Sunday night in Philadelphia, businesses were destroyed, streets burned, property damaged and citizens clashed with cops—not in the name of freedom—but over football.
The post As Americans Riot Over a Football Game, Tens of Thousands March for Freedom in Romania appeared first on The Free Thought Project.
When it comes to holidays and travelling in general, Europe has a lot to offer.
Cosmopolitan cities jam packed with culture, pristine beaches, excellent ski resorts, you name it. Given all of that, it comes as little surprise that many Europeans never travel outside the EU.
As Statista"s Niall McCarthy notes, the most recent Eurobarometer data showing the share of people who have travelled at least once outside the EU was published in 2014.
You will find more statistics at Statista
The above infographic shows the results of the research, with Swedes most likely to have been outside the EU. That is more than likely due to the long and open border with neighbouring Norway which is not part of the EU.
The same story is likely true for Austria due to its proximity to Switzerland.
People in newer member states in Eastern Europe are least likely to have been outside the EU with Bulgaria, Lithuania, Poland, Hungary and Romania all towards the bottom of the ranking.
Interestingly, Portugal comes second last, possibly due to the fact that it only shares a land border with Spain. Only 18 percent of all Portuguese residents have travelled outside the EU.
Authored by George Friedman via MauldinEconomics.com,
For centuries, Europe has fought wars over borders. In the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, Europe’s borders shifted wildly. As empires fragmented, new nations arose and wars were waged.
After 1945 and the beginning of the Cold War, a new principle emerged on the Continent. The borders that existed at the end of World War II were deemed sacrosanct—not to be changed.
Europeans knew that border disputes had been one of the reasons of the two world wars and that even raising the legitimacy of post-war borders risked igniting passions that led to violence.
Similarly, untouchable were the existing spheres of influence on the Continent. There was the East and the West, and neither would mess with the other.
Thus, when the Soviets crushed independence movements in Hungary and Czechoslovakia, the United States refrained from any military action (not that there were many options). When Yugoslavia chose a pro-Western neutrality over membership in the Warsaw Pact, the Soviets didn’t intervene.
But in the early 1990s, everything changed.
In 1991–1992, two things happened.
First came the fall of the Soviet Union; then came the signing of the Maastricht Treaty and the creation of the European Union. Border issues began to drive events again.
The border of the Soviet Union collapsed, and a multitude of countries popped up to reclaim their past. There were many questions about borders that were mumbled about.
But for Eastern European countries, other problems took precedence: establishing national sovereignty, finding their place in a Europe that they longed to join, and building a new life for their people. They let the border issue drop—for the most part.
Yugoslavia and the Caucasus were exceptions that drove home the lesson of European borders. There, outside the framework of the EU and of little consequence to others, more than 100,000 people died.
Compare this to the Velvet Divorce of the Czechs and Slovaks, which took place within the context of future European states and left no one dead.
After this, and with Yugoslavia and the Caucasus in mind, the European Union tried to reinstate the principle that borders were sacrosanct. It provided what it had promised—peace and prosperity—and treated borders as anachronistic. No one was supposed to care where the lines were drawn. But there was a problem.
The European Union had affirmed the principle of national self-determination while avoiding the question of what a nation actually was. A nation was, under the bloc’s definition, any political entity that was in place when the EU was formed. There was little consideration after that.
This is why Catalonia is so important, along with Scotland. The Scots rejected a divorce by a startlingly narrow vote. One would have expected 90% of Scots to want to remain in the United Kingdom. Slightly more than 55% wanted to.
This means secessionists are within striking distance of secession—which would not only divide Scotland from England, but would also maintain the divide among the Scots.
Add to this another critical element. Catalonia has been part of Spain for a long time, but it has considered itself a unique nation apart for an even longer time. Spain will not legalize an independence vote.
The underlying questions are the ones the Europeans tried to bury, particularly after Yugoslavia: What is a nation, and what rights does it have? Both Scotland and Catalonia are nations. Do they therefore have a right to national determination or have they lost that right?
And what are the consequences if the Catalans disagree?
This is not the only such issue festering in Europe.
