First, the New York Times' offered a compilation of Jeff Sessions ' positions on American issues. January 8, 2017.
Read and weep.
Jeff Sessions in His Own Words.
Policing. Mr. Sessions said that police officers faced unfair criticism for their use of force. He believes that legal action by the Justice Department has discouraged officers from doing their jobs.
It's clear that police officers all over America are concerned about the Department of Justice.
Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Nov. 17, 2015Surveillance. Mr. Sessions strongly supports the USA Patriot Act, which he said provided necessary, common-sense powers for fighting terrorism. He defended President George W. Bush's warrantless wiretapping and opposed changing surveillance laws after Edward J. Snowden's revelations.
The provisions in the Patriot Act are in no way extreme, in no way novel, in no way contradictory to the principles of the constitutional law this country has operated under since its founding.
Senate speech, Dec. 15, 2005
Mandatory Minimum Sentences. Mr. Sessions credits tough mandatory sentences with helping reduce crime. He has criticized the Obama administration for embracing more lenient sentencing policies.
How many people do you know that are likely to take a gun and would murder somebody? The more of those that are in jail serving time, the less people are going to get murdered. It's mathematics.
Senate speech, Oct. 13, 2015
Immigration. Mr. Sessions believes that immigrants — here legally or illegally — have depressed wages and siphoned billions in welfare. He derides business leaders who say otherwise and has twice helped kill major bipartisan immigration bills.
We are on a radical path. In a few years, we will have the highest percentage of non-native-born Americans ever. And it will increase every year thereafter.
Laura Ingraham's radio show, May, 25, 2016
Waterboarding. Like President-elect Trump, Mr. Sessions has defended waterboarding as a useful interrogation tactic, even in the face of a Senate investigation that declared otherwise.
It worked. I hate to say, it worked.
Senate speech, Feb. 8, 2008
Gay Marriage. Mr. Sessions said that court rulings giving gay couples the right to marry eroded American culture and values.
It is not disputable that adopting a same-sex marriage culture undermines and weakens marriage.
Senate speech, July 13, 2004
Guns. Mr. Sessions has received A+ ratings from the National Rifle Association. He has opposed expanding background checks and requiring trigger locks. He argues for aggressive enforcement of existing criminal gun laws.
It is hypocritical and really dishonest for the president to suggest that the way to deal with violations of gun laws is to pass more laws, if you are not prosecuting the ones we have.
Senate speech, April 28, 1999, after the Columbine High School massacre
Marijuana. Having been a federal prosecutor during the height of the drug war, Mr. Sessions is a leading voice against marijuana legalization and the Obama administration's detente with states that allow recreational pot use.
This drug is dangerous. You cannot play with it. It's not funny. It's not something to laugh about — and trying to send that message with clarity that good people don't smoke marijuana.
Senate drug caucus, April 5, 2016
Church and State. Mr. Sessions, a Methodist of deep faith, has argued that the Establishment Clause of the Constitution has been overinterpreted and the Free Exercise Clause has been ignored. The result, he said, is the unnecessary prohibition of expressions of faith in public spaces.
The Constitution says we shall not establish a religion — Congress shall not establish a religion. It doesn't say states couldn't establish a religion.
Senate speech, March 10, 2016
Guantánamo Bay. Mr. Sessions opposes using federal courts to prosecute Qaeda suspects. He supports holding those suspected of terroism at the military prison in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
The president's pledge to shutter Gitmo was built on the naïve premise that softening America's image would somehow soften our enemies' resolve.
Press release, Jan. 6, 2011
Climate Change. Mr. Sessions has questioned the science behind global warming and argued that proposed policies to address it would hurt the economy.
They claim the science of global warming is settled, but I suggest questions remain.
Senate speech, Jan. 27, 2015
Flag Burning. Mr. Sessions supported a constitutional amendment that would have banned burning the American flag.
Some would say: Well, you want to limit free speech when you want to stop burning the flag. Now, it is true that the Supreme Court, by a 5-to-4 majority, held that the act of burning a flag is free speech. Well, I don't agree.
Senate speech, June 27, 2006
Voices4Hillary researched key Sessions' votes. Read and get angry.
1. Sessions has been consistently an opponent of LGBT rights. The Human Rights campaign gives Sessions a rating of zero percent.
In 2002, Sessions voted against the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act of 2001, which would expand the definition of a hate crime to include crimes committed against a person because of their sexual orientation. Sessions also voted against this same idea when it came up in 2000.
In 2006, Sessions voted in favor of amending the Constitution to define marriage as being between a man and a woman. The Marriage Protection Amendment stated, "Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution, nor the constitution of any State, shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman."
And in 2013, Sessions voted against reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act with an amendment that included protections for lesbians, gays, immigrants, and Native Americans.
2.Sessions has been consistently against immigrant rights. Sessions was the first United States Senator to show support for Trump. Part of the reason for this was because Sessions and Trump shared similar feelings on immigration reform, and Sessions quickly became an immigration and national security advisor to the Trump campaign.
