David Swanson: 14 Congress Members for Impeachment
Wednesday, 4 July 2007, 10:24 am
Opinion: David Swanson
Fourteen Congress Members for Impeachment
By David Swanson
The official list of cosponsors of H Res 333 to impeach Dick Cheney cannot be updated until July 10 when Congress gets back to Washington. But Congress Members can contact Dennis Kucinich's office in the meantime and sign on. And citizens can encourage them to do so. In fact, this is the week in which you should visit your Congress Member's district office and demand that he or she sign onto Kucinich's articles of impeachment or introduce their own. And they should not just sign on, but make a public statement in support. Here's everything you need to know: http://impeachcheney.org
The official count of cosponsors, including Kucinich, is at 10. But Rep. Jim McDermott spoke on the floor of the House last week and committed to signing on. That makes 11. Congressmen Bob Filner and Jim Moran now also say that they are signing on. That's 13. And Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. has spoken out in support of impeachment. He is clearly either signing on or introducing his own articles of impeachment or both. That makes probably 14.
Who else? What about your Congress Member? Does he or she want to be among the first 20 standing for justice, or trail behind among the last standing with Dick Cheney? July 4th is independence day, the day on which we throw off the tyranny of King Georges. This is the moment for your Member of Congress to represent you, and not Dick Cheney or George W. Bush.
Congress is off this week, so your Representative is home making appearances at community events. What a great opportunity to grab a video camera and ask them point blank: what's your excuse for not co-sponsoring H.Res. 333 ? Democrats.com is paying $100 for each "no excuse" video asking a Democrat in the House why (s)he has not co-sponsored H.Res. 333 and recording their response on video: http://www.democrats.com/youtube-your-rep
Here's what you need to know to ask tough follow-up questions: http://www.impeachcheney.org
The House Judiciary Committee took a giant step towards impeachment hearings by sending H.Res. 333 to the Constitution Subcommittee led by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (NY-8). But Speaker Nancy Pelosi remains our main obstacle to impeachment. In a conference call with bloggers, Pelosi tried to dodge the issue by arguing that Bush "isn't worth it... he's not worth impeaching." But Mike Stark wouldn't accept Pelosi's dodge: "Respectfully, that's not the question. Respectfully, the question is whether or not the Constitution is worth it."
Here's Pelosi's shocking reply: "Well, yeah, the Constitution is worth it if you can succeed." So Pelosi's sworn oath to uphold the Constitution only applies "if you can succeed"? Surely not!
On Sunday in Kennebunkport, Maine, 3,000 citizens marched for impeachment through the narrow streets of this little coastal town and delivered a message to Bush and to the international media that Americans are demanding impeachment. Video, photos, news reports, and information on the August 25th march planned for Kennebunkport are here: http://afterdowningstreet.org/me
Last week we kicked off the "Honk To Impeach" campaign, which is a great way to get past the Corporate Media blackout and prove to politicians, the media, and our fellow citizens how many Americans support impeachment: http://democrats.com/honktoimpeach
July 4 is an especially good day to "Honk To Impeach." You can also hold up signs saying "Text IMPEACH to 30644". With your help, we'll reach millions of Americans who don't visit progressive web sites. The best place to gather on July 4 is outside the parking lot for local fireworks.
We've also set up a new group to coordinate impeachment efforts among Facebook members: The Nationwide Movement to Impeach Cheney and Bush. Let's make this the biggest group on Facebook!
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=3079705569
Replies
15
hmmmm......can't remember
Good grief. How 'bout we let the government do its job and take responsibility for ourselves? Can't change the world without changing yourself first, dadgummit.
Beach Fanatic
A move to impeach cheney is a waste of time. 16 months to next election. let congress do the people's business and stop this political foolishness.
hmmmm......can't remember
You were upset on the other thread by my off-the-cuff comment on this one. I'll be clearer, and you may either agree or disagree:
I feel strongly that the president and vice-president are elected officials who are paid to do a job.
That's a much more complicated sentence than it seems.
They were put in office by a majority. They're paid with my taxes. They are in my employ. I have delegated the duty of running the country to them, and by "delegated," I mean that I have the business of running my own life to attend to, and don't have time to babysit them. Their job is to protect the freedoms that I blissfully take for granted when I roll out of bed every morning.
