[mpen-dayton] (Part II, week of June 12) FW: "Join lawsuit against Trump bribes" & "Truck drivers forced into debt, left with nothing" and more

FYI. Best, Munsup

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• FW: Join lawsuit against Trump bribes
• FW: Corporate mass murder in London
• FW: Sign the petition: Philando Castile's killer shouldn't be paid off
• FW: Net Neutrality and Resistance Summer?
• FW: Truck drivers forced into debt, left with nothing
• FW: How The Religious Right Pioneered Propaganda As News
• FW: Re: Naomi Klein: The Worst of Donald Trump's Toxic Agenda is Lying in Wait - ...

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From: Murshed Zaheed; Political Director, CREDO Action from Working Assets
Subject: Join lawsuit against Trump bribes (signature needed)

Tell Congress: Join lawsuit against Trump bribes Petition to key U.S. representatives and senators: "Join Blumenthal and Conyers v. Trump and ask the courts to hold Donald Trump accountable to the Constitution and require him to come to Congress and obtain its consent if he wants to accept benefits from foreign states. Compliance with the Constitution and opposition to corruption in government should not be partisan issues." Add your name:      This is big: Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Rep. John Conyers and 196 other members of Congress have just sued Donald Trump for violating the Constitution.1 The Constitution of the United State bans the person holding the office of president from receiving any gift, profit or advantage from a foreign government without congressional approval. Since seizing power, Trump has used his office to line his own pockets – and he never came to Congress for permission.2 Blumenthal and Conyers v. Trump asks the courts to force Trump to follow the Constitution by either abandoning his profits or asking Congress for the OK.3 Every single member of Congress – especially Republicans who love to brag on how they adore the Constitution – should be party to this lawsuit. Tell Congress: Join lawsuit against Trump bribes. Click here to sign the petition. Foreign diplomats have paid to stay in Trump hotels. Foreign governments have granted lucrative trademark deals. Big Trump projects magically received the green light to go ahead as soon as he took power. Trump is clearly profiting from being in office. There are also undoubtedly countless more benefits that we do not even know about, because no court has forced Trump to reveal his business interests.4 Trump even promised to donate all revenue from foreign governments to the Department of the Treasury, practically admitting that not doing so would be unconstitutional. But of course, it was just another lie – the Trump Organization recently told lawmakers that tracking revenue from abroad is “impractical.”5 This ban is so essential to preventing corruption that presidents for hundreds of years have requested permission for gifts as small as a medal or a few horses – President Obama even sought legal advice on whether he could accept the Nobel Peace Prize.6 Democratic attorneys general in Maryland and D.C. recently sued Trump on the same grounds. But this suit is different because it comes from members of Congress, whom Trump should have come to for permission.7 Every member of Congress who cares about the Constitution should be party to this lawsuit. But it is up to us to make it clear that we are paying attention to who stands on the side of the rule of law. Tell Congress: Join lawsuit against Trump bribes. Click here to sign the petition. There is nothing partisan about upholding the Constitution. The founders included the “emoluments” clause of the Constitution precisely for this situation. An emolument is broadly defined as a gift, profit, advantage or benefit. There is nothing uncertain about the language of Article I, Section 9, Clause 8: “No Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under [the United States], shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.”8 While there have been various resolutions and independent lawsuits over Trump’s violation of the emoluments clause of the Constitution, this one is different because it involves sitting members of Congress. Some 196 members of Congress, including Sen. Blumenthal and Rep. John Conyers, added their names to the lawsuit.9 Any member of Congress who refuses to join is putting partisan loyalty or selfish fears of taking a stand ahead of the clear responsibility to uphold the law. We need to drive this message home and make sure no elected representative can hide from their responsibility. Tell Congress: Join lawsuit against Trump bribes. Click the link below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/emoluments_lawsuit?t=8&akid=23648.1004336.4lREjD Add your name:     References: Tom Hamburger and Karen Tumulty, “Congressional Democrats to file emoluments lawsuit against Trump,” The Washington Post, June 14, 2017. Russell Berman, “The Trump Organization Says It's 'Not Practical' to Comply With the Emoluments Clause,” The Atlantic, May 24, 2017. Hamburger and Tumulty, “Congressional Democrats to file emoluments lawsuit against Trump.” Constitutional Accountability Center, “Trump and the Foreign Emoluments Clause,” accessed June 14, 2017. Berman, “The Trump Organization Says It's 'Not Practical' to Comply With the Emoluments Clause.” Constitutional Accountability Center, “Trump and the Foreign Emoluments Clause.” Aaron Davis and Karen Tumulty, “D.C. and Maryland AGs: Trump ‘flagrantly violating’ emoluments clause ,” The Washington Post, June 12, 2017. "The United States Constitution, Article 1 Section 9", accessed June 13, 2017. Hamburger and Tumulty, “Congressional Democrats to file emoluments lawsuit against Trump.”

