While Congressman Dennis Kucinich was reading his Articles of Impeachment address on the floor of the house, I called John Conyers' D.C. number as VFP (veterans for Peace) mail asked, thinking I would get his voice mail, as it was already evening.
To my surprise, Conyers himself answered. So I just politely told him that I and millions of Americans have come to believe that he is more responsible than Bush or anyone else for all the loss of life in the continuing wars of occupation, because he, Conyers, is blocking the impeachment process, the only hope Americans have to use constitutional law to end the wars, and to prosecute the mass homicidal crimes of the Bush administration acquiesced to by Congress.
Conyers, speaking very slowly and deliberately, repeated each word of the accusation to me,
"Let me get this straight, you are saying that I am most responsible for the wars and the killing..."-
I elaborated the point politely but firmly and spoke out as I had originally planned to:
"... guilty for the continuing killing and suffering more than Bush and Pelosi because they are doing what they are expected to do, but John Conyers is protecting their continuing the wars, by blocking the impeachment process with your powerful Chairmanship of the Judiciary Committee. So many people go on dying because of John Conyers."
Conyers again repeated the "guilty" variation word for word and then as if defending himself, said,
"Aren't you going to let me hear what the man has to say, first?"
I countered with telling him that it is not a question of what he might consider at this moment but rather weeks and weeks of his blocking the bill of impeachment already filed and fluffing-off the Veterans For Peace trying to speak to him - told him its not just about what he is doing right now but what he has been doing and not doing for a long time now.
How the Progressive Caucus and the Black Caucus are disappointing the people they are supposed to represent, and how these members are never quoting Martin Luther King's condemnations of U.S. imperialist wars and foreign policy of international predatory capitalism on the floor of Congress; how no congressman ever speaks of the suffering of families of Iraqis and Afghanis killed by Americans, just as the Vietnamese deaths that King cried out about are never mentioned.
Conyers:
"I introduced the bill that made the King national holiday"
Amazed at that proud interjection, I stammered something about that being great, but what about King's condemnations not being used?
Conyers words were so carefully enunciated, the words spaced out - I got the impression he was easily handling listening to Kucinich and listening and talking to me at the same time, probably because nothing much of what Kucinich was putting into the Congressional Record that was not already well known by people as informed as the Chairman.
Conyers would listen to me go on about such talk as my having been in the occupation troops in Nazi Germany - that the Germans were indifferent to the foreign lives being taken - that now I am witnessing it here in the States all my life.
Naturally, all time I'm thinking that I better let him listen to Kucinich and was always expecting him to cut me off and end the call, but he just let me go on, repeating during the fifteen or twenty minute call, at intervals, the admonishment as to why I didn't let him hear what Kucinich was saying, but every time I tried to wrap it up, Conyers would seem to be intent on hearing more or dragging it out.
We talked back and forth, me mostly, as he kept saying, "why don't you let me listen to the man"... and I kept saying sure go ahead but Conyers seemed truly taken aback and therefore interested in what I was saying to him as a member of the Veterans For Peace, and he kept me on the line.
At one stage in the conversation, he quizzed me on why so much is directed at him, there being so many others involved besides himself. I told Conyers how many millions of Americans there were, honest Americans, not capitalists, certainly not communists who realize most of our elected officials are not worth talking to (I said this is a great line from Dancing With Wolves), and that was why we call him, as someone we hope is worth talking to.
He asked for my telephone number in quite a serious tone, and carefully repeated it twice slowly, and said two or three times with emphasis that he would call me. He got my name wrong and when I corrected him, Conyers said, "I'm sorry"-. Putting great intention in his voice, insisted. He asked me where I was and when I answered New York City, I apologized for not being in his Michigan constituency,
Musician and writer, who has lived and worked on all the continents and whose articles on media have been published in China, Italy, England and the US, and now resides in New York City.
Thank you for sharing your experience with us, Jay. I just called Rep. Conyers' office and was told that he met with Veterans for Peace several days ago in the Rayburn House Office Building. If that's true, could you please update us on that meeting?
