April 9 and 10, 2017


News and Views


I DO LIKE TO HEAR HONEST AND OUTSPOKEN PEOPLE TALK. ELOQUENCE AND ELEGANCE ARE GOOD, BUT MERE PASSIVITY IS OFTEN LESS EFFECTIVE THAN THE VOICING OF SOME HARD-HITTING OPINION OF OUR POINTS OF VIEW AS WELL. HAVE YOU EVER NOTICED THAT?

FROM SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM: “… YOU DON’T WORRY ABOUT WHAT TRUMP MAY DO ON ANY GIVEN DAY, THEN YOU’RE CRAZY.” I CAN’T HELP LIKING SOME OF THESE REPUBLICANS. THE WHOLE PARTY ISN’T HOPELESS, THANK GOODNESS.

http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/sen-graham-assad-saying-f-you-trump-flying-bombed-airfield-n744326
APR 9 2017, 11:00 AM ET
Sen. Graham: Assad Saying ‘F You’ to Trump By Flying From Bombed Airfield
by KAILANI KOENIG

WASHINGTON - South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's decision to launch warplanes from Shayrat Airfield just hours after it was bombed by U.S. cruise missiles was a "huge mistake."

"Here's what I think Assad's telling Trump by flying from this base: 'F you,'" Graham said on "Meet The Press." "And I think he's making a huge mistake. Because if you're an adversary of the United States and you don't worry about what Trump may do on any given day, then you're crazy."

Play Graham: Assad is Telling Trump 'F-U' 0:25

President Trump ordered the cruise missile strikes on the airfield Thursday evening in response to a deadly chemical attack that the United States has blamed on al-Assad's regime. On Friday, Syrian activists reported jets taking off from the airbase that was hit, and airstrikes were reported in the same town that was targeted by the chemical attack.

"I have to say, you used the initials, but I think that's a first for 'Meet The Press,' Senator Graham," host Chuck Todd said.

Graham was responding to a question about whether there is any moral difference between chemical attacks and barrel bombs.

"I'll say this, if you kill babies with conventional bombs, it's still a moral outrage," he said.

Graham said he supports the president's decision to order the strikes, but wants to see more from the administration on Syria.

"I'm glad Trump did this. He is no longer Obama in the eyes of our enemies but he needs to do more to close the deal. There's a new sheriff in town," Graham said.

Play Full Graham Interview: 'Russia Aided and Abetted Assad' 6:03



HUMAN PROGRESS SHOULD BE OBSTRUCTED AT ANY COST, DON’TCHA KNOW? THE BILLIONAIRES MIGHT BE INCONVENIENCED.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/justice-dept-seeks-pause-agreement-baltimore-police-n742351
NEWS APR 3 2017, 11:07 PM ET
Justice Dept. Seeks Pause on Agreement With Baltimore Police
by ASSOCIATED PRESS

Play -- Seven Baltimore Police Officers Indicted on Federal Racketeering Charges 0:55
Related: AG Jeff Sessions Lays Out Priorities to Optimistic Police Groups
Related: NFL Players Testify About Improving Community and Police Relations



WASHINGTON — The Justice Department late Monday asked a federal judge for more time to "review and assess" a proposed agreement to overhaul the Baltimore police department, saying it needed to determine how it might conflict with the crime-fighting agenda of new Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

The government's request for a 90-day continuance came three days before a scheduled hearing before a federal judge, and just hours after Sessions announced he had ordered a sweeping review of the Justice Department's interactions with local law enforcement, including such court-enforceable improvement plans with troubled police agencies.

It provided an early glimpse of the attorney general's stance on police department oversight and his ambivalence about mandating widespread change of local law enforcement agencies.

Sessions, an Alabama Republican who cultivated a tough-on-crime reputation during 20 years in the Senate, has repeatedly expressed concern that lengthy investigations of a police department can malign an entire agency. That view reflects a dramatic break from an Obama administration that saw such probes as essential in holding local law enforcement accountable for unconstitutional practices.

The federal government cited several reasons for the requested delay, including new Justice Department policies that federal officials say are aimed at reducing crime as well as a new memo that seeks a review of existing or proposed consent decrees.

If granted, the request would effectively put on pause a process that could lead to a sweeping overhaul in the policies and practices of the Baltimore police force. The two sides reached agreement on a consent decree earlier this year before Attorney General Loretta Lynch left the Justice Department.

The department said it was aware of the need for police reform in Baltimore but added that the city "has made progress toward reform on its own and, as a consequence, it may be possible to take these changes into account where appropriate to ensure future compliance while protecting public safety."

Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh said the announcement was "rather surprising," and she hoped the request would not cause a long delay because city officials are trying to "regain the confidence of the community."

"We want to move forward," Pugh told The Associated Press. "We want to work with our police department. We believe there are reforms needed."

The filing echoed a far-ranging memo made public Monday that called for an immediate "review of all Department activities," including "existing or contemplated consent decrees," which were a staple of the Obama administration's efforts to overhaul agencies after racially charged incidents.

A department spokeswoman would not elaborate on which consent decrees would get a fresh look or describe the potential outcomes.

In addition to Baltimore, the review also renewed questions about the fate of negotiations with Chicago's police department after a report released in the final days of Lynch's tenure found officers there had violated the constitutional rights of residents for years.

Sessions has not committed to such an agreement and has repeatedly said he believes broad investigations of police departments risk unfairly smearing entire agencies and harming officer morale. He has also suggested that officers' reluctance to aggressively police has contributed to a spike in violence in some cities.

He reiterated that concern in the memo, adding that "local control and local accountability are necessary for effective policing. It is not the responsibility of the federal government to manage non-federal law enforcement agencies."

The proposed consent decree in Baltimore came after the Justice Department released a scathing report detailing longstanding patterns of racial profiling and excessive force within the city's police force. The review was prompted by the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man whose neck was broken in the back of a transport wagon, and whose death roiled the city.

Activist Ray Kelly said the requested delay threatened to undermine hard-fought efforts to heal the fractured relationship.

Image:
Members of the Baltimore Police stand by a department vehicle. Patrick Semansky / AP file
While consent decrees that are in negotiation, or have not yet been reached, could now be in the balance under new leadership, it would be harder to change the consent decrees that already exist in cities such as Cleveland, Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Ferguson, Missouri.

Though there is a mechanism that permits the Justice Department to seek to modify existing agreements that are overseen by a court, most judges would not be sympathetic to amend an agreement for purely political reasons, said Jonathan Smith, a civil rights attorney in the Obama administration.

He said it was possible that a consent decree in Chicago could still be reached — both sides reached an agreement in principle earlier this year — because of political pressures.

"Whether that agreement will be any good and effective, I think is much harder to know," Smith said.

Associated Press writer Juliet Linderman in Baltimore contributed to this report.

TOPICS U.S. NEWS, JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, NBCBLK
FIRST PUBLISHED APR 3 2017, 11:07 PM ET



THE RICO LAW SHOULD DEFINITELY BE USED FOR THIS. IF THAT HAPPENED IN MORE CITIES, THERE WOULD BE CONSIDERABLE IMPROVEMENT AROUND THE COUNTRY. THE UNION’S CLAIM THAT THEY AREN’T GETTING “DUE PROCESS,” IS TYPICAL, BUT RIDICULOUS. FREEDOM FROM EFFECTIVE SURVEILLANCE AND PROSECUTION IS NOT A “DUE PROCESS” RIGHT, I DON’T THINK. IT’S A SIGN OF CORRUPTION THAT GOES ALL THE WAY UP TO THE TOP OF THE MANAGEMENT CHAIN. THERE IS A VERY SMALL TOWN IN FLORIDA NEAR ME WHICH HAD ITS’ ENTIRE POLICE FORCE DISBANDED, AND OFFICERS FROM A NEARBY FORCE PUT IN CHARGE. UNFORTUNATELY, THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO DO IN A LARGE CITY LIKE BALTIMORE.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/seven-baltimore-cops-indicted-federal-racketeering-n727716
NEWS MAR 2 2017, 12:24 AM ET
Seven Baltimore Cops Indicted on Federal Racketeering Charges
by CHARLIE GILE

Seven Baltimore police officers were indicted Wednesday for federal racketeering crimes ranging from filing false overtime claims while actually at a casino to robbing a driver during a traffic stop.

One of the cops is facing a separate charge for drug distribution.

Investigators said the crimes — some of them committed by some members of the elite Gun Trace Task Force — took place last year as the Department of Justice investigated the Baltimore Police Department for use of excessive force, among other violations. The racketeering investigation was conducted in secret over the past year as part of what officials described as a sweeping reform effort across the department.

Those indicted include Det. Momodu Bondeva Kenton "GMoney" Gondo, 34; Det. Evodio Calles Hendrix, 32; Det. Daniel Thomas Hersl, 47; Sgt. Wayne Earl Jenkins, 36; Det. Jemell Lamar Rayam, 36; Det. Marcus Roosevelt Taylor, 30; and Det. Maurice Kilpatrick Ward, 36.

