The Illinois House of Representatives on Friday voted almost unanimously to impeach Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
The vote was 114-1, with three representatives not voting.
The case now moves to the state Senate where a two-thirds vote is required to remove the governor from office.The Illinois House of Representatives on Friday voted almost unanimously to impeach... more
A lawyer for Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich told state lawmakers Thursday that the federal wiretaps at the heart of the pay-to-play allegations against his client were illegally obtained, and therefore should be kept out of any impeachment proceedings. The wiretaps are crucial to the federal charges filed against Blagojevich last week. Prosecutors say they caught the Democratic governor discussing efforts to auction off Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat and pressure a hospital executive for campaign donations.
Genson told the impeachment committee that it shouldn't consider any material from the wiretaps, saying the evidence was "illegally obtained."A lawyer for Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich told state lawmakers Thursday that the... more
President George W. Bush's Labor Department misled Congress in an effort to prove outsourcing jobs to private companies was more efficient than assigning the jobs to government employees, according to a Government Accountability Office report released Monday.
The report (pdf here) found that the Department used fictional projected numbers to improve "savings reports" -- even when real numbers were already available. And when the government did find private firms to take a government job, that employee generally was either reassigned to another task with the same title or promoted.President George W. Bush's Labor Department misled Congress in an effort to prove... more
According to Seymour Hersh there is a conga line of insiders waiting until January 20th to spill the beans on the gross criminality of the Bush/Cheney administration
Waiting . . . because if they did it now the two of them would be tarred and feathered on the way out the door. According to Seymour Hersh there is a conga line of insiders waiting until January... more
The national committee of the College Republicans went into damage control mode Friday afternoon after a college-aged McCain volunteer confessed to fabricating her claim that a black assailant had carved a "B" into her face after mugging her.
"When Ms. Todd initially contacted us claiming to have been attacked, our first reaction was obviously to be concerned for her safety," said College Republicans communications director Ashley Barbera. "We are as upset as anyone to learn of her deceit. Ashley must take full responsibility for her actions."
On Thursday, the conservative website Hot Air described discussions with both Charlie Smith and Ethan Eilon, the National Chair and Executive Director of the group, in which both attested to the validity of the widely distributed photo of an injured Todd, and affirmed that the image came from her.
Eilon had also told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Thursday that Todd "was one of our better recruiters this year."
Of course, there was no way for the College Republicans to know that the photo -- which was of Todd and apparently did come from her -- was at root a fraud. But the organization's quick distancing suggests they are eager to put their association with Todd quickly behind them. The national committee of the College Republicans went into damage control mode Friday... more
Filmmaker Michael Moore released his latest documentary for free on the Internet on Tuesday, marking a first for the maverick director who aims to encourage young people to vote -- preferably for Democrats -- in November's U.S. presidential election.
"Slacker Uprising," a feature-length film documenting Moore's tour of swing states during the 2004 presidential election year, was made available for a free download instead of being released in movie theaters.
The maker of the award-winning anti-Iraq war blockbuster "Fahrenheit 9/11," said in a statement the gesture was "entirely as a gift to my fans."
"The only return any of us are hoping for is the largest turnout of young voters at the polls in November," Moore said.
[ www.slackeruprising.com ]Filmmaker Michael Moore released his latest documentary for free on the Internet on... more
Anti-war protesters hung a banner today at the National Archives calling for the arrest of President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.
The 22-foot-long banner in red, white and black reads, "Defend Our Constitution - Arrest Bush / Cheney! - War Criminals!"
The protesters, perched on a ledge at the historic building in Washington, D.C., additionally claim to be on a hunger strike.
According to a press release, the five are military combat veterans from the anti-war group Veterans For Peace who intend to stay on the ledge and fast for a full day "in remembrance of those who have perished and those still suffering from the crimes of the Bush administration."
Anti-war protesters hung a banner today at the National Archives calling for the... more
Congressman Jim McDermott, representing Washington's 7th district, stood up on the House floor to give his official support to efforts to impeach President Bush.
