Compassion towards oneself and all others is what is also important.
The reason for this is it appears we are all one being somehow in the past, present and future. So, as we help ourselves and each other through being compassionate to ourselves and to others all benefit from this in the past, present and future.
Can I explain why this is true?
I can explain it enough for myself to get it but that may or may not be true for you.
One's connection to life is strong and to the Creator is strong but there are always others who try to wrest control of our lives away from each of us.
Why do People do this?
In order to enslave us to be their biological robots so we work while they don't.
Whether these are people running churches or whether these are salesmen trying to sell us something or whether these are politicians trying to enslave us matters little.
The point is learning how to keep yourself free from all these types of beings is one way to move towards enlightenment so one can be "Master of one's own ship and the forger of one's own destiny" without becoming someone else's full time slave of one form or another.
Only by having your own free will and discernment can you become enlightened and learn compassion for yourself and all other beings.
This is the essence of all civilizations on earth in the end. IT is also the essence of what it really is to be a human being on earth as we move out into the galaxy and to other galaxies in the future of the human race.
Hocus Pocus
is a 1993 American halloween film directed by Kenny Ortega, starring
Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker; written by Neil ...
I was going to watch Hocus Pocus last night in the Hotel room in San Francisco but my wife made me save it for Halloween together tonight so we are watching it now at home on the coast.
There is also a movie we have watched every year since we first got together in December 1994 which is called "High Spirits" the first time we watched this together was on Halloween 1995. It became something we did every year on Halloween. However, I told my wife I just cannot watch "High Spirits" this year because I have now seen it at least 20 times since 1995.
So, I have likely seen Hocus Pocus about 5 or 10 times so it is still relatively fresh in this sense.
But, either movie is a good one that is funny scary enough so you don't get so creeped out for the night you aren't going to sleep. This is my thought on both these movies.
With
Peter O'Toole, Donal McCann, Mary Coughlan, Liz Smith. When Peter
Plunkett's Irish castle turned hotel is about to be repossesed, he
decides to spice up the ...
High Spirits
Flutes are wood, handcrafted, easy-to-play, musician quality,
native-style flutes that have been proudly made in the USA by Odell Borg
since 1990.
High Spirits
is a 1988 fantasy comedy film directed by Neil Jordan and starring
Steve Guttenberg, Daryl Hannah, Beverly D'Angelo, Liam Neeson and Peter
O'Toole.
Which is a really amazing thought because now you are talking about how many people likely died in World War II (up to 100 million) and in the Cold War (up to 100 million from 1945 until 1990).
So, it is now obvious to anyone looking at the facts that a war on Air pollution is actually about 10 times more important than the war on ISIS if you are looking just at how many people are dying from this single cause: Air pollution! every year.
Just from what I've seen in my lifetime in 1985 and 1986 in India and more recently what I've seen in South Korea of the air blowing over from Beijing it is not surprising that 600,000 children under 5 are dying from what is in the air various places around the world. What is surprising to me is that even more aren't dying than this from what I've seen so far here on earth.
Also, as a child in Los Angeles in the suburb of Glendale I remember how sulfurous the air was in the smog of the 1950s with leaded gas which caused brain damage to many inner city children near big thoroughfares from the lead in the gas fumes at that time. Also, the air then was so bad in summers that you often couldn't see 1 block the air was so brown and if you went in a public swimming pool or private swimming pool as a child in heavy smog it felt like a knife in your lungs stabbing you every time. If you started crying from the sulphur in the air from too much smog you couldn't stop crying until you went indoors somewhere where the smog hadn't got to then. And this was the 1950s.
Now, with no lead in gasoline (except for really old engines) (before 1970?) the air in Los Angeles looks clearer most of the time. However, scientists say now it is actually much worse for your health if you live there than before because of the strange combinations of chemicals in the air created by catalytic converters in the upper atmosphere. So, I am happy not living there full time since 1969. Mostly I have lived in San Diego, Hawaii, Mt. Shasta and the San Francisco Bay area which tends to have more winds coming off the ocean to blow whatever smog arises away into the San Joaquin and Sacramento Valleys. Now I live within 1 mile of the ocean where the sea breeze keeps the air clear year around except during fire season when smoke sometimes blows this way. So, mostly since 1969 I have had the clear air of the Pacific Ocean keeping the air I breathe cleaner than most places on earth. So, if you have the freedom to live where air is clean likely you might live longer and have a happier life and not die as young.