Image: Baltimore Police
Clockwise from top left are Marcus Taylor, Daniel Hersl, Maurice Ward, Jemell Rayam, Evodio Hendrix, Wayne Jenkins, and Momodu Gando. Baltimore Police via AP

Maryland U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein said the crimes were an abuse of power.

"They were involved in stopping people who had not committed crimes and not only seizing their money but pocketing it," he said. "These are really simply robberies by people who are wearing police uniforms."

Baltimore City Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said the indictments were "a punch in the gut" for the Baltimore Police Department. "These officers are 1930s-style gangsters as far as I'm concerned," he said.

Davis said that this investigation is part of a larger effort to reform the police department.

"Reform isn't always pretty. It's messy sometimes," Davis said.

Last August, in the wake of the tumult following Freddie Gray's death, the Justice Department issued a report that said the Baltimore police department often used excessive force and conducted unlawful traffic stops in some of the city's poorest and predominantly black communities. As part of an agreement with the DOJ, the Baltimore police department agreed to a consent decree to install sweeping reforms.

"We wouldn't be under a consent decree if we didn't' have issues. We have issues," Davis said.

Posters detailing specific allegations from 2016 sat on either side of the podium during the press conference.

In one case, four of the officers are alleged to have stolen $200,000 from a safe and bags and a watch valued at $4,000. In July 2016, three officers conspired to impersonate a federal officer in order to steal $20,000 in cash.

Prosecutors said one officer helped a friend being tracked as part of a drug conspiracy remove a GPS tracking device placed by the Drug Enforcement Agency on the person's car.

In another case, the officers watched a drug home for a full day and then stole $3,000 from people who later emerged from the home.

In yet another instance, an officer charged overtime while at a casino when the sergeant in charge was on vacation, the Maryland U.S. attorney's office said. Another officer claimed overtime while vacationing in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Sometimes, the officers turned off their body cameras to avoid recording what they were up to, according to the indictment.

As first reported by the Baltimore Sun, several of the officers were also highly praised in the October 2016 Baltimore Police newsletter in an article written by Lt. Chris O'Ree, a member of the ATF taskforce.

"I am extremely proud to showcase the work of Sergeant Wayne Jenkins and the Gun Trace Task Force," O'Ree wrote. "Sergeant Jenkins and his team have 110 arrests for handgun violations and seized 132 illegal handguns." He added, "I couldn't be more proud of the strong work of this team."

Rosenstein said that the investigation involved electronic surveillance and the installation of a recording device in the cars of one of the officers. He said that the recordings demonstrate "a lack of respect for the system, particularly in discussions about overtime."

One of the accused officers reportedly said that working for the police department is "easy money."

"I can assure you that for the officers that are doing their legitimate jobs, this is not easy money by any means," Rosenstein said.

The president of the Baltimore City Fraternal Order of Police, Gene Ryan, said he was "disturbed" by the charges.

"We are very disturbed over the charges filed against our members by the U.S. Attorney today," Ryan said in a statement.

"These officers are entitled to due process and a fair trial in accordance with the Constitution and the laws of our state."



MORE INSTABILITY BREWING? VUCIK RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT WITHOUT RESIGNING FROM HIS PRIME MINISTER POSITION. THAT DOES SOUND LIKE A CLEAR MOVE TOWARD A DICTATORIAL POSITION IF HE WOULD BE ALLOWED TO CONSOLIDATE POWER IN THAT WAY. IN THE US OUR SENATORS, ETC., DON’T HAVE TO RESIGN BEFORE RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT, BUT OF COURSE NONE WOULD BE ALLOWED TO HOLD TWO OFFICES AT THE SAME TIME. THE CONSOLIDATION OF POWER IN ONE PERSON IN THAT WAY IS DANGEROUS, IN MY VIEW. SEE BOTH ARTICLES BELOW, THE SECOND FOR BACKGROUND INFORMATION.

FOR MORE BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON SERBIA THERE IS A MAP-BASED WEBSITE I FOUND ON THE ALLIANCES, INCREASING MILITARISM, AND NATIONALISM BEFORE WWI, WITH CONFLICTS BETWEEN CULTURAL GROUPS, AND THE PEACE FROM WHICH WWII EVOLVED. IF YOU’RE INTERESTED, SEE THE POWERPOINT SLIDE SHOW ON WWI BELOW. I KNOW VERY LITTLE ABOUT SERBIA, EXCEPT WHAT I HEARD 40 YEARS AGO IN HISTORY CLASSES. MACEDONIA WAS CONSIDERED PART OF SERBIA UNTIL SEPTEMBER 8, 1991, WHEN THE PARLIAMENT DECLARED ITS’ INDEPENDENCE IN A REFERENDUM, PER WIKIPEDIA. IT IS INTERESTING THAT THE CITY WHICH IS GENERATING THE MOST “FAKE NEWS” STORIES DURING THE 2016 US ELECTION IS IN MACEDONIA AS WELL.