 

 

From: Judy Burnette
Subject: Corporate mass murder in London - World Socialist Web Site

http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2017/06/17/pers-j17.html

Corporate mass murder in London

Shock and horror has boiled over into raw anger and fury. Thousands protested in London Friday to demand justice and the punishment of those responsible for mass murder in the worst housing fire in modern British history.    Continue reading

 

 

From: Munsup @SISCOM
Subject: Sign the petition: Philando Castile's killer shouldn't be paid off

Again we were forced to see a mother scream out in pain because their loved one's killer got away scot-free. And now, Philando Castile's killer could PROFIT from his death.

The City of St. Anthony fired Officer Jeronimo Yanez soon after the not-guilty verdict came down. Then they announced they would be entering negotiations for a "separation agreement" to help Yanez find a new career. Yanez has been on paid vacation all year and now the city is offering him to walk away with a was of cash? It's disgusting.

I just signed this petition demanding that negotiations with Yanez stop immediately. Will you sign too? https://act.colorofchange.org/sign/no-severance-jeronimo-yanez/?sp_ref=312605358.176.181536.e.579087.2&referring_akid=.239715.z2I34O&source=em_sp

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From: Arisha, Rashad, Scott, Clarise, Anay, Malaya, Enchanta, Katrese, and the rest of the Color Of Change team
Subject: Sign the petition: Philando Castile's killer shouldn't be paid off

Officer Jeronimo Yanez could PROFIT from killing Philando Castile Tell the City of St. Anthony: No severance package for Jeronimo Yanez. Take Action

Nothing can describe the rage Black people are feeling right now.

The officer who killed Philando Castile, Jeronimo Yanez, was found not guilty on all counts by a mostly-white jury after 5 days of deliberation.¹

And as I write this, my hands tremble on the keyboard, because the pain is unbearable. I knew the verdict was coming and had no faith the police would be held accountable. But it never hurts less. Because once again, we sit and watch a mother scream in pain because the person who murdered their loved one got away with it.

Even more enraging is that Yanez stands to actually PROFIT from the pain and suffering he's caused. As soon as the verdict came down, the City of St. Anthony fired Yanez from the department--hoping to stop people from heading to the streets in rightful protest. They announced the city will begin negotiating a "separation agreement" to help Yanez "transition into a new career."²

So Yanez has been on a paid vacation for almost a year and now the department is offering him to walk away with a wad of cash? Hell no. Ain't no way we can allow him to profit from the murder of Philando Castile--by any means.

Tell the City of St. Anthony: No justice. No pay. Stop all severance negotiations with Yanez immediately.

This was a clear cut case. Philando Castile did nothing wrong and was killed for no reason other than the color of his skin. He followed the officer's every order and immediately alerted him that he was carrying a legal weapon. On a live video, we watched as his girlfriend Diamond Reynolds had to stay as calm and docile as humanly possible to avoid being killed herself--ending every sentence with "sir."³ But none of that mattered. A courtroom of white jurors was still able to find a way to determine that Yanez killing Philando with seven shots was okay. They were still able to determine that having a police badge means having a license to kill Black people with impunity.

