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Please John Conyers: Impeach Bush NOW
On Thursday, Harper's Magazine held a truly outstanding forum on impeaching George Bush (photo by Kate Anne).
The panel could not have been more distinguished. It included former Rep. Liz Holtzman, who became famous through her diligent service on the House Judiciary Committee when it adopted Articles of Impeachment that forced Richard Nixon to resign; John Dean, Nixon's White House Counsel whose conscientious refusal to cover up Nixon's crimes played a crucial role in Nixon's downfall; Harper's editor Lewis Lapham, who has analyzed American politics with profound insight for decades; Michael Ratner, the passionate human rights lawyer from the Center for Constitutional Rights, which is leading the legal battles to stop Bush's torture; and Rep. John Conyers, the civil rights legend who is Bush's most passionate and determined critic in Congress.
If anyone came to the forum doubting Bush deserves to be impeached, that doubt was dispelled immediately when all of the panelists emphatically agreed that Bush's war in Iraq, his torture of prisoners, his illegal wiretapping, and his assertion of dictatorial powers all rose to the level of High Crimes as intended by the Founding Fathers.
Sam Seder of Air America Radio, who was an excellent moderator, tried to play devil's advocate, but even he found it impossible to come up with a reason not to impeach Bush.
So the question for the evening was not whether to impeach Bush, but how - and when.
Obviously the primary obstacle is Republican control of Congress. Only Lapham thought a few Republicans might rise above partisanship to join Democrats. Salon's Michelle Goldberg described that idea as "a delusion almost as great as Bush's conviction that God, not William Rehnquist, made him president."
So the question shifted to whether Democrats could win a majority in Congress. Holtzman declared her faith in the voters, who will wake up to the enormity of Bush's crimes and demand impeachment - or sweep Republicans out of office for standing in the way.
As the panel wrapped up, those fired-up voters in the audience headed for the microphones. When my turn came, I echoed Holtzman's remarks by providing concrete evidence of the tremendous grassroots passion for impeachment.
I have good news: there is a grassroots movement for impeachment, and you can find it at ImpeachPAC.org. We have raised over $60,000 to support pro-impeachment candidates, and we have endorsed two so far. But our main problem is that very few candidates are willing to call for impeachment. Mr. Conyers, why don't you introduce Articles of Impeachment so ImpeachPAC can endorse you?
My question was not meant as an attack on Conyers, who is far and away my favorite Member of Congress, and has done more than any other Member to make impeachment a genuine possibility, however remote it seems. But Conyers was a bit exasperated.
My goodness, please look at H.Res. 635, which calls for an investigation that could lead to impeachment. But I cannot call for impeachment now, before we have investigated all the facts.
My time was up, so I could not continue the debate. But if I could, these are the arguments I would make for the immediate introduction of Articles of Impeachment.
First, the Articles of Impeachment have been written. You can find them in Michael Ratner's brand new book. We don't need a committee to struggle for months over the wording; Conyers and his allies can simply "throw the book" at Bush.
Second, when House Republicans impeached President Clinton in 1998, they emphasized ad nauseum that "impeachment" is merely the equivalent of an indictment, the determination that there is sufficient evidence to charge a suspect with a crime. Impeachment, like an indictment, leads to a trial, in which a jury (in this case the Senate) determines whether the evidence is sufficient for conviction. The evidence we have in hand (as presented in Michael Ratner's book, as well as 
John Conyers' thorough report on the Iraq War lies, The Constitution in Crisis) is far more than is needed for an indictment. There is absolutely no reason for Conyers' proposed Select Committee to do the work of the Senate in weighing the evidence.
Third, Bush's criminal activity is ongoing and must be stopped. Our occupation of Iraq has already cost 2,300 American lives and at least 28,636 Iraqi lives, if not well over 100,000. We are committing war crimes by torturing and murdering prisoners, using chemical weapons and depleted uranium, and pushing Iraq to the brink of civil war. Bush is still wiretapping countless Americans without a warrant, in direct violation of the FISA law. And even though Bush's crimes are flagrant and obscene, the Republican Congress refuses to either investigate them or stop them.
Finally, as the panelists made clear, the American people are truly in a state of despair that George Bush is able to commit these unspeakable crimes without any effort to hold him accountable. By introducing real Articles of Impeachment - even if only a few Members do so - those Members will make a powerful statement that they are determined to challenge that despair and demand accountability. That act of leadership, in and of itself, would galvanize the 52% of Americans (when last measured in January, long before Dubai and the Katrina tapes) who support impeachment. And it would most likely persuade even more Americans that Bush's impeachment was both necessary and urgent. So if 55% or 60% or even 65% of Americans supported impeachment, Republicans in Congress would have a very difficult time standing in the way - especially as they faced a disastrous election in November.
