Flynn talked sanctions with Russians before Trump in office: reports

Yahoo – AFP, February 10, 2017

US National Security Advisor Michael Flynn has denied that calls with the Russian
ambassador before Trump took office involved US sanctions on Russia (AFP
Photo/CHRIS KLEPONIS)

Washington (AFP) - US National Security Advisor Michael Flynn discussed the issue of US sanctions with Russia's ambassador weeks before Donald Trump was sworn in as president, contrary to the senior aide's assertions, US media reported Friday.

The talks took place in December just as then-president Barack Obama was ordering new actions against Russia over its alleged interference in the US election.

The Washington Post, which first reported the talks, said some senior US officials interpreted Flynn's communications with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak as an inappropriate and possible illegal signal to the Kremlin that it could expect a reprieve from sanctions.

The Post cited unnamed current and former officials familiar with reports by US intelligence and law enforcement agencies that routinely monitor the communications of Russian diplomats.

The reports include Flynn's discussions with Kislyak around the time of Obama's December 30 announcement of new sanctions on Russia and the expulsion of 35 suspected Russian intelligence agents.

The Post's sources said Flynn made "explicit" references to the election-related sanctions, and two sources said that he urged Russia not to overreact to Obama's move, suggesting that the two sides could revisit the issue after Trump was sworn in as president on January 20.

The New York Times published a similar account of the retired lieutenant general's discussions with Kislyak, also citing current and former US officials.

US intelligence agencies have concluded that Russian president Vladimir Putin directed a campaign to interfere with US elections, specifically to support Trump, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation is examining ties between members of Trump's presidential campaign team and Moscow.

A US law, the Logan Act, forbids private citizens from negotiating state affairs with foreign governments. But no one has ever been prosecuted under the measure.

Democrats: Flynn should be fired

Flynn and Vice President Mike Pence both denied in January that the calls with Kislyak concerned US sanctions on Russia, and Flynn told the Post in an interview Wednesday that no mention of sanctions was made in his communications.

On Thursday, however, a spokesman for Flynn walked back the national security advisor's statements, telling the Post and the Times that "while he had no recollection of discussing sanctions, he couldn't be certain that the topic never came up."

Meanwhile on Friday an administration spokesman noted that "the vice president's comments were based on his conversation with General Flynn."

Russia's embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment.

The reports sparked strong criticism from Democrats in Congress. Adam Schiff, the senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, and Eliot Engel, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, urged Trump to fire Flynn.

"The allegation that general Flynn, while president Obama was still in office, secretly discussed with Russia's ambassador ways to undermine the sanctions levied against Russia for its interference in the Presidential election on Donald Trump's behalf, raises serious questions of legality and fitness for office," Schiff said in a statement.

Engel added: "the president must relieve General Flynn immediately."

Flynn's choice as Trump's top national security advisor has been controversial. Many in the US intelligence community say he is ill-suited for the crucial job.

The retired three-star general was fired as head of the Defense Intelligence Agency after two years for alleged poor management.

He sees militant Islam as the biggest threat to global stability, and has said that Washington and Moscow need to cooperate on the issue.

Related Article:

Trump rebuke in daughter's name blurs business, politics lines

Trump rebuke in daughter's name blurs business, politics lines

Yahoo – AFP, Douglas Gillison, February 9, 2017

Ivanka Trump, pictured on February 3, 2017, will have her clothing line removed
from Nordstrom and President Trump believes she's been "treated so unfairly"
(AFP Photo/Brendan Smialowski)

Washington (AFP) - Donald Trump on Wednesday lashed out at department store chain Nordstrom for dropping his daughter's clothing line, again spotlighting the intermingling of the US presidency with Trump family businesses.

The public rebuke, which the White House later defended, called renewed attention to the potential tangle of business interests Trump brought with him on taking office last month.

In a tweet posted moments after he wrapped up an address to US law enforcement, Trump hit out at the high-end retailer for announcing last week it had decided to discontinue sales of Ivanka Trump's fashion line due to poor sales.

"My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by Nordstrom," Trump wrote. "She is a great person -- always pushing me to do the right thing! Terrible!"

Since his surprise victory in the November presidential election, Trump has used his Twitter feed to lambast individual companies -- from General Motors to Boeing -- be it for off-shoring jobs or allegedly overcharging the federal government for aircraft.

Family business

But the latest tweet was different in that it sought to defend part of Trump's family business empire, which critics have said could be a source of profound conflicts of interest for the White House.