I also had his aide note my request for Conyers' to move ahead with the impeachment process, as the overwhelming majority of Americans support it.
by
Gail Davis (2 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 49 comments)
on Friday, June 13, 2008 at 11:02:08 AM
I moved from hope of stopping the occupation of Iraq in the elections of 2006....to blaming the Democrtic leaders..just as much as Bush for our continued occupation of Iraq and the death of our soldiers and Iraq's civilians...the economic drain, and the loss of Constitutional rights...I thought the Democratics would make a difference in the most important matters..they didn't, they seem to be patting themselves on the back for the few baby-steps they have accomplished and enjoy resting on their "laurels" job well done...they could have stopped it...with impeachment..but I have come to the conclusion its exactly as they want it...at least for Pelosi, Reid, Emanuel and Conyers..its their fault...the GOP will do as the GOP has always done...there was a time when the DLC was an opposing force..now they are just greedy enablers, colluding in evil, they have become the problem, not the solution
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Susan Nelsen (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 267 comments)
on Friday, June 13, 2008 at 11:50:58 AM
the staffer i talked to yesterday in support of impeachment also told me Conyers usually answers his phone in DC in the mornings
I hadn't thought about responsibility in these terms; absolutely Bush, Cheney, many in the Bush Administration, Pelosi, Hoyer, Reid- they're all responsible in their own ways for the continuing murder of Iraqis and US soldiers for lies and profit, for failing to honor their Oath to uphold the Constitution and fully investigate 9/11, the WMD lies, torture, rendition, the illegal warrantless wiretapping- basically Kucinich's 35 Articles of Impeachment.
Conyers is responsible, and as you say, even guilty; he's no fool, he inivestigated the 2004 election and held hearings afterdowningstreet.org, he must know this is the most impeachable administration in the history of the US; he could've introduced Articles of Impeachment or just held hearings as Chair, as soon as the 06 Congress began, and told Pelosi he would go over her head to the American People if she blocked him or took away his Chair- he would've been an American hero; as it stands, he's a disgrace, because not only did he not do that, he's been sitting on Kucinich's first 3 totally legit Articles- and at some point he may be found criminally liable, for his obstruction in the face of such overwhelming evidence, in defiance of his Oath and his responsibility as a "representative" of the People, and a Public servant.
I like John Conyers; he's one of the few people in Congress that stand up for the Constitution, the public interest, truth and justice now and then- like Feingold, Boxer, Leahy, Kucinich, Ron Paul- Wexler- who else?
I'm glad he wants to listen to you and Kucinich- but really, if anyone's gonna hold him responsible, and is not also taking action for truth, justice, life and liberty by calling/emailing/faxing your reps and the media, and most important, sharing info and raising awareness of the need in your social circles, we are also responsible. This is our Republic; if we keep it.
an org, a website; holding Congress responsible if X actions are not taken; what issue will attract the widest support, could get a coalition spanning left, right, center, people, orgs and small/big business? A million signatures and a campaign of phone calls, like MoveOn's famous for, could move Congress to action, if only out of fear of not getting reelected; or even fear of getting prosecuted
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Better World Order (4 articles, 417 quicklinks, 27 diaries, 881 comments)
on Friday, June 13, 2008 at 12:16:43 PM
I have just phoned John Conyers and Nancy Pelosi. I read them the riot act on the war and the needless deaths on both sides. However, my message went further because it's so much more than the war. It's the outing of Valerie Plame-Wilson. It's his failure to respond to Hurricane Katrina. It's his mismanagement of the budget. It's his lying to Congress and the American people. If his mouth is open, he's sure to be lying to someone.
I told Nancy Pelosi that she has no right to block the impeachment process because this is OUR government, not hers. She answers to the people. We do not do her bidding. If you are not from California, you do not speak to a live body. You are sent to a recorded message. I also told John Conyers to stand up to Nancy Pelosi and do the right thing. That is his job. Here I did speak with a woman and she took my name and cell phone number. I've encouraged several other people to call.