Hungary was partitioned between Romania and Slovakia. Does it have a right to reclaim these lands? Belgium was a British invention binding the Dutch and French in an unhappy marriage. Can they divorce? Lviv used to be a very Polish city, and now it is part of Ukraine. Can western Ukraine secede and its people rejoin the countries they were citizens of before 1945?
The European Union promised universal prosperity if everyone suspended the question of borders and ignored their identities. It was a good bargain. But times have changed, and economic problems make borders much more important.
Europe, of course, has no solution to the problem.
That we would be talking about an independent Scotland and Catalonia in 2017 would seem preposterous. No economist would see it as a rational discussion.
Nations matter because Europe is merely a continent, and the EU is merely a treaty. It is a useful entity, and being useful is the only thing that justifies it. If it loses its utility, it loses its legitimacy. And that would also mean that the boundaries it has set would wither and die.
Almost all current nations in Europe have border issues and some parts that want to be independent. Most are quiet at the moment. But they are watching Scotland and Catalonia. And they know where border issues in Europe lead.
* * *
Grab George Friedman"s Exclusive eBook, The World Explained in Maps
The World Explained in Maps reveals the panorama of geopolitical landscapes influencing today"s governments and global financial systems. Don"t miss this chance to prepare for the year ahead with the straight facts about every major country’s and region"s current geopolitical climate. You won"t find political rhetoric or media hype here.
The World Explained in Maps is an essential guide for every investor as 2017 takes shape. Get your copy now—free!
Private security guards have become a common sight across our society, whether they"re escorting cash in transit, patrolling shopping malls, conducting screening at airports or protecting VIPs. In many places, the guards dress like police officers and are equipped with firearms.
As Statista"s Niall McCarthy notes, private security is booming and the sector is worth approximately $180 billion, a number that"s expected to increase to $240 billion by 2020. That"s greater than the GDPs of 100 countries including Portugal, Romania and Hungary. An estimated 20 million workers are employed in the private security sector while its biggest company, G4S, has 585,000 employees and revenues of nearly $10 billion.
Research conducted by the Guardian has found that half of the planet"s population lives in countries where there are more private security workers than police officers.
You will find more statistics at Statista
India and South Africa have glaring disparities while in the U.S., there are over 1.1 million private security guards compared to 666,000 police officers.
Things are far more even in Germany, though private security still has a slight edge over the Polizei by a margin of 2,000.
When companies like Blackwater (now called Academi) flocked to Iraq more than a decade ago to fulfill lucrative contracts, the industry really started flourishing.
However, increasing levels of wealth and growing global inequality have proven the real driving forces behind its inexorable rise. The global pool of super rich individuals is bigger than ever, resulting in heavy demand for services like alarm monitoring and armored transport. That demand isn"t going to slacken anytime soon with the private security sector growing 6 percent every year.
Authored by Simon Black via SovereignMan.com,
Enes Kanter is a Turkish citizen who plays center for the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder.
Like many professional athletes, Kanter has a couple of charities in his name.
His education fund provides first-year college scholarships to support selected US students – including a family’s first female child and children of law enforcement and firefighters who lost their lives on duty.
Kanter’s other charity is the Light Foundation. This one has an international bent, providing meals and clothes to needy families.
A global tour with the Light Foundation stirred up Friday’s troubles.
After traveling to a few countries, Kanter and his team flew from Indonesia to Romania. But upon landing in Romania, Kanter found his passport cancelled by the Turkish embassy.
Kanter’s crime? His political views.
Enes Kanter has long been a vocal critic of Turkey’s president, Recep Erdogan, calling him the Hitler of our century.
Although not a Hitler, Erdogan is far from an angel.
In July 2016 when facing a coup, he ordered his forces to open fire on his own people, killing 270. He had another 50,000 arrested.
Last month in the country’s constitutional referendum, Erdogan consolidated greater power by the slimmest majority – 51% of the votes, if the vote count is to be believed.
With that victory, Erdogan has near dictatorial powers, which is why he was able to unilaterally suspend Kanter’s passport.
Last week, I wrote about Venezuela. There, government-sanctioned snipers scan the streets. Its starving, desperate citizens are trapped inside the country’s borders with no way out.
To Europeans and Americans, Turkey’s crackdown and Venezuela’s hell on earth are a world away from their comfortable lives.
