A Daily Call for Impeachment
Caelan MacTavish
A few minutes and a few dollars on your phone bill—that’s all it takes. Call both your Senators, and your Representative, and say just a few brief words:
“Hello. I’m an Oregon constituent, and I want George Bush impeached.”
Make the call every day to these offices:
Sen. Ron Wyden: (202) 224-5244
Sen. Gordon Smith: (202) 224-3753
Rep. David Wu: (202) 225-0855
Rep. Greg Walden: (202) 225-6730
Rep. Earl Blumenauer: (202) 225-4811
Rep. Peter A. DeFazio: (202) 225-6416
Rep. Darlene Hooley: (202) 225-5711
With enough constituent pressure, somebody will finally broach the subject on the floor.
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Jan 16, '06
While I share the ultimate goal of impeachment, rather than using time and energy making calls that even if they brought it up would still go nowhere, why not figure out where the targeted House races are around the Country. Let’s find a way to help elect a Democrat majority who would not only be able to hold oversight hearings, but possibly lead to impeachment. With technology the way it is, campaigns across the country should be able to find a way to use the volunteer energy and talent from people around the country.
Also to remove a President from office takes a 2/3 vote of the Senate (not likely to happen anytime under Bush's 2nd term). I'm all for the passion, but let's be practical on where we can make a difference. Take the House back...and begin the process of rebalancing democracy and showing respect to the Constitution.
2:01 p.m.
Jan 16, '06
Great President Cheney! You know the Democrats don't get to be in control and there isn't a new election, if there is an impeachment. I agree with person above me who didn't use their name. Spend your time on something useful.
Jan 16, '06
I agree with the first comment. The only way for a sucessfull impeachment is for a dem majority in 06 lets work on winning!!!
Jan 16, '06
You'll do nothing but annoy the poor interns. They won't pay attention after your first call. Besides, if you look at the polling, calling for impeachment now makes winning in '06 less likely - yet, its more important.
Jan 16, '06
Well for starters i didn't vote for George W. or his dad either,there have been some capable republican presidents George W. is just incompetent.-Danny Haszard
Jan 16, '06
You are same the asshat that suggested that only progressives should be allowed to vote. Now you want progressives to sound shrill and neurotic by calling their representatives, ruining their personal credibility, and demanding impeachment. Don't they screen the columnists here? You need to grow up and learn how the system works. Until then, effectivness will continue to elude you.
Jan 16, '06
I personally think George Bush is doing an awesome job. This problem in the middle east is something in which Kerry would have had to deal with also everything else would basically be the same.
Bush is a Lame Duck and there is really is not anything you can do about him now. Whether this means impeachment, because he has not done anything that would require him to get into trouble.
So instead of stressing out over the fact that he is doing some awesome leadership, why do not you be more concerned about doing something that is constructive. Like getting involved with a candidate for the up coming elections only a few months away.
I understand you are a democrat and do not like the conservative ways. Whether this is the case or not, get involved with something positive for this country. Even if this means getting one of your candidates elected into office.
Jan 16, '06
I've been reading scraps of organizing for a full slate of Impeach candidates running in all 435 House districts. Like a new party or something. The Public Party.
An Impeachmonkey Majority in the House is not going to stop with liar murderous war criminal Bush, it would be a double impeach ceremony. In '07.
Then the next president of the U.S. is the Speaker of the Impeachmonkey House. In '07.
Then, with the whole cabinet exiled, (on their way charged for their own capital offense war crimes Nurembergs), the Impeach mob starts on the Supreme Court, and indicting in tandem ex- Rep's and Sen's, -- like Wyden, Smith, for treason conspiracy to have sat there criminally complicit with the killing administration's war crimes for FIVE YEARS. They can be in prison a lot longer than that.
What did 'private sector' journalists know and when did they know it and who paid them not to report it or report lies -- from Sulzberger to Miller, and whoever -- might also be indictable war crimes, (after all, that's the blood and lives of hundreds of thousands of souls EVERY Betrayal-Paid Member of the Media's hands are dripping with). Which all gets more plausible when an Impeachmonkey Congress starts making the law of who is a patriot and who goes to jail, (like Bushmonkeys have been doing). It doesn't sound like half-a-loaf scenarios, (such extreme seems actually to be attracting 20-somethings radicals -- a snowballing Fear Them factor), so when Rep-nazis go down, the middlemuddle Dem-nazi-lites might NOT go up, (because they were never on the 'other side' from, Dem's never were opposed to: war crimes).
