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July 17, 2008 at 06:24:57

To my Fellow Opednews Activists, I have to Scold you All:

by Kathryn Smith Page 1 of 3 page(s)

www.opednews.com

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Sorry folks. Much as I admire (almost, with very few exceptions) every one of you; truly as I have enjoyed reading your informative, well thought-out and admirably researched articles; and greatly as I appreciate the thinking, care and motivation which goes into that writing, or expressing concerned and intelligent comments.....

There is one ingredient missing on this forum which upsets and concerns me. And I have to voice it, for the good of society in America and at this point, even for the sake of the whole world. Because with two mass murderers in office holding nuclear weapons in their hands, things ain't no joke. The Lame Ducks have yet to have their feet tied, they are only flying high, while we the people have yet to get certain ducks of our own in a row:

A) Why is it that even some headlined articles aren't "Dugg" by readers?

B) http://www.opednews.com/articles/Kucinich-IMpeachment-Resol-by-Press-Release-080715-10.html

The above article headlined yesterday, 7-15-08, that Kucinich's one article of impeachment was actually getting some floor time even if not an actual impearchment hearing, was not Dugg by ONE person. Not ONE! I Dugg it, Reddit'd it, and sent it elsewhere around the web. As of midnight tonight, Tuesday July 15, I was the ONLY one to send it to DIGG and elsewhere. This is a sham!

Folks, here we are, complaining that the Press is censored, Iran is scheduled for attack, WW III may break out, The Great Depression Exacerbated is a real concern, Martial Law may be reality instead of paranoia....and all we do is *not* send important things such as floor time for an impeachment hearing all over the web? How dare we obstruct the flow of information in this way? Sorry but it's true. We ARE obstructing if we don't help. We must take individual responsibility. Period, end.

In my opinion, Kucinich's one article of impeachment, concerning the fact that Bush unilaterally took us to war based on fabricated hot air, is the very thing which will prevent an attack on Iran. Perhaps that is even why Kucinich is introducing these articles of impeachment, right now, so late in the Presidential history. Doesn't that make sense? Smart man. Let's help him to stop the attack on Iran (and WW III, and more!) DIGG the story all over the web, help to get the Dies for Lies on the mainstream American radar! Post comments to DIGG and elsewhere, tying in the impeachment with preventing the attack on Iran by shedding the light of day on the lies involved. (Iran stopped its nuclear formulating in 2003. Plus we ourselves have weapons of mass distruction: Should everybody come and attack us, please? Good god, I hope not! IE this "Weapons of mass destruction" business is something I never bought into as "valid" reason to go to war).

C) Wherever a door closes, another one is opening. Such is what I was taught when I was little. And those words ring true in my head but also present themselves to me in life opportunities too, all the time.

We must, as a matter of ethic and responsibility, send very important news stories to the very top of the web. Let us please not only DIGG each and every important story---it only takes 30 seconds----but also send chain emails asking others to DIGG the story too. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!

D) Criminality does not like to see the light of day. That's where we citizen journalists come in. Hoorah for such opportunities to be of help! Let us be ENcouraged, not DIScouraged!

When the Media bows out of its job, We the Citizens and People ("People"=citizens or not, in the Constitution's very specific wording) have the golden opportunity to become our own truth-oriented, uncensored, unfettered journalists. We can use our cell phones to take movie shots and spread them around the Web. We can write articles and post them in so many places that they go half-way around the world, if only we post to enough websites (well, that would be exhausting, but you get my point).

Let us seize opportunity where it knocks, and while it knocks. Because theoretically if not in actual reality, we have free speech left. So far, the police are not breaking in to our homes----yet-----based on free speech. Or at least, not on a wide-spread level (though quite frankly, based on ACLU statistics and stories that I am familiar with, I can tell you that this IS happening. In fact, it's the FBI and not merely the police who are doing it, thanks to the Patriot Act, without warrant or probable cause, with gag orders keeping it all so secret that even Congress doesn't know about it).

Let us seize the opportunity to exercise our free speech while we, *as a greater mass*, still have it. Because when the day comes that not merely targeted individuals, but the greater masses lose their free speech, then indeed we will have big problems on our hands. Believe me, it will be much worse than now. We don't even want to go there.

