Imagine if one of the Ojai City Council Members were discovered to be accepting bribes, handing out public dollars to his friends, and torturing children in the basement. Would an appropriate response be "How awful, but you know he's retiring in another nine months and those children are used to being tortured by now anyway?" That response is not even imaginable.
But when the crime becomes larger and less intimate, when we begin discussing hundreds of thousands of murders and countless cases of torture carried out at a distance by loyal underlings, all of a sudden our conviction that accountability is called for becomes less absolute. Why, though, should the need for accountability shrink as the crime grows? This makes no sense to me and would have made none to the authors of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution and our poor battered Bill of Rights.
Our First Amendment has been locked up in a chain-link Free Speech Zone. The Fourth Amendment is under warrantless surveillance and scared for its life. The Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Amendments have been detained without charge. And the Eighth Amendment is presently undergoing waterboarding. Restoring our Bill of Rights would be a positive step, not personal, not revengeful, not backward looking. Without these protections we won't get very far.
While I consider impeaching Bush and Cheney more important than an election, even if it is the fifth consecutive Most Important Election in Our Lifetime, I am sick of hearing misinformed nonsense about how impeachment would hurt the Democrats in the election. That's what they said when they refused to impeach Reagan for Iran Contra. Then they lost. When they went after Nixon, they won. When the Republicans went after Truman, they won.
When the Republicans impeached and tried Bill Clinton against the will of a huge majority of the public, they held both houses of Congress and took the White House, losing a few seats in the Senate which had acquitted. Some of the impeachment leaders won with bigger margins than they had before, and Al Gore was put on the defensive to such an extent that he chose impeachment-advocate Joe Lieberman as a running mate and pretended he'd never met Bill Clinton.
After the Whigs attempted to impeach Tyler, they picked up seven seats, and Tyler left politics. Weeks after he lobbied for Johnson's impeachment, Grant was nominated for President. After pushing toward impeachment for Polk, Lincoln was elected president. Keith Ellison, who introduced a resolution to impeach Bush and Cheney into the Minnesota state legislature in 2006, was subsequently elected to Congress.
And this notion that impeachment would turn Cheney and Bush into figures of sympathy? I don't have words to express how insanely self-defeating and defensive that is. If Democrats could imagine playing offense, it would take them about 10 minutes to realize that impeachment hearings on torture and signing statements and refusal to comply with subpoenas and the rest of it would be deadly for John McCain's campaign. Can you imagine McCain defending crime after crime while promising not to commit them and explaining his past flip-flops? You wouldn't even have to take an impeachment vote. Just hold the impeachment hearings.
John Conyers' latest excuse for not moving forward on impeachment hearings is that it might hurt Obama's campaign. Obama was asked recently in Philadelphia about impeachment, indictment, and accountability for Bush and Cheney. He suggested that he MIGHT investigate their crimes AFTER we elect him president, and that he MIGHT prosecute them "if" they were found to have committed crimes. "If"? "If"? That word may become as famous as Dick Cheney's "So?" At every stop Obama makes on this endless campaign, people should hand him copies of John Conyers' "The Constitution in Crisis," a book you can buy in most bookstores which documents a long list of criminal offenses committed by Bush and Cheney.
Yes, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee is selling books on Bush and Cheney's impeachable offenses while refusing to impeach them.
Does Obama disagree with the book's conclusions? Does he have a response to Bush's public confession to violating the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act? Does he question the two Government Accountability Office studies that have found that in a significant percentage of cases, when Bush has announced his right to violate laws through signing statements, he has proceeded to violate those laws? Does Obama now believe the invasion of Iraq and everything that came with it was possibly legal? Was the February 7, 2002, order from Bush allowing the torture of detainees a legal act?
If Obama were to quietly allow impeachment hearings on Cheney or Bush to proceed, he could put McCain on the defensive. Impeachment hearings could squeeze out all coverage of nonsense pseudo issues. And if the American public understood that voting for Obama would put Bush and Cheney behind bars, and understood it while there's still time to register new voters, you would see a landslide that could not be denied.
But isn't it too late for impeachment?
Why? The movements to impeach Truman and Hoover, and the impeachment of Johnson, happened later than where we are now. How can it ever be too late to establish that future presidents and vice presidents will be required to obey laws and the Constitution? Without impeachment, what is the best possible scenario? Presidents with complete integrity for a number of terms, and then a real dictator who chooses to seize on the Bush-Cheney precedents.
Besides, there is nothing for Congress to do other than impeachment. Ending the occupation requires NOT doing something. All other issues, including addressing global warming, are impossible. They can be engaged in for show, and they have been for the past year and a half. But every good bill is vetoed and every mixed bill is signing statemented. And every non-impeachment investigation either displays evidence of crimes and then doesn't act on it, or gets stonewalled with denials of requests, subpoenas, and even contempt citations.
