"We the people" have been and are being badly abused by the Bush administration. We've been disenfranchised by Diebold, a major Bush donor. Our Congress, our elected Representatives, have been corrupted, intimidated into going along with shredding of the Constitution. The incoming Democrats, whom we elected in protest, plan to play ball with Bush.
We've been lied into Iraq and our taxes are being used to support all kinds of atrocities there. Our reputation as an honorable nation has been destroyed, and hatred has been stirred up against us all over the world.
Our treasury is being drained, the public sector, on which we rely for essential services and infrastructure, is being starved. Rampant cronyism and ripoffs go unchecked.
Our land is being defiled with pollutants, clearcutting, exploitation of pristine areas. Standards of cleanliness and safety have been lowered or ignored. Public utilities are being "privatized", including the health care system, the prison system, the energy system, so that the public welfare is subordinated to profit. The commons is being destroyed.
We are being systematically stripped of our freedoms. Freedom of the press has all but vanished, and the TV networks and major newspapers have become propaganda organs. Freedom of assembly and speech are being threatened. Individual privacy has disappeared. Habeas corpus is no more.
Our future is being mortgaged. We are leaving our kids an overheating planet, since the Bushies won't acknowledge global warming, let alone do anything about it. We are leaving them an enormous debt, and a set of laws that allows fascism to be imposed at will.
Our emotions are being manipulated by the constant fake terror alerts. Meanwhile we are being terrorized into submission to Bush, with reports of concentration camps under construction by Halliburton, warrantless tapping of our phone calls and emails, scary legislation like the Patriot Act and the Homeland Security Act, and the Military Commissions Act.
I could go on and on- you, reader, can add your own outrages to the list. The point is, "we the people" are being abused by the members of the Executive Branch, whose job it is to carry out OUR will, the will of "we the people".
As a people, we are now depressed. We feel helpless to stop the depredations. Our massive repudiation of the Iraq occupation and the Bush administration at the polls seems to have been pointless. The Iraq occupation is escalating again- more troops, more money for Halliburton and Carlyle. The Democrats has said that "impeachment is not on the table". A feeling of hopelessness and dread of what the future will bring is hanging over us.
We are like a wife trapped in an abusive marriage, who feels that duty and economics prevent her from leaving. Perhaps she still feels some love and loyalty to the husband who mistreats her. Perhaps she feels she deserves ill treatment, or that she's too weak and pitiful to do anything about it. She becomes depressed and resigned to a dismal life.
When a woman is being abused by her husband, it is commonly accepted that he is committing criminal acts, and needs to be brought to justice. First of all, she is separated from him, and he is served with a restraining order to prevent further abuses. Safety first. The case is then investigated by the District Attorney, and if enough evidence is found, he is indicted and brought to trial. If convicted, he may serve some time, depending on how bad the abuse has been.
All this helps the victim to realize that it is wrong to be mistreated, and that justice is on her side. She regains a sense of power and self-esteem, and is able to manage her life. She sees some hope and happiness ahead.
We the people need to separate from Bush and Cheney. The mechanism for this is impeachment. Pelosi's plan to "work with" Bush is co-dependence, allowing the perpetrator to continue his abuse. In this case, enabling the criminals to continue their ripoff of the public amounts to co-conspiracy, opening the Congresspeople who go along to criminal charges.
A statement by House leaders of intention to investigate for impeachment, and a REFUSAL to cooperate with Bush plans to escalate in Iraq, etc, etc, would amount to a restraining order, preventing further harm to "we the people". Safety first.
This should be followed by a thorough investigation and impeachment by the House, which acts as the "district attorney"- the attorney for "we the people". Impeachment = indictment. The evidence will surely be strong enough to warrant conviction by the Senate, even if the Democrats do lack a 2/3 majority there. Public airing of Bush and Cheney's high crimes through the House investigation will force the Senate to convict, and eject them from office. They can then be tried as ordinary citizens in a regular criminal court.
We the people will become empowered, as we are supposed to be under our Constitution. We will be able to restore paper ballots and ensure fair elections. We will be able to address the pressing problems of global warming, budgetary crisis, nuclear pollution, and all the other ills which we will inherit from 6 years of Bush's plundering. Our self-esteem as a nation, and our reputation among nations, will be restored.
Carol S. Wolman, MD is a psychiatrist in Northern California. A lifelong peace activist, she has written extensively on the psychology of our times. She is a cochair of Bay Area Impeach Bush-Cheney. You can join or form a local group at http://impeachbush.meetup.com/
She ran for Congress in '06, and is now a Gteen candidate for Congress in CA district 1. She is a coordinator of The New Broom Coalition, for a clean sweep of Congress.
Impeachment is the only legal recourse given to the people to remove scoundrels and criminals from high office, so that they can be brought to justice. Impeachment, in and of itself, has nothing to do with bringing someone to justice, especially for the type of crimes of which these people are guilty.
Besides, the Goopers have managed to make impeachment and trial by senate trivial.
I doubt seriously if we have the time to impeach Bush and Cheney from office, given that they will fight for every subpoenaed piece of paper, all the way to the SCOTUS, consuming enormous amounts of time.
