michelle
Administrator
I have broken any attachments I had to the Ascended Masters and their teachings; drains your chi!
Posts: 2,100
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Post by michelle on Oct 1, 2006 16:58:31 GMT 4
ENDLESS WARS! TORTURE! KATRINA! THEOCRACY!
BRING THIS TO A HALT!Let's unleash a great wave, moving together on the same day -- our numbers making a statement that cannot be ignored and that lets it be known we are determined to bring this whole disastrous direction to a halt. On Thursday, October 5th, let's say to the world:This regime does not represent us and we will not stop until we drive it out! Walk out of school! Refuse to work! No shopping on October 5 th! Come to mass demonstrations across the country and march through the streets calling on millions more to join us! WE MUST ACT NOW - THE WORLD'S FUTURE IS IN OUR HANDSGo to www.worldcantwait.org to find the demonstration nearest to you. Over 105 are listed and more are being added daily. Everywhere we go, people ask: where are the students?Andrew Rosenthal complained in the New York Times on August 31 that there are no street protests against the war. “Student protesters helped drive Lyndon Johnson — in so many ways a powerful, progressive president — out of office because of his war. In 2004, George W. Bush — in so many ways a weak, regressive president — was re-elected despite his war. And the campuses were silent.” One cannot imagine any social movement without the energy and passion of students. As they begin school this fall to learn about the world and make plans for their future, they will be confronted with a choice: will they live in a horrific future of war and torture carved out by the Bush Regime or will they step forward and take the future back? Here are the voices that people need to hear loudly:Take Back Our Planet By Jean Rhoe The night before making her commencement speech at the New School graduation ceremony, senior Jean Rhoe had to confront the fact that Senator John McCain was to share the stage with her and use it as a platform to push an immoral agenda of more war and yes more torture. The next day she grabbed headlines for speaking out and gained the support of millions of people overnight. Rhoe has continued to speak out against Bush's disastrous course and has recently contributed an article here for worldcantwait.org.This weekend I called nearly 100 progressive voters in a congressional swing district in Pennsylvania to urge them to vote. It was difficult and at times demoralizing—lots of answering machines, out-of-service numbers, and hasty hang-ups—but I had the amazing opportunity to speak with a number of voters who feel the way I do. I conversed with many of them about their concerns and their hopes for the future of this country. Some of them were worried about the environment, others about their health care, quite a few wanted us out of Iraq. But one voter summed up all of our sentiments succinctly, I think. “What is the single most important issue for you in voting for Congress this year?” I asked him, following the script given to me by the political action group on whose behalf I was calling. He thought for a moment. After awhile he said, “I just want Bush out of office ASAP.” Now, it’s true that getting Bush out of power is not going to change everything bad about the world today. Certainly the United States has taken a sharp turn to the right over the past six years, entrenching Christian fundamentalism, zenophobia, cowboy foreign policy, and a host of other destructive tendencies deeply into the rhetoric that we encounter, unquestioningly, every day. The Bush administration has acted swiftly and effectively to instill fears in us and to encourage black-and-white logic as a means to deal with them. Terrorism, genocide, and civil wars, not to mention hunger, AIDS, and lack of sustainable employment threaten the lives of people everywhere every day. It will take a lot more than the removal of one man to counteract the effects of six years of damage. But getting Bush out of office now would be a start. I don’t want to make a long list here of all the reasons why we, as people living in the US under the Bush administration, have a special responsibility to see to the end of his leadership and his policies. But let us be reminded that we have all witnessed the devastation that Bush’s term-and-a-half in office has brought us. We have seen how the administration’s policies have taken away social services and cut taxes for the wealthy. We’ve seen our troops and Iraqi civilians die by the tens of thousands for a lie. We’ve seen families rejected by their own government after Hurricane Katrina. We’ve seen Bush condemn Iran’s uranium enrichment program and allude to military action to stop it out of one side of his mouth, while negotiating a nuclear weapons deal with India out of the other. And if you don’t see a problem with this, then I’m not talking to you. I think that the battle against these dark days will be joined by those people, like the man I spoke with this weekend, who already sense all the reasons why we as a globe are headed for ruin with the conservatives at the helm here in the US, people who find themselves feeling angry or sad or powerless because of the changes they see around them, but don’t know what they can do to stop them, and don’t know that there are others out there who share their frustrations. I believe that with the right information and a clear plan of resistance to this path of destruction, the people of this world, if not the people of the United States, will not allow the Bush agenda to go any further. I have great optimism about the future because there are people who believe in true freedom, in true justice, and who won’t be sucked in by the conservatives’ doublespeak. These people, if they all choose to work together, and to see themselves not as just independent, disaffected individuals, but as members of a group with power to exact real change, will have so much influence over the course of history. This may sound overly romanticized and even naïve, but the past has shown that the public is strong enough to topple dictators, end wars, and to regain self-determination. But resistance to a powerful government will take a lot of work and dedication. We cannot sit still. I feel the seeds of change germinating all around me, but they may not lose momentum or else we are all lost. What can you do to keep that momentum going? How can you educate yourself and others? What actions can you take? What kinds of creative responses can you find? There are so many things we can do to prevent our nation’s hijacking from going any further. We can talk to our neighbors, friends, and family about how we feel and what we can do about it. We can encourage debate in our schools and workplaces. We can lead by our own peaceful and diplomatic examples within our own small social circles. We can choose to be informed. We can choose to be a part of projects in our own communities, to engage ourselves in the social fabric of our neighborhoods. We can learn from the examples of those abroad who have resisted their own unjust governments. We can choose to be strong and joyful in the face of horror. And we can act collectively through events like The World Can’t Wait’s October 5th walkout, to tell the world’s citizens that we stand with them. COME OUT ON OCTOBER 5TH AND TAKE BACK OUR PLANETTimothy Zook, Temple University: “My papers will still be due, my professors will still lecture, and my alarm clock will still jar me from sleep whether or not George Bush is in office. My world can wait another two years. But, this world is not mine alone. There are other people, people whose worlds cannot wait ...Let’s make some noise on October 5…because our world cannot wait.” Kara Singer, Georgetown Law: We must take to the streets, in greater numbers than the world has ever seen, to cry out with one voice, and at one time: although we live in a country that has become a perpetuator of war crimes and humanitarian violations, although our country has committed egregious violations of international law, this is our country and we will not let our country be run by one man and one man’s goals which violate the very being of so many citizens of that same country. We will not stand still when a fight has been demanded by our government. We will not be quiet when the state of the world demands righteous outrage. We will gather on October 5, 2006 to speak for ourselves, and every person who cannot be with us in person but has a voice equal to ours. Go to www.worldcantwait.org to find the demonstration nearest to you. Over 105 are listed and more are being added daily.
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DT1
Moderator
You know, it's not like I wanted to be right about all of this...
Posts: 428
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Post by DT1 on Oct 16, 2006 17:57:12 GMT 4
Electoral Math Paul Krugman points out how the lack of popular vote representation in the electoral system could work against the Democrats taking over the House of Representatives unless they win hugely.
Will the Levee Break? by Paul Krugman
The conventional wisdom says that the Democrats will take control of the House of Representatives next month, but only by a small margin. I've been looking at the numbers, however, and I believe this conventional wisdom is almost all wrong.
Here's what's happening: a huge Democratic storm surge is heading toward a high Republican levee. It's still possible that the surge won't overtop the levee -- that is, the Democrats could fail by a small margin to take control of Congress. But if the surge does go over the top, the flooding will almost surely reach well inland -- that is, if the Democrats win, they'll probably win big.
Let's talk about Congressional arithmetic.
Unless the Bush administration is keeping Osama bin Laden in a freezer somewhere, a majority of Americans will vote Democratic this year. If Congressional seats were allocated in proportion to popular votes, a Democratic House would be a done deal. But they aren't, and the way our electoral system works, combined with the way ethnic groups are distributed, still gives the Republicans some hope of holding on.
The key point is that African-Americans, who overwhelmingly vote Democratic, are highly concentrated in a few districts. This means that in close elections many Democratic votes are, as political analysts say, wasted -- they simply add to huge majorities in a small number of districts, while the more widely spread Republican vote allows the G.O.P. to win by narrower margins in a larger number of districts.
My back-of-the-envelope calculations suggest that because of this "geographic gerrymander," even a substantial turnaround in total Congressional votes -- say, from the three-percentage-point Republican lead in 2004 to a five-point Democratic lead this year -- would leave the House narrowly in Republican hands. It looks as if the Democrats need as much as a seven-point lead in the overall vote to take control.
No wonder, then, that until a few months ago many political analysts argued that the Republicans would control the House for the foreseeable future, because only a perfect political storm could overcome the G.O.P. structural advantage.
But what's that howling sound? Every poll taken this month shows the Democrats with a double-digit lead in the generic ballot question, in which voters are asked which party they support in this election. The median Democratic lead is 14 points.
And here's the thing: because there are many districts that the G.O.P. carried by only moderately large margins in recent elections, a large Democratic surge -- one only a bit bigger than that needed to take the House at all -- would sweep away many Republicans holding seats normally considered safe. If the actual vote is anything like what the polls now suggest, we're talking about the Democrats holding a larger majority in the House than the Republicans have held at any point since their 1994 takeover.
So if the Democrats win, they'll probably have a substantial majority. Whether they'll be able to keep that majority is another question. But be prepared to wake up less than four weeks from now and learn that everything you've been told about American politics -- liberalism is dead, whoever controls the South controls Washington, only Republicans know "the way to win" -- is wrong. (Are we seeing the birth of a new New Deal coalition, in which the solid Northeast takes the place of the solid South?)
The storm may yet weaken. The Iowa Electronic Markets, in which people bet real money on election outcomes, still give Republicans a roughly 40 percent chance of keeping control of both houses of Congress. If that happens, will it mean that Republican control is permanent after all?
No. Bear in mind that the G.O.P. isn't in trouble because of a string of bad luck. The problems that have caused Americans to turn on the party, from the disaster in Iraq to the botched response to Katrina, from the failed attempt to privatize Social Security to the sudden realization by many voters that the self-proclaimed champions of moral values are hypocrites, are deeply rooted in the whole nature of Republican governance. So even if this surge doesn't overtop the levee, there will be another surge soon.
But the best guess is that the permanent Republican majority will end in a little over three weeks.
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DT1
Moderator
You know, it's not like I wanted to be right about all of this...