The thought that more children are now dying from air pollution than from traffic accidents is sort of beyond belief but also might be true.
Nearly 600,000children under the age of 5 die every yearfrom diseases caused by airpollution. And millions more live in places where ...
Breathing Toxic Air Every Year
Briana Altergott , Katie Link
10:08 AM, Oct 31, 2016
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Nearly 600,000 children under the age of 5 die every year from diseases caused by air pollution.
ADVERTISING
And millions more live in places where they could easily meet the same fate.
According to a new report published
by the United Nations Children's Fund, about 300 million kids around
the world are breathing highly toxic air. The report cites numbers from
2012.
The majority of these children live in South Asia, where air pollution has reached levels at least six times higher than what the World Health Organization has deemed safe.
Because young kids' lungs and brains are still developing, toxic air can cause serious health problems. SEE MORE: Air Pollution Is Letting Teeny, Tiny, Toxic Particles Into Your Brain
Tiny
particles found in air pollution can enter the bloodstream and increase
the risk for cardiac disease, stroke, heart failure, asthma and
pneumonia, among other issues.
It even affects children
who haven't been born yet. The report says pollutants can harm a
developing baby's lungs and brain and even cause miscarriages and low
birth weights.
UNICEF's report was released just days
before the U.N. Climate Change Conference is set to begin in Morocco.
The organization is urging world leaders to start taking steps to reduce
air pollution in their countries. According to CNN,
UNICEF is asking lawmakers to reduce fossil fuel combustion, invest in
energy efficiency, give more children access to the health care they
need and keep schools away from factories and other sources of
pollution.
About 7 million people around the world die from air pollution-related causes each year
I can remember even being in Bodh Gaya, India in Bihar State in 1985 and early 1986 there with the Dalai Lama receiving the Kalachakra Tantra with 500,000 others at the time. However, it might also be important to know that often the air was brown with the smell of burning plastic mixed with the smell of burning Cow poop mostly from Water Buffaloes and Yaks and Dzos which are common work animals in the region then in 1985 and 1986. You could smell the burning plastic and cow poop in the air that people were using for cooking food because it was too hot to need to heat their homes. It was just used for cooking.
Most of these people living in this area were too poor to worry about whether burning plastic was carcinogenic or not, and most didn't worry whether burning cow poop that was dried affected the taste or the safety of their food when they ate it either. And Giardia was and likely still is endemic throughout parts of ASIA including India still from the water which becomes infected from cattle feces often as well even if it is being pumped out of deeper wells. So, this is one reason people are mostly skinny because they have this in their system all the time (giardia).
I also got giardia along with 4 out of the 5 members of my family while traveling in India, Nepal, Thailand and Japan from December 1985 until April 1986.
I am still dealing with things like being Hypothyroid which I can trace back to this as well through my nurse practitioner of Aryuvedic Medicine here in the U.S.
But, Toxic air is something you are likely to see much more commonly in 3rd world nations.
Why is this?
Because most 3rd world nations do not have compulsory public education. I'm not even sure India has this yet.
When I was there in 1985 and 1986 between 40% to 60% of the people had not even been to 1st grade because they didn't have the clean clothes required and suits required for this in India.
If you were not cleanly suited up and dressed you could not go to school at all then everywhere I knew about.
So, if you cannot even go to school because you are too poor how can you be taught that burning plastic is carcinogenic and might give your kids cancer by breathing the air from burning plastic from the smoke from the plastic?
If you have been to 3rd to 5th grade your teacher likely has already told you about this. But, what if you never went to school a day in your life like 40% to 60% of the people I saw in India in 1985 and 1986?
3 hours ago ... New Delhi's air pollution, among the world's worst, spikes every winter ... Even days before the city erupted in annual fireworks celebrations for the Hindu ... Of the 2 billion children worldwide breathing unhealthy air, the report ... 2016 The New York Times Company · Home · Search; Accessibility concerns?
