Bush and Cheney should be impeached

[babylonsister]

Bush and Cheney should be impeached
By RICHARD SEELIG
Published on November 23, 2007

For well over six years, we citizens have looked on helplessly as President Bush and Vice President Cheney have lied to the American people and shredded the Constitution by illegal wiretapping, by inhumane and unwarranted torture, and by negating laws passed by Congress through hundreds of signing statements. Our representatives in Congress have done nothing to stop these criminals, nor have they held the administration in any way accountable for its appalling actions.

The framers of our Constitution wanted to guard against the possibility that a president might try to seize power and attempt to rule like a king or a dictator, without restriction. So they gave the American people, through our representatives in Congress, the power to impeach the president and the vice president for "treason, bribery, and other high crimes and misdemeanors." The broadness of the phrase "high crimes and misdemeanors," written in 1787, has enabled the Constitution to remain flexible and adapt to change as our nation has evolved. Impeachment is mentioned six times in our Constitution, so our Founding Fathers clearly wanted this tool to be used if it were needed.

One of the fundamental strengths of our Constitution is that it divides government power into three separate and equal branches; if any one branch acquires too much power, the balance is upset and our democracy is threatened. Impeachment is an essential tool of democracy, the ultimate way to protect our system, our people, and our country from officials who threaten our survivability as a nation.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, President Bush has increasingly taken power that rightfully belongs to the Congress and the courts and, as a result, has destabilized our government. His administration must be held accountable, and impeachment is the only Constitutional remedy we have.

First, the Judiciary Committee in the House of Representatives, following thorough investigations and testimony at hearings, draws up a list of charges called articles of impeachment. A simple majority vote in the whole House of Representatives on any charge is required to impeach an official on each charge. Second, the Senate holds a trial to determine guilt or innocence; a two-thirds vote is required to convict. If an official is convicted, his sole punishment is removal from office.

Only two presidents have been impeached: Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton; Richard Nixon would have been impeached had he not resigned, but no president has ever been removed from office through impeachment. Impeachment, however, has never been more relevant or more urgent. No president in U.S. history has ever come close to committing as many crimes against our civil liberties and our democratic system as have the present occupants of the White House. If this administration is not held accountable for its crimes, what message will that send to future presidents and citizens in our country and around the world?

more...

http://www.amherstbulletin.com/story/id/68000/

[acmavm]

1. Whereas I would settel for impeachment in a just and fair country they'd

just be frogmarched into the nearest federal prison to await trial.

I've always been a dreamer.

[Toots]

2. Did you hear there have been some arrests in the Natalie Hollaway murder?

:banghead:

[babylonsister]

4. And look at all the pretty floats in the Thanksgiving parade!

I know; the dumbing down of America continues on course.

[lonestarnot]

3. I think they will be.

:D

[fascisthunter]

5. They HAVE to Be

this country cannot continue on the path of least resistance when it comes to accountability. We've slid too far down the drain and the sewer is one elbow away.

[babylonsister]

6. Awww, my optimistic friend!

:hi: :thumbsup: Happy Thanksgiving!

[lonestarnot]

8. Happy Thanksgiving babylonsister.

:hug: :hig:

[caseycoon]

7. If Congress does not impeach...

As it says in the op....
"If this administration is not held accountable for its crimes, what message will that send to future presidents and citizens in our country and around the world?"

To the citizens they are saying "we don't care what you want. We don't care if you have lost many of your rights. We don't care that our Constitution & Bill of Rights have been trashed. You mean nothing to us. We want to keep the power."

To the world they are saying "We don't care how badly we treat your people or your country. If we don't like what you do we may attack you. We don't care if our actions hurt you. You mean nothing to us. We have the power."

To future leaders they are saying "Look at all these powers we protected & saved for you. Use them as you wish, we don't care. You won't be held responsible for anything you do."