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twenty-eight when i was twenty-two





IMPEACH
THE
FUCKERS




Last night, Mizalmond and I went to the Town Hall for the Harper's Magazine talk entitled "Is There A Case For Impeachment?" It was very informative, and we were both very pleased to have gone. On the panel, moderated by Air America Radio/The Majority Report's Sam Seder, were: Congressman John Conyers, former Congresswoman and Watergate vet Elizabeth Holtzman, Nixon aide and author of "Worse Than Watergate" John Dean, Lewis Lapham, and International Human Rights lawyer Michael Ratner.


Here's the gist: It's up to the citizens. The more important thing we can do, if indeed you are of the mind to hold the Bush Administration accountable for loss of American lives here and overseas, as well as the basic civil liberties and constitutional rights of we the (still) living, is to support HOUSE RESOLUTION 635 Congressman John Conyers' bid to create a select committee to review potentially impeachable offenses. These are, as it stands:

  • Committing a fraud against the United States, for example, the President saying he has not made up his mind about invading Iraq, when all of the documentary evidence shows otherwise.
  • Making false statements to Congress, for example, the President saying he has learned Iraq is attempting to buy uranium from Niger, when he had been warned by the CIA not to say that.
  • The War Powers Resolution and misuse of government funds, for example, redeploying troops and initiating bombing raids before receiving Congressional authorization.
  • Federal laws and international treaties prohibiting torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment-for example, ordering detainees to be ghosted and removed--and tolerating and laying the legal ground work for torture and mistreatment
  • Federal laws concerning retaliations against witnesses and other individuals; for example, demoting Bunnatine Greenhouse from the Army Corps of Engineers because she exposed contracting abuse involving Halliburton.
  • Federal laws and regulations concerning leaking and other misuse of intelligence; for example, the President's failure to enforce the law requiring disciplining those who leak classified information, whether intentional or not.

This committee needs to be initiated, and quickly. With low poll numbers and an increasingly dismal state of the nation-not least of which is the UAE port security deal-Congress's balls can descend only if THE PEOPLE intimidate our representatives and elected officials more than the administration can.


One of the main issues brought up is that Congress cannot fully base impeachment upon the failure of the Iraqi occupation, as the majority of Congress voted FOR the war. Catch-22.



Therefore, we must replace the House with new Representatives in the Congressional elections this November to stock it with those who will act on OUR best interests, with regard for the future of this country. If the committee can get underway now, the rats will not stand a chance.



And here is where I start to get lost in the story. There is so much that has happened during this administration that I often feel weak, impotent and without power. To say no to something you feel is wrong takes a great deal of backbone, and my back hurts all the time. But when I think about what life may be like if we find ourselves in a worse situation, such as Martial Law, mandatory relinquishing of medical or internet records, or in the midst of another attack on U.S. soil, it seems that the greatest crime would be perpetrated by the citizens, spending more time caring about what the clock on "Lost" means rather than the governance of our own rights as Americans.



SO, HERE'S WHAT TO DO:


Write a letter or email, just one, if you choose, to every member of Congress, even the ones who already support House Resolution 635, to back John Conyers' select committee. I will try to provide a sample letter and a list of email and post addresses, as well as phone numbers, very soon.



I readily admit that I do not understand the law, but I know right from wrong. I plan on patching the holes in my rhetoric with the caulk of facts and actionable data, which I will attempt to share with you. There will be appeals, flyers, emails to forward, letters to write and events to attend. It's "DO, OR DO NOT" time. If this doesn't work, an overthrow is the only option left.



To clarify, "Impeachment" is a non-partisan, quasi-legal political process by way of an indictment of maladministration-NOT necessarily a criminal act, but rather Constitutional subversion and/or executive tyranny-from the House, which the Senate then tries. As Lapham puts it, "impeachment is not a punishment, but a remedy."





On another note, Angela Webster, drummer of The Holy Ghost, rocked Jay Leno last night. She's playing with Rhett Miller of Old 97s fame, and though her future with the Ghost is uncertain (as is understandable), it was pretty remarkable to see that girl rock millions. Leno didn't even acknowledge her existance, however. We at Pete's Candy Score tarred him with many epithets. Let's impeach him too, while we're at it.



sites of note:

Project for the New American Century

Air America Radio

The Memory Hole

The Four Reasons



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twenty-eight when i was twenty-two




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