Jeff Sessions.

All the Jeff's I've known have been good guys so it's a shame he broke the streak.  Let's just call him Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III which is the appropriate name for a man who may as well be a re-incarnated Southern Plantation owner.

He is not a nice man. He's the worst Attorney General we've had since John Ashcroft.  He's sort of like if John Ashcroft was racist and wanted to repeal the Voting Rights Act.

Now that I mention it, I wish I'd thrown in some concerns about Jefferson's opinions on the Voters Rights Act to the huge laundry list letter I just wrote to Senator Dean Heller.

I believe I will write one to my other Senator Catherine Cortez Masto. Unfortunately I can't copy and paste the two because they come from two very different places.  I usually don't have to prod Ms Masto to do the right thing because so far she's been great. The letter to her will be because we need her to speak out. She is a former Attorney General herself and is uniquely qualified to challenge what Mr. Sessions is doing


My primary concern is Sessions recusing himself from the investigation into the Trump-Russian connection.

If Loretta Lynch had to recuse herself from Hillary's investigation because Bill chased her down to talk to her on an airplance (which was stupid) then no one in their right mind could think Jefferson Sessions is the one who should be heading up this investigation

Neither should James Comey for that matter, but that argument is harder to make.   Really what we need is a Bi/Non Partisan commission to investigate this.

Sessions has done 3 other things to piss me off in the last 24 hours

Starting with rescinding the protections on Transgender kids (showing himself to be a bully just like his boss), continuing with Sean Spicer announcing that he's going to escalate the Drug war by overruling the states that have legalized Marijuana, and conveniently capping that off by rescinding Obamas order to limit the growth of Private Prisons.

Gotta have somewhere to put all those potheads and immigrants he's gonna lock up.

Anyway, this guy is the worst and I needed to vent about him to someone.  And who better than our local "I'll have a town hall if you promise not to boo" Republican Senator Dean Heller to receive the brunt of it.

I know this letter is unfocused and addresses too many things at once, but so is the Trump administration. I'm not writing a seperate letter for each issue. (Yet).  My biggest concern is Sessions burying the Russia investigation, but I'm also fearful of what else he has in store for us.

This just seems like the tip of the iceberg and our Senators need to speak out against him before it gets worse. And if we don't find a way to Watergate Trump and get him out of there soon, it's gonna get worse.

See below

Dear Senator Heller,

I am writing you today because I am highly alarmed by the actions of our new Attorney General Jeff Sessions and because as your constituent I need you to speak out on our behalf.

First and foremost I respectfully ask that you respectfully ask Mr. Sessions to recuse himself from any investigations into contacts between the Trump Campaign and the Russian Government and that you add your voice alongside voices like Senator Susan Collins who are demanding a Non/Bi-Partisan Independent investigation into this issue.

I don't question the legitimacy of Trump's election but I am concerned over Intelligence findings that Russia attempted to intervene on his behalf. I am concerned because there have been allegation that the Trump Campaign and possibly Trump himself was colluding with the Putin regime on this.  I am further concerned that President Trump may be compromised and considering Russia's known animosity towards our Government, I feel this is an issue of National Security that should concern every American regardless of party.

Mr. Sessions was a prominent surrogate for Mr. Trump's campaign and can hardly claim impartiality in investigating his own Boss.

When Bill Clinton foolishly flagged down AG Loretta Lynch's plane on the tarmac at the Phoenix Airport she was forced to recuse herself from the investigation into Hillary Clinton's e-mails.  I agree with that decision and see no reason why AG Sessions shouldn't do the same.

My concerns over Jeff Sessions have amplified over the past 24 hours due to a series of highly partisan decisions/opinions he has expressed that give me little hope that he will be a fair and just Attorney General.

In the past 24 hours he has reversed Barack Obama's Executive Orders protecting Transgender students and limiting the growth of Private Prisons. In addition, Press Secretary Sean Spicer has indicated that Mr. Sessions intends to override the voters in states where Recreational Marijuana has been legalized.

President Trump and AG Sessions feel as though the issue regarding the rights of Transgender students is best left up to the States. However, the rights of states to allow Marijuana use is apparently not allowed.  I can't help but feel as though States Rights are only important if they involve Conservative causes.

In fact, the Conservative Principle opposing Federal Overreach seems to mean nothing to this administration. Our state and others voted for Recreational Marijuana. Many cities are designated as "Sanctuary Cities" because it allows the Undocumented to cooperate in police investigations as witnesses or as victims.  

However, Jeff Session and Donald Trump seem to care nothing about states and cities rights. They will send in Federal Agents to arrest people for whatever they want to. President Trump even threatened to send in Federal Agents (or troops?) to Chicago to lower their murder rate.  I have no idea what his exact plans were (I doubt he does either) because it was an angry tweet he fired off.