Sort of 'young people' have a new kind of 'mid-cycle election' swirling together on the internet, mob voting, keeping kind of under media radar so far. Apparently a unit of effort does more if put in building anew -- Run for Office, Your Self -- there's no mystery, no 'born' genetics to govern: LEARN how, make U.S. Representative a lunchbucket job, draft citizens for Congress like jury duty, no mystery to it, hardly any skills: can you answer the phone? The same unit of energy does less if put against the current Congress to 'change your minds,' 'stand up and fight,' 'show some spine' -- yeah, make the phone calls, just for the record. And then do what matters. Start a replacement campaign for their jobs. Vote for me to impeach -- one single issue, no party label. See also www.impeachpac.com.
Relay this comment right here to your contacts 'out there' and see for yourself, from the feedback you get, (since media won't tell you), whether or not the Public could galvanize overnight. At the speed of the internet. Vote write-in candidates and absentee, those ballots make paper trails.
Olden days Dem's and Rep's might shamefully bloody-handed be looking to hide their labels to get with the Public.
Political parties is not government. The government of the U.S. is us.
<h1></h1>10:44 p.m.
Jan 16, '06
"Stunned" writes You are same the asshat...You need to grow up and learn how the system works.
Caelan...don't let gutless wienies like the above, who haven't the cajones to sign their own names, deter you from expressing your opinion. This is still America, and idealism has yet to be buried for good as long as some of us still believe in the rule of law, and the right of citizens to petition their government.
Jan 17, '06
The Bush gang in the White House are war criminals. Their lies are responsible for the deaths of more Americans than Osama's gang. And then there are the tens of thousands (perhaps hundreds of thousands)of civilians killed in Iraq. They have tortured. They have illegaly spied on Americans with no oversite as to who they are spying on or why. They have turned "America" into a dirty word all over the world. As Rev. Martin Luther King said: "A time comes when silence is betrayal. That time has come for us in relation to Iraq (Vietnam). The truth of these words is beyond doubt, but the mission to which they call us is a most difficult one. Even when pressed by the demands of inner truth, men do not easily assume the task of opposing their government's policy, especially in time of war. Nor does the human spirit move without great difficulty against all the apathy of conformist thought within one's own bosom and in the surrounding world. Moreover, when the issues at hand seem as perplexing as they often do in the case of this dreadful conflict, we are always on the verge of being mesmerized by uncertainty. But we must move on." We need to break the silence in every and any way we can. Was it Dante who said that the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who see evil being done and choose not to get involved and ignore it?
7:58 a.m.
Jan 17, '06
who haven't the cajones to sign their own names
Couldn't agree with you more Frank.
A minor Mr. Language Person quibble:
It's cojones (balls, testicles, etcetera). A cajon is a box.
Mr Language Person out........
Jan 17, '06
Does anybody know what Tenskwatawa is trying to say? Is the term "Impeachmonkey" referring to the Democrats? Or people who want to impeach Bush are naive?
10:08 a.m.
Jan 17, '06
Well for starters i didn't vote for George W.
Neither did the majority of Americans.
Jan 17, '06
Zogby just released a new poll that shows a majority of Americans want Bush impeached.
Have you made your impeachment calls today?
Jan 17, '06
HUGE sigh.....with the rants for impeachment like those above I have a sick feeling that a Democratic victory in 2006 is slipping through our fingers. "First Steps First" is correct....the political landscape in the Senate will never be fertile for impeachment of GW...term limits will take him back to Crawford...nothing else.
Wild eyed calls for a movement to impeach further marginalize us from the mainstream of Americans needed to win elections and govern effectively. Kari my friend, you are politcally astute enough to know better than to go down this fire bombing path.
2:17 p.m.
Jan 17, '06
Kari my friend, you are politcally astute enough to know better
Whoa, easy there chief... this is my first comment on this item. I have nothing to do with Caelan's ill-advised plan for annoying the crap out of the congressional interns.
Jan 17, '06
OOOPS! The eyes are going with age....I mistook Karl for Kari. I have no idea if Karl is politically astute....so....nevermind.
Jan 17, '06
Of course the R led HOuse will not impeach Shrub, nor the R led Senate remove him, but a few congresspeople who refuse to heed the public will might lose their seats if folks make enough stink about Shrub's crimes. Unless the media reports it, voters will not know they in the majority in wanting Shrub gone.
Jan 17, '06
I'm gonna make the phone calls and donate to targeted House races.
"Two mints are better than one"
Jan 17, '06
I agree with Karl that the group in power right now is a group of war criminals and I believe that, eventually, they will be tried in an international court for their crimes against humanity. That they haven't yet speaks to the ineffectual nature of the UN, the World Court or any other monitoring agency in dealing with the US. Essentially, no one wants to lose favor with the richest country in the world (even though we might not be for long).
Even more dire news - especially for those of you who didn't vote for him - the last 2 national elections were rigged, first in FLorida and then nationwide by use of electronic voting machines and tabulators with no paper trails, manufactured by companies like Diebold and ES&S, companies with controlling stockholders like Chuck Hagel, who won his seat in an upset victory in which his own company's voting machines were used. Even if we impeach George Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Donald Duck, Condi and the gang, we still have to deal with the fact that these guys have figured out how to rig a national presidential election and get away with it. Until we grapple with and take on this reality, we will never win another election.