Trump made sure to give his message on Ivanka maximum reach by posting it both on his personal handle @realDonaldTrump and on the official account of the US presidency @POTUS.

Since his November victory, Trump has touted an effort to remove himself from running his business empire, transferring corporate control to his sons. But he has resisted divesting, as a government ethics watchdog had called on him to do.

Critics say the Trump businesses still pose a significant ethical quandary.

Further playing into the running debate, Pentagon officials said Wednesday they were looking to rent space in Trump Tower, Trump's flagship Manhattan luxury building, to accommodate equipment and staff who accompany the president during his stays there.

That came on the heels of a lawsuit filed by Melania Trump in New York, which claimed that damaging rumors reported by a British tabloid had interfered with her "unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to earn millions of dollars due to her raised profile as first lady.

Nordstrom has insisted that its decision to drop the Ivanka Trump line was 

made purely on business grounds (AFP Photo/JOE RAEDLE)

Boycott calls

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer on Wednesday defended Trump's Nordstrom tweet, saying the president was standing up for a family member.

"There's clearly efforts to undermine that name based on her father's issues or particular policies," Spicer told reporters.

"For someone to take out their concern of the policies against a family member of his is simply not acceptable and he has every right to speak out about it."

Nordstrom responded on Wednesday, reiterating that its decision to drop the Ivanka Trump line was made purely on business grounds.

"Over the past year, and particularly in the last half of 2016, sales of the brand have steadily declined to the point where it didn't make good business sense for us to continue with the line for now," the company said in a statement to AFP, adding that it had "a great relationship" with Ivanka Trump's business.

Nordstrom is one of several US businesses that has faced boycott calls for its association with the Trump brand. It is among the firms targeted in a "Grab Your Wallet" campaign launched by anti-Trump activists in protest at the Republican billionaire's agenda.

The campaign on Wednesday was still targeting other retailers such as Macy's, Bloomingdale's and Dillard's for carrying Ivanka Trump products.

Sign of the fine line that firms are treading in the current political era, others such as PepsiCo and Budweiser have faced a backlash from the opposite camp after moves deemed critical of the Trump administration.

Demonstrators hold up a piñata of Donald Trump during a protest outside Trump

Tower on October 12, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois (AFP Photo/SCOTT OLSON)

Ethical obligations

Richard Briffault, an expert in government ethics at Columbia Law School, told AFP that Trump's use of the presidential bully pulpit to defend his daughter's business "was inconsistent with any notion of the ethical obligations of a public official."

"What this suggests is that he hasn't fully internalized the consequence of being the most important public official in the country," Briffault said.

Since a 1989 executive order, federal officials have been barred from using public office for private gain, Briffault said, adding that any public criticism from a sitting president could be interpreted as an attempt to influence that company's business decisions.

"It gives the appearance that he is using his position to promote the business interests of a close relative," said Briffault.

Unlike other companies he has attacked on Twitter, including Lockheed, Boeing and Ford, which saw their share prices suffer following criticism from Trump, Nordstrom's stock finished up more than 4.0 percent on Wednesday.

The news of Trump's remarks preceded a report from The New York Times on Wednesday, which said TJX Companies, the parent of clothing retailers TJ Maxx and Marshalls, had told employees to discard all Ivanka Trump promotional signs and not to display her clothing separately.

In the era of Trump, US companies must navigate a minefield

Yahoo – AFP, Jeremy Tordiman, February 5, 2017

When Starbucks promised to hire 10,000 refugees it faced a boycott call from
US President Donald Trump's supporters (AFP Photo/SAUL LOEB)

Washington (AFP) - Starbucks promises to hire 10,000 refugees? President Donald Trump's supporters call for a boycott. Uber allegedly takes advantage of the president's anti-immigration decree to drum up business? Users unsubscribe from the app en masse.

Trump's election has laid bare the deep divisions of American society, a discord that has forced many businesses to walk a fine line to avoid alienating consumers.

"Companies that were working very hard to stay neutral no longer can," says brand expert Bruce Turkel. "The biggest problem is anything they say can be misinterpreted."

Sportswear manufacturer New Balance, for instance, found itself embroiled in controversy after its CEO Matt LeBretton voiced optimism following the election.

"We feel things are going to move in the right direction," he said in an interview, prompting outrage on Twitter, where users called for a massive boycott of the sneaker company, forcing the brand into damage control.

