Impeachment: A Matter Of Common Sense & Patriotic Duty

TEN REASONS TO IMPEACH CHENEY AND BUSH...NOW!

As a member of the Tikkun and the Network of Spiritual Progressives communities, I receive e-mail articles, alerts and group discussions. Today, I received an article published by Tikkun Magazine online, authored by Allen L Roland, Ph.D. on the rationale for impeaching George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. As someone who has been advocating impeachment since before it was in vogue (which my friends, family, colleagues and my blog history can confirm), I find it somewhat dumbfounding that so many of "we the people" understand the need for impeachment but our Congress critters cannot find the integrity, grit and constitutional strength to impeach. I cannot understand Speaker Pelosi's reluctance to take this man and his entire administration to task given his complete disregard for Congress, our Constitution and our principles, not to mention our standing in the international community as the bedrock of democracy (which we can safely assume is no longer our case before the court of international public opinion).

So, as I read the arguments of Dr. Roland, I was reminded of several authors, many of whom are lawyers and/or professors of political science, that have made the case for impeachment long before this most recent call for taking this administration to task.

I am also reminded of the picture e-mailed to me of a mid-life aged woman holding a sign that requests someone performing oral sex on Mr. Bush so we can find the courage and rationale for impeachment. While this image and the poster are somewhat crude and creates a "family values" dilemma, the point is well-made. If we can impeach Bill Clinton for obtaining sexual favors in the Oval Office and then lying about it--probably in a dysfunctional effort to save his marriage, reputation and not put his daughter through the public humiliation--we ought to be able to impeach Mr. Bush and company on the basis of outright disregard for our Constitution and violation of his oath of office, not to mention the breach of our collective civil liberties, violation of several treaties which we ratified, and being so pig-headed that he cannot see the handwriting on the wall.

But it appears that the Republican-dominated Congress we had during the Clinton administration had more adrenaline and testosterone running in their veins than do the Democrats of our current Congress. Or is it that, despite their dysfunction, greed and scandalous behaviors, the ultra-conservatives of the GOP were willing to stand by their ideology even to the detriment of the nation?

Nancy Pelosi has made it clear that she will not tolerate impeachment proceedings. But Pelosi is failing in her obligations as Speaker of the House in that she is supposed to put the will of the people and our Constitution, and the principles embedded and embodied in it, ahead of her own agenda, ideology and grab for power. It would appear that Pelosi is on her own power trip and is more concerned with her image and ability to whip the Democrats into submission to her will and agenda than she is with the "supreme law of the land."

We have now sunk to a depth at which the restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men. -- George Orwell

Vermont state senators voted Friday to call for the impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, saying their actions have raised "serious questions of constitutionality."

Finally, a legislative body willing to speak for the people and the Constitution. Bravo to the Vermont Senators for having the integrity and courage to speak the truth and seek the remedy provided within our Constitution and the framework of our government.

In case anyone is wondering how things should be done in order to impeach a standing president, I would suggest reading the following books and references:

The Genius of Impeachment: The Founders' Cure for Royalism , by John Nichols (ISBN-10: 1595581405)

The Impeachment of George W. Bush: A Practical Guide for Concerned Citizens, Elizabeth Holtzman and Cynthia Cooper (ISBN-10: 156025940X)

Articles of Impeachment Against George W. Bush, by The Center For Constitutional Rights (ISBN-10: 1933633085)


Impeach the President: The Case Against Bush and Cheney, by Dennis Loo and Peter Phillips (ISBN-10: 1583227431)

United States v. George W. Bush et al., by Elizabeth de la Vega (ISBN-10: 1583227563)

The Nation: The Impeachment of George W. Bush, by Elizabeth Holtzman

Articles of Impeachment for President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard B. Cheney for high crimes and misdemeanors. A Proposed Set of Impeachment Articles.


The Impeachment of George W. Bush: A Fish Rots From The Head Down

Wikipedia: The Movement to Impeach George W. Bush

Given that a Google search resulted in about 1,140,000 for the terms "George W. Bush" and "impeachment," one would think that Congress and its leaders, especially Speaker Pelosi, would take the hint. The call for impeachment is actually coming from all corners of our nation, from a much wider swatch of the political spectrum than might be expected, and from representatives of the people of other nations. In fact, many of my colleagues from the UK, Australia, Germany and Spain have expressed concern that we haven't proceeded against Bush as of yet. While my contacts in the UK and Australia may be considered to be on the liberal side of the political spectrum, my contacts from Germany and Spain are significantly on the conservative side of the political spectrum. What does that tell us?