Posts: 428
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Post by DT1 on Nov 25, 2006 23:26:57 GMT 4
Posting this here,in case anyone missed it:Bush’s Defeated Foe: US Civil Liberty informationclearinghouse.comBy Paul Craig Roberts George Orwell warned us, but what American would have expected that in the opening years of the 21st century the United States would become a country in which lies and deception by the President and Vice President were the basis for a foreign policy of war and aggression, and in which indefinite detention without charges, torture, and spying on citizens without warrants have displaced the Bill of Rights and the US Constitution? If anyone had predicted that the election of George W. Bush to the presidency would result in an American police state and illegal wars of aggression, he would have been dismissed as a lunatic. What American ever would have thought that any US president and attorney general would defend torture or that a Republican Congress would pass a bill legalizing torture by the executive branch and exempting the executive branch from the Geneva Conventions? What American ever would have expected the US Congress to accept the president’s claim that he is above the law? What American could have imagined that if such crimes and travesties occurred, nothing would be done about them and that the media and opposition party would be largely silent? Except for a few columnists, who are denounced by “conservatives” as traitors for defending the Bill of Rights, the defense of US civil liberty has been limited to the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch. The few federal judges who have refused to genuflect before the Bush police state are denounced by attorney general Alberto Gonzales as a “grave threat” to US security. Vice president Richard Cheney called a federal judge’s ruling against the Bush regime’s illegal and unconstitutional warrantless surveillance program “an indefensible act of judicial overreaching.” Brainwashed “conservatives” are so accustomed to denouncing federal judges for “judicial activism” that Cheney’s charge of overreach goes down smoothly. Vast percentages of the American public are simply unconcerned that their liberty can be revoked at the discretion of a police or military officer and that they can be held without evidence, trial or access to attorney and tortured until they confess to whatever charge their torturers wish to impose. Americans believe that such things can only happen to “real terrorists,” despite the overwhelming evidence that most of the Bush regime’s detainees have no connections to terrorism. When these points are made to fellow citizens, the reply is usually that “I’m doing nothing wrong. I have nothing to fear.” Why, then, did the Founding Fathers write the Constitution and the Bill of Rights? American liberties are the result of an 800 year struggle by the English people to make law a shield of the people instead of a weapon in the hands of government. For centuries English speaking peoples have understood that governments cannot be trusted with unaccountable power. If the Founding Fathers believed it was necessary to tie down a very weak and limited central government with the Constitution and Bill of Rights, these protections are certainly more necessary now that our government has grown in size, scope and power beyond the imagination of the Founding Fathers. But, alas, “law and order conservatives” have been brainwashed for decades that civil liberties are unnecessary interferences with the ability of police to protect us from criminals. Americans have forgot that we need protection from government more than we need protection from criminals. Once we cut down civil liberty so that police may better pursue criminals and terrorists, where do we stand when government turns on us? This is the famous question asked by Sir Thomas More in the play, A Man for All Seasons. The answer is that we stand naked, unprotected by law. It is an act of the utmost ignorance and stupidity to assume that only criminals and terrorists will stand unprotected. Americans should be roused to fury that attorney general Alberto Gonzales and vice president Cheney have condemned the defense of American civil liberty as “a grave threat to US security.” This blatant use of an orchestrated and propagandistic fear to create a “national security” wedge against the Bill of Rights is an impeachable offense. Mark my words, the future of civil liberty in the US depends on the impeachment and conviction of Bush, Cheney, and Gonzales. Paul Craig Roberts , was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan Administration. He is the author of Supply-Side Revolution : An Insider's Account of Policymaking in Washington ; Alienation and the Soviet Economy and Meltdown: Inside the Soviet Economy, and is the co-author with Lawrence M. Stratton of The Tyranny of Good Intentions : How Prosecutors and Bureaucrats Are Trampling the Constitution in the Name of Justice
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DT1
Moderator
You know, it's not like I wanted to be right about all of this...
Posts: 428
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Post by DT1 on Dec 9, 2006 5:49:21 GMT 4
McKinney Introduces Bill to Impeach Bush By Ben Evans The Associated Press
Friday 08 December 2006
Washington - In what was likely her final legislative act in Congress, outgoing Georgia Rep. Cynthia McKinney announced a bill Friday to impeach President Bush.
The legislation has no chance of passing and serves as a symbolic parting shot not only at Bush but also at Democratic leaders. Incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has made clear that she will not entertain proposals to sanction Bush and has warned the liberal wing of her party against making political hay of impeachment.
McKinney, a Democrat who drew national headlines in March when she struck a Capitol police officer, has long insisted that Bush was never legitimately elected. In introducing her legislation in the final hours of the current Congress, she said Bush had violated his oath of office to defend the Constitution and the nation's laws.
McKinney has made no secret of her frustration with Democratic leaders since voters ousted her from office in the Democratic primary this summer. In a speech Monday at George Washington University, she accused party leaders of cowing to Republicans on the war in Iraq and on military mistreatment of prisoners.
McKinney, who has not discussed her future plans, has increasingly embraced her image as a controversial figure.
She has hosted numerous panels on Sept. 11 conspiracy theories and suggested that Bush had prior knowledge of the terrorist attacks but kept quiet about it to allow friends to profit from the aftermath. She introduced legislation to establish a permanent collection of rapper Tupac Shakur's recordings at the National Archives and calling for a federal investigation into his killing.
But it was her scuffle with a Capitol police officer that drew the most attention. McKinney struck the officer when he tried to stop her from entering a congressional office building. The officer did not recognize McKinney, who was not wearing her member lapel pin.
A grand jury in Washington declined to indict McKinney over the clash, but she eventually apologized before the House.
(Mod's note:)I see this as a repudiation of Sen.Pelosi's"Impeachment is off the table"comment. I sincerely hope this gets the ball rolling... At stake is nothing less than the Rule of Law. My thanks,Ms.Mckinney. The 110th Congress had better show the courage you have shown today. Even if impeachment is not possible,fighting it will keep the Chimpresident busy,and prevent him from damaging this country,and the world,further.
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DT1
Moderator
You know, it's not like I wanted to be right about all of this...
Posts: 428
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Post by DT1 on Dec 20, 2006 4:07:29 GMT 4
Sean Penn will be receiving The 2006 Christopher Reeve First Amendment Award from The Creative Coalition this evening, December 18, 2006, in New York City, where he will deliver the following speech.From huffringtonpost.com(Slightly amd reluctantly modified). The Christopher Reeve First Amendment Award. For the purposes of tonight and my own personal enjoyment, I'm going to yield to the notion that I deserve this. And in the spirit of that, tell you that I am very honored to receive it. And for this I thank the Creative Coalition and my friend Charlie Rose. It does seem appropriate to take this opportunity to exercise the right that honors us all - freedom of speech. Note for later: The original title for the Louis XVI comedy called "Start The Revolution Without Me" was one of my favorites. That original title was "Louis, There's a Crowd Downstairs." But I'll come back to that... Words may be our most civil weapons of change, when they connect to actions of sacrifice, or good will, but they have no grace or power without bold clarity. So, if you'll bear with me, borrowing a line from Bob Dylan, "Let us not talk falsely now - the hour is getting late." Global warming Massive pollution Non-stop U.S. war in Iraq Attacks on civil liberties under the banner of war on terror Military spending You and I, U.S. taxpayers, spend 1 1/2 billion dollars on an Iraq-war-'focused' military everyday, while social needs cry out. Health care Education Public transit Environmental protections Affordable housing Job training Public investment And, levy building. We depend largely for information on these issues from media industries, driven by the bottom line to such an extent that the public interest becomes uninteresting. And should we speak truth, we stand against government efforts to intimidate or legislate in the service of censorship. Whether under the guise of a Patriot Act or any other benevolent-sounding rationale for the age-old game of shutting down dissent by discouraging independent thinking and preventing progressive social change. The most effective forms of de facto censorship are pre-emptive. Systemically, we are encouraged to keep our heads down, out of the line of fire - to avoid the danger, god forbid, that someone in the White House, on Capitol Hill, or a media blow-hard might take a shot at us. But, as a practical matter, most of the limits on creative expression and other forms of free speech come from self-censorship, where the mechanism of corporate clout offers carrots and brandishes sticks. We avoid a conflict before the conflict materializes. We reach for the carrots and stay out of range of sticks. Decades ago, Fred Friendly called it a "positive veto" - corporations putting big money behind shows that they want to establish and perpetuate. Whether in journalism or drama, creative efforts that don't gain a financial "positive veto" are dismissible, then dismissed. We may not call that "censorship." But whatever we call it, the effects of a "positive veto" system are severe. They impose practical limits on efforts to bring the most important realities to public attention sooner rather than later... We're beginning to see more revealing images of this war. But it's later now, isn't it? What we have to pay attention to are the results of these "practical limits." One, is that wars become much easier to launch than to halt. I've got a feeling about how we can begin to change this process and I want to pass it by you. Children grow up in our country -- many by the way, under conditions of extreme poverty -- and are told from a very early age "You will be accountable!" "With freedom, comes responsibility!" And so the lecture goes...Democratic and Republican alike. Lie-cheat-steal, and there will be consequences! Theft will be punished. Actions that cause the deaths of others will be severely punished. The message, from leaders in Washington, news media, mom, dad, and church is clear. Criminals MUST be held accountable. Now, there's been a lot of talk lately on Capitol Hill about how impeachment should be "off the table." We're told that it's time to look ahead - not back... Can you imagine how far that argument would go for the defense at an arraignment on charges of grand larceny, or large-scale distribution of methamphetamines? How about the arranging of a contract killing on a pregnant mother? "Indictment should be off the table." Or "Let's look forward, not backward." Or "We can't afford another failed defendant." Our country has a legal system, not of men and women, but of laws. Why then are we so willing to put inconvenient provisions of the U.S. constitution and federal law "off the table?" Our greatest concern right now should be what to put ON the table. Unless we're going to have one set of laws for the powerful and another set for those who can't afford fancy lawyers, then truth matters to everyone. And accountability is a matter of human and legal principle. If we're going to continue wagging our fingers at the disadvantaged transgressors, then I suggest we be consistent. If truth and accountability can be stretched into sham concepts, we may as well open the gates of all our jails and prisons, where, by the way, there are more people behind bars than any other country in the world. One in every 32 American adults is behind bars, on probation, or on parole as we stand here tonight. Which is to say that, globally, the United States is number one at demanding accountability and backing up that demand with imprisonment. But, when it comes to our president, vice president, secretary of state, former secretary of defense...this insistence on accountability vanishes. All of a sudden, what's past is prologue. And we're just "forward-looking." But some people can't just look forward. Men and women stationed in Iraq at this moment, under orders of a Commander-in-Chief so sufficiently practiced in the art of deception, that he got vast numbers of American journalists and the most esteemed media outlets of this country, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, and PBS to eagerly serve his agenda-building for war. And the process also induced vast numbers of artists and performers (probably even some in this room tonight) to keep quiet and facilitate the push for an invasion in Iraq. I'm sure many people who I met in Baghdad, both in my trips prior to and during the occupation, now similarly cannot just look forward. With lives so entirely shattered by a violence of occupation - an ongoing U.S. war effort and the civil war