http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/thousands-protest-serbia-presidential-outcome-7th-day-46689290?cid=clicksource_4380645_1_hero_headlines_headlines_hed
Thousands protest Serbia presidential outcome for 7th day
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BELGRADE, Serbia — Apr 9, 2017, 3:32 PM ET

Photograph -- Protesters march holding banners: "Culture?", down, "Culture, no dictatorship!", top left, "Institution is not prostitution", top center and "Drama artists are walking!", during a protest in Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, April 9, 2017. Thousands of people have protested for the seventh consecutive day against the presidential election victory of Serbia's powerful Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, amid fresh allegations by the opposition of a rigged vote count. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Thousands of people protested for the seventh consecutive day Sunday against the presidential election victory of Serbia's powerful Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, amid fresh allegations by the opposition of a rigged vote count.

The protests by mostly young people have been held every day since last Sunday's election, in which Vucic polled 55 percent of the vote and avoided a runoff.

Opposition groups have alleged irregularities, including muzzling of the media during the campaign and voter intimidation and Election Day bribe.

Sasa Jankovic, the liberal candidate who placed a distant second in the race, alleged Sunday that ballots from 25 polling stations showed evidence of massive fraud in Vucic's favor.

Vucic denied the allegation and told the state electoral commission to do a recount from two of the mentioned voting stations.

The recount done live on state TV turned up four suspicious ballots, not the hundreds the opposition had claimed.

Jankovic's advisers said the recount itself was invalid because the ballots could have been tampered with in the meantime. They said they would file criminal charges against officials who counted the ballots at the polling stations.

"I'm expressing my serious suspicion that those votes counted today could have been somehow modified," Vesna Rakic Vodinelic, a member of Jankovic's legal team, said.

On Sunday, Vucic downplayed the number of people turning out to protest his election. Participation in the week of protests peaked on Saturday at more than 20,000.

He also denied potentially "stealing" nearly 319,000 votes during the elections, as claimed by the opposition, describing the allegations as "notorious stupidity."



https://www.euractiv.com/section/all/news/eu-attacked-by-serbian-politicians-for-pro-government-bias/
By Smiljana Vukojicic | EURACTIV.rs
Mar 23, 2017 (updated: Mar 28, 2017)

Photograph -- Presidential candidate Sasa Radulović claims the EU unfairly favours incumbent Premier Aleksandar Vučić. [Necenzurisano]
Photograph -- Brussels' Balkan approach: Little carrot, broken stick -- Once staunchly pro-EU, Kosovars are losing patience with Brussels, which they accuse of prioritising Serbian accession over their own sovereignty, warns the mayor of Kosovo’s capital, Shpend Ahmeti.
Photograph -- Serbian confidence in accession process declining -- Support for EU accession among Serbians is falling, and it may be a result of a loss of confidence in the chances of being admitted, a recent poll by the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCSP) shows. EURACTIV Serbia reports.


Serbian presidential candidates are criticising the EU, blaming it for tolerating the authoritarian leanings of the government’s candidate and current Prime Minister, Aleksandar Vučić, in exchange for stability and concessions over Kosovo. EURACTIV Serbia reports.

The criticism usually comes from the extreme right and nationalist bloc in Serbia, including the Democratic Party of Serbia, the Serbian Radical Party and the Dveri movement, who are in principle anti-European, and generally pro-Russian.

This time, the criticism also comes from the candidates of the so-called democratic bloc, who point to the EU’s leniency towards the government.

The harshest critic is the candidate of the Enough is Enough movement (Dosta je bilo – DJB) and its leader Saša Radulović. This month, after Kosovo decided to appropriate real estate within its self-declared national boundaries, he claimed that the EU is turning a blind eye to both non-democratic practices in Serbia and the “stealing” of property in Kosovo by the state.

“Not only (does) Europe turns a blind eye and tolerate this theft, but also actively supports the catastrophic government of the (Prime Minister) Aleksandar Vučić, by getting involved in the presidential campaign of this prime minister, who abuses his position,” Radulović said, as this move by Priština coincided with Vučić’s trip to see German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in Berlin.

Once staunchly pro-EU, Kosovars are losing patience with Brussels, which they accuse of prioritising Serbian accession over their own sovereignty, warns the mayor of Kosovo’s capital, Shpend Ahmeti.