But in the West, symptoms of government overreach that adversely impact its citizens’ futures are everywhere.
The war on cash continues unabated.
Near-zero interest rates return nothing on retirees’ life savings.
Easy credit ensures that any entrepreneur with a bozo idea receives funding. And it fuels both our insane stock market valuations and consumer debt to all-time highs.
US regulators crank out 150, 200, sometimes 300+ pages daily.
And then there’s the ballooning national debts of the Eurozone and the US.
It would be foolish to place all your faith and confidence in only one such government.
Enes Kanter’s experience with Turkey is the latest example. It shows how susceptible citizens are to an out of control government, even when traveling beyond its borders.
Whether locked inside borders like Venezuelans or locked out of travel like Kanter, these cases highlight the importance of having a Plan B.
A savings account in a well-capitalized foreign jurisdiction, investments outside the ridiculously valued stock market (e.g. Peer to Peer lending backed by real collateral), a second residence and yes, a second passport…these are steps to ensure that no matter what, you’ll be okay.
You’re not going to be worse off because you’re holding a significant amount of, say, Hong Kong dollars.
You’re not going to curse the fact that you receive steady and safe investment returns.
And you’re not going to worry about your ability to freely travel around the world.
Oh, and if what happened to Kanter seems impossible, consider this:
On December 30, 2015 when no one was looking, the US government passed H.R. 22 (The FAST Act), which authorizes them to revoke your passport if they believe, in their sole discretion, that you owe $50,000 in taxes.
It’s important to note that they don’t actually have to prove any wrongdoing.
They can make a simple allegation. It could even be a clerical error. Then, poof, no more passport.
It’s important to have a hedge against this to ensure that your entire life and livelihood isn’t held in the hands of a single government.
February in Romania has brought 27 consecutive days of protests against the current government, at a scale unmatched since the Revolution in 1989.
In a record day, more than 600,000 people gathered in the capital’s Victory Square and around the country to overturn a decision by the current ruling party to decriminalize some acts of corruption and abuse of office. This decision was especially self-serving given the high number of party members already serving suspended sentences for similar graft offenses. News outlets around the world have covered the events using flattering words, describing the peaceful riots as a “poetry of international resistance” and a “massive political awakening.”
The resilience—and moderate success—of protesters, in spite of the government digging its heels in and the temperatures dropping, has been undeniably impressive, and has demonstrated an energetic interest in pursuing justice, which, rightly employed, could become the driver of a much needed change in Romanian politics.
Yet at the same time, amongst the shouting against totalitarian measures aimed at changing the penal and civil code, other voices emerged as well. Equally numerous, and sometimes belonging to the same people, they call for stronger ‘democratic’ processes and offer public displays of affection for the European Union. Unsurprisingly, there have also been no mass protests against another fairly recent economic policy which forces supermarkets to ensure at least 51% of their grocery offers are of Romanian provenance. In this regard, many protesters might decry the ‘thieving multinational corporations’, and ask for a government crackdown on tax evasions, in order to provide for socialized healthcare and education.
As much as one agrees with the initial outrage or admires the revolutionary spirit of Romania’s youth, we are inevitably faced with the realization that—as is often the case in modern day revolutions—the message from protesters has hardly been one of true liberty. Rather, these social uprisings eventually coalesce into a murky “anti” movement, unsupported by principles and looking to replace a present evil with another, perhaps less evident but equally harmful.
All this was reminiscent of Mises’s analysis of the ‘sham anticommunist front’ in The Anti-Capitalistic Mentality:
What these people… are aiming at is communism without those inherent and necessary features of communism which are still unpalatable... They think that they have proved their case by employing such aliases for socialism as planning or the welfare state. They pretend to reject the revolutionary and dictatorial aspirations of the "Reds" and at the same time they praise Karl Marx… as the eminent benefactor and liberator of mankind.
They want to make us believe that untotalitarian totalitarianism, a kind of a triangular square, is the patent medicine for all ills. […] In short: they pretend to fight communism in trying to convert people to the ideas of the Communist Manifesto.
