Recently Rep. Kucinich filed Articles of Impeachment against George W. Bush. I wrote my Congressman in the House to see if, after several attempts at getting him to support impeachment, not to mention corresponding with him on other issues of importance which I found him to be on the repugnant side of, I could persuade him to behave like a reasonable representative of the people for once. Predictably, I could not. The language I used in the letter is not my custom, neither is the tone of this particular blog, but in exasperation one resorts to terms and attitudes not normally considered one's favorite recourse.
Here is the letter I sent to Rep. C.W. "Bill" Young regarding Rep. Kucinich's Article of Impeachment. Since such action is long overdue and Rep. Young has long opposed any action on any similar measure, I consider the language used fully justified:
Jul 23, 2008 Representative C.W. Young
Independence Avenue and 1st Street, SW
Washington, DC 20515-0910
As I posted on this site last week, Kucinich was making illegal robo calls in the State of California.
Kucinich was making 100's of thousands of fund raising robo calls in the state of California without understanding that the State has existing robo call code that effectively makes all robo calls illegal.
Now, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Kucinich's home town paper reports that his operations have stopped robo calls in the state of California.
The California Public Utilities Commission has a law in California that clearly states that ALL robo calls are illegal, UNLESS they are introduced by a live person. We have received thousands of complaints from California citizens about receiving these illegal robo calls.
It is there, clearly, in the California Public Utilities Code sections 2871-2876.
For those of you kossacks who were not aware of the deadline to add your name to Kucinich's Impeachment petition go to http://kucinich.us/ and add your name to the petition.
Today’s topic is Iran. And not in a way you might expect.
Did you know that the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 requires the President to impose sanctions on a US or foreign natural if the person invests $20,000,000 or more in Iran’s petroleum or natural gas sectors?
Did you know that President Bush has failed to do so, even though companies are guilty?
Did you know that under current law, foreign subsidiaries of US companies may invest in Iran if the foreign subsidiary is completely independent of the US parent company?
Did you know that under the Iran Sanctions act, EXCLUDED from those persons subject to sanctions are financial institutions, underwriters, insurers, export agencies, oil and liquid natural gas pipelines, oil and liquid natural gas tankers, and products used to construct or maintain them?
If you are not on the mailing list of the world's coolest Congressman, I encourage you to sign up now. But just in case you are not receiving emails from Robert Wexler (D-FL), here is the one he sent out today about the non-impeachment hearing held yesterday ...
House Democratic leaders said the proceedings would not be about Bush's impeachment, a first step in the Constitution's process of a removing a president from office.
The crimes are under review by our crime fighting congress! Oh goody, more investigations that have no result, other than casting further doubt on the notion that we are a nation of laws.
It is as if, one fine sunny day in school, a bully went rampaging through the halls, breaking into lockers, beating up students, and the hall monitor snuck over to one of the victims and whispered, "Excuse me, did you notice if he had the requisite hall pass?"
I wrote and emailed a letter (several weeks ago) to Speaker Pelosi, as did many people who were disgusted with her actions of late related to impeachment and FISA, and then, subsequent to this, I believe, realizing that her political career might actually be in jeopardy due to her failure to honor her sacred responsibility to defend the constitution, she made a decision to attend this year's NETROOTS convention, thinking, I believe, that she can play some spin-doctoring to change the opinions of the blogging world, given our rising power in politics ... additionally, she has made an empty gesture by sending the articles to the Senate (see video below)
... well, my request to you all in attendance at NETROOTS ... please SLAM her and let her know that her empty gestures will NOT salvage her political career!
John Zogby may not be the most reliable of pollsters, and his "interactive" poll of this week is probably skewed toward internet junkies who are more likely to include Libertarians and disappointed Ron Paul supporters.
Zogby's poll has Bob Barr in high single digits in a number of states, not just the "quirky" places like Oregon, Minnesota, and his home state of Georgia. And some of the other more conservative polls have Barr pulling in what would otherwise presumably be GOP voters in states like Colorado and Arizona.
But are Libertarian-leaning voters really turning away from McCain? Why?
Because McCain is not close enough to Bush? Give me a break!
As something of a Libertarian myself, I think Obama has some appeal to those who now may say they support Barr. On several important issues, Barr is closer to Obama than to McCain. This is especially true in matters of civil liberties and Presidential powers.
Congressman Dennis Kucinich is doing it now. The article of Impeachment will deal directly with President Bush fraudulently obtaining support for an attack on Iraq by creating a false case for war. Please email..
with letters of protest. I watch that channel (and C-Span2) as often as possible. I object to their seemingly RIGHT-LEANING programs when they are supposed to be or claim to be unbiased.