Clearly you don't like the current administration, and that is your privilege. It was my privilege to not like the last one. I thought that Clinton was a skeezball. Even so, I was hacked off by Whitewater and the whole Lewinsky scandal. Even though I believe that our elected officials should be held accountable for their illegal and/or unethical actions, they have a bigger job to handle between elections, namely, making sure that I'm still blissfully ignorant of any threats to my freedom every morning. I would love to see gag orders and delay of indictments for these situations because it threatens the stability and security of our country when we are distracted by this garbage.
Abraham Lincoln quoted Jesus (dad-gummed right-winged conservative Christian that he was) when he said that a house divided against itself cannot stand. If we keep attacking our own leadership, we undermine our own foundations.
And don't forget that the Declaration was written by a group of men who had left the land that was offensively governed. Emigration is still an option...
I feel strongly that the president and vice-president are elected officials who are paid to do a job.
That's a much more complicated sentence than it seems.
They were put in office by a majority. They're paid with my taxes. They are in my employ. I have delegated the duty of running the country to them, and by "delegated," I mean that I have the business of running my own life to attend to, and don't have time to babysit them. Their job is to protect the freedoms that I blissfully take for granted when I roll out of bed every morning.
Clearly you don't like the current administration, and that is your privilege. It was my privilege to not like the last one. I thought that Clinton was a skeezball. Even so, I was hacked off by Whitewater and the whole Lewinsky scandal. Even though I believe that our elected officials should be held accountable for their illegal and/or unethical actions, they have a bigger job to handle between elections, namely, making sure that I'm still blissfully ignorant of any threats to my freedom every morning. I would love to see gag orders and delay of indictments for these situations because it threatens the stability and security of our country when we are distracted by this garbage.
Abraham Lincoln quoted Jesus (dad-gummed right-winged conservative Christian that he was) when he said that a house divided against itself cannot stand. If we keep attacking our own leadership, we undermine our own foundations.
And don't forget that the Declaration was written by a group of men who had left the land that was offensively governed. Emigration is still an option...
Beach Fanatic
If you were running a company and had paid, and delegated, the operations of that company to a couple of people who turned out to be incompetent and perhaps criminal, would you keep them in your employ?
Yours is an amazing point of view.
You certainly have a right to it since you live in America...some of our sons and daughters have died in this war, so you could continue to believe as you do.
Where is your obligation to keep our leaders honest...or do you just prefer to go shopping.:bang:
Yours is an amazing point of view.
You certainly have a right to it since you live in America...some of our sons and daughters have died in this war, so you could continue to believe as you do.
Where is your obligation to keep our leaders honest...or do you just prefer to go shopping.:bang:
hmmmm......can't remember
If you were running a company and had paid, and delegated, the operations of that company to a couple of people who turned out to be incompetent and perhaps criminal, would you keep them in your employ?
Yours is an amazing point of view.
You certainly have a right to it since you live in America...some of our sons and daughters have died in this war, so you could continue to believe as you do.
Where is your obligation to keep our leaders honest...or do you just prefer to go shopping.:bang:
Sorry--I have to laugh at myself here: I prefer to go shopping...I'm lazy that way, and I don't have any experience in running a country. I'm awfully impressed that so many of my peers think that they do.
It probably is an amazing point of view. It is not my obligation to keep my leaders honest any more than it is my obligation to keep you honest. Instead, I make an effort to elect/employ honest, competent leaders.
And those leaders should certainly be accountable for criminal actions. But this constant attacking and scruitinizing and implicating is ridiculous. How would it be if I hired you in good faith for a job and then checked your desk every day to see if you had stolen company pens? Stealing is a crime, after all. We can't have you stealing. So I'm going to put cameras on you, and talk to everyone in the world about where you got your pens for the last 10 years, and find that you didn't pay for all your pens. Not such a good witch after all, are you? (And I'm sure you are a good, dear witch. I'm just using that as an example.) How much work will you get done if I'm always bugging you about that?
Which is more important? That a president messed around with an intern (and/or whatever the current mess is) and we must get to the bottom of it, or that we allow him to lead?
p.s. Did you get things done with that house you needed taken down? I'm getting out of the political threads...I'd rather talk about real life...
Edited
Beach Fanatic
The sad thing about all this to me is that I believe that in America it is our obligation to keep our elected officials honest and hold them accountable...
Ours is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people....
that's what makes it so great. And different from those run by kings or queens or dictators.
It is when normal everyday people leave the running of the government to those elected and take them at their word, that we get into trouble. We the people have an obligation to do our part.