that it has catalyzed. All on the back of a crumbled infrastructure, following eleven years of devastating U.N. sanctions. And, where is the accountability on behalf of the American dead and wounded, their families, their friends, and the people of the United States who have seen their country become a world pariah. These events have been enabled by people named Bush, Cheney, Powell, Rumsfeld, and Rice, as they continue to perpetuate a massive fraud on American democracy and decency. On January 11, 2003, I made an appearance on Larry King's show following my first trip to Iraq. I suggested that every American mother and father sit down with a scrap of paper and pencil and scribble the following words: Dear Mr. and Mrs. So-and-so -- We regret to inform you that your son or daughter so-and-so, was killed in action in Iraq. I then asked that those mothers and fathers complete that letter in whatever way might comfort them should they receive it. When one considers what a bewildered continuation of those words a parent might attempt to write today, it seems inconceivable that this country could've ever bought into this war. Who were those mothers and fathers believing in?! We know it's not the administration alone, but a culture at large, cloaking itself in self-righteousness, religion, and adolescent hero-dreaming machismo. Would they have believed Rush Limbaugh if they'd known he was high as a kite on OxyContin? Would they have believed the factually impaired Bill O'Reilly if they knew he was massaging his rectum with a loofah while telephonically harassing a staffer? Hannity, had they known he was simply a whore to the cause of his pimps - Murdoch and Ailes? Or the little bow-tie putz, if they knew all he was seeking was a good laugh from Jon Stewart? Maybe our countrymen and women were listening to Ted Haggert while he was whiffing meth and b****g a muscle-headed gigolo? Or Mark Foley seeking junior weenis? Joe Lieberman, sitting Shiva? And Toby Keith, singing about how big his boots are? "Oh, there goes Sean...he had to go and name-call. They say he can't help himself." Or, did I name-call? Maybe I just quickly summed up 7 or 8 little truths. Oh, no, you're right - I name-called. I said, "putz". I take it back. Or, do I? Did I say "whore?" Pimp? These are questions. But, the real and great questions of conscience and accountability would not loom so ominously -- unanswered or evaded at such tremendous cost -- without our day-to-day failure to insist on genuine accountability. Of course we'd prefer some easy ways to get there. But no easy ways exist. Not a new Congress. Not Barack Obama. And, not John McCain. His courage in North Vietnamese prison makes him a heroic man. His voting record in Congress makes him a damaging public servant. We have gotta stand the f**k up and show the world how powerful are the people in a democracy. That's how we regain our position of example, rather than pariah, to the world at large. And that is how we can begin to put up our chins and allow pride and unification to raise our own quality of life and security. They tell us we lost 3,000 Americans on 9/11. Is that enough? We're about to match it. We're within weeks, if not less, of killing 3,000 Americans in Iraq. I ask Speaker Pelosi, can we put impeachment on the table then? Without former FEMA chief Mike Brown being held accountable, post Katrina (scapegoat though he may have been) we'd have had the same chaos and neglect when Rita hit Houston. Think about it. And, the same people who trumpet deterrence as a justification for punishment when we speak of "crime and punishment," will boast their positive thinking when dismissing the deterrent qualities of an impeachment proceeding. What is impeachment? It's not a Democratic versus Republican event. Not if used responsibly. If the House of Representatives votes to impeach this president, is he thrown out of office? No, he is not thrown out of office. That is not what impeachment is. Impeachment is the opportunity to proceed with accountability and give our elected senators, democratic and republican, the power to pursue a thorough investigation. The power to put the truth on the table. Mothers and fathers are losing their kids to horrifying deaths in this war every single day. Horrible deaths. Horrible maimings. Were crimes committed in enlisting the support of our country in this decision to go to war? For the moment we're living the most spineless of scenarios; where the hawks abused impeachment eight years ago, now, the rest of us politely refuse to use it today. Let's give the whistle-blowers cover, let's get the subpoenas out there, and then, one by one, put this administration under oath. And then, if the crimes of "Treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors" are proven, do as Article 2, Section 4 of the United States Constitution provides, and remove "the President, Vice President and...civil officers of the United States" from office. If the Justice Department then sees fit to bunk them up with Jeff Skilling, so be it. So...look, if we attempt to impeach for lying about a bl***b, yet accept these almost certain abuses without challenge, we become a ***-stain on the flag we wave. You know, I was listening to Frank Rich this morning, speaking on a book tour. He said he thought impeachment proceedings would amount to a "decadent" sidetrack, while our soldiers were still being killed. I admire Frank Rich. And of course he would be right if impeachment is all we do. But we're Americans. We can do two things at the same time. Yes, let's move forward and swiftly get out of this war in Iraq AND impeach these bastards. Christopher Reeve promised to get out of that chair. Well, I don't know about you, but it feels like he's up now and I wouldn't be standing here if it weren't on his shoulders. Let it be for something. Georgie, there's a crowd downstairs. Thank you and good night. (Incredible.My respect for Sean Penn just increased enormously)...
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michelle
Administrator
I have broken any attachments I had to the Ascended Masters and their teachings; drains your chi!
Posts: 2,100
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Post by michelle on Jan 14, 2007 14:31:09 GMT 4
Rocky Anderson calls for Bush impeachmentLast Update: 1/11/2007 6:58:44 PM Watch This Video:www.abc4.com/mediacenter/?videoID=58531 Story by: Chris Vanocur chris@abc4.com Salt Lake Mayor Rocky Anderson is saying he now supports the impeachment of both the President and Vice-President. The mayor is reacting strongly to the President's Iraq speech Wednesday night. Anderson is opposed to any escalation of U.S. troops there and says he would like to see the President's exit sped up. Anderson said, "I'd like to see them both gone and the sooner the better and if there were a way to do that through impeachment I would be completely in favor of it." But Anderson is also blaming Congressional Democrats for creating the situation in Iraq. Source:www.abc4.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=e3c27286-da98-477e-afbe-c32fc5892898
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DT1
Moderator
You know, it's not like I wanted to be right about all of this...
Posts: 428
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Post by DT1 on Jan 16, 2007 5:04:00 GMT 4
It Is Time to Rebel Against King Georgeby Mick Youther opednews.com In a televised address to his subjects (1/10/07), King George proclaimed that, after weeks of painstaking consultation and holiday parties, he had decided to increase the number of American troops in Iraq. He knows the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a majority of the military commanders on the ground oppose this strategy. More importantly, he knows that a majority of the American people and their representatives in Congress believe we should be bringing troops home from Iraq--instead of sending more. King George knows all this; but he doesn't care, because he is The Decider. As bad as it is, this further escalation of the War on Iraq is just the latest symptom of a much more deadly disease that has afflicted the United States of America. • "The endless Iraq war is decreasingly about Iraq and increasingly about the U.S. Constitution. ... [Bush's decision to escalate the war] is based on his flawed and dangerous theory of the "unitary presidency," a theory under which, once war is declared, the president as commander in chief can ignore constitutional checks and balances, disregard the bill of rights, suspend accountability, and concentrate dictatorial power in his own hands." --Former Senator and Presidential candidate Gary Hart, HuffingtonPost, 1/9/07 Aided and abetted by a Republican-controlled Congress, the Bush Administration has systematically undermined and eliminated our Constitutional protections--one by one--all in the name of national security and keeping us safe from Islamic boogeymen. One of the last major pieces of legislation passed by the Rubberstamp Republicans (before we threw the bums out) was to drive a final stake through the heart of our Constitution and give the President near-dictatorial powers. • "On Sept. 29, 2006, the Congress of the United States passed what can be termed 'The US Enabling Act.' It is the equivalent of the Act by the same name passed by the German Reichstag on March 23, 1933 [that] gave the German Chancellor, Adolf Hitler, the power to over-ride the protections for freedom and liberty written into the German (Weimar) Constitution ... The US version gives the President the power to over-ride Articles I, II, V and VI and Amendments I, IV, V, VI and VIII of the US Constitution if he determines that it is necessary to do so to protect the nation from terrorism..." --Steven Jonas, Contributing Author for The Political Junkies and columnist for BuzzFlash.com, 10/1/06 For the past six years, the Rubberstamp Republican Congress has allowed the Bush Administration to write the laws, interpret the laws, and execute the laws. As anyone who has ever taken a civic class knows, this is not how the United States government is supposed to operate. The result is that the United States now has a President/King that believes that our laws and our Constitution do not apply to him. • "Laws are just whips to keep the common herd in line; they don't apply to the elite, as Bush's own lawyers and minions have openly asserted in the memos, signing statements, court cases and presidential decrees asserting the "inherent power" of the "unitary executive" to override any law he pleases." --Chris Floyd, Truthout.org, 1/9/07 • "[Bush] asserts that his power as the nation's commander in chief entitles him to overrule or ignore bills sent to him by Congress for his signature. Behind this claim is a doctrine of the "unitary executive", which argues that the president's oath of office endows him with an independent authority to decide what a law means." -- Martin Kettle, The Guardian, 6/17/06 The American people did their part in the 2006 election. They voted against the Bush Republicans, the Bush Wars, and the "unitary Presidency". Now it is up to the new Congress to let this President know that he is not a King. He is a public servant--the head of one co-equal branch of government--bound to obey the Constitution, our international treaties, and the laws of our land. To do this, Congress is going to have to do a lot more than whining and passing non-binding resolutions. Bush is like the "Terminator": "[He] can't be reasoned with, [He] can't be bargained with. [He] doesn't feel pity or remorse or fear. And [He] absolutely will not stop." ...so how does Congress stop him? They can start by growing a spine and quit saying, "He's the Commander-in-Chief. There is nothing we can do." There are lots of things they can and should do. They need to rescind the Authorization to Use Military Force given to Bush after the attacks of September 11, 2001--along with every other power and/or authority that Congress may have granted him for his so-called War on Terror. Bush has proved, repeatedly, that he cannot be trusted with any kind of power and that he is unfit to be our Commander in Chief (having done far more harm to our military than the "enemy" could possibly do). If the Founding Fathers found it wise to give Congress the sole authority to declare war, it is hard to believe that Congress cannot declare the end to a war. They should not hesitate to cut off funding for Mr. Bush's wars--except for what is needed to bring the troops home. The American people know the difference between supporting the troops and sacrificing them in a lost cause. Congress should also dismantle the web of unconstitutional laws, signing statements, and legal mumbo-jumbo that have congealed together into the abomination called the "unitary presidency". There is widespread agreement that many of these laws, enacted to expand the powers of the President, are unconstitutional and will eventually be struck down by the courts. Until then, though, King George will continue to wield his newfound powers to spy, torture, kidnap and murder around the globe. Congress must act to reinstate the U.S. Constitution as the supreme law of the land. This means a Constitutional confrontation between Congress and the Bush Administration is inevitable, and the sooner--the better. The King has already dispatched warships to the Persian Gulf to threaten and provoke Iran, and according to retired Air Force Colonel Sam Gardiner, who taught strategy at the Air Force college, the Naval College and the National War College: • "[T]he decision has been made and military operations are under way [in Iran]." --[a href=" ThinkProgress.com"]ThinkProgress.com[/a][/url], 4/18/06 • "I think the plan's been picked: bomb the nuclear sites in Iran. It's a terrible idea, it's against US law and it's against international law, but I think they've decided to do it." --The Nation, 9/21/06 The stage is being set and Iran has been cast as the villain. The war drums are beating. Once again, the Bush Administration is leading us to the brink, and America is just one big lie or "incident" away from another senseless war. Now is the time for the Democrats and Republicans in Congress to unite in rebellion against King George--before it is too late. Mick Youther is an American citizen, an independent voter, a veteran, a parent, a Christian, a scientist, a writer, and all-around nice guy who has been aroused from a comfortable apathy by the high crimes and misdemeanors of the Bush Administration.