Let us rejoice in the spark of hope while we still have it! All it takes to light a fire is one little spark. Strike a match, and the whole room lights up. Add twenty candles to one lit candle, and the room is only a little bit brighter. One candle alone lights up the room, for the most part. It's amazing.

Let us spread around whatever little light we can, knowing that it will make a big difference.

Big problems, simple solutions. That's my motto for life. It works. It's usually true. Even the most looming and dark of problems can clear up with simple things. It just has to be the *right* simple thing.

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9 comments

Georgianne Nienaber is a writer, author, and investigative journalist. She lives in the world. Her articles have appeared in The Huffington Post, SCOOP New Zealand, Glide Magazine, Rwanda's New Times, India's TerraGreen, COA News, ZNET, OpEdNews, The Journal of the International Primate Protection League, Friends of the Congo, Africa Front, The United Nations Publication, A Civil Society Observer, and Zimbabwe's The Daily Mirror. Her fiction exposé of insurance fraud in the horse industry, Horse...

to see more of bio, click on member name
Georgianne NienaberGeorgianne Nienaber is a writer, author, and investigative journalist. She lives in the world. Her articles have appeared in The Huffington Post, SCOOP New Zealand, Glide Magazine, Rwanda's New Times, India's TerraGreen, COA News, ZNET, OpEdNews, The Journal of the International Primate Protection League, Friends of the Congo, Africa Front, The United Nations Publication, A Civil Society Observer, and Zimbabwe's The Daily Mirror. Her fiction exposé of insurance fraud in the horse industry, Horse...

to see more of bio, click on member name

DIGG

I think the problem with DIGG is the requirement to use your email address. Encourages internet stalking.

by Georgianne Nienaber (145 articles, 46 quicklinks, 13 diaries, 337 comments) on Thursday, July 17, 2008 at 8:20:10 AM

Hello friends
I have decided to take a break from political writing for a while and have disconnected my email address correlated with Opednews. If any of you send me a message to my Opednews box and I do not respond, I am not ignoring you: The message simply is not getting through to me because of my disconnected email at home. Thank you and best wishes, Kathryn Smith

This quote summarizes the nature of my concerns and the content of personal experiences which stir my activis...

to see more of bio, click on member name
Kathryn SmithHello friends
I have decided to take a break from political writing for a while and have disconnected my email address correlated with Opednews. If any of you send me a message to my Opednews box and I do not respond, I am not ignoring you: The message simply is not getting through to me because of my disconnected email at home. Thank you and best wishes, Kathryn Smith

This quote summarizes the nature of my concerns and the content of personal experiences which stir my activis...

to see more of bio, click on member name

Thank you both!

Ronald and Georgianne, thank you both very much for responding to my admittedly heated message. I apologize for that heated content: Times are tough, aren't they. I find that my nature becomes a bit agitated in ways that it never used to. And while I probably could have waited before posting this message, I also thought it is terribly important to say something.

So....thank you for graciously responding.

Ronald, I peeked at the link and am very interested to see it yet again and ponder it. Thanks for the good suggestions. We can agree to disagree, but my own very strong feeling is that impeachment is proactive and not reactive. When a criminal does his thing, you lock him up: That's not reactivity, it's protecting the masses. When a President harms a nation, you take him out. It doesn't matter how late it is into the game: He needs to get the message that he can't literally get away with murder. Because if he doesn't get that message, future PResidents will think they can do the same thing, unchecked. The reason why our Founding Fathers set up the Constitution the way they did was to enforce checks and balances to prevent runaway power, as you know. So impeachment is a very important----very important----part of that checking/balancing system. Congress has refused to do their part in that regard and if anything, impeachment is way too kind. Jail would be much more appropriate. No, my friend, this is not reaction. It is proaction. Respectfully, I disagree.

But my point is not only about journaling regarding impeachment. It's about citizen journaling in general, about us taking a responsible approach and keeping the focus on ourselves/what we can do, instead of relying on the censored press. The subject matter is less relevant. If that was not clear in my communication, let my intentions hereby be known. Thank you for helping to pinpoint that for me.