And, politics is regular life.
Only when more Americans realize that and stand up for our rights under a democracy, will things get back on track. (and some of us on this board have had some exprience running various parts of government, perhaps that's why we feel so strongly about what is happening in our country now)
Yes, we did get the house taken care of, thanks.
Ours is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people....
that's what makes it so great. And different from those run by kings or queens or dictators.
It is when normal everyday people leave the running of the government to those elected and take them at their word, that we get into trouble. We the people have an obligation to do our part.
And, politics is regular life.
Only when more Americans realize that and stand up for our rights under a democracy, will things get back on track. (and some of us on this board have had some exprience running various parts of government, perhaps that's why we feel so strongly about what is happening in our country now)
Yes, we did get the house taken care of, thanks.
Beach Lover
Love him or hate him, it is IMPOSSIBLE to tell what Bush's legacy will be. It's probably going to be 50-100 years before anyone knows. For example, most of us would probably agree that Abe Lincoln was a great president. But at the time, we was so ABSOLUTELY HATED by half of all Americans that the country literally fell apart, and one half declared war on the other half (and he was still hated for 100 years by much of the population)...
POPULARITY IS NOT A MEASURE OF SUCCESS in this arena.
IF there's still hate and terror and fear in the Middle East (and elsewhere) in 100 years, then the world probably won't look too favorably on 'ol G.W.
BUT, if there's peace and a growing democracy in the Middle East in 100 years, then it's quite possible that they'll trace the roots of it back to this beginning. It's a bloody and messy and unpopular start, but it's a start. But then again, so was the Civil War.
POPULARITY IS NOT A MEASURE OF SUCCESS in this arena.
IF there's still hate and terror and fear in the Middle East (and elsewhere) in 100 years, then the world probably won't look too favorably on 'ol G.W.
BUT, if there's peace and a growing democracy in the Middle East in 100 years, then it's quite possible that they'll trace the roots of it back to this beginning. It's a bloody and messy and unpopular start, but it's a start. But then again, so was the Civil War.
hmmmm......can't remember
The sad thing about all this to me is that I believe that in America it is our obligation to keep our elected officials honest and hold them accountable...
Ours is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people....
that's what makes it so great. And different from those run by kings or queens or dictators.
It is when normal everyday people leave the running of the government to those elected and take them at their word, that we get into trouble. We the people have an obligation to do our part.
And, politics is regular life.
Only when more Americans realize that and stand up for our rights under a democracy, will things get back on track. (and some of us on this board have had some exprience running various parts of government, perhaps that's why we feel so strongly about what is happening in our country now)
Yes, we did get the house taken care of, thanks.
What has happened to me? I used to want to argue and fight, and now I'm the cockeyed optimist. I read your post and cheer you on in my heart. I don't disagree with any of what you said, really.
I have a pet peeve coming into play. I feel that Americans are more interested in fixing the government (or Paris Hilton) than they are in fixing their own families and communities. I see all this effort being thrown into impeachment and wonder: Are we putting the same effort into teaching 20 local kids to work hard and be honest as we're putting into micromanaging Cheney?
I'm mostly concerned that in the age of instant news there are a lot of witch hunts (no offense!) going on in D.C. for the sake of partisan spitefulness. I'm sure that the same thing has been happening all the way back to G. Washington's administration, but the people of North Hall back then didn't know about it for 6 months, if ever. Today I read it on the internet the same afternoon.
But the great thing is that you and I are both right because our government, as you pointed out, is set up that way. You know that we have a government where you have a voice. I know that lying, cheating, etc. has come out in the wash for the last 200+ years because there are other elected and appointed officials in place to run this ship. In other words, I have the comfort of knowing I was fortunate enough to be born into a country where I only need to "speak" when it comes time to vote. (And impeachment certainly is an option when the need arises.)
I can't help but read your post and think that even though you and I may disagree on the logistics, we have a system that not only works but that allows us both to coexist peacefully. That's a great thing.
Beach Comber
Well said, political officials should be held to account both by their peers and the people that elected them however far to much of what we see is simply political in fighting and has no positive result with one exception. The infighting has been so bad the past year that almost nothing has been done in terms of passed legislation. The legislation they have promised us has been so misguided it is a God send that they have been unable to pass any of it. A good example is the amnesty bill.