After four distinguished decades in Congress, John Conyers is not a man who acts rashly. But all of us who have watched Bush shred the Constitution know that Conyers has tried to stop him every step of the way by sending urgent letters, filing Freedom of Information requests, and proposing Resolutions of Inquiry. Through those diligent efforts, Conyers has laid the most solid groundwork possible for impeachment.
So please John Conyers, I honestly beg you to introduce Articles of Impeachment now.
Action items:
1. Send this article with a few words of your own to campaign@johnconyers.com
2. Urge your Representative and Senators to support Impeachment:
http://democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/65
3. C-Span taped this outstanding forum but it does not appear on C-Span's schedule for Saturday, Sunday or Monday. Email viewer@c-span.org and urge them to broadcast it.
4. The New York Times is one block from Town Hall, yet it did not even mention this historic event. Email Executive Editor Bill Keller executive-editor@nytimes.com and Public Editor Byron Calame public@nytimes.com and demand to know why.
5. Link to this article from your favorite blogs and ask the blog owner to join ImpeachPAC's Citizens Impeachment Commission.
6. Register to join in local protests:
http://www.democrats.com/user/register
7. Read the whole protest plan:
http://www.democrats.com/cd
8. Organize your congressional district:
http://pdamerica.org/orgs/cdpp-form.php
9. Support our efforts by contributing to ImpeachPAC.
Thank you for continuing your tireless efforts to save American Democracy!
- Bob Fertik's blog
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Congressman Conyers: IMPEACH BUSH NOW!
The Honorable John Conyers, Jr.
United States House of Representatives
2426 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515-2214
March 4, 2006
Dear Congressman Conyers:
In reference to Bob Fertik's plea on democrats.com, I too, beg you to stop the Bush march towards tyranny as an imperial president placed above the law. The proof that Bush has violated his Constitutional oath, committed undeniable acts of High Crimes and Misdemeanors, too enumerable to list in this email, is empirically evident and in plain sight for all to see.
I have high regard and the utmost respect for your forty years of service to your country. I call upon you, in what may be described as the 'Ultimate American Crisis', to introduce Articles of Impeachment against George Bush immediately. Your own report, "The Constitutional Crisis", clearly outlines the facts and the unquestionable need for the sake of freedom, democracy and the preservation of our civil liberties, all the reasons you need to Impeach George W. Bush.
Never in American history have we had a president run so egregiously rough-shod over the Constitution, commit unspeakable acts of torture, bring unnecessary war to bear on our country, advocate illegal wire tapping, cost the lives of thousands of American soldiers and so smugly and brazenly lie to Congress and the American People so often and with so much contempt! All of this comes at the expense of thousands dead, hundreds of billions of wasted dollars and an American public so dismayed and shocked that only 34% of this nations people approve of this president and only 18% approve of his VP, Dick Cheney!
I ask you, "How much farther must we fall into the abyss of despotism, an autocracy rule and a nation guided by oily, war profiteering leaders? How many more must die in an illegal war? How many more must die in disasters like Katrina due to an incompetent government? How many more civil rights must be violated? How many abuses of power and lawlessness must President Bush perpetrate, before our elected leaders in Congress act?"
A clear majority, 52%, of the public believe George Bush should be impeached. This is the will of the people! The government of the United States is a government of and for the people. Congressman Conyers, it is the brave and courageous representatives of the people of this nation that must step forth and speak loudly of what we all know; that George W. Bush has commit great crimes against this nation, war crimes against sovereign nations of the world, violated his sacred oath of office to protect and preserve the Constitution and poses the greatest threat in American history to slide us into a dictatorship and the final destruction of our great democracy!
Please read Bob Fertik's complete list of resources (http://www.democrats.com/please-john-conyers) to the irrefutable and undisputable facts of George Bush's High Crimes against this nation. Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution grants Congress the ultimate power to deter and to punish abuses of power by executive officers of the government. Please do not sit idly by and allow the most dangerous and criminal president since Richard Nixon continue his usurpations against us and be granted such grievous and unjust impunity.
It is with utmost urgency, respect and belief in you that I ask of you to defend our freedom, be a 21st Century Patriot and Impeach George W. Bush! The world, America and its people can no longer wait!
In Solidarity,
-Frank J. Ranelli
America's 21st Century Patriot
"Its time to replace fear with hope. This is the crucial message that America must begin to hear and believe in again. For hope is the mortal enemy of fear; and fear cannot succeed in the solidarity of inspired hope."
My letter to Conyers
Not only did I copy-paste Fertik's letter, but I also copy-pasted my speech (that I had also pasted on a post here last week.). The following is my letter to Conyers; starting with the last paragraph of my speech:
"Thomas Jefferson once said: “rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add ‘within the limits of the law’, because law is often but the tyrant’s will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual.” I ask all members of government at all levels this; when you hear or read that Jefferson quote and think about the actions of this administration; what do you believe should be done?"
