According to several news sources - check here The San Francisco Chronicle and here The Washington Post - Nancy Pelosi has instructed the Democratic Caucus and promised the corporate media that the Democrats will not impeach Bush and Cheney even if they win a majority in Congress. The following is an email I just to Nancy Pelosi ...
The Republicans hounded Bill Clinton until they trapped him in a lie - in answer to a question they had no right to ask in the first place. His affair with Monica Lewinsky was a personal matter between him, Ms Lewinksy and Hillary Clinton. He certainly did not deserve the public lynching that he got.
This president on the other hand has lied us into a horrendous war in Iraq, He has our economy dangling by a gossamer thread, the National debt is soaring and most if it is owned by communist China. He has spied on innocent Americans and seized our records without cause and without a warrant. He has weakened Congress's powers through signing statements and a belief that the executive branch of our government has unitary powers. And now he is threatening to drop nuclear weapons on Iran. Yet we do nothing to stop him.
I realize that the Democrats have no say at the moment, but I think the FIRST order of business when/if the Democrats get control should be the removal of this illegitimate president and vice president. Not only that, I believe the whole administration should be put on trial for their crimes. They are an abomination and a threat to our country - a far worse threat, in my opinion, than Osama Bin Laden or any other terrorist out there. I truly believe that these Neo-Cons will go to any lengths to hold on to their power, such is the depth of their lust for it and their greed.
The voting public is disgusted with both the Republicans and the Democrats. Now is the time for the Democrats to stop this wishy-washy whining and stand up for something. Stand up strong and united. Tell the world that this administration is bordering on dictatorial and must be stopped. Tell the American people that the Democrats are the party that can do it, Tell the American people that you will restore our country to it's former glory.
The recent CNN poll that compares Clinton to Bush shows that the country is ready to admit that electing George Bush was a mistake. We need to correct that mistake (if the Black Box voting situation can be controlled and I have my doubts.) We need to win in November and we need to use that win to take back our country. The only way that can be done is to impeach Bush and Cheney.
I suggest that all of you who feel that this administration must be held accountable for their actions, should also write to Congresswoman Pelosi and your local Democratic party representatives.
Three state legislatures are to vote on calling on Congress to draft articles of impeachment of Bush - Illinois, California (Bush and Cheney) and New Hampshire, according to the New Hampshire Independent Media Center. I plan on contacting my state legislature (NJ) and asking them to do the same. We have to get these crooks and despots out of office one way or another.
"Freedom is the right to be wrong, not the right to do wrong." --John G. Riefenbaker
I have to say that for the most part, I'm a liberal and a progressive thinker, but when it comes to some issues, I don't see eye-to-eye with my fellow liberals. In this case it's the whole issue of illegal aliens.
I heard a woman speaking on the Lou Dobbs show the other night and she was complaining about his use of the word, "alien." She kept babbling on about how they were from the same planet as we were. Obviously, she hadn't looked the word up in a dictionary or she'd spent too much time watching the SciFi Channel.
According to dictionary.com the definition goes like this:
1 a : belonging or relating to another person, place, or thing : STRANGE b : relating, belonging, or owing allegiance to another country or government : FOREIGN.
In my mind that fits anyone here from another country who has not yet become a citizen of this one.
The "illegal" half of the term, comes from the fact that these people who are seeking to shut down our country today are here illegally. They broke the law. Whether you agree with that law, or consider it just is another issue entirely. They are,in fact and by definition, "illegal aliens" and until those who are defending them and their "right" to be here admit that fact I don't see how the discussion can go forward. Calling them "undocumented workers" only clouds the issue. Calling them immigrants and lumping them in with those who worked hard to come here in the legal manner, not only clouds the issue, it demeans legitimate immigrants.
I have nothing against immigrants. In fact, I admire their courage and tenacity. What I do object to is people who have crossed our borders without permission having the temerity to demand their "rights." Don't get me wrong, I empathize with their plight. It must be terrible living with no means to provide for your family, but we have millions of legal citizens of this country who can not provide for their families. People who in some cases are working 2 or more jobs - 40, maybe 80 hours a week - who barely have roofs over their heads or food on their table. I don't see them hopping over the Canadian border to look for work. And I'm quite sure they'd be sent back promptly if they did.