The most worrying aspect is that the overwhelming majority of people are unaware that the ‘overhauling change’ they proclaim will amount only to a slight shift in the system that oppresses them and which they wish to fight. Others, even close friends for whose principled stance I can vouch, have found themselves face to face with political compromise, asking whether it is not better to trade a return towards the policies of the USSR for the more benign EU, or the welfare state for the respect for the rule of law.
The sad lesson to learn here is that the state eventually gorges on every choice you have: from prices and products in the market, to education and jobs, and finally even to the things you are able to protest against or dream about changing. In times such as these, it may be difficult to know what one needs to fight for. However, Mises’s motto—Do not give in to evil, but proceed ever more boldly against it—remains the best thing to uphold.
While the U.S. outspends all NATO allies when it comes to overall defence spending in relation to her GDP, Statista"s Dyfed Loesche notes - and President Trump is very well aware of - the U.S. is also the prime direct financer of NATO.
However, direct contribution are more evenly split between the major NATO powers. Germany for example, spends only 1.19 percent of her GDP into defence (USA = 3.61 percent) but seemingly pulls its weight when it comes to direct funding of NATO. This does not include contributions to particular military operations.
This chart shows direct financial contributions to the running of NATO (in million U.S. dollars)
You will find more statistics at Statista
As George Friedman recently noted, Europeans must face two facts...
First, the wars that matter to the US are being fought in the Islamic world. Second, Europe is not struggling to recover from World War II. Its military capabilities should be equal to those of the US.
NATO is obsolete if it defines its responsibility mainly to repel a Russian invasion. Especially since it refused to create a military force capable of doing that. It is obsolete in that it regards the US as the guarantor of Europe’s security when Europe is quite capable of incurring the cost of self-defense.
If European nations are free to follow their own interests, then so is the United States.
When we step back, we see a broader truth. First, the European Union is breaking. Europe is in no position to do unanimously supported NATO operations. For the Europeans, NATO is important because it means that, in the rare chance of a European war, the US must be there.
The United States wants to stop Russian hegemony over the European Peninsula. But the US can deal with that by placing limited forces in the Baltics, Poland, and Romania. The Europeans have devolved NATO into bilateral relations between the US and each NATO member. So, the United States can do the same. Also, the US can accept the status quo in Ukraine, written or unwritten. The US is not going to war in Ukraine. Russia is not going to war there either.
Trump’s approach to NATO has been forced on the US by the Europeans. NATO doesn’t work as an alliance. It is a group of sovereign nations that will respond to American requests as they see fit. The US knows this and at some point, someone was going to point out that NATO is obsolete.
The matter can be summed up the following way. What is the commitment of European countries to the United States? And what is the US commitment to Europe?
It is not clear that there is a geopolitical basis for this commitment any more. Interests have diverged. NATO is not suited to the realities of today.
“Films, football, beer, and above all, gambling filled up the horizon of their minds. To keep them in control was not difficult….” ― George Orwell, 1984
As Americans train their attention to Super Bowl 51, massive life changing events are unfolding around them — and most people are entirely oblivious — mostly by design.
All week long, the rivalry between the Patriots and the Falcons has been plastered across televisions — and, in effect, across the minds of Americans. Super bowl, super bowl, super bowl — concern yourself with nothing else.
As Jim Quinn points out, when six mega-corporations who depend upon other mega-corporations, Wall Street banks and political parties for their revenue, control all of the news and information flowing to the masses, you have all the ingredients needed to control, influence and mold the opinions, tastes and ideas of the people.
This control and influence wielded over the minds of Americans perfectly explain why we, as a culture, are more concerned with Tom Brady and Matt Ryan than US officials exploiting us to spread war and empire.
Below, is a list of just five of the many stories barely registering as a blip on the minds of Americans as they are consumbed by the Super Bowl.
Police and National Guard forces began raiding camps at Standing Rock Wednesday afternoon, not long after reports stated the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would be granting an easement necessary for completion of the Dakota Access Pipeline.
After police arrested dozens of water protectors and removed them from their camps, they went after the only tribal leader left who was opposing the DAPL, Chase Iron Eyes — who now faces felony instigating for doing nothing other than moving his camp to higher ground.
After the raid on the main camp, the Free Thought Project reported that cops, with the blessing of the Tribal Council, invaded Sacred Stone, the camp located on private property belonging to LaDonna Tamakawastewin Allard. Police claim they were ‘assessing the land.’
