Fantastic Op-Ed from the Bangor Daily News "IMPEACH!"

[librechik]

http://www.bangornews.com/news/templates/?a=114420
snip

"It was all a lie. Many of us have said for a long time it was a lie. But here it is in black and white: Lies from a president who has taken a sacred trust to uphold the Constitution of the United States.

So, what does it mean? It means that our president and all of his administration are war criminals. It's as simple as that. They lied to the American people, have killed and injured and traumatized thousands of American men and women doing their patriotic duty, killed at least 100,000 Iraqi civilians, destroyed Iraq's infrastructure and poisoned its environment, squandered billions and billions of our tax dollars, made a mockery of American integrity in the world, changed the course of history, tortured Iraqi prisoners, and bound us intractably to an insane situation that they have no idea how to fix because they had no plan, but greed and empire, in the first place.

What does it mean? It means that everyone in this administration should be impeached. It means that our Maine Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins and our Congressmen Tom Allen and Mike Michaud should call for immediate impeachment. They were lied to by their president, voted for war, and are thus complicit in the multiply betrayals of the American people unless they stand up now for the truth.

Richard Nixon was impeached for a cover-up of a two-bit break-in. William Cohen, a young Maine Republican, played an important role for the prosecution in those proceedings. Bill Clinton was impeached for lying about sex with an intern. Now we have the irrefutable evidence that George W. Bush lied about the reasons for taking the United States to war. The intelligence wasn't flawed. The weapons weren't hidden. Our elected leaders were lying. "

more at link

[Joey Liberal]

1. Impeach that Bastard Bush!

And he should be deported to North Korea. He can everyone there "Mr".

[Coventina]

2. WHOOOO-HOOOOOO!!!!!

Let's keep up the momentum.....

:woohoo:

[Tigress DEM]

20. Tell them how you really feel! [e-mail]

email = [e-mail]


I did.

Subject: Thank You for Speaking Truth to Power!

Administration's offenses impeachable
Thursday, June 02, 2005 - Bangor Daily News


However, there is one flaw in this article that must be ammended... "What's curious is why anyone like me should have to even point this out. Don't our senators and congressmen feel betrayed? Are they content to continue the murdering rather than do what truth demands?"

I suggest that you ammend your article to state that at least 89 Members of Congress are dealing with this issues led by John Conyers.

House Rep John Conyers has already 87,000 citizen signatures on a letter demanding accountability for these actions described in the Downing Street Memo and many, many Democrats and even some Republicans are right in step with the quest for the truth and impeachment to those who have locked step with the lies.

http://www.johnconyers.campaignoffice.com
http://www.johnconyers.campaignoffice.com/index.asp?Type=SUPERFORMS&SEC={120FBD30-EC95-47B0-84FA-E2FFC022265C}

Letter to Pres Bush Concerning "Downing Street Memo"

<snip>
As a result of these concerns, we would ask that you respond to the following questions:
1) Do you or anyone in your administration dispute the accuracy of the leaked document?
2) Were arrangements being made, including the recruitment of allies, before you sought Congressional authorization to go to war? Did you or anyone in your Administration obtain Britain's commitment to invade prior to this time?
3) Was there an effort to create an ultimatum about weapons inspectors in order to help with the justification for the war as the minutes indicate?
4) At what point in time did you and Prime Minister Blair first agree it was necessary to invade Iraq?
5) Was there a coordinated effort with the U.S. intelligence community and/or British officials to "fix" the intelligence and facts around the policy as the leaked document states?

These are the same questions 89 Members of Congress, led by Rep. John Conyers, Jr., submitted to you on May 5, 2005. As citizens and taxpayers, we believe it is imperative that our people be able to trust our government and our commander in chief when you make representations and statements regarding our nation engaging in war. As a result, we would ask that you publicly respond to these questions as promptly as possible.


Senator Kerry has declared his support in this search for the truth about why we got in this war in the first place since the reasons presented keep changing as more of the facts come to light. However, Robert's Rules of Order and the political climate of a country that believes everyone is innocent until proven guilty requires that we examine the evidence and then call for impeachment based on the evidence.

I am certain Ted Kennedy and Barbara Boxer and Harry Reid are on board with this process. I've even read an article by a Republican that called for impeachment, based on these lies. Of course this is all a surprise to the main stream media, but thank you for standing up and speaking truth to power.