My suggestion would to be to start investigations and oversight, taking aim at the smaller fish in the corrupt, school of criminals.
If the Democrats do this, by 2008, the GOP will be shattered and powerless; will not have any chance of winning a position as dog-catcher, let alone president.
Bush, Cheney and Co. could be arrested when they start to leave the Capitol on inauguration day, January, 2009, for crimes much worse than lying about adultery.
Forget the "I" word. It is the "A" word that counts.
by
wintefire6 (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 88 comments)
on Saturday, December 30, 2006 at 3:36:18 PM
Accountability is certainly one goal of impeachment. The main point, however, is to remove the malefactors from office, and during the proceedings, to put them on notice that they are not legitimate office holders. Congress should REFUSE to cooperate with the White House while investigations are under way, lest they participate in high crimes. Peace, Carol
by
Carol Wolman (215 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 97 comments)
on Saturday, December 30, 2006 at 3:59:26 PM
Friends, Americans, countrymen, lend me your ears;
I ask we impeach Bush, not praise him.
The evil that men do lives after them,
That evil is oft interred with our bones;
So it is with Bush. The ignoble Rove
Hath told us Bush was ambitious;
If it were so, it was a grievous fault,
And grievously hath Iraq answer'd it.
Here, under leave of the Patriot Act,
With the propaganda machine of lies, I say
So are they all, all dishonorable men,
Come I speak for Bush's impeachment.
He is not our friend, faithful only to the corporations.
But Rove says Bush was ambitious;
But Rove is a dishonorable man.
Bush hath brought many captives by rendition
With war that did drain the coffers dry:
Did this in Bush seem ambitious?
When that the poor have cried,
Bush hath cut their funding
Ambition is hard work sayeth Bush.
Yet Roves says he is not a liar;
And Rove no longer can prove thus.
You all did see on the media
Bush thrice presented Medals of Honor
To those who helped his lies, Was this ambition?
Yet Rove sayeth Bush does not lie.
But surely That is a lie.
I speak not to disprove what Rove spoke,
But here I am to speak what I do know.
We have all reviled him once, not without cause:
Our cause is to mourn for the number that grows daily
O judgment, thou art fled behind spin and stonewalls,
And men have lost their reason. Bear with us,
Our hearts are in the coffins there with his lies.
There is no cause that will bring them back to us.
by
spoon (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 1 comments)
on Sunday, December 31, 2006 at 10:27:26 AM
As a psychiatrist, I tend to look at people's bad behavior as a symptom of mental illness. As a citizen, I look at the bad behavior of politicians as criminal. I feel that applying psychiatric diagnoses is a copout, irrelevant, distracting from the task of making these people accountable and getting rid of predators at the top who are harming our nation.
Peace, Carol Wolman
by
Carol Wolman (215 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 97 comments)
on Sunday, December 31, 2006 at 3:46:22 PM
As a psychiatrist, I tend to look at people's bad behavior as a symptom of mental illness. As a citizen, I look at the bad behavior of politicians as criminal. I feel that applying psychiatric diagnoses is a copout, irrelevant, distracting from the task of making these people accountable and getting rid of predators at the top who are harming our nation.
Peace, Carol Wolman
by
Carol Wolman (215 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 97 comments)
on Sunday, December 31, 2006 at 3:46:23 PM
A fine and powerful statement you have made. Your analogy between what the administration has done and spousal abuse paints the picture in a fresh way that is hard to argue with. Very persuasive, and sharply done. Thank you.
by
Irvthom (6 articles, 2 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 82 comments)
on Sunday, December 31, 2006 at 10:30:21 PM
I'm kinda being swayed toward the "don't impeach Bush" side. There's so much frigging undoing the Congress has to contend with next year they're going to be swamped. Oviously that's why Pelosi upped they're work time (to keep up with their workload).
Also, 2007 is the year U.S. debts start coming due,and the big boys say we're all going to feel the economic pinch, rather the punch of the debt caused by George W. Bush. Much is going to be going on to clean up the disaster he's made of our Country and our way of life and it's going to be rough for all of us.
So, I'm thinking no to impeachment and yes to having the International community form an International Tribunal and put the whole lot of them-Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wofowitz, Feith, and the rest of the neocons
and maybe the Carlyle Group,on trial.
I also hope they throw in a couple of propagandists like Limbaugh, and O'reilly.
I know, they think they're all immune because Bush wouldn't sign on to the International Criminal court, but fuck him and have them do it anyway. I don't think Hitler would have signed on either. Check out the Nuremburg Declaration.
Then, execute most of them for the crime of war of aggression, and the rest a healthy prison sentence to keep them out of society for a while. This has to be
done and we really do need the world's help
on this one, and it just might win back
their respect.
by
kevns007 (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 17 comments)
on Sunday, December 31, 2006 at 10:47:35 PM
Arrest is much better than impeachment. Heck, Bush Sr. was indicted in Iceland, I believe. Let the International Court System earn their dues. The Hague is a much better place to convict these guys. We already too much of a mess to clean up, and we can't afford anymore.