"From the people who make our shoes to the people who wear them, we believe in acting with the utmost integrity and we welcome all walks of life," the company said.

Beverage giant PepsiCo faced similar backlash from the opposite camp. Two days after the election, the company's CEO Indra Nooyi said her employees "were all in mourning."

"And the question that they're asking, especially those who are not white: Are we safe?" she said.

The retaliation came instantly: "It's probably a good time to pass on the Pepsi products," the conservative site The Gateway Pundit wrote.

Ginni Rometty (2ndL), CEO of IBM, Indra Nooyi (2ndR), CEO of Pepsi Co., and US 

President Donald Trump at a policy and strategy forum at the White House (AFP 

Photo/Brendan Smialowski)

'No margin in the middle'

Calls for boycotts often proliferate on internet forums such as Reddit and 4Chan, as well as social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Others originate from more structured protests.

The Grab Your Wallet site, launched in October, lists companies suspected of favoring Trump, either because their leaders contributed to the real estate billionaire's campaign or because they do business with the Trump family.

The long "boycott" list includes the department store Macy's, retail giant Walmart and beer brand Yuengling.

"Brands have always been political, but now consumers can see more of this activity and are making decisions based on this information," the site's cofounder Shannon Coulter says.

The impact of boycott campaigns is difficult to evaluate, however, because calls to blacklist specific companies tend to get lost in the frenzy of social media.

"Consumers have an incredibly short memory," marketing expert Merry Carole Powers says.

Still, some companies fear losing customers by staying silent. Nordstrom, a chain of department stores, recently announced it would drop the Ivanka Trump clothing line belonging to the president's eldest daughter.

"There's no margin in the middle," says Turkel, who recently wrote the book "All About Them," focused on company branding. "If you stay quiet, you get nothing out of it."

"You have to figure out who your audience is and what are their values."

Uber came under fire for allegedly taking advantage of a New York taxi driver protest 

against an anti-immigration decree, prompting a wave of unsubscriptions (AFP Photo/

Lionel BONAVENTURE)

Super Bowl stakes

Uber appears to be playing by ear as it devises its strategy.

The company first distanced itself from Trump's executive order temporarily barring refugees and travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries.

But it then came under fire for allegedly taking advantage of a New York taxi driver protest against the ban, prompting a wave of unsubscriptions. As taxi drivers went on strike refusing to pick up passengers at JFK airport, Uber not only continued to operate but also dropped its surge pricing.

Rival Lyft was quick to set itself apart, vowing to donate $1 million to the American Civil Liberties Union, which has filed lawsuits against Trump's measures.

The strategy paid off with the Lyft app notching more iPhone downloads than Uber for the first time.

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick then attempted to make amends by quitting Trump's business advisory group, saying "the executive order is hurting many people in communities all across America."

And with the approach of the Super Bowl -- one of the advertising world's central events -- every marketing move is facing microscopic scrutiny.

The beer giant Budweiser is slated to air an immigration-themed advertisement focused on the difficulties the brand's German founder faced when he arrived in the United States in the 19th century.

South of the border, consumer trends are less divided.

In Mexico, the campaign "Consumers, the cry of war" is urging people to boycott all American brands in protest against Trump's anti-Mexican threats.

Related Articles:

This google document shows lists Senators alphabetically, noting whether they have opposed or remained silent to the ban, any link or public statement about it and the dates of their next re-election.


"Wild Cards" (3) - Nov 19 - 20, 2016 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll)- (Text version)

".... The Wild Card of 2016

Remember: No emotion now. You have come from another planet and you’re looking at the end of 2016 – and there is the election. Understand without bias.

So for 2016, let’s do the numerology. You add the numbers and get nine. Nine is completion in simple numerology, and when you see a nine it often means the completion of something. Often it is of a time cycle, an energy or the completion of a paradigm. But it’s very strong.

The nines are stronger than many of the other numerological aspects and you feel them. The president-elect (at this writing) is a strong wild card. He is scheduled to become the 45th president. What a coincidence! Forty-five is a nine. A nine and a nine together are more than significant. They tell a story about what is happening. I will tell you something else. This story is not finished yet and there is more coming. You don’t know what you don’t know, so don’t make up your mind in advance about any outcomes. You’re from another planet, remember? There’s no emotion, no bias, no politics and nothing to judge. Look at it for what it is.