Nixon's impeachment took three months. Clinton's impeachment and trial combined took four months. Cheney's impeachment could take 10 minutes if desired. Just pick an indisputable offense such as refusal to comply with a subpoena, something the Judiciary Committee passed an article of impeachment for against Nixon. Or Cheney's impeachment could take weeks or months if desired. Just beginning it would be a victory and would make an attack on Iran less likely.
Using impeachment to put the White House on the defensive might allow changes in other areas as well, including the economy and housing. Millions of families are likely to lose their homes in the United States in the next nine months, thanks to Bush regulators' management of the banking industry, and thanks to the growing Bush-Cheney recession, which appears to be the result in part of the outrageous expense of occupying Iraq and Afghanistan and the broader perverse effect on the economy of having made weapons our top export and weapons making our biggest public investment.
DAVID SWANSON is a co-founder of After Downing Street, a writer and activist, and the Washington Director of Democrats.com. He is a board member of Progressive Democrats of America, and serves on the Executive Council of the Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild, TNG-CWA. He has worked as a newspaper reporter and as a communications director, with jobs including Press Secretary for Dennis Kucinich's 2004 presidential campaign, Media Coordinator for the International Labor Communications Association, and three years as Communications Coordinator for ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. Swanson obtained a Master's degree in philosophy from the University of Virginia in 1997.
Yes, David they are, but you must change YOUR tactics
Build up a yellow red white black global movement DEMANDING impeachment. Get out the Americocentric thinking and pay attention to the WORLD demand for justice.
Get out the word on what is really happening and make a movement to get economic sanctions against anyone supporting this bloodless coup that took over in 2000 - with the blessing of HiLAIRy Clinton who could not run herself. That great manager who is supposed to put America on track - in fact that one she PUT off track, using a voter base of dependent personalities to get her to be the RULER OF THE ENTIRE WORLD.
the way to HURT them who supportr her is sto cripple their pocketbooks. People are STILL capitulating all over themselves. (look at Ralph Nadar, folks@ GEt over your resentments, that way lies hope, real hope.)
NOT ONE MEMBER OF CONGRESS DESERVES support if they do not support that strike at this late date.
The actions of Ron Paul are absolutley disgusting and yet people KEEP GIVING THIS MAN MONEY!!
I write constantly, resolutely for impeachment - I don't get a single dime and NO support from supposedly antiwar "activists" Yet I get ignored again and again because I live in povery in exile. I know what it took to end the Vietnam war - I was there I was active even then. The biggest thing that worked was showing pictures of babies who were born with agent orange and the massive energy coming from returning troops who said ENOUGH! We never got the General Strike we were after, but we sure tried hard.
Now we have winter soliders whose voices were lost to the MSM but they are available to be heard. We have IAVA.org exposing the homelessness and abuses and releasing the number of those actually harmed in Irak (the du numbers are not fully known yet, btw)
So lets show people the pictures of 9 year old prostitutes working Syria to be breadwinners . victims of Saudi rich guys in bars. Let's show people pictures of orphanages in Baghdad orpaniges, and the du babies in Afghanistan. This is no time to "make nice".
And the general strike day, the url information to appoint a special prosecutor should be given out, just as I posted it, here on OpEd News.
The IMPORTANT information contains the international laws that apply that can help us build a rainbow coaltion. We need environmentalists, those who are losing them homes, people sick of racism, all human rights activists, people who have been living in fear of a war in Iran, or Syria, people who are truly sickened by the genocide in Gaza, children who want a future, those opposing the truly toxic Texas fence ..
Forget Keith Olbermann. write and demand he cover the general strike and demands impeachment himelf!! then support him. Write Jonathan Turley.
red, white, brown, yellow and ALL global citizens involved - it really is a matter of now or never as who knows what it next. To depend on the Democratic part at this late stage of the game would be laughable if it were not so tragic. THERE IS NO LEADERSHIP THERE. The attic of the democratic party where the progressive believe hope can be had is NOT ENOUGH. Too late, Jose.
When someone attacks the US or tortures a US soldier the US cycnic has only themselves to blame .. no more finger pointing at everyone in the BuZh adminstration; it's a culture condoning TORTURE of every living thing on this planet if you just cuddle yourself with PHONEY CNN news. A brief real veiw of what is happening globally that economic stimulus checks can not buy moral responsibility in an insane world.
Put the entire thing on CDROMS, hand it around -- this is important information. Get your neighbors involved, take it to churches what ever you NEED to do, not what you WANT to do - -that way lays DYSFUNCTION.
I have been around long enough on this planet to see that SEXISM, systemic SEXISM is still around and florishing and I get totally ignored here on a supposedly progressive site.
But for the sake of me, my sons, my grandchildren, I am appearling to everyone who reads this thread. Read that information, dispense it, sign my global citizens petition and pass it around!
It is absolutely disappointing to see how few signed my petition, a real heart breaker and IT SHOULD NOT BE SO.
