Daily Archives: March 17, 2022

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine moves past its third week, there are slight hopes that negotiations between the two sides may soon produce a ceasefire. But with the shrill warmongering talk in Washington, it almost seems like the US government would hate to see that happen.

Congress and the US Administration seem determined to drag the United States into a war with Russia over Ukraine. Senator Lindsay Graham is openly calling for someone to kill the Russian president and many in the US House have demanded that the Administration establish a no-fly zone over Ukraine.

Are they insane? A no-fly zone means you destroy anything and everything that can prevent total US air dominance. That means an attack on Russian missile and air defense systems within Russia. In other words, World War III.

We can all feel disgust at the destruction in Ukraine, but is it really necessary for us to gamble with our own nuclear annihilation?

Sadly, a large bipartisan group in Congress seems to think so.

Much of what is happening in Ukraine can be traced back to the Obama Administration. State Department officials like Victoria Nuland and Antony Blinken planned and executed the overthrow of the Ukrainian government in 2014. This is what set us on this path to conflict, as the government put in place after the coup began demanding NATO membership.

Blinken, Nuland, and the others responsible for this heinous act returned to government in more senior positions under President Biden and they have continued to push their Ukraine agenda.

Last week Secretary of State Blinken our top diplomat sought to send Soviet-era Polish fighter jets into Ukraine to shoot Russians. When the Poles said theyd be happy to ship the planes to a US base in Germany and let the Pentagon transfer them to Ukraine, the Pentagon finally stepped in to quash an extraordinarily high-risk move that even the Pentagon said would have no real effect on the outcome of the war.

The State Department is trying to get us into a war and the Pentagon is trying to keep us out. How ironic!

Back when I was on the campaign trail I would say that we have a few thousand diplomats in government, it might not be a bad idea to use them. But I certainly did not mean that we should use them to try and get us further involved in a war!

Three weeks into this terrible war, the US is not pursuing talks with Russia. As Antiwar.com recently reported, instead of supporting negotiations between Ukraine and Russia that could lead to a ceasefire and an end to the bloodshed, the US government is actually escalating the situation which can only increase the bloodshed.

The constant flow of US and allied weapons into Ukraine and talk of supporting an extended insurgency does not seem designed to give Ukraine a victory on the battlefield but rather to hand Russia what Secretary of State Blinken called a strategic defeat.

It sounds an awful lot like the Biden Administration intends to fight Russia down to the last Ukrainian. The only solution for the US is to get out. Let the Russians and Ukrainians reach an agreement. That means no NATO for Ukraine and no US missiles on Russias borders? So what! End the war then end NATO.

This article was published by RonPaul Institute

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Ron Paul: Is Washington Fighting Russia Down To The Last Ukrainian? OpEd - Eurasia Review

A Texas lawmaker has introduced legislation that would allow private U.S. citizens to seize assets and property owned by Russian oligarchs who have been sanctioned in response to Russia's ongoing war with Ukraine.

The bill, introduced on Feb. 28 by Rep. Lance Gooden from Dallas, would require President Joe Biden to issue letters of marque and reprisal for the seizure of yachts, planes or other property owned by those on the Treasury Department's list of sanctioned Russians. The proposal comes as the U.S. continues to increase sanctions against Russia's elite in response to the country's war against Ukraine. While Biden has warned Russian oligarchs that the U.S. will seize their ill-begotten gains," Gooden says it's not enough.

"Putins inner circle have planes and yachts sitting at airports and harbors all over the world," Gooden said in a March 1 news release. "If President Biden refuses to act quickly, then it is time Congress and American citizens take matters into their own hands. Russian oligarchs must be held accountable for enabling the disgusting invasion of Ukraine.

Letters of Marque and Reprisal, a historic tool authorized in Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution, allow private citizens or groups to seize enemy property on behalf of the U.S. government. Such letters were used during the War of 1812, but have not been issued since.

This new bill would authorize "privately armed individuals and entities to seize the assets of certain Russian citizens" and states "the holder of such a letter [of Marque] shall be authorized to employ all means reasonably necessary to seize any asset, such as a yacht or plane, outside of the United States that belongs to a Russian citizen on the Office of Foreign Asset Control's List of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons."