On a side note, Oregon does have tabulators that count our votes, using machines by either ES&S or Sequoia. County clerks have also been shown by national caliber techno geek and whistle blower Clint Curtis how the vote could be rigged in Oregon.
Impeachment is only one step. Restoring integrity to our elections is the key to our future. See Oregon Voter Rights Coalition and Alliance for Democracy's websites.
Jan 17, '06
NSGN: are you and Tenskwatawa the same person? More like a split personality really: it's almost like somebody took the Tenskey post and translated it into Standard American English. When you're not drinking, you don't rhyme so good (if you're one and the same).
If you really believe that our elections are rigged, and our leaders are guilty of war crimes, why not move to Canada, or Mexico, or Cuba? When was the last time they invaded anybody or started a war? Hell, I'll even start up a collection to buy you an airline ticket to the paradise of your choice (they say Venezuela is nice this time of year). But it's got to be a one way ticket, and you have to show a residency visa before I'll pony up the first $100 worth of American War Crime dollars.
Jan 17, '06
You might as well be crank calling Kevin Mannix or the Multnomah County GOP headquarters. Who cares if the congressional receptionists hate your guts? If you want to really piss off somebody, piss off the Republicans. Preferably after 2:00 a.m. The impact (in either case) will simply energize your opposition, and further alienate the centrists.
I've got a better idea: how about walking around Pioneer Courthouse Square with a big sign poster that says, "George Bush is a jackass" or "Impeach King George!" Perhaps a donkey costume with a sandwhich board on either side. Yeah...that'll do it.
You're acting like a bunch of college freshman! You're making OSPIRG look like a bunch of savvy political operatives (by comparison). Hey, I've got an idea: how about trying to register illegal aliens to vote! That'll win some hearts and minds. What could go wrong?
Jan 17, '06
I see your point given warrantless wiretapping is unconstitutional. Unfortunately it will be really hard to get at the facts. You know how elusive facts can be when it comes to some politicians.
Jan 18, '06
Alice - Nope, I'm not Tenskey and, from his/her post, I did not see an emphasis on election reform, though I could sense the sense the same healthy paranoia I am proud to possess. You might actually think we're paranoid, but it is important to study the models of other countries (Nazi Germany, Soviet Union, Roman Empire, etc...) to understand that everything being done now by our government has been done before by other regimes that eventually slid into tyranny. There is so much I could say about this - comparing the current state of embedded journalistic reporting to that of the old Soviet Union, where reporters were on the government payroll (and underground samizdat presses sprung up all over the place, the way blogs are now), how Jews in Germany in 1935 said, "It can't get worse," etc... These guys are not that creative. They're doing what has worked for others in the past. We must be the watchdogs of our government and we must hold our elections process as sacred. This is not only a right, but according to our Bill of Rights, it's a responsibility. That said, VanCouver is a pretty nice town but for now I'll stay and be a subversive writer and likely I'll see ya around the cell block at Lubyanka.
Jan 18, '06
Alice,
Some folks move away, while others stay and fight. Still others are oblivious to the election-stealing war criminals running our nation.
Bruce,
So you you think citizens communicating their positions to elected officials is a useless waste of time. Maybe we should return to monarchy and scrap all this silly democracy stuff.
Since a majority of Americans support impeachment, just how would asking Congress to make it so alienate anyone but Shrub-loving troglodytes?
Jan 18, '06
"Election stealing war criminals" Hmmmmmm
Rants from the far far left like this is why mainstream Dems fear we are likely doomed this November. I sometimes feel that the REALLY ultra left are actually afraid to win elections and be in a position to govern....what would they have to wail about then?
Tom, NSGN, and their ilk are sabotaging our efforts in 2006 to win back at least the house if not the senate. It's beginning to dawn on me that it may be intentionally. UGH!
1:08 p.m.
Jan 18, '06
This is what the poll asked (not the same as saying "impeach Bush" by a long shot):
The poll found that 52% agreed with the statement:
"If President Bush wiretapped American citizens without the approval of a judge, do you agree or disagree that Congress should consider holding him accountable through impeachment."
43% disagreed, and 6% said they didn't know or declined to answer. The poll has a +/- 2.9% margin of error.
Interestingly, the same group (www.democrats.com) note that the Clinton impeachment continued even when a much lower proportion of the public approved.
So my questions. Should we impeach Presidents based on public opinion polls? And if we do pay attention to polls, wouldn't we want an overwhelming majority (certainly more than 52%) in favor of impeachment.
Jan 18, '06
Skip,
What is 'far left' or left at all about noticing that Republicans have been working hard at stealing elections, most certainly stole the 2000 presidential election and most likely stole the 2004 presidential election; and that the Bush administration violated very clear prohibitions against preemptive war, making them, as the Nazis were in WWII, war criminals, plain and simple?