Tigress DEM

[psychopomp]

34. Dropped them a positive message

Every bit helps!

[calimary]

38. Yeah, I saw this earlier and just LOVED it! Here's what I sent 'em:

Gentlepeople:

FINALLY!

Can I really believe what I'm reading? That someone actually agrees with me - that this White House should be held accountable - ALL THE WAY - for lying us into a war that's killed - how many Americans and innocent Iraqis by now?
If we can impeach a president for a stained blue dress, why can't we impeach a president who's squandered all those lives, all our honor and integrity with every ally and (by now, probably former) friend we ever had across the globe, not to mention Billions of dollars of taxpayers' money?

THANK you for printing this! I hope to see more. In fact, I hope this is copied and sent around to everyone in Congress and the Senate and other media! It's the truth. It's what ALL of us have to face. And it's time.

With gratitude,

(me)

THANKS for posting it again, Tigress Dem - WELL worth a second read (and a third, and a fourth, etc...)

[Flying Dream Blues]

3. Oh, wow...and so it begins

This is great!!

[BlueEyedSon]

4. kicked& recommended

[DearAbby]

6. Doing my Dear Abby Okie Dokie Dance!!!!

:popcorn:

[dalloway]

5. great article! Recommended! n/t

[Democracy White]

7. it's about time

That someone says he needs to be impeached.

Dee

[NeoGreen]

8. What do we want?!! IMPEACHMENT! ....

When do we want it?!!


NOW!!!!!

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. How sweet this is... some of us have been saying this since

oh 2002

IMPEACH BUSH, and then turn the war crimiaal to the Hague

[GreenPartyVoter]

10. Brooksville is just across the water from me

[Kber]

39. Impeach Bush

but can we please impeach Cheney first? Don't want him any closer to the launch codes than he is already!

[FreedomAngel82]

11. Our elected leaders were lying

Hell yes they were! It's time.

[Kolesar]

12. That is some lively writing. The words just jump off the page, er monitor

[mapatriot]

13. Only a matter of time.....

These crimes are so significant, and the cost of the fabrications to the country and the world so momentous, satan will have to create a special place in hell for this bunch.

We should hold EVERY congressman and senator complicit until they, each of tham, join in an impeachment and conviction.

[Tigress DEM]

23. Rules of Impeachment

Relevant Constitutional Provisions:

Art. I, Sec.2, Cl.5


The House of Representatives ... shall have the sole Power of Impeachment.

Art. I, Sec.3, Cl. 6 & 7


The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on oath or affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside; and no Person shall be convicted without Concurrence of two-thirds of the Members present.

Judgement in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States; but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgement and Punishment according to law.

Art. II, Sec.2, Cl. I


The President .... shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for offenses against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.

Art. II, Sec. 4


The President, Vice-President and all civil Officers of the United States shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.

[katinmn]

28. I wonder if Washington is hearing the beating of our drums

We're coming for you, George! (Metaphorically, of course.):)

[indepat]

14. If it all was a lie, it is obvious it was all a lie from the git-go since

the writing was clearly on the wall and in every pronouncement, in every action.

[i miss america]

15. Thank you for posting this. I have just forwarded it to my congresswoman

If you would like to do it as well, just go to http://www.house.gov and enter in your ZIP code to get to their web page and mail form.

The more, the merrier.

[AspenRose]

16. Cruel summer for Emperor Bunnypants Gee, Dubya!

One can hope!

[Kota]

17. Impeach them all!

[alcibiades_mystery]

18. Richard Nixon was not impeached

Just sayin'

[democrank]

19. Thanks, Bangor.

This is what it`s going to take...people waking up little by little by little.

[merbex]

21. So far, the best editorial HANDS DOWN about the Downing St Min

succinct, blunt, clear, and to the point

Really everything you need to know in the 4 paragraphs shown

[warrens]

22. CHIMPEACH! CHIMPEACH! CHIMPEACH!

Then tar and feather the lying bastards and run em out of town on rails.

[peekaloo]

32. I love that term.......chimpeach.

:rofl:

[Karenina]

41. Me too!

:rofl:

[me b zola]

24. and the drum beats louder

~more from the article~

<<Democracy, like any sound relationship between people, is built on trust. We trust our leaders to tell the truth so that the consent that we give them is honestly informed. If the consent is won through manipulation, propaganda, fear, or lies, the basis of our democracy has been subverted. It is no longer democracy at all, but we continue to call it that because we have not the courage or stamina to demand its overhaul.