What's my opinion on that Jefferson quote? Well, I look at this quote and link it to what he wrote in the Declaration of Independence. You know, the part where he stressed that it was the duty of the people to rise up and initiate change (an overhaul) when they realize that members of their government are no longer serving the interest of the people, but the interests of selfishness; which leads to oppression. Mr. Bush and his Regime are corrupted by power. The law is definitely their will, as they have opted to change it - quite often I may add - to fit their agenda. Everytime they have changed the law for their agenda, it has resulted in the oppression of people; whether they are American or from another country. My speech above is directed as much towards you as it is towards my own Congressman and Senators (Unfortunately, Ney, Dewine and Voinovich). So, although I have applauded and admired your service to the people of this nation; the standards will not change for you. If you fail to act on this immediately; then you will have failed the people and your duty to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. Remember that."
Now it's time for Congressman Conyers to act.
"As a Christian, I believe that Separation of Church and State is Vital, not only for the People's Protection from an overzealous Theocratic Regime, but also for the protection of Religion from suppression."
Email to Conyers
Just so you know. Mr. Conyers e-mail box is full and my letter was sent back as undeliverable.
That's awesome
Just keep trying and you will get through eventually...
I like hearing that Conyers' email is full, it shows that people are putting a lot of pressure on him...great job!!
"As a Christian, I believe that Separation of Church and State is Vital, not only for the People's Protection from an overzealous Theocratic Regime, but also for the protection of Religion from suppression."
Exploit the Republican Rift!
whitehorse
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Published on Friday, March 3, 2006 by Knight Ridder
GOP Growing Increasingly Angry, Frightened by Bush's Missteps
by Steven Thomma and James Kuhnhenn
WASHINGTON - President Bush, once the seemingly invincible vanguard of a new Republican majority, could be endangering his party's hold on power as the GOP heads into this year's midterm congressional elections.
A series of political missteps has raised questions about the Bush administration's candor, competence and credibility and left the White House off-balance, off-message and unable to command either the nation's policy agenda or its politics the way the president did during his first term.
This week, newly released video of Bush listening passively to warnings about the dire threat posed by Hurricane Katrina and a report that intelligence analysts warned for more than two years that the insurgency in Iraq could swell into a civil war provided fresh fodder for charges that the president ignores unwelcome alarms.
His attacks on those who questioned his administration's approval of a seaports deal with the United Arab Emirates and his ill-fated nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court have angered some conservatives and Republican members of Congress.
And even some Bush supporters remain anxious about the economy, the federal deficit, the war in Iraq and the extent of the administration's warrantless wiretapping.
"The White House has been taking it on the chin lately, and the reverberations are being felt throughout the GOP," Republican blogger Bobby Eberle wrote this week. "From the Harriet Miers nomination to the Dubai Ports and more, the folks in charge of message strategy appear to be asleep at the wheel."
Said Republican pollster Ed Goeas: "If this environment holds, you have to assume it's going to tip for the Democrats."
That's not to say that second-term blues are unique to Bush, the environment will hold or that Republicans will lose control of the House of Representatives or the Senate in November. Polls show that Republicans still have the edge on the crucial question of which party is more trusted to defend the country against terrorists, for example.
But eight months before the election, Democrats are growing bolder, and many Republicans are getting nervous about the president's stewardship and his ability to regain the upper hand.
Bush's approval ratings remain stuck between 38 percent and 46 percent in four new polls released Thursday. The only one that found nearly as great a drop as a CBS poll earlier this week was a survey by Fox News. The Fox poll put Bush's approval rating at 39 percent, down from 44 percent in early February; the CBS poll put it at 34 percent, down from 42 percent in January.
Growing doubts about the administration's case for and conduct of the war in Iraq have kept the president from reversing his slide, and now his administration's missteps are making it even harder for him to regain his footing.
When conservatives challenged the ports deal, for example, Bush threatened to veto any legislation blocking it, then all but accused his critics of racism for opposing an Arab company.
"I've been helpful out here on the campaign trail, backing the president on eavesdropping, defending them on Iraq and Social Security, and then you have this thrown on your lap without any consideration," said Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla. "Then the threat of a veto, that really took my breath away."
"I didn't think his choice of words there was really good," said Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss. "And I thought his veto threat was untimely and inappropriate."
"It certainly is the perfect storm of aggravating or provoking congressional egos and the president getting his back up and saying the least diplomatic thing he could have said," said Michael Franc, a former Republican aide in Congress who's now a scholar at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative research center in Washington.
Moreover, Bush's remarks reminded conservatives of the fact that the White House accused them of sexism when they challenged the Miers nomination. They didn't like that, either.