Video and transcript of his remarks appear above. The video was broadcast on C-SPAN on the morning of September 9, 2008.Congressman Jim McDermott, representing Washington's 7th district, stood up on the... more
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The White House on Monday firmly rejected new allegations that President Bush ignored commanders in Iraq and top military advisers in Washington when he decided to send more troops to Iraq in 2007.
The claim appears in a new book by top Washington journalist Bob Woodward who has written a series of books about the Bush presidency.
"I don't necessarily think that the conclusions are supported by a lot of the facts in the book," White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said shortly after the book went on sale Monday.
In "The War Within: Secret White House History 2006-2008," Woodward, the associate editor of the Washington Post, asserts the White House forced what became known as the "surge" strategy on military commanders and on the president's principal military advisers, the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Woodward reports the Joint Chiefs had not recommended a troop increase, and were worried U.S. troops were over-extended.
They instead wanted to focus more effort on training Iraqi security forces so U.S. troops could start to head home, according to Woodward. When approached with the White House's plan to deploy five more combat brigades, Woodward says, the chiefs and colonels thought it was overly ambitious -- but could not sway the president.
Story continued at link...WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The White House on Monday firmly rejected new allegations that... more
I posted on Youtube Vincent Bugliosi's appearance on Democracy Now democracynow.org/
There he gave a broad list of reasons why our president George W. Bush should be prosecuted for murder. Due to time limits on Youtube, I was unable to post the entire broadcast but took from it what I thought was most interesting (hard to do since all of Vincent Bugliosi words are phenomenal).
Now Videocafeblog has posted the Vincent Bugliosi's opening statements during the House Judiciary Committee hearing on the onstitutional limits of executive power. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDAFozFn4kU
This man is serious and all should take a moment to hear his chilling words.I posted on Youtube Vincent Bugliosi's appearance on Democracy Now democracynow.org/... more
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Justice Department refused to prosecute former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales for improperly - and possibly illegally - storing in his office and home classified information about two of the Bush administration's most sensitive counterterrorism efforts.
Mishandling classified materials violates Justice Department regulations, and removing them from special secure facilities without proper authorization is a misdemeanor crime. A report issued Tuesday by the Justice Department's inspector general says the agency decided not to press charges against Gonzales, who resigned under fire last year.
The report by Inspector General Glenn A. Fine found that Gonzales risked exposing at least some parts of the National Security Agency's terrorist surveillance program, as well as interrogations of terrorist detainees. Some aspects of the surveillance program explicitly referred to in the documents were "zealously protected" by the NSA, the report found.
Fine referred the case to the Justice Department's National Security Division to see if charges should be brought against Gonzales. But prosecutors dropped the case after an internal review that began earlier this year, said Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd.
"After conducting a thorough review of the matter and consulting with senior career officials inside and outside of the division, the NSD ultimately determined that prosecution should be declined," Boyd said in a statement. The lack of charges against the nation's former top law enforcement officer infuriated the Democratic chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, John Conyers, D-Mich., who demanded to know why.
Lawyers for Gonzales acknowledge he did not store or protect the top secret papers - a set of handwritten notes about the surveillance program and 17 other documents - as he should have. But they say he did not intend to risk letting unauthorized people see them, and there's no evidence that occurred.
The report is the latest to take Gonzales to task for mismanagement at the department during his 31 months as attorney general. The criticism could foreshadow the results of an ongoing investigation by Fine's office about Gonzales' role in the 2006 firings of nine U.S. attorneys. That inquiry is expected to be finished within months.
"Like all other department employees, Gonzales was responsible for safeguarding classified materials, familiarizing himself with the facilities available to him ... for storing these materials and observing the rules and procedures for the proper handling of classified materials," Fine's report stated. "Our investigation found that Gonzales did not fulfill these obligations and instead mishandled highly classified documents about the NSA surveillance program and a detainee interrogation program."