A big stick has just been inserted into what is normal and it’s going to be turned. As the big stick turns, other things will respond that never would have responded otherwise. I wish to tell you, dear one, old soul, relax with upcoming wild cards. They do what they do on purpose so that you will have a better civilization in the future. Sometimes they show you what won’t work, and sometimes they change paradigms that would have never changed otherwise. But what you have now is a profound wild card. That is the message.

It’s so common for you to respond certain ways when you are invested in the process. The knee-jerk reaction is expected or you wouldn’t be a Human. However, for this lesson, you’re from another planet and you’re looking down and you’re seeing it. Pretend.

Isn’t that interesting about a nine and a nine together? It means that truly the end of something is here. Perhaps it’s the end of the old way things were done? Perhaps it’s a shake-up of the system so it can correct itself? Don’t dare make up your mind where it’s going, because it’s not finished yet. However, wait a moment. Did you also realize that 2017 is a “one” year? Not only is the energy one of completion with a double nine, but it moves into “a new beginning” (the definition of a one in numerology).

I have more to tell you about numerology, and also something that will be clearer about this whole situation. I will give this to you in the next channelling.

Can you relax in the face of uncertainty when it’s your own country? Can you relax in the face of not knowing what’s next? When you’re so involved, can you disengage from either side of the fray? That is the test of a Lightworker.

There’s something else coming. Dear ones, this is beautiful. No matter what you think and no matter what your reaction is to this channelling, what is happening is correct for your time and needed for your immediate future. I will speak of this later. The beauty is when you step away and see how grand it is, that Spirit cares enough that it would allow a big stick to occur that would stir your complacency at this time. The real reason? The shift is here.

How do you feel? I want you to relax and smile at what the shift has brought you. For those of you who felt all the “shift talk” was nonsense, this may be your wake-up call. It’s real. Here it comes.

This is the message of the day. I am Kryon, in love with humanity, and for good reason.

And so it is.

KRYON

"The Field Part Two" - Aug 7, 2016 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - ("The Field" - Text version)

"... Interaction with Others

There's another attribute as well. This is difficult to talk about because it has to do with Human nature, personality, old bad habits and fears. It's personal, but necessary to bring forward. Let me ask you: For anyone listening or reading right now, how do you talk to others? What's the natural, neutral point? I'm asking the audience who is listening and reading now. Perhaps you would say, "Well, I have to be a little forceful to get what I need because I live in a difficult place. So I approach things perhaps with a little more aggressiveness than most people do." I would ask you this question, "Does that mean you are unkind to them?" The response: "Well, I don't mean to be, but sometimes they say I am. But this is the only way I can get what I need." And I say, "Really?"

Something is going to happen soon, and I want to tell you what it is because of The Field. Dear ones, for many years I have said that within this new energy there can be no more fence-sitting. What I mean by this is that you cannot claim to be one thing and then go out and be another. This has many names, but the fence-sitter is the best. For example, you like my message, but you don't want to necessarily commit to these esoteric things when the channel is over.

How do you treat the server who comes to your table when you have dinner? Is this person a servant or family? How do you treat those on the road who cut you off? What do you say about others when they're not present? Now, you might say, "Well, that's good advice. Thank you Kryon. I'll be more kind." That's not what I'm telling you. I would like to tell you that there is something going on. You see, The Field wants harmony. It tries to put things together and it's starting to increase its effect. "What?" you might ask. "How can physics 'want' anything?" Water runs downhill. Does physics want that? Not on a conscious level. It creates it due to the law of gravity. What if there are also additional laws of harmony? What if harshness creates unwanted results? Stay with me.

The Field is all around you. You listen to Kryon perhaps, and you've been to esoteric meetings perhaps. You've heard everything that I have had to say about the beauty of compassion and how you're moving into the age of compassion. You've even heard what compassionate action means. You listen and you listen, nodding your head, then you go out and do whatever you want to.

When somebody is not pleasing to you, you're unkind to them. The reason? Habit. It's the only way you've lived before. Perhaps insulting people and being harsh gets you results, and that works for you? For you, it's just the way of it. Then you'll come back to our meeting, listen to Kryon, and feel very good. You're very spiritual until you leave the meeting. Then the habit continues. This isn't going to work anymore, at all. Let me tell you why.