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Deb Della Piana (24 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 32 comments)
on Friday, June 13, 2008 at 3:26:54 PM
Congress shares the guilt just as did the many defendants who were on trial at Nuremberg when the Hitler's enablers were finally brought to justice. Surely Conyers and Pelosi are enablers along with almost every other elected official. If put on trial, I'm sure, rather than say they were only following orders each one would claim that he or she was too small a cog in the wheel to make a difference. The 'following orders' defense didn't work at Nurembers and the 'too small to matter' defense I hope won't hold water when they are on the block. If nothing else, they all need to be replaced but many need also to be prosecuted. That's one of the things that would interest me if I am successful in my run for Congress this year in Washington State: Here's my statement introducing myself as a candidate. It might interest you:
If folks who visit this web site are not going to do much else, I hope they will at least offer some support to candidates who are showing up to offer new blood where it's needed.
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Mark A. Goldman (81 articles, 2 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 243 comments)
on Friday, June 13, 2008 at 4:56:08 PM
Congress shares the guilt just as did the many defendants who were on trial at Nuremberg when the Hitler's enablers were finally brought to justice.
Unfortunately, not all Hitler's enablers were brought to justice; in particular, Prescott Bush and the Warberg Bankers (see 'George Bush: The Unauthorised Biography' by Webster Tarpley.
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Paul Barbara (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 7 comments)
on Sunday, June 15, 2008 at 2:57:29 PM
John Conyers is a genuinely decent human being who has paid his activist dues going back to the 60's. I'm having a hard time blaming him or the Demcoratic Congress for the deaths in Iraq beyond the lack of insight that caused some of them to vote for the Iraq resolution taking us to war. Even there, the war has gone beyond what that resolution authorized.
We're a nation of laws and creating those laws is a fairly lengthy process if done responsibly. The 110th Congress has several things in the way of delivering on promises: an insufficient majority in the Senate that would surely stop any impeachment legislation in its tracks. In the House, although they have tended to vote for Iraq withdrawal legislation, you have the Blue Dog Democrats who lean right on many issues including Iran. Then you have the veto power of the president. In the world of making laws, that is significant opposition.
Just these past two weeks in the Senate the Republican Majority defeated cloture on a decent energy price savings bill (S 3044) because they wanted to include provisions to open ANWAR, drill domestically off-shore, and keep big oil from losing tax deductions as the bill provided. The Majority Leader brought the bill up twice. Other Senate legislation has found the same fate. Frequently.
In the House, Republicans have used parliamentary procedures to stall debate, try to defeat votes and generally waste time. Although Republicans in the House and Senate have their own ideas about legislation and insist their tactics are to get their voices and the voices of their constitutents heard, the results indicate that anything delaying important legislation is cannon fodder for the November elections.
As infuriated with Bush as many are, and as delghted as they might be to see him in handcuffs, it's not likely to happen through Kucinich's resolution nor from a few calls to Chairman Conyer's office. If you are certain you want to impeach another US president then an enouromusly supported grassroots petiton would be as good as any lobbyist gold.
It will take about fifteen more (genuine) Democrats in the House, ten more in the Senate to withstand a new Republican president aiming to veto bills as we have seen with this President. If the Blue Dogs don't get more liberal it will take about forty more Democrats in the House. If those numbers are reached and Obama wins the White House, if that takes place and The 111th Congress doesn't behave the way you want, then you have an argument that can be put directly on the party as a whole.
In the mean time, as frustrated as you are, the 110th is doing what it can in the context of the opposition and the laws that govern their work. The volume of bills considred is high, and the process is far more efficient than in the 109th and the 108th. Effort after effort has been made through legislation to aid people in real estate trouble, to end the war, to improve Medicare and Medicaid, to increase benefits to veterans, to reduce reliance on foreign oil and move to renewables, to lower gas prices, and to greatly increase access to higher education, to name a few. And most bills were budget neutral.
And for those with a blood lust, the education bill would tap the obscene profits made by education loan lenders in a system that's been in place since the 90's, the farm bill targeted repealing off-shore tax breaks for foreign companies making a bundle on US agriculture and the fuel price bill mentioned above drew its revenue by cutting deductions to oil companies for domestic drilling.
