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Tag(s): ACLU; Common Dreams; Commonsense; Congress; Congress; Freedoms; Future; GrassRoots; Hearings; Impeachment; (more...) Impeachment; Impeachment; Impeachment; Law; Lies; Message; People; People; Politicians; Polls; Power; Radio; Russia; Strategy; Truth; Writing; Writing (less...)
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December 1, 2007 at 12:46:12

Is it too late to impeach? Identifying and Rebutting Common Pro/Con concerns and Proactive Tools

by Kathryn Smith Page 1 of 3 page(s)

www.opednews.com

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Is it too late to impeach? That question can reasonably be reframed as asking “is it too late to enforce the system of checks and balances? Is it too late to support, uphold and defend the Constitution?” Of course it is not the intention to undermine the Constitution, of those good-hearted citizens who offer the argument that it‘s too late. But the fact remains that if our current President and Vice President are not impeached, then future Presidents will get the message that they, too, can literally get away with murder. Impeachment is not about partisan issues: It’s about protecting the Constitution and the People. No small matter of importance.

A public opinion poll taken by the American Research Group on November 13, 2007, in which a cross-sector of Democrats, Republicans and Independents were interviewed, shows that 43% of those polled want to see Cheney impeached, even this late into the game, and 34% favor impeaching Bush, currently. More than 70% agreed that Bush and Cheney had abused their powers. http://www.americanresearchgroup.com/

It’s just amazing how politicians are saying that they can’t impeach because of this, that or the other reason. Let’s have a look at what those reasons are:

“We can’t divide the country” writes Senator Diane Feinstein in her auto-reply to emailed impeachment inquiries.

“The causes for impeachment have to be provable” states Senator Joe Biden on the campaign trail.

“Impeachment would suck air out of the room but get nothing accomplished” says Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-CA.

And here some background facts with a very poignant statement from Nancy Pelosi:

http://impeacher.blogspot.com/2007/07/pelosi-do-nothing-get-elected.html

“In an interview with bloggers on June 28, 2007, Pelosi revealed the true motives of the Democratic leadership. It is not about protecting and defending the Constitution. It is not about restoring the delicate checks and balances that keep America from turning into a dictatorship. It is all about getting elected in 2008. Apparently their strategy is to investigate and catalog all of the crimes by Bush and Cheney and then do absolutely nothing about them. Then in 2008 they can say "Look how bad they are. Vote for us!".

In the interview, Pelosi spoke about the many impeachable offenses that Bush has committed and said "The American people really don’t even know the half of it..." She described assaults by Bush on judicial review and habeas corpus. But rather than following the Constitutional remedy of impeachment Pelosi summed up their strategy as follows: "So again, build the record, make it known to the public, understand that this flies in the face of everything our country stands for, and use it in the campaign and then do it right when we are in power, which I am absolutely certain we will be – I’m certain we will win the White House." [Pelosi 6/28/07]

Let’s address and rebut the various “concerns” of the politicians above:

a) Bush and Cheney already are dividing the country, by virtue of their own presence in office.

b) Causes for impeachment have been publicly confessed, such as the declared intention to continue wiretapping without probable cause or warrant, and not least of all calling the Constitution “Only a goddamned piece of paper”. This is a broad confession of intent to continue disregarding the rule of law, as backed by continued and open defiance of that law not merely on a verbal, but on a dangerously active level.

c) Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-CA,’s is one of the golden few who takes the faithfully concerned position about “doing the moral thing: Let’s consider the will of the people first” (quoted from a KPFA radio interview). And her voting record unequivocally proves her standing behind that statement. If Lynn Woolsey says “impeachment would suck air out of the room and get nothing accomplished”, her concerns are probably real. Congress would oppose it, and she knows it. And that’s where We, the People need to step up to the plate and help. More about this later.

d) As for Democrats winning the White House based on doing nothing to oversee the system of checks and balances, that’s a no-brainer: It is a virtual guarantee that the Democrats will NOT win back the house if they allow the criminal ransacking of our Constitution, and the needless deaths of others to warS based on lies.

e) Given the Bush Administration’s track record of going to war based on lies, plus going over the heads of Congress on a routine basis, it is only a matter of when the war on Iran is started by unilateral decree, not a matter of if. Plus, that crime has already been committed. So why does Senator Biden wish to stall impeachment, ie. Wait until Bush strikes Iran unilaterally? How does that protect innocent lives?

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This quote summarizes the nature of my concerns and the content of personal experiences which stir my activism: "Necessity is the plea for every infringement on human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves". --Paul Revere, House of Commons

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3 comments

Between jobs, passions are motorcycles, music, and green-tech
truthtruffleBetween jobs, passions are motorcycles, music, and green-tech

I'd like to see impeachment

I think it boils down to this: At some point, don't know how, don't know

when, but anyway our Congress became more about money than it

did about representation. This isn't just about the war, it's also about

the accumulated and ever-expanding debt, and about a lot of other things

which kind of got deliberately ignored or swept under the rug as it were,

and for them to carry impeachment forward also highlights the need

for other reforms, primarily fiscal, but also political. I think there's people

that basically have the view that they 'own' our political process, and

that's something that needs/requires a resurgence of public participation

in all branches of government.

