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Kucinich: Impeachment Resolution

noreply@blogger.com (ebaack) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 01:07:00 +0000

In the House of Representatives on Monday, June 9, 2008, Congressman Dennis Kuchinich of Ohio introduced 35 articles of impeachment against President George W. Bush. The full 65-page text of the impeachment resolution is available as a PDF file HERE (will open in a new window). In its 65 pages, the report itself contains the rationale for each article, any one of which is an insult to the constitution, and all 35 articles taken together make the case for the impeachment of President Bush overwhelming.

The best overall synopsis of the impeachment hearings is in Dennis Kucinich's website HERE (will open in new window). This link provides both the video and text of Representative Kucinich's speech in the House.

All 35 articles for impeachment and their justification taken in their entirety present egregious insults to the constitution, to US citizens, to all military personnel including the living, dead, wounded and their loved ones, to enlistees from either before or after 9/11, and to enlistees from either before or after the invasion and occupation of Iraq.

Action on the impeachment resolution is required to close a very sad chapter of recent American history.

Barack with David Letterman

noreply@blogger.com (ebaack) — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 17:54:00 +0000

Part ONE, September 10, 2008

Part TWO, September 10, 2008

Part THREE, September 10, 2008

David Letterman after the interview:

"How about that Senator Barack Obama? He's just smart. And he could easily do my job. There's not a chance in hell I could do his job. How do you think that makes me feel?"

Television is Not the Truth!

noreply@blogger.com (ebaack) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 04:42:00 +0000

The 1976 movie, Network, is a movie at least 32 years ahead of its time.

The speech, Turn it Off, is from Network, the movie for which the actor, Peter Finch, won an Academy Award for best actor. Although this movie is 32 years old, some say the conditions that network newscaster, Howard Beale, rails against are not much different today.

Watch Howard Beale, the Mad Prophet of the Airwaves. Then turn off your televisions!

This is the sad truth made only sadder by our present political process: Many Americans have watched television uncritically for the past 32 years. Many Americans do not read books. Many Americans cannot research issues objectively. The results are Americans who have become unwitting subjects of political spin masters who pass lies for truth. While Americans have slept, SPIN has become a science and an art form.

This film clip is from the American Rhetoric website HERE.

You Cannot Conquer America

noreply@blogger.com (ebaack) — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 06:09:00 +0000

After the US Colonies declared their independence on July 4, 1776, war between the Redcoats and Rebels—as we were then called—continued until Britain finally saw the hopelessness of their situation. They were trying to win a war against nearly two million Americans occupying the entire eastern coast from Florida to Quebec, with British Loyalists who could not be depended upon, with the impossibility of amassing required troops and supplies, and even with German mercenaries, Britian simply could not wage a war it could win.

The British debated the issue, however, when on February 2, 1778, William Pitt, First Earl of Chatham, passionately spoke to his peers in the Upper House.

No man thinks more highly than I of the virtue and valour of British troops; I know they can achieve anything except impossibilities; and the conquest of English America is an impossibility. You cannot, I venture to say it, you cannot conquer America... What is our present situation there? We do not know the worst, but we know that in three campaigns we have done nothing, and suffered much... Conquest is impossible: you may swell every expense and every effort still more extravagantly; barter with every pitiful German prince (and his mercenaries); your efforts are forever vain and impotent; doubly so from this mercenary aid on which you rely; for it irritates to an incurable resentment the minds of your enemies... If I were an American, as I am an Englishman, while a foreign troop was landed in my country, I would never lay down my arms, never—never—never!

Despite Lord Chatham's passionate plea, funding for the war in America continued until finally and at last, Britain realized "(1) that American independence was not necessarily a harm to Britain's interests, (2) that an independent America could be a powerful friend, and (3) that to continue to seek blood in America would endanger the hope of that friendship."

How is it possible that we learn nothing from our own history?

Hibbert, Christopher. Redcoats and Rebels: The American Revolution Through British Eyes. 1st American ed. New York, New York: Avon Books, 1991. 201-203.

Joe Lieberman Praises Obama

noreply@blogger.com (ebaack) — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:55:00 +0000

While Senator Joe Lieberman appeared at the Republican National Convention, he extended a gracious, heartfelt endorsement to Barack Obama previously, calling him a "Baruch," which means a "blessing."

Their Traitor, Our Patriot

noreply@blogger.com (ebaack) — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 05:50:00 +0000

Nathan Hale, born in Connecticut, educated at Yale and a graduate of the class of 1773, was executed by the British as a traitor and spy on September 22, 1776.

It is reported that Nathan Hale had infiltrated British lines and was captured with sketches of troop formations and fortifications. When captured, Hale admitted that he was on a secret mission for Gen. George Washington. With neither trial nor due process, British General William Howe ordered Hale's execution on the following morning at 11:00. Hale asked to speak to a clergyman, and for a Bible, but both requests were refused.

Nathan Hale's last words: "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country."

Washington learned of Hale's fate later that evening when an aide to General Howe visited the Americans under a flag of truce to discuss a prisoner exchange. In those negotiations, the aide mentioned that an American, Capt. Nathan Hale, had been hanged as a spy at 11 o'clock that morning.

Nathan Hale was hanged at the age of 21, left grotesquely suspended for three days as a lesson to the hated rebels, then cut down and cast into an unmarked grave somewhere on Manhattan Island.

They hanged our patriot, Nathan Hale.

The information above is from The Connecticut Society of the Sons of the American Revolution which contains more information about our patriot, Nathan Hale, along with information about other American patriots as well.