Dear ones, The Field wants to create harmony and put things together. If The Field cannot put things together, things become more unbalanced than ever. If water can't flow downhill in a groove, it spills over into places and it creates floods and destruction. How would you like to age faster and die quicker? If that's what you want, then continue, fence-sitter, because you're very cellular structure will be pushed by The Field towards harmony, which you reject due to your habits. That rejection creates unbalance in your chemistry. That will result in unbalance in your personality. There is still another attribute for this unbalance, and some of you will feel it and wonder why you're so tired all the time. Are you somehow fence-sitting?

This is so profound, yet many of you don't even know it's happening. I will tell you that the ones who have learned compassion will live a lot longer. Right now, things are happening that we told you might happen if you passed the marker. When I got here 26 years ago, I told you to expect some of these things and now they're happening. One of them is this: You cannot sit on the fence. You either are connected in some way to Spirit with intent or you're not. You can't pretend, because your body knows.

Dear ones, this is not a punishment, but rather a balance within a physical system. It's a system of beauty. It wants to harmonize that which you do, and it's a very benevolent system. There are those who say, "Well Kryon, I hear you. I'd like to do this; I'd like to harmonize more but I've had a whole life of this habit. It's just the way I work. What can I do?" Here's what I want to tell you: With this new energy comes a much higher reaction to a certain given consciousness. Your intent and affirmations to change into a more compassionate person can work miracles. Let your body hear it and The Field will hear it. Your intent is energy. The Field is energy. This is physics, and The Field will help this process for you. It's going to be the wind behind your back and you're going to find yourself thinking about things differently, looking at others differently, using different words, and changing your habit.

Many are even reporting that they have more energy due to this refreshing change. You're going to feel your cellular structure healing when it never did before. Sores on your body will heal up faster, did you know that? This is real. Hair will grow faster, nails will grow faster. The reason? Because there is a harmony here that hasn't been here for a very long time. You are creating a groove for the water that was never there before. How would you like to take everything that I've said through the years and finally apply it to your persona so that you become a more compassionate person and slower to anger? All of this is possible because The Field is on your side. Think of it as a magnificent angelic presence that is ready to help you with everything that you're asking to become - more compassionate, more master-like.

I already told you the results, and it's not just that you're going to live longer. People will notice your shift, people directly around you. If you're young enough, your children will notice. May I say, even your animals will notice! They'll come to you when they didn't before, because now you emanate peace on the patterning of your Merkabah, a multidimensional patterning that is totally different than the pattern it was before. Animals can sense this. No anger, very little drama, a peaceful countenance - you actually invite compassion!

Dear ones, I would not give you this information if it were not so. I want you to get ready for more of this. It's starting to happen everywhere on the planet, but especially I speak to old souls who are fence-sitters and wish to change. Come and enjoy the energy! You will find that the results of new compassion on others is far grander than the results of what your old habit was able to do.

It's time to come to alignment with the creative source, which is an energy of awakening all through your body. It is here for you and always has been. The easiest thing you can do is to relax and find the compassion that has always been there. These are the things that I wished to tell you today. These are the things that need to be said. This is what is happening within the shift. You're going to see it in so many ways, and you can watch it as well, for even those on the planet who are not invested in spirituality will have some similar results by applying compassion.

Listen, dear ones, old energy and dark ways will be with you for a long time, trying to re-establish themselves. Some will even tell you that you should NOT be a kind person. They will tell you that kindness is weakness, and ask you, "Do you want to be weak?" It's an old ploy to trick you into going backwards into the ways of the past, and many will buy into it. What are the results?

Those who are unkind will bring unkindness; they will bring unbalance; they will manifest their own demise. Those who are gracious and compassionate will attract that which is beautiful, and it works. Watch for it. Also, watch for the tricksters, for there is still a battle. It used to be that how you acted was neutral on this planet. Not now. There are those who would ask, "How could that person exist and be so ugly to other people? How can they sleep at night?" You've heard that before. Well, I'm going to tell you something. Those days are over and they won't sleep at night. They will create their own eventual demise. There are situations coming up that will show you this very thing.

Here's the payoff: There's more light on this planet than ever before. It creates several things, and we have said it before. Watch for the darkness to fight you like never before, and watch for The Field of harmony to invade everything. It's almost like the beauty of Mother Nature is starting to affect humanity as well. The Field will try to create symbiotic systems that work together with compassion and beauty. It's going to change Human nature and we've said that before as well. Hang in there, old soul, and expect good things no matter what you see or expected in the past.

I am Kryon, in love with humanity, congratulating you on your part of the shift.

And so it is. 

