January 7, 2008 - Impeachment Show. In the first hour withwith Phil Burk Elizabeth de la Vega. in the second hour with John Nirenberg and David Swanson.
Phil Burk founded ImpeachBush.tv in December of 2000, before the inauguration of George Bush. The efforts made by the Bush team to avoid counting votes in Florida led Phil to believe that George Bush might abuse his Presidential authority once in power.
His website provides information about the process and history of impeachment, and describes impeachable offenses committed by Bush. One focus of his group has been to help cities and states pass local impeachment resolutions. Phil helped draft the impeachment resolutions used by the California, New Mexico, Missouri and Washington state legislatures.
Phil is a businessman and American citizen who believes that the rule of law should apply at every level of society.
Phil gave an overview/update of the Impeachment Movement that is happening on the national level and encouraged people to keep pushing for local impeachment resolutions at the county, city, and state levels and to inform themselves of the basics about the Impeachment process, so that they can be more effective in their lobbying, and press efforts. He noted that it is the creative actions that are breaking through the mainstream press barriers (although perhaps because the press would like to paint us as 'fringe" rather than mainstream efforts representing the vast majority of Americans.
Elizabeth de la Vega is the author of "United States v. George W. Bush et al," in which she uses her 20 years of experience as a federal prosecutor to present a hypothetical grand jury presentation setting forth the pre-war intelligence fraud committed by Bush, Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld and Powell. Since retiring in 2004 from her position of Assistant United States Attorney in San Jose, California, where she was a member of the Organized Crime Strike Force, and chief of the office for several years.
In her book, Elizabeth detailed the fraud /lies that the Administration used to launch the attack upon Iraq, and the parallels to the current saber rattling used against Iran, which makes impeachment all the more necessary and timely.
In the second hour, John Nirenberg has been walking from Boston to Washington DC to pressure Nancy Pelosi to move forward with impeachment. His website- www.marchinmyname.org reveals this about him:
"I was born in the midst of the Nuremberg Trials. I grew up conscious of that place as both the beginning of the hate and violence that destroyed all of Europe, and the trials that confirmed a powerful moral sense of what is acceptable and unacceptable even in the depths of war.
As a child I watched all the war movies and believed we Americans really were different and that we fought for a noble cause. I believed in the supremacy of freedom over fascism, I surely thought our glory was based on doing the right thing and our victory showed the power of real democracy.
But even as a child I was puzzled about how the world could sink so low. How could a civilized country like Germany turn into a nightmare of fear, violence and wanton destruction? Watching the movies and seeing a nation turn on one scapegoat after another I asked myself, âwhen do you see the evil for what it is and resist it?â For me, I know the time is now. I am appalled that Americans are actually debating the usefulness of torture techniques and that the Government of the United States is systematically torturing people in the name of freedom and security. As I write this, knowing that President Bush and Vice President Cheney actively support these methods, my skin shudders with anger and fear. Anger because we have stooped so low. Fear because all of what we have cherished as a nation - indeed, all of the great things about the United States that we have shown the world - are being destroyed by the current administration. It isnât just that this administration authorizes torture, that is reason enough for me to take this action, but Bush and Cheney have placed themselves above the law. And that is the first step of all dictators and tyrants.
I am not an activist. The defense of the Constitution isnât ideological. I march because it is essential to stand up to this shame. I march also because I am fortunate enough to do so. I march for everyone uncomfortable with movements, organizers and radicals, but who understand the dire straights weâre in. This is about saving our Constitution. This is about restoring the promise of America. This is about doing what I can as a citizen. This is about shaking the Congressional leadership out of their complacency so that they, too, see the urgency and the importance of their action to right a host of perilous wrongs perpetrated by Bush and Cheney.
Finally, I need to walk because as a citizen it is all I can think to do that demonstrates how important this is to me. I canât sit back any longer satisfied with my outrage. It isnât enough. So I am doing this for me and, I hope, for you.
A Little Bit More About the Project
With a little help from my friendsâ¦
This project developed rather spontaneously after one Bush/Cheney outrage too many finally moved me to literally walk my talk. My first job when I was discharged from the Air Force was teaching high school social studies including American History. It was during the Nixon era a year before he resigned. When he resigned I was overjoyed that it proved to the whole world our system of checks and balances and the very ideals I taught were alive and well.