2 Billion Children Breathe Toxic Air Worldwide, UNICEF Says
NEW
DELHI — As Indians wake Monday to smoke-filled skies from a weekend of
festival fireworks, New Delhi's worst season for air pollution begins —
with dire consequences.
A
new report from UNICEF says about a third of the 2 billion children in
the world who are breathing toxic air live in northern India and
neighboring countries, risking serious health effects including damage
to their lungs, brains and other organs. Of that global total, 300
million kids are exposed to pollution levels more than six times higher
than standards set by the World Health Organization, including 220
million in South Asia.
For
the Indian capital, the alarming numbers are hardly a surprise. New
Delhi's air pollution, among the world's worst, spikes every winter
because of the season's weak winds and countless garbage fires set
alight to help people stay warm.
Even
days before the city erupted in annual fireworks celebrations for the
Hindu holiday of Diwali, recorded levels of tiny, lung-clogging
particulate matter known as PM 2.5 were considered dangerous Friday at
well above 300 micrograms per cubic meter. By Monday morning, the city
was recording PM 2.5 levels above 900 mcg per cubic meter — more than 90
times higher than the WHO recommendation of no more than 10 mcg per
cubic meter.
New
Delhi residents were advised to stay indoors, with health warnings
issued for the young, elderly and those with respiratory or heart
conditions. Officials said the high pollution levels were made worse by
the ongoing burning of spent crops in agricultural fields in the
neighboring states of Punjab and Haryana.
Children
face much higher health risks from air pollution than adults. Children
breathe twice as quickly, taking in more air in relation to their body
weight, while their brains and immune systems are still developing and
vulnerable.
"The
impact is commensurately shocking," with 600,000 children younger than 5
across the world dying every year from air pollution-related diseases,
UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake said in the report released
Monday. "Millions more suffer from respiratory diseases that diminish
their resilience and affect their physical and cognitive development.
Of
the 2 billion children worldwide breathing unhealthy air, the report
puts 620 million of them in South Asia — mostly northern India. Another
520 million children are breathing toxic air in Africa, and 450 million
in East Asia, mainly China, according to the report, which combined
satellite images of pollution and ground data with demographic patterns
to determine which populations fell into the highest risk areas.
Since
being identified as one of the world's most polluted cities in recent
years, New Delhi has tried to clean its air. It has barred cargo trucks
from city streets, required drivers to buy newer cars that meet higher
emissions standards and carried out several weeks of experimental
traffic control, limiting the number of cars on the road. But other
pollution sources, including construction dust and cooking fires fueled
by wood or kerosene, continue unabated.
Last
week, the city launched a smartphone application called "Change the
Air" inviting residents to send photos and complaints about illegal
pollution sources, from the burning of leaves and garbage in public
parks to construction crews working without dust control measures.
When FBI Director James Comey told Congress that the FBI intends to review newly …
Newly Discovered Emails Unlikely to Change FBI Decision Not to Charge Clinton, Experts Say
byAri Melber
Hillary Clinton at a campaign event Sunday in Wilton Manors, Fla. Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
When FBI Director James Comey told Congress that
the FBI intends to review newly discovered emails in the investigation
of Hillary Clinton, some observers speculated that the evidence could
lead to federal charges against Clinton. According to former prosecutors
and legal experts across the political spectrum, however, that is
unlikely.
While experts caution that it is hard to weigh
the impact of largely unknown evidence, they say both the history of the
FBI inquiry and the nature of the new emails make it unlikely that
federal authorities would reverse course to charge Clinton.
Old Email, New Email
"Given the fact that they reviewed 30,000
emails, most of which were from Hillary Clinton, it's hard to imagine
there could be new emails that are from Hillary Clinton that could
result in the prosecution of her," said Paul Butler, a former Justice
Department attorney who has prosecuted politicians and federal officials
for corruption.
Clinton Manager Says Clinton Aide 'Cooperated Completely'2:17
Comey did not name the source of the new emails
in his letter to Congress on Friday, but federal sources say the emails
are linked to Clinton aide Huma Abedin, the estranged wife of Anthony
Weiner, who is under investigation for allegedly messaging a minor. Related: FBI Obtains Warrant for Newly Discovered Emails in Clinton Probe
It is possible that those emails could reveal
new information about Clinton's conduct, but former investigators say
that given the broad review the FBI completed, it is far more likely
that the emails would provide information about Abedin.
