Replies: 27 Comments
Comment #1: rsaxto said on 5/30/06 @ 4:31am ET...
This signing statements thing is just a sneaky way of creating a Bushie dictatorship over a period of time.
It shows an outrageous disregard of the Constitution and its bill of rights. We've got to get these democracy destroyers out of office.
Comment #2: Rusty said on 5/30/06 @ 5:06am ET...
While journalists write their articles and then go have lunch, people are being blown apart in the sewage filled streets of Baghdad. As Constitutional scholars politely observe that George W. Bush is a dictator and then go have lunch, people are being shot to death in anti-American riots in Kabul.
Perhaps I should appreciate their insights, but The Decider's six-year orgy of deceit and destruction is not going to be stopped by insights from journalists, scholars, or anyone else sitting in an office somewhere.
Bush is a criminally incompetent idiot, but no one in the political or media establishment dares say so. Telling the truth about this monstrous fool would not be a good career move for any well-paid scribe of the corporate media, besides, it might make Republicans angry.
As Bush and his Republican stooges in Congress desperately try to conceal their lawlessness and moral bankruptcy, they have little to fear from the corporate media or incumbent Democrats, for too many of these people abandoned their principles long ago. After all, these "Democrats" and "journalists" have their careers to consider and families to support, so why risk the slanderous vengeance of Karl Rove when being a craven hypocrite is so much easier?
A few courageous Democrats and journalists have spoken out against these hideous Republicans and their frat boy king, and progressive activists have condemned them for years. But these efforts are just a prelude compared to what we must do between now and November.
We can begin taking our country back by helping Democrat Francine Busby in CA 50. According to recent projections, a Busby victory on June 6 would put 100 GOP House seats in play. That would drive a stake through the heart of these GOP ghouls and energize millions of progressive activists across America.
It seems to me that contributing $50 to Busby this week makes more sense than contributing $50 to Exxon/Mobil every week for the rest of your lives so you can drive to your job if you still have one, but I was never very good at math, so feel free to use your own calculator.
Finished?
Good.
Now take a good look at the face of this smirking village idiot and write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. You might want to point out that the Republican crime spree in Washington D.C. is never going to stop unless Democrats regain control of Congress. You could suggest that devout Republicans might want to turn off FOX News and read the New Testament, it has all sorts of interesting information about Christianity that the Republican National Committee keeps forgetting to share with their racist, greedy, malevolent base down there in the former Confederacy, otherwise known as the "Bible Belt", where human slavery was so popular and lynching human beings was a good way to socialize with one's friends and neighbors.
Pick a GOP outrage. Pick any GOP outrage. You can proceed alphabetically or chronologically, or categorize them by death toll, or by the billions of dollars wasted on warmongering, or list GOP outrages in comparison to the Ten Commandments. "Thou shalt not kill" comes to mind, but be prepared to write a long letter.
"The shalt not bear false witness" is also quite relevent, but most newspapers won't accept letters to the editor 5,000 pages long, so you might want to focus on the worst GOP lies and then move on to their enthusiastic poisoning of the earth's ozone layer, stratosphere, atmosphere, streams, rivers, oceans, forests, fields, towns, cities, plant life, animal life, and human life.
We need to fill America's Op-Ed pages with condemnations of this criminal president and his criminal party. Our newspapers will run out of pages before we run out of evidence and proof of Bush/GOP lawlessness, so fire away and keep firing away until we rid America of this renegade government and restore honesty, integrity, and accountability to Washington.
Comment #3: rsaxto said on 5/30/06 @ 5:48am ET...
Get these creeps out of the White House/Congress before they get Rusty.
Comment #4: wallen said on 5/30/06 @ 8:22am ET...
Signing statements are a slap in the face of Congress, which is passing these laws in order to curb social excesses, including those of the president. Of course these laws are supposed to be applied equally to everyone, but Bush, and his criminal administration are simply saying that they are more equal than others. Sound familiar?
