Cindy Sheehan
Photo by Luke Thomas
By Cindy Sheehan
June 10, 2008
Around 5pm (PDST) this evening, I received an email saying that Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) was introducing 35 articles of impeachment against the sham-illegitimate-criminal president of the United States, George W. Bush, on the House floor at that very moment and that I should change my channel to C-SPAN to watch.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich
File Photo by Luke Thomas
I sat on my couch riveted for the next 4 hours as my friend Dennis (America’s most courageous Congressman) read the thirty-five articles with the supporting evidence. A diminutive Congressman from Ohio and twice principled presidential candidate has done more for impeachment and to restore the rule of law than any other person in Congress to date. Today, he made me proud to be an American for the first time in a hell of a long time.
After Dennis read each article and the supporting evidence he would sing this beautiful refrain:
“In all 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 and the cause of law and justice and to the manifest injury to the people of the USA.
“Wherefore George W. Bush by such conduct is guilty of an impeachable offense warranting removable from office.”
I was with Dennis the day he decided to introduce articles of impeachment against VP Dick Cheney which were bogged down in the House Judiciary Committee as H(Res) 333; and I watched C-SPAN again when Dennis introduced his privileged resolution to impeach Dastardly Dick and it was shot down by the Democratic leadership and once again has become mired in the HJC no matter how many hundreds of thousands of Americans have signed Congressman Wexler’s petition to allow the articles to go forward.
Standing for hours and reading what amounted to a book-length indictment of the absolutely criminal, corrupt and arrogantly destructive BushCo, must have been grueling for Dennis. Even though I have always admired Dennis, he became a giant in my eyes today.
Dennis belongs to America’s only “distinctly criminal class” (Mark Twain) Congress, but he has managed to stay above the corruption and today he bucked his party and the leaders who have steadfastly refused to entertain accountability in the form of impeachment and removal from office. I call on his colleagues from both sides of the aisle to support the rule of law, and our republic, and to stand with Dennis in support of the Constitution.
I would especially challenge Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) to cross the aisle because he and his fans claim that Paul is a defender of liberty and the Constitution. I would like to see Dr. Paul put his actions where his words have been and I would like his supporters who worship him to encourage him to do the right thing in this case and to cross his party to elevate liberty and our law. Our republic is more important than Republicans and today, Dennis Kucinich showed that he believes that our democracy is more important than Democrats.
Dennis has an uphill battle, but we the people need to support him in his fight for us, for peace, for justice, and for the future. If George Bush is not impeached, then President McCain or President Obama will also believe that he has carte blanch to commit crimes and flaunt our Constitution and its mandated “separation of powers.” Since both Obama and McCain have also encouraged the over throw of the legitimate government of Iran (one of the articles to impeach George), I believe the Constitutional remedy of impeachment must be applied to this administration to constrain future ones.
Dennis’s articles were extremely thorough and well documented and now the ball is in Ms. Nancy “Impeachment is off the table” Pelosi’s court. Dennis put impeachment back on the table, and I call on Pelosi to finally attend to her oath as a sworn officer of our Constitution and do her mandated duty, or to step down and allow someone who does follow the the non-partisan rubrics to take her place.
Our soldiers that have been abused and misused by the empire, and especially the ones who have died, deserve a Congress that takes their oath of office seriously. It is not fair to ask our troops to do something that Congress will not. Our troops are killed, wounded, and are turned into killers being forced to follow their oaths. Nancy Pelosi has much less at stake and if she does not do her duty, we should demand her resignation in the name of all planetary citizens who have been killed, wounded, hurt, imprisoned, tortured, impoverished, sickened, made homeless, devastated and/or destroyed by BushCo.
Way to go Dennis! You honored the sacrifice of my son by holding his commander in chief responsible for the “manifest injury” that he has perpetrated on our world.
Cindy Sheehan
Cindy Sheehan is the Nobel peace prize nominated mother of Spc. Casey Austin Sheehan who was killed in Sadr City, Iraq, April 4, 2004. She has been on an international quest for peace and accountability since then. She has written three books and numerous published articles. Cindy is currently running as a "Decline to State" independent candidate in the 8th District of California against Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.
The Hunger Site
June 12, 2008 at 8:51 am
Howard, I can’t thank you and your Republicans enough for your record of progressive accomplishment over the past 8 years. Who knew that the Bush dynasty would do more to bring the US empire to its knees that a gaggle of protesting leftists could ever imagine?