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michelle
Administrator
I have broken any attachments I had to the Ascended Masters and their teachings; drains your chi!
Posts: 2,100
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Post by michelle on Jan 21, 2007 18:52:02 GMT 4
IMPEACH ALBERTO GONZALES! AND BUSH AND CHENEY!Counter to Sinclair Lewis' book title: IT CAN HAPPEN HERE!!!! I've been following Attorney General Alberto Gonzales stealthy moves for quite some time. He works daily, relentlessly toward sewing this country up as a tortuous totalitarian regime. Now he states that it is his view that a state of war is in fact a blank check for the President, that there are no limits to Presidential wartime power and that he no longer recognizes the role of the courts in our system of government regarding national security issues. He will not respect the Constitution and the laws of the United States. These views are simply unacceptable in the Nation's chief law enforcement officer. He must go!!!! Here's some info and how you can help:IMPEACH ALBERTO GONZALES! Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, the nation's top law enforcement official, has authorized war crimes, dismissed the Geneva Conventions, redefined torture to allow most types of torture, helped establish military commissions that deny defendants the right to a fair trial, claimed the U.S. Constitution does not provide the right to habeas corpus, and defended violations of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. This week, leading bloggers [ www.democrats.com/impeach-gonzales-now ] inspired by John Dean proposed impeaching Gonzales as the first step towards impeaching Bush and Cheney. Urge your Representatives to Impeach Alberto Gonzales: www.democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/94 *Note*: See list of articles, bottom of page, for The Bush regime's most recent assault on the law.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NEW MEXICO CAN HELP IMPEACH BUSH AND CHENEY A state legislature can compel the U.S. House to begin impeachment proceedings with the help of just one Representative: www.afterdowningstreet.org/resolutions New Mexico State Senators Gerald Ortiz y Pino and John Grubesic will introduce a resolution to do just that on January 23rd, the same day Bush delivers the "State of the Union." To support and stay informed about this and similar efforts around the country, sign this petition: www.afterdowningstreet.org/petition Please thank:Sen. Gerald Ortiz y Pino: jortizyp@aol.com Sen. John Grubesic, Rules Committee Vice Chair: john.grubesic@nmlegis.gov Please ask these Rules Committee Members to cosponsor: Sen. Linda Lopez, Rules Committee Chair: linda.lopez@nmlegis.gov Sen. Cisco McSorley: cisco.mcsorley@nmlegis.gov Sen. Dede Feldman: dede.feldman@nmlegis.gov Send them a message something like this (change and expand as you like): Please cosponsor, along with Senators Ortiz y Pino and Grubesic, the resolution to petition the U.S. House of Representatives to impeach President Bush and Vice President Cheney. If we go into the next presidency having established that a president can lie us into war, spy on us in violation of the law, detain without charge, and torture, we will be throwing away the democracy we've struggled to keep and expand for over 200 years. We all have a solemn duty to work for the impeachment of men who have made our executive branch of government into a monarchy. You are in a position to play a key role in making this happen. Please do the right thing. Make the choice you would want your great-grandchildren to be proud of. More information: www.afterdowningstreet.org/nm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ YouTube Impeachment Campaign Get a video camera or a cell phone that records and make your own, personal appeal to YOUR Representative for Impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Cheney. Please title it like this so that it gets the most play: End War - Impeach Bush & Cheney 4 Peace, (your name and state postal code here) Example: End War - Impeach Bush & Cheney 4 Peace, Mikael in MN YouTube allows you to watch, share, and post videos to your site. You don't need a YouTube account (called a "channel") to view videos, but you do need one to post your own videos. To set up your own video "channel" visit www.youtube.com/signup To watch videos posted by AfterDowningStreet, visit: www.youtube.com/afterdowningstreet To watch videos posted by others or to post your own, go to the AfterDowningStreet YouTube group: www.youtube.com/group/afterdowningstreet To find videos not posted to group, search for the tags: impeach, impeachment ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 'The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers.' --William Shakespeare, Henry VI (Act IV, Scene II). The Bush regime's most recent assault on the law --Compilation by Lori R. Price, Editor, Citizens for Legitimate Government Last updated: 01/21/2007 02:56:16 Feinstein claims White House using Patriot Act to oust prosecutors 19 Jan 2007 Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) is claiming that the White House has taken advantage of the Patriot Act to oust the top prosecutor in coastal Northern California and other federal prosecutors. Official blasts Guantanamo inmate's lawyers 19 Jan 2007 Australia's foreign minister [Alexander Downer] on Friday criticized lawyers representing the only Australian inmate at the U.S. military base in Guantanamo Bay for disputing his report that the man is healthy. David Hicks' Pentagon-appointed lawyer, Maj. Michael Mori, has repeatedly said his client is suffering from severe depression after being incarcerated for five years without a trial. "This is a shock-and-awe tactic." Blackwater USA countersues attorney representing estates of employees killed in Iraq Private security contractor [terrorists] Blackwater USA is seeking $10 million from the attorney representing the estates of four employees killed and mutilated in Iraq, arguing their families breached the security guards' contracts by suing the company for wrongful death. Dan Callahan, a California-based attorney representing the families, called the claim "appalling." "This is a shock-and-awe tactic," Callahan said Friday. Gonzales warns judges not to meddle 18 Jan 2007 Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on Wednesday warned federal judges not to meddle in cases involving national security, following a string of judicial rebukes of the Bush regime's anti-terrorism initiatives. Gonzales: Judges unfit to rule on terror policy --Attorney general says federal jurists should defer to president's will 17 Jan 2007 Attorney General Alberto Gonzales says federal judges are unqualified to make rulings affecting national security policy, ramping up his criticism of how they handle terrorism cases. In remarks prepared for delivery Wednesday, Gonzales says judges generally should defer to the will of the president and Congress when deciding national security cases. Resignation of Lawyers At FEC Raises Concern 18 Jan 2007 The announcement yesterday that the top two lawyers for the Federal Election Commission [FEC General Counsel Lawrence H. Norton and Deputy General Counsel James A. Kahl] had resigned helped spread an undercurrent of concern about the diminishing role of a once-prominent public voice on the intersection of money and politics. 2 U.S. Attorneys in Calif. quit, critics say Bush forced them out 17 Jan 2007 Two U.S. Attorneys in California [Kevin Ryan and Carol Lam] announced they are stepping down, as critics alleged political pressure from the Bush administration was pushing them and others out of their jobs. The two are among 11 top federal prosecutors who have resigned or announced their resignations since an obscure provision in the USA Patriot Act reauthorization last year enabled the U.S. attorney general to appoint replacements without Senate confirmation. Did Specter Give WH Power to Replace Prosecutors? By Paul Kiel 17 Jan 2007 In order to replace several U.S. Attorneys with handpicked successors, the Bush Administration has relied on a tiny, obscure provision tucked into last year's USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act... Former Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter (R-PA) slipped the language into the bill at the very last minute, according to one of the Republican managers of the bill. WH Moved Swiftly to Replace US Attorneys By Paul Kiel 16 Jan 2007 The administration is replacing U.S. Attorneys throughout the country... It was an obscure provision in the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act, and it didn't take them very long to use it. The president [sic] signed it into law in March of last year -- by June, they were already moving to replace unwanted prosecutors. Ex-Guantanamo Navy officer arraigned on charges of passing secrets 17 Jan 2007 A Navy lawyer charged with passing secret information about Guantanamo Bay detainees to an unauthorized person was arraigned Wednesday in military court. Lt. Cmdr. Matthew M. Diaz, who was stationed at the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay from July 2004 until January 2005, could face more than 36 years in prison if convicted. Lawyer tried over detainee leak 18 Jan 2007 A US navy lawyer accused of leaking the names of detainees at a US prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to a non-governmental organisation will be court-martialled. Lieutenant Commander Matthew Diaz, 40, is accused of copying and transmitting secret documents about war-on [of]-terror detainees at the US naval base in Guantanamo to unauthorised persons. Gitmo Defense Counsel Stand Accused By Andrew Cohen 17 Jan 2007 Here is how our executive branch last week waged its legal war on terrorism against the detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. While federal lawyers and intelligence officials earnestly prepared behind the scenes to put on trial some of the major terror suspects, a skuzzy Pentagon lawyer was front and center on the radio attacking the motives and integrity and even the patriotism of detainee defense attorneys and the law firms that support them... [Cully] Stimson should be immediately fired for what he said last week and, furthermore, he should be investigated for breaching the code of professional ethics... What Stimson said, and why, and how, constitutes conduct unbecoming a member of government and a member of the bar.
Pentagon Aide Regrets Stance on Law Firms for Detainees 18 Jan 2007 A senior Pentagon official apologized on Wednesday to the lawyers of Guantánamo Bay detainees for suggesting that corporations should consider severing business ties with law firms that represent the detainees.
An Apology to Detainees' Attorneys By Cully Stimson, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Detainee Affairs 17 Jan 2007 During a radio interview last week, I brought up the topic of pro bono work and habeas corpus representation of detainees in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Regrettably, my comments left the impression that I question the integrity of those engaged in the zealous defense of detainees in Guantanamo. I do not... I apologize for what I said and to those lawyers and law firms who are representing clients at Guantanamo.
'This is prejudicial to the administration of justice.' Official Attacks Top Law Firms For Representing Detainees 13 Jan 2007 The senior Pentagon official in charge of military detainees suspected of terrorism said in an interview this week that he was dismayed that lawyers at many of the nation’s top firms were representing prisoners at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and that the firms’ corporate clients should consider ending their business ties. The comments by Charles D. Stimson, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for detainee affairs, produced an instant torrent of anger from lawyers, legal ethics specialists and bar association officials, who said Friday that his comments were repellent and displayed an ignorance of the duties of lawyers to represent people in legal trouble.
Unveiled Threats --A Bush appointee's crude gambit on detainees' legal rights (The Washington Post) 12 Jan 2007 In a repellent interview yesterday with Federal News Radio, Mr. Stimson [Cully Stimson, deputy assistant secretary of defense for detainee affairs] brought up, unprompted, the number of major U.S. law firms that have helped represent detainees at Guantanamo Bay ...t's offensive -- shocking, to use his word -- that Mr. Stimson, a lawyer, would argue that law firms are doing anything other than upholding the highest ethical traditions of the bar by taking on the most unpopular of defendants. It's shocking that he would seemingly encourage the firms' corporate clients to pressure them to drop this work. And it's shocking -- though perhaps not surprising -- that this is the person the administration has chosen to oversee detainee policy at Guantanamo.
Round Up the Usual Lawyers (The New York Times) 13 Jan 2007 ...[T]he administration’s new attack on lawyers who dare to give those prisoners the meager representation permitted them is contemptible. Speaking this week on Federal News Radio... Cully Stimson, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for detainee affairs, tried to rally American corporations to stop doing business with law firms that represent inmates of the Guantánamo internment camp. It does not seem to matter to Mr. Stimson, who is a lawyer, that a great many of those detainees did not deserve imprisonment, let alone the indefinite detention to which they are subjected as "illegal enemy combatants." And forget about the fundamental American right that everyone should have legal counsel, even the most heinous villain.
U.S. attorney general says Guantanamo trials delayed because of legal challenges 16 Jan 2007 Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on Tuesday blamed delays in trying terror detainees at Guantanamo Bay on legal challenges filed by their lawyers. Those trials may start by this summer, Gonzales told Associated Press reporters and editors. In the wide-ranging interview that lasted an hour, the attorney general defended a number of Bush regime policies criticized by Democrats and civil libertarians as overstepping legal boundaries, including intelligence gathering and the recent firing of U.S. Attorneys. Gonzales bristled at the suggestion by Democratic senators that the Justice Department's request for the resignations of several U.S. attorneys was politically motivated or was intended to circumvent the Senate confirmation process.
Terror suspects can be imprisoned, convicted or put to death based on hearsay evidence or coerced testimony --Pentagon sets rules for detainee trials 18 Jan 2007 The Pentagon has drafted a manual for upcoming detainee trials that would allow suspected terrorists to be convicted on hearsay evidence and coerced testimony and imprisoned or put to death. According to a copy of the manual obtained by The Associated Press, a terror suspect's defense lawyer cannot reveal classified evidence in the person's defense until the government has a chance to review it.
New Law Could Subject Civilians to Military Trials 15 Jan 2007 Civilians, government employees, and journalists serving with U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan could be subject for the first time to military courts-martial under a new federal provision that legal scholars say is almost certain to spark constitutional challenges. The provision, which was slipped into a spending bill at the end of the last Congress, is intended to close a long-standing loophole that critics say puts contractors in war zones above the law. But the provision also could affect others accompanying U.S. forces in the field, including civilian government employees and embedded journalists.
CIA says it cannot reveal interrogation method documents 11 Jan 2007 The CIA cannot reveal "alternative interrogation methods" used on terrorists [*suspects*] because doing so would cause exceptionally grave damage to national security by telling enemies how the agency gathers intelligence, the government has told a judge.
Newly released FBI files document widespread torture at Guantánamo By Tom Carter 08 Jan 2007 The FBI has declassified under the Freedom of Information Act detailed documents regarding the torture of detainees at the infamous Guantánamo Bay facility... Reading these documents, one gets the sense not only that torture is sadistically and widely practiced at Guantánamo, but that a whole culture has developed around its employment.
Pentagon conducting probes in U.S. --It has been asking financial and telecom firms for data on people. 14 Jan 2007 The Pentagon has been requesting information from financial institutions and telecommunications companies to investigate people within the United States suspected of spying or terrorism, the Defense Department said Saturday.
URL for this page: www.legitgov.org/bush_regime_attacks_lawyers_180107.html
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DT1
Moderator
You know, it's not like I wanted to be right about all of this...
Posts: 428
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Post by DT1 on Feb 20, 2007 9:30:16 GMT 4
OK,today Shrubby McDecider is comparing himself to Founder of this nation. Mr.Bush,you are no George Washington. www.dailykos.com/story/2007/2/19/175517/385 How much more can we take? It's way past time to get serious about this. (from the great folks over at dailykos.com).Impeachment Activity by LiberalWithBalls Sun Feb 18, 2007 at 03:35:26 PM PST No, unfortunately, not from the Democratic Congress (who still feel, for some unknown reason, that an illegitmately elected office holder, who also happens to be the World's biggest War-Criminal and desecrates the U.S. Constitution each day that he remains in office, is yet entitled to to serve out his full 8 years). However, several progressive minded activist groups got together in New York this weekend for an "Impeachment Summit": HipHopCaucus.org, Progressive Democrats of America, WorldCantWait.org, Independent Progressive Political Network, Climate Crisis Coalition, AfterDowningStreet.org, Gold Star Families for Peace, A28.org, Democrats.com, ImpeachBush.org, CodePink, for example. They were brought together by the adamant refusal of Congressional Democrats to even begin any serious investigations of Bush's pre-war lies and ongoing war crimes. The groups outlined a plan to mobilize the overwhelming 58% majority of Americans who simply wish the Bush regime was over. It was a similar mobilization that swept Democrats into power in 2006. The goal is simple: to mobilize an even larger majority and thereby create overwhelming pressure on Congress to impeach Bush and Cheney. Specifically we have a 6-point plan: On March 17, March on the Pentagon to end the Iraq War and Impeach Bush and Cheney. Gather 50 prominent Americans for a press conference on the Capitol Steps to demand impeachment. Hold Town Hall Meetings across the country on impeachment, modeled after the Vermont Town Meetings that have endorsed impeachment resolutions. Organize a bus tour from Washington DC to college campuses across the country with the message "Impeach Or Die". Launch a grassroots advertising campaign called "Bush is Over" modeled after the "War is Over" ad campaign created by John Lennon during the Vietnam War. On April 28, hold creative local impeachment events across the country, including assembling crowds to spell "IMPEACH!" in large outdoor spaces like beaches, monuments, and parks. The group wants to build a huge, visible grassroots movement. This War is not going to ever end as long as Bush-Cheney remain in power. When the 58% who want this nightmere to end grows to 70-75%, all that remains then is to finally storm the gates. It is up to "we the people" to literally take the Nation back.
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michelle
Administrator
I have broken any attachments I had to the Ascended Masters and their teachings; drains your chi!
Posts: 2,100
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Post by michelle on Feb 22, 2007 15:18:41 GMT 4
Speech by Debra Sweet to Impeach Bush for War Crimes Summit, 2/17 Speech given by Debra Sweet, national director of World Can't Wait, to the Emergency Summit to Impeach Bush for War Crimes on Feb. 17, 2007: This week, I was asked again by a reporter if the impeachment of George Bush is “realistic” because the Democratic Party says it won’t happen. Being a child of the 60’s, that question really aggravates me. We used to say “Be realistic. Demand the impossible!” and we were right to say that, and to go for changing everything that was unjust in our society.But, the reporter asked a question we have to answer, not only for the millions of people who will ask us the same thing. Removing from office what Harold Pinter called “the most dangerous force that has ever existed” because of scale of its ambitions, doesn’t happen without a fight. Stopping the hard-core cabal of Bush, Cheney, and the neo-cons who are determined to advance an unchallenged US empire, especially when they tell us they aren’t concerned with public opinion, won’t happen by politics as usual. This is an administration filled with political operatives of the Christian right, many of whom actually believe Bush is in office because god put him there, and all of whom are trying to bring the 10 Commandments as the basis of the law, executing gays, and banning divorce. They are not joking, they are not over and they’ve already gotten very far. Here are our real choices – be confined to the “art of the possible” (while setting limits on what is possible) that is passed off as “realism” in Washington or start from reality. “Realistic” is the term for settling for what you think you can’t change, because you’ve been told so by people in power. It was never going to be possible for women to have the vote or own property, or divorce, if you followed the logic up those who wrote the laws before 1921. Slavery in the US was ordained by God, even up to 1863, and couldn’t be changed because the economy of the country rested on it. Slavery got changed through a bloody civil war, but then segregation was the “law” and therefore sacred. Since those who made the laws couldn’t agree on changing it, segregation was always going to be part of this society. Then came a pretty small number of people at first with courage who sat in, sat down, rode the buses, got shot and shot at, and defended themselves, registered people, and said flat out, “we’re not taking this anymore”. They forced a change in the way society functioned by making millions feel that segregation continuing was immoral and intolerable. There was no “realistic” way in 1964 to stop the Vietnam war, because the people of the US supported it. That got turned around. History is full of examples where people settled for what wasn’t realistically possible to change…but, even in some of our lifetimes, people have shown this is the wrong way to go. Let’s kick that way of going at changing things to the side. Starting from the reality that we must bring the Bush regime’s program of illegitimate war, torture, the police state measures and theocratic ridiculousness within the country to a HALT is the first step. If George Bush is not impeached because of these crimes, then everything he has done -- the doctrine of preemptive war, the torture, the assault on the separation of church and state, the undermining of the rule of law -- all of this is legitimized and will continue, no matter who becomes the next president. We need not just a replacement, but a repudiation of that direction from the people. This is our responsibility, and why we’re in this room tonight. Bush’s plan to attack Iran is a huge imminent danger hanging over the world. He is putting his own facts on the ground to make everyone respond on his terms. One scenario has Israel attacking Iran and then the argument made that we have to come to the aid of our most reliable and vulnerable ally. This is not just a re-run of 2003, with the choreographed “evidence” being rolled out against Iran being viewed with, shall we say, huge skepticism everywhere? We are convened here because we can’t wait till 2008. The war is widening now, and no one—including the “non-binding” Congress is going to stop it. We heard today how the Bush administration is guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity. There are 8 books --some of the authors are here tonight—making well-developed arguments for the impeachment of the Bush administration. This is well known in Washington, and in every newspaper editorial board. Everyone in Congress knows Bush has openly violated US law and is contemptuous of the Constitution itself (He answers to God’s law.) The reality we who are demanding impeachment have to confront is the Democratic Party saying impeachment is not “realistic”. In 2002 and 2004 and 2006, they said they had to get a majority before they could do anything. Now they have it and they are refusing to do what they promised. The Republicans filibustered a non-binding resolution to stop the war. But time after time, the Democrats refused to use to mount a filibuster. Not even to stop the Military Commissions Act, a truly fascist law, or to stop NSA spying. Where were they? Many of them voted again and again for the war, and the rest have spent 4 YEARS wringing their hands about how you can’t stop a war-time president or be perceived to be against the troops. Some people will tell you that the slogan “support our troops” is why the anti-war movement now is so much better than the 60's. No, this is completely WRONG. It's why our movement now is more ineffective and chauvinist. You can’t be against the war, but support what the troops are doing. “Our” troops are in an army carrying out an unjust and illegal war. They are getting instruction on prime time TV every week like the show “24” that says torture is fine. Regardless of what they are told, or what they think they are doing, they are not fighting for the freedom of people in Iraq, or in this country. They are not even fighting for their “buddies”. We have an obligation to tell the truth about this, including to the troops. They are in an army of conquest, and they are getting orders to commit crimes against humanity. Each and every one of them has a legal and moral obligation to refuse these orders, as Lieutenant Ehren Watada. He confronted reality, and chose to resist, very eloquently and firmly, this illegitimate and immoral war, getting the respect and support of millions. We support the troops who resist! The logic which says we can stop the war by saying “support our troops” leads to the conclusion that you can't cut funds to an illegal war because you have to support the troops. Thinking and saying this is completely against the interests of the people because it justifies continuing the war. And this is exactly where they want you. The “support our troops” Democratic Party is not going to end this war. They are paralyzed and their paralysis is affecting millions of people who know or should know better. John Yoo, the Bush appointee known as “Professor Torture” wrote an opinion in the NY Times this week taunting Democrats, making the point that they HAVE the mechanism to stop the war. Cut off the funds! But why won't they? Yoo said, “Our national security interests here are high. If we falter now, it would be read as a ‘defeat’”. Yoo says the Democrats share the Bush regime’s vision. The US must be an unchallengable empire. And, except for a notable few Democrats, that party’s critique of the war is not that it was illegitimate from the beginning, but that it’s not been fought correctly. This is “politics as usual” and we have to stop thinking that way. The paralysis of the Democrats can't be our own! We have to step decisively out of that box and stop wasting our time and precious energies on a political process that is not going to end this war short of something entirely different coming on the scene. But it's not going to come about without massive popular upheaval. Howard Zinn echoes what World Can’t Wait thinks: “If sanity is to be restored in our national policies, it can only come about by a great popular upheaval, pushing both Republicans and Democrats into compliance with the national will.” The White House and Congress need to look out and see that the country is overwhelmingly polarized against them and they need to seriously fear that if they don't put a stop to this whole direction that they are going to lose the allegiance of millions of people. This will only happen if we, all of us, draw a sharp line between what is right and what is wrong. The reality we have to go tell people: YOUR government is committing war crimes. People in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Iran – unless we stop the attack – are on the receiving end of an empire, paying the price of life without electricity or water or hospitals, never knowing if your neighborhood will be bombed or your door kicked in. There’s a basic difference when you are living in the empire as we are. People here are upset about the war. For military families it’s very upfront and immediate and painful. But large numbers of people can still go about life and school and work, they can still shop like no where else on earth. But there is no doing the crime without paying the price. If we don’t stop the crimes being done in our name, we are complicit. We have to pull the curtain back and shine a spotlight on these crimes. If you know, yet choose to remain silent or passive, then that is being complicit in forging a society and a world that no one would want to live in. Can we challenge people or do we take the attitude we can only tell people what they already agree with? It falls to the people to fight in our own interests. And yes, it means creating such a political uproar in society that those in power feel compelled to change their positions. This why the student strike Thursday – a potential sign of students finding their rebel streak and breaking with the status quo—is so precious and important. The trouble the Bush regime is in with the Iraq war, and the high stakes and uncertainty war with Iran will mean will likely mean that conflict and real differences in Congress will deepen. But what is still missing is what the NY Times in the fall and winter of 2002 called the “other superpower”…public opinion against the war. If this anti-war sentiment gets focused in action, it can change the course of history. But it won't change history positively if people we get sucked into putting our righteous demands aside to hope, yet again, for a savior in 2008. My god, you’d think the election is tomorrow. You know in advance what you'll be voting for by then. Here’s what a “realistic, electable” position will be. John Edwards: "Let me be clear: Under no circumstances can Iran be allowed to have nuclear weapons…Americans can be educated to come along with what needs to be done with Iran.” Barack Obama has also been upfront about how he would deal with Iran, arguing that he would not rule out the use of force and supports surgical strikes of alleged nuclear sites in the country if diplomacy (read: coercion) fails. Hillary Clinton told the crowd of Israel supporters. “In dealing with this threat ... no option can be taken off the table.'' And she knows Bush has insisted he could use tactical nuclear weapons against Iran. This is what we’re talking about when our Call says, “What you do not resist and mobilize to stop you learn—or be forced—to accept”. Every accommodation the Democrats have made to the Bush juggernaut has strengthened it. And then the “realistic” politics of Obama, Edwards, and Clinton bludgeons us into accepting what we know is just wrong. The logic of “electable” candidates means justifying more illegitimate war in our names, we can’t accept that. If “realistic” means allowing the culture to shift at the expense of a woman's right to reproductive freedom with birth control and even the right of divorce under the threat of religious theocrats. What things will we learn to accept next, if the morality of the country is based on discrimination, hatred and fear of homosexuality and the celebration of patriarchy? And yes, even these are part of the Bush regime’s program and are not “impeachable offenses”, we have to keep repudiating them.… We started World Can’t Wait with a Call to Drive out the Bush regime. Its message stands out on the political terrain today for telling people the truth not only about the intolerable crimes and fascist trajectory this government has unleashed, but also that “politics as usual cannot meet the enormity of the challenge” and that only mass resistance by the people holds the potential to bring these crimes to a halt. Not only the diagnosis of the Bush crimes in the World Can’t Wait Call, but also the Call’s prescription must start setting terms much more broadly throughout society today. In the next period this Call should be seen by millions who sign and circulate it and spread the spirit and organization of driving out this regime. Bush could be impeached if the PEOPLE put this on the table. If we say “ENOUGH” and “WE INSIST”, if people sit in and occupy offices, and take to the streets and say “I can't be party to the crimes of torture, war and spying” we can bring this to a halt. It’s up to the people to stop it! Tomorrow, we’ll be planning the next months of actions to make this demand rise and resonate across the country. Building off the first wave of student strikes against the war on Thursday, spreading the movement on campuses is first priority. The “Mission of a Generation” Speaking Tour with Liam Madden of the Appeal for Redress, who just got out of the Marines, and Revolution writer Sunsara Taylor of World Can’t Wait, leaves again Tuesday for an east coast swing. See World Can’t Wait about bringing them to speak. Saturday, March 17 we are marching on the Pentagon, marking four years of an unjust war on the world. There are already buses coming from 100 towns. We will be bringing the demand “Impeach Bush for War Crimes” – and of course we mean indict Cheney too, and the rest of them. It’s absolutely righteous to march on the Pentagon, it will be opposed by reactionaries of all kinds. We should all organize for this like driving out the Bush regime depends on it. It better not only be a big march, but profound in effecting the campuses and arousing more and more people to stop the war criminals in office. There should be Peoples Impeachment Hearings as Howard Zinn proposes across the country. Be part of this! Jump in with BOTH FEET. Let’s go into FULL COURT PRESS to repudiate the direction the Bush administration has taken the world. And drive this regime from office in 2007! Source: tinyurl.com/yr5ebe------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ March on the Pentagon March 17 The 4 th anniversary of the Iraq war tinyurl.com/32nqmsJOIN a massive coalition of anti-war organizations to MARCH ON THE PENTAGON Saturday March 17 End the War NOW! Impeach Bush for War Crimes!270+ Met to Plan a Movement to Impeach Bush for War CrimesPlans were made at this summit for seizing on this crucial moment in history, including making the March on the Pentagon 3/17 (the 4 th anniversary of the Iraq war) as large and powerful as possible; holding people's impeachment hearings all across the country; major mobilizations demanding impeachment April 28; a day this spring when 50 prominent people stand on the Capitol steps demanding impeachment; a "Bush Is Over If You Want It"[ bushisover.org/ ] visual campaign; a week of boycotting major chain stores in April; and a "Make Hip Hop, Not War" tour this spring.[ hiphopcaucus.org/ ]On March 17, to mark the 5 th year of this immoral and unjust war and occupation of Iraq, JOIN FORCES and march on The Pentagon. Tell the Bush Regime to End the War NOW! No attack on Iran! George Bush and Dick Cheney must be impeached for war crimes and crimes against humanity! Millions are against the war, spying, torture, the abandoning of Katrina survivors, a spreading theocracy and suppression of science—and want the whole disaster of the Bush regime to be brought to a halt. The more we demand impeachment, Bush’s war options will grow more limited; the more his war crimes are exposed, the greater the impetus for his removal and repudiation. The Call to Drive Out the Bush Regime says: "YOUR GOVERNMENT, ON THE BASIS OF OUTRAGEOUS LIES, IS WAGING A MURDEROUS AND UTTERLY ILLEGITIMATE WAR IN IRAQ, WITH OTHER COUNTRIES IN THEIR SIGHTS" It is time we rise to this challenge in unity with each other. The people are on our side, the momentum is on our side, the whole world is on our side. The challenge: are we going to move heaven and earth to remove the criminal Bush regime, ending the war and repudiating the direction they’ve taken this society? "THAT WHICH YOU WILL NOT RESIST AND MOBILIZE TO STOP, YOU WILL LEARN – OR BE FORCED – TO ACCEPT…" Now is the time. 2008 is too late. It is unconscionable to allow this carnage to go on. We can and must reverse the entire course we have been forced to accept, or it will be made permanent. March on the Pentagon and make our voices heard! Saturday, MARCH 17. Assemble at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (Constitution Gardens) at 12 noon in Washington, D.C. 2 pm March to the Pentagon. www.worldcantwait.org/ or (866)973-4463 Get your bus tickets now
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michelle
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I have broken any attachments I had to the Ascended Masters and their teachings; drains your chi!