If the GOP had any brains, they'd be the ones calling for impeachment.
Comment #5: Truth_in_action said on 5/30/06 @ 9:29am ET...
Congressman Conyers, as horrific as President Bush's signing statements are, I am grateful that he has "documented" the ways he has determined that he is above our Constitution and the legislation he is signing into law.
You just round up all those Presidential signing statements and put them in one very large exhibit binder as massive evidence about this President and his cronies' power grab and trampling on American citizens' rights.
While you are at it, put in some FOIA requests for anything you think he has signed for his own personal power gain that might not be within eye range. I'm sure there are documents galore that may never see the light of day while this group is in office. Make some wild guesses, get some FOIA statements turned in and wait for the denial paperwork to come back, and put those in an exhibit binder, too.
They are dusting their tracks behind them as they go along.
We need one website where everyone can see how our freedoms and the state of this Union were prior to 2000, and the way it is today, side by side for a comparison.
Here is a wickedly sad example of how things have changed through this Administration. Now the Army is charging soldiers for their uniforms. What are they going to do next, charge for food served in the mess hall? For C-rations handed out?
Rusty, you are right, and Tahoe, what a great example of a letter to the Editor. If the papers won't print the truth, our letters to the Editor can be a National wake-up call.
Comment #6: Nolip said on 5/30/06 @ 9:40am ET...
The Constitution, as well as the system of checks and balances designed by our forefathers and the law of the land are the "piss pot" to Monarch Bush who struts his royal arse around the globe (with some domestic trips thrown in) and declares to the world (to borrow from Mel Brooks) "It's good to be King!"
Comment #7: Truth_in_action said on 5/30/06 @ 12:01pm ET...
In a five to four decision, the Supreme Court makes it harder for government employees to file lawsuits claiming they were retaliated against for going public with allegations of official misconduct.
Here is the lawmemo.com version of the Supreme Court document on the case of Garcetti v. Ceballos.
Comment #8: Frosted Flake said on 5/30/06 @ 12:30pm ET...
Nice work T.I.A.
I was on that, You got there first. That's great.
Expect to have more to say about this tonite, but busy now.
Will say, for now, just this.
What did you expect of Alito?
Frosted Flake
Comment #9: feline said on 5/30/06 @ 12:41pm ET...
Congressman Conyers, thank you for raising this very important topic. Bush's excessive and inappropriate use of signing statements undermines the legislative authority of Congress. In my mind this raises concerns regarding the midterm elections, since the congressional Republicans - as well as some Democrats - have demonstrated very little oversight. It also raises a question in my mind, regarding Democratic campaign strategy, and how the topic of impeachment has been handled by the press. Journalists have repeatedly put Democrats on the defensive regarding the possibility of investigations and the initiation of impeachment proceedings if Democrats gain a majority in Congress. Media sources have treated impeachment, (a process clearly outlined and protected by the Constitution), as if it's a dirty word. This is despite the fact that polls and commentary show that support for impeachment of Bush and Cheney has grown in numbers that can no longer be ignored. This is despite the fact that there is no doubt - with or without investigations - that Bush and Cheney have engaged in conduct that merits impeachment proceedings. And, yet, when posed with the question, many Democrats play into the misguided and leading hands of the journalists, denying any intention or need to consider impeachment, now or in the future.
If Democrats gained a majority in Congress (I hope that they do!), and if Bush continues to use signing statements to undermine the authority of Congress and the will of the majority of the People, what remedy exists other than impeachment? As long as Bush is allowed to avoid oversight with signing statements, protected by "states secrets", ignoring the FISA laws and courts, shrugging off the horrors in Iraq/detention centers/New Orleans; as long as Congress allows these abuses of the executive office and the Constitution to continue, our Democracy is in very serious jeopardy.
I know these insights aren't new to the bloggers here; but my question is really directed at the media and the Democrats running for election this year. How do we stop Bush from dictating policy through the overuse of signing statements without impeaching him? And why is impeachment treated like a dirty word, when it is provided in our Constitution to address these very questions?
