Jeff Sessions is being grilled by the Senate on his marijuana policy. The Trump administration has said it will not be Jeff’s policy preferences that will be put into action.
President-elect Donald Trump’s spokesman Sean Spicer signaled that Sessions would adhere to Trump’s position that states should be able to establish their own marijuana policies. “When you come into a Trump administration, it’s the Trump agenda you’re implementing and not your own,” he said. ”I think Senator Sessions is well aware of that.”
Far more troubling is Jeff’s attitude towards theft by government.
Sessions is also at stark odds with several of his former Judiciary Committee Republican colleagues on civil asset forfeiture reform and efforts to roll back mandatory minimum sentencing laws, including Utah Sen. Mike Lee and Texas senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz.
Sessions has been a staunch supporter of civil asset forfeiture, which allows police to seize property suspected of being connected to drug and other crimes, without convicting or sometimes even charging the property owner. Civil liberties groups say civil asset forfeiture lacks due process protections for property owners—who may have their cash, cars, and even houses seized—and creates perverse profit incentives for police.
At a 2015 Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing, Sessions said 95 percent of asset forfeiture cases involve people “who have done nothing in their lives but sell dope.” In addition to being unhinged from reality, the comment reveals much about Sessions’ antediluvian views on the drug war—he’s a drug war dinosaur, as Reason’s Jacob Sullum explained. For example, Sessions claimed in a 2016 Judiciary Committee hearing that “good people don’t smoke marijuana.”
Sessions was also one of a handful of GOP senators whose vocal opposition scuttled a bipartisan sentencing reform bill in 2016—widely considered the best chance in years to get a major criminal justice bill through Congress.
So 95% are drug dealers? Can you prove that Jeff? In a court of law?
And what about the 5%? Most unfortunate? Accidents will happen? The bodies will be delivered to the next of kin?
I long ago gave up on honest government. What I hope for these days is tolerable government. “mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.” I am running out of “sufferable”
Republicans made a big deal during the last election about Democrats not listening to the voices of the little people. I think that on this issue the Republicans stand a good chance of following in Democrat footsteps. Why? Well traditionally it is governments job to oppress its citizens. We may just be reverting to the norm.
Comments
7 responses to “The Sessions Session”
“I long ago gave up on honest government.” [Simon]
Keep “T’s” Law in mind: All institutions are corruptible. The larger an institution becomes, the more corruptible it becomes. The more corruptible it becomes, the more corrupt it will be.
Furthermore, people that run for office or take government jobs do so because they are at least neutral (or positive)about government. The simple act of hiring employees is feeding a self perpetuating system.
Sessions will be confirmed. What happens is of more concern after big time socon President Pence is sworn in.
Have you been following the latest Russian revelations about Trump? Remember what I wrote about his connections before the election? How he is more than likely in debt to Russian oligarchs? How they infiltrated blogs and websites to help elect him? How they fed info to wikileaks (if through 3rd party sources) to further discredit Clinton?
Trump may or may not be all that bad policy wise, if he gets a chance. What is without question is a past of fast and loose business practices, stomping on the little guy purposely like the bully he’s always been, lying when the truth would be enough, and thinking he can hide it all. Smart, until you get caught. Con artists worm their way out of touchy predicaments, until they can’t.
I certainly understand the concerns with Jeff Sessions. But I am hopeful that Trump and others in the GOP who have warmed to the idea of criminal justice and cannabis reform will win out over the hardliners in the long run.
Also, perhaps it is better to have Sessions away from legislating and into administration.
Trump says:
Russia has never tried to use leverage over me. I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH RUSSIA – NO DEALS, NO LOANS, NO NOTHING!
Did anyone in high office, political opponents, or in the news media accuse him of having loans or making deals with Russia? Now, Russian OLIGARCHS may be another story, but that is not Russia per se, so technically not a lie. One slippery fellow.
Frank,
Yes. I was aware of the Trump Russian connection. And if you want more dirt look up – Madcow Productions.
No one who gets to that level is clean. Hell just to make alderman….
The option was Hillary. And I just couldn’t take her – and who ever owns her.
I think nation states are preferable at this time to a global caliphate.
sigh
Yeah, I get the FU. Bye.