House Holds Bush Confidants in Contempt; Republican Members Walk Out

TO: richsmith2

You are correct that Senator Obama voted to strip the telecom immunity clause from the bill,

BUT when the final bill, that included telecom immunity, was voted on, Senator Obama did not vote!

He was probably more concerned about the image that if he voted against the FISA bill, that he would look weak on national defense. In my opinion, I want the next leader of the country to FIGHT for my constitutional rights. I want him/her to FILIBUSTER bills that infringe on my constitutional rights. I want him/her to go toe to toe with bush and tell him FUCK YOU when he infringes on our constitutional rights. I do not want the next leader of our country to be too busy campaining or too busy worried about their image to fight for our constitutional rights.

That is why we are in the mess that we are in. That is why we now live in a country where our constitutional rights are an inconvenience to the government.

Clinton, McCain, Obama NONE of them care about our constitutional rights, unless it looks good for a campain slogan. And NONE of them will get my vote this fall.

Best post in this thread, Booksense. Thanks for making it.

Yeah, we should be calling our reps and encouraging them to keep it up. After all, if the dems kept on doing this from now on, they repubs would probably have a hard time getting elected for dogcatcher, anywhere. (Assuming the dems really want control of the country, instead of control of Iraq's oil.)

I'm sorry but the ONLY Wire Tapping that should be done is on George W's Phone lines, the is the only real terrorist out in this country. without him we would Not be in a war we do not belong in and we would not have 50% of the US people scared of their own shadow for no reason..

For anyone interested here is Keith Olberman's latest "Special Comment":

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/021508A.shtml

The best outcome would be that in January 2009 every one of these fascist sleazebags would walk out of the Capitol for the last time. And it would be even sweeter if most of them left in handcuffs.

This behavior is simply impossible to comprehend within any sort of recent historical perspective. The former Soviet Union had a military more or less equal to ours in scope, power and expense. They also didn't export anything because they didn't make anything much that anyone else wanted - except weapons of war. Their money was worthless. It was virtually impossible to buy what might pass for a decent meal anywhere in Moscow. (Yes, I was there ... more than once.) Everyone needed a national id card, and internal travel was monitored and controlled. Dissidents or suspected dissidents disappeared routinely into black sites. Most of their GNP went into their military. If this doesn't sound familiar, then you're not paying attention. Sadly, in allying themselves with our criminal administration, Congress doesn't appear to get it. Bloomberg has just said we're becoming a third world country, but it's really much worse than that. Third world countries don't have the capability of trashing much of the rest of the world during the course of their own fall.

HOUSE DEMS experience a spine stiffening? Stand up to Bush?
Say no to extending FISA eavesdropping on email and phone conversations while denying retroactive immunity to telecoms.
Bolten/ Miers held in contempt.
Both actions immediately follow Sen Obama's wins in the Potomac Primary. Coincidence?

Jim Glover February 15th, 2008 10:17 am

"As soon as we can get some of those Hundreds of those working men guys who did all the dirty work of wiring and planting all the Demolitions in the Towers and Building 7 to come clean like their bosses, the owner of the buildings and fire chief who gave the orders.."PULL IT", then we can be One and whole again."

Interesting thought, Jim. I wonder if anyone has ever researched the retirement stats among demo experts after 9/11? If so, have they checked out their bank accounts for unusally large deposits that they can't account for?

Huh? "...it would "be giving its tacit consent to the dangerous idea of an imperial presidency...."?????

We already have an imperial presidency, thanks to complicity of the Democrats.

Dems = Bus-enablers.

And they say impeachment would be a waste of time.

Seems to me that if you impeach bush and dicky boy (along with condoleesa rice, and the rest of the terrorists in the white house) that they could wipe the whole slate clean of all this crap and get on with the important business at hand -- i.e. telecom hearings, and bringing our troops home from war -- you know... representing "we the people"

ditto lino... read Michael Ruppert's "Crossing the Rubicon"

what a coincidence..I hold the entire US Government in contempt.

The Republicans got up, marched out to the Capitol steps where a podium was waiting and declared the congressional vote a political stunt. I sorry but that just makes me laugh.

