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Tag(s): Citizens; Congress; Congress; Conyers-John; Hearings; Impeachment; Impeachment; Impeachment; Murder; People; (more...) People; Politicians; Taxes; Wars (less...)
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December 23, 2007 at 10:47:23

John Conyers is being arm-twisted regarding impeachment, and needs to hear from us

by Kathryn Smith Page 2 of 2 page(s)

www.opednews.com

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B) A precedent is set for future presidents to believe that they, too, can literally get away with murder if the current Congress does not put a “check” on the Executive Branch’s run-away power-grabbing.

C) The country already is divided just by virtue of Bush and Cheney’s presence in office. Professionally-conducted hearings done in a fair and balanced way will avert the nation-wide division of the people. (And so will their stopping the passage of S. 1959, which itself is a legislative attempt to divide the country. Lt's call the Representatives on their act when claiming to be concerned about the division in the country!)

D) Last but not least, please remind the Congress members that we pay them taxes to uphold, protect and defend the Constitution: They work for us, not the other way around!

As for Nancy Pelosi, I suggest to send her a get-well card written "To the US Constitution in care of Nancy Pelosi" and wish the Constitution a get-well message. Nancy Pelosi herself perhaps may respond to a card saying "We're thinking of you.... and hoping you are putting impeachment back on the table". Or "we're thinking of you...and hoping you will reconsider your decision to obstruct justice. Put impeachment on the table".

Perhaps obstruction of justice is a good talking point, wherever any Congressperson is blocking impeachment.

I suspect that Congress is putting a lid on impeachment because they are scared that their own complicity in many crimes to be uncovered by impeachment hearings will come to public light. Their votes to undermine our civil liberties are no small part in this "game". But of course it's their responsibility too if it comes back to haunt them. What the solution is to their dodging and covering up their act is an unknown to me: Any suggestions readers may have, please post them below! (Except, of course, "obstruction of justice" which is a legally-binding phrase, and is really the truth).

Please write your friendly underground editors (because the mainstream has blocked this matter, and in so doing are obstructing justice: Let's get 'em for it!) and use any talking points above you find helpful. In that letter be sure to request that readers call John Conyers’s office and their U.S. Representative to weigh in about impeachment. The most important thing we ever could do to stop the wars of aggression, preserve our freedom, bring our budget back to some semblance of progress toward the goal of balance, prevent The Great Depression from revisiting us anew, get child healthcare and stop global warming is to oust the enemies of all the causes above: Cheney and Bush.

Let’s focus in on this as a matter of first priority. Our children will thank us, and frankly so will I personally. How about ten minutes a day to help impeachment along?

Thank you all and very best wishes to everyone!

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Take action -- click here to contact your local newspaper or congress people:
please write your friendly editors an impeachment note

Click here to see the most recent messages sent to congressional reps and local newspapers

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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8 comments

Hater of Nazis above all. Hobbies include activism, military model building, military history, exciting and vital conversation with retired crooks. Retired
John HanksHater of Nazis above all. Hobbies include activism, military model building, military history, exciting and vital conversation with retired crooks. Retired

Threats

I don't like to see a man threatened by right-wing filth. They must have studied him for quite awhile, or they must have kidnapped someone to get to him. Remember Anthrax and the Wellstones.

by John Hanks (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 1376 comments) on Sunday, December 23, 2007 at 12:24:28 PM

Minneapolis Organizer: World Can't Wait-Drive Out the Bush Regime ~~~ Co-Founder: ImpeachforPeace.org ~~~ Theatrical Entertainer and Ballroom Dance Instructor by trade
Mikael RudolphMinneapolis Organizer: World Can't Wait-Drive Out the Bush Regime ~~~ Co-Founder: ImpeachforPeace.org ~~~ Theatrical Entertainer and Ballroom Dance Instructor by trade

Pelosi is compromised

It has just come out that Speaker Pelosi knew about the use of water boarding/torture way back in '03 along with Jane Harman and did nothing and said nothing. She is complicit and she knows it. Might that be one of the reasons for her taking justice and liberty for all "off the table"?

by Mikael Rudolph (50 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 79 comments) on Sunday, December 23, 2007 at 12:35:21 PM

Cynthia Papermaster is a law librarian, peace activist, and mother living in Berkeley, California. She works with CodePink and several impeachment groups and is working on a class action lawsuit against Cheney and Bush.
Cynthia PapermasterCynthia Papermaster is a law librarian, peace activist, and mother living in Berkeley, California. She works with CodePink and several impeachment groups and is working on a class action lawsuit against Cheney and Bush.

IMPORTANT: Wexler's Impeachment Petition

Good article, but a shame she left out Wexler's impeachment petition website was left out: www.wexlerwantshearings.com

Click and add your name. Wexler asks that you forward the website address to everyone you know to get the numbers up!

by Cynthia Papermaster (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 9 comments) on Sunday, December 23, 2007 at 3:06:24 PM

Brett Paatsch is an Australian born secular humanist with degrees in management and science and an interest in politics. He is a former pro-American that wishes to be pro-American again and thinks the impeachment and repudiation of President George W Bush for the invasion of Iraq in March 2003 is necessary to reestablish trust in American signatures on international treaties and confidence in the global rule of law.
Brett PaatschBrett Paatsch is an Australian born secular humanist with degrees in management and science and an interest in politics. He is a former pro-American that wishes to be pro-American again and thinks the impeachment and repudiation of President George W Bush for the invasion of Iraq in March 2003 is necessary to reestablish trust in American signatures on international treaties and confidence in the global rule of law.

And Wexler is by no means alone in that want

Though it is by no means clear to me that Conyers is with Wexler on this right now.