In its original inquiry, the FBI said
it reviewed Clinton's 30,000 work emails, as well as "several thousand"
other emails. It said it interviewed Clinton, her aides, her
information technology staff and "those involved" in turning over her
emails.
"This seems to be more about Huma than Hillary," a former Republican federal prosecutor said.
"It doesn't seem that this is so inculpatory
towards Hillary Clinton," the prosecutor said, proposing that even if
Abedin's emails "show she's lying, OK — what's that got to do with
Hillary Clinton?"
Should the FBI Reveal More Info on Emails?8:08
Because the FBI has already reviewed Abedin's
work emails through other sources, some former investigators said the
emails are unlikely to change the case."There's probably not a high
likelihood that these are new," said Peter Zeidenberg, a former federal
prosecutor in Washington, D.C.
Zeidenberg estimated that there is a
"significant chance" that any new emails would not have classified
information. But if they did, he said, that fact would be unlikely to
change the FBI's publicly stated legal analysis in the case.
The FBI determined that even careless handling of classified information did not make Clinton guilty of a crime.
"Suppose there was 'Top Secret' information — I
think it would be hugely embarrassing, politically damaging, but I still
don't think it would change the analysis of what is being done
intentionally," said Zeidenberg, who served in the Justice Department
unit that prosecutes elected officials.
"I don't see how it will change the analysis
about whether she's going to be charged with a criminal offense,"
Zeidenberg said. "I think there is about zero percent likelihood of
that."
Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump agree: Both sides want more details released about FBI email review3:18
A High Burden of Proof
When the FBI inquiry ended, Comey said the legal
standard required clear proof that Clinton either "intentionally"
mishandled classified information or that she knowingly took classified
information out of the appropriate government systems. The inquiry did
not find such proof, he said.
Instead, Comey said the evidence did not meet
the legal standard in past cases in which mishandling of classified
material was prosecuted.
Those cases, Comey said, had one of three other
types of misconduct: "clearly intentional and willful mishandling of
classified information" (an intention to break the law), "indications of
disloyalty to the United States" (such as leaking to enemies) or
"efforts to obstruct justice" (such as lying to the FBI).
While experts say Abedin's email is unlikely to
generate that kind of "smoking gun" evidence about Clinton, as a matter
of process, it is prudent to look at any evidence that might be new.
Trump Attacks Clinton Over Emails6:25
"You would never want to forgo the opportunity
to see if there is evidence that is potentially relevant and could
change the outcome of the investigation," said Andy Devooght, a former
federal prosecutor in Illinois.
Devooght also echoed the stringent legal test for charges.
Any new emails would face a high bar for
supporting charges against Clinton — specifically, clear proof that she
intentionally sought to mishandle classified information.
"The bottom line is that this new information
would have to prove what they didn't have before — which is sufficient
evidence to establish that she knew, beyond a reasonable doubt, that she
was sending classified information," said Devooght, a former clerk to
the late Chief Justice William Rehnquist.
Former FBI officials also say any routine effort to look at new evidence does not imply a "do-over" of the entire case.
When new information arises, "the FBI
re-evaluates the new information," said Shawn Henry, a former assistant
director of the FBI and expert on cybercrime.
"You don't go back and look at the entire
investigation, but you evaluate the new information on its merit to see
if it changes your conclusions," said Henry, who ran the FBI's
Washington Field Office.
The FBI's current approach to the Clinton review, however, is anything but routine.
Timing of Emails Could Leave Damaging Effect4:41
New Emails or Duplicate Emails?
Apart from the unusually public nature of the
FBI's review, no one at the bureau apparently knows whether the emails
are actually new evidence.
Comey's letter Friday stated that emails from
the Weiner investigation "appear to be pertinent" and merit review to
"assess their importance." Federal officials also told Yahoo News, however, that the FBI has not reviewed any of the emails. The FBI only just obtained a warrant to look further into the emails late Sunday, according to law-enforcement sources.
That is significant, because it raises the
possibility that there is no new evidence at all if the emails are
copies of what the FBI already reviewed.