In a statement Tuesday afternoon, Conyers said he was "shocked" by the report's findings that he said only adds "to an already troubling record of the Justice Department under this administration and under Mr. Gonzales." "The department ought to explain clearly why it declined to pursue charges against Mr. Gonzales and what actions it intends to take in response to the report," Conyers said.
Three years ago, former national security adviser Sandy Berger pleaded guilty to removing classified documents from the National Archives and hiding them under a construction trailer. He was fined $50,000 and ordered to perform community service. He was barred from viewing classified material.WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Justice Department refused to prosecute former Attorney General... more
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales mishandled highly classified notes about a secret counterterror program, but not on purpose, according to a memo by his legal team. The memo, obtained by The Associated Press, acknowledges that Gonzales improperly stored notes about the program and might have taken them home at one point. Removing secret documents from specially secured rooms violates government policy.
Gonzales' lawyers wrote in their memo that there is no evidence the security breach resulted in secret information being viewed or otherwise exposed to anyone who was not authorized.
The classified notes focus on a March 2004 meeting with congressional leaders about a national security program that was about to expire. Efforts to renew the program sparked an intense Bush administration debate that played out at the hospital bedside of then-Attorney General John Ashcroft.
The memo was prepared by Gonzales' legal team as a response to a report being finalized by the Justice Department's inspector general. The report, which could be released as early as Tuesday, is expected to criticize Gonzales' handling of sensitive compartmentalized information, or SCI, according to the memo.
Gonzales agrees with inspector general's findings that his handling of notes and other SCI documents "was not consistent with the department's regulations governing the proper storage and handling of information classified as SCI," concluded the legal team's memo. "Judge Gonzales regrets this lapse."
Sensitive compartmentalized information is one of the highest and most sensitive levels of classified documents and is deemed top secret. It usually relates to national security cases.
Gonzales' lawyers acknowledge that he kept the notes in a safe in his fifth-floor office at the Justice Department, along with a small number of other highly classified papers, instead of in the special facilities accessible only by certain people with top secret security clearances. He also may have taken the notes home at one point in 2005 as he was moving out of the White House counsel's office, where he served until he was sworn in as attorney general at the start of President Bush's second term, the memo says.
The inspector general's report will be the latest in a series taking Gonzales to task for his management of the Justice Department. He resigned under fire in September 2007. At least two more reports, including one looking at Gonzales' role in the ouster of nine U.S. attorneys, are expected in coming months.
It also could re-ignite a simmering controversy about Gonzales' role in urging an ailing Ashcroft to continue a national security program the Justice Department had deemed illegal.
Preparing for the criticism, Gonzales' legal team fired back with the 12-page memo and a three-page addendum accompanying it. The documents indicate the attorney general was merely forgetful or unaware of the proper way to handle the top secret papers. Both documents were written by Gonzales attorney George Terwilliger, who served as the Justice Department's No. 2 official between 1991 and 1992.
The classified notes, according to the lawyers' memo, focus on a March 10, 2004 emergency meeting in the White House Situation Room with Gonzales, other high-ranking Bush administration officials and the eight House and Senate leaders and intelligence committee chairmen. It was held to brief the bipartisan group of lawmakers about a sensitive counterterror program that was set to expire the next day.
Then-Deputy Attorney General James Comey, who was running the Justice Department while Ashcroft was hospitalized for pancreatitis, had refused to sign off on the program because he questioned whether parts of it were legal. At the Situation Room meeting, administration officials asked the congressional leaders to consider creating legislation to let the program continue, according to the memo.WASHINGTON (AP) -- Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales mishandled highly... more
"In all of these actions and decisions, President George W. Bush has acted in a manner contrary to his trust as President and subversive of constitutional government, to the prejudice of the cause of law and justice and to the manifest injury of the people of the United States. Wherefore, President George W. Bush, by such conduct, is guilty of an impeachable offense warranting removal from office."