Radulović’s party, Enough is Enough, also said that in democracies it is unthinkable for the prime minister to run for the presidency without resigning, while it doesn’t bother Mogherini and Merkel to meet with the Serbian premier during his presidential campaign.

In the statement, Enough is Enough also said that the EU bureaucracy “lost the compass” and sacrificed all of its proclaimed values for short-term interests substantially contrary to the interest of citizens of Serbia

Ex-ombudsman Saša Janković, who is now running for the presidency as an independent candidate, said at the beginning of March that the EU justifies politics in Serbia totally opposed to European values, meaning democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

Janković outlined that he will, therefore, return prizes he received for promoting EU values and standards in Serbia.

“I will bring back the prize not because I don’t believe in Europe and European values. On the contrary, I will do it to defend those values, that are not only European but also Serbian,” Janković said. He received prizes for the promotion of European values in Serbia three times – two times by the European Movement in Serbia, and once by a local NGO.

Serbian confidence in accession process declining

Support for EU accession among Serbians is falling, and it may be a result of a loss of confidence in the chances of being admitted, a recent poll by the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCSP) shows. EURACTIV Serbia reports.

Candidate Vuk Jeremić, Serbia’s former foreign minister, who also served as president of the UN General Assembly in 2012-13 and is a founder of the NGO CIRSD, missed the meeting with Mogherini on 3 March in Belgrade, as he hoped to begin his presidential campaign with a visit to Kosovo. By taking such a step, according to public opinion, he showed his priorities.

Jeremić is known as nationalist, although he was educated at Harvard and Cambridge, and was in the pro-European Democratic Party.

The elections are to be held on 2 April, there are 11 candidates registered, with the polls giving significant advantage to the candidate of the governing coalition, Aleksandar Vučić, who is leading his campaign as prime minister, after he surprisingly decided to run for the presidency to secure the victory of his Serbian Progressive Party SNS.



A QUICK VIEW OF WWI AND SERBIA --
https://www.slideshare.net/janetdiederich/world-war-i-power-point/2

MAP SHOWING SERBIA, MACEDONIA, BETWEEN ALBANIA AND BULGARIA, ALSO IN THE BALKANS: http://www.caingram.info/Balkans/Pic_htm/balkans_map.htm

http://www.wordnik.com/words/irredentism -- DEFINITION OF IRREDENTISM (CLUE – IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH TEETH.)

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MACEDONIA AND SERBIA FRAGILE --
http://www.b92.net/eng/news/region.php?yyyy=2017&mm=01&dd=20&nav_id=100300
Macedonia to Serbia: Use our "correct name"; Dacic responds
The Macedonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has gone through diplomatic channels to ask Serbia to use "the correct name for the Republic of Macedonia."
SOURCE: BETA, TANJUG FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017 | 18:16



http://www.voanews.com/a/serbia-putin-agrees-to-large-weapons-delivery-to-balkans/3786287.html
Serbia: Putin Agrees to Large Weapons Delivery to Balkans
March 29, 2017 0:33 AM
Associated Press

Photograph -- A Russian T-72 tank is unloaded prior to a rehearsal for the Victory Day military parade in St. Petersburg, Russia, April 28, 2016.

BELGRADE, SERBIA — Russian President Vladimir Putin has promised to sign off on a delivery of fighter jets, battle tanks and armored vehicles to Serbia, the Balkan country's defense minister said Tuesday, in what could worsen tensions with neighboring states and trigger an arms race in the war-weary region.

Defense Minister Zoran Djordjevic said that Putin agreed to approve the delivery during a visit by Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic to Moscow on Monday. He said six MiG-29 fighter jets, 30 T-72 tanks and 30 BRDM-2 armored vehicles will be delivered soon.

“The president of the Russian Federation said he will sign that decree, and when it's signed, we will act accordingly,” Djordjevic said. “We are waiting for the process to be finalized in Russia and see how (the equipment) will be delivered to Serbia.”

The jets would have to fly over NATO-member countries before reaching Serbia. Or, they would have to be taken apart and flown in transport planes, if the neighboring countries approve.

Djordjevic said that the jets, tanks and fighting vehicles — donated from Russian arms reserves for free — will be “fully modernized and refurbished” in Serbia by Russian technicians for an undisclosed sum. It is estimated that the overhaul of the MiGs alone would cost Serbia some 200 million euros ($216 million.)

Djordjevic said earlier that Serbia is also interested in buying a Russian air defense system as well as opening a repair center for Russian MIL helicopters which, analysts believe, would be tantamount to opening a Russian military base on its territory.