The president still has Republican support. The Battleground Poll found that 86 percent of Republicans approve of the way he's doing his job. It found that he's still supported by voters in the South, Central Plains and Mountain West, by men, married voters with children, conservatives and white conservative Christians. (The poll was conducted by Goeas and Democrat Celinda Lake.)
Yet Republican enthusiasm has waned, a potentially troubling trend that could hamper GOP turnout this fall.
Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg found that the ranks of Republicans who say they strongly approve of Bush's job performance had dropped by 15 percentage points. Similarly, strong approval from conservatives dropped by 14 points, and approval from white married men dropped by 14 points.
"Our analysis," Greenberg said, "shows a sharp slippage among white rural voters and blue-collar men as well as the best educated and upscale married men, even before the last controversies around port security and the Iraq `civil war.'"
---
The CBS News poll this week that showed President Bush's approval rating dropping sharply to 34 percent was widely criticized and quickly contradicted by two other polls.
The Democracy Corps, a Democratic group, released a poll on Thursday showing Bush's approval rating at 42 percent. The Battleground Poll, a bipartisan survey sponsored by George Washington University, released a poll Thursday showing it at 46 percent.
However, a Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll, also released on Thursday, put Bush's approval rating at 39 percent, and a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll released the same day put it at 38 percent.
Why did the results vary so widely?
Critics said that CBS' pollsters talked to too many Democrats, skewing the results against Bush. Their first sample had 40 percent Democrats and 27 percent Republicans. Then they applied a mathematical formula, called "weighting," to make it more representative. Then it was 37 percent Democrats, 28 percent Republicans. Critics said that was still off.
Kellyanne Conway, a Republican pollster, said that even if it were weighted again to give equal weight to Democratic, Republican and independent voices, it would have shown a Bush approval rating of 37 percent - well within the margins of error of the Fox and CNN\USA Today\Gallup polls.
The bottom line: Polls sometimes are wrong. To feel more confident about public opinion, it's better to look at more than one of them.
For more on the Battleground Poll, go to www.gwnewscenter.org
For more on the Democracy Corps poll, go to www.democracycorps.org
For more on the Fox News poll, go to http://www.foxnews.com/projects/pdf/poll(underscore)030206.pdf
For more on the CBS News poll, go to
http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/poll(underscore)bush(underscore)022706.pdf
For more on the CNN\USA Today\Gallup poll, go to http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2006/images/03/02/rel7a.pdf
---
(The Battleground poll of 1,000 likely voters was conducted Feb. 12-15 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
The Democracy Corps poll of 1,135 likely voters was conducted Feb. 23-27 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.
The Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll of 900 registered voters was conducted Feb. 28-March 1 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
The CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll of 1,020 adults was conducted Feb. 28-March 1 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
The CBS News poll of a nationwide random sample of 1,018 adults was conducted Feb. 22-26 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.)
© 2006 Knight Ridder Newspapers
###
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SO let's get the progressive activists in GOP districts to pressure their REPS for impeachment!
What say? Many of these Reps are worried about their own hides, and THAT is always known to motivate politicians!
Agree...
That's why we have to act NOW, and that's why we need to build a coalition with the R's who want to disassociate themselves from Bush. However, it won't be that easy to bring them on board the *I* train.
Anything can happen by November. The first thing we need to consider is that they are masters at manipulation, and there is no guarantee whatsoever that they won't find a way to turn things around.
Did you see Frist's letter to the Intelligence Committee? He threatened them yesterday that he will change the rules so the R's supporting Senator Rockefeller will back down from the investigation. You know how they go through the back door to put pressure on their members. We CANNOT count on things getting worse for them and then magically turning positive for us. It's a stupid strategy.
All we have is now. Let's act.
Yes...
I sat down to read my Saturday morning papers and blogs and it felt like I was hit over the head with a big brick. We must act NOW to save America. I read about the AC-130s that have been secretly moved in to Baghdad to destroy the insurgency. Knowing that what they call the "insurgency" is the Iraqi people themselves, and knowing that the civil war has begun, I saw Iraqis killing Iraqis and I saw our troops in the middle. Whose side are we on? Will will kill Sunnis or Shiites, or will we kill anyone who is within killing distance? I can see it and tears are streaming down my cheeks. They are killing people for no reason, and they are doing it in our names! There is no reason for this slaughter other than George Bush and Dick Cheney's lust for power and dominance in the world. We the people! Remember that? It's our duty to stop them. I don't want them killing hundreds of thousands of Iraqis because we think we don't have the power to stop them. We MUST STOP them and now!