I can only hope that refusal to consider impeachment as a valid and justifiable remedy will change when Democrats gain a majority in Congress. Yes, Wallen, you are right, if the Republicans had any brains - as well as integrity - they, also, would be calling for impeachment. Thank you all for your excellent points here. JC, as always, thank you for this forum and for you continued dedication and integrity.
Comment #10: Patriot said on 5/30/06 @ 12:43pm ET...
An update on TeamConyersBlog activities over at SoapBox4Truth.org. We're really excited about the progress we've made in our organization.
We are going to revamp Soapbox and bring it up to the standards of other progressive websites. To do that, we're going to make the front page active and updated frequently with editorials and commentaries. All members of TeamConyersBlog are welcomed to submit. While the front page isn't ready yet, the submissions areas are ready for input now. To do so, click my name then click "in the locker room". Login and follow path:
Members > Soapbox > More > Front Page Articles
Rusty was elected our Editor-in-Chief and we are thrilled to have him. His writing talent and insight are unsurpassed!
Our Board members chair the following committees:
Alma - Membership (more volunteers needed)
feline - Elections and Election Fraud (more volunteers needed)
Patriot - Web Design (open for expert volunteers) and JC Liason
Reed31463 - Steering and Public Relations
Rusty - Editor
Tahoebasha1 - Correspondence
We are stepping out to endorse candiates, too. Our first candidate is Francine Busby. We'll support one candidate each month until the election. Support means trying to get attention for her, talking her up on other blogs and contributing to her campaign fund.
Of course, our primary focus is on Congressman Conyers. In every step we take, every bit of growth we accomplish, we seek to gain and expand support for him. We keep a firm grip on what we do so that we will always do him proud.
We are on a membership drive to bring members to ConyersBlog and to TeamConyersBlog. You'll notice that comments on other blogs by our members will include invitations here.
We have written letters to almost one hundred organizations with memberships totalling more than fifteen million people to encourgage them to get political, get JC's petitions signed, to write to their Senators and Representatives and to get out and vote!
We're producing a quality newsletter that goes out about once a week or so. It's informative and easy to read. It contains updates on our activities and the occasional commentary.
We have weekly meetings of the Board of Directors and of the general membership. Our general membership meeting is open to all members, new and old. It's robust, informative and ever-changing. It's every Sunday at 1pm Central Time, 2pm Eastern Time.
So, you see, we're not just chatting idly in the locker room. We're active, we're progressing, we're growing. And we're having fun.
Please join us, help us support John Conyers. He's got a lot going and he needs our support. Together, we can make a difference.
Comment #11: ljm said on 5/30/06 @ 2:28pm ET...
It pervades the SCOTUS as well. To be sure, Roberts and Alito were selected, because they'd tow the Cheney doctrine line.
Comment #12: Nolip said on 5/30/06 @ 2:46pm ET...
Run,Forest! Run!
"Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) is set to deliver key addresses this week to the New Hampshire State Democratic Party Conventions, RAW STORY has learned.
Due to its early primary, the support of New Hampshire Democrats is considered key to securing the party nomination for President."
Feingold to address New Hampshire Democratic convention
Comment #13: MAX 1 said on 5/30/06 @ 3:06pm ET...
FRANKENSTEIN's MONSTER run a-muck on Capitol Hill. The torch bearing Americans, unable to chase Frankenstein down themselves, turn to their Representatives to smoke him out. But ney, instead the FrankenCongress pays no attention to the amperage and volts they allow to flow through their BEAST. And now this MONSTER is seen rummaging through FrankenCongress' offices. "Outrage! Outrage," FrankenCongress cries out. How dare this MONSTER do this to it's master?
It's a good thing that this FrankenCongress isn't Joe Citizen American, other wise, this MONSTER wouldn't have needed a warrant and would have tapped their E-mails and phone conversations. Imagine their outrage then. Imagine.