'Left', if it has any meaning, refers to views on economic policy and government scope of activity. Are you suggesting that only "far left'-ists are concerned about the legitimacy of democracy and the validity of international law? If so, those not 'far left' are piss-poor citizens and humans.
Or are you one of those 'centrists' who believe that extreme crimes of the powerful should not be mentioned in public, as that may disrupt the comity of discourse. In that case, I have little use for you and your ilk.
I do not recognize the initials 'NSGN'. Sorry.
paul,
"Should we impeach Presidents based on public opinion polls?"
No, but when there is strong evidence that an official has committed high crimes and misdemeanors, the support of the public should engender in Congress sufficient backbone to do their duty in protecting the republic.
Jan 19, '06
Paul,
I agree with Tom; we shouldn't impeach based on public opinion polls, but on evidence of "high crimes and misdemeanors." We have that.
Your other question:
wouldn't we want an overwhelming majority (certainly more than 52%) in favor of impeachment.
Well, we didn't need an overwhelming majority to elect Bush (51%), and Arnold was actually elected Calif. Goc. with a 48% minority.
To everyone who says this is a waste of time:
What else should we do? Ignore the illegality of Bush's actions? Voicing our opinions is our duty as citizens.
Yes, there are other large problems--Diebold, redistricting, Republican domination of all four estates, and on and on. This post was to offer a simple, immediate course of action. If you don't want to call your reps in Congress, fine. Do all those other things you are saying should be done.
Me, I'm making my daily calls for impeachment as well.
Jan 21, '06
NSGN is an aviation thing. Has nothing to do with Dems, Republicans, Libertarians, etc... though it may be my way up to Canada when Alice routes $40K into my bank account. :)
At the end of the Gorbachev era I lived in the former USSR and renting an apartment became nothing short of a nightmare. None of the old ladies who let apartments or rooms would rent to me because I was American. Finally, I got one very old lady to talk, not to me, but to my now ex-husband, who is Russian. She told him she still remembered the Great Purges, the midnight knocks at the door, the disappearances of neighbors, friends, family members. Her husband was taken in the middle of the night and for months she did not know where he was being held or why. Then, one day a letter came saying he'd been sentenced to "10 Years without rights of correspondence." Which she later learned was practically code for "Siberian Gulag" or "Firing Squad." She never saw him again. So deep was her fear that 50 years later she could not bring herself to have a foreigner living in her home. I write this because today a political activist friend of mine said he would no longer communicate with me about politics over the phone or the internet. To talk with him, we will have to meet in his home or mine. I agree with Tom Civiletti that some of us will leave and some will stay and fight. But we must not fool ourselves that what I've described above cannot happen here. It can and it will. When I write to Alice, "Seeya around the cell block at Lubyanka," I'm not kidding. It won't be called Lubyanka, maybe Guantanamo or Abu-Graib, and the interrogators will speak English, not Russian and their initials will not be KGB, rather NSA. But the tactics will be the same. For those of us who stay and fight, whether it be by blogging, calling our senators with demands for impeachment, peaceably assembling and speaking, etc... we must understand the price we might pay,and it might seem in vain, as we might not live to see our Constitution restored or Democracy won. And we need to determine whether we can afford that price. MLK once said, "If a man hasn't found a passion worth dying for, then he isn't fit to live."
Jan 21, '06
NSGN:
You are way to paranoid, even for B/O. Any comparison between Stalinist purges and President Bush's willingness to push the legal envelope in preventing the next terrorist attack is too silly for criticism.
Guess which fascist warmonger came up with the below zinger:
"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we will pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of Liberty."
Quit wasting your time blogging. Start stockpiling beans and bullets. Learn how to sleep with one eye open. Memorize the Bill of Rights, so you'll know when they start deleting them from the history books. There is no try, only do (Yoda!).
Here's an aviation analogy: the American Left is actively engaged in political CFIT (controlled flight into terrain). Pull Up (whooo-whooo), Pull Up (whooo-whooo), Pull Up (whooo-whooo). You and Al Gore both sound like you've been eating nothing but Fruit Loops for months.
Jan 21, '06
"to paranoid" should read "too paranoid"...
NSGN stands for National Satellite Geodetic Network? And that is your stage name for what reason?
Jan 28, '06
Cost of Saddam's war with Iran. 1.5 million dead and wounded. Cost of Saddam's Gas attack on Halabja. 5,000 dead civilians. Cost of Saddam's invasion of Kuwait. 6,000 killed, tortured, & raped. Saddam's payments to Palestinian suicide bombers: $35 million.
Listening to a bunch of lefties trying to impeach Bush"...
P R I C E L E S S
Feb 9, '06
OR... mail them an F sticker. :-)