From the NY Times today. In Russia, President Vladimir V. Putin’s government, which had apparently expected a lightning conquest, responded to its setbacks in Ukraine and its plummeting reputation in the West by expanding its recent draconian crackdown on dissent, making it a criminal offense to discredit the activities of all state agencies working abroad, like embassies. A Russian court sentenced the already imprisoned opposition leader Aleksei A. Navalny, who opposes Russia’s war on Ukraine, to nine more years in prison on fraud charges.
Add this to your reasons to be stressed. Russia would consider using its nuclear weapons if it felt there was “an existential threat for our country,” a Kremlin spokesman said in an English-language television interview on Tuesday. The spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, made the comment after describing Ukraine, the neighboring country Russia invaded a month ago, as having been created by anti-Russian Western powers.
For the last year I have been voicing my opposition to the prosecution of former DHS Director Nick Lyon, former Governor Snyder and others on criminal charges related to the Flint Water Crisis. I have expressed my concern that the case does not belong in criminal court, especially after it has already be settled in civil court where Snyder and others were cleared of any wrong doing as part of civil case. In addition, I have also voiced my opposition that Lyon, Snyder and the others are entitled to a speedy trial under the constitution and that has not occurred in the criminal case. On March 19, 2022, the Detroit News issued an editorial about the case. The following are excerpts from the editorial.
Editorial: End the Flint witch hunt. It’s time to end the partisan prosecution of former Republican Gov. Rick Snyder and members of his administration over their handling of the Flint water crisis. …..Nessel, a Democrat, and her office have mishandled multiple aspects of the proceedings, including sensitive attorney-client privileged documents. Nessel last year charged Snyder with two counts of willful neglect of duty, a misdemeanor. The attorney general is trying to make the case the former governor was negligent in his response to Flint’s lead contamination because his administration approved the water source switch to the Flint River from Detroit’s regional water authority. If Snyder can be subject to such charges, this opens the door to criminalizing public service more broadly. For instance, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer could face her own legal issues over the lead water crisis in Benton Harbor, and her executive orders during the pandemic may have put nursing home residents at risk from COVID-19.
If Snyder and the other defendants are to be brought to trial, they should be treated fairly. Last week, they argued against Snyder being subpoenaed to testify in the separate civil trial that involves the city’s engineering consultants. Snyder had already given a deposition in 2020 in the civil case but doesn’t want to testify now because of the criminal charges he faces. The attorneys also point to the refusal of prosecutors to follow a court order to set up a “taint team” to review millions of case documents and separate out the ones subject to lawyer-client confidentiality. This has undermined Snyder’s right to a fair defense. In addition, after 15 months, basic issues such as where the trial will be held have yet to be settled. Last week, the state Supreme Court agreed to hear a case filed by one of the Snyder administration officials charged with a felony who hasn’t yet had her day in court. Nessel’s team used an unusual one-man grand jury to review the evidence and issue charges and contend that precludes the need for a preliminary examination. Without the preliminary examination, however, the defendants have no access to the evidence that’s being used against them and cannot prepare an adequate defense, as guaranteed by the Constitution. If the court rules in their favor, the evidence will be aired in an open court and the defendants will have the right to challenge what is presented and cross-examine witnesses. The longer this drags on, the more costly it is for state taxpayers, wasting millions of dollars. The state is on the hook for Snyder’s legal costs, which could be upwards of $8 million. And the much needed outside taint team could run more than $40 million, according to prosecutors. Snyder and other government officials erred in how they handled the Flint situation. But policy mistakes are not criminal actions. justice is not being served in this prosecution. It should be dropped.
Pray for peace. What are you doing to stop the violence? Get vaccinated and get your booster.
Orchid of the Day: The citizens of Ukraine.
Onion of the Day: Putin, again.
| Quote of the Day : “A neighbor said that God left Mariupol. He was afraid of everything he saw. My city is dying a painful death.” said Nadezhda Sukhorukova, a resident who recently escaped. |
Video of the Day: Why bracketology is so difficult.