has regular access to. He has said himself that he’s seen these atrocious crimes on the DW and is well aware of it, yet instead of putting together an effective plan in action and the people to arrest these criminals, to help these defenseless babies and children and stop this abuse, he’s busy cracking down on adults who want to smoke marijuana and giving law enforcement the green light to arrest pot smokers/growers and conduct raids. He’s useless.
Trump wanted Sessions for AG because he needed someone to do his dirty work as far as making marijuana a Federal crime and removing it from the States jurisdiction. Trump also didn’t want to lose votes by admitting that, so he just said “I’ll leave it up to the States” knowing whomever he selected for AG would be a staunch opponent of marijuana, who would do his dirty work for him.
If there is one sensible thing I’d like to see DOJ do that would be to dismantle their Civil Rights Division which dictates to local LE that they have to handle back criminals with kid gloves. Let police start really being harsh with black criminals. That’s the only way I know of to start reducing all this black crime out here. The FBI and DOJ studies make it clear who is responsible for the majority of the crime in this land.
Braveheart1776
“That’s the only way I know of to start reducing all this black crime out here.”
I doubt if it would make much of a difference. They live in an environment where murder is common. Being beaten badly enough to go to the hospital is even more common. These same areas 55 years ago were thriving manufacturing centers with good employment available for these people. As I kid our family shopped in Camden NJ. Fast forward three decades from that and the Camden Police didn’t go to sections of Camden and the NJ State Police took over their duties. Similar situations are repeated across the US. On the other hand it might be chronic now and with no nuclear family to civilize and train them they’re likely unemployable even if jobs came in.
Someone mentioned pot!!!!?it will be legal to buy grow and sell it here recreationally. July 1 2018.
Cops and parents are freaking out.
Sessions is under attack cus of marijuana policy. Dope is a controlled substance under federal law. He is upholding the law if you don’t like it get the law changed through proper Channels. If he was upholding your second amendment rights he’d be a hero right. Weed is garbage people. He’s doing your kids a favor. Legal recreational pot is a cash cow for the beast gov. Smarten up the gov is laughing at pot heads and taking their $.
Asshat, Legal or not it makes 0-ZERO difference in the availability of pot. Do you think because it is illegal people don’t use it or can’t get all they want? Doing your kids a favor? How’s that? By making them buy it from the black market and facing jail for it? At least if it’s legal it can be controlled and generate tax revenue. Did prohibition stop people from drinking? Your post is very very underthought.
Like they said in the armed services, smoke em if you got em. Nothing can change that. And we did.
Feds should not even be in the business of drugs. They have the right to control importation and interstate commerce, but they have NO right to regulate intrastate commerce. If a state chooses to legalize drugs it has the right to do so.
Sessions is just enforcing laws that Democrats passed, I think he is not putting the correct priority on which laws he chooses to enforce, but that is a subjective call. Obama’s DOJ went after Bundy and left gangs in Chicago alone, that was a bigger misjudgment.
The real problem is the federal government run by Democrats and GOPe is out of control, doing un-constitutional things, and we don’t know how or don’t want to throttle them.
Unfortunately we don’t have stated here meaning our federal government controls the provinces. The provincial government gets some of the tax revenues as well as set age limits impairment limits that sort of thing. Basically they will try to treat it like alcohol as far as pricing quality ect. What the feds don’t seem to understand is they think they are going to get rich lol
The federal government wants a dollar a gram in tax the dispenseres want to charge $10-12 a gram putting the price up to 14-15$ a gram. I’d never pay that a good 1/2 oz bag will run you about $100 and that’s some eyeball spinning good stuff.oh for those that don’t know 7 grams equals 1/4 oz.
Not to mention each household is allowed 4 plants 1meter(yard) tall.
Hell the hardware stores are already selling the hydroponic systems energy efficient ones too. So if our government thinks it’s gonna cash in I laugh.
Most people like me will either grow it or keep buying from our buddies
I think Jeff Sessions needs to go! At first I had some “hopes” for him, but his ass needs to get the fuck out the damn door. Trump fire his no good for nothing ass. I am NOT at all impressed with that damn hillbilly Sessions. the US is a huge sinking hole, just wait folks, “the day” is coming hard and fast. . . . .
That’s a Republican for you. No liberty with them, just like with the Democrats. Just the other side of the same old authoritarian coin. Americans, however, psychologically can’t vote for anything else for fear of “losing” (even if an “unelectable” candidate gets the majority????). They lose big time by throwing away their would-be winning majority of votes by voting for somebody else’s same old authoritarian winner–and thereby making that same old authoritarian the winner.
Anonymous
Better known as “The lesser of evils”.