Last night Rep. Dennis Kucinich was on the floor of the House of Representatives reading 35 Articles of Impeachment against George W. Bush, broadcast live on C-Span. It was covered by Thomas D'Antoni, and the full transcript is available at AfterDowningStreet. That giant sucking sound you hear is the lack of coverage from many major media outlets.
The resolution ranged from the march to war to disregarding environmental concerns. Article 31 was timely given John McCain's claim in a New Orleans suburb last week to have supported the two 8/29 investigations that he voted against. This is what Rep. Kucinich had to say about the bungled handling of Hurricane Katrina. This is a condensed version of his New Orleans resolution:
A FEMA warning for worst possible disasters in 2001 included a terrorist attack in New York, and a major hurricane hitting New Orleans. The hurricane was listed first. An earlier preparedness exercise demonstrated that thousands of indigent residents would need substantial assistance to evacuate New Orleans. Despite this study, George Bush cut budgets and denied grants to the Gulf Cost. The Army Corps levee budget was cut in 2004. By 2005, it was slashed by 44 percent. As a result, the Army Corps was forced to suspend repair work on the levees. The President was given multiple warnings that the storm could be catastrophic. The day before the storm hit, the National Weather Service issued an alert that devastating damage was expected. This was printed in all capital letters.
It detailed that most of the area would be uninhabitable for weeks, if not longer, and at least half of well constructed homes would be destroyed. Power outages and water shortages "would make human suffering incredible by modern standards." Homeland Security was also briefed. According to The New York Times, a Homeland Security report issued hours before storm said that severe flooding and/or levee breaching was probable. These briefs "clearly contradict that such devastation could not have been predicted."Rep. Kucinich repeated Bush's statement, "I don't think anyone anticipated the breach of the levees," comment on Sept. 1 2005, and listed the response as "Criminally delayed, indifferent and inept." The only top FEMA official posted in New Orleans in the immediate aftermath emailed Michael Brown on Aug. 31st regarding the conditions that were past critical. He said that without immediate help, "Many will die within hours." Brown replied, "Thanks for the update. Anything specific I need to do or tweak?" Kucinich noted that Homeland Security's Michael Chertoff "Seemed to not know what happened on ground until reporters told him." The Saturday before the storm Governor Kathleen Blanco asked the President to declare a Federal State of Emergency. The Sunday before the levees beached, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin declared a state of emergency and mandatory evacuation. Kucinich summed up Article 31 with, "This shows that local authorities knew how bad the destruction was going to be, and anticipated being overwhelmed. The failure to act demonstrates gross negligence." He added in the next Article that, "George Bush knew the expected results of climate change and the role of human activity in climate change."
That ties in to the extremely warm waters of the Gulf as the hurricane gained strength that summer. As a Katrina relocatee I paid particular attention to every fact listed in Article 31, which would already have been uncovered in the 8/29 investigation McCain voted down twice. This information has now been entered into the Congressional Record the hard way, and it is sure to find a second life on YouTube:
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It does not matter what subsequently happens in the voting either in the House or the Senate: the Members of Congress have a positive legal duty(!) to enter Articles of Impeachment against "any civil officer" for whom they have probable cause to believe may have committed either "high crimes" or "misdemeanors" while in office.
This is not a political witch-hunt: it is Law Enforcement, and the Constitution says "SHALL be."
If "any civil officer," such as a Senator or Congressman, does NOT timely introduce Articles of Impeachment, said officer has committed the crime of aiding-and-abetting a crime.
To say that "impeachment is off the table" is U-N-C-O-N-S-T-I-T-U-T-I-O-N-A-L.
It is our responsibility to contact our legislators and demand they help move these Articles of Impeachment forward and hold the Bush administration accountable for each and every article.
I was never more proud of a member of the House than I was last night, it was a stunning affirmation of what it means to be a Congressman that truly represents, understands and defends the Constitution. Thank you Congressman Kucinich
Contact your elected officials.
GIVE THANKS WHERE IT IS DUE and PUT ON THE PRESSURE!
PLEASE contact Rep. Kucinich and thank him for his leadership and patriotism. Please take a moment and give him a call and show your support. You can call his DC office at this number (202)225-5871.
Contact Speaker Pelosi at this number and ask her for her support and action. You can call her DC office at this number 202-225-0100.
Contact both of your Senators and your Representative and let them know you support this. You can search for all of your US elected officials by entering your zip code at www.votesmart.org.
You can also read them for yourself at this link. http://chun.afterdowningstreet.org/amomentoftruth.pdf
You can go to democrats.com and see the news on this. You can sign a variety of petitions there.
I did contact every person listed. I hope you did the same.
Impeachment now. Criminal trial later.
ty for the links
BO won't run him as VP
but if he gave DK the AG job
Bush et al would be prosecuted
for war crimes against humanity
and all the world would know
we have a just & honorable Republic
DK is an American hero
a lone voice
in the wilderness
of morally corrupt
policticians
.
1) Troll: Everybody knows the city is a "lost cause" and not worth saving.
Real American: Besides being a part of America, the city is irreplaceable for reasons of national security, economy, and culture. And, it's just the right thing to do.
2) Troll: Democratic Gov. Blanco failed to evacuate the city properly or request federal help in a timely manner.
Real American: Pre-K evacuation went extremely well, those who were left couldn't leave for mostly legitimate reasons, and Blanco everything by the book regarding asking for federal help.
3) Troll: A city which allowed hundreds of school buses to flood rather than use them to evacuate residents doesn't deserve our help.
Real American: Those buses weren't even all functional, they weren't air-conditioned (important when transporting the old, sick, and babies on a 12 to 24 hour ride in near 100 degree weather), and the feds had forbidden their use before the storm anyway. Check out snopes myth-busting website.
4) Troll: Residents who wouldn't get up and walk away don't deserve our help.
Real American: It is 30 or more miles from the New Orleans area to anywhere else, across water, although some survivors did just that, hitchhiking with emergency and rescue vehicles. Check a map if you can figure out which way to turn it.
OK, been there, did that, now let's move on.
This truly was not our country's finest hour. And that's putting it mildly.
Remember, however, that in April 2007, Kucinich also proposed articles for the impeachment of Cheney (available here: http://kucinich.house.gov/Issues/Issue/?IssueID=3750 ), an effort which failed, primarily from lack of support. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has repeatedly voiced oppposition to both the Bush and Cheney impeachment proceedings, on the grounds that it would be divisive and most likely unsuccessful. I see this as patently untrue, arse-covering propaganda, and not so different than the undemocratic reasoning that originally approved and has continued to condone this illegal war.
The only force that will keep these impeachment proceedings from failure will be fullscale public outcry. Grassroots. That's you and me. Please call, en masse, your congressional representatives today. Call Speaker Pelosi, call John Conyers, call Robert Wexler and ask them to co-sponsor Dennis' call for impeachment. Demand impeachment hearings NOW for Bush and Cheney!
Capitol Hill Switchboard:
(202) 224-2131 , (800) 828-0498
Or put it in writing. Urge your Representative and Senators to support these proceedings via the "Support Rep. Kucinich's Articles of Impeachment" letter at:
http://www.democrats.com/35-articles-of-impeachment
Now who's gonna' dance?
Quiz time:
[a] Did they vote to convict Bill Clinton?
[b] Do you think the Republicans, in the end, really gave a fuck?
I really don't see the downside, to having John McCain carry the Republican banner in his quest for the White House, against a 24/7 backdrop of Bush being impeached by Congress. I myself would quit my job, fire up the Colortini, and buy a lot of popcorn and booze.