Beaver County Reds – 3/9/15

“WE PETITION THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO:

“File charges against the 47 U.S. Senators in violation of The Logan Act in attempting to undermine a nuclear agreement.”

[RWC] This piece is to show BCR’s fealty to President Obama and solidarity with the leftist Islamic Republic of Iran.  Iran earns the leftist description by virtue of the excessive government control of its citizens.

“On March 9th, 2015, forty-seven United States Senators committed a treasonous offense when they decided to violate the Logan Act, a 1799 law which forbids unauthorized citizens from negotiating with foreign governments.  Violation of the Logan Act is a felony, punishable under federal law with imprisonment of up to three years.

“At a time when the United States government is attempting to reach a potential nuclear agreement with the Iranian government, 47 Senators saw fit to instead issue a condescending letter to the Iranian government stating that any agreement brokered by our President would not be upheld once the president leaves office.”

[RWC] Liar, liar, pants on fire!  The subject open letter does not “stat[e] that any agreement brokered by our President would not be upheld once the president leaves office.”  Here is what the letter really says:

“Under our Constitution, while the president negotiates international agreements, Congress plays the significant role of ratifying them.  In the case of a treaty, the Senate must ratify it by a two-thirds vote.  A so-called congressional-executive agreement requires a majority vote in both the House and the Senate (which, because of procedural rules, effectively means a three-fifths vote in the Senate).  Anything not approved by Congress is a mere executive agreement.

…

“What these two constitutional provisions mean is that we will consider any agreement regarding your nuclear-weapons program that is not approved by the Congress as nothing more than an executive agreement between President Obama and Ayatollah Khamenei.  The next president could revoke such an executive agreement with the stroke of a pen and future Congresses could modify the terms of the agreement at any time.”

I think even a little kid knows “would not be upheld” is not the same as “could revoke.”  It’s easier to lie about something when your targets (“victims” in leftyspeak) don’t see it.  This is why Mr. Shannon didn’t provide a link to the subject open letter.

“This is a clear violation of federal law.  In attempting to undermine our own nation, these 47 senators have committed treason.”

[RWC] I’m not a lawyer, but I can read.  From what I can tell, the senators did not violate the Logan Act.  Even if they did violate the Logan Act, it’s not treason since the penalty is only a fine and/or imprisonment of not more than three years.  According to U.S. law, a person “guilty of treason … shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.”

Since Mr. Shannon is so upset about the subject letter, I’ll bet he was fit to be tied over the following incidents. <g>

Contrary to Bush Administration wishes while developing a Syria strategy, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) visited Syria and had talks with President Bashar Al-Assad.

Former President Jimmy Carter (D) “loudly opposed the [first] Gulf War and urged the U.N. Security Council to oppose a resolution authorizing force to remove the Iraqis from Kuwait.  What truly irked the White House was that Bush, in sending troops to Kuwait, was enforcing the Carter Doctrine, which stated that the U.S. would use force to defend its interests in the Persian Gulf.”

Then-House Speaker Jim Wright (D-TX) actually visited Nicaraguan Sandinistas during Reagan Administration negotiations with the Sandinistas.

Let’s also remember the late-Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) offered to help the Soviet Union deal with the U.S. during the Reagan Administration.

Was the letter a good idea?  I don’t know, but I generally don’t like Congress getting involved until it’s presented with a treaty to approve.  Perhaps we should follow the example Mr. Obama set with Ferguson when he “straddled the fence” in an attempt to placate his political base.  While Mr. Obama said he opposed the violence, he also said he understood it.  Maybe we should oppose the letter but understand why it was sent.

“Sign here.”

[RWC] After this Mr. Shannon links to a piece quoting VP Joe Biden (D).  Given BCR’s love of Venezuela, quoting Mr. Biden is odd since “Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro warned U.S. Vice President Joe Biden is involved in plotting a coup against his democratically-elected government.”  Obama followers can relax, however, because Venezuela’s leader “expressed hope that President Barack Obama is unaware of these activities, saying he is giving Obama ‘the benefit of the doubt.’”  BCR considers TeleSUR to be a credible news source.  According to Wikipedia, TeleSUR gets 51% of its funding from the Venezuela government and 19% from Cuba.

In Peace, Friendship, Community, Cooperation, and Solidarity. <g>