Serbia formally has been on the path to join the European Union, but under political and propaganda pressure from Moscow has steadily slid toward the Kremlin and its goal of keeping the countries in the Balkan region out of NATO and other Western integrations.

EU officials have voiced their alarm over increasing Russian influence in the western Balkans, which has seen a bloody civil war in the 1990s.

Meanwhile, Serbia's archrival and NATO-member Croatia is shopping for a new fighter to replace the nation's aging MiG-21s.


https://euobserver.com/foreign/137100
EU and Russia step into Macedonia crisis
By ANDREW RETTMAN
BRUSSELS, 3. MAR, 10:09

Macedonia has become the latest theatre in a tug-of-war between the West and Russia over the future of the Western Balkans.

With street protests in Skopje and a constitutional crisis over the results of a recent election, Nato, the US, the EU, and the Russian foreign ministry issued contradictory statements on Thursday (2 March). . . . .

Macedonian former leader Gruevski (r) set to lose power after 11 years (Photo: European Commission)

The Western bloc urged Macedonian president Gjorge Ivanov to allow a new coalition of ethnic Macedonian and ethnic Albanian parties take power because they had a majority of 67 out of 120 seats in parliament.

“[We must] avoid that this political and institutional crisis becomes an inter-ethnic conflict or, even worse, a geopolitical one,” EU foreign relations chief Federica Mogherini said after meeting Ivanov in Skopje on Thursday.

She urged him to “reverse his decision”, adding that “instead of democratic rules, chaos prevails today”.

Nato head Jens Stoltenberg and the US ambassador to Macedonia, Jess L. Baily, echoed her views.

“I look to the authorities in Skopje to fulfil the next step in the democratic process,” Stoltenberg said.

Baily, who also met Ivanov, said his decision was “inconsistent with basic democratic principles and the rule of law which are core values of Nato.”

The Russian foreign ministry said on Thursday that EU and Nato had caused the crisis and that they endorsed the creation of a “Greater Albania” in the region.

“The political crisis in Macedonia [was] provoked by the gross external interference in the country’s internal affairs,” Russia said.

“Attempts, which are actively supported by EU and Nato leaders, are being made to make Macedonians accept the ‘Albanian platform’ designed in Tirana in the prime minister’s office based on the map of the so-called Greater Albania, which illustrates its territorial claims to vast regions in neighbouring Montenegro, Serbia, Macedonia, and Greece,” it said. . . . .

Montenegro prosecutors are preparing to indict Eduard Shishmakov, an alleged Russian spy, for plotting a failed coup last year that was designed to stop the country from joining Nato in May.

“The European Union door is open, not only that, but that we want you to cross that door and enter,” Mogherini said. . . . .



https://euobserver.com/foreign/137153
EU diplomats warn US of Russian military threat
By ANDREW RETTMAN
BRUSSELS, 8. MAR, 12:19

Photograph – Polish and Baltic diplomats spoke to armed services committee on Tuesday (Photo: prameya)

Poland and Lithuania have called for US troops to stay in eastern Europe and for US arms and communications technology to counter Russian aggression.



WHITES HAVE LONG BEEN AFRAID OF BLACKS IN THE STREETS AND WHEN BANDING TOGETHER TO ACHIEVE A VOTING BLOC OR PROTEST MARCH, BUT THAT, OF COURSE, IS BECAUSE THEY WANT EVERYTHING TO GO THEIR WAY. GROUP CONSCIOUSNESS IS IMPORTANT TO GETTING ANYTHING DONE. IN THE 1970S I WAS IN THE WOMEN’S LIBERATION CONSCIOUSNESS RAISING GROUP, AND IT WAS INFLUENTIAL, I BELIEVE, IN GETTING SOME LAWS CHANGED. IT ALSO IMPROVED MY OWN VIEWS ON WHAT WOMEN’S LIBERATION MEANS, AND HOW I REALLY DO FEEL ABOUT IT ALL. IN THOSE DAYS FEMINISM WAS CONSIDERED BY MANY TO BE TOO RADICAL, BUT IT CERTAINLY DID MAKE A DIFFERENCE. OUR WORLD IS NOTICEABLY DIFFERENT NOWADAYS, ESPECIALLY AMONG YOUNG WOMEN.