Dr. Roland continues:

1. Violating the United Nations Charter by launching an illegal "War of Aggression" against Iraq without cause, using fraud to sell the war to Congress and the public, misusing government funds to begin bombing without Congressional authorization, and subjecting our military personnel to unnecessary harm, debilitating injuries, and deaths.

I would add the violation of our Constitution and exceeding his presidential authority as delineated by our constitutional frame of government under the terms of the "Supremacy Clause" and the "treaties clause" included therein. The "Supremacy Clause" asserts that the Constitution is the "supreme law of the land" and that all properly ratified treaties are incorporated therein:

Article VI, Paragraph 2: 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; and the judges in every state shall be bound thereby, anything in the Constitution or laws of any State to the contrary notwithstanding.

2. Violating U.S. and international law by authorizing the torture of thousands of captives, resulting in dozens of deaths, and keeping prisoners hidden from the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The specifics of these violations are found in the Geneva Conventions, the North Atlantic Treaty (NATO), the Charter of the United Nations, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (created under the supervision of Eleanor Roosevelt as Ambassador to the United Nations).

3. Violating the Constitution by arbitrarily detaining Americans, legal residents, and non-Americans, without due process, without charge, and without access to counsel.

Certainly, as I have written on many previous occasion, President Bush and his entire gang of fascist thugs are guilty of violating the Fist, Fourth, Fifth, Ninth, Tenth and Fourteenth Amendments, as well as the "Supremacy Clause," and the delineation of powers given to the Executive Branch. Moreover, the violation of these basic human rights is paramount evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity, covered by the Nuremberg Accords.

It is interesting that the Nuremberg Accords (Charter) clearly state some principles that Bush, at al., should have adhered to all during their efforts during this administration:

ARTICLE 6: The following acts, or any of them, are crimes coming within the jurisdiction of the Tribunal for which there shall be individual responsibility:

(a) Crimes against Peace: namely, planning, preparation, initiation or waging of a war of aggression, or a war in violation of international treaties, agreements or assurances, or participation in a Common Plan or Conspiracy for the accomplishment of any of the foregoing;

(b) War Crimes: namely, violations of the laws or customs of war. Such violations shall include, but not be limited to, murder, ill-treatment or deportation to slave labor or for any other purpose of civilian population of or in occupied territory, murder or ill-treatment of prisoners of war or persons on the seas, killing of hostages, plunder of public or private property, wanton destruction of cities, towns, or villages, or devastation not justified by military necessity;

(c) Crimes against Humanity: namely, murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation, and other inhumane acts committed against any civilian population, before or during the war, or persecutions on political, racial, or religious grounds in execution of or in connection with any crime within the jurisdiction of the Tribunal, whether or not in violation of domestic law of the country where perpetrated.

ARTICLE 7: The official position of defendants, whether as Heads of State or responsible officials in Government departments, shall not be considered as freeing them from responsibility or mitigating punishment.

It is apparent that neither George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, John Ashcroft, Condaleeza Rice, Donald Rumsfeld, Alberto Gonzalez, or Robert Gates have bothered to read, and understand, any of our treaties, the Constitution or the history of our nation in regard to its first principles. This failure to read and understand these documents and apply the principles contained therein is simply astounding given the fact that each of these people have held high positions in state and federal government, with Rumsfeld, Cheney, Gates and Ashcroft all having held positions of high office under previous GOP administrations.

4. Violating the Geneva Conventions by targeting civilians, journalists, hospitals, and ambulances, and using illegal weapons, including white phosphorous, depleted uranium, and a new type of napalm.

I cannot attest to the use of depleted uranium by US military forces, but white phosphorous (called "Willy Pete" in the field) and napalm rounds have certainly been used in Iraq and Afghanistan. The reason white phosphorous is illegal is because it embeds chemical particles into the flesh of those hit with such rounds and these particles continue to inflict serious damage by burning continuously when it is exposed to oxygen. The treatment of WP wounds requires immersion of the afflicted body parts in a liquid (usually copper-based) that does not allow oxygen to react with the phosphorous particles. Napalm is generally outlawed because it is indiscriminate in terms of inflicting wounds, death and destruction. A 500-pounder of napalm can clear a section of forest that would take a lumber harvesting crew a week or two to cut and clear... and it does so in such a manner as it may take 4-6 years before anything can re-grow in the afflicted area because of the resulting contamination.