I moved on to study organizational systems and taught management at the collegiate level on three continents. I was fortunate enough to see the world and to confirm my suspicions that our democracy, as imperfect as it is, still works. I never dreamed that it would be hijacked and that my return to active citizenship would be in a time of another Constitutional crisis. I certainly didnât think my return to active citizenship would be because the institutions I assumed would look after the Constitution would abandon it.
I have decided to undertake this walk from historic Faneuil Hall in Boston to Nancy Pelosiâs office in Washington D.C. because Iâve written the letters, spoken with my Congressman, and been patient while the Democrats settled into their leadership role. I hoped they would do the right thing. But they havenât. Impeachment is âoff the table.â
This effort is to put it back on the table."
John shared his own personal transformation story and details of his amazing march through winter along the path laid down by our country's founders. He should be an inspiration to any who have not yet taken to the streets, and urged people, who weren't quite ready to make such a huge committment to at least give Nancy Pelosi a call and urge her to put Impeachment on the table (Her phone number is: 202-225-0100). He also urged people to simnply raise the issue one on one with people they know or oeven people they don't know- as the public has a responsibility to educate one another, in light of the failure of the corporate media.
David Swanson is the creator of www.ImpeachCheney.org, the Washington Director of www.Democrats.com and of www.ImpeachPAC.org. He is co-founder of the www.AfterDowningStreet.org coalition, creator of www.MeetWithCindy.org, and a board member of Progressive Democrats of America, of the Backbone Campaign, and of Voters for Peace. He was the organizer in 2006 of Camp Democracy. He serves on the steering committee of the Charlottesville Center for Peace and Justice and on a working group of United for Peace and Justice.
He has worked as a newspaper reporter and as a communications director, with jobs including Press Secretary for Dennis Kucinich's 2004 presidential campaign, Media Coordinator for the International Labor Communications Association, and three years as Communications Coordinator for ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. Swanson is a member of and has served on the Executive Council of the Washington Baltimore Newspaper Guild. He obtained a Master's degree in philosophy from the University of Virginia in 1997. His website is www.davidswanson.org. In April and May 2007, Swanson consulted part-time for Kucinich for President 2008.
Recently, he spoke in New Hampshire with "Lord of the Rings" star Viggo Mortensen, Maine Lawyers for Democracy leader John Kaminsky, Congressman Kucinich, and John Nichols.
David described the recent events in New Hampshire, and noted that more and more candidates are pushing for Impeachment, as part of their platform. He also said that kucinich would be a resolution introducing articles of impeachment against George W. Bush in January. He also said that there is a national campaign underway to phone/fax/email/pressure Congress to move forward on Impeachment on January 16th. (By the way, there will also be a national day of action against torture on January 11th. Congress is out of session right now and will reconvene on January 15th). The media has been a major obstacle preventing Impeachment, but due the pressure of a growing popular movement, we are winning over more members of Congress and forcing the issue into the press. There is hope, but it is up to us.
David urged people to sign Wexler's petition at wexlerwantshearings.com, call Congress, visit their offices, do actions, do civil disobedience, write op-eds, write letters to the newspapers, join protests, be creative and do whatever you can think of to raise the Impeachment issue and broadcast your support of Impeachment to the world.
Next Show - January 14, 2008, 9/11 Truth Show with Sander Hicks Sander Hicks is one of the most provocative media activists of his generation. He runs the Drench Kiss Media Corporationâs retail dynamo, âVox Pop.â In 1996, he founded Soft Skull Press, Inc. (acquired in 2007 by Winton & Shoemaker). In 2003, Hicks was star of âHorns and Halosâ (HBO/Cinemax) the independent publishing documentary that recorded Hicksâs attempts to get unpopular truths out about G.W. Bush, through the biography Fortunate Son (Soft Skull, 1999). His own book, The Big Wedding (Vox Pop, 2005) breaks new ground on the working-class intelligence assets and whistle-blowers who tried to stop 9/11 from happening. Hicks has reported for Alternet, GNN, Long Island Press, New York Press, and INN World Report Television (FSTV, Dish Network).
In February, Hicks will be on tour, speaking about Dr. Graham, a 9/11 truth seeker who died from foul play. We will be speaking about Sander's investigations and his activism and the ever unfurling facts about the circumstances regarding the events of September 11th, 2001.
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