I love Vermont: Reason number 1 million and one

Vermont town seeks Bush, Cheney arrests

President Bush may soon have a new reason to avoid left-leaning Vermont: In one town, activists want him subject to arrest for war crimes.

A group in Brattleboro is petitioning to put an item on a town meeting agenda in March that would make Bush and Vice President Cheney subject to arrest and indictment if they visit the southeastern Vermont community.

"This petition is as radical as the Declaration of Independence, and it draws on that tradition in claiming a universal jurisdiction when governments fail to do what they're supposed to do," said Kurt Daims, 54, a retired machinist leading the drive.

As president, Bush has visited every state except Vermont.

Read more at The Raw Story.

Sign on for Cheney's impeachment hearings

Florida Congressman Robert Wexler continues to work for impeachment hearings against Vice President Dick Cheney. You can help by showing your support at his online petition.
The case for impeachment is strong. In Wexler's words:

When Congress reconvenes in January, I plan to present a list to my Judiciary Committee colleagues of every single person that signed up at WexlerWantsHearings.com. I will go to more of my colleagues and ask them to join a letter in support of hearings. We will build on the momentum you have given us.

I was serving in Congress and on the Judiciary Committee for the ridiculous and politically motivated impeachment hearings of President Clinton. During that witch hunt Newt Gingrich, Tom Delay, and Ken Starr wasted a year and a half on investigations and hearings about President Clinton's personal relations. However, this attempted coup d'etat by Republicans against President Clinton was not and should not be the standard of impeachment that was enshrined by the Founders in our Constitution.

First, impeachment hearings are only proper when significant allegations exist that the President or Vice-President, or others civil officers, committed actions – within their official duties – that constitute 'High Crimes and Misdemeanors.' The allegations against Clinton – involving a personal affair - never reached this threshold. The serious charges against Cheney involve alleged crimes that are central to his duties of Vice-President; namely war and peace, the widespread violations of civil liberties, and the security of the United States and our covert agents.

Unlike the show trial put on by Republicans against President Clinton, a proper impeachment hearing would involve a fair and objective presentation of the facts without hyperbole or political gamesmanship. The hard evidence that is presented at the hearings will be judged fully both by Congress and the American people. The evidence alone will determine the outcome, and if it is determined that Vice President Cheney committed "High Crimes and Misdemeanors" he should be properly impeached and put on trial before the Senate.

Let your voice be heard. Sign the petition calling for impeachment hearings of Vice President Dick Cheney.

Health insurance: Some are more equal than others

A nurses union put this eye-popping ad in about 10 different Iowa newspapers last week. The ad includes a newspaper article on Cheney's last hospitalization for heart treatment with these true words: "If he were anyone else, he'd probably be dead by now."

In response to the Cheney office's claim that the ad is "outrageous," Charles Idelson, spokesman for the California Nurses Association and the National Nurses Organizing Committee, said, "What's outrageous is we have an administration that sits on its hands while we have 47 million people who are uninsured...This administration has ignored this health care crisis. They're indifferent to pain and suffering."

Is Cheney's latest heart ailment a fraud -- and a set-up?

I have now read this in several places, and an idea which seemed at worst paranoid and at the very least cynical — now sounds quite plausible. Consider this:

Is Dick Cheney's recent heart ailment a fabrication by the White House in an effort to smooth the way for a Cheney resignation? And, would Cheney's replacement then run for President in 2008 with the strength that incumbency has historically proven to hold?

Yikes!

From BuzzFlash:

Before you dismiss this as speculation from a conspiracy nut whose tin-foil hat is on too tight, consider the fact that the Bush team created an elaborate and entirely false pretext for taking the country to war that snookered the corporate media and a majority of the public. Faking news of a heart ailment in order to quietly shuffle Cheney off the stage is child’s play by comparison.

Cheney discovered to have an irregular heartbeat

Who knew he had a heart?

George W. Bush will bankrupt this country

President Bush today vetoed a bipartisan education and health bill, at the same time approving an increase in the Pentagon's budget.

Thanks to Bush's greed for oil and vengeance for a supposed assassination attempt on his father by Saddam Hussein, (you didn't forget about that in all the rhetoric, did you?), our health care, education, and yes, security systems are a shambles. We lag behind all other Western nations in these areas, yet today Bush continues to lead this country down a path of destruction.

From the AP:

Since winning re-election, Bush has sought to cut the labor, health and education measure below the prior year level. But lawmakers have rejected the cuts. The budget that Bush presented in February sought almost $4 billion in cuts to this year's bill.

Huge procurement costs are driving the Pentagon budget ever upward. Once war costs are added in, the total defense budget will be significantly higher than during the typical Cold War year, even after adjusting for inflation.