READ MORE: Cops Wanted to Inject this Kid with Viagra and Take Pictures of His Penis, Now He"s on Probation
Considering the raid performed Wednesday night on a newly erected camp meant to keep pipeline opposition going while avoiding the dangers of the spring snow melt, the only possible purpose of assessing private property would be reconnaissance for a future attempt by law enforcement to shut down Sacred Stone.
In spite of the fact that Iran hasn’t attacked another country in over two centuries, the neoconservative and neoliberal war hawks have been salivating over a potential invasion for more than a decade.
As news came of Iran dumping the US dollar, the Free Thought Project reported how the Congress, under Obama, had quietly greased the skids to allow for an invasion.
Early last month, the US began preparing for potential conflict with Iran and quietly introduced H.J.Res.10 – Authorization of Use of Force Against Iran Resolution.
The resolution was given absolutely no media attention in spite of the fact that it “authorizes the President to use the U.S. Armed forces as necessary in order to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.”
While Trump ran on a platform of demilitarizing the Middle East and concentrating only on ISIS, he’s quickly showing his true intentions. Friday morning, the President’s first Tweet was a threat to Iran.
Iran is playing with fire – they don"t appreciate how "kind" President Obama was to them. Not me!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 3, 2017
As the Free Thought Project reported, this war with Iran has been on the table well before Trump ever dreamed of becoming president.
It’s one thing for the tin foil wearing on head types of folks to prepare for doomsday, but it’s altogether another when the world’s wealthiest begin to prepare for the breakdown of civilization. But that’s exactly what some of the richest individuals are doing.
READ MORE: Uncovered Emails Raise Suspicions of Oil Company Paying Police for DAPL Crackdown
Upon news of potential world war and economic collapse, the super rich have begun doing what was previously referred to as ‘nutty.’
Fear appears to be the driving motivator for this new class of preppers to begin their chipmunk-style of hoarding supplies. Coupled with those fears, appears to be a lack of faith in the economic structures of society, and an overall distrust of the government to protect its citizenry in such cases of societal uncertainties. Those fears and concerns have given birth to a very real and growing movement of individuals and communities of preppers, all intent on doing the same thing: surviving.
Following in his predecessor’s footsteps, reports from Yemen indicate that as many as 10 women and children were killed in a raid authorized by Donald Trump. During this raid, the 8-year-old granddaughter of Nasser al-Awlaki, who was also the daughter of Anwar Awlaki was shot in the neck and died after suffering for two hours, according to Nasser al-Awlaki.
What makes the tragedy of this 8-year-old girl killed by Trump stand out, however, is the fact that Obama killed her older brother and her father — who were both US citizens — who were extrajudicially murdered without trial.
On an uplifting and positive note, for the past week, hundreds of thousands of Romanians have turned out in record numbers to protest recent moves by their government that essentially legalized their own corruption.
As the Free Thought Project reported, the protests began when Romania’s leftist Social Democrat Party (PSD) issued the emergency decree which decriminalized cases of corruption involving less than 45k euros. It essentially legalized the bribing of government officials, as long as it was under 45k euros.
READ MORE: Excessive Force? Dozens of Cops Dispatched to Shutdown "Illegal" Lemonade Stand
Saturday, the Romanian government conceded to the massive protests and said it will withdraw the decree that would have decriminalized some corruption offenses.
Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu just said it would be repealed on Sunday.
“I do not want to divide Romania. It can’t be divided in two,” Mr. Grindeanu said in a televised statement. “We’ll hold an extraordinary meeting on Sunday to repeal the decree, withdraw, cancel it … and find a legal way to make sure it does not take effect.”
While there is certainly nothing wrong with watching football and the Super Bowl, complacency and ignorance should be resisted. A well-informed society is far less likely to descend into tyranny than one who cares more about a pigskin than their own skin.
“The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. …We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of. This is a logical result of the way in which our democratic society is organized. Vast numbers of human beings must cooperate in this manner if they are to live together as a smoothly functioning society. …In almost every act of our daily lives, whether in the sphere of politics or business, in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons…who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires which control the public mind.”