Their heads are in the right place. they just don't have a sufficient majority to succeed. Yet.
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Robert McElroy (3 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 15 comments)
on Friday, June 13, 2008 at 6:26:13 PM
... is how so-called public servants can be unaware of what's right before their eyes. They have to be. So what's stopping them?
We know Conyers is aware - hell, he wrote a book on impeachment - and this was before he was made Chairman and all the other massive amounts of evidence of crimes committed by bush&co. came forth.
So what's stopping him? IMO - death threats.
Seriously. I believe that all of those who are blocking what everyone knows should be done have been threatened, and it's not so much themselves as their families.
If what has happened to Benjamin Fulford is any example what this criminal organization masquerading as our government is using the same coercive tactics organized crime would use if they were of steroids. Actually Mafia were even more moral in that they left family out of business. One can't forget rove's "Wives are "fair-game", statement. Fulford's report shows how bush&co are blackmailing Asian Nations right now into complying. The ramifications of what Fulford has to say would make any accusation I have seem trivial by comparison.
I truly believe that every member that has any position of importance has either been set-up and are being blackmailed, or are acting under direct threat of having their entire families wiped-out if they dare move against those sociopaths now controlling our government.
I believe Wellstone was an example to those that dared cross bush&co. -bush himself was on the floor of Congress personally putting pressure on reps to vote for the Patriots Act as Anthrax was being sent to key Democratic leaders. If this isn't the same tactics employed by a criminal organization, what is?
Does Conyers want to do the right thing? I think he does. But he's a torn man. One the one side he wants to try to save our Republic and on the other is if he does ...
I really can't think of any other rational reason why so many supposedly educated people can be so complicit in some of the most obvious and egregious crimes ever committed by any government.
Am I just being paranoid? I don't think so. We have 16 intelligence agencies - why we have 16 is any one's guess - most if not all have unchecked, unlimited money and freedom. I doubt even the most knowledgeable could name all the secret syc-ops/black-ops/ groups there are running God knows what. Not to mention para-military organizations like Blackwater and all the other mercenary groups springing-up. Would it be so hard to believe that bush&co aren't using these trained assassins for their own advantage? Judging from past performance one would have to be naive to believe they wouldn't.
As a for instance, say you were Conyers, or anyone of influence, went to bush with a grievance. You found yourself being lead to a room that had a screen on it and for the next hour or so you were presented evidence of who and how 9/11 was pulled-off. They show you the extent of their criminal organization, how it's tentacles reach into every branch of government, courts and commerce. After being presented with this overwhelming evidence you are asked to make a choice, on the one you live a natural life with you and your family protected forever or you could wind-up like Wellstone and his family - what would you do?
Conyers is not unaware, he's listening to us and that little voice in him that's weighing the consequences. He knows he has numbers with us, but he knows who has the guns. He's just trying to figure out if he wants those guns pointed a him and his family.
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Mr M (4 articles, 0 quicklinks, 12 diaries, 1419 comments)
on Friday, June 13, 2008 at 7:23:17 PM
Whyyy...you are hinting (vociferously shouting) at a NEO-CONspiracy! People don't believe in such diabolical concoctions. They believe in Reality TV, Fast Food, Newspapers, Cable News Stations, their Pastor, and Leave It To Beaver {sarcasm here}.
Do these people live and operate in a "Bubble", without being aware of all the information swirling around the web-waves? Or do they simply make a choice? What's this administration been selling now for 71/2 years?
Oh Yeah = FEAR
You may very well be correct. Now, how do we Correct IT?!
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boomerang (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 273 comments)
on Friday, June 13, 2008 at 8:16:49 PM
....as a legislative body. Haven't you noticed that it is the big corporations who WRITE the laws that Congress enacts?
Congress isn't what it appears to be. It is a bureaucracy designed to shield the ruling elite from our wrath. It is a combined receptionist, public relations, customer service, and complaint department. It is not top management, not the board of directors, and has no policy-making power.