They have to be stopped, and we can't sit here waiting to see if we can win the political battle in November. According to the polls, the American people understand that something is wrong in America. We have the support of the people right now, and that could turn totally around in a week or month. We must make a sane and logical presentation that they can understand, and we must go to the American people as Republicans and Democrats. We need to be united. Why? As Dems, we know we can't do it without the sane Republicans, and we have no assurance that we can take back control of the House in November. What if they steal the votes again? We know they are smart enough to do it since we have proof that the machines can be hacked. We don't have a paper trail on the machines, we have not done anything to stop the illegal recruitment of voters in churches, and we cannot get the media to tell the truth because the media bosses are linked to these criminals in one way or the other.
We need to make remind Representative Conyers that we cannot depend on November. We need to solicit other brave men and women in Congress to stand with him. Then all of us must let go of our own fears and worries about our personal situations. The only recourse we have is to ACT NOW because now is all we have. Who knows what Bush and that gang of criminals might do by November. WE CAN'T WAIT! Why did they create the billion dollar RFPs for Halliburton/KRB to build those million dollar prisons/holding facilities around the country? Who do they plan to put in those facilities, and what if it's you and me? What if they declares martial law? I scare myself with thoughts like that, but look what this man has done to destroy America in only 5 years. I think most of us are still having trouble believing that this is happening in America, but it is. Hey, we better open our eyes! Something is wrong, and we need to create a plan and ACT NOW! Bloggers and local activists will help Representative Conyers. The task is not too big. What is the task? We need to tell the American people what is going on. At the same time, we must go to the moderate and ethical Republicans who appear to be willing to carry out there oath of allegiance to the US Constitution. We must remind them that this is NO LONGER about politics, and we must remind them that the oath they took was not one of allegiance to their party. We can also remind them that if they want to be reelected that the American people in their districts will be watching them. The American people are honest and smart enough to understand the truth. Our challenge is to get the truth to them.
We can help Representative Conyers build an alliance like the group of 14 who stood up about the filibuster. Once they do that, then the others who are afraid of Bush and Rove will see what's going on and join us. Yes, there will be the party first hangers on, there will be the right wing talk radio, and there will be the swiftboaters and the other fringe loonies, but it won't matter if Dems and Republicans are standing together. We must act NOW on all levels.
I understand where you are coming from...but
...on your last paragraph. I know that the media and many others out there viewed that "gang of 14" as a victory, but it wasn't. It was the equivalent of a woman having the choice of giving her body to a rapist or dying. There was no victory for us. Hell, the Repugs threatened the "Nuclear Option" yet again when Alito's nomination came up. Even some of the "gang" hinted they would betray their vow. That so-called compromise was a rip off that stripped the minority in the Senate of the right to filibuster nominees that they had too many questions about (or just plainly didn't trust). To be honest, I shame the 7 Democrats who were so willing to give up this right, in light of the FACT that we all knew that we had NOTHING to gain from this!!
I'm through with having our representatives taking part in "compromises" that endanger the society that we all live in. This isn't about politics, this is about their service to us and their duty to the Constitution!! If members of Government don't abide by the rules - no matter what party the are from - they need to be removed!!
"As a Christian, I believe that Separation of Church and State is Vital, not only for the People's Protection from an overzealous Theocratic Regime, but also for the protection of Religion from suppression."
It is not a compromise....
It is a coalition of "people" who want to stand against this group of criminals. This is not about politics, and it won't work if it is. This is about saving America.
You need to understand that we must have a group of Republicans and Dems who have had enough. We can't do it alone. It would be suicide. We need to seek those moderates who are willing to sit down and talk. They are there.
Ok...
But does it really show that they've had enough of this corruption if their action only helps the corrupted? What the hell did we gain from that "deal"? NOTHING!! They gained three judges in Federal courts which are now in position to endanger our rights. Hell, the mere memory of that intimidation from the right wing scared the pussy DLC Members into not standing up when Roberts and Alito came to a vote. What did we gain?
Right now, I'm fed up with this talk about "partisan politics". If someone is standing up for my rights and for the Constitution, and is doing so through the threat of a filibuster, then that isn't "partisan politics" that's doing their damn job!!
One of the Repugs that were supposedly "fed up" even hinted that he would've voted with Frist in the Nuclear option during the debate about Alito. How is that showing unity? These Repugs don't give a damn about Democracy. They fear punishment from their leaders too much to honestly take a stand!!
They are cowards, and so are the DLCers that stand with them in their policies. There is a quote that I love:
"There are two kinds of bad people; those who do bad things, and those that see bad things and do nothing about it."
The bad things that are happening include the overall takeover of our government by the Fundamentalist Right and their raping of our Constitution. Anyone from any party that does nothing about this is a pathetic traitor!!
There must be NO COMPROMISE when it comes to our rights. How can we stop these criminals when we are MAKING THEIR JOB EASIER?!!
Spare me the rhetorical bullshit about moderates and centrists, it no longer works on me!!