Nationalistic Spirit Neocons Would Admire

noreply@blogger.com (ebaack) — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 02:34:00 +0000

Since 9/11 and shortly after, many US citizens have embraced President George W. Bush's dictum, a statement made to a joint session of Congress on September 20, 2001: "Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists."

This is a false dilemma with the implication there is no middle ground, the implication that one (1) must agree with everything emanating from the right-wing, neocon, war machine, OR (2) be "with the terrorists" which is, of course, absurd. When this sick mantra was embraced and allowed to flourish in the past, it led to a historic catastrophe easy enough for all to see in retrospect. The short clip below is to serve as a reminder of what can happen when citizens of a nation forfeit their capacity to think critically.

A real danger Americans face today is their own lethargy. Americans should, of course, vote, but then more importantly, Americans should hold their representatives accountable both (1) to their constituencies and (2) to the constitution. However, elected representatives have placed themselves above their constituents and the constitution for too long, and it is past time for American citizens to become actively involved, to reclaim what is rightfully theirs, representatives who see themselves as servants of the public.

Uncovered: The Whole Truth about the Iraq War

noreply@blogger.com (ebaack) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 17:00:00 +0000

The movie below, Uncovered: The Whole Truth about the Iraq War, documents the lies that led the United States to the illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq. Released in November 2003, this film contains the "actual arguments, speeches, and spin given by President Bush and his senior advisors before, during, and after the Iraq invasion." The film's transcript is HERE.

It is impossible to grasp the full extent of the lies and spin by President Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and Condoleeza Rice without watching the entire film--lies about Saddam Hussein possessing nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and mobile laboratories, and having direct ties with al-Qaeda, for example.

However, excerpts by Donald Rumsfeld will show how the administration's spin and lies "changed" from before the invasion and occupation of Iraq to after the occupation of Iraq. The lies had to "change" to meet the reality on the ground, to admit, basically, that Americans were lied into the invasion and occupation of Iraq. Rumsfeld's statements about Iraq's supposed nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons are stated directly below:

Note the progression of lies: These are lies about nuclear weapons before, during, and after the invasion and occupation:

Rumsfeld: "His regime has an active program to acquire and develop nuclear weapons, and let there be no doubt about it."

Rumsfeld: "I have reason, every reason to believe that the intelligence we were operating off was correct."

Rumsfeld: (of nuclear weapons) "We know where they are. They're in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south, and north somewhat."

Rumsfeld: "Uh, and uh, and that we will in fact find weapons or evidence of the weapons programs that are conclusive."

Rumsfeld: "This (finding the nuclear weapons) is a process that takes some time, and, uh, it will ebb and flow."

Rumsfeld: "I don't know anybody that I can think of that has contended that the Iraqis had nuclear weapons."

Rumsfeld: "So it's going to take a period of time to find the people; I don't think we'll find anything myself."

Rumsfeld: "I think what will happen is we'll discover people who will tell us where to go find it" (in reference to weapons of mass destruction).

Rumsfeld: "It, it, it's not like a treasure hunt where you just run around looking everywhere hoping you find something. I just don't think that's going to happen; the inspectors didnt find anything, and I doubt that we will."

Rumsfeld: "What we will do is find the people who will tell us. There are a lot of people who lie and get away with it, and that's just a fact."

The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder by Vincent Bugliosi

noreply@blogger.com (ebaack) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 05:31:00 +0000

According to Vincent Bugliosi¹, George Bush is guilty of murder.

Bugliosi says, "Knowingly and deliberately, George Bush took this nation to war under false pretenses, and therefore, under the law, is guilty of murder for the deaths of over 4000 young Americans who have died so far in Iraq.

In the the short video below, Vincent Bugliosi explains the rationale for which President Bush should be charged with murder.

Bugliosi's book is convincing because his main points are clearly stated, and his support is overwhelming. "There was no credible evidence that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction." "Saddam was not an imminent threat who could unleash nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons on any given day within moments after the order were given." "There was no link between Iraq and Al Qaeda." "Intelligence was fixed to support the policy."

"The results are over 4000 American soldiers killed, over 100,000 innocent Iraqi men, women, and children killed, a trillion dollar cost so far with no end in sight, and alienation among many former friends and allies in the Western world." Finally, Bugliosi calls for the United States of America to return to the great nation it once was, and the first step to achieving that goal is to bring those responsible for the invasion and occupation of Iraq to justice.

Interestingly, customer reviews of The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder are available at Amazon.com, and of 148 reviews, the book received four of five stars. The reviews at Amazon.com are available HERE.

¹"Vincent Bugliosi is well-known for having successfully prosecuted Charles Manson and several other members of his "family" for the 1969 murders of Sharon Tate and six others. He lost only one of the 106 felony cases he tried as a prosecutor, which included winning 21 out of 21 murder cases" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Bugliosi).

Writing for Peace

noreply@blogger.com (ebaack) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 03:03:00 +0000

Writing for Peace is an essay from the book, Barrel of a Pen, by Ngugi Wa Thiong'o.

Written about Kenya in 1982 (during the Ronald Reagan administration), and written from the Kenyan nationalist perspective, Thiong'o exposes the then cultural, political, and economic exploitation of Kenya, his objective to "raise consciousness" and promote an "uncompromising hatred" of all parasitic cultural, political, and economic relationships.

The relevant question after reading Ngugi's essay, Writing for Peace, is this: Does the cultural, political, and economic exploitation Thiong'o described in 1982 still exist today?

Where? And How? What examples are readily available? What can be done? What should be done?

(Click the link above to read the three-page essay, Writing for Peace, by Ngugi Wa Thiong'o.)