Georgianne, what you said about DIGG and disclosing one's e-dress makes sense. So I thank you for that, because it does help me to understand a bit better why people may be reluctant. But what about Reddit which requires no such sign-in?

What about the fact that so many times people simply don't write letters to the editor when an action alert link is clicked, asking for such writing?

The point is, I think we are way too passive. In so doing, our passivity becomes its own form of permission. Or at least, enabling. The crimes we are enabling with our collective silence are so far-reaching as to affect the entire globe. It's not funny.

We must do our part. It's a matter of duty. If we don't, we are remiss. We are helping the problem to spread. Not a good thing at all.

Thank you all for your time and help, and for your gracious responses. Have a good day, Kathryn

by Kathryn Smith (93 articles, 2 quicklinks, 38 diaries, 361 comments) on Thursday, July 17, 2008 at 9:48:12 AM

I'm a native of New York City who's called the Green Mountain state of Vermont home since the summer of 1994. A former freelance journalist, I'm a fiercely independent freethinker who's highly skeptical of authority figures -- especially when they're on the wrong side of the issues I care about. But I'm not afraid to also call into question those with whom I would usually be "on the same page" if and when they, too, are on the wrong side of the issues I care about.
Skeeter SandersI'm a native of New York City who's called the Green Mountain state of Vermont home since the summer of 1994. A former freelance journalist, I'm a fiercely independent freethinker who's highly skeptical of authority figures -- especially when they're on the wrong side of the issues I care about. But I'm not afraid to also call into question those with whom I would usually be "on the same page" if and when they, too, are on the wrong side of the issues I care about.

Impeachment Trumped By Fear of Cheney Presidency

It never ceases to amaze me how "progressives" continue to carp about the lack of mainstream media coverage -- or even on the Internet -- of the drive to impeach President Bush.

There ia a VERY GOOD REASON why the impeachment drive is going nowhere: It's a pipe dream that will never become a reality.

And the reason impeachment is a pipe dream to everyone other than so-called "progressives" can be summed up in two words:

Dick Cheney.

Nobody other than "progressives," it seems -- not Democrats, not moderates not Republicans, not even conservatives -- wants the vice president to serve out the ramainder of Bush's term as president, which, under the 22nd Amendment of the Constitution, is precisely what Americans would end up with if Bush is impeached and removed from office.

Even conservatives fear Cheney as too extreme to be president. Only a naive fool would fail to recognize the Cheney's first official acts as president would be to launch a war against Iran, declare a state of national emergency and impose martial law -- just as Feerdinand Marcos did in the Phillippines in 1972.

Dick Cheney is the most dangerous man in Washington. "Progressives" seem to have forgotten that the Iraq war was HIS idea, not Bush's. The unconstitutional warrantless spying program was hatched up and pushed hard by Cheney, not Bush.

Everyone, it seems, has forgotten that Cheney began his career in Wahington as part of "Tricky Dick" Nixon's administration. When Nixon was driven out of office by the Watergate scandal, Cheney made a solemn vow that has guided his career ever since: to restore the "imperial presidency" that Watergate undermined.

Cheney privately considered Preisdents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, George Bush Sr. and Bill Clinton "wimps." He revered Ronald Reagan, but soon recognized that Reagan was hamstrung by the Democratic-controlled Congress, especially during his second term, weakened by the Iran-Contra scandal.

When George W. Bush appointed Cheney to head up his vice-presidential search committee in 2000, it was a sham: Cheney was determined to put his restore-the-imperial-presidency plan into practice by naming himself Bush's veep.

The rest, as they say, is history, as Cheney amassed far greater power than any vice president before him -- power far beyond what the Constitution calls for.

Make no mistake: Dick Cheney has been and is the real power in the Bush administration. Only Bush stands in Cheney's way of obtaining absolute power. Remove Bush, and you remove that obstacle.

by Skeeter Sanders (32 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 78 comments) on Friday, July 18, 2008 at 11:12:17 AM

I live on an island off the coast of Maine. Political junkie of liberal persuasion.
I have long been a registered Independent and now am a member of the Maine Green Independent Party.