"As a Christian, I believe that Separation of Church and State is Vital, not only for the People's Protection from an overzealous Theocratic Regime, but also for the protection of Religion from suppression."
If we build a coalition
of R's willing to impeach, there is no deal as such. We work on it and they support the impeachment proceedings and run in November as a clean candidate. I don't think that's too complicated, is it?
Alright...
I'm not saying that creating a "coalition" with "centrist" Repugs to pave the way for Impeachment is bad. What I'm saying is that a so-called coalition that helps the criminals ignore their service to the people and the constitution is counter-productive to any cause that is intended to bring politicians together to better serve this nation.
I agree with you that we need to get Repugs to join the effort to unseat the Dictator and his Regime. The only thing I am speaking out against is the justification of certain "deals" that have only hurt the American people and spat on the Constitution.
We do need to bring people in from all over the political spectrum, but we can do that by reminding them of what their duty is; not by taking it easy on them and making certain agreements that will hinder our servants in Congress in the future with regards to honoring their oath of office.
"As a Christian, I believe that Separation of Church and State is Vital, not only for the People's Protection from an overzealous Theocratic Regime, but also for the protection of Religion from suppression."
Why give them OUR issue?!
We don't want Republicans reelected, when there is enough popular support for a mass-takeover of the House and Senate.
The only way they can save their Party and control of Congress is to do this.
F the F'ing F'ers! Run a real Democrat against them instead, and pin the F'ers for not wanting to Impeach Bush!
All building a cross-party "Coalition" on this issue does is maintain status quo, and the last thing we need is status quo for another two years.
And what makes you think there "is"
mass support for a takeover? We're 9 months away from election day. We need to get rid of Bush... and we need support from the Rs to do it.
I don't think you read my posts. I'm talking about a strategy to IMPEACH. And it's a good one. It will work.
There is no tomorrow. We have to deal with right now. Remember that old saying about it being better to have a bird in hand than one in the BUSH?
Good thing you're not running, and good thing I'm not your campaign manager... we would have communication problems!
Bush is not the problem.
Bush is not the problem. Not one bit.
He should be impeached. But he is not the problem. Modern Republicanism and Religious Fundamentalism is.
This does not mean that we can not reach out to folks of any disposition (conservative or liberal) but NOT at the expense of propping up the Republican Machine or the Republican Label.
Jim, Religious Fundamentalism is the problem!
Jim, Religious Fundamentalism is the problem! You are absolutely right!
If you need any further proof, look at what is happening here in Florida with Katherine Harris' "Reclaiming Christ for America" Crusade and Domino's Pizza founder Thomas S. Monaghan's Ava Marie "God's will" town right here in my home city of Naples, FL.
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20060301/D8G2V2IG5.html
These people will stop at nothing to impose their faiths and beliefs upon any unwitting party or person.
As I like to say, "I won't teach science in your church, if you won't preach religion in my government!"
-------------
"Its time to replace fear with hope. This is the crucial message that America must begin to hear and believe in again. For hope is the mortal enemy of fear; and fear cannot succeed in the solidarity of inspired hope."
They targeted them a while back....
The rich greedy neo-facist corporate welfare lobby, using BS moral issues,(abortion, death penalty, gay marriage/rights), got the Christians believing they had some self righteous high ground. All the while they take a "firm stand" the "righteous" ways on these trumped up "moral issues". Then they shove a completely unChristlike agenda on the American people,(lying about wars, dismissing poverty, trying to steal SS, allowing Big Oil to milk Americans, well I could list stuff for another hour but you get the picture). So while the Fundametalism you and Jim speak of is a big problem, I think just as big a problem is the self righteous attitude of people who call themselves Christians, but don't truly serve Christ.(Persecution of gays, Racism, milking of poor, judging their fellow man). I am Christian, but I am Secular and probably lean towards Deism.
Most people of faith who are
Most people of faith who are true to themselves do not need an "organized" religion to use as a crutch. Moral people do not need an instruction manual on the differences between right and wrong. When fanatical fundamentalists begin to believe in a particular dogma to the exclusion of reason and truth, they have betrayed the meaning and purpose of spirituality.
Spreading hatred, war, and religious bigotry is an unhealthy substitute for cultivating understanding, peace, and tolerance. Allowing millions to go unfed, and without the basic necessities of life, while wasting the earth's resources on greed and petty political "wars," is an affront to the Living Cosmos.
That is why
I say I lean towards Deism. I believe a person can have the spirit of God in their heart and naturally want to try and do good for others without even knowing who God is. I think their righteousness is rewarded just the same. Where people who claim to be Christian stumble in my personal belief is with thier rigid intolerance and persecution of anyone who is different than them. They can tell me that is Christian, but that doesn't reflect the Christlike teachings I can read for myself in the New Testament. That is why I have sort of strayed from what the fundamentalists spew, because I simply do not believe it, and believe I can still believe in Christ without the intolerence and hypocrisy. That being said I am in no way without fault...