KRYON 

Romania's long battle with corruption

Yahoo – AFP, February 2, 2017

Romanian riot police stand guard as people demonstrate against controversial
decrees to pardon corrupt politicians and decriminalize other offenses in front of the
 government headquarters in Bucharest, on February 1, 2017 (AFP Photo/
DANIEL MIHAILESCU)

Bucharest (AFP) - Romanians protested in huge numbers this week against government decrees that many fear will undermine the long battle against an insidious phenomenon that has long plagued the EU country: corruption.

The biggest demonstrations since the fall of communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu in 1989 saw as many as 300,000 people hit the streets overnight Wednesday to Thursday in the capital Bucharest and other cities.

This followed the issuing of a government decree 24 hours earlier that decriminalises certain corruption offences and makes abuse of power punishable by jail only if the sums involved exceed 44,000 euros ($47,500).

Brussels is watching

The European Union has long taken Romania to task over slow progress dealing with corruption and organised crime since the ex-communist country joined the bloc together with Bulgaria in 2007.

Brussels has carried out what is known as a Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) review on both countries even though both have chafed at the procedure, feeling they are being unfairly targeted.

Graft watchdog Transparency International ranked Romania below all but three of its fellow EU states in a January report based on public perception of the prevalence of corruption. Worldwide, the country ranked 57th in the world.

Between 2014 and 2016, 1,171 people were found guilty of abuses of power which collectively earned them a fine surpassing a billion euros ($1.1 billion). More than 2,000 cases remain open.

Romanian riot police stand guard as people demonstrate against controversial 

decrees to pardon corrupt politicians and decriminalize other offenses in front of the

 government headquarters in Bucharest, on February 1, 2017 (AFP Photo/

DANIEL MIHAILESCU)

A total of 27 officials, including former prime minister Victor Ponta, have faced justice in Romania in 2015, a national record. Aside from Ponta, five ministers, 16 lawmakers and five senators faced trials.

Former social democratic prime minister Adrian Nastase is the most eye-catching case of a former high-ranking official to be found guilty. He received two jail terms on two counts of corruption, marking a turning point in the anti-graft fight.

Nastase was found guilty of misusing 1.5 million euros of funds for an unsuccessful 2004 presidential campaign and attempted suicide in a bid to avoid jail. Released in the first instance in 2013, he was again placed behind bars in early 2014 for receiving bribes totalling 630,000 euros before being released seven months later.

Ponta stands accused of graft on two counts, the more recent linked to campaign financing which saw him take office in 2012.

Ponta is accused of soliciting financial aid from a businessman to cover the costs of a trip to Bucharest by a "foreign political personality" -- in the shape of former British leader Tony Blair. In exchange the businessman, who said he stumped up 220,000 euros to promote the trip, would receive a seat in parliament.

In another case, in 2015, Ponta was accused on 17 counts including forgery and complicity in tax evasion as well as money laundering between 2007-2011, when he was working as a lawyer.

Related Article:

Romanian government to repeal decree decriminalizing official misconduct

Dissident US diplomats protest Trump travel ban

Yahoo – AFP, Dave Clark, January 30, 2017

Protesters sit in the international terminal at San Francisco International
Airport in California on January 29, 2017 (AFP Photo/Josh Edelson)

Washington (AFP) - US diplomats added their voices Monday to a chorus of protest against President Donald Trump's decision to suspend refugee arrivals and ban visitors from seven Muslim countries.

Dissident officials are drafting a memo to submit through the US State Department's "dissent channel," in a dramatic first public sign of bureaucratic resistance to Trump's policy.

"I think they should either get with the program or they can go," Trump's White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters, scathingly dismissing the rumblings of discontent.

The channel has been used since the Vietnam War era to allow staff to speak out, but observers said it was extraordinary to see such a move so early in the life of an administration.

Trump's choice for secretary of state, former ExxonMobil chief Rex Tillerson, has not yet been confirmed by the Senate and a swath of senior State Department positions are unfilled.

The department's acting spokesman, Mark Toner, said the dissent memo has yet to be delivered.

"We are aware of a dissent channel message regarding the Executive Order titled 'Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States'," he said.

Candid views

Toner described the channel as a "longstanding official vehicle for State Department employees to convey alternative views and perspectives on policy issues."

"It allows State employees to express divergent policy views candidly and privately to senior leadership," he said.