The War Powers Act of '73 was conceptualized and implemented to

bring a supplemental check on warmaking powers after the Murkin

publik finally got sick of the last War Without End, Vietnam.

Evidently, the Act is worthless in the contemporary context. This is why our

troops are still at 'war' 5 years after the fact. Does the fabrication

of pre-war evidence, the spying, and the rest of it all ball up into

something that constitutes grounds for impeachment? Well,

depends on who you ask, and it speaks directly/indirectly to the

whole 'superpower' thing, what really goes on, and who's really

being represented, foreign golf buddies, and whatnot.

Meanwhile, though, the world can push back. The contest continues,

the resource search continues, the political influence-peddling continues,

the overspending continues, and the hawks lobby for more more and

more. Recently, there's even been buck-passing, with Rove announcing

now that the Democrats pushed the war button, pushed em into it.

Kind of Springer-esque, 'they made me do it', kind of disgusting. All

that's missing are those crutches and the foam neck collar. Ya gotta

wonder what's Really Going On, here, and if Congress truly listens to

anyone anymore, other than maybe DynCorp or something,or, more likely, if

they've just been bull-shat by the professional lobbyists such as the

'defense' people beyond any stretch of the imagination or decency or

common sense in the name of making a buck at all costs.

As the debt balloons, and the neverending saga continues, and the

Democrats prove themselves unworthy to mount significant opposition

to a military-industrial horseshit story run amok, voters are left

wondering what to do. Should we rename the country The People's

Republic Of Exxon, or the People's Consumer Paradise, People-Something,

at any rate, as long as we've got Dick Tater in charge...nuff said. Oil.

You're wearing it. What a sad sideshow. Where's the burning hoops

and the dogs? Arf! Arf! Jump!

http://www.impeachbush.org

by truthtruffle (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 4 diaries, 109 comments) on Saturday, December 1, 2007 at 4:22:28 PM

"I am a patriot in the tradition or Mark Twain who stated that 'a patriot is one who supports his country 100% of the time...and the government when it deserves it." As such I am passionate about protecting the rights of US citizens under the Constitution and a believer in the principle of Eternal Vigilance."
Abraham007"I am a patriot in the tradition or Mark Twain who stated that 'a patriot is one who supports his country 100% of the time...and the government when it deserves it." As such I am passionate about protecting the rights of US citizens under the Constitution and a believer in the principle of Eternal Vigilance."

Freedom of speech at its best

Very moving article and exemplary use of free speech to express a point of view, grounded in facts and a deep respect of the Constitutional values that made this Republic more than just a possibility. Way to go!

by Abraham007 (5 articles, 36 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 46 comments) on Sunday, December 2, 2007 at 8:35:56 AM

57Yo m I'm a "been there, done that! Bought the tee shirt,to hide the scars!" type of person Ive workedï¿½many jobs fromï¿½a chicken slaughterer to managing a branch of a multinational and many jobs in between.Raised in colonial PNG Left School 16,Grad Hi school 22 Night School, University 36ï¿½ BBus (majored in Psyche and Marketing), Dip Comp prog and project Mmnt.at 50 I've been in 48 different community org ,23 on board with 18 prez or deputy prez.First social campaign at 17 for the aborigine...

to see more of bio, click on member name
Andris57Yo m I'm a "been there, done that! Bought the tee shirt,to hide the scars!" type of person Ive workedï¿½many jobs fromï¿½a chicken slaughterer to managing a branch of a multinational and many jobs in between.Raised in colonial PNG Left School 16,Grad Hi school 22 Night School, University 36ï¿½ BBus (majored in Psyche and Marketing), Dip Comp prog and project Mmnt.at 50 I've been in 48 different community org ,23 on board with 18 prez or deputy prez.First social campaign at 17 for the aborigine...

to see more of bio, click on member name

Last time I said

I thought that the Dems hadn't impeached the Deadly Duo was largely on pragmatic grounds ie Pelosi might have difficulties hold disciplin on the senate. Her resposes seemed to give me the impression she needed 5 more sure votes to be a winner.

I doubt that she, being a seasoned veteran would have told you all of her reasoning. More likely she would have told you what she thought you might accept as being her reasoning. She wouldn't be disposed to publicize her strategic weaknesses. A bit convoluted but that's politics.

I wonder if your efforts shouldn't be better spent boxing in Bush and Co. if you like a harm minimumization campaign.

by Andris (4 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 531 comments) on Sunday, December 2, 2007 at 4:17:09 PM