Meanwhile, today's Washington Post reports that the real cost to fight the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is more than $20,000:

President Bush's six-year invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq will end up costing Americans about $1.5 trillion, or nearly twice as much as the White House has actually spent to fight its wars, because of unseen costs like inflation, rising oil prices and expensive care for wounded veterans.

This will be the legacy of the Bush Administration when he is finished playing at being president. A nation that has lost the respect of the rest of the world, that is broke, uneducated, and unhealthy. And we'll still be paying $4 per gallon of gas, while Bush, Cheney, and all the rest of the oil mongerers sit on their ranches and count their money.

Shame on anyone who voted him into office.

Bush to Musharraf: "the president should remove his military uniform"

What a great idea. Let's try this at home, too, shall we?


And maybe the vice president should remove his costume “uniform,” too. Especially since both Bush and Cheney were AWOL or “had other priorities” when they were called upon to serve and wear the uniform during the Vietnam War.


Meanwhile, read more about the current situation in Pakistan here and here.

Peaceman vs. the Chenguin

Just watch it, you'll see:

Jon Stewart: When Dick Cheney smiles, an angel gets water-boarded

If you missed it on the Daily Show, The Raw Story has a summary and a video clip:

“Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld were both on television last night, answering questions,” said Jon Stewart on Wednesday's Daily Show, comparing the rarity of the event to “a giant squid having sex with Bigfoot as the ghost of Jim Morrison claps giddily.”

Read the rest here.

Momentum growing for impeachment

There are now 34 members of Congress who have signed on to the HR 333, a bill proposing articles of impeachment against Vice President Dick Cheney. What was once viewed as a far-out idea is now gaining support and serious consideration by many more than the 34 who have officially signed on as co-sponsors.

From AfterDowningStreet:

Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D., Wisconsin) and Congressman Donald Payne (D., N.J.) have signed on as cosponsors of H. Res. 333, a bill proposing articles of impeachment against Vice President Dick Cheney, according to Congressman Dennis Kucinich's office. Kucinich is the original sponsor of the bill. Baldwin is the fourth member of the House Judiciary Committee to have added her name to the bill. A fifth Judiciary Committee member, Steve Cohen, has thus far signed on only to a bill proposing the impeachment of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

Cheney impeachment bill gains yet another co-sponsor

Congratulations to Rep. Jim Moran of Virginia! (A good guy, used to be my mayor when I lived in Alexandria, and we all knew then he was headed for bigger and better things.)

From The Raw Story:

On Tuesday, a northern Virginia Democrat decided to add his support to a growing movement in the House of Representatives to impeach Vice President Dick Cheney.

A spokesman for Rep. Jim Moran told RAW STORY that the congressman had decided to co-sponsor the impeachment bill introduced in April by Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio. When he announced the bill, Kucinich, who is currently seeking the Democratic nomination for president, said that he wouldn't push his fellow lawmakers to sign on. But the bill has gradually gained support since then, garnering at least 10 co-sponsors, including Moran, according to the Library of Congress. AfterDowningStreet.org lists 12 co-sponsors to the impeach-Cheney bill.

Despite vocal protestations on and off-the-record by Democratic Congressional leaders, the movement to impeach Cheney or President Bush has begun to pick up steam. According to a recent poll, a majority of Americans favor the vice president's ouster from office, and anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan announced that she would run against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi if the San Francisco Congresswoman does not introduce articles of impeachment within the next two weeks.

A group of progressives in California opened an "Impeachment Center" on Independence Day to serve as a clearinghouse for information and activism, while another group is planning to fly a pro-impeachment banner over AT&T Park in San Francisco before Tuesday's All Star Game.

Additionally, a rally is scheduled for July 23, which will include a march by demonstrators, including Sheehan, from Arlington National Cemetery to Rep. John Conyers' Capitol Hill office. Conyers, D-Mich., is chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, which would consider Kucinich's impeachment bill before deciding if it should go to the full House.

Conyers said in an interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC over the weekend that he hoped the rising public sentiment in favor of impeaching Bush and Cheney would lead the president to be more cooperative with congressional investigators he has so far continued to stonewall.

“I didn't put impeachment on the table,” Conyers said on This Week. “I was just telling you that 46% of the American people polled want Bush impeached.”

File this under: Ha ha ha!

Senate panel cuts off funds for Cheney’s office

AP reports:

A Senate appropriations panel chaired by Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., refused to fund $4.8 million in the vice president’s budget until Cheney’s office complies with parts of an executive order governing its handling of classified information.

At issue is a requirement that executive branch offices provide data on how much material they classify and declassify. That information is to be provided to the Information Security Oversight Office at The National Archives.

Cheney’s office, with backing from the White House, argues that the offices of the president and vice president are exempt from the order because they are not executive branch ”agencies.”