Posts: 2,100
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Post by michelle on Mar 8, 2007 15:24:59 GMT 4
Vermont: 36 towns call for impeachment probe of presidentBy Shay Totten & Christian Avard| Vermont Guardian Posted March 6, 2007 Updated at 8:35 AM, March 7 with more towns reporting on both resolutions, and additonal comments.Voters in three dozen Vermont towns want Congress to begin an impeachment probe of Pres. George W. Bush and Vice Pres. Dick Cheney.Two towns, Clarendon and Dover, voted the measure down. Nearly a half dozen towns agreed to not take up, or table, the resolution. There are 251 towns in Vermont, but not all hold town meetings. More than a dozen towns passed measures calling for the immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq, and to care for them when they were back on U.S. soil. Dover also rejected the troop measure. About 20 towns had one of the items warned on their town meeting ballot, while many others took up the issue during "other business" at the end of the meeting. The votes come after a whirlwind, four-day tour of Vermont with antiwar icon Cindy Sheehan and three Vermont Iraq War veterans, along with organizers of the resolutions. Sheehan testified before a state Senate committee on Friday, along with war supporters. “I’m happy with it. I think we’ve got a very good number of towns that have reported so far and passing it, and it’s pretty overwhelming that didn’t pass. And, just one that voted it down,” said Jimmy Leas, a South Burlington lawyer who crafted the troop withdrawal resolution. Newfane Selectman Dan DeWalt is the major organizer of the impeachment resolutions. His effort has drawn global media attention and scorn. Last year, six towns passed impeachment resolutions. The impeachment resolutions have passed so far in Bristol, Burke, Calais, Craftsbury, Dummerston, East Montpelier, Greensboro, Guilford, Grafton, Hartland, Jamaica, Jericho, Johnson, Marlboro, Middlebury, Montgomery, Morristown, Newbury, Newfane, Peru, Plainfield, Putney, Richmond, Rochester, Roxbury, St. Johnsbury, Springfield, Stannard, Sunderland, Townshend, Tunbridge, Vershire, Warren, Westminster, Wilmington, and Woodbury, according to organizers. Organizers based their information on reports from people in each town. DeWalt said organizers will use these votes to urge state lawmakers to take up a measure in the House calling for Bush's impeachment. The bill is currently in the House Judiciary Committee. "This is clearly not a cry of protest, but the start of action — an impeachment insurrection that will lead to the reclamation of our Constitution," said DeWalt. "Vermonters are angry and energized. We are taking the power that is sovreign in us and will use it to restore the Constitution. We will show the world that America has not sunk to the depths of violent madness that is the Bush administration."Several towns voted to not take up the measure: Bakersfield, Londonderry, Dorset, Stamford, and Walden. Additionally, 20 towns approved a measure calling for troops to be withdrawn from Iraq: Bristol, Calais, Cornwall, Greensboro, Guilford, Hardwick, Jamaica, Jericho, Johnson, Marshfield, Middlebury, Newfane, Peru, Plymouth, Rockingham, Roxbury, St. Johnsbury, Townshend, Waldon, and Woodbury. According to a Guardian reader, in Pomfret the impeachment resolution was moved under “other business,” but a voter countered with an amendment not to vote on the resolution because many of the town's residents had already left the meeting. Voters agreed and voted to table the resolution was 43 to 28. In this context the troop resolution was not moved. Supporters of the measure, however, will raise the issue again. In Middlebury, where Gov. Jim Douglas, a Republican, is the town moderator voters approved both the impeachment and troop withdrawal measures. Douglas, ironically, was the chairman of Bush’s 2000 election committee and 2004 reelection committee in Vermont. Ellen McKay, a backer of the impeachment measure, said some members of the Middlebury Selectboard and Douglas tried to limit debate to one minute per person. Douglas also questioned whether something that was not warned should warrant a vote. “But, there were a lot of people in Middlebury who understood what other business was going to mean and this huge issue for our community,” said McKay, who says the Iraq War, proportionally, has cost Middlebury $8 million to fund the war. In Dover, the impeachment topic sparked a heated debate. “I do not want my senators or representatives for the next two years trying to bring down this president. I want them to focus on bringing the best possible outcome to the chaos that is now in Iraq," said Laura Sabilia, a school board member and sister of four brothers currently in the armed forces. Sabilia trembled as she spoke, and at times had tears running down her face. "I do not believe that demanding that our troops come home now will help and I will not debate this with anyone.” A supporter countered that the impeachment resolution wasn't about the war, but the Constitution. “We have to stand up and respect the constitution that our [founding fathers] stand for. Our troops will not come home during their time in office, and as far as impeachment goes, it only means they are investigated and whatever happens of it will happen," said Sue Rand. "It’s not about removing Bush and Cheney but investigating." Gloria Levine, the person who brought up the resolutions up at town meeting, was dumfounded by the rejection. “I’m not disappointed, I’m just absolutely dumbfounded at how the things said today came in light of the facts that nine more military personnel were killed in Iraq," said Levine. In Jericho, home of Democratic House Speaker Gaye Symington, who is not supportive of the impeachment measure, voters approved the impeachment resolution 88-67, as well as the troop withdrawal measure. Leas, and other backers, hope the impeachment and troop withdrawal measures will help to focus Vermont’s congressional delegation on ending the war, and investigating Bush and Cheney for what h they believe were deliberate lies to get the nation into the war. “This war is going to continue for another year or two years if this funding request is approved, and we don’t have confidence that they will vote to end the war,” said Leas. “It’s time for the people to get involved and the people have to push what may not be on their agenda — that’s our leadership.” The Vermont Legislature recently approved measures in both the House and Senate calling for an immediate and orderly withdrawal of troops from Iraq. In Stamford, voters tabled both articles. Helen Fields, a co-organizer of the Stamford effort to get the resolutions on the warning, was disappointed, but hopes to bring the issue up again in the near future. "We have parents in our town with [sons in Baghdad] that are at risk, so our town has a lot of people that very much want this war to be over and don’t quite understand why their children’s lives are at stake," said Fields. "It’s hard for me to say that this vote was a vote for or against the articles. I think this vote was for or against discussion on a very debatable topic. People have very strong feelings whether or not the president should be impeached and we have very strong feelings about pulling out of a war that many soldiers and soldiers' families have made the ultimate sacrifices for." Here is the text of each of the two resolutions: IMPEACHMENT RESOLUTIONWhereas George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney have: 1. deliberately misled the nation about the threat from Iraq in order to justify a war, 2. condoned the torture of prisoners in violation of the Geneva Convention and US law, 3. approved illegal electronic surveillance of American citizens without a warrant, and, Whereas these actions have undermined our Constitutional system of government, damaged the reputation of America, and threatened our national security, Therefore, the voters of the town of _____________________ call upon the U.S. House of Representatives to investigate these charges, and if the investigation supports the charges, vote to impeach George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney as provided in the Constitution of the United States of America. This resolution shall be signed by the Town Clerk and forwarded to both the Speaker and the Clerk of the US House of Representatives, and Representative John Conyers of the House Judiciary Committee. SOLDIERS HOME NOW RESOLUTION"Shall the voters of the town of ____________________ advise the President, Congress and Vermont’s state and federal office holders that _____________________ and its citizens strongly support the men and women serving in all branches of the United States Armed Forces in Iraq and believe that the best way to support them is to bring each and every one of them home now and take good care of them when they get home." Source:www.vermontguardian.com/local/032007/TownMeetingImpeach.shtmlNote: You can read past posts at this thread for more on US cities and towns calling for impeachment. In the true spirit of American Revolution, perhaps some readers here could attend their own town meetings to present impeachment resolutions:Page 3 Re: Drive Out the Bush Regime! « Reply #35 on Mar 23, 2006, 3:14pm » Impeachment Resolutions Sweep America! Page 4 Re: Drive Out the Bush Regime! « Reply #45 on May 4, 2006, 5:05pm » Vermonters deliver impeachment resolutions to CongressBy Shay Totten Vermont Guardian
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DT1
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You know, it's not like I wanted to be right about all of this...
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Post by DT1 on Mar 9, 2007 9:12:21 GMT 4
Why do the people of Vermont stand alone? Is it sheer apathy that keeps us,The American People,from exercising our Right...Doing our Duty... and throwing these warmongering bastards out on thier asses? Below are Articles of Impeachment.There are many more,but these are beyond dispute. For our children's sake, What are we gonna do about it?
Articles of Impeachment for President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard B. Cheney for High Crimes and Misdemeanors.
Resolved, that President George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney be impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors, and that the following articles of impeachment be exhibited to the United States Senate:
Articles of impeachment exhibited by the House of Representatives of the United States of America in the name of itself and of the people of the United States of America, in maintenance and support of its impeachment against President George W. Bush and his team for High Crimes and Misdemeanors.
Article I
In his conduct while President of the United States, George W. Bush, in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully to execute the office of President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has conspired to exceed his constitutional authority to wage war, in that: On March 19, 2003, George W. Bush invaded the sovereign country of Iraq in direct defiance of the United Nations Security Council. This constitutes a violation of Chapter 1, Article 2 of the United Nations Charter and a violation of Principal VI of the Nuremberg Charter. According to Article VI of the United States Constitution "This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land;". George W. Bush has thus acted in violation of the supreme Law of the Land by the following acts:
Invading Iraq with United States military forces. Sacrificing the lives of thousands of American troops. Killing tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians and conscripts. Rejecting possibilities for peaceful resolution of the conflict by rejecting acts of compliance by Saddam Hussein with the United Nations Resolutions, and ignoring the findings by Hans Blix that inspections were working to disarm Iraq. Violating the Geneva Convention by abducting and transporting human beings to prisons in foreign countries where they can be tortured and subjected to inhumane treatment.
Article II
In his conduct while President of the United States, George W. Bush, in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully to execute the office of President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has subverted the principles of democracy, by the following acts: Providing misinformation to the United Nations Security Council, Congress, and the American people overstating the offensive capabilities of Iraq, including weapons of mass destruction, as justification for military action against Iraq. Repeatedly manipulating the sentiments of the American people by erroneously linking Iraq with the terrorist attacks of September 11th by Al-Qaeda. Repeatedly claiming that satellite photos of sites in Iraq depicted factories for weapons of mass destruction in contradiction with the results of ground inspections by United Nations teams. Stating that "Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa" in his State of the Union Address after being told by the CIA that this was untrue and that the supporting documents were forged. Influencing, manipulating and distorting intelligence related to Iraq with the intention of using that intelligence to support his goal of invading Iraq. Repeatedly ordering the NSA to place illegal wiretaps on American citizens without a court order from FISA. Retaliating against whistle-blowers who try to point out errors in statements made by President Bush. Directing millions of dollars in government funds to companies associated with White House officials in no-bid contracts that pose serious conflicts of interest. One example is Halliburton, of which Richard Cheney was once CEO.