Just eight short years ago, the US was the unitary global superpower, able to project its political will to achieve its economic objectives backed by the credible threat of military force.
Now, after Bush, the US is tied down militarily in two pre-industrial societies, unable to prevail militarily over rag tag irregular forces in more time than it took to beat the German and Japanese militaries.
The US is no longer the dominant political power. China, India, Russia, the EU, Latin America and the Islamic world are all operating independently of the US and while they do not agree on much, they all agree that the US should not be calling the shots.
And unable to project political leadership and bereft of the means to enforce its political will militarily, the US is no longer in a position to coerce the extraction of cheap raw materials and energy from a world increasingly reluctant to give up scarce resources to a bully.
The Iraq war has been a catalyst which has exacerbated existing structural trends. The trillion dollar transfer of wealth from the taxpayers to Bush’s military contractor patrons has sent the dollar into the tank, enraged folks who were neutral, and led to the crashing of the economy by creating instability which has contributed to the structural component of rising oil prices.
And as the economy has crashed, the hedge funds, not content with the carnage wreaked by the dot.com and housing bubbles are now speculating on petroleum futures, creating yet another bubble because the industrial economy of the US has evaporated in the face of labor arbitrage due to globalization.
So thanks, Howard, for the Republican’s suicidal advancement of a progressive agenda. While it will be painful for Americans to make the transition from unitary superpower to one of many and for the Democrats to run roughshod with their half baked policies, it will be quite beneficial for the rest of the world which will be relieved of the burden of dealing with an increasingly irrational former superpower.
The Republican fascination with religion, either fundamentalist Christianity in or the irrational worship of the markets as rational has been at the root of this transition. When you all believe your own propaganda, you’re fucked.
From superpower to basket case by every measure in 7 short years, all thanks to Bush!
-marc
June 11, 2008 at 8:18 pm
Simon,
You don’t get it. We haven’t been attacked since 9/11/01. Drastic problems call for drastic solutions. The first priority of government is to keep us safe. President Bush has done that.
Nancy Pelosi has said that impeachment is off the table. Kucinich wasted a lot of time that could have been used for productive legislation, like solving the energy problem.
June 11, 2008 at 6:28 am
My, my, Simon. “Keep your cynicism and barbs to yourself.” I was not aware that I had to obtain your approval to comment on a candidate for public office.
As you made reference to the Constitution, I would remind you that it is the Constitution that guarantees even my “cynicism and barbs”.
I never said Ms Sheehan should not try to impeach Bush. I asked how she was going to accomplish it in reality. I then asked whether she has some other policy platforms because I was not aware of them. Was I cynical? Sure, but that’s my right. But are those legitimate questions? Most certainly.
June 10, 2008 at 9:17 pm
Don’t you guys get it? This is not about the price of gas, or the economy in California. It is about our US Constitution. If there is no one with guts enough to stand up for the very document that makes this nation, we are as weak and spineless as Bush and Co. count on us to be. Tossed about by fear, mindlessly manipulated by endless lies and misinformation. Yes we working folks need to work for a living. But what kind of life are we living if we don’t have the courage to even stand up for the country we profess to be so great. So please, keep your cynicism and barbs to yourself. We finally have a politician willing to take on the real enemy to our country – and all you can do is spout warmed over cleaverless lines. No wonder Ms. Sheehan hasn’t been proud to be an American for a “hell of a long time.” With comments such as those above, I can see why. My hat’s off to you Dennis. Thank you for standing up for my rights and my country!
June 10, 2008 at 3:44 pm
Dennis Kucinich’s thirty-five articles of impeachment pulse $1.50 will get you a Muni bus.
June 10, 2008 at 10:57 am
Ms. Sheehan, we’re all glad you’re proud to be an American again. Given the fact that Kucinich’s articles of impeachment are going no where, what the hell else are you working on? Yes, Iraq is important, but how exactly do you propose to stop it? The votes aren’t there in Congress. How would you do it?
The economy is important to guys like me who work for a living. Do you have any platform at all on that? I’d like to hear it.
We have an impending water crisis here in California. Do you have any thoughts on that whatsoever?
I could go on. If you’re running for office, shouldn’t you be more than a one trick pony?
June 9, 2008 at 11:50 pm
Cindy,
Would you become a Democrat again if Democrats were to impeach Bush and/or end the war in Iraq? Challenging the status quo should go much deeper than that.