I can't help but think their wanting to expand Private Prisons rather than increase them. along with their wanting to step up enforcement on minor drug crimes and broaden the scope of undocumented immigrants to target, is no coincidence.

What Jeff Sessions and Donald Trump are proposing is a return to Mass Incarceration. I don't know if you've ever known anyone who's been incarcerated Mr. Heller but it is hell. Incarceration rips apart families, destroys people's careers/futures and puts people on the path of being Career Criminals due to the people they meet on the inside and the resentment that forms towards society as a whole.

Our rate of incarceration is the highest in the Free World.  This is not something to be proud of.

I ask you to please tell Jeff Sessions to back off of this push to revive the Private Prison Industry and to escalate the Drug War. I also ask you to please ask him to recuse himself from the Russia investigations.

You have a voice Senator, but no one ever hears it. You are courteous enough to send me back form letters when I write to you which is more than I can say for my Congressman Amodei. But I never hear about you taking a stand on anything in contrast to your party.  At least not since Trump has been elected, I know you've done so in the past.

I hear about Senators like Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, John McCain and Lindsey Graham taking principled stands and putting country over party but I don't hear it from you. 

I'm not asking you to become a Democrat. None of the Senators I just mentioned are particularly Liberal. They vote with the party a lot of the time. 

I'm asking you to do what's right. In your heart you have to know that Jeff Sessions is not unbiased when it comes to any investigation that could spell trouble for his Boss who he campaigned fervently for.

I don't know how you feel about Mass Incarceration and Legalization of Marijuana but at the very least I hope you can see how this violates the Conservative principle of an intrusive Federal Government.

Our state voted to Legalize Marijuana. I don't use Marijuana but have been around it enough to know it's about as dangerous as a Girl who was born a Boy using the Girls room at school.   That is to say, it's an imagined threat that is all hype.

Governor Sandoval opposed the legislation. However to his credit he respected the will of the voters and used the decision to impose taxes that will help fund our schools, roads and other functions of our Government.

As you know, ours is a state without an income tax. As a result our budget is tighter than many other states. What the Attorney General is threatening to do is going to lead to a huge budget shortfall because Governor Sandoval has already worked the estimated taxes from Marijuana sales into our budget.

I could also point out that the Governor let go 100 Plus Mental Health Workers to trim the budget because people can now get Mental Health coverage through the Affordable Care Act, which is going to be on your head if you go along with plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act.  But that's a topic for another letter.


Senator, I do appreciate that you respond to my letters. I am disapointed that you voted for Jeff Sessions' confirmation, but it happened. Now that he's there, I hope you will hold him accountable.

I know this is a long letter, I will print this out and mail it to your offices in Reno and Washington DC because I want you to read this and take it to heart.

Thank you for your service. I know you get a lot of letters and calls these days but I hope you understand why this is happening. The election of Trump has awakened the American people.   Nevada went Blue last election. The more you continue to go along with Trump, the worse your chances are for re-election. That's the reality of things sir.

Sincerely,

Mike Jones

Alright I took my sister's letter to Senator Hatch and used parts of it.  Then I went a little crazy on Congressman Amodei.

Senator Heller's been getting all my wrath on his voting for the Presidental appointments.

But the Republican Congress is usually where these crazy ideas take fight, and Mr. Amodei needs to know we don't appreciate what he is going along with


Also shit, I called him Senator Hatch. I forgot to edit that part of the letter. Now I look stupid.... Oh well. I'm going to send it again with an explanation. Oops


 Dear Senator Hatch -

I am you constituent and I am very dissapointed in your total allegiance to the NRA at the expense of public safety.

I really feel concerned about the recent efforts to make guns available to those with mental problems? The only possible reason that could be for doing this is wanting to follow the NRA's wishes? This seems like a decision that ignores what is right and favors special interests and power. I know you have a party to belong to but isn't this a betrayal of the citizens.  Did this make us safer? Is this an issue of safety?  Does it stop crime?  You know in your heart it isn't.


I used to be a Mental Health Case Worker. It was my job to evaluate the Seriously Mentally Ill. Repealing this law means people who are too unstable to cash their own Disabiity Check can purchase guns.

I've been in countless situations in my former career where my job was to keep people suffering serious internal crises calm while we waited for the police to show up to take them to the State Hospital because they were a threat to themselves or others.

Do you understand how dangerous it would be for someone like me, or the police officers for people who are suffering from serious delusions to be carrying assault weapons?

Every time there is a mass shooting in America we ask you to do something to stop the proliferation of Military Style Assault Weapons and you refuse to do ANYTHING that the NRA would dissaprove of because you care about your 100% rating from the NRA than you do the safety of your consituents.

Is following the Republican Party and the NRA all you care about? Will you ever follow your conscience or think indepdently when you have an opportunity to be a man of conscience?

So far you have been a rubber stamp for President Trump. Why are his first priorities to allow coal miners to dump waste in streams when this is the very sort of thing that poisoned the water in Flint Michigan? Why isn't helping the people of Flint more important than that?