Gooden's office told Fox News that the letters could even be used in cyberspace for U.S. hackers to go after Russia. "Corrupt Russian oligarchs have enabled Putin's war," Gooden tweeted. "That's why I have introduced legislation to allow U.S. citizens to SEIZE yachts and jets of sanctioned Russians. We must use every tool at our disposal to stand up to Russia and stand with Ukraine."

Former Texas Rep. Ron Paul introduced his Marque and Reprisal Act following the 9/11 attacks, which would have authorized private citizens to "seize the person and property of Osama bin Laden and any other individual responsible for the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11." In 2009, Paul again proposed issuing letters of marque to combat Somali pirates.

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New bill would allow US citizens to seize Russian ships by force - Laredo Morning Times

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FIRST ON FOX: The political wing of a top grassroots group that represents Jewish Republicans across the country is endorsing GOP Sen. Ron Johnson as he runs for re-election this year in the crucial battleground state of Wisconsin.

And the Republican Jewish Coalitions (RJC) PAC, in an announcement shared first with Fox News on Wednesday, also backed nine House GOP lawmakers and four congressional candidates as it made its second round of endorsements ahead of November's midterm elections, when Republicans aim to win back majorities in the House and Senate.

SEN. RON JOHNSON OF WISCONSIN ANNOUNCES 2022 RE-ELECTION

Johnson, a conservative senator first elected in the 2010 Tea Party-fueled red wave and a strong supporter of former President Trump, announced in January that he would run for a third term. Democrats view Johnson as vulnerable, and hes one of the most heavily targeted GOP senators running for re-election this year.

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., takes his seat for the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation Subcommittee hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

The race in Wisconsin is one of a handful that could decide which party will control the Senate next year. The chambers currently split 50/50 between the two major political parties, but the Democrats hold the majority thanks to the tie-breaking vote of Vice President Kamala Harris through her constitutional role as president of the Senate. That means the GOP needs a net gain of just one seat to reclaim the majority it lost when it was swept in the January 2021 twin Senate runoff contests in Georgia.

In the House, Republicans need a net gain of just five seats in the 435-member chamber to win back the majority they lost in the 2018 midterm elections.

FIRST ON FOX NEWS: REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE SHATTERS FUNDRAISING RECORDS IN FEBRUARY

The RJC is also endorsing Republican Reps. David Schweikert of Arizona (AZ-01), David Valadao of California (CA-22), Andy Harris of Maryland (MD-01), Peter Meijer of Michigan (MI-03), Don Bacon of Nebraska (NE-02), Yvette Herrell of New Mexico (NM-02), Nicole Malliotakis of New York (NY-11), Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania (PA-01) and Nancy Mace of South Carolina (SC-01).

Mace was one of the earliest supporters of Trumps successful 2016 campaign to win the White House. But while the freshman House lawmaker didnt vote to impeach Trump 14 months ago, she did publicly say that his rhetoric leading up to the storming of the Capitol "put all of our lives at risk."

Rep Nancy Mace, R-S.C., speaks with reporters at the U.S. Capitol Building on Oct. 21, 2021, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

And in October, Mace was the lone South Carolina Republican to join congressional Democrats in voting to hold former Trump White House senior aide Steve Bannon in contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena issued by the House select committee investigating the riot at the Capitol.

Trump has repeatedly lashed out at Mace and is backing Republican Katie Arrington who is primary challenging the congresswoman. Trump took aim at Mace and once again praised Arrington at a rally on Saturday in South Carolina.

WHO'S UP AND WHO'S DOWN IN THE LATEST FOX NEWS MIDTERMS POWER RANKINGS

The RJC is also endorsing Republican congressional candidates Esther Joy King of Illinois (IL-17), Monica De La Cruz (TX-15) and Wesley Hunt (TX-38) of Texas, and Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin (WI-03).

In making the endorsements, RJC executive director Matt Brooks told Fox News that "we need Republicans in Congress who will fight for Americas freedom, security, and prosperity, and who support our ally, Israel. The RJC PAC enthusiastically supports these GOP incumbents and challengers, who will help Republicans take back the House and Senate majorities and will bring much-needed sanity back to Capitol Hill."