750+ signing statement WTF!!! The monstrosity of it all.
Well Congress, this IS your MONSTER, you created it through the abdication of any responsibility of oversight to the creation of this MONSTER. And America pays the price for it.
FrankenCongress' MONSTER has ravened the laws of the land and all they did was sit by and approve it all by simply choosing not to be involved at all. And now, when the BEAST bits the hand that feed it, they cry foul. NOW? What changed?
America is barely a light. Dimly lit by 37 torch bearers that are attempting to smoke this MONSTER out.
Stand proud, Con. Conyers. DO NOT LET THAT TORCH FADE. America depends upon your bravery and patriotism to keep us safe from this MONSTER that FrankenCongress created.
Comment #14: cali said on 5/30/06 @ 4:22pm ET...
This IS where our focus has to be
Block the Vote
In a country that spends so much time extolling the glories of democracy, it's amazing how many elected officials go out of their way to discourage voting. States are adopting rules that make it hard, and financially perilous, for nonpartisan groups to register new voters. They have adopted new rules for maintaining voter rolls that are likely to throw off many eligible voters, and they are imposing unnecessarily tough ID requirements.
Congress is considering a terrible voter ID requirement as part of the immigration reform bill. Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, introduced an amendment to require all voters to present a federally mandated photo ID. Even people who have been voting for years would need to get a new ID to vote in 2008. Millions of people without drivers' licenses, including many elderly people and city residents, might fail to do so, and be ineligible to vote. The amendment has been blocked so far, but voting-rights advocates worry that it could reappear.
more
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/30/opinion/30tue1.html?ex=1306641600&en=757f0f02f2bb6a8d&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Comment #15: Rusty said on 5/30/06 @ 4:27pm ET...
rsaxto #3,
Thanks! Rove has to update Bush's enemies list every few hours, so it's hard to stay current regarding which of us would be arrested and detained first.
As of this afternoon, there are 3,875,984,736 names on Bush's enemies list. (That's not counting the unborn, who don't have names yet and are difficult to wiretap) For now, Rove is numbering them Unborn #1 through Unborn #50,000,000,000,000.
According to a friend of mine, who has a sister who dated a guy who went fishing with General Hayden back in 1965 and still stays in touch, I'm Bush Enemy #1,294,088, right behind Cindy Lauper.
Everyone I know is way higher up on Bush's enemies list then me, but I hope to make up some ground this summer.
Patriot #10,
Thank you for all the terrific work you've done and continue to do, you're an inspiration to all of us.
feline #9,
Good insights regarding the apologetic stance of most Democrats regarding impeachment. Their hesitancy to even discuss impeachment is a disgrace, and I'm concerned that even if Dems regain one or both houses of Congress, many of them will still refuse to support Impeachment proceedings because of unfounded fears that Impeaching Bush might "hurt" Democrats in the 2008 elections.
If that happens, the Democratic Party will be #2 on MY enemies list, right behind the Republican party.
Comment #16: Citizen J said on 5/30/06 @ 5:05pm ET...
The more I learn about the midnight raid on Jefferson's office, the more stunned I become. They wouldn't allow his lawyer to be there, they wouldn't allow the House lawyers to be there, the list goes on and on. Imagine if Clinton had sent the FBI to raid Gingrich's office.
To the Legislative Branch: W has kicked in the door to your house, drank all your beer and eaten all of your food. Then he screwed your wife on your bed. He kicked your dog repeatedly on the way out.
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?
Comment #17: cali said on 5/30/06 @ 5:36pm ET...
Congressman Conyers,
Thank you! This is from Firedoglake
Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) held hearings today on the FBI search of Rep. William Jefferson’s offices (D-LA). You’ll recall that Sensenbrenner is still smarting over the WH dumping of the immigration bill in his lap — and now it may be time for a bit of payback.