Why is taking away health care from your constituents so important to you. Is it because you hate President Obama so much that you just want to undo anything he accomplished as President just because he's the one who did it?

I am looking forward to you manning up and having a town hall in Reno or Carson City. I think you will be surprised how much opposition there is in this district to your support for the Trump agenda. I know this is a Red area, I know Trump won in Northern Nevada.   I bet you would be surprised how many of those people are regretting their vote and watching in horror as they start to understand what he is doing with your support.

His approval rating is at a historic low for a new President. What could possibly make it go up?  You have hitched your anchor to a sinking ship.

You need to change your ways.  The more you ignore us the harder we will fight.

We are keeping track of your votes. The more you rubber stamp Trump's agenda, the harder we campaign against you.

I am not someone who knocks on doors and volunteers to make phone calls.  But if you don't grow a spine on these issues. I promise you I will become that person.

I apologize for the harsh tone of this letter Mr. Amodei. I understand you are probably facing a lot of pressure from your constituents right now and I feel for you.

At the same time, I hope you take our opinions to heart and recognize that we are watching your votes and we won't forget when you betray our safety and our future

Sincerely
Mike Jones

I apologize, I have been very lax on updating this blog. I've been caught up on trying to contact these guys on Twitter. I don't know how effective it is but it's pretty cathartic to feel like you can talk directly to these people.

But..... Again.  Phone calls are great.  Congressional Switchboard is 202-224-3121.  E-mails are great.   Paper letters take time and these things seem to be urgent so I am cutting back on them and trying to get directly to these guys as much as possible.   I don't know how effective I am

The good news is my Sister and Dad have been writing beautiful letters to Senator Hatch in Utah.

This particular letter I copied almost word for word from my Sister's letter to Senator Hatch but replaced Hatch with Heller (Dean Heller)

Nevada is beautiful too. (In it's own way) So I felt this letter was great as it was, just needed to change names.

Scott Pruitt's vote is tomorrow morning. E-mail your Senator. Call them. Do something

Dear Senator Heller

I am a resident of the great state of Nevada and I believe it to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. I'm sure you would agree. That said, I'm writing to you today to ask that you protect our lands and environment. You have been elected to represent this great state and we need your leadership.

I realize that there is a 1 in billion chance you will break with party lines on this, but I want you to know that I am making note of how you vote on Scott Pruitt.

Scott Pruitt has spent his career fighting against clean air, climate, and water regulations. He has sued the EPA more than a dozen times. He has collected millions in political donations from the very industries he will be tasked with regulating. He’s called climate science a “religious belief,” and his official biography even boasts that he’s “a leading advocate against the EPA’s activist agenda.”

Why is the current administration (including yourself) so determined to recruit people who seem to despise the organizations they will be leading?

Please consider taking a stand on this nomination. Or just anything.

We need strong leadership from you.

Thank you
-Mike Jones

I haven't written about Betsy Devos before and I feel bad about that.  Maybe if I were a parent I'd feel more passionately about the Secretary of Education job,

Maybe I will be one day? Even if I'm not, if the latest election has proven anything it's that we are in big trouble if our society is poorly educated.

So before you finish reading this rant, stop what you're doing and call the Congressional Switchboard  and ask for your Republican Senator (call twice if you have two, or if you have a squishy Joe Manchin kind of Democrat. Fortunately my Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto is strongly against her)

The number is 202-224-3121

This is a woman who is in the position she is in because she owns a piece of the Republican Party. Especially in Michigan but also across the country.

I don't oppose someone just because they're rich, it's not even that she's a Republican donor that bothers me that much. It's what she's done with her money that bothers me and that's to campaign to gut Public Schools (of which she would be in charge of).

The name of her game is privatization, something scared white people have been advocating for since Brown va. The Board of Education. Keep OUR kids away from the scary minority kids. Create vouchers that can be spent on private schools that pick and choose who they want to accept, many of whom are more interested in religious indoctrination than teaching science and history.

In return what happens? Less people attending public schools in poor or mixed neighborhoods means less Property Tax Base to draw from means Public Schools fall apart, means the kids still attending them receive a lesser education and are discriminated against for College Admissions and the Job Market.

She has no experience with Public Schools. Her agenda is evangelical and I have no reason to believe that she wouldn't try to push that agenda on the nations schools. Anyone familiar with the Texas School Board and their horrid influence over the Nation's textbooks should be horrified to see someone who would fit right in on that board running the Department of Education.

I want an egghead bookworm who went to Harvard running the Education department to be blunt.  I know it's too much to ask to ask Trump to nominate Obama for the job though but could he at least nominate someone who's been a Superintendent or a Principal or a Teacher in a public school somewhere or something?

Come on Donald, you're like a really smart person, you can't come up with someone better?

Anyway, stop reading me and go make a phone call. 202-224-3121