Here is what Conyers said in response to questions as recently as December 20, on record - thanks to the folks at Democracy.now.

"AMY GOODMAN: Since last week, over 100,000 people have signed a petition on Congressman Wexler’s website supporting impeachment hearings. And we’re wondering, Congressman Conyers, now with your committee members taking up this issue, an issue that you actually long championed, what your feelings are today. Will you be supporting them in this?

REP. JOHN CONYERS: Well, no, but there are a lot of things that can and will be done.(*1) We’re documenting the transgressions and errors of the administration in the Department of Justice, which have led to the firing of nine US attorneys. We’re looking at the protections of the right to vote. The election is coming up. We’ve got to protect everybody’s right to get out here and make a choice and make sure that it’s counted.

AMY GOODMAN: Why stop short of hearings on impeachment?

REP. JOHN CONYERS: Well, because, unless we’re going to impeach the Vice President and the President within this space of time, I think we could be very seriously compromising the greatest important—most important thing, in addition to documenting any misdeeds that may have happened, whether we continue to have Bush enablers continue to shatter and tear the Constitution to shreds. And so, all of this, academically, (*2) is great. I’ve got a number of books from my friends (*3) about which articles would be best and which ones we should go after more. But it seems to me that the time element and also the feasibility of whether or not there is any possible chance of success—there is a very stark reality that with the corporatization of the media, we could end up with turning people who should be documented in history as making many profound errors and violating the Constitution from villains into victims. And those are the kinds of considerations that have entered my mind in thinking about this process, Amy. "

*1 Note. Conyers evades the pointed question. He offers consolation prizes and smaller deliverables to constituents who want their Constitution and their childrens Constitution defended.

*2 "Academically?" Conyers apparently thinks that upholding a personal oath when you are a Congressmen is academic. Imagine if young American servicemen and women in harms way took a similar attitude to upholding their own oath to the constitution. "What we have to patrol a road that contains IED's and risk snipper fire? because we took an oath at 18 years of age. To hell with that. How about we send you some nice photographs of us doing some great arms maintenance exercies back at base in Iraq instead mr congressmen and mr President?. We can't be too ready you know."

* 3. Perhaps Conyers needs to start losing a few friendships so that his friend's children have a better chance of keeping their constitution and growing up with the rule of law intact.

by Brett Paatsch (0 articles, 2 quicklinks, 22 diaries, 1041 comments) on Sunday, December 23, 2007 at 9:37:58 PM

Irv Thomas, ratrace escapee and cultural outsider for 35 years, editor of Black Bart Brigade during counter-culture days, hides out in Seattle. Presently putting out a sporadic pre-formatted email newsletter called Irv's Scrapbook, which can be had at no cost if you send me an email address for it.
IrvthomIrv Thomas, ratrace escapee and cultural outsider for 35 years, editor of Black Bart Brigade during counter-culture days, hides out in Seattle. Presently putting out a sporadic pre-formatted email newsletter called Irv's Scrapbook, which can be had at no cost if you send me an email address for it.

IS THAT REALLY WHAT CONYERS SAID??

Boy, if that is an accurate quote of him, he is really floundering . . . trying to get out of the bind that the question has put him in. Goodman really must have caught him off guard.

It's very clear, by this time, that the Democrats have locked this thing down. It is going to take some major butt-smashing by the American public for any congressional action to get going, on this impeachment. I don't know, frankly, where that is going to come from. Unless . . . something really outrageous surfaces (and God knows, there has already been enough!!) that will get the public at large, out in masses unseen before, the next time an impeachment march takes place in Washington . . . which is in March, up ahead.

It's really hard to believe, that the American public has become so incredibly stupefied . . . but I guess it's all in how the media is controlled and is controlling them. And as long as people get their weekly paychecks.

And maybe THAT will be the route that the disaffection finally unfolds. When the paychecks stop covering the increasing debt crisis...when the mortgage can no longer be paid...when the homeless have nowhere else to go but . . . the streets of Washington D.C.

Could that happen by November? Not very likely . . . but it could happen during the next Republican administration, which will probably begin in November, if past patterns hold true.

by Irvthom (7 articles, 2 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 88 comments) on Monday, December 24, 2007 at 1:55:23 AM

Yes its accurate- check the link and see. Re butt-mashing...

it is actually more the case that the decisions to have hearings or NOT to have hearings is NOW going to be made by a handful of empowered entrusted congressional representatives each of whom has a personal duty to America and Americans which they assumed when they became representatives. There is no point right now for Americans that want impeachment to proceed to spray their efforts all over the place. The place that matters and the people that need to be appealed to are those representatives that are members of the House Judiciary Committee.

If hearings happen in the House Judiciary Committee, then impeachment will pick up momentum as the media will report it. If hearings recommend articles go to the full House of Congress then will be the time to try and work and persuade and cajole the whole house of congress but now the decision lies in the hands of only those members who in the house judiciary committee. And Conyers warrants attention because he Chairs that Committee and can be a blocker or an enabler. And he seems to be acting (speaking in his recent media interviews - see that link- as a blocker or a diffuser or a dissembler).

by Brett Paatsch (0 articles, 2 quicklinks, 22 diaries, 1041 comments) on Monday, December 24, 2007 at 5:18:42 PM

Irv if you click on the blue text in my comment it will take

you to the source where I got the excerpt that is the quote from. The beauty of the internet is that you don't have to trust me you can easily check for yourself. Please do check as that validates my efforts in respecting you enough to go to the trouble of providing a relevant supporting link. Democracies will work or fail because the systems of checks and balances they contain and make available are made use of by sufficient people or not.

by Brett Paatsch (0 articles, 2 quicklinks, 22 diaries, 1041 comments) on Monday, December 24, 2007 at 5:24:46 PM