I admire Dennis Kucinich for his dogged pursuit of impeachment against Vice President Cheney and President Bush. As almost every other member of Congress – exceptions like Robert Wexler aside – hides his or her head in the sand, Rep. Kucinich is a passionate and vocal defender of Congress, the Constitution, and the American people.
But today I wish he had followed another strategy. He has decided to introduce a single article of impeachment on the House floor related to President Bush’s use of deception in taking our nation into war with Iraq. Certainly, this is a matter worthy of investigation as well as punishment. But as a political matter, the end game is not so clear.
What makes this somewhat disappointing is that today was a perfect time to introduce an article of impeachment based on a separate matter: the Bush administration’s defiance of congressional subpoenas.
Bringing forward an article based on defying subpoenas is an open and shut case and could be used as leverage to force administration officials to testify about the U.S. Attorney scandal and other matters.
TEXT:
Some Democratic Leaders say Impeachment is off the table.
So, let us set a new table for our nation, upon which we place the Constitution and where we demand that all those who have taken an oath to defend it .. keep their promise and protect our nation from the threat within.
Here’s how the propaganda model works: Take an issue that is at odds with how elite policy makers view the world, say Rep. Dennis Kucinich’s (D-OH) bid to impeach President Bush in early June 2008, and evaluate the media coverage of the event. Kucinich’s attempt to impeach the President elicited a mere 132 words in every major media outlet including the New York Times, Washington Post, and CNN.com. In this case, the mainstream media (MSM) did not conduct any of its own reporting or writing, instead it presented the public with an Associated Press (AP) report, which lacked depth and context regarding Kucinich’s argument. The paltry word count aside, the article was rarely found in print, but left to be discovered on the websites of major media players, designated to an obscure link on the margins. The only remnants of the media coverage can be found in an exact and precise Google search, which will lead readers to the brief article.
Over the years, the Republican party has labeled Democrats as, basically, a bunch of weak sissies. Take a look at Harry Reid, and you'll know where they get it. As Democrats, we expect our elected officials to be strong where it counts- in mind, in heart, and in legislative record. But today's House vote on the FISA bill was not so much a compromise as it was a collapse, not so much an accord as it was an acceptance. An acceptance of Democrats to give in to the wishes of a President who ignores the Constitution, a collapse to the politics of the minority Republicans.
The big news is for the first time print, brick-and-mortar newspapers are reporting on impeachment action in the House, unlike last Nov. 6th when Kucinich's resolution to impeach Cheney went down like a tree in the forest with not even a squirrel around to hear it. So far the Baltimore Sun, the LA times, the Kansas City Star, the Houston Chronicle, and today even the Boston Globe (a New Your Times company paper) saw fit to report House action on one of the most important events that can happen in a democracy. Any others? This is how the dam breaks. Poeple who are not pale creatures of the Internet (like us) start to have hope, and pick up the phone.
Patience on impeachment, folks, now both Bush and Cheney have their asses lined up in Judiciary Committee, and Scott McClellan is yet to testify. Keep up the drumbeat. I favor asking our friends in labor why they keep donating to the campaigns of these scoundrels in the "Democratic" party. Hoyer gets money from Carpenters & Joiners Union, International Assn of Fire Fighters, Laborers Union, and Service Employees International.
Representative Kucinich, one of the few remaining Democrats in the House of reprresentatives with a spine, has forced a motion, via privileged resolution that will force the House to vote on Articles of Impeachment.
Okay, I'm done pussyfooting around. I don't care about the repercussions, because the reason I want a Democrat elected, is to restore democracy to our country. I think that GWB has set a dangerous precedent for future administrations by expanding exponentially executive privilege. We can still win while holding this administration accountable. To wit, the email I sent her just now can be viewed below.
Yesterday Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) submitted a resolution calling for Pres. Bush's impeachment, which will be read for a second time tonight. You can read all 35 articles here.
Refrain: In all of these actions and decisions, President George W. Bush has acted in a manner contrary to his trust as President and Commander in Chief, and subversive of constitutional government, to the prejudice of the cause of law and justice and to the manifest injury of the people of the United States. Wherefore, President George W. Bush, by such conduct, is guilty of an impeachable offense warranting removal from office.
I thought it might be "fun" to go over these articles as kind of a retrospective on the not-so-proud history of the Bush administration. More down below.
