The weapons industry is not competitive. With cost-plus contracts, the longer it takes and the more it costs, the bigger the profits. And once the stockpiles exist, the best way to justify building more is to use up the weapons you've got. Meanwhile, all other industry is allowed to whither away. Technological spinoffs from our huge public investment in the military generally have to be manufactured elsewhere. And even public investments in things like mass transit have to create jobs in other countries, because the only thing we know how make anymore is weapons. Shifting our public investment from weapons to green energy, infrastructure, and transportation would benefit our economy as well as our environment.
According to a report from Oil Change International, projected total US spending on the Iraq war could cover all of the global investments in renewable power generation that are needed between now and 2030 in order to halt current warming trends. In 2006, the US spent more on the war in Iraq than the whole world spent on investment in renewable energy. Obama has committed to spending $150 billion over 10 years on green energy. We'll spend that much on killing Iraqis in the next nine months.
Right now nothing can be done in Washington because any good bill would be vetoed. Only impeachment is possible. You can imagine something else to be more realistic, more plausible, more viable, but I would challenge you to explain what it is and how it will not get vetoed.
We should join with the Congressional Progressive Caucus in insisting that if any bill is brought up to fund the occupation of Iraq it not also include domestic spending. We don't need to give anyone excuses to vote for war.
We should demand No votes, and should all phone Pelosi and Murtha urging them not to bring any more money for Iraq to a vote at all. We should call the Obama campaign with the same message.
We should thank Brad Sherman of California's 27th district for his recent letter to Conyers urging an investigation of torture, and we should challenge Sherman to join his colleagues who are urging Conyers to open impeachment hearings.
We should support the campaign of Mary Pallant in California's 24th district, a pro-impeachment Democrat challenging Elton Gallegly.
We should thank Lois Capps for signing onto John Conyers' bill for an impeachment investigation during the last Congress and ask her why the addition of two more years' worth of crimes to the record has led her to back off.
We should thank Henry Waxman for sending the White House so many thousands of challenging letters and make sure he knows that we know the White House has been laughing at him for a year and a half. He can support impeachment or continue spitting into the wind.
We should take our so-called economic stimulus tax refund checks and sign them over to pro-peace and pro-impeachment candidates with a note explaining why, and photocopy them and send those photocopies to other candidates and leaders with a note explaining why they aren't getting any.
We should join on May 1st in solidarity with the Longshore and Warehouse workers and other unions, with immigrants rights groups, with the peace and impeachment movements, and skip work that day to protest. We should all go at high noon on May 1st to our congress member's nearest office and tell them that our Constitution demands impeachment. And post that you plan to do so at
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, 392 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 (7 articles, 0 quicklinks, 3 diaries, 211 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