__________
Gee, i wonder why."In all of these actions and decisions, President George W. Bush has acted in a manner... more
The EPA has issued its "Synthesis and Assessment Product 4.6; Analyses of Effects of Global Climate Change on Welfare and Human Systems"
which anticipates a wide range of negative impacts on human health over the coming decades, including "increased mortality"
This excerpt, which I found on page 94, states the following:
"there is no guarantee that future changes in climate will not present a threshold that poses technological or physical limits to which adaptation is not possible."
The Bush administration has rejected proposals to cap C02 or impose carbon taxes to limit global warming. The EPA has issued its "Synthesis and Assessment Product 4.6; Analyses of Effects of... more
On October 12 1999, Pervez Musharraf went from being the chief of Pakistan's army to the chief of its government. In a bloodless coup, democracy was toppled and the general faced flak for it, but that didn't stop him from formally appointing himself President less than two years later on June 20, 2001.
The event which was going to define Musharraf's presidency however came later that year - on September 11.
Almost overnight, the man who many in the west had shunned as a dictator became a pivotal player in the war on terror. Islamists' back home, however, denounced him as a traitor.
In April 2002, Musharraf conducted a widely criticised referendum where he won himself five years in office. By August that year, he had sweeping new powers including the right to dismiss and elect a Parliament.
In October 2002, the general elections resulted in a hung parliament, but Musharraf bailed himself out by making a deal with a coalition of Islamic parties.
He promised to leave the army by December 31 2004, but later broke his promise.
The next few years saw him walking a tightrope. His relationship with the US had its ups and down.
Musharraf's true test however lay ahead. On March 9, 2007, he fired chief justice Iftikhar Choudhary accusing him of misuse of authority. A week later, the police attacked the office of a private news channel minutes after it showed a video of police roughing up Choudhary's supporters.
On May 12, 2007, large-scale clashes left 35 people dead and then the Pakistan army raided the Lal Masjid on July 10. Musharraf had been avoiding action against the madarsa for nearly seven months, but finally, extremism was met with an iron fist.
But his problems did not end there what with a failed peace deal in Waziristan, imposition of Emergency, return of rivals from exile and unhappy Islamists at home.
In October 2007, Musharraf got himself re-elected as the President of Pakistan and went on to impose Emergency in November 2007.
Later that month, a tearful Musharraf handed over the command of the army to General Ashfaq Kayani. It was the beginning of his end and Benazir Bhutto's assassination in December 2007 only delayed the inevitable.
The February 2008 elections saw Bhutto's PPP and the PML-N trounce Musharraf's allies. The election result flung the biggest challenge for Musharraf as it brought the same man he deposed - Nawaz Sharif - closer to power.
The new ruling coalition then decided to impeach President Musharraf for alleged misconduct, violation of the Constitution and financial irregularities. In yet another sign of eroding support for him ahead of the impeachment motion in Parliament, three of Pakistan's four provinces - Punjab Assembly, North West Frontier Province Assembly and Sindh Assembly - adopted a resolution asking him to face a vote of confidence or resign.
If President Musharraf does not announce his resignation on Monday, then the ruling coalition will go ahead and file for impeachment. If the coalition succeeds in getting a two-thirds majority in a combined sitting of the National Assembly and the Senate to topple him, it would be a first in Pakistan's 61-year history.On October 12 1999, Pervez Musharraf went from being the chief of Pakistan's army to... more
Islamabad: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf resigned on Monday minutes after giving a speech to his country in which he outlined his achievements and flayed attempts to impeach him.
“In last nine years I have worked very hard and faced all challenges. I have withstood every challenge. We have seen growth in everything from GDP to foreign exchange reserve,” he said in his speech.
"I wanted to help the Government but they never listened to me. Now they want to impeach me. No charge will be proved against me. Impeachment will never be right for the country. Impeachment will be defeat to the country.”
"Keeping everything in mind, I have decided to resign. God was always kind (and) we faced every challenge. This day is important for me. I have to take an important decision.”
“I have fought two wars for Pakistan and still have enthusiasm for another.”
Speculation that the former army chief and US ally will resign had been mounting since the coalition government, led by the Pakistan People’s Party, said in August it planned to impeach him.
Prolonged jockeying and uncertainty over Musharraf's position has hurt Pakistan's financial markets and raised concern in Washington and among other allies it is distracting from efforts to control violent militants in the nuclear-armed nation.
The ruling coalition had prepared impeachment charges against Musharraf focusing on violation of the constitution and misconduct. Coalition officials had indicated that Musharraf could quit and avoid impeachment.
Coalition officials said last week Musharraf was ready to quit but was demanding immunity from prosecution. Musharraf seized power in a 1999 coup but has been isolated since his allies lost a February election.
All four provincial assemblies have passed resolutions in recent days pressing him to resign and several old allies have joined the campaign against him.
The political battling over Musharraf's fate has sapped investor confidence and there has been criticism it has taken government attention away from economic problems. Pakistani stocks are near two-year lows, while its currency has lost nearly a quarter of its value this year. Pakistan also faces major fiscal problems, with Saudi Arabia's help critical to defer an estimated $5.9 billion worth of oil payments. Islamabad: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf resigned on Monday minutes after giving... more
Islamabad: President Pervez Musharraf, under pressure to step down before he is impeached, will address Pakistan at 1300 hrs PST on Monday, an official in the President\'s office told Reuters.
Speculation that the former army chief and firm US ally will resign has been mounting since the coalition government, led by PPP - the party of assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto - said this month it planned to impeach him.
The official in the president\'s office gave no details of Musharraf\'s address, but his Chief Spokesman, retired Major General Rashid Qureshi, was quoted separately as again denying that Musharraf would resign or leave the country.
\"President Musharraf is not going to Saudi Arabia or any other country and he will fight impeachment constitutionally,\" Dawn Television cited Qureshi as saying.
The ruling coalition has prepared impeachment charges against Musharraf focusing on violation of the Constitution and misconduct. Coalition officials have been hoping Musharraf would quit to avoid impeachment while some allies have said he should at least answer charges brought against him before stepping down.
Officials from Saudi Arabia, as well as the United States and Britain, have been involved in negotiations aimed at ending the confrontation between Musharraf and the government.
Coalition officials said last week Musharraf was ready to quit but was demanding immunity from prosecution. All four provincial assemblies have passed resolutions in recent days pressing him to resign and several old allies have joined the campaign against him.
Prolonged jockeying and uncertainty over Musharraf\'s position has hurt Pakistan\'s financial markets and raised concern in Washington and among other allies that it is distracting from efforts to control violent militants in the nuclear-armed nation.
Pakistani stocks are near two-year lows, while its currency has lost nearly a quarter of its value this year. The political battling over Musharraf\'s fate has sapped investor confidence and there has been criticism it has taken government attention away from economic problems.
Pakistan also faces major fiscal problems, with Saudi Arabia\'s help critical to defer an estimated $5.9 billion worth of oil payments.
Musharraf seized power in a 1999 coup but has been isolated since his allies lost a February election.
However, Musharraf\'s once-considerable power has eroded significantly since parties opposed to his rule swept the parliamentary elections this year.
Since last week, the new ruling coalition has been taking steps to force Musharraf to step down or face impeachment.Islamabad: President Pervez Musharraf, under pressure to step down before he is... more
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, who faces a possible impeach motion, has been “badly advised” by his aides, the co-chairperson of the Pakistan’s People Party (PPP) has said. Asif Ali Zardari said he didn’t believe in “politics of revenge” and was willing to allow Musharraf to resign and save face.
Extracts from CNN Correspondent Reza Sayah’s interview with Zardari:
CNN-IBN:Why hasn\'t Musharraf resigned yet?
Zardari: I think he was very badly advised, he is not used to it. He is a little confused.
CNN: Why the decision to impeach the President?
Zardari: Because this is the issue. PPP, and my colleagues to a great extent, did try to find a middle ground. But I don\'t think his (Musharraf) mind understands the definition of a parliamentary democracy.
CNN: Your party, the coalition, has been in power for more than five months, why decide to do it now?
Zardari:It has built up to it. We were trying to find out a working relationship (but) it just didn’t work. In fact three months ago, I had sent him a decent proposition, whereby he could take a retirement or take a respectable retreat, but I guess he dint think I was serious and did not understand what the parliament was saying.
CNN Is PPP willing to offer the President safe passage and immunity, if he resigns?
Zardari:We never believed in the politics of revenge. Neither the PPP nor the democracy believes in revenge.
CNN One week from today, where is President Musharraff going to be?
Zardari: Hopefully home, playing golf.Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, who faces a possible impeach motion, has been... more
by Cindy Sheehan
Dandelion Salad
featured writer
Cindy Sheehan for Congress
Aug. 6, 2008
It is not if we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists will we be? — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr
You know, I don’t care if it’s not proper for a Congressional candidate to say: “horseshit.” I don’t care if it is not a good “tactic” to get kicked out of a Congressional non-impeachment hearing that was just a bunch of horseshit anyway. I don’t care if I get accused of being too “extreme” for bucking the (cyst)em by doing everything form camping in a ditch in Crawford, Tx to non-violent civil disobedience to, lately, running for Congress as (oh no!) an independent.
If people can’t see how this nation is teetering on the precipice of financial ruin and dragging the rest of this planet down with us as we destroy our ecology, too…and if people don’t realize how desperate our situation is, then I must say, that’s horseshit!
I am angry. No, I am incensed that hundreds of thousands of people are dead, dying, wounded, displaced from their homes or being imprisoned and tortured by the sadists that reside or work at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with the approval of their accomplices down the road in Congress. I am furious that I buried my oldest son when he was 24 years old for the unrepentant lies and the unpunished crimes of the Bush mob. Are you incensed? If not, maybe you should ask yourself: “Why?” Hypothetically: “Why am I not enraged that my country has killed or hurt so many people for absolutely no noble cause in my name and with my tacit approval?”
I am steamed that the working class has to, once again, pay for the excesses of the capitalist criminals that feeds its rapacious appetite with the flesh and blood of our children and won’t rest until it owns every penny in this world and has all the power.
You may say, “But Cindy, it is not polite to be angry or to use such strong language in public.” Horseshit! In my opinion, every citizen in this country should rise up in anger and DEMAND that George Bush and Dick Cheney not only be impeached and removed from office, but be tried and convicted for murder and crimes against the peace and humanity!
We should all walk off of our jobs and refuse to work and refuse to be cogs in the wheels of psychotic consumerism until our troops, military contractors and permanent bases are removed from Iraq and Afghanistan. We should, but most of us won’t. We won’t because it may mean that we would lose something of “value.” Material possessions are so transitory, as are our lives. We can leave a lasting impression by our courageous activism and moral sacrifice, or we can leave a pile of rusting metal or rotting wood. I choose the former for myself.
We should come out of our comas of too much TV news and not enough non-biased information to push for alternatives to fossil fuels that are clean and renewable and protest nuclear facilities and off-shore oil drilling like we used to in the olden days when people actually cared enough about not poisoning our world to get off of their couches or (today) out from behind their computer screens to do something constructive instead of complacently shelling out hundreds of dollars a week for gasoline and food.
READ MORE ON THE LINKby Cindy Sheehan
Dandelion Salad
featured writer
Cindy Sheehan for Congress
Aug.... more
Imagine that! a whole book on impeachable offenses from our current president!!!! Who woulda thunkit!?Imagine that! a whole book on impeachable offenses from our current president!!!! Who... more