You might enjoy this little fable I wrote--it contains a thinly veiled reference to John Conyers. He doesn't need to be threatened--he has no real power. Nor does Pelosi. Nor does Bush. They are bureaucrats and they do what the military-industrial complex, the big multinationals, and the policy-making bodies like the Council on Foreign Relations, the Trilateral Commission, and the Bilderbergers tell them to do.
He is a very beautiful, very accessbile, very decent, and very sincere man.
He is not the enemy, we are.
We who claim to want peace, get arrested protesting for peace, but continue to vote for candidates committed to war.
We who claim to want democracy but continue to vote in rigged elections.
We are the ones delegating our power to the bureaucracy that obeys not us, but the ruling elite--a bureacracy that our Constitution never gave us the power to hold accountable.
Until we stop voting in rigged elections, we will not get honest elections.
Until we stop voting for war, we will not get peace.
Go to truthawaits.com and click on the picture of the trashed ballots that says, "No in November."
by
Mark E. Smith (21 articles, 30 quicklinks, 100 diaries, 1325 comments)
on Saturday, June 14, 2008 at 1:10:40 AM
...when guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns. (NRA, 80's I believe).
To which I would add...
When progressives stop voting, only neo-cons and idiots will cast ballots. Neocons being those that KNOW exactly what they are doing, and idiots being those who watch TV or think the NYT and WaPo are "liberal" newspapers.
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Charlie L (2 articles, 3 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 674 comments)
on Saturday, June 14, 2008 at 7:36:25 AM
In the election boycott that cost the Apartheid regime of South Africa its legitimacy, those who supported Apartheid still voted.
But nobody else did. They had less than 5% turnout in some places and no more than 20% turnout anywhere. Yet they went ahead and installed their illegitimate candidates. Of course everybody in the world knew that was a joke. Instead of tens of thousands of votes, one candidate had only gotten 154 votes.
Bush and the Democratic Congress protecting him from impeachment, have a lower than 20% approval rating among U.S. voters, so even if everyone who supports war casts their vote, the election could draw no more than 20% of the electorate and would be thoroughly discredited. Even a slightly lower turnout in the Presidential election than in the primaries would discredit it, as that has never happened before.
Yes, neo-cons will vote, and some people who call themselves liberals or progressives, but are mere reactionaries will join them, but there are not enough Americans who support the war, support rigged instead of fair elections, and support unaccountable representation, to give a boycotted election the appearance of legitimacy.
Do you always do whatever the neo-cons do, Charlie? Has it ever occurred to you that if you disagree with them, you might want to stop copy-catting whatever they do?
Take a look at the links I provided, particularly the discussions. When combat veterans ask us to stop voting for war, only neo-con, idiots, and those who support crimes against humanity will continue to do so.
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Mark E. Smith (21 articles, 30 quicklinks, 100 diaries, 1325 comments)
on Saturday, June 14, 2008 at 1:26:09 PM
Thanks for calling and for telling us you called Jay
As head of the House Judiciary Committee Conyers is critical to whether justice will be done, and be seen to be done, or not.
Many of the articles of impeachment that Dennis Kucinich prepared could probably be fairly described as matters that are mostly of concern only to US citizens and how US citizens expect their elected representatives to treat them.
But some of those articles, the ones dealing with torture and the breaches of international law (like the invasion of Iraq in the way that it was done) are of interest (and have consequences for) not just US citizens but everyone in the world that wants a global rule of law.
I do not know if as a non citizen I will be able to get in touch with members of the House Judiciary Committee - I do not know if they will take my call, or acknowledge my emails or letters.
But I intend to find out. If this peaceful, respectful, entirely appropriate initiative of Kucinich's, dies because certain specific office holders who have responsibility to give it their attention cause it to die, then I as one of the 6 billion people in the world that wants a rule of law will be taking down their names.
You are absolutely right to let Conyers know, that you know, that he has a personal responsibility here.
I look forward to any news you may have of follow ups with Conyers.
by
Brett Paatsch (0 articles, 2 quicklinks, 22 diaries, 1010 comments)
on Saturday, June 14, 2008 at 11:20:49 PM
17 comments
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