I will be sending Dr. Roland an e-mail asking for verification and citation of the use of depleted uranium, which, if true, would violate yet another set of treaties regarding nuclear weapons, handling and disposal of nuclear waste, and the use of so-called "dirty bombs."

5. Violating U.S. law and the Constitution through widespread wiretapping of the phone calls and emails of Americans without a warrant.

This of course should include a clear violation of FISA and circumvention of the FISA Court. But Attorney General Gonzalez and the rest of the Bush administration is now claiming that since they have reportedly stopped violating FISA and have restored themselves to adhering to the Constitution, we should be all forgiving and forget the nonsense of seeking prosecution and impeachment. Of course, these are the same people that promote a "law and order" agenda without compassion or leniency. In my view, these violations of civil liberties are unforgivable and demonstrate the growing fascism of the Bush administration. On top of that, there is no way to verify that the single program which Gonzalez addressed has ceased operation. Given that we already have evidence and testimony that this program was only one of many such secret programs that seek to illegally spy on us, how can we accept Gonzalez's position and statements? Add to these issues the fact that the government is actively collecting data regarding Internet use, e-mails, travel and other non-pertinent data from corporate sources without a warrant, probable cause or due process, we have to wonder why impeachment has not been promoted by both sides of the political spectrum.

6. Violating the Constitution by using "signing statements" to defy hundreds of laws passed by Congress.

Given that there is no constitutional authority for these so-called "signing statements," the use of these signing statements to circumvent the authority and oversight of Congress is entirely unconstitutional, illegal and the perfect example of grounds for impeachment.

7. Violating U.S. and state law by obstructing honest elections in 2000, 2002, 2004, and 2006.

In light of the political persecution and subsequent scandalous firing of several US Attorneys for not pursuing election fraud cases in accordance with the whims of the Bush gang of fascist thugs, this particular set of violations of US election laws and the principles of democracy are significantly ironic.
<

span style="font-style:italic;">8. Violating U.S. law by using paid propaganda and disinformation, selectively and misleadingly leaking classified information, and exposing the identity of a covert CIA operative working on sensitive WMD proliferation for political retribution.

Bush should have been impeached for the leaking of Valerie Plame's identity as a CIA operative. The pattern of conveniently leaking information for political gain and political spin by the Bush administration, all the while condemning the news media for reporting such leaks when it was not to Bush's advantage, is despicable. The Plame incident demonstrates the actual contempt that Bush and company have for those serving our nation. Add to this example of contempt for those in service the utter contempt repeatedly demonstrated and offered to our troops in terms of vehicular armor, body armor, medical care, endless extensions of tours of duty and the neglect of military family needs and the pattern of contempt is complete... and disgusting... and dishonorable... and cowardly.

9. Subverting the Constitution and abusing Presidential power by asserting a "Unitary Executive Theory" giving unlimited powers to the President, by obstructing efforts by Congress and the Courts to review and restrict Presidential actions, and by promoting and signing legislation negating the Bill of Rights and the Writ of Habeas Corpus.

The absolute disregard for due process, the principle of habeas corpus, and the endless assertion of powers and authority not specifically granted to the executive branch are outrageous examples of the total disdain and contempt for our laws, our history and our people.

10. Gross negligence in failing to assist New Orleans residents after Hurricane Katrina, in ignoring urgent warnings of an Al Qaeda attack prior to Sept. 11, 2001, and in increasing air pollution causing global warming.

For all the hype and assertions by Bush and company regarding protecting the nation, the hypocrisy inherent in the failure to protect and assist those afflicted by Katrina and Rita, as well as the continued neglect of our own infrastructure while wasting billions on Iraqi infrastructure that is either subject to fraud (by our own contractors, the Iraqi governmental representatives, or by circumventing the oversight and selection processes for awarding contracts) or ongoing destruction of the work already accomplished due to the ongoing violence in Iraq. Then if we add the growth of criminal drug trafficking in Afghanistan to a level never before seen in terms of opium poppies (opium, heroin, codeine, etc.), we see a deliberate plan and an overall incompetence that form the grounds, and the necessity, for impeachment.

When will Congress wake up to these issues and pursue the only path that can restore order, trust, dignity and the rule of law to our government?

More Evidence That We Cannot Trust Our Government With Data

U.S. Database Exposed Social Security Numbers

Our government, especially under the leadership of the Bush administration, has tried to convince us that we can trust them, and all of the various agencies of the executive branch, with the data they are collecting about each of us. Yet, the number of incidents where data, computers and breaches of cyber security continues to mount. We have had breaches of data security within the VA, the IRS, the Social Security Administration, top secret labs in New Mexico, as well as poor grades for supposedly secure networks within the Department of Homeland Security, the Nation Center created by DHS for sharing intelligence data, as well as reported breaches within the NSA.