"They could all be duplicates of what they've
already looked at," said Nick Akerman, who was an assistant special
prosecutor in the Watergate investigation.
In that case, the evidence would essentially be
old, and the only development would be that previously reviewed emails
existed on another device.
That could be negative for Abedin, experts said,
but the location of the emails alone would not change the legal
analysis of Clinton's conduct.
Hillary Clinton at a campaign event Sunday in Wilton Manors, Fla. Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
"There's going to be a lot of innuendo out of nothing," said Akerman, adding, "There is no crime here."
Other legal experts said that Comey's letter was
premature and that a public announcement that an investigation is
continuing should occur only if, first, the FBI has actually reviewed
the new evidence and, second, it has deemed it important.
This "does not happen without substantial,
credible evidence that the prior decision may have been in error," said
Robert Cattanach, a former federal prosecutor and former counsel to the
secretary of the Navy.
"Second looks themselves are not unheard of, but
those typically occur without fanfare or even acknowledgement,"
Cattanach said, "unless and until real substance to contradict the
bureau's earlier decision comes to light."
While the FBI says it is not reopening the case, Cattanach said Comey's letter essentially does that, but in "veiled terms."
For all the scrutiny of Comey's process, it is the outcome of the inquiry that interests most observers.
According to legal experts, new emails from a
cooperating witness are, absent a very unusual development, unlikely to
change the outcome that the FBI did not find the kind of criminal intent
required to charge Clinton with mishandling classified information.
It is a good thing for the government of Saudi Arabia in that the government will be less worried about being overthrown or undermined by ISIS.
However, Since ISIS doctrine is Wahabi Sunni Muslim ideas from Saudi Arabia the people of Saudi Arabia (many of them) might be upset about what is happening to ISIS in Iraq and Syria. But, the government of Saudi Arabia will breathe a sigh of relief that at least they have less chance of being overthrown one day by ISIS because ISIS wishes to overthrow ALL governments in the Middle East and replace them with a Sunni Caliphate. So, ISIS is a threat to all governments on earth in this sense which is why their Army is being wiped out by most governments on earth one way or another.
From my point of view, the U.S. seen as the "Great Satan" came from Iran's dealings with the U.S. before, during and After the Shah of Iran was deposed around 1979 I believe. When Iran kidnapped
The Iran hostage crisis was a diplomatic crisis between Iran and the United States. .... Kraus was injured in the attack, kidnapped by the militants, tortured, tried, and ... The next attempt to seize the American Embassy was planned for September ...
the Embassy personnel in Tehran then to the United States Iran became the Great Satan of the Middle East. It has sort of stayed this way every since around 1980 when they kidnapped the U.S. Embassy personnel.
However, after putting Saddam Hussein up to starting a war with Iran, the United States then gave weapons to whatever side (both Iran and Iraq) was losing because the U.S. had great worries about either side winning and taking over the whole middle East. By doing this the U.S. and Europe kept the war going until 1988 when no one won but thousands had died.
Then when Saddam Hussein took over Kuwait with his troops the U.S. saw it was right to worry about Saddam Hussein. Even though some people think Bush 2 going into Iraq wasn't a good thing it is debatable because most people know Saddam Hussein was as dangerous as Iran still is.
Because both Iran and Saddam Hussein were hell bent on obtaining nuclear weapons. Now, with Saddam Hussein gone only Iran is (and maybe Saudi Arabia) both of which could buy one or already have from North Korea because North Korea is known to sell nuclear weapons to the highest bidder which is why the world is very worried about North Korea right now. And also about Iran and Saudi Arabia having obtained already or in the future obtaining nuclear weapons.
From my point of view Iran and Saudi Arabia already have nuclear weapons. If they didn't they would be fighting each other directly with their armies instead of having proxy wars in Yemen, Syria and Iraq.
This type of warfare (proxy wars) was demonstrated to the world through the Cold War how nations with nuclear weapons and power ONLY fight through proxy wars because otherwise all life on earth and possibly the earth itself would end.