Noting that the RJCs PAC raised over $10 million in the 2020 cycle for its endorsed House and Senate candidates, Brooks emphasized that "the RJC PAC had a significant impact in 2020 and will continue to make a difference in highly competitive races like these. The candidates we are endorsing today are talented, principled, dedicated public leaders whose elections are top priorities for the GOP in 2022."

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference at The Rosen Shingle Creek on Feb. 25, 2022, in Orlando, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Wednesdays endorsements are the second batch this cycle by the RJC. Its PAC last year endorsed Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Reps. Carlos Gimenez (FL-26) and Maria Salazar (FL-27) of Florida, and Reps. Mike Garcia (CA-25), Young Kim (CA-39) and Michelle Steel (CA-48) of California.

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The RJC is a nearly four-decades-old group that describes itself as "the national grassroots organization of Jewish Republicans and represents tens of thousands of Jewish Republicans across this country."

The late Republican mega donor and casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, who died at age 87 in January of last year, for years played a key leadership role with the RJC and gave it generous financial support.

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Sen. Ron Johnson tops list of Republicans endorsed by top Jewish GOP organization - Fox News

Police in D.C. and New York City believe one man is responsible for shooting five men experiencing homelessness in both cities. Three men were shot in D.C., one of whom died. One of the two men shot in NYC over the weekend has died.

Mayor Muriel Bowser and New York City Mayor Eric Adams released a joint statement yesterday asking for information on the suspect and advising unhoused people to seek shelter.

Three of the shootings took place in Northeast D.C. from March 3 to March 9, and the two NYC shootings occurred over the weekend. The string of shootings follow repeated calls from unhoused residents and housing advocates for Bowser to stop or pause encampment clearings in D.C.

An Metropolitan Police Department statement released yesterday said Fifth District officers responded to sounds of gunshots at the 1100 block of New York Avenue NE on March 3 at about 4 a.m. On March 8 at 1:21 a.m., Fifth District officers responded to a report of a shooting at the 1700 block of H Street NE. In both cases, they found an unhoused man with non-life threatening gunshot wounds.

On March 9 at 2:54 a.m., an MPD officer noticed a tent fire near the 400 block of New York Avenue NE. DC Fire and EMS put out the fire and found the remains of a man inside the tent. An autopsy determined that the cause of death was multiple stab and gunshot wounds.

Similarities in the victims status and the assailants actions, as well as recovered evidence, lead police in both cities to believe theyre looking for the same suspect, according to MPDs statement. MPD and NYPD will work with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to investigate the crimes.

Anyone with information should contact MPD at (202) 727-9099 or send a text to 50411. MPD is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the suspect; the ATF Washington Field Division is offering another $20,000.

It is heartbreaking and tragic to know that in addition to all the dangers that unsheltered residents face, we now have a cold-blooded killer on the loose, but we are certain that we will get the suspect off the street and into police custody, Bowser and Adams said in their statement.

In other news

On Friday afternoon, an elderly driver crashed into a group of diners at the Parthenon Restaurant & Chevy Chase Lounge on the 5500 block of Connecticut Avenue NW. Two women from Northwest D.C., 73-year-old Terese Dudnick Taffer and 76-year-old Jane Bloom, died in the hospital. Six others were hospitalized, and three more people were treated and released.

D.C. police believe the incident was accidental, and said the driver was cooperating with investigators. The drivers name was not released. Pete Gouskos, owner of the longtime Chevy Chase restaurant, told WUSA9 that the driver was a regular diner for the past 20 years, and a very nice guy who would often come in for a glass of Coke, a burger, and to watch a sports game.Parthenon reopened after staff helped clean up the patio. The restaurants outdoor dining will reopen in time, Gouskos said.

Ambar Castillo (tips? acastillo@washingtoncitypaper.com)

By Ambar Castillo (tips? acastillo@washingtoncitypaper.com)

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Weekend Rundown: One Suspect in Deaths of Five Homeless Men in DC and NYC - Washington City Paper