Having "faults" is what
Having "faults" is what makes us human. Having malice is what makes us inhuman.
Malice and self righteousness
Have killed far too many people before their time. Why more people can't have kindness and true compassion for their fellow human beings in their hearts is a troubling question. We are supposed to be living in an Enlightened age aren't we?
I'm not interested in saving the GOP
Because it's irredemable.
This about more than just Impeachment.
This is about teaching the ENTIRE GOP a lesson.
Recent polling suggests that somewhere between 35% and 37% support the GOP retaining Congress. I'm in the other 63% to 65%.
My letter to Conyers
His mailbox was still full. Not sure it got through. Sent it twice through two different accounts.
Dear Rep. Conyers:
I agree with Bob Fertik. All you have done so far is fine groundwork for impeachment, but YOU are the person to take the next and very necessary step, the introduction of Articles of Impeachment. Who else should do it? And when else? Bush's domestic and international crimes are completely evident to the world and need no further investigation before impeachment BEGINS the Senatorial investigations that will ultimately hold this rogue president and vice president accountable.
I do believe, like Bob Fertik, that the American people will rally around you. 52% already agreed impeachment was justified for the lies about WMD, but now with Bush's weekly offenses coming to light, the selling of our ports to a foreign government, the bargaining with nuclear weapons with India, the revelations about his continuing his vacation even with forewarnings of Katrina's potential, all of this just two months since flaunting Congress with his outrageous "signing statement" on the anti-Torture Amendment and his absurdly wrongful interpretation of Congress's authority to use force to try to justify his violating FISA, actually breaking the law that Congress passed specifically to limit abuses of power by the Executive, we the people are angry. We need no further convincing that this president should not be running our country into even more mire for three more years. We need action, and we need it now.
Yes, please introduce Articles of Impeachment, the sooner the better.
Sincerely,
Robert Locke
Sacramento CA
Yes, the unanswered question was/is HOW??? ... (my answer>>>)
From Mr. Conyers's blog:
We had a rousing and informative evening last night in New York at the impeachment forum hosted by Harpers Magazine. ...
There was a lot of discussion about how impeachment should be presented, how we develop more support -- among Members and in the Media, and most importantly, where we go from here...
I have no doubt that not only would we take back the House and the Senate, but that we would be able to hold the Bush Administration accountable for their mistatements, misteps, and yes, their lies...
I think last night was a milestone. It was so gratifying to see all of our hard work in action outside the beltway...
=======
Since I was lucky enough to be in attendance, I want to report that the most "rousing" part of the evening -- bringing the audience to their feet -- was the introduction of Mr. Conyers himself.
And while I'll agree that the event was a milestone, I must also agree with the lukewarm reaction of the Salon reporter. Mainly because there was very little from the panel on what Mr. Conyers identifies in his entry here as most important: "where we go from here."
And this is where I must take issue and be frank; because the "where" is not in question. Mr. Conyers held the "where" in his hand; a special committee to investigate charges. It is the "how" that is in question and "develop more support" is not specific enough to be actionable. While I don't claim to have any magic bullet, I would like to suggest where the discussion was lacking on this issue because I think these failures are pervasive (on the left) and, at least to some degree, correctable.
So is most important "how do we proceed?" No, MOST important is "what do we do about it right now!" And there is a big difference between those 2 phrases.
To illustrate I'll report the fuller context of Mr. Conyers's phrase (above) - "and yes, their lies." There was a well-received question from the audience lamenting that none of the panelists used the word "lied." The point needs to be well taken that we've all been trained to speak (and therefore think) in euphemisms; particularly those who speak publicly. Screaming "imminent conflagration" will not compel a movie house crowd to move to safety.
Former Congresswoman Holtzman illustrated a different failure. She remains convinced that "more information" can solve the problem. When enough people "know," they will rise up. Like many on the left, she refuses to accept the fact that only the "reality-based community" prizes knowledge above belief. We cannot "teach" our way to impeachment.
Mr. Lapham, after reading the Conyers report, has correctly concluded intellectually that there is a "slam dunk" case and that our nation is in peril. Therefore he politely lays the burden to act on the Congress, in their collegial, non-partisan capacity as oath-takers. (Insert your own joke/expletive here.)
Mr. Rattner is pursuing and recommends a "legal" solution. While it may be helpful to have the regime "found guilty" of some crime in some court, he urged to panel to focus on the most easily provable (already proven?) impeachable offense(s). He has published a cogent, precise brief of only the clearest violations. Thereby giving them less to fight back against?!?
