GOP treason?
T he 47 GOP senators who tried to undercut the Obama administration’s nuclear deal with Iran by issuing a warning letter to the country may have committed an act of treason under the Logan Act — a federal law prohibiting unauthorized citizens from negotiating with foreign governments. Passed in 1799 and last amended in 1994, violation of the Logan Act is a felony, punishable under federal law with imprisonment of up to three years. The GOP senators’ letter was a clear attempt to sabotage negotiations.
During the 1968 presidential election, Richard Nixon campaign officials, through Anna Chennault, advised Saigon to refuse participation in peace talks, promising a better deal once elected. Defense Secretary Clark Clifford thought the move illegal, and President Lyndon B. Johnson called it treasonous, but did not want to reveal that the NSA was intercepting communications in Vietnam.
I suspect the Obama administration understands the letter was a violation of the Logan Act, but they may have political concerns about charging GOP senators and adding further distraction to the talks. A successful conclusion to nuclear negotiations with Iran is too important for establishing world peace to derail. Encouraging Iran to continue fighting ISIS in Iraq, which lessens the U.S. involvement in this endeavor, is a further boon to good relations. As an aside, Iran hasn’t started a war with another country since the mid-1700s. I wish we could claim the same.
Porky Pig ain’t laughing
With April Fools’ Day upon us, it appears that the meat, egg, and dairy industries have been playing us for fools all year-round. Their more remarkable hoaxes include “California’s happy cows,” “free-range chickens,” and “humane slaughter.” All lies.
Less fun is the stuff they never talk about. Like the hundreds of millions of chickens crammed seven into a cage designed for one, unable to move or spread their wings. Or their hundreds of millions of male counterparts ground up live at birth and fed to other chickens, or just dumped into plastic garbage bags to suffocate slowly. Or the miserable breeding sows producing millions of piglets per year while trapped in tiny steel cages.
All in the spirit of year-round April Fools’ Day, the meat industry has even developed a whole dictionary of fun terms to fool unwary consumers.
Those filthy cesspools of animal waste that poison downwind neighbors with putrid odors? They call them “lagoons.” And to make sure that kids don’t confuse the pig flesh on their plate with “Babe” or “Wilbur,” they call it “pork.” Ah, those meat industry folks are such kidders. But they won’t be fooling American consumers much longer.
Shout out to Young@Heart
On behalf of the Young@Heart I want to thank Hunter Styles and Micaela Bedell for their piece on our work at the Hampshire County House of Corrections (“Jailhouse Rock: What do a dozen Northampton inmates and a chorus of sernior citizens have in common?” March 26, 2015). They were not only good journalists, but good sports. We made them sing before they could ask any questions or take any photos. Hunter did a nice job on the Beatles “With a Little Help from My Friends” and Micaela wowed with her version of “Wonderwall” by Oasis.
I need to add that besides the rotating members of Young@Heart Chorus who attend rehearsal we are also joined each time by Mark Guglielmo, the Young@Heart director of operations. Mark has poured his heart and soul into this project. He ran a successful Kickstarter campaign, wrote grants, but most importantly gained the admiration and trust of the inmates. His knowledge of newer music and his own success as a rap artist has very much informed this work.
Anyone who plays music in the Valley knows the importance of Ken Maiuri. Ken can take any song and turn it into a magnificent orchestration on his own. The only reason that rehearsals reach the heights that they do is because Ken can make it all sound so soulful and energetic that you can’t help but get caught up in the music. That’s true for the project in the prisons and for the work with the Young@Heart.