Edward Bernays – Propaganda – 1928
For the past week, hundreds of thousands of Romanians have turned out in record numbers to protest recent moves by their government that essentially legalized their own corruption.
The protests, except for a few incidents, remained peaceful, and the sheer number of those who showed up was nothing short of monumental — and, as we have just learned — effective!
The grassroots protest started with roughly 12,000 Romanian protesters taking to the streets outside the government building in the capital on Tuesday, and climbed daily to well over 250,000 by Friday.
According to the BBC, the Romanian government says it will withdraw a controversial decree that would have decriminalized some corruption offenses.
Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu just said it would be repealed on Sunday.
“I do not want to divide Romania. It can’t be divided in two,” Mr. Grindeanu said in a televised statement. “We’ll hold an extraordinary meeting on Sunday to repeal the decree, withdraw, cancel it … and find a legal way to make sure it does not take effect.”
As the Free Thought Project reported, the protests began when Romania’s leftist Social Democrat Party (PSD) issued the emergency decree which decriminalized cases of corruption involving less than 45k euros. It essentially legalized the bribing of government officials, as long as it was under 45k euros.
One immediate beneficiary would have been Liviu Dragnea who leads the ruling PSD party and faces charges of defrauding the state of €24,000. Dragnea was serving a two-year suspended sentence for election fraud, although he denied any wrongdoing. The suspended sentence originally barred Dragnea from ever serving as the prime minister. But with the government’s emergency decree decriminalizing political corruption in cases involving less than 45k euros, it was conceivable Dragnea could’ve been named prime minister.
READ MORE: If Cops Are THIS Afraid of Each Other, Why Should the Public Support Them?
The PSD won the election of 2016 and the measure was one of the PSD’s first executive orders put in place since taking over power in November. To put things into perspective, consider this headline from the Economist describing the PSD’s rise to power, “Conviction politics: Romania elects a party led by a vote rigger.” Not only was the party’s leader already a convicted election defrauder, but he now reportedly wants to be the country’s new leader.
Now, thanks to the power of peaceful action, this legalization of corruption will apparently not take place.
“The damage it will do, if it comes into force, can never be repaired,” Laura Kovesi, chief prosecutor of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate had told the BBC.
Because the protests remained peaceful, they kept growing. As the number of peaceful people assembling in front of parliament grew, so did the pressure on the Romanian government. This case illustrates the true power of the people.
We are the many — they are the few.
As the AP reports, one of the demonstrators, Cristian Busuioc, explained why he had come out on the streets with his 11-year-old son.
“I want to explain to him … what democracy means, and the way the ones who govern must create laws for the people and not against them or in their own interest,” he told the Associated Press.
Below is the live feed of the protests. It is nothing short of awe-inspiring. The Romanian people’s effectiveness through remaining peaceful, yet powerful, has shown through and should serve as a lesson to those in America who think that smashing windows will somehow lead to progress.
READ MORE: Mom: "Officer Shot Kittens In Front of My Kids"
Bravo Romania. Bravo.
Upwards of a quarter of a million Romanians have taken to the streets in record breaking numbers to protest the country’s corrupt politicians. For the first time since the fall of communism and the execution of Romania’s brutal leader Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife Elena (1989), Romanians have gathered in masses to demand change.
The crowds gathered in Bucharest to protest the apparent double standard the oligarchy has created for itself. No longer is it illegal to take a bribe, for example, so long as the amount does not exceed 45,000 euros (roughly 48,500 dollars). Also, the measure sets free from prison, many politicians who were doing time for corruption.
The grassroots protest started with roughly 12,000 Romanian protesters taking to the streets outside the government building in the capital on Tuesday, and climbed daily to well over 250,000 by Friday.
Romania’s leftist Social Democrat Party (PSD) issued the emergency decree which decriminalized cases of corruption involving less than 45k euros. The PSD won the election of 2016 and the measure was one of the PSD’s first executive orders put in place since taking over power in November. To put things into perspective, consider this headline from the Economist describing the PSD’s rise to power, “Conviction politics: Romania elects a party led by a vote rigger.” Not only was the party’s leader already a convicted election defrauder, but he now reportedly wants to be the country’s new leader. Sound familiar?