Widower, grandfather of two, retired.
Jack HarringtonI live on an island off the coast of Maine. Political junkie of liberal persuasion.
I have long been a registered Independent and now am a member of the Maine Green Independent Party.

Widower, grandfather of two, retired.

Cheney

probably should have been impeached first.

However, his 'Presidency" should not bar action against Bush. Cheney can do little more damage as President than he is capable of as VP, given all the power Bush has granted him over the years.

To do nothing is to fail America.

Thank you Kathryn, for a thoughtful, if somewhat heated, article. I also do not do Digg etc because of the tracking issues. It is a common theme to many on the internet that what we write and present the world is read widely. As good as Oped News is, it is not widely accessed unfortunately.

You are correct-we do need to get the information out there ore broadly. Too bad we could not do streaming banners on every internet browser.

Anyhow, I am just back from Chicago where the Green Party made history last weekend. And I have seen damn all for coverage on that event in the MSM.

We have much work to do.

by Jack Harrington (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 306 comments) on Friday, July 18, 2008 at 11:22:03 AM

Meryl Ann Butler is an artist, author and educator who counts First Lady Dolley Payne Todd Madison as well as two signers of the Articles of Confederation among her ancestors. Mary Ball, mother of George Washington is in the ancestral lineage of Butler's great grandmother, Blanche Ball. Grateful to know that the blood of America's founding mothers and fathers runs in her veins, Butler has been newly filled with matriotism as a direct result of the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections. Lest she a...

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Meryl Ann ButlerMeryl Ann Butler is an artist, author and educator who counts First Lady Dolley Payne Todd Madison as well as two signers of the Articles of Confederation among her ancestors. Mary Ball, mother of George Washington is in the ancestral lineage of Butler's great grandmother, Blanche Ball. Grateful to know that the blood of America's founding mothers and fathers runs in her veins, Butler has been newly filled with matriotism as a direct result of the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections. Lest she a...

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WHAT I WONDER

Jack, I am not up on the legalities of all of this, but since articles of impeachment were served on Cheney first, and he would surely be implicated in any impeachment proceedings for Bush, is it possible that Cheney would have to be at least passed over, if impeachment proceedings ultimately unseated Bush from his throne? Not that Pelosi thrills me, but she is a far site better than Cheney as interim president, and probably just for a few days or weeks. What say you?

by Meryl Ann Butler (43 articles, 41 quicklinks, 3 diaries, 343 comments) on Friday, July 18, 2008 at 11:33:13 AM

Cheney

Hi Meryl Ann-Most of what I viewed on the Cheney impeachment revolved around the idea that he would resign before standing for impeachment ala' Nixon's VP Agnew. I don't think this was realistic myself, but I have read a piece by a Constitutional scholar whose name I can't recall right now, who said that impeachment of Cheney would prevent his transition into another office, if impeachment was in progress and had no determined outcome at that point.

I do not share, unfortunately, your view of Pelosi as a potential President in the line of succession. She has been good for the Democratic Party but very bad for the country, in her behaviors since ascending to the Speaker's chair.

In any event, one way or another, either impeachment or criminal proceedings, we need to take Bush and Cheney out behind the legal woodshed, if we are ever to heal and recover and progress. With summer recess and the coming elections and a lame duck Congress (in oh so many ways), impeachment is very unlikely to happen now.

So the question now devolves rather naturally to the issue of special prosecutors, investigations, criminal charges and, hopefully, sentencing for the miscreants now in power.

Hope I answered your question.

jack

by Jack Harrington (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 306 comments) on Friday, July 18, 2008 at 11:51:17 AM

I'm a 29 year old male.
TyI'm a 29 year old male.

Bad argument

Your argument makes no sense because Congressman Kucinich has articles of impeachment against BOTH Bush and Cheney. So the fact is Congress can remove both of them from power. That would make Pelosi the president for the remainder of the term. Pelosi has no interest in becoming president so I doubt that she would do much damage.

by Ty (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 809 comments) on Saturday, July 19, 2008 at 12:07:28 PM