In 2007, Sessions voted against the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007, which would have provided a pathway to citizenship for the 12 million undocumented immigrants currently living in the United States. Sessions said that this would be a slap in the face to those who came to the country legally. A year earlier, Sessions also voted against the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006, which again would have allowed long-term undocumented immigrants to gain legal status, and it would increase the number of guest workers.
"The American people are with us on this issue," Sessions said at the time. "They expect us to create an immigration system that works and is legal. They don't want to reward those who break into our country with every single benefit we provide to those who come legally. To me, that is, indeed, amnesty."
In 2006, he voted against the Kyl Amendment to Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act, which would provide a path to citizenship for guest workers.
Sessions introduced the Border Crossing Deterrence Act, which would establish mandatory minimum penalties for illegal immigrants.
He also co-sponsored S.2719, which would require government services to be in English only.
4. Sessions is fiercely anti-women and anti-abortion. The National Right to Life Committee rates each member of Congress on their voting record when it comes to abortion, with 0 being extremely pro-choice and 100 being extremely pro-life. Jeff Sessions receives a score of 100.
During the 112th Congress, Sessions was a sponsor of the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act. This would make the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits any federal funding of abortions, permanent. At the moment, the Hyde Amendment is a "rider" that must be attached to the HHS appropriations bill every year, but the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act would make it permanent law.
This particular bill was highly controversial because of the way it defined rape. It states that there may be exceptions "if the pregnancy occurred because the pregnant female was the subject of an act of forcible rape or, if a minor, an act of incest." The phrase "forcible rape," which seems to imply that there is some kind of rape that is not forcible, did not previously appear in the Hyde Amendment. The bill fails to define "forcible rape."
Sessions also voted yes on S.AMDT.3330, which would bar HHS grants to organizations that perform abortions.
Sessions voted against the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in 2009.
In 2012, he voted against the re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act.
Sessions actively defended Trump after the revelation of his attacks on women.
From The Weekly Standard.
Sessions. I don't characterize that as sexual assault. I think that's a stretch.
This thing is overblown. . . This is not a disqualifying event.
5. Sessions has at best a dubious record on Civil Rights. His record in the prosecution of 3 civil rights activists in Perry County, Alabama in the 1980's has been severely criticized. Racially charged allegations derailed his efforts to become a federal judge in 1986. During that hearing, Sessions was criticized for joking that the KKK was "okay" until they smoked marijuana. He was also said to have called a black lawyer "boy," and the NAACP "un-American" and "communist inspired."
The Alabama NAACP has been sitting in at Sessions' mobile Alabama office to oppose Sessions' appointment. 5 men and one women were arrested at those sit-ins.
What you can do to stop Sessions' appointment.
Get on the phone. Get your Senators and Representatives numbers by texting your zip code to (520) 200-2223.
We need 3 Repug Senators to block him or 2 if he doesn't vote for himself.
Call your GOP Senators and Reps and tell them to block Sessions. Tell them you will unelect them as well as all local GOP officials if they don't reject Sessions. Remind them there are elections each year locally and then comes 2018.
If your Senator is a Republican, find their passion and commitments and rouse them.
If your own Senator is not a Republican, use "Find My Friends in [name of State]" in search on FB for friends who live in Iowa or any state where a Repubican Senator might defect and vote against Sessions.
Ask your friends to post what you request to others who live in that state. Give your friend and his/her friends the phone number to call to either warn or encourage the targeted Senator on the vote against Sessions.
Ask any Elected Official to ask Sessions to recuse himself from his own confirmation. Hillary and Kerry did this.
Targeted Senators
Grassley is refusing to allow the Democrats to have more than 4 speakers on Sessions. Demand fair hearings on Sessions and others. Threaten him that we will turn Iowa blue and stop all GOP candidates locally. Phone 515-288-1145.
Susan Collins of Maine wrote an op-ed in August saying she would not vote for Trump. She is a strong supporter against domestic violence and sexual assault and for gender equality. Remind her how anti-women he is. Susan Collins' phone number : (207) 622-8414
Lisa Murkowski of Alaska (202)-224-6665)has been pro-woman (supported abortion rights) and should be a target to defect and vote against Sessions who clearly won't defend abortion clinics..
Jeff Flake: One of the most outspoken Trump foes in the Senate, Could be enlisted in this effort by Collins. 202-224-4521
Joni Ernst, Iowa. A Trump supporter but during her college years Ernst volunteered at a safe house for battered and abused women and children in Ames, Iowa. "Answering a beeper call at mostly inconvenient and late hours, Joni would head to a hospital, police station or safehouse to give comfort to a woman or child in need of support," She can be pressured on women's issues. Remind her. Phone: (515) 284-4574
Call your Democratic Representatives and tell them to press their Republican Senatorial colleagues. Tell them we expect them to be the Anti-T Party and fight Trump and Sessions, as the Tea Party and the GOP fought President Obama. Tell them you oppose Sessions who is qualified to be the People's lawyer, since he doesn't support the rights of all Americans.
We can win this. We stopped the House from gutting the Ethics Office on Tuesday.
The information in this article also derived from Heavy.com, Fortune, the Weekly Standard and the NY Times.
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January 7, 2017