Erdogan has now killed Democracy in Turkey. I think he sees himself as the newest Saddam Hussein ready to do battle with Iran and Syria and the Kurdish People. I sort of expect Iran and Turkey to go to war within less than 10 years the way this presently is going. And Turkey is a member of NATO? Will Turkey drag NATO into a War with Iran? If you are interested study the war between Saddam Hussein in Iraq with Iran during the 1980s.
The Iran–Iraq War
was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq lasting from September 1980
to ..... Clarification: People's Mujahedin of Iran started to take the
side of Saddam in 1984 or 1986 (mid 1980s). In 1986, Rajavi moved from Paris to ...
7 hours ago ...Turkey said it had dismissed a further 10000 civil servants and closed 15 more media outlets over suspected links with terrorist organizations ...
Turkey sacks 10,000 more civil servants, shuts media in latest crackdown
A man waves Turkey's national flag
during the Democracy and Martyrs Rally, organized by Turkish President
Tayyip Erdogan and supported by ruling AK Party (AKP), oppositions
Republican People's Party (CHP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), to
protest against last month's failed military coup attempt, in Istanbul,
Turkey, August 7, 2016.
REUTERS/Umit Bektas
Turkey
said it had dismissed a further 10,000 civil servants and closed 15 more
media outlets over suspected links with terrorist organizations and
U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, blamed by Ankara for orchestrating a
failed coup in July.More
than 100,000 people had already been sacked or suspended and 37,000
arrested since the abortive putsch in an unprecedented crackdown
President Tayyip Erdogan says is crucial for wiping out the network of
Gulen from the state apparatus.
Thousands
more academics, teachers, health workers, prison guards and forensics
experts were among the latest to be removed from their posts through two
new executive decrees published on the Official Gazette late on
Saturday.
Opposition
parties described the move as a coup in itself. The continued crackdown
has also raised concerns over the functioning of the state.
"What
the government and Erdogan are doing right now is a direct coup against
the rule of law and democracy," Sezgin Tanrikulu, an MP from the main
opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), said in a Periscope
broadcast posted on Twitter.
A
Turkish court on Sunday formally arrested Gultan Kisanak and Firat
Anli, co-mayors of the largely Kurdish southeastern city of Diyarbakir
on charges of membership of a terrorist organization after five days in
detention, sources said.
Earlier
police used rubber pellets to break up several hundred protesters
marching against their arrests. The internet has been largely down in
the city for several days, witnesses said.
Turkey's
southeast has been rocked by the worst violence in decades since the
collapse last year of a ceasefire between the state and the Kurdistan
Workers Party (PKK), designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the
United States and the European Union.
The
local prosecutor had said Kisanak, a lawmaker before becoming
Diyarbakir's first female mayor in 2014, and Anli had given speeches
sympathetic to the PKK, called for greater political autonomy for
Turkey's estimated 16 million Kurds and incited violent protests in
2014. MISUSE
The
extent of the crackdown has worried rights groups and many of Turkey's
Western allies, who fear Erdogan is using the emergency rule to
eradicate dissent. The government says the actions are justified given
the threat to the state posed by the coup attempt, in which more than
240 people died.
The
executive decrees have ordered the closure of 15 more newspapers, wires
and magazines, which report from the largely Kurdish southeast, bringing
the total number of media outlets and publishers closed since July to
nearly 160.
Universities
have also been stripped of their ability to elect their own rectors
according to the decrees. Erdogan will from now on directly appoint the
rectors from the candidates nominated by the High Educational Board
(YOK).
Lale
Karabiyik, another CHP lawmaker, said the move was a clear misuse of
the emergency rule decrees and described it as a coup d'etat on higher
education. Pro-Kurdish opposition said the decrees were used as tools to
establish a 'one-man regime'.
The
government extended the state of emergency imposed after the coup
attempt for three months until mid-January. Erdogan said the authorities
needed more time to wipe out the threat posed by Gulen's network as
well as Kurdish militants who have waged a 32-year insurgency.
Ankara
wants the United States to detain and extradite Gulen so that he can be
prosecuted in Turkey on a charge that he masterminded the attempt to
overthrow the government. Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in
Pennsylvania since 1999, denies any involvement.
Speaking
to reporters at a reception marking Republic Day on Saturday, Erdogan
said the nation wanted the reinstatement of the death penalty, a debate
which has emerged following the coup attempt, and added that delaying it
would not be right.