We live a lie when we fail to hold leaders accountable for their lies. By not calling now for impeachment, we are saying that we condone hypocrisy, pseudo-democracy, and murdering thousands of Americans and Iraqis for strategic control of energy resources that we have no right to. Patriotism demands that we insist on the ideals of democracy, not that we support the "leaders" who cynically destroy them.

What's curious is why anyone like me should have to even point this out. Don't our senators and congressmen feel betrayed? Are they content to continue the murdering rather than do what truth demands? Do they think they can lie to history, too. Do they think that this little Iraq problem will somehow just go away, that the courageous resistance to the United States occupation will give up and hand Bush the keys to the oil wells? Do they think that any of the grave crises facing the world now - energy consumption, global warming, species extinction - can be solved by lying about them?

We are living in an age of no accountability. It's also an age upon which may hang the survival of human life on this earth. One should not bet one's future on people who abjure responsibility. The first courageous step is to come to terms with what we know is true: America's president lied to America's people to create an unnecessary war. I ask Sens. Snowe and Collins, Reps. Allen and Michaud to take that step. Begin impeachment proceedings. It's really no more or less than their duty. It's also the first step toward restoring America's integrity.>>



:wow: :kick:

[blm]

25. Send this to your local papers op ed page managing editor.

.

[twenty4blackbirds]

26. don't forget to fix the flawed voting system.

[faithnotgreed]

27. we need to support the bangor paper like we do the crawford tx paper

thanks bangor - hope your subscriptions and letters of encouragement go way up!

[ailsagirl]

29. duplicate post

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=103&topic_id=129621&mesg_id=129621

[Nothing Without Hope]

30. WOW - that is fabulous. How exciting to see the truth stated so openly

at last:

So, what does it mean? It means that our president and all of his administration are war criminals. It's as simple as that. They lied to the American people, have killed and injured and traumatized thousands of American men and women doing their patriotic duty, killed at least 100,000 Iraqi civilians, destroyed Iraq's infrastructure and poisoned its environment, squandered billions and billions of our tax dollars, made a mockery of American integrity in the world, changed the course of history, tortured Iraqi prisoners, and bound us intractably to an insane situation that they have no idea how to fix because they had no plan, but greed and empire, in the first place.

Thank you for this. The light is beginning to shine through the cracks in the stonewall and media suppression.

Recommended.

[Blaze Diem]

31. When Bush is Impeached, Does He Lose the Protection of the Secret Service.

Considering how fuckin Hated he is around the world, what would he do without the Secret Service keeping him "out of harms way?"

SS is a luxury he's relied on in the past and no doubt, is counting on for the rest of his life, not to mention for his family.

If George were officially impeached, or if he resigned, ala Nixon,
wouldn't he lose that wall of protection he has built around his measly life?

That'd be cause for paranoia..he might even resort to the "bottle" again!
George, homeless, drunk, living in secret hiding from the whole damn planet. Like one of Hitler's sadistic generals.

He deserves as much. He deserves to get what he gave.

[bleever]

33. I thanked them for the editorial. My response was:

Dear Editor:

Thank you for this piece.

Your words are precise. They are correct. And they do, I believe, presage what is to come, if the breadth and depth and power of American democracy is what our founders intended.

Power flows, and can be manipulated. Truth can not.

The founders knew this, and did their best to write a constitution that ensured that the power that emanates from the consent of the governed could not be hoarded and abused by any group or entity.

It is our duty as citizens to ensure that this intention, and the constitution that encodes it, continues to triumph over anything that might hijack it.

-----

[AuntiBush]

35. Impeach - NOW! Before holy-hell breaks loose to the East!

Ba$tards, everyone of them.

Hey George... ya still heading for bed at 9 now? If he's sleeping good still, they must have doubled his and Pickles meds!

[Karenina]

36. What YOU said!

:kick:

[Mnemosyne]

37. .

:kick:

[steve2470]

40. kick nt

[Mnemosyne]

42. That pup looks pretty young,

Why is he allowed to smoke?! Just don't let him :smoke:, he might forget his potty training! And the cat, forget it, looks as if s/he's an old hat at partying! I'd watch how much beer s/he gets ahold of!

:silly: