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Firing Federal Prosecutors For Political Reasons Is an Impeachable Offense

Craig Houghton — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 16:13:04 +0000

What next step should the representatives of ‘We the People’ take once it’s been proven that the president and his goon squad fired senate confirmed appointments for political purposes? According to James Madison, the president should be impeached.

Thom Hartmann recently gave voice to a discussion in The Congressional Register from 1789. At the time, no “High Crimes and Misdemeanors” had yet been defined. Congress was still in the process of fleshing out the governmental body. That day they were working to establish the department of foreign affairs when discussion turned to the issue of presidential control over appointments requiring senate approval.

from James Madison – “Impeach Bush Over Purgegate!” by Thom Hartmann

According to James Madison, the “Father of the Constitution,” if a President were to order or allow the “wanton removal of meritorious officers” such as US attorneys, such an action “would subject the President to impeachment and removal from his own high trust.”

Read through the sections, at least, that Thom bold-faced. Madison took the discussion very seriously, and he set out his conclusions quite clearly and with great intent.

I own to you, Mr. chairman, that I feel great anxiety upon this question; I feel an anxiety, because I am called upon to give a decision in a case that may affect the fundamental principles of the government under which we act, and liberty itself.

We can’t have political loyalists in the DOJ waving guns and making decisions with only one criterion in mind, the constant sycophantic pleasuring of the president. As a January NY Times editorial points out, “it is particularly dangerous to put United States attorneys’ offices in the hands of political operatives because federal prosecutors have extraordinary power to issue subpoenas and bring criminal charges.”

If the executive branch somehow gets away with firing senate-confirmed appointments for political purposes we tolerate/codify a system that culls the competent and hoists-up parasites. Prosecutors must be objective, capable, and in free to act. Whether it’s Bush or some other president to come, this model absolutely cannot stand. It must be exposed and action must be taken to prevent it from creeping back. We can see, to a degree, what’s been happening with the voter fraud, but who knows what’s next on the to-do list. We absolutely cannot tolerate a system that encourages prosecutors to hold to politics over performance.

The remedy for dealing with presidents that ‘order or allow’ the firing of damned good appointment is clear — the people want it and the forefathers demand it. Imagine a single week, a day, where Bush was actually held accountable for everything he ordered or allowed to happen? Anyhow, there’s a well-sourced and cogent discussion of this matter over at My Left Wing. If you can’t make it all the way through Thom’s, I recommend reading o.c.’s reduction.

U.S. Planning to Attack Iran on April 6th says Russians

Craig Houghton — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 13:21:19 +0000

It’s always dicey to point to a date, but that’s what the Russian media has done. Foreign papers are carrying this story along with a handful of bloggers, but I haven’t heard a peep from the corporate media here. We’re in the middle of a show of force as we begin our war games in the gulf, but is this just a last minute cram before an April 6th attack?

from Online Journal and Intel Daily

WASHINGTON DC — The long awaited US military attack on Iran is now on track for the first week of April, specifically for 4 AM on April 6, the Good Friday opening of Easter weekend, writes the well-known Russian journalist Andrei Uglanov in the Moscow weekly “Argumenty Nedeli.” Uglanov cites Russian military experts close to the Russian General Staff for his account.

and

India E-News

Moscow, March 27 (RIA Novosti) Russian military intelligence services are reporting a flurry of activity by US Armed Forces near Iran’s borders, a high-ranking security source said Tuesday.

Europe’s abuzz now. Where’s the U.S. msm?

I realize this could just be another threat by proxy. It’s odd that it’s coming from Uglanov and friends, but I suppose good psychops would want to get the info into the hands of an unlikely source like that. Either way, that’s all speculation at this point. I’d just like to see the big names pick up on the fact that russian sources are leaking this. I think there’s a story in that (at least).

Additional Sources

Russian News & Information Agency here and here. And, in english.

Note: Thom Hartmann reported on this all yesterday morning. Anyone have anything new? I’m hoping this is bogus, but the actions of the Bush administration are far stranger than fiction.

(image from http://www.oldamericancentury.org)

Thom Hartmann to Replace Al Franken On Air America Radio

Craig Houghton — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 13:59:33 +0000

I’m encouraged by the news that Thom Hartmann is about to replace Al Franken on Air America Radio.

Thom’s show is excellent (and a ratings grabber) — he turns listeners into activists, reminding them that, ‘democracy beings with you.’ The fast-paced show is consistently engaging and one comes away armed with historic context, empowered by a sense of community, and motivated to take action.

Here’s an intro. Watch When Democracy Failed by Thom Hartmann

High-Tech Crowd Control Weaponry VS United States Activists

Craig Houghton — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 07:21:13 +0000

Last week Air Force secretary Michael Wynne charmed the nation when he suggested that high-tech non-lethal weapons should be tested in domestic crowd-control situations before using them overseas.

RJ Eskow, blogging for the Huffington Post, warns that the situation is, “worse than we heard … much worse.” He’s right. We’re talking about torture. We’re also talking about having your contact lenses fuse to your eyeballs. Methods like these don’t just prevent potentially violent protests from turning dangerous – they spread the sort of fear that can persuade most activists to just stay home.

You really don’t have to actually fire a weapon like this to keep people in line. If there’s half a chance that when assembling peacefully one might experience the sensation of being burned alive, get hit with a beam of concentrated pain, have their skull shaken by sound waves, and loose any electronic recording devices on them to a pulse of energy, most will just stay home and protest quietly. And, by protest quietly, I mean not at all.

And, if you’re forced to stand out of sight of the media within a free-speech zone, why bother going in the first place?

As if destroying the middle-class in America in order to keep us too tired , broke, and insecure to protest isn’t enough, here’s a preview of what’s in-store for any would-be dissenter:

SaberShot Photonic Disruptor (Laser Dazzler) – “a high resolution green laser used to flash-blind and disorient an aggressor at long range” Read more here.

M5 Modular Crowd Control Munition (MCCM) – “a non lethal rubber ball device housed in a casing similar to the Claymore mine”

Active Denial System (ADS) – “The microwave energy penetrates a living tissue (such as human skin) to a depth of 0.5 millimeter and almost instantly produces a heating sensation that within seconds becomes intolerable and forces the subject to flee.”

Long Range Acoustic Device – LRAD – “LRAD can also create deafening noises which can incapacitate people within 300 meters by "firing" short bursts of intense acoustic energy.” Also, NPR reports: “Earlier this year in Jerusalem, the Israeli Army used a device nicknamed "The Scream" to scatter protest groups. The Scream sends out noise at frequencies that affect the inner ear, creating dizziness and nausea. The device can also cause hearing damage.”

Vortex Ring Gun – “Generating high power shockwave propagating at supersonic speed, Vortex ring Guns can generate high pressures which inflict considerable damage to a target, or carry a payload of kinetic or chemical agents over a distance beyond 20 meters.”

Laser Induced Plasma Channel (LIPC)– “The system is designed to stop intruders in a passageway or at a vehicle check point, with a lethal or non-lethal electrical discharge.”

Sticky Pepper Gel – The sticky Pepper Gel is propelled out of the storage canister by compressed air, stick to the target on impact (when hitting the face, it will cause temporary blinding)."

Stunstrike CQSR (Close Quarters Shock Rifle) – “projects an ionised gas, or plasma, towards the target, producing a conducting channel. It will also interfere with electronic ignition systems and stop vehicles.” The conducting channel is for tasering en masse. The device “will be able to fire a stream of electricity like water out of a hose at one or many targets in a single sweep.”

http://www.chitown.com/http/art/abchicago-gal/p-sequeira.htmlml

"If we're not willing to use it here against our fellow citizens, then we should not be willing to use it in a wartime situation."

– Michael Wynne, asshole.

The 14 Characteristics of Fascism and the U.S. Scorecard

Craig Houghton — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 05:37:04 +0000

If this is old news to you, great! If not, read-up.

Laurence Britt wrote a fantastic article for Free Inquiry Magazine back in 2003. He produced a list of 14 commonalities shared by a culturally diverse set of criminal regimes:

For the purpose of this perspective, I will consider the following regimes: Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, Franco’s Spain, Salazar’s Portugal, Papadopoulos’s Greece, Pinochet’s Chile, and Suharto’s Indonesia.

Since then, there’s been some great discussion about Britt’s article. I don’t think the coffin has been slammed shut yet, but the United States definitely hits all fourteen points — we’re talking about a matter of degrees here, and the window for real change is closing fast.

Project for the Old American Century breaks it down point by point here.

Also, here’s a downloadable pamphlet from them to pass around at parties and a powerful examination of Bush’s fascism.

Listen via The White Rose Society to Mike Malloy read through these in 2004.

As an added benefit, understanding the similarity between the political path the current administration has set us on and Mussolini’s pet project will lay bare the real dangers/motivations of the recent republican hijacking of the term. The Islamic fundamentalists who attacked us consider theocracy, not fascism, their system of choice. The term Islamic fascists doesn’t fit. Knowing that the term actually applies to them, Bush and the gang want to water it down, destroy the meaning, and divert attention from the real poster-boys. Likewise, they wouldn’t risk condemning theocracy lest they lose their base.

Sen. Russ Feingold and many others have called them out, but for my money, Thom Hartmann lays this out best in his article over on Common Dreams.

Let’s Move Towards a Real Democracy

Craig Houghton — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 01:08:37 +0000

The criminals in charge keep pushing the United States down that slippery slope towards fascism. I’m sick of it. I’m new to political activism – I’d rather spend my time painting. Unfortunately, if current trends continue we’ll be living in a totalitarian hell-hole within my lifetime.

I have an English degree (creative writing really), and I’m a lover of American Literature from the Romantic Period. I’m a part-time professional artist and illustrator (private collections, packaging, magazines, and game concept art), but my day job is far less sexy. I enjoy philosophy, poetry, visual art, and … I refuse to stay quiet as the current administration wipes their asses with my individual rights. That’s more than enough of an intro.

With this blog I’m going to be pushing my own progressive agenda. I’m not planning on rivaling the fantastic blogs that are already out there (see sidebar for some great ones), but I’m going to do my damned best to add my individual voice to the growing chorus.

If you haven’t yet, read Thom Hartmann’s 10 Steps to Restore Democracy to America. It’s a great summation of where America should be heading.

Thanks for reading.