Yet, we are supposed to buy into the idea that those appointed by Bush and his gang of fascist thugs can protect our information and our civil liberties. But when the nation's top experts are called in to review the setup and network security offered by DHS, IRS, SSA, NSA and other government entities, we keep hear criticism that the vast amount of data is not secure, cannot be shared effectively because of formatting differences and network platform compatibility issues, and the data mining that is being done is ineffective, will not assure quality, and cannot assure us that our civil liberties will not be violated in the process.

These issues are taking a back seat in the current frenzies over the illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq, our utter failure in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the latest scandal(s) coming out of the White House, the Department of Justice or elsewhere within the executive branch. Fortunately for the GOP members of Congress, their forty-five minutes of fame for their numerous scandals are also on the back burners. And despite the obvious need for impeachment, no one in the legislative branch seems to have the nerve to push the impeachment agenda. Of course, the Democrat leadership is fast becoming its own worst enemy under the leadership of Nancy Pelosi, who just can't seem to understand that ethics was a major reason the Republicans suffered major losses in the last elections.

But it is still nice to know that our identity and accounts within the government are being exposed to anyone and everyone. So far, within the last two years, I have had my personal information released by the VA, the IRS and the SSA. God--and George W. Bush, who thinks of himself as a god--only knows what the DOJ, FBI, NSA and other entities running secret surveillance programs have done to information about me. Not only will they not tell me what information was collected, but they won't tell me what steps are being taken to protect the data collected, who is collecting it, how it is being used, why it is being collected, or how many times these data systems have been breached. Then, too, my accounts with telephone, cable, satellite and cell phone entities are also being surrendered without warrants, probable cause or my consent.

Still, Congress has not acted to reform the laws passed in haste after the events of 9-11, the obvious breach of the laws by the Bush gang, or closed the holes that are being used to collect data in violation of the provisions and protections of the Bill of Rights.

So sleep tight America, your government is keeping an eye on you, and allowing others to do the same. Things are going so well in terms of exposing your private information that even the Agriculture Department has gotten into the business of releasing data to anyone and everyone. Pretty soon we will be charged an extra fee by the corporations we do business with to prevent our information from being released and charged user fees by the government--and all its entities--just to keep our data safe.

One has to wonder what the Democrats are doing in Washington now that they have the helm... and if the answer is "We're holding hearing and meetings," we better find a crew of legislators that are more willing to resolve our issues that hold meetings. Somehow voting for "None of the Above" seems to be the only viable choice for future elections.

The Agriculture Department for years publicly listed Social Security numbers of tens of thousands of people who received financial aid from two of its agencies, raising concerns about identity theft and other privacy violations.

Officials at the department and at the Census Bureau, which maintains the database where the personal information was listed, were evidently unaware that it contained Social Security numbers. The problem was reported to the government last week by a farmer in Illinois who stumbled across the data on the Internet.

“I was bored and typed the name of my farm into Google to see what was out there,” said Marsha Bergmeier, president of Mohr Family Farms in Fairmount, Ill.

The first link in the results was to the Web site of Ms. Bergmeier’s farm. The second was to a site that Ms. Bergmeier had not heard of, FedSpending.org, which has a searchable listing of federal government expenditures. It uses information from the government database.

Ms. Bergmeier said she was able to identify almost 30,000 records in the database that contained Social Security numbers.

“I was stunned,” she said. “The numbers were right there in plain view in this database that anyone can access.”

While there is no evidence that the information has been used improperly, officials at the Agriculture Department and the Census Bureau removed the numbers from the census Web site last week.

Officials said the Agriculture Department’s use of Social Security numbers in a public database was common practice when the database was first created, before online identify theft was a well-known problem.

Department officials said that more recently when government agencies began reviewing public databases to remove personal information like Social Security numbers, they failed to notice the numbers’ being published in this instance. Terri Teuber, a department spokeswoman, said the agency was notifying those whose Social Security numbers were on the site. She said the agency planned to contract with a company to monitor the credit reports of those whose numbers were disclosed.

“We took swift action when this was brought to our attention and took the information down,” Ms. Teuber said. “We want to make sure that it doesn’t exist on any publicly available Web site.”

The department said its review of the database showed that 63,000 people could be at risk.