Following the election, the PSD reportedly wanted then to install their leader, Liviu Dragnea, as the prime minister of Romania. However, the party was unable to do so because Dragnea was serving a two-year suspended sentence for election fraud, although he denied any wrongdoing. The suspended sentence originally barred Dragnea from ever serving as the prime minister. But with the government’s new emergency decree decriminalizing political corruption in cases involving less than 45k euros, it’s now conceivable Dragnea will be named prime minister.
READ MORE: Former CIA and NSA Officials Just Joined Forces & Debunked the Russian "Hack" Conspiracy Thoery
Dragnea has reportedly been keeping a low profile since the measure was decreed. But Romanians are no longer following blindly their leaders nor their governments, and have taken to the streets to express their outrage that political corruption could be decriminalized in their homeland, and could lead to a politician convicted of election fraud being named as the country’s next prime minister.
Dragnea isn’t alone, and has many loyal allies within the justice department, namely Justice Minister Florin Iordache, who called on Romanians to exercise calm and restraint in a Facebook post. Iordache declared that his fellow countrymen who were protesting the new decree were instead reacting to what he called “Fake” news. First, he said the decree wasn’t done by an order of “urgency.” Second, the Justice wrote, that “abuse of office” was not decriminalized. Third, and lastly, he stated the measure was not intended to protect any politicians who’ve stolen or taken bribes. He concluded with, “Now, we need calm and lucidity. Maybe communication has been poor in recent days and gave opportunity to (vitriol and) strained interpretations.” He added he hopes his message further clarified the measure.
Free thinkers everywhere may draw comparisons with American politics, after becoming aware of the political unrest emerging from Romania. First, there’s the politician accused of criminal behavior. Then there’s the unwillingness to fully prosecute such bad actors. Enter the election fraud theme. Then a supposed authority calls the supporters misguided and declares the protests are the result of “fake news.” The official reasoning behind the government’s decree was to reduce overcrowding in prisoners by releasing low-level offenders (mainly by lowering the legal bar).
READ MORE: Wikileaks Releases Audio Implicating Bush & Obama Administrations in Corruption Scandal
Overall, the theme of a rigged election is present, protesters are taking to the streets, and governments are forcefully imposing their will on the people by way of executive orders and governmental decrees. All of which may serve to distract the public from some other more important action having taken place, is occurring, or will take place, while a cloud of controversy blinds everyone.
As the Post rightfully identified, the real reason the government pushed through the urgent executive order was to help Dragnea get out of yet another case of corruption he’s facing. On February 14th, Dragnea will go to trial to face corruption charges yet again, this time to the tune of 24,000 Euros. If the governmental decree is upheld, Dragnea’s case will likely be dismissed and he could conceivably become the next Prime Minister of Romania. “Dragnea is the highest-profile politician currently facing trial but the underlying problem is far more extensive, according to prosecutors. More than 1,000 cases of abuse in office have been investigated by the country’s anti-corruption directorate over the last three years, marking a steep rise compared to previous years. Abuses in office make up about one third of the agency’s overall anti-corruption investigations,” the Post writes.
According to one Romanian activist:
One of the first things the new Prime-Minister and his Cabinet pushed for was to change the law concerning inmates (some of our jails are overpopulated and there are notes from the EU to do something about it) – that’s because Dragnea already is accused in another trial of defrauding the state of €24,000 and the trial is on 14th February (there are quite a few changes to the law, each one affecting different politicians but the one concerning Dragnea is raising the bar for when you can be tried for abuse of power to more than €44,000 thus annulling the above trial)
The consequences of the decree are dire for Romania’s anti-corruption chief prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi who said the decree will practically end any and all investigations into political corruption in Romania. “This measure will render the anti-corruption fight irrelevant,” she said.
READ MORE: WATCH: Trump Slams BuzzFeed As "Failing Pile Of Garbage"—Tells CNN, "You Are Fake News"
In more practical terms, the politicians in Romania just made it easier for them to take bribes, and engage in other corrupt behaviors, and get away with it. Currently, Romania’s Prime Minister, Sorin Grindeanu, is in power but is believed to be a puppet for Dragnea who reportedly controls his every move, including the move to decriminalize corruption in Romania.