IF STRONG PRESSURE IS NECESSARY TO GET CHANGES MADE, AND LIVES ARE NOT THREATENED, I BELIEVE IT SHOULD HAPPEN. GONE ARE THE DAYS (IF THEY EVER EXISTED), WHEN JUST “WRITING YOUR CONGRESSMAN” WAS WORTH TWO CENTS! LIKE IT OR NOT, LEGISLATORS ARE MUCH MORE IMPRESSED BY 200,000 WOMEN MARCHING DOWN THE STREETS OF WASHINGTON TO GET THE ABORTION LAWS AND EQUAL RIGHTS LAWS CHANGED FOR WOMEN. LOOK AT SOME PHOTOS OF THOSE EARLY FEMINISTS WHO GOT THE VOTE FOR WOMEN. HUMANS, WHITE OR BLACK, TEND TO BE GREEDY ABOUT BOTH MONEY AND POWER UNLESS SOMETHING FORCES THEM TO CHANGE. IT’S SAD, BUT TRUE. SEE THE FOLLOWING VERY INTERESTING ARTICLE ON CHANGES IN CONGRESS TOWARD THE RIGHTS OF BLACK PEOPLE. IT’S INTERESTING TO SEE THAT SPORTS PLAYERS ARE LEADING THE CHARGE. NOTE, THIS OFFICER, AS SOMETHING IN THE RANGE OF 90% OF THEM DO EVERY TIME THIS HAPPENS, CLAIMS THAT HE “FELT THREATENED.”


http://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/nfl-players-testify-about-improving-community-police-relations-n740761
NEWS MAR 30 2017, 10:13 PM ET
NFL Players Testify About Improving Community and Police Relations
by DONNA OWENS and CHANDELIS R. DUSTER

Play NFL Players Testify About Bettering Police Relations 2:50
Play -- NFL Players Testify About Bettering Police Relations 2:50
Related: From The Field To The Hill, Karim Barton is Tackling Opportunities
Image: Congressional forum with NFL players, Detroit Lions cornerback Johnson Bademosi, from left, former NFL wide receiver Donte Stallworth, Detroit Lions wide receiver Anquan Boldin, Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins, Rep. Brenda Lawrence, D-Michigan, President of the Center for Policing Equity Phillip Atiba Goff, Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Maryland, and Rep. John Conyers, D-Michigan stand for a photograph at a Congressional forum with NFL players in Washington on Thursday, March 30, 2017. Chandelis Duster / NBC News


Anquan Boldin, a NFL free agent who's played with the Detroit Lions and Baltimore Ravens, is young, rich and famous. Yet, as a black man in America, he's keenly aware of the tensions that can exist between communities of color and law enforcement.

Today on Capitol Hill, Boldin shared with members of Congress how his family was devastated after a cousin, Corey Jones, was fatally shot during a 2015 police encounter.

"I wish I could tell you Corey's story was unique. I wish I could tell you that now, over a year later, we know exactly what happened and that the issue is resolved," the 36-year-old Super Bowl champion told lawmakers. "…And I wish I wasn't here at all talking about my dead cousin, but I am."

The South Florida man, 31, was headed home from a church band event when his SUV stalled near a highway exit ramp. A policeman not in uniform, driving an unmarked van, approached the stranded vehicle, and the episode turned deadly. The officer involved has reportedly maintained he felt threatened; Nouman Raja is no longer on the force and now faces criminal charges. His trial date is set for October.

". …One of the hardest parts of this whole experience has been the lack of understanding about what happened, why it happened, and what is happening in the legal process," said Boldin.

Now the pro baller wants to use his high profile and voice to help build bridges between police and people both in his hometown and around the country.

Boldin, Malcolm Jenkins of the Philadelphia Eagles, Johnson Bademosi of the Detroit Lions and retired NFL wide receiver Donte Stallworth were among the pro ballers who traveled to the nation's capital this week to confer with elected officials on both sides of the aisle about criminal justice issues.

The athletes, sharply dressed in tailored suits, facilitated the meetings and weren't representing the League. They wrapped up their visit by attending a Congressional forum titled: "NFL Players Speak Up: First-Hand Experiences and Building Trust Between Communities and Police."

Hosted by Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD); Rep. John Conyers Jr., (D-MI); Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) and Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-LA)—who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus—the dialogue they and other lawmakers led centered around policing, incarceration, and more.

It's not the first time NFL players have made their way to The Hill. The members of Congress and players emphasized that their conversation was not intended to bash law enforcement, but was part of an ongoing effort to find solutions.

"We are here today to discuss ways to build greater trust between police and minority communities," said Cummings, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

"We also want to discuss concrete proposals to help former inmates who have done their time and are leaving prison to re-enter society and make meaningful contributions to the neighborhoods in which they live."

. . . . [DUPLICATIONS]

Now the pro baller wants to use his high profile and voice to help build bridges between police and people both in his hometown and around the country.