Beach Fanatic
Love him or hate him, it is IMPOSSIBLE to tell what Bush's legacy will be. It's probably going to be 50-100 years before anyone knows. For example, most of us would probably agree that Abe Lincoln was a great president. But at the time, we was so ABSOLUTELY HATED by half of all Americans that the country literally fell apart, and one half declared war on the other half (and he was still hated for 100 years by much of the population)...
POPULARITY IS NOT A MEASURE OF SUCCESS in this arena.
IF there's still hate and terror and fear in the Middle East (and elsewhere) in 100 years, then the world probably won't look too favorably on 'ol G.W.
BUT, if there's peace and a growing democracy in the Middle East in 100 years, then it's quite possible that they'll trace the roots of it back to this beginning. It's a bloody and messy and unpopular start, but it's a start. But then again, so was the Civil War.
I strongly disagree.
It is possible to begin to formulate a historical assessment of Bush's presidency; since clearly there is a long and short term component to measuring success.
And, his short term failures have been grand.
There is a growing emphasis amoung Bush supporters to 'talk up the long term' -hoping that history will view this Presidency more favorably based on some unrealistic future - I don't see this as very helpful. The quicker we accept and understand the failings of the Bush Admin. , the quicker we will put the country back on track.
Even if democracy 'breaks out' in the middle east in 50 years, and that this will somehow rescue Bush from the list of bad Presidents is a flawed thinking.
It would be like re-writting the history of fascism based on pre-WWII Europe. Europe has experienced a period of peace and prosperity during the previous 50 years following WWII -does this warrant a 'favorable' long term view of Hitler? No.
History will not view the Bush Presidency favorably.
Beach Lover
No, but Churchill came out looking pretty good, despite the fact that he was very unpopular at times during WWII.... I'm not a huge Bush fan. I feel let down by him in a lot of ways. But I'm also highly skeptical of anyone who claims to hold a crystal ball with such a crisp view of the future.... Remember, a huge percentage of the population (in the U.S. and the World) HATED Reagan in the 80s. A lot of people still do. But he's definitely now on that list of "Great Presidents." I was in far Eastern Europe recently, and was thanked by more than one old guy (and even hugged by one overly friendly fella) for what the U.S. did back under his administration (even though it was unpopular here at the time). "Reagan saved us all," he told me... Again though, only time (and your crystal ball!) will tell....
"Churchill's greatest achievement was his refusal to capitulate when defeat seemed imminent, and he remained a strong opponent of any negotiations with Germany throughout the war. Few others in the Cabinet had this degree of resolve. By adopting a policy of no surrender, Churchill kept democracy alive in the UK and created the basis for the later Allied counter-attacks of 1942-45, with Britain serving as a platform for the supply of Soviet Russia and the liberation of Western Europe."
"Churchill's greatest achievement was his refusal to capitulate when defeat seemed imminent, and he remained a strong opponent of any negotiations with Germany throughout the war. Few others in the Cabinet had this degree of resolve. By adopting a policy of no surrender, Churchill kept democracy alive in the UK and created the basis for the later Allied counter-attacks of 1942-45, with Britain serving as a platform for the supply of Soviet Russia and the liberation of Western Europe."
Beach Fanatic
And don't forget about my favorite president...Harry S Truman. His approval ratings were less than Bush's and yet today he is revered as near great. HST was recently on the cover of Newsweek, all the current candidates wish to emulate him. The big difference with Bush is ......HE IS TRULY A STUPID MAN. He relishes in the fact he doesn't read the newspapers. What a pathetic dolt.
Banned
i find it interesting congress is capable of anything these days except giving themselves a raise. politicians on both side of the aisle are fairly self-serving and ignoring most crises in america. instead of using their power to fix problems, immigration, health care, education, housing, energy crisis, they're using their considerable power to pass the buck and place blame. so much for checks and balances. i'm not saying we have a perfect executive branch, but i'm not sure where the legislative branch is setting any standards. guess we can see where their priorities lie.
Beach Lover
lol....yeah, Brainiac he ain't.... But I'm always slightly amused to hear just how "bad" we?ve all got it... It's on the news every hour of every day, and it's relentless (how terrible things are, how we're losing the war, how the world is melting, etc.). But the facts seem to suggest that we have it pretty dern good...