"I
believe this issue will come to the parliament," he said, and repeated
that he would approve it, a move that would sink Turkey's hopes of
European Union membership. Erdogan shrugged off such concerns, saying
that much of the world had capital punishment.
(Additional reporting by Seyhmus Cakan in Diyarbakir; Editing by Clelia Oziel and Alexandra Hudson)
A
bipartisan group of nearly 100 former federal prosecutors and senior
Department of Justice officials, including Attorney General Eric Holder,
have signed a letter expressing concerns over FBI Director James
Comey’s decision to inform Congress of new emails that may or may not be
relevant to Hillary Clinton’s private email server.
“Many
of us have worked with Director Comey; all of us respect him,” said the
letter, which was released Sunday night by the Clinton campaign. “But
his unprecedented decision to publicly comment on evidence in what may
be an ongoing inquiry just eleven days before a presidential election
leaves us both astonished and perplexed,” said the signatories.
“We
cannot recall a prior instance where a senior Justice Department
official — Republican or Democrat — has, on the eve of a major election,
issued a public statement where the mere disclosure of information may
impact the election’s outcome, yet the official acknowledges the
information to be examined may not be significant or new.”
As
former federal prosecutors and high-ranking officials of the U.S.
Department of Justice, we know that the impartiality and nonpartisanship
of the United States justice system makes it exceptional throughout the
world. To maintain fairness and neutrality, federal law enforcement
officials must exercise discipline whenever they make public statements
in connection with an ongoing investigation. Often, evidence uncovered
during the course of an investigative inquiry is incomplete, misleading
or even incorrect, and releasing such information before all of the
facts are known and tested in a court of law can unfairly prejudice
individuals and undermine the public’s faith in the integrity of our
legal process.
For this reason, Justice Department officials are instructed to refrain
from commenting publicly on the existence, let alone the substance, of
pending investigative matters, except in exceptional circumstances and
with explicit approval from the Department of Justice officials
responsible for ultimate supervision of the matter. They are also
instructed to exercise heightened restraint near the time of a primary
or general election because, as official guidance from the Department
instructs, public comment on a pending investigative matter may affect
the electoral process and create the appearance of political
interference in the fair administration of justice.
It is out of our respect for such settled tenets of the United States
Department of Justice that we are moved to express our concern with the
recent letter issued by FBI Director James Comey to eight Congressional
Committees. Many of us have worked with Director Comey; all of us
respect him. But his unprecedented decision to publicly comment on
evidence in what may be an ongoing inquiry just eleven days before a
presidential election leaves us both astonished and perplexed. We cannot
recall a prior instance where a senior Justice Department
official—Republican or Democrat—has, on the eve of a major election,
issued a public statement where the mere disclosure of information may
impact the election’s outcome, yet the official acknowledges the
information to be examined may not be significant or new.
Director Comey's letter is inconsistent with prevailing Department
policy, and it breaks with longstanding practices followed by officials
of both parties during past elections. Moreover, setting aside whether
Director Comey's original statements in July were warranted, by failing
to responsibly supplement the public record with any substantive,
explanatory information, his letter begs the question that further
commentary was necessary. For example, the letter provides no details
regarding the content, source or recipient of the material; whether the
newly-discovered evidence contains any classified or confidential
information; whether the information duplicates material previously
reviewed by the FBI; or even “whether or not [the] material may be
significant.”
Perhaps most troubling to us is the precedent set by this departure from
the Department’s widely-respected, non-partisan traditions. The
admonitions that warn officials against making public statements during
election periods have helped to maintain the independence and integrity
of both the Department’s important work and public confidence in the
hardworking men and women who conduct themselves in a nonpartisan
manner.
We believe that adherence to longstanding Justice Department guidelines
is the best practice when considering public statements on investigative
matters. We do not question Director Comey’s motives. However, the
fact remains that the Director’s disclosure has invited considerable,
uninformed public speculation about the significance of newly-discovered
material just days before a national election. For this reason, we
believe the American people deserve all the facts, and fairness dictates
releasing information that provides a full and complete picture
regarding the material at issue.