The funding cut came as the appropriations panel approved 5-4 along party lines a measure funding White House operations, the Treasury Department and many smaller agencies.

Group raises money to fly pro-impeachment banner at All-Star Game

This just in from The Raw Story:

Online activists raised enough money in two hours Monday afternoon to fly a banner encouraging the impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney over AT&T Park in San Francisco before Tuesday's baseball All Star Game.

Read the rest here.

The majority of Americans support the impeachment of Vice President Cheney

According to a poll released Friday by the American Research Group, 54% of adults favor proceeding with impeachment proceedings against Cheney

In case you have any doubts about the basis for impeaching Cheney (!) please watch the following video clip from Robert Greenwald. It includes an excellent collection of Cheney's lies and deceit.



Crooks and Liars has more. You can also read about Rep. Dennis Kucinich's bill for impeachment (H.R. 333) at his site.

Join me in turning up the heat on impeaching Cheney

My Representative is a freshman Democrat who won on the same promises as many of the new Democrats in Congress. He said he would hold the Bush Administration accountable, and bring about change in Washington. Well, the freshmen seem to have forgotten why we voted them in. I sent my Congressman, John Sarbanes, the following letter, and I encourage you to contact your Representatives, too.

Representative John Sarbanes
U.S. House of Representatives
426 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515-0001

Subject: Cheney Committed Treason, Impeach Him

Dear Representative Sarbanes,

Testimony from the Scooter Libby trial has made it perfectly clear that Libby did not act on his own in "outing" covert CIA agent Valerie Plame. Rather, he acted at the direction of his boss, Vice President Cheney, when he spoke with multiple reporters about Plame. Disclosing a CIA agent's identity — or directing others to do so — is a crime of treason against our nation; Vice President Cheney must be impeached and removed from office immediately.

In addition to this crime, Mr. Cheney:

- Repeatedly lied to the nation about the potential threat of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, provoking the invasion and occupation of that country, with catastrophic results for our nation;

- Continues to lie and distort intelligence regarding links between Iraq and al Qaeda; when such links simply did not exist before our invasion; and

- Continues to threaten aggression against Iran, in violation of the United Nations charter and in a manner that destabilizes the region and harms our national security.
All of these actions certainly meet the constitutional test of high crimes and misdemeanors. So I ask that you join your colleagues in co-sponsoring H. Res. 333, Articles of Impeachment Against Dick Cheney. I look forward to your response to my letter on this most serious of topics.

"Creature Comforts" takes on the Iraq War

I think Rumsfeld's my favorite, but Condie's pretty good, too. Enjoy.

Libby receives "get out of jail free" card [Updated]

Think Progress has a nice summary on why this is just wrong, wrong, wrong.

Un freakin' believable, even for this administration. I nearly choked on my beer last night when Katie Couric announced that President Bush has commuted Lewis "Scooter" Libby's prison sentence. Libby, as you will remember, was tried, convicted by a jury, and sentenced for obstruction of justice and lying to a grand jury in the case of leaking classified information (specifically, the name of Valerie Plame, who was at the time a covert CIA agent).

Bush, Cheney, and the rest of this group clearly feel they are above the law, and deserve different treatment than you or I. Where is the "equal treatment under the law"? Where is the outrage by the American public? Will our grandchildren read about this time in their history class and ask, "How could they let this happen? Why didn't anyone do anything?"

CNN has a roundup of reactions by the politicos, candidates as well as others. Here is a sampling, starting with a great suggestion by Sen. Joe Biden:

Sen. Joe Biden, D-Delaware, presidential candidate “Last week Vice President Cheney asserted that he was beyond the reach of the law. Today, President Bush demonstrated the lengths he would go to, ensuring that even aides to Dick Cheney are beyond the judgment of the law. It is time for the American people to be heard — I call for all Americans to flood the White House with phone calls tomorrow expressing their outrage over this blatant disregard for the rule of law.”

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, and presidential candidate “This decision to commute the sentence of a man who compromised our national security cements the legacy of an Administration characterized by a politics of cynicism and division, one that has consistently placed itself and its ideology above the law. This is exactly the kind of politics we must change so we can begin restoring the American people’s faith in a government that puts the country’s progress ahead of the bitter partisanship of recent years.”

Former Sen. John Edwards, presidential candidate “Only a president clinically incapable of understanding that mistakes have consequences could take the action he did today. President Bush has just sent exactly the wrong signal to the country and the world. In George Bush’s America, it is apparently okay to misuse intelligence for political gain, mislead prosecutors and lie to the FBI. George Bush and his cronies think they are above the law and the rest of us live with the consequences. The cause of equal justice in America took a serious blow today.”

Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-New York, presidential candidate “Today’s decision is yet another example that this Administration simply considers itself above the law. This case arose from the Administration’s politicization of national security intelligence and its efforts to punish those who spoke out against its policies. Four years into the Iraq war, Americans are still living with the consequences of this White House’s efforts to quell dissent. This commutation sends the clear signal that in this Administration, cronyism and ideology trump competence and justice.”

And these two toadies, as expected, I suppose:

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, presidential candidate “After evaluating the facts, the President came to a reasonable decision and I believe the decision was correct.”

Former GOP Sen. Fred Thompson, likely presidential candidate “I am very happy for Scooter Libby. I know that this is a great relief to him, his wife and children. While for a long time I have urged a pardon for Scooter, I respect the President’s decision. This will allow a good American, who has done a lot for his country, to resume his life.”

Here's the contact information for the White House. Give 'em a call today.

London "Car bomb" has media in hysterics ... again

It saddens me when I hear a report like the one this morning about police finding a "car bomb" in London and averting "carnage" and "massive loss of life." It saddens me because my first reaction is not "Oh no!" but, "Are you sure?"

I just don't trust the mainstream media to report stories like this in proportion to the facts. CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, all the major papers, report of potentially devastating loss of life being narrowly averted. It is only upon greater research on the part of the reader that one discovers that the "bomb" consisted of 2 canisters of ... are you ready for this? ... propane gas. Yes, I have 2 such canisters on my patio at this very moment. Even I know that this would create big fireball, and not much else. CNN also reported that the "bomb" was "packed with nails." Only now we find out that nails were scattered on the floor of the car. Again, doesn't seem to me that this justified the description "packed."

The Guardian UK has a much more levelheaded report on this story.

Please don't get me wrong: this could have been extremely dangerous, and people could have been injured or killed. But initial media reports of this story were sensationalized. Just like the stories about potential hijackers in London a few months ago, and the Fort Dix "terror suspects." The frenzy dies down after the initial reports, and buried deep in the news are the facts that have developed: in neither of those two cases were the "terror plots" anywhere near the chance of becoming a reality.

When the media sensationalizes these events, it does nothing but feed the power grabbers Bush and Cheney. Let's calm down a little until we have the facts on this.

Not worth impeaching?

From BuzzFlash:

On a Thursday phone call with Bloggers (BuzzFlash was on), Nancy Pelosi reconfirmed that her eyes are on winning the White House for the Dems in 2008 rather than pursuing impeachment.

She sincerely believes that an incremental series of revelations of GOP illegalities will sink the Republicans. The challenge to that viewpoint is that Cheney and Bush still have the power to precipitate an international crisis to get Americans to "rally 'round the flag."

Secondly, if they are not held accountable for their flagrantly illegal behavior, how can you expect anyone charged in our court system to respect the rule of law if the President and Vice President of the United States violate it with such impunity?

It's also hard to maintain control of Congress when you have a 14-21% approval rating, largely because the public perceives the Dems as weak and unable to end the war or rein in the power of a rogue, lawless Executive branch.

Yikes. Are we really stuck in such a political quagmire that even though the Democrats hold a majority in Congress, there is no momentum to bring Bush and Cheney to justice for their many, many illegal acts? He "only" has 2 years left in office? Folks, that's a lot of death and destruction at the hands of these two.

How Dick dodged the draft

With the recent series of articles by The Washington Post revealing the extent to which Dick Cheney has been running this country, it seems appropriate to revisit an old but relevent topic. When the Vietnam war was "surging," what exactly was young, healthy, intelligent Dick doing?

As we know from an earlier interview he gave to the Post, he stated that he did not fight because "I had other priorities in the '60s than military service." I'm sure today's servicemen and women also have "other priorities." But they serve when called. Dick found an interesting way to get out of his service. From Slate:

• Aug. 29, 1964: Dick and Lynne Cheney marry.
• May 19, 1965: The Selective Service classifies Dick Cheney 1-A, "available immediately for military service."
• July 28, 1965: President Lyndon Johnson says draft calls will be doubled.
• Oct. 26, 1965: The Selective Service declares that married men without children, who were previously exempted from the draft, will now be called up. Married men with children remain exempt.
• Jan. 19, 1966: The Selective Service reclassifies Dick Cheney 3-A, "deferred from military service because service would cause hardship upon his family," because his wife is pregnant with their first child.
• July 28, 1966: Elizabeth Cheney is born.
• Jan. 30, 1967: Dick Cheney turns 26 and therefore becomes ineligible for the draft.

Dedicated students of obstetrics will observe that Elizabeth Cheney's birth date falls precisely nine months and two days after the Selective Service publicly revoked its policy of not drafting childless husbands. This would seem to indicate that the Cheneys, though doubtless planning to have children sometime, were seized with an untamable passion the moment Dick Cheney became vulnerable to the Vietnam draft. And acted on it.

Carpe diem!

Who says government policy can't affect human behavior?