Article III
In his conduct while President of the United States, George W. Bush, in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully to execute the office of President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has threatened the security of the American people, by the following acts: Diverting military resources from pursuing known terrorists such as Osama Bin Laden who have repeatedly attacked the United States of America. Generating ill will among the peoples of the world with an offensive and aggressive foreign policy. Weakening the effects of International Law by defying the United Nations thus encouraging other nations to violate International law by example. Diverting the National Guard to foreign wars where they are unavailable to serve the needs of American citizens at home who, for example, are suffering from Hurricane Katrina. Appointing unqualified personnel to critical government positions as political favors where their incompetence places American citizens at risk. An example being the appointment of Mike Brown as head of FEMA. Proposing military strategies involving the first use of tactical or low yield nuclear weapons in violation of the Nonproliferation Treaty, which is an inherently destabilizing strategy that encourages participants in a conflict to strike before the other side can do so. Wherefore, George Bush, by such conduct, warrants impeachment and trial, and removal from office and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust or profit under the United States.
Some would argue that,with less than two years left in Bush's term, it would be a waste of time...
Bullshit,Bullshit,Bullshit!!!
The longer this sick joke of a Presidency continues,the harder it will be to return this Nation to The Constitution upon which it was founded.... And,besides-win or lose-Just imagine how much death and destruction could be averted while they are occupied fighting it... Please comment.Let's talk about this,my friends.
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michelle
Administrator
I have broken any attachments I had to the Ascended Masters and their teachings; drains your chi!
Posts: 2,100
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Post by michelle on Mar 16, 2007 13:09:35 GMT 4
Kucinich: "Impeachment May Well Be the Only Remedy"Today Rep. Dennis Kucinich defied Speaker Nancy Pelosi and put the Impeachment of George W. Bush "on the table" where it urgently belongs. Kucinich said, "This week the House Appropriations committee removed language from the Iraq war funding bill requiring the Administration, under Article 1, Section 8, Clause 11 of the Constitution, to seek permission before it launched an attack against Iran. Since war with Iran is an option of this Administration and since such war is patently illegal, then impeachment may well be the only remedy which remains to stop a war of aggression against Iran." Of course speaking about impeachment is not the same as introducing Articles of Impeachment. But Kucinich is stepping into a firestorm of opposition from the corporate media and his own party's leadership - and needs our support to keep him going. Please thank Rep. Dennis Kucinich for speaking out on impeachment - and ask him to make his remarks real by introducing Articles of Impeachment:202-225-5871 info@kucinich.us kucinich.us/contactRead more of Kucinich's speech in "The Ides of March" by Cindy Sheehan: www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/19708 On Wednesday night, Kucinich spoke with a group of citizens about Iran and impeachment. Here's video: www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/19680We also highly recommend this new video of an impeachment workshop with Mimi Kennedy, John Nichols, Antonia Juhasz, David Swanson, and Tim Carpenter: www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/19700_______________ Is the Progressive Caucus Standing Firm on Iraq? Help Us Find OutToday the House Appropriations Committee passed the "Supplemental" spending bill for the war (and arrested 10 activists who tried to get into the room to observe the proceedings). Next week, the full House will vote. Barbara Lee (D-CA) has an amendment that would require that any money appropriated for Iraq be spent only for a "fully funded withdrawal," bringing American troops home by the end of this year. Some members of the House Progressive Caucus have previously stated they would vote against the Iraq supplemental unless it includes Lee's amendment. But the House leadership is now pressuring them to back down. We need to find out quickly: where do Progressive Caucus members stand? Working together with other anti-war groups, we are creating a whip list on this issue. Please take a moment now to call one of the representatives in the "UNKNOWN" category at www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/19669 , and ask them: Are you committed to voting NO on the current supplemental spending bill for Iraq if it doesn't include Barbara Lee's amendment for a fully funded withdrawal? You can find the phone number of each progressive member at www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/19669 Or just call the Congressional switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to be connected. The aides answering the phone may know the answer; if not, ask to speak to their press secretary or legislative assistant for foreign policy. Then, leave whatever answer they give you at www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/19669 Please call as many Progressive Caucus Members as you can, not just your own representative. More here, including a podcast with Rep. Lee: pdamerica.org/articles/news/2007-03-07-17-50-28-news.php_____________ This Saturday, March 17, March on the Pentagon for Peace and ImpeachmentMake plans now to join hundreds of thousands of veterans, military families, and peace and impeachment activists in a nonviolent march for peace and impeachment, beginning at 12:00 at the Vietnam War Memorial (23rd Street and Constitution Ave. NW) and ending at the Pentagon. www.marchonpentagon.orgAt the assembly site, between 8:00 a.m. and 12:30, there will be a pre-march People's Assembly. Contingents and organizations will be providing information displays and literature tables. We will be joined by the famous Bread and Puppet Theater. There will be children's activities, including sign-making for the march, where our children can also pick up anti-war balloons. There will be a large Impeach Bush tent with impeachment materials and a place for impeachment advocates from around the country to gather. We are encouraging every impeachment organization to register to march with the impeachment contingent, so we can publicize the groups making up the Impeachment Contingent. You can do this by clicking on this link for the contingent form and specifying "Impeachment" for the "Name of contingent." tinyurl.com/2jlfyu
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michelle
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I have broken any attachments I had to the Ascended Masters and their teachings; drains your chi!
Posts: 2,100
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Post by michelle on May 5, 2007 16:09:56 GMT 4
[glow=red,2,300]For the immediate attention of all American citizens...[/glow] From a Code Pink list:
"PLEASE CALL Nancy Pelosi's office right now. Here's the deal as forwarded to me: House Speaker Pelosi's office is taking calls voting for Impeachment of Bush/Cheney at 202-225-0100. For toll free numbers to Congress: (800) 828-0498, (800) 459-1887, (800) 614-2803, (866) 340-9281, (866) 338-1015, (877) 851-6437
Folks, each of you who have been wanting impeachment need to commit right now to ask at least 10 others to call and ask each person to commit to asking 10 others to call and so on. It needs to happen fast and NOW.
Let's deluge the Speaker's office with demands for Impeachment of Bush AND Cheney. Congressman Kucinich (http://kucinich.us) has recently introduced legislation to impeach Dick Cheney (See Washington Post article at www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/24/AR2007042401542.html) [and see Kucinich Officially Moves to Impeach Cheney below]. Please mention Kucinich's House Resolution 333 when you call.
And for easy instructions on how to write or call your other political and media representatives on this key issue: www.WantToKnow.info/contactmediapoliticalrepresentatives
Note that though you are not seeing it in the media, in at least 16 states the state Democratic Party has passed a resolution asking for impeachment. See www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=25767 for more on this.
Please make a call, and thanks so very much.[/i] California Democrats Pass Impeachment Resolutionwww.truthout.org/docs_2006/050107L.shtmlSparked by an insurgency among delegates, the California Democratic Party has taken an historic step forward on the issue of impeachment. In a resolution affirmed by the full state party convention Sunday, the Democrats called on the US Congress to use its subpoena power to investigate misdeeds of President Bush and Vice President Cheney — and to hold the administration accountable "with appropriate remedies and punishment, including impeachment." The delegate insurgency was coordinated by Progressive Democrats of America and its allies. Text of CA Democratic Party Impeachment Resolution (April 30, 2007) pdamerica.org/articles/campaigns/2007-04-30-22-44-10-campaigns.phpCALLING FOR FULL INVESTIGATION INTO ABUSES OF POWER BY PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH AND RICHARD B. CHENEY Video of Impeachment Protests at Dem Party Conventionwww.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/21981Watch the Video of Impeachment Protests at CA Dem Party Convention, 4/27-29, including respectful FOX news interview of protester.
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michelle
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I have broken any attachments I had to the Ascended Masters and their teachings; drains your chi!
Posts: 2,100
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Post by michelle on May 21, 2007 6:50:04 GMT 4
Town Hall on Impeachment Planned in Rep. John Conyers' Districtwww.afterdowningstreet.org/miMETRO DETROITERS TO HOLD IMPEACHMENT TOWN HALL DISCUSSIONTuesday, May 29, 2007 – 5:00 p.m. Central United Methodist Church, Detroit, MI A moderated panel and discussion on the impeachment of President Bush and Vice-President Cheney will be held in Congressman John Conyers’ district on May 29 at 5 p.m. at Central United Methodist Church, located at 23 E Adams Ave., Detroit, MI 48226. The event will include national and local speakers, members of the Detroit City Council, and a special performance by jazz great Spencer Barefield & friends. This event dovetails with the Detroit City Council’s passage on May 16, in the Name of Full Council, of a resolution calling for the impeachment of Bush and Cheney. Detroit is the largest of more than 80 cities to have taken this step. On April 24, 2007, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D., OH) submitted H Res 333, calling for the Impeachment of Vice-President Cheney; Articles of Impeachment against George W. Bush have been drafted by several organizations, including the Center for Constitutional Rights. The moderated panel and discussion currently includes these confirmed speakers (more to be added): *Jack Lessenberry: Detroit Metro Times editorialist. *Bill Goodman: Former legal director of Center for Constitutional Rights, local Detroit NLG attorney. *JoAnn Watson: Detroit City Council Member *Maureen Taylor: State Chair of the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization. *Ann Wright: U.S. Army Colonel and diplomat who resigned in protest the day before the war began. *Ray McGovern: During his career as a CIA analyst, he prepared and briefed the President's Daily Brief and chaired National Intelligence Estimates. He is a member of the Steering Group of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS). *Malik Rahim: Co-founder Common Ground, New Orleans, Green Party Candidate for NO City Council in 2002 and former Black Panther Party member. The Detroit City Council resolution, co-sponsored by President Pro Tempore Monica Conyers and Council Member JoAnn Watson, demonstrates that significant political and grassroots momentum is building toward impeachment. The resolution highlights the need for Impeachment as recourse for the administration’s illegal NSA domestic surveillance, willfully misleading America in to the war in Iraq, utilizing torture in violation of US and International Law, and illegally denying Americans their Constitutional right to due process at Presidential discretion. The resolution notes these offenses to be, " manifest injury of the people of the City of Detroit."
Reporting on passage of the resolution can be found in: The Detroit Free Press: tinyurl.com/2tp8gc The Detroit News: tinyurl.com/32gu72AfterDowningStreet.org, including full text of the resolution: tinyurl.com/3yvmdmSponsors of the event include: National Lawyers Guild, Detroit & Michigan Chapter; MIImpeach.org; Veterans for Peace; Gray Panthers; Latinos Unidos of Michigan; Michigan Welfare Rights Organization; Democrats.com; AfterDowningStreet.org; Progressive Democrats of America; World Can’t Wait. For more information on the event, call National Lawyers Guild Staff Organizer, Eleanore Eveleth at (313) 963-0843 or send an e-mail: eleanorenlg@hotmail.comwww.afterdowningstreet.org/mi
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