That said, I don't really have a solution for all the illegal aliens who are already here. Rounding them up and sending them back - which we should do - is an exercise in futility and would cost far more than the effort is worth. Convincing them to come forward and register wouldn't be easy either. We would have to provide some incentive number 1. Number 2 we would have to get them to trust that they wouldn't be arrested and sent back. This last might prove more difficult to do than rounding them up. Decades of mistrust and fear are not easily overcome just by saying, "trust us." I don't even trust this government and I was born here!
Regarding the incentive, the obvious is offering them a path to citizenship. I have no problem with this approach, but many of them simply want work - they don't want to become US citizens. Sorry - but this group needs to go back where they came from. With all the Americans out of work, we don't need "guest" workers; we need to pay fair wages so legal citizens and immigrants can take these jobs that the government and big business claim "no American will do."
We also need to respect those immigrants who have followed the correct and legal path to citizenship. Why should those who have entered the country illegally - or those who have overstayed their visas get to jump the line. I hate when people do that in traffic or at the supermarket, I know I would hate it if I had done the waiting period for citizenship only to have someone else who hadn't properly "paid their dues" get in before me.
And I've heard the arguments that these illegals have "paid their dues" because they have lived in fear and under "horrible conditions" for years. Sorry - we didn't ask you to do that as part of the process, so that's not the equivalent. Not going to work.
I'm thinking that we really need to take a good hard look at our citizenship process. We need to walk that fine line between opening our arms to the "tired, poor and huddled masses yearning to breathe free" and opening our borders so wide that there is no protection for those already here. We are, after all a "Nation of Immigrants" and a "Melting Pot," but most other countries have protections in place to ensure jobs for all current citizens who want them.
Which brings me to my next point - the whole jobs issue. All of these people are crossing our borders illegally because businesses are encouraging them. These greedy bastards want to pay people less than a living wage so they can amass huge profits. Now, I have no problem with companies making profits, but they should, and can do so without crushing their competitors and without trampling the rights of their customers and workers . We need to enforce laws already on the books that prohibit businesses from hiring illegal aliens, and we probably need to up the penalties. These businesses must be forced to pay workers a living wage - and that's not minimum wage. No one can live on that. For those who say that if businesses are forced to do that prices would have to rise, I say that if we were all paid properly, we could afford to pay higher prices.
We also need to do something to secure our borders and I know that is far easier said, than done. With miles of unprotected areas between the US and Canada and the US and Mexico, it is, indeed, a daunting task. A wall or fence of some sort seems the most logical solution, but walls and fences can be overcome without a huge effort, so I'm not sure how that could be accomplished. Perhaps some sort of satellite surveillance would work, but I'm inclined to shy away from that Big Brotheresque idea. Folks, I don't know the answer to this one, but somehow we need to prevent criminals and those with evil intent, such as terrorists, from sneaking in. How do other countries do it? Maybe if we ask nicely, they will share this information.
Then again, if we dry up the cheap labor market, the numbers of people crossing the border illegally should lessen and with less people making the attempt, our resources can better handle the situation.
I also want to say that I don't believe that illegal aliens are supporting our economy the way their supporters say they are. Immigrants - yes - legal immigrants do add to our economy because they are doing what they are supposed to be doing. Some illegals may be paying taxes, etc. but the vast majority are getting paid in cash, under the table and aren't contributing a dime.
Lastly, I have also heard some who refuse to think of them as illegal say that senior citizens are breaking the law by buying prescription drugs from Canada or people who speed or drive without seat belts. Yes - these people are also breaking the law. The law is the law - period. As I said earlier, whether the law people are breaking is a just law is a whole 'nuther discussion completely.
With all that said, I am becoming more convinced that this whole illegal alien issue is a smoke screen to keep us from looking at or discussing other issues like the bomb test in Nevada next month or the coming war with Iran (and oh yes - it's coming. If you don't believe it, I have some Iraqi WMDs to sell you).