(snip)
At this point, I’m not sure anyone knows which end is up in all of this. Rep. John Conyers asked today why it was that Jefferson’s attorneys were not allowed to be present during the 18-hour search nor anyone from Congressional staff or legal. There was testimony today from Jonathon Turley and Bruce Fein which called the constitutionality of the warrants into question. Meanwhile, Sen. Bill Frist appears to have flipped his flop again on this. And the threat of resignation from Gonzales, Mueller and others is still hanging out there — along with the Cheney support of Hastert.
http://firedoglake.com/
Comment #18: hpcharlie said on 5/30/06 @ 6:32pm ET...
FIRE RUMSFELD NOW! AS NOTED FROM SENATOR BARBARA BOXER:
SENDING SOLDIERS BACK INTO "HARMSWAY IS NOT ONLY IMMORAL, IT IS TOTALLY INHUMANE, UNCONSCIONABLE, AND COMPLETELY UNAMERICAN AND UNPATRIOTIC!" PLEASE CALL YOUR SENATORS AND CONGRESSIONAL REPS TO DEMAND RUMSFELD BE FIRED AND STOP THIS FLAGRANT ABUSE OF OUR U.S. SOLDIERS!
Charlie C.
Dallas TX.
Boxer Deeply Concerned by Reports that Army is Redeploying Soldiers Diagnosed as Suffering from PTSD
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today sent the following letter to the Secretary of Defense:
May 17, 2006
The Honorable Donald Rumsfeld
Secretary of Defense
1000 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301
Dear Secretary Rumsfeld,
I am deeply concerned by a report in the Hartford Courant (enclosed) detailing stories of American soldiers who are being redeployed to Iraq despite being diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other acute mental health conditions.
Col. Elspeth Ritchie, a psychiatric consultant to the Army Surgeon General told the newspaper that the Army “wrestles with” this issue, because “historically, we have not wanted to send soldiers or anybody with PTSD back into what traumatized them.”
Mr. Secretary, I am in complete disbelief and disgust that the Pentagon would in any way “wrestle” with this issue. No matter what the Defense Department’s recruiting shortfalls may be, it is absolutely immoral to send soldiers who have been diagnosed as suffering from PTSD back into a combat zone.
You cannot simply have doctors prescribe psychiatric drugs such as Zoloft and send these men and women back to a combat zone, where they pose a risk to themselves and to their fellow soldiers.
Secretary Rumsfeld, I know you agree that our soldiers are patriots and deserve the very best care we can offer. Which is why I want to ask you directly: do you believe it is in any way appropriate to send soldiers diagnosed as suffering from PTSD into a combat zone?
I look forward to your immediate response.
Sincerely,
Barbara Boxer
United States Senator
Click here for the Hartford Courant article that Senator Boxer mentions in her letter to Secretary Rumsfeld.
Search the site:
Comment #19: Truth_in_action said on 5/30/06 @ 8:04pm ET...
#17 Cali and others...
If you care to peek at this, Wayne Madsen has an interesting point of view on the rummaging through of William Jefferson's office. Once you are on his website, scroll down to May 28, 2006 to read it. Wayne Madsen's point of view on the FBI picking and choosing items from William Jefferson's office.
Perhaps this is why William Jefferson's attorney was not allowed on the premises during the raid.
#8, Frosted Flake, we're often on the same path, I've noticed. You me, Nolip, Tahoe...
Comment #20: cali said on 5/30/06 @ 8:51pm ET...
thanks TIA for that link
It doesn't even surprise me, nothing they do would
Comment #21: DTW 06 said on 5/30/06 @ 11:02pm ET...
The more things change, the more they remain the same. Despotism (1946) Encyclopedia Brittanica Films
Pay Attention
ask questions
Speak Up!
Comment #22: DTW 06 said on 5/30/06 @ 11:07pm ET...
I am reposting the following from the previous entry:
Comment #42: DTW 06 said on 5/29/06 @ 10:18pm ET...