And lastly, write th ICC yourselves, tell them of your complaints. Also call the ACLU and tell them not one more penny and no membership until they release their impeachment brochure. FOR SHAME! they add to people's cyncicism, they are NOT doing the right thing.
Our motto should be DO THE RIGHT THING - and it should go right across the board and bring people together at last. That means THEY do the right thing as WE do the right thing.
As a result of the expected pardons, a special prosecutor should be appointed immediately
Commencement of Impeachment Proceedings
As a result of the expected pardons, on the day after the November elections, the House of Representatives should impeach George W. Bush and Richard “Dick” Cheney for high crimes -- torture -- violating the following statutes, among others:
Please note the strategic importance of simply presenting the impeachment to members of the House with no hearings and an immediate vote on the day after the November elections. There is no reason for hearings or delay, since George W. Bush has admitted the criminal act that is the basis of the impeachment.
International Crimes Not Subject to Pardon Power
It is worth pointing out that torture violations of the Law of War and international treaties are not subject to the Presidential pardon power. We will see these individuals on trial in the Hague for their publicly confessed war crimes.
“Above the Law: Unlawful Executive Authorizations Regarding Detainee Treatment, Secret Renditions, Domestic Spying and Claims to Unchecked Executive Power,” Jordan J. Paust, Utah Law Review, 2007, Number 2, Pages 345 to 419
Article available free at: click here not let CONgress vote one more penny towards WAR until they appoint a special prosecutor - whey should your hard earned dollars support THEM.
ThinK; They are all riding in Limos, while your relatives are going homeless to fund this INSANE and DELUSIONAL war. They are polluting YOUR skies with chemtrails, feeing you GM foods, asking you to stay IN DENIAL.
I posted the first link to the ILWU strike . the feds are all over them as racketters !! Why is the DoJ paying for THAT instead of going after the gubbermint? Why is John Yoo not charged with crimes? Why was Valerie Plame outted and no justice has been served?
Call up members of the National Lawyers Guild in your town, get them to hand out information with in the malls, SERIOUSLY. Now ist NOT the time for cycnicism and excuses.
Please sign this now to show her WE MEAN BUSINESS!!
There is NO REASON to fear signing this now: The mainstream media has now turned the momentum in our favor!!
And please don't put online petitions DOWN, they are IMPORTANT educational tools -and the Feds hate them, trust me.
Take all this and make appointments with your state's attorney general and tell them .. we will get rid of you if you don't uphold your oath of office.
The NLG should be visiting California's AG very shortly over the John Yoo issue.
STAY TUNED, stay up, stay on their case. STay focussed; my best advice.
The Bilderbergers meet in June, the crazies in government are trying to get sweet trade deals for themselves, the torturers aren't punished, the nation is on it's knees and you say SITUATION HOPELESS. Don't buy it.
Think global, think local act out against the regime as best you can.
All I can do is put out pamphlets . and I do it on a very skinny dime but I do it everyday, so can you. This is the fight of a life time. Rage, rage against the dieing of the light! DO THE RIGHT THING.
I've asked for your support before to no avial.why not try it NOW?
by
ladybroadoak (37 articles, 20 quicklinks, 12 diaries, 391 comments)
on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 at 3:34:13 AM
I have been very active in the Impeachment Movement. Hell, I was the second candidate in the country to call for Impeachment (John Conyers was first, so I was the first to say it and mean it)
Impeachment is wanted by a majority, yet the Democratic Party have fought it, tooth and nail (including John Conyers). Dennis Kucinich's TWO separate Bill's HR 333 and HR 676 both sit in Committee, going no-where. Kucinich faced multiple well funded campaigns against him, forcing him to drop out when he pushed Impeachment.
Ever wonder why? I propose that it is because the Impeachment investigation would have shown that the Democratic Party leadership were not 'lied" into war. That they KNEW that WMD's were a lie and were a part of pushing that lie on the American people.
Can you convince me otherwise?
by
Michael Cavlan (5 articles, 0 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 195 comments)
on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 at 8:10:07 AM
The linch-pin that holds the the public in a state of shock and fear is the events of 9/11. Expose the lies of the 9/11 Commission and the whole fascist clique comes down. 9/11 truth has to get through the mind fog of the MSM. The public has unanswered questions but has to overcome the unfathomable reality that our own government perpetrated these crimes on us.
With corruption and war profiteering rampant, the Constitution in taters, the economy tanking, and the environment disintegrating, the citizenry has the lowest opinion of our plutocracy. The time is ripe to expose the crime of the century they are all implicated in. The awakening is happening: we are emerging from the mind fog to see life as we know it coming to the edge of the abyss. Enough: hold them accountable, we have no greater task if we want our children to inherit a world worth living in.
by
Ramon Puga (5 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 27 comments)
on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 at 8:32:54 PM
