Landmines for Peace

In a chilling example of how this President shows no empathy for anything living, he has decided not to support the ban on landmines. This, dispite the proud fact that the US was the first to call for this ban in 1994. And well we should have. These terrible weapons kill and mame 15,000 to 20,000 people per year, mostly children. Not only are we not supporting the ban, but we plan to produce a new generation that can be even more deadly - the gift that keeps on giving years after wars are over.

"The United States would "seek a worldwide agreement as soon as possible to end the use of antipersonnel mines," President Bill Clinton said at the start of his second term in the White House.

But the Bush administration reversed that promise last February with the Department of State declaring that landmines still have "a valid and essential role" in protecting U.S. forces in military operations."

..."It's a step backward for the United States," says Stephen Goose, an arms expert with U.S.-based Human Rights Watch.

"While the rest of the world is rushing to embrace an immediate and comprehensive ban, the Bush administration has decided to cling to the weapons in perpetuity," he adds."

(US No Longer Promoting Landmine Abolition by Haider Rizvi, December 28, 2005 OneWorld.net)

A State of War Shall Not Be Invoked As Justification For Torture

The current administration seems to think that because he has declared "war" against terrorism, he is not constriained by common moral decency and the law. As President of the United States, he is constitutionally obigated to uphold treaties signed by the United States:

US Constitution- Article VI, Clause 2
"...and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land..."

And yet, the US is a signatory to the Inter- American Convention to Prevent and Punish Toture, which includes the following:

Article 5
The existence of circumstances such as a state of war, threat of war, state of siege or of emergency, domestic disturbance or strife, suspension of constitutional guarantees, domestic political instability, or other public emergencies or disasters shall not be invoked or admitted as justification for the crime of torture.
Neither the dangerous character of the detainee or prisoner, nor the lack of security of the prison establishment or penitentiary shall justify torture.

And yet, both the President and the Vice President, despite pleas from Congress, have chosed to condone torture.

IMPEACH!

He Has Corrupted the Rule of Law - The Oath Has Been Broken

"That oath constituted a compact between the President and the American people. That compact has been broken. The people's trust has been betrayed. The nation's chief executive has shown himself unwilling or incapable of enforcing its laws, for he has corrupted the rule of law."

This is Congressman Hyde speaking on the floor of the House, December 18, 1998, referencing Clinton’s presidential oath of office.

From Amy Goodman at Democracynow.org interview with Congressman John Conyers 12/21/2005
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Our current President has authorized illegal wire taps, and insists they are ok. He has condoned toture and thus abandoned enforcement of international treaties he is obligated by the Constitution to enforce:

Inter-American Convention to Prevent and Punish Torture:

" Reaffirming that all acts of torture or any other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment constitute an offense against human dignity and a denial of the principles set forth in the Charter of the Organization of American States and in the Charter of the United Nations and are violations of the fundamental human rights and freedoms proclaimed in the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights"

Bush Must Be Held Accountable

George Bush cannot protect democracy by destroying it.

..."Either we are a nation of laws and moral values or we are not. We cannot pick and choose which laws to abide by and which to ignore for the sake of convenience or expediency..."

The Olypian on-line December 20, 2005
Quotes from an editorial on illegal intelligence gathering.

Dirty Tricks and Attempting to Soil ANWR

Perhaps it is just a coincidence, but Karl Rove was once in charge of teaching political dirty tricks to up and coming Republicans. Now, the Republicans have added back the authorization for oil drilling in ANWR into the Defense Spending Bill. This, despite the fact that this will do nothing in the short run to ease the price of oil, and will do nothing in the long run to solve our oil dependence.

Drilling in ANWR is a terrible idea. Trying to insert the provision into a defense bill is not good governing. I agree with Representative James McGovern who said "...whether you are a liberal a conservative, or whether you want more government or less, I think most of us would agree that whatever government we have must be competent and responsive to the people. Now, the Republicans control all of government. They control the House of Representatives, they control the Senate, and they control the White House. It is clear that they are unable to be effective stewards of our government."

Add to this the fact that our representatives may not have time to read all of the bill before voting on it, and you have a real scandal. And this is apparently the standard mode of operation. This was also done with the original Patriot Act - where it was voted on without being read or debated by congress. Isn't it their job to read and understand these bills before they vote and become law? If we can impeach the President for "high crimes and misdemeanors", why can't we impeach congress for negligence?

The Other Problem With Domestic Spying - Undue Political Influence

That the President has secretly authorized domestic spying is not all that surprising. Remember, this is not the first time the government has been caught doing this. John Bolton, who is now the US representative to the UN, had illegally obtained information on intercepted messages on conversations between US citizens. It was never revealed who's conversations these were, or why he wanted to know what they were saying.

The other problem I see with this, besides the fact that it is against the law, is that this administration has shown a propensity for using secret intelligence, like from the FBI, against it's pollitical opponents. Kind of like what J Edgar Hoover used to do to keep the funds from Congress flowing to his FBI.

Is it possible that this administration is using this clandestine intelligence to "persuade" congressmen to support and vote for the bills even though the congressmen would otherwise vote against it? And could this account for the support of bills that are clearly unethical, and fiscally irresponsible?

If any of this true, isn't it an impeachable offense?

Global warming is killing bears - who cares?

"For anyone who has wondered how global warming and reduced sea ice will affect polar bears, the answer is simple -- they die,"
said Richard Steiner, a marine-biology professor at the University of Alaska commenting on new reseach that shows that polar bears are drowning in large numbers due to decreased ice in the Arctic.

Five years ago, our government had the choice to begin a war against global warming. Against the advice of sound scientific evidence, it decided to add to the problem instead of pre-empt it.
Unfortunately, you reap what you sow....

I do solemnly swear .... It's just a goddamned piece of paper!

Oath of Office:
"I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of the President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the United States."

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“I don’t give a goddamn,” Bush retorted. “I’m the President and the Commander-in-Chief. Do it my way.”

“Mr. President,” one aide in the meeting said. “There is a valid case that the provisions in this law (Patriot Act) undermine the Constitution.”

“Stop throwing the Constitution in my face,” Bush screamed back. “It’s just a goddamned piece of paper!
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If he doesn't read newspapers, maybe he didn't read the Constitution either?

Pulling Down the Statue of King George

After hearing the news about independence on July 9, 1776, people in New York City celebrated by pulling down a statue of King George III who they had come to view as a tyrant.

Courtesy of Lafayette College Art Collection Easton, Pennsylvania