Trump signed the executive order on Friday, triggering mass protests at US airports, as arriving refugees and travellers from seven mainly Muslim countries were turned away.

Officials would not release a copy of the memo, nor say how many diplomats and State Department civil servants have signed, but angry staff had already leaked a draft to media.

"I think they should either get with the program or they can go," White House 

spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters about dissenting diplomats (AFP Photo/

Brendan Smialowski)

According to the respected national security blog "Lawfare," which published a draft copy, "hundreds of foreign service officers are planning to be party to the dissent memo."

In the draft, the signatories warn that Trump's executive order -- issued a week after he was sworn in, with little consultation -- will not make America safer from extremists.

Instead, they warn, the policy "runs counter to core American values" and will only to boost jihadist propaganda while offending vital Muslim allies in the fight against terror.

Under Trump's order, a refugee program that was on course to admit 110,000 of the world's most vulnerable people this year is suspended for 120 days and the target slashed to 50,000.

Refugee arrivals from war-torn Syria are halted indefinitely and travellers -- whether visitors or would-be migrants -- from seven mainly Muslim countries are barred for 90 days.

After this period, a new form of what Trump has called "extreme vetting" will still limit arrivals from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Yemen and perhaps beyond.

"When the 220 million citizens of these countries lose the opportunity to travel to the US overnight, hostility to the United States will grow," the draft memo warns.

Washington will lose influence over young visitors who could be future leaders in the Islamic world, "including those for whom this may be a tipping point towards radicalization."

Spicer dismissed the concerns as "blown out of all proportion" and argued that the majority of American voters back the newly elected president's efforts to ensure their safety.

According to the draft, nationals from the targeted countries do not just use US visas for vacations but for life-saving medical treatment and contact with relatives.

Better than this

In scathing language, the diplomats call Trump's call for visas only to be issued to travellers who probably pose no threat as a "high, vague and nebulous bar."

"Banning travelers from these seven countries calls back some of the worst times in our history," they warn, citing the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II.

And they insisted there are other ways to boost US security without resorting to draconian bans on entire nationalities.

"We do not need to alienate entire societies to stay safe," they argue. "We are better than this ban."

Trump has defiantly stood by both the ban and his decision to introduce it with little or no consultation with Congress or US agencies, leaving long-time Washington insiders stunned.

KLM refuses seven passengers following Trump’s Muslim country ban

DutchNews, January 28, 2017

Dutch airline KLM has refused to fly at least seven passengers to the US after president Donald Trump closed the country’s borders to refugees and visa holders from a list of banned Muslim-majority countries. 

All the people who were refused permission to fly had a visa for the US, KLM told broadcaster NOS. Two had tickets to fly from Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport. The other five were flying from different destinations and had planned to change planes at Schiphol, NOS said. 

KLM said it had no alternative but to refuse to allow them to fly because they would not be allowed into the US. The airline said it and would pay for them to return to the starting point of their journey. 

Trump on Friday introduced an immediate entry ban for everyone from Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Libya and Yemen to last three months. The ban appears also to apply to people with a green card – a permanent residency permit. 

The KLM spokesman told website Nu.nl there would be more clarity about who could and could not fly in the coming days. 

More on the impact of the ban

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Anne Frank and her family were also denied entry as refugees to the U.S.

Portrait of Anne Frank at age 12, sitting at her desk at the Montessori school
in Amsterdam. (Courtesy Anne Frank House, Amsterdam)

"New Systems" - Feb 27, 2016 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll)

"The New Human P1" - Sep 19-20, 2015 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll)
"Return of the Masters" - Apr 11-12, 2015 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll)

"Wild Cards" (3) - Nov 19 - 20, 2016 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll)- (Text version)

".... The Wild Card of 2016

Remember: No emotion now. You have come from another planet and you’re looking at the end of 2016 – and there is the election. Understand without bias.

So for 2016, let’s do the numerology. You add the numbers and get nine. Nine is completion in simple numerology, and when you see a nine it often means the completion of something. Often it is of a time cycle, an energy or the completion of a paradigm. But it’s very strong.

The nines are stronger than many of the other numerological aspects and you feel them. The president-elect (at this writing) is a strong wild card. He is scheduled to become the 45th president. What a coincidence! Forty-five is a nine. A nine and a nine together are more than significant. They tell a story about what is happening. I will tell you something else. This story is not finished yet and there is more coming. You don’t know what you don’t know, so don’t make up your mind in advance about any outcomes. You’re from another planet, remember? There’s no emotion, no bias, no politics and nothing to judge. Look at it for what it is.