#21 OhioDem1 - The following simple quote from the NRCC link you provided perfectly illustrates the neo-con approach to winning elections.
"The National Republican Congressional Committee is rallying Republicans to join them today to stop the Democrats' momentum. A Democratic controlled Congress means higher taxes, fewer jobs and weak national security. Americans deserve lawmakers who will represent their values in Washington."
For a peek at the Rovian Republican Strategy note the simple, direct language in this paragraph and also note the structure:
1) CALL TO ACTION - The NRCC is focused on one thing, holding onto power.
2) FEARMONGERING - If Dems rule "higher taxes, fewer jobs, and weak national security."
3) BE LIKE ME - We "represent (your)values" Yes, the party of corruption is still running on shared values.
Using gay marriage, abortion, immigration and other wedge issues to stir up the base will be attempted. Will voters bite again?
COUNTER ATTACK - To win against incumbant republicans Democrats and Independents need to take a page from Rove's playbook. "Keep it simple, stupid!"
This is the era of attention deficit disorder caused by information overload. In order to be heard, politicians need to get voter attention in 10 seconds. Keeping it "short and simple" (even when blatantly inaccurate) has helped the republicans win.
I believe that Democrats need some catch phrases to help them win. The "Culture of Corruption" is a good start. However, it did not require much imagination.
Personally, I like:
Pay Attention
ask questions
Speak Up!
What do you think?
Comment #23: DTW 06 said on 5/30/06 @ 11:22pm ET...
Tony Trupiano is a Democratic challenger who understands the need for a simple and direct message. Following is his three point focus on "do nothing" Thad McCotter, R(11th district)MI.
SUPPORTING OUR TROOPS
* Rep. McCotter voted to continue awarding contracts to Halliburton even if the Pentagon's own audit processes found that more than $100 million of their contractor's costs in Iraq were unreasonable.
* Rep. McCotter opposed expanding access to the military's TRICARE health insurance program to thousands of Reservist and National Guard members, even though 20 percent of all Reservists do not have health insurance, and 40 percent of Reservists aged 19 to 35 lack health coverage.
* Rep. McCotter voted against granting a bonus to grant a $1,500 bonus to every American service member serving in Iraq and Afghanistan , including National Guard and Reserve forces.
Comment #24: Truth_in_action said on 5/30/06 @ 11:35pm ET...
#18, hpcharlie, I didn't see the link so I found the Hartford Courant article on this Military Families Speak Out website. Reading it makes the hair stand up on my head. What ARE they thinking? They want to run these poor men and women serving our country into the ground!
#22 DTW 06, you hit the nail on the head with the GOP/Rove 10 second bite strategy. It's all in the marketing.
Culture of Corruption is a home run for the Dems. You know you've got a winner when you hear Hannity and Limbaugh mention it all the time, albeit with a sneer in their voices. We need more phrases like that. It has alliteration. It speaks volumes visually.
Comment #25: Truth_in_action said on 5/30/06 @ 11:38pm ET...
#18, hpcharlie, I didn't see the link so I found the Hartford Courant article on this Military Families Speak Out website. Reading it makes the hair stand up on my head. What ARE they thinking? They want to run these poor men and women serving our country into the ground!
#22 DTW 06, you hit the nail on the head with the GOP/Rove 10 second bite strategy. It's all in the marketing.
Culture of Corruption is a home run for the Dems. You know you've got a winner when you hear Hannity and Limbaugh mention it all the time, albeit with a sneer in their voices. We need more phrases like that. It has alliteration. It speaks volumes visually.
Comment #26: Truth_in_action said on 5/30/06 @ 11:48pm ET...
Now I checked 3 or 4 times and DID NOT see my post on the website. So I posted it again. And here it is twice.
Sorry folks.
Comment #27: Truth_in_action said on 5/30/06 @ 11:56pm ET...
Wow, speaking of alliteration, here is a perfect example! Gore describes current US administration as "a renegade band of rightwing extremists."