Boldin, Malcolm Jenkins of the Philadelphia Eagles, Johnson Bademosi of the Detroit Lions and retired NFL wide receiver Donte Stallworth were among the pro ballers who traveled to the nation's capital this week to confer with elected officials on both sides of the aisle about criminal justice issues.

The athletes, sharply dressed in tailored suits, facilitated the meetings and weren't representing the League. They wrapped up their visit by attending a Congressional forum titled: "NFL Players Speak Up: First-Hand Experiences and Building Trust Between Communities and Police."

. . . . [DUPLICATIONS]

Community policing has garnered national attention following a rash of police-related killings of unarmed African Americans across the nation.

While the current wave of national attention was triggered by the controversial shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri back in August 2014, other high profile police-involved deaths of men, women, children and transgendered individuals have followed in Cleveland, New York and Baltimore, among other cities.

Rep. Conyers noted during the forum that more than 250 African-American men were killed in police incidents in 2016 alone. Moreover, at least 60 officers died last year in the line of duty across the country.

"For the better part of two decades, the relationship between African-American communities and their police departments across the nation have hovered in a state of volatility, awaiting a single incident to combust," said the veteran Michigan lawmaker.

While the Black Lives Matter movement and related activism has elevated the issue, experts told the Congressional representatives more can be done; federal collection of data around police-involved fatalities, for instance.

"Why is the will not there?" asked Phillip Atiba Goff, Ph.D., co-founder and President of the Center for Policing Equity,* a think tank which uses evidence based approaches to social justice issues.

In addition to sharing his thoughts about the need for greater mutual understanding between police and minority communities, NFL player Malcolm Jenkins said his foundation is also focused on issues related to incarceration of juveniles and adults and re-entry programs for former offenders.

He spoke about his recent trip to a prison in Pennsylvania, during which he spent time volunteering with inmates at a computer class and talking with them about how they were preparing to exit the facility to return to their lives.

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"We need to invest in job training, education, rehabilitation, and advancement programs to end the cycle of repeat offenders and arrests," he told lawmakers. "When they come out of prison we want them to be contributing members of society and not perceived as a threat."

Several of the Congressional representatives indicated they had already introduced or had plans to reintroduce legislation around the issues raised during the forum.

Cummings, for instance, will soon be re-introducing legislation to give formerly incarcerated individuals a better chance at getting federal jobs. The bill, called the Fair Chance Act, would ban the government from requesting criminal history information from job applicants until the end of the hiring process. Also known as "Ban the Box," he believes it would help people looking to contribute to their communities and the country.

Conyers is also working on bipartisan legislation to provide incentives to help local police ensure that misconduct is minimized and fully investigated.

Cummings told the players he was proud of their efforts while Jackson Lee called them "role models." "What you're doing today is crucial," she said.

Conyers agreed. "As we recognize the price that some of your colleagues are paying for their activism, we note that your appearance here is meaningful - and not without risk to your livelihood," he said.

"Ultimately, I believe that your activism will inspire other to raise their voices for justice. Let no one make the mistake of believing that the search for justice in America is anything less than an act of patriotism."

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*http://policingequity.org/executive-team/phillip-atiba-goff-phd/
Phillip Atiba Goff, PhD
Cofounder and President

Phillip Atiba Goff is the inaugural Franklin A. Thomas Professor in Policing Equity at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He is the co-founder and president of the Center for Policing Equity, and an expert in contemporary forms of racial bias and discrimination, as well as the intersections of race and gender. Dr. Goff serves as one of four Principal Investigators for the CPE’s National Justice Database, the first national database on racial disparities in police stops and use of force.

More recently, Dr. Goff led the CPE in becoming one of three Principal Investigators for the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Initiative for Building Community Trust and Justice, which will contribute information to the National Justice Database. Dr. Goff conducts work exploring the ways in which racial prejudice is not a necessary precondition for racial discrimination. That is, despite the normative view of racial discrimination—that it stems from prejudiced explicit or implicit attitudes—his research demonstrates that situational factors facilitate racially unequal outcomes.

Dr. Goff’s model of evidence-based approaches to justice has been supported by the National Science Foundation, Department of Justice, Russell Sage Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Open Society Institute-Baltimore, Atlantic Philanthropies, William T. Grant Foundation, the COPS Office, the Major Cities Chiefs Association, the NAACP LDF, NIMH, SPSSI, the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the Mellon Foundation among others. Dr. Goff was a witness for the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing and has presented before Members of Congress and Congressional Panels, Senate Press Briefings, and White House Advisory Councils.