A big stick has just been inserted into what is normal and it’s going to be turned. As the big stick turns, other things will respond that never would have responded otherwise. I wish to tell you, dear one, old soul, relax with upcoming wild cards. They do what they do on purpose so that you will have a better civilization in the future. Sometimes they show you what won’t work, and sometimes they change paradigms that would have never changed otherwise. But what you have now is a profound wild card. That is the message.

It’s so common for you to respond certain ways when you are invested in the process. The knee-jerk reaction is expected or you wouldn’t be a Human. However, for this lesson, you’re from another planet and you’re looking down and you’re seeing it. Pretend.

Isn’t that interesting about a nine and a nine together? It means that truly the end of something is here. Perhaps it’s the end of the old way things were done? Perhaps it’s a shake-up of the system so it can correct itself? Don’t dare make up your mind where it’s going, because it’s not finished yet. However, wait a moment. Did you also realize that 2017 is a “one” year? Not only is the energy one of completion with a double nine, but it moves into “a new beginning” (the definition of a one in numerology).

I have more to tell you about numerology, and also something that will be clearer about this whole situation. I will give this to you in the next channelling.

Can you relax in the face of uncertainty when it’s your own country? Can you relax in the face of not knowing what’s next? When you’re so involved, can you disengage from either side of the fray? That is the test of a Lightworker.

There’s something else coming. Dear ones, this is beautiful. No matter what you think and no matter what your reaction is to this channelling, what is happening is correct for your time and needed for your immediate future. I will speak of this later. The beauty is when you step away and see how grand it is, that Spirit cares enough that it would allow a big stick to occur that would stir your complacency at this time. The real reason? The shift is here.

How do you feel? I want you to relax and smile at what the shift has brought you. For those of you who felt all the “shift talk” was nonsense, this may be your wake-up call. It’s real. Here it comes.

This is the message of the day. I am Kryon, in love with humanity, and for good reason.

And so it is.

KRYON

"The Timing of the Great Shift" – Mar 21, 2009 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Text version)

“… Human Nature is Changing

There's a new concept afoot, a change in Human nature. We've spoken about this before. How many of you studied European history? And in school, did your mind fill up with all of the dates you had to memorize? Who conquered whom and when? Over and over and over, every single country had their turn conquering another country. Borders moved constantly. As far back as you want to go, that's what Humans did. They separated, gathered, and conquered. But as little as 50 years ago, it all stopped.

We've said this before. Fifty years ago, a seed, an idea, was planted at the end of World War II. "Let's put these European countries together," they said. "Let's even drop the borders and eventually give them one currency." Do this and they'll never war again, they predicted, for countries with common economic sources don't go to war! And that's exactly what's happened. Did it work? It's fairly fresh, but their money is threatening to take over the strength of your money, did you notice? It's worth more than yours. They still struggle to make it work and balance it. But then again, you do the same in the United States, always fine tuning the unity.

South America is considering the same thing right now. The seeds are being planted in Brazil. Within a generation, they would love to see the borders dropped and one currency. Can they do it? Perhaps. Perhaps it will take longer. Why do it? Because they see the European Union with the strongest currency on Earth. We've said this before. Here is a prediction: Perhaps not in your time, but there'll come a day when there are only five currencies in the world, because continents will start understanding that unification creates peace and prosperity. Separation creates chaos. What a concept. …”

"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems  (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it),  Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse),  Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

“.   New Tolerance

Look for a softening of finger pointing and an awakening of new tolerance. There will remain many systems for different cultures, as traditions and history are important to sustaining the integrity of culture. So there are many in the Middle East who would follow the prophet and they will continue, but with an increase of awareness. It will be the increase of awareness of what the prophet really wanted all along - unity and tolerance. The angel in the cave instructed him to "unify the tribes and give them the God of Israel." You're going to start seeing a softening of intolerance and the beginning of a new way of being.

Eventually, this will create an acknowledgement that says, "You may not believe the way we believe, but we honor you and your God. We honor our prophet and we will love you according to his teachings. We don't have to agree in order to love." How would you like that? The earth is not going to turn into one belief system. It never will, for Humans don't do that. There must be variety, and there must be the beauty of cultural differences. But the systems will slowly update themselves with increased awareness of the truth of a new kind of balance. So that's the first thing. Watch for these changes, dear ones. ...."