Philando should be here. He should be alive. And though the system keeps trying to tell us that they don't, Black Lives DO Matter.

Sign the petition demanding Yanez gets fired without severance.

Philando Castile was pulled over more than 31 times for traffic stops before his death--and faced over 63 misdemeanor traffic charges.⁴ He was being pulled over for driving while Black and dealing with anti-Black state violence so much that it almost guaranteed he might eventually have a fatal encounter. He owed thousands of dollars in fines to the city--a clear example of the state extracting wealth from the Black community. The words of Valerie Castile couldn't have been truer after the verdict came down, "My son loved this city, and this city killed my son."⁵

Now, the City of St. Anthony is coming to the aid of a killer instead of coming to the aid of a family in mourning--and it's sickening.

There is no magical thinking, special technology, research report or legal tactic that will stop this from happening. All I can say is that we must continue to organize our people, expand the base, leverage smart strategy to change the written and unwritten rules. Along the way we have to use and change the law, amplify smart research and tech and believe that change is possible -- but most of all we must build power. Convictions of police for violence and misconduct don't change the system alone but when we are able to hold police accountable it sends a powerful message.

Yanez got away without a conviction, but we can't let him get away with profiting off the murder of a Black man.

References:
   

1. "Minn. Police Officer Jeronimo Yanez Found Not Guilty on All Charges in the Shooting Death of Philando Castile," The Root, 06-16-2017
   http://act.colorofchange.org/go/8051?t=9&akid=7599.239715.U30BYX
2. "City of St. Anthony fires Yanez," Star Tribune, 06-16-2017
   http://act.colorofchange.org/go/8052?t=11&akid=7599.239715.U30BYX
3. "Woman Live-Streams After Police Fatally Shoot Boyfriend,' ABC News, 07-06-2017
   http://act.colorofchange.org/go/8053?t=13&akid=7599.239715.U30BYX
4. "EXCLUSIVE: Black Man whose shooting death by police was livestreamed by girlfriend had been pulled over AT LEAST 31 times and hit with 63 traffic charges," DailyMail, 07-08-2016
   http://act.colorofchange.org/go/8054?t=15&akid=7599.239715.U30BYX
5. "Philando Castile's Mom: 'I'm Mad As Hell Right Now, Yes I Am!,'" Colorlines, 06-16-2017,
   https://act.colorofchange.org/go/8055?t=17&akid=7599.239715.U30BYX

Color Of Change is building a movement to elevate the voices of Black folks and our allies, and win real social and political change. Help keep our movement strong.

 

 

From: Thomas Scott
Subject: Net Neutrality; Subsidies to Developers; Resistance Summer?
   

• How Media Monopolies Are Undermining Democracy and Threatening Net Neutrality
• Democrats Launch "Resistance Summer" Focused on Healthcare, Education & Social Security

 

 

From: Andrew Tierman
Subject: Detroit Free Press: Truck drivers forced into debt, left with nothing...

Truck drivers forced into debt, left with nothing … TRUCKER SERVITUDE, RENT (ORWORK)TO OWN, WELLLOBBIEDNONREGULATION
http://on.freep.com/2tuRNap

 

 

From: Eric Kramer
Subject: How The Religious Right Pioneered Propaganda As News | HuffPost

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5943e1d6e4b01eab7a2d130a?utm_campaign=hp_fb_pages&utm_source=main_fb&utm_medium=facebook&ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000063

 

 

From: tbacane
Subject: FW: Naomi Klein: The Worst of Donald Trump's Toxic Agenda is Lying in Wait - ...

The Worst of Donald Trump’s Toxic Agenda
Is Lying in Wait – A Major U.S. Crisis Will Unleash It

https://theintercept.com/2017/06/10/the-worst-of-donald-trumps-toxic-agenda-is-lying-in-wait-a-major-u-s-crisis-will-unleash-it/

 

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