And of course the entire evening was peppered to some degree with our usual rationalizations for inaction: "but we'll just get Cheney" -- "we must wait 'till we take the house" -- "what about electoral backlash." Not to mention the lobby talk about futility, being doomed, and confident pronouncements of "never gonna happen."
So, how do we overcome this -- what do we do right now?
Get violent. (Come again?!?) No, not physically violent. Rather intellectually, politically, and rhetorically violent. We are dealing with fascist thugs/cowards and must deal with them and their tactics accordingly. The public and euphemedia must be slapped to attention and our "leaders" and/or the perpetrators must be forced and/or frightened into action and/or surrender.
This violence is in self-defense. These people don't listen to reason. In fact, they pride themselves on their preference for "belief." Labels like theocracy, monarchy, totalitarian, and authoritarian are irrelevant -- it's all some form of fascism; the conviction that some minority has a right to rule the majority. Whether it's based on divine right, a master race, a family dynasty, or a power theory makes absolutely no difference. It is Anti-American.
We need to make "violent use" of whatever means we have.
By ALL these means we must ALL do the same things:
That's it. Thanks for reading this far.
Now, let get on with it and FINISH THIS THING.
There really is no other moral or patriotic option.
I have to say yes to Dusty
whitehorse
Many of us left progressives have a commitment to peace and love and all that groovy stuff. AND sometimes it takes a warrior to create peace. As Dusty says, VERBAL VIOLENCE, not euphemisms.
I am on a social action group in my community. One of our members fears alienating people if we use the language of the truth.
Perhaps that may happen - with some folks. Yet others may be shocked past their denials (and I have compassion for them - in some ways life was much easier when I was in denial) by the strong harsh truth.
If it is thought that many people are "black-and-white thinkers" then let's speak in black and white words: like LIED, TORTURED, MURDERED, TREASONOUS, WAR CRIMINALS, etc. So Dusty, let's go!
CSpan
While CSpan videotaped the proceedings, I don't see they have broadcast it but once. http://inside.c-spanarchives.org:8080/cspan/cspan.csp?command=dprogram&r... Does that say 2:00 AM? And what is "ns"? Does that mean it was shown only in Nova Scotia? A search of the site does not show, at this point, either rebroadcast or that one can buy it.
IMPEACHMENT NOW!
Please start the proceedings to impeach GWB asap. I have been waiting and waiting to hear of some action on your part for almost 6 months now. Please, even though it may be futile, start the action now. At least the world (and the "red" morons in this country) will know that we, the people, DO NOT support the antics of this maniacal and demonic administration.
Thank you for what you have already done, and for your INTEGRITY! You may be the last hope for those of us out here who want our country back!!!!
Anita Stitt
Impeach the Facist Bush now!
Bush is way worse then Nixon. I don't understand what's happening to our country. Why don't the dems join with the moderate repubs to start impeachment proceedings. Bush has basically bankrupted the country and created much chaos and hatred in the world. Get out and vote this year in the mid-term elections and at least change the balance of power. We have a facist administration and need to impeach it now. Did you know that the Bush Administration is now trying to use some old legislation to silence the press and throw reporters into prison! Americans wake up ... our liberty is being stolen from us.
Impeach
If the democratic administration will not even stand up against the bush spying on americans who can expect a leadership strong enough to impeach my read says with bush republicans leading the country better gear up for a jeb bush president wouldnt want to give up our voted for bushes
Information
I most definetely agree with the impeachment angle for a multitude of reasons, most of which we now know. Of course, this brings to light the question: If this is what has been reported, what else has this regime( and I use it in the pejorative sense!) already gotten away with and we have yet to know about it? I posit that it is akin to an iceberg. For a history lesson, I urge anyone reading this to review the history leading to WWII. Specifically The Enabling Act of 1933. There are disturbing similarities that occurred in Germany that are and have been going on here in America now.
Yet our main concern is that the average American is not actually seeing this information. I spoke about these issues with one of my employees today and he had absolutely NO IDEA of the wiretapping, torture, and various other crimes this regime has been doing. The only thing he was up to date on was the port deal. We need these people to affect a change. Perhaps they won't vote, in fact most do not, but the public outcry will be magnified with their voices. Whether by march, protest, or some other medium they will help to swell our numbers. We can not rely on just taking over (hopefully) the Congress this Fall. Remember it only took Hitler one day to get his dictatorial powers granted after creating a mass reaction to a phantom threat( which his party caused, by the way).
Why Does Russ allow stock to be counterfeited by the DTC???
Impeach Bush Now! Democrats get some Balls!
Senators and Reps. stop stock COUNTERFEITING! Its your job,its in the Constitution. Reg. SHO and the stock borrow program promotes financial terrorism! Are you in on it> Russ???
TELL JOHN CONYERS
One simple statement to repeat to him over and over until he calls for impeachment of Bush and Cheney:
YES; YOU CAN!!