For example, despite an "epidemic of obesity," life expectancy in the U.S. is now at an all-time high of 77.9 years, and our number of annual deaths recently experienced the biggest decline since 1938. Our U.S. crime rate is at its lowest point since we began recording those statistics, and our unemployment is currently at a very low 4.5% (Florida's at 3.4%!). Meanwhile, the Dow is at its all-time high (13,649 as I write this), and a gallon of gas still costs less than a gallon of bottled water, a gallon of milk, or even a cup of java @ Starbucks.
Because of the sacrifices made by so many brave men and women in our military (and their families), there hasn't been a single successful terrorist attack on American soil since 9/11 (that was nearly 6 years ago!). True, we've lost 3,600 brave soldiers over 4 years. And we should all be asking some very hard questions about that. BUT, to put that number into some perspective, we lost over 37,000 soldiers in the Battle of Normandy alone!!! 58,226 U.S. soldiers died in Vietnam! We're not losing the war; we're losing the battle of public perception. Like so many people, I knew on 9-12-2001 that this was going to be a very loooooong process (measured in decades; not days or months). It's just unfortunate that so many people have forgotten (or just stopped caring).
One thing is for sure: Regardless of WMDs (or lack thereof), the world is rid of a dictator that everyone universally agrees tortured and/or killed thousands--if not hundreds of thousands--of innocent people; many of whom were only guilty of being female, homosexual, or of a different race or religion.... I obviously can't speak for our soldiers, but all of them I've ever spoken with about Iraq are extremely proud of their role in taking out Saddam and giving those poor people a chance to lead better lives. I couldn't be prouder of them, and I couldn't be prouder to be an American. True, we're not always popular, but there's not a single nation ON THE PLANET that does more to help other people than we do. (For example, Bono recently noted that our "aid to Africa has nearly tripled under George Bush.")
All I'm trying to point out is that we truly all have it "GRAYT"! We may have a dolt for a leader, but that will change in 1.5 years. 😀 That's the beauty of our system. Stop worrying about what's going wrong, and focus on how well great are going! You'll find that you go through life a lot happier....
For example, despite an "epidemic of obesity," life expectancy in the U.S. is now at an all-time high of 77.9 years, and our number of annual deaths recently experienced the biggest decline since 1938. Our U.S. crime rate is at its lowest point since we began recording those statistics, and our unemployment is currently at a very low 4.5% (Florida's at 3.4%!). Meanwhile, the Dow is at its all-time high (13,649 as I write this), and a gallon of gas still costs less than a gallon of bottled water, a gallon of milk, or even a cup of java @ Starbucks.
Because of the sacrifices made by so many brave men and women in our military (and their families), there hasn't been a single successful terrorist attack on American soil since 9/11 (that was nearly 6 years ago!). True, we've lost 3,600 brave soldiers over 4 years. And we should all be asking some very hard questions about that. BUT, to put that number into some perspective, we lost over 37,000 soldiers in the Battle of Normandy alone!!! 58,226 U.S. soldiers died in Vietnam! We're not losing the war; we're losing the battle of public perception. Like so many people, I knew on 9-12-2001 that this was going to be a very loooooong process (measured in decades; not days or months). It's just unfortunate that so many people have forgotten (or just stopped caring).
One thing is for sure: Regardless of WMDs (or lack thereof), the world is rid of a dictator that everyone universally agrees tortured and/or killed thousands--if not hundreds of thousands--of innocent people; many of whom were only guilty of being female, homosexual, or of a different race or religion.... I obviously can't speak for our soldiers, but all of them I've ever spoken with about Iraq are extremely proud of their role in taking out Saddam and giving those poor people a chance to lead better lives. I couldn't be prouder of them, and I couldn't be prouder to be an American. True, we're not always popular, but there's not a single nation ON THE PLANET that does more to help other people than we do. (For example, Bono recently noted that our "aid to Africa has nearly tripled under George Bush.")
All I'm trying to point out is that we truly all have it "GRAYT"! We may have a dolt for a leader, but that will change in 1.5 years. 😀 That's the beauty of our system. Stop worrying about what's going wrong, and focus on how well great are going! You'll find that you go through life a lot happier....
Beach Fanatic
I Agree That We All Have It Grayt, Since Most Of The People On This Board Can Maneuver And Game The System To Work For Us. But The Sad Thing Is How Corrupt The Whole System Is. The Average American Is Not On A Level Playing Field With The Really Rich And Powerful In This Country. With All Of Our Imperfections Though I Have To Agree With Winston Churchill Who Said That Democracy Is The Worst Form Of Gov't, Except For All The Rest.
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