I keep wondering if the Repubs got their script from Lewis Carroll's waste basket. What keeps amazing me is that they never seem to be embarassed. Insanity is now very normal.

I think we need to hold a People's Filibuster in DC ASAP. Maybe just a modest objective like making them let Mr. Mondelo remind them what America means from the rostrum. Pizzanti fugit, hopefully

What will this farce accomplish? Nothing. Holding them in contempt means nothing. It doesn't hold accountable the real criminals, Bush & Cheney.

Once again, DemocRATS are trying to show the comatose brain-deads who keep voting for them that they're are somewhat serious about the US Constitution. Of course they're not, the only thing they're serious about is protecting Bush & Cheney from being exposed as the criminals that they are. Moronic Democratic voters are the most gullible bunch that has ever walked the face of the earth, aren't they?

Since I Published an article about INFRAGARD my site has stopped working!!

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_ladybroa_080214_infragard___firs...

They will not index this article. I mirrored it a dandelion salad, where it does appear indexed - but it is not being indexed trough mparent7777-2.blogspot.com.

For which I cannot apolgize only point out.

You need to read the information on the the special prosecutor,and circulate it widely:

http://ladybroadoak.blogspot.com/2008/02/special-prosecutor-information-...

Mirroring is certainly appreciated!!

notgoingalong, yes, "representative government" (as you say) only works when it represents the citizens of a country.

Unfortunately, in the US, corporations are recognized as people.

And thus, the 'Vichy' government does a perfect job representing the most powerful citizens; namely, the corporatist Empire behind this facade of 'Vichy America'.

Unfortunately, for the actual people of America there is no longer any alternative to confronting the Empire.

We have been distracted and distracted ourselves.

We have 'hoped' for 'change'.

We have lied ourselves into the possibility (and been lied into the possibility) of changes for the better in this 'Vichy' government now fully working only for their corporatist Empire masters.

Now the honeymoon is over.

Now the rationalizing is over.

Now the false belief that it's only the other poor slob who is going to feel the point of the corporate Empire's economic spear in the eye is over.

Now we have to face the reality of confronting the Empire.

No presidential candidate will even whisper the word 'empire'.

No member of 'our' Congress will even whisper the word, 'empire'.

The corporatist media says, "What empire? Where? The US is not occupied by an Empire."

So, now is the last time that the people will have the chance to confront the un-mentioned, the un-whispered, and un-noticed 800-pound corporatist Empire standing in the kitchen of 'our' phony 'Vichy' government --- and standing on our all-to-real throats.

And we ask, "why is Bush so persistent in wanting a law to allow corporations to spy on American citizens?"

Are we kidding ourselves, or are we finally committed to confronting the Global Corporatist Empire behind this longrunning 'show' of 'Vichy America'?

I can imagine only two situations which warrant a walkout. #1. When dignity would warrant it. or #2 Childishness.

I forgot to add and this is the most important thing:

BE AFRAID... BE VERY AFRAID!

CPMondello, you said it. It has hurt my heart to grow up believing in a land of ideals and then wake up and find myself instead at the center of a cruel, hypocritical empire.

For all that the Republicans have conspired in doing on the Capitol Hill these past seven years, they ought to be marched right out of Congress and off to Nuremberg for a new trial. They have no right to exist in our politics. Most of the Dems can go right along with them.

OK I snapped out of it,

It is the Matrix and Harry Potter warned us ...what was I thinking?

As soon as we can get some of those Hundreds of those working men guys who did all the dirty work of wiring and planting all the Demolitions in the Towers and Building 7 to come clean like their bosses, the owner of the buildings and fire chief who gave the orders.."PULL IT", then we can be One and whole again.

You Folks just need some Hope. Its the demolition stupid! Everybody knows that is the problem... Wake up! Snap out of it!... It is easy, I just did.

Want proof ? check out http://www.debunking911.com/

I wouldn't worry about law and order too much since the Venezualans were robbed of 48 billion what do you think other people/ countries will do with any assets they have in the USA, get them out post haste. The USA will have a large pile of arms and be bankrupt, you work out what the options are.

BLUE PILL MEDIA.

I'm on a mission here kids. I googled the phrase, got back 13 references to V14G4R4.

Blue Pill Media.

We need some phrase in the lexicon to deal with this monster. Know thy enemy. Blue Pill Media. Who's with me on this??

This bunch wonders why crime in this country is so rampant????? Way to go guys! That's really showing our young how to behave! You are setting a tremendous example for them to follow!

The Blue Pill Media.

Holy, holy, one of my hobbies is checking out what the so-called "MSM" or "CM" makes of these things. At best, they give a toothless headline, buried way down in the site, followed by a lot of soundbites about letting the terrorists win.

I guess they learned when they reported on Scooter that they have to be more careful not to foment discontent. The silence surrounding this is deafening.

I hearby nominate the catch-phrase BluePillMedia, or BPM, to replace the dubious and fought-about catch-phrase MSM, or MainStreamMedia. Lots of folks point out that there's a lot more going on than just the "main-stream" or "corporate" nature of said media. Blue Pill Media rolls off the tongue, it comes loaded with a few fun double-entendres, and I don't think it understates the degree to which said media perpetuates a state of complete fantasy, denial, and false comfort to the helpless souls wired up to a scary machine of their own making.

I used to doubt the integrity of the MSM. Now I am fully flabbergasted at the deception. Join with me, won't you? Call it the Blue Pill Media. It deserves no benefit of the doubt.

"You shoulda watched the Blue Pill Media."

Harumph.

Why didn't John Boehner and his republican enablers of Bush just keep on marching right into the Potomac and do the country a huge favor. Republicans are SCUM! GOD DAMNED SCUM!

How long until they fold?

I am encouraged to see some people waking up from their over-flouridated MSM induced coma's. We are where we are today by design. Sooner people realize that is the sooner we can begin correcting it. That is to say, Dem's Rep's are one
in the same. As long as we keep picking sides of these groups who absolutely do not represent us we will never be one. Once we are again one, we will be able to see through the smoke and mirrors and action will come rather quickly.
People have to realize that it is the matrix in which they live.

Snap out of it!

Hey everybody!

It's your favorite show!

"It's the "Act like we live in a Democracy Show! Staring...
Your favorite roll-over-and play deaders,
The Democrats! Let's hear it! hmmmmm!!
And those creepy soulless fascists
The Republicans!!! Boooo!!
Let's take a moment to hear from our sponsor...
The Military Industrial Complex!!
"We are the M.I.C. We run your country and kill innocents for cash!!"
Now back to the show!
In this weeks episode ( which is just like last weeks) we catch-up with the Democrats who can't seem to figure out who take their orders from... the corporations who own their ass or the American people... it always turns out the same way but some how the American people never tire of getting the shaft!!! yeah!!
Is everybody ready to seem those trusty Democrats play the role their paid to play? Here they go, watch them roll....

Tune in next week for the same damn show you've bought for years and years and years and years!!

This show will only run until you tire of it and stand up in the streets, physically, stand in the freaking streets and not on your keyboard....or full fascism is born.

Morning All!

Has anyone called and supported their Congressperson on this effort and encouraged letting this bill expire? If so what was the response? Also, should we be bombarding the switchboard with calls to keep the pressure on?

I have been on to the Nazi/Bush connection since I was a kid.

I was and probably psychologically still am a Cold War Kid.

I resent the "Baby Boomer" label or War Baby.... they want us to think of ourselves as Babies and lefties if we question the way the system is rigged with both Euphemism or branding the majority the masses as the "left" and themselves the Ruling class as "The Right"

When you look up the definitions of the words Left and Right you see that they are calling you "Evil stupid slaves" secretly built into the way our minds work by association of experience and symbols (word association)

David Ferrie had to die cause he knew too much... JFK, Mlk, and finally RFK and John Lennon for the same.. My Buddy Phil Ochs too who couldn't deal with what he knew.

Now even stronger than ever before we all know way too much.... What is there to be afraid of?

Do Ya wanna live forever?

Thank god I am not in their shoes!

We are lucky to still be alive
!

Love.....

How about if the House, next time theirs a Aprobiation Bill, denied the Justice Department +/or any others that refused to comply withe the law any funding. Bring the bastards to their knees.

O Roe:

Give Murphy a chance! He's just a kid (and Iraq veteran). I think I know why Greenwood quit. He realized the neocons were turning the Republican party into some sort of brownshirts and couldn't live with that. Would he have walked out? The drug lobby gig pays well, too.

I know Fitzpatrick a little. He's really a good guy, but its not a good time for a nice guy in the Republican party. Maybe he will help rebuild it some day. Even though Murphy beat him, wasn't it the same election that dumped Santorum? Good riddance is an understatement there.

Contempt barely defines the attitude of these jerks. But for lack of a better word printable here, I will remind that the greatest contempt of this administration is for the people and their well-being.

Let us not blow it this time. let us fallow through!
William

Where's the list of the 32 who voted no? Assuming they are Democrats, they should be removed from office at the earliest possible opportunity. Scum.

long post warning.

lizard- don't lose Hope.

tailcap- don't catch the Fear.

As was pointed out by our new poster "notgoingalong", the ENTIRE House of Representatives is up for election this year.

And as the article demonstrates, the reps have power even when they're as hamstrung as they are now with the Senate and the Dem Party Elites against them.

The following is absolutely essential, so I will capitalize it.

YOU MUST ENSURE YOUR REP. WILL ADHERE TO THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE.

Every one of these people is vulnerable to the People's Will, that's why they are so party loyal, its the Party that generates the funding they need to pay for the TV and Newspaper Campaign that The people have come to vote based on.

4 Ways to assert the People's power in 2008:

1. COMMUNICATE- get the True word out there, media money matters less when folks don't believe what they read.

2. CHALLENGE- Make sure district-credible progressives challenge any incumbants, don't let the Republican go unchallenged just'cause the Dem's might, run yourself if you have to. More importantly, if the Dem's have a candidate, run a true Lefty progressive against them in the primary. Make sure primary elections occur NO MATTER WHAT. Your reasonably good Dem Congressman NEEDS to be able to tell the Dem. Heirarchy that his district is pushing left, that's the pressure that he can bring to them, YOUR pressure.

Yes the Parties suck, yes run independents or Green in the General, but NO -big fat NO!- to letting the Dems get away with not running primaries. This doesn't just hurt the People of the District, it hurts the Incumbant as well, the Primary candidate is his excuse for his stance with the Elites. Just look at Obama, he's practically straight-up quoting Edwards now.

3. COMMIT - This is the Year, choose now. Do you believe that the governance structures now in place can be reformed? Or, do you believe that we must have revolution- or some other complete changing of system- whether peaceful or violent, whether total or targeted.

We all should acknowledge the truth of this. We are overdue in making this decision.

If there is no hope in the Dems, then the Greens must be built into a peaceful, lawful Revolutionary Party. If there is no hope in the Greens then a new Party must be formed. If there is no hope in Parties, then the People must find a new way. If there is no hope in the People, then this experiment has failed, it is time to study the variables and find out why. If we know why, than it is time to start anew.

If there is hope for Reform, then we need to acknowledge the sheer awesome size of the task of repair and get to work.

As the Lizard King sang:

"The time to hesitate is through, no time to wallow in the mire."

I have now spent the Decade of my Adult Life bitchin', I'm ready to do something else, and you should be too.

4. COMMUNITY - Whether you take the reform path or the road to revolution, your journey begins at home.

Connecting to the great Leftist Diaspora through the Internet is fantastic. I think you'd be hard pressed arguing against the fact that this new communication and organization medium has done wonders for the "progressives" and the cause of the People in general. But, this is not truly your Community, that name is given to the People that live around you, that you interact with daily, whether you notice that interaction or not.

It is vitally import, not just for the politics of National government, but for your human needs of Water, Food, Housing, Health, Creativity, and Interaction that our communities become coherent wholes again. There is no sugar-coating this, THIS MUST BE DONE if our children and subsequent generations are to grow into a society that we would recognize as "human". More precisely, this Localization, this re-coherence of community WILL HAPPEN, but if we leave it to natural processes its going to be very messy.

So don't wait, get the work done yourself. If there is a city council spot open this year, run for it, if someone else is running for it, challenge them, if there are two running, challenge both, force a primary. Whatever action fits your local circumstance, do it. No human-derived system of control can possibly dominate a structure as complex as the Local and State governments of the United States, taken as a whole. There are not enough Blackwater Stormtroopers in the world to stop Local Democracy.

The only force strong enough is Us,the People, and our Fear and Apathy and Disengagement have only been able to impart a crippling wound, Local Democracy lives on.

Recognize its importance, recognize your Power, become a Champion of the People.

-----------------------------------------------------

We need you now, don't let Us die without fighting.

Remember, Sisters - Death may take you, but you are Life.

Remember, Brothers - Despair can only hinder, and only Hope can lead.

In the words of Gandalf(the Grey):

"Do not give in to despair, despair is only for those who see all Ends."

Our backs are against the wall, the only thing left to do is Fight.

We MUST fight!...

I'll leave you with two things:

1. You might have heard of Valhalla, the Halls of Odin where the fallen Norse warriors await the final battle Ragnorok, against the forces of chaos. Do you know that they lose? That the "good" the "light" side succumbs, that the great god Thor falls to the Worm? That his son revenges him? At the end of their imagining, the Nordic peoples saw a confrontation not entirely dissimilar to the Christian Armageddon, but in their Vision, THEY LOST, bad guys win, we're toast, good bye baby.

But they were still going to fight, they were gonna wait in the Halls all those years and then fight and die again, BECAUSE THAT IS ALL THERE IS TO DO.

We need to see the truth in this Lesson, we need to see that our Choice is: fight and be Human, or fail to fight and become something else, something less.

2. The second thing might seem a little cliche now, but read the whole thing, read the words of Dylan Thomas, who expresses things better than I ever could.

I believe the poem is called "Do Not go Gentle into that Good Night", and I will leave you with it, thank you.

-matti

-------------------------------------------------------

"Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light."

To the true Americans. We are seeing nothing but a systemic and deliberate destruction of our government and country since the corination of King George and Congress has allowed it hand in hand without putting up any fight knowing the law as they do.

Those who have attempted to sound the call of impeachment have been silenced one way or another or just ignored. Or perhaps their feeble voice was not loud enough, strong enough. Certainly repugnant Pelosi has betrayed the people.

But where is the voice of the American people? Are too many so complacent to stand up for what they believe in? Where are the protests, where is the fight? Are those of us who care enough to sound off here in these blogs who see the truth for what it is the only ones willing to go down for our country? True Patriots fell with there blood for us against another King George not that long ago and there voices still carry in the wind. Least we forget.

They fell for a common cause and for freedom because it is what they believed in. But now another King has taken control with his court and shame on them and shame on us, the American people for letting lies invade our very being. For forgetting where we have come from.

Maybe, just maybe, when THEY have completely taken over and we are stripped of everything and our Constitution is nothing but a mockery and becomes a worthless piece of paper and we are told we have to have chips inbedded in our bodies to protect us from terrorists, and THEY have total control, maybe, just maybe, the rest of America will finally see the truth. But that is wishful thinking and then truly it will be too late. I for one hope I never see it. And if I do may I put up a good fight.

In the words of Edward Abbey, "A patriot must be ready to defend his country against his government", and Thomas Jefferson, "That whenever any form of government becomes destructive, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it". Will the true Patriots, true Americans stand up in this country once again for our Constitution, our country, our freedom, ourselves, against the Evil Empire?

Let us pray that God will take us in a new direction soon, real soon.

Wouldn't it be cool if the Republicans didn't come back? What principle were they staging this demonstration over? That presidential aides are not subject to House subpoenas? That Democrats may not investigate Republican administrations?

heavy runner,
it's heavy reading (600 pgs.), but try michael ruppert's "crossing the rubicon", if you haven't already. many answers there to your questions here.

I know it is fleeting, but hahahahaha.
When I made a 20 minute call this morn to my asshole Blue Dog(frog, cog, hog) Rep. Patrick Murphy[PA-8], poor interns they know me, I asked if the DEMS had received the backbones I Fedexed overnight to the House, she didn't understand, but hose MOTHERF$$KERS better not back down on the Restore Act.
How much more doe we need to IMPEACH, c'mon, enough. EU has Rummy, France for Torture, Germany for War Crimes, albeit they are appeals, still there. Thanks CCR, once again.

richsmith2 @ 5:21 PM 2/13/2008. You are looking at the text for Vote 19, cloture motion for the Dodd Amdt.3907, he was there for that, it failed.
Roll Call 20, S.2248 passed w/no amendments, 68-29, 3 not voting 2 not voting were Obama and Clinton. If Obama had been the only Nay on Roll call 20, it would have meant more, it meant he gave a shit for the way we feel. As it stands, hit and run.

satr9prodxns @ 9:55 PM 2/13/2008 re; NSPD 51, I have been saying this all over the place for months. It is the suspension of Posse Comitatus, thanks to the John Warner Defense Act of 2007.Suspension of the Constitution, Marshall Law.
My kids never listened, my dogs rarely listen, why would I expect anyone to pay what I say any mind. WILLYBILL COME BACK, talk to you in the morn, anyway, I wish you'd come back one night and we could act the tag team as many here do, for a lark.

Paul Bramscher,
We have voices, but the messages fall on deaf ears.

I'm not so sure. Precisely because we are perilously close to fascism, they may be reading every word and taking notes.

Catch,

There are many good thinkers -- as well as practical people -- who could turn this country around, but few who would serve. The whole culture is so terribly corrupted, too many ordinary people so deeply fooled, and the corporate media would eat a do-gooder alive. Or worse -- totally ignore them, not even grace them with negative media coverage.

There are some, scattered across the country, who care deeply not just about the US, but about humanity and nature at-large. We have voices, but the messages fall on deaf ears. Neither the Corporate Media, those politicians currently elected, their policy advisers, nor a broad swath of the electorate ever hears our messages.

In any case, it would seem that we've descended perilously close to fascism. It takes big money to get elected, and big money will prevent you from getting elected. But since we're not on a gold standard, "money" is a short-cut means of saying "power." If we had the ability to simply pick our best and brightest, deep thinkers, most impassioned people, etc. and stick them into positions of power we'd already have won. It's a catch-22 problem here.

What I don't understand is why the Republican Congressmen don't see what is so obvious. What is McCain's position on this? I don't think he would have ever asked for powers with such potential for abuse.

The 1978 FISA law provides all the tools the government needs, including protection of cooperating telecoms. All they have to do is get a warrant from a FISA judge. If there was a backlog, then they needed to bring in more judges.

Who have you been spying on Mr. Cheney and why?

notgoingalong February 14th, 2008 10:15 pm
Hello, this is my first post on this site,

Welcome, sounds like truth! Like it! Keep blogging.

We need a Congressional investigation of the events of 9/11. A real investigation. One that tries seriously to answer questions like: Why was no one in the military disciplined or demoted over the greatest failure of our defenses in American history? Who ordered the removal of the steel from the site of destruction and its sending to China to be melted down before it could be examined by investigators? Since only explosives could have caused what we see on the video of the buildings in New York being blown to smithereens, who had access to the buildings? And so on.

I don't think the men at Guantanamo from whom confessions have been extracted by torture could have pulled off the things I mentioned in the above paragraph. But unless impeachment begins to bring accountability where it belongs, we will probably witness show trials and executions next. It's what the Nazis did to the pigeon they identified for supposedly burning the Reichstag, which we now know the Nazis did themselves. There is far too much evidence of events related to 9/11 that indicate only the connected and powerful could have been behind them for history to fail to recognize who was responsible.

Reading through these blogs, the truth becomes more and more painfully obvious. Our political system effectively filters out those who would really make good leaders. It instead advances the ambitions of those who simply crave power. Few seem to have the basic qualifications which ought to (but don't) include intelligence, empathy, backbone and a realistic vision of the future within the context of present events and historical reality.

Maybe the solution is to put people into these slots who are intelligent, empathic and have backbones, but don't want to be congressmen or presidents.

those of you who thought the no votes are reachable are pretty much wrong. at first (i happened upon c-span when this was happening) all votes were dem yes. then there were 3 rep yes and a few no. all of a sudden reps started voting no and then they left the house floor altogether. so a startled house realized that reason had prevailed along close to party lines. then they went on to other business.

more interesting to me is the lack of coverage by mainstream media. maybe tonight? i think it is a huge story, because our constitutional crisis is at last taking a checks and balances form. i searched the nytimes for "contempt of congress" and found old references. but by clicking on washington on the home page i finally found the story without a record of who voted how (my interest).

may the house judiciary committee begin impeachment hearings!

Hello, this is my first post on this site, one which I have read for over a decade. I will engage and reply in good spirit of perfecting perspective using the resources at hand to us.

Bravo! Nice act, call it congressional rhetoric, all 435 house seats are up for re-election, and it is tantamount of campaigning for some credibilities, some claim to dignity, other than the office itself.

US War Crimes in Afghanistan are staggering. 6,600,000 people killed since the 2001, a number surpassing the number of European Jews killed by Nazi Germany during WWII. And NO outcry on that from the floor of the house or senate, nor in committee, was there?

And the indisputable fact that the administration perpetrated on a willing congress, a pack of lies about Iraq, that constitute instigation of a war of aggression under Article VI of the Nuremberg Principles, 'the Supreme Law of the Land' as a binding treaty enforce - Art VI sec 2 US Constitution.

So why didn't the congress confront and his clique during one of the State of Union addresses?

Pusillanimous politicians allow acts of high treason and perpetuate "the rape, pillage, and plunder' with each appropriation and cowardliness in the face of the domestic and foreign enemies of the constitution they all swore to protect and defend against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

So, Iraq and Afghanistan is innocent, they knew it then, but could pretend otherwise, now they are not being pressed on the issue, or the issue that it all is based on, 9-11. The same operatives, same liars, same deceitful arrogance exhibited by the contemptible hired guns from the administration. And the assassination of Paul Wellstone left a stronger message on the congress than the general public. Congress is intimidated, beyond appeasement, to obedience. That is High Treason on multiple grounds, 'checks and balances' being among them!

A National Referendum on the real issues, would change things, election of replacements have not. This is the 110th Congress, and Bush the 43rd president? That they never represented us, can not be diebold alone, it is the fragmentation of people. a house member is 1/435th, less than a third of one-percent of the membership.

We must represent ourselves directly, by popular vote on making policy, the public laws, approve the budget, end military aggression, stop depleted uranium and nuclear weapons and power plants from production and use, and buried for eternity.

This is called Pure Democracy, and dismisses the republic as a fraudulent device by design and like kingship, is obsolete and laughable.

Republicans 'walking out'/storming out of Congress. (we've seen this movie before, but it was in black and white):

My only question about the Republicans walking out is; were they all wearing the proper arm bands and brown shirts?

At this point in the take-over of the US by the global corporatist Empire behind the Bush pustch it is not unreasonable to imagine the following MSM TV report:

"Yes, Brian, Congress is engulfed in flames and we have just heard that the Democrats are suspected by Bush. We understand that he will be appearing on all stations very soon to issue homeland security orders with his Vice Emperor Richard Goebbels."

google= NSPD 51
(and kiss your precious 2008 election good-bye)

'bout time those traitors got outta the way and let THE PEOPLE'S business be considered.

the constitution ism't just a "god damn piece of paper" as george bush likes to think.
they are guiding principles...

and he took a fucking oath to defend it.

time for SOME accountability.

/osama bin who?
//osama bin bush and cheney's business associate

Well said, libertas fugit. I'm ready.

Anybody watch Countdown with Keith Olberman tonight? He said "Mr.Bush, you are a liar and
you are a Fascist". It should be shown again at 9pm west coast time. Good for MSNBC for putting
this show on the air. His whole comment about bush ran about 5 minuets, if you can, it is well
worth watching.

I see that Bush wants to shoot down things that won't spy on Americans and grant retroactive impunity for things that do.
Why does this Republican Government always get things bass ackward?

So what's the score now 1 to a 1,000. We're on on a roll. Now let's see if they can make it 2 to 1,000. They will probably find a way to give this one back too and keep their perfectly wrong streak intact.

and the things they just had to know about Bill Clinton and Monika Lewinsky...

BJ's, a stained dress, cigar's.

Really Republicans, we think this IS important for a change.

solarmirrors: sadly, it goes back way further than JFK. Our country has never, ever been what it professed to be and even the relative good guys have some pretty dark sides to their records. I am so done with this country. It doesn't feel like it's worth saving any more. Let the empire implode and we'll start anew.

Looks like we need to vote out of office 32 ass-wipers who also want to burn the Bill of Rights and Constitution.

I can't help it. THIS MAKES ME SOOOO HAPPY!!! So, maybe it won't work. At least a gesture has been made to stand up for the Constitution. A gesture. One step. Throw me a bone; I'm not proud. Dare we hope that the Head Snake of Lies and Slime, Karl Rove, gets caught up in this? Talk about a DREAM: Seeing Rove sweat. Oh wait. Snakes don't sweat.

Whatever happened to We the People?

I've been trolling the "blogosphere" rather heavily the past few days, trying to make sense out of the Congress' passing of the secret FISA Modernization Act, its failure to call any of the Executive to account for the latest bunch of Constitutional atrocities perpetrated by the Cheney/Bush gang, its failure to put a stop work order out on their Iran pre-emptive nuke attack plans, etc. I fear the problem may well be worse than just Democratic stupidity, fear, or inertia.

Think about it for a moment. In the past seven-plus years, we have seen the Cheney/Bush gang forge a "Unitary executive," virtually unchallenged by the congress of either party. Lip service, yes, to keep the voters pacified, but the Constitutional remedies readily available are routinely "taken off the table" even in the face of overwhelming evidence. We now have an Executive that routinely makes its own laws, which are rubber stamped by the Reichstag, excuse me, Congress. It vetoes anything it doesn't like with little more than token protest from the Congress.

The Congress has approved the appointment of unqualified party hacks as Supreme Court judges over the strong protest of the people and the legal community.

The Supreme Court was intended to be the Constitutional watch-dog over legislation and edicts by the Executive or the Congressional branches. The reason for lifetime appointments was to keep them free from any possible political pressure or contamination. Look back on earlier Supreme Court nominations. At one time, some of the finest judicial minds in the country were considered. There was even a lot of soul searching as to whether they were qualified to be a Supreme Court judge. The Senate often carefully considered the nomination, and thoroughly questioned the candidate. His background was meticulously checked, and his judicial decisions examined. Usually, those judges worked hard to live up to the trust that We the People put in them. They were Constitutional scholars.

Look at the current process. Any party hack with a law degree from a recognized school, with an impeccable record of following his party's line, regardless of legal precedent, may be proposed as a candidate. The Senate carefully avoids asking any potentially embarrassing questions and, unless the candidate has done something absolutely obscene or illegal, in public, the Senate rubber stamps the appointment.

As a result, the court has transformed over the years; from one that upheld Constitutional values, to one that, in 2000, abrogates an election rife with fraud to appoint by one vote, a president. In doing so, they virtually disenfranchised the entire United States Electorate. The Supreme Court has now descended into one that is favorable to a Unitary Executive, or to put it in less euphemistic terms, a dictatorship. It has worked hand in hand with the other branches of government to steadily roll back much of the civil and human rights legislation that We the People worked so hard to achieve over the past half-century or so.

Most of the above is obvious to about seventy percent of the American People, many of whom have been steadily writing, phoning and e-mailing their alleged representatives, asking that they reverse this - that they take the lead and impeach this gang before they can do more damage. No, they are told, it is "off the table," it "would be divisive," it would "take time away from more important things." What could be more important than curbing a dictatorship and reaffirming the Constitution and Bill of Rights, our raison d'etre as it were? Let's look at this from a congressional perspective for a moment and perhaps we'll see a reason.

Assuming that the Bush Gang doesn't perpetrate a black op, declare martial law, cancel elections for the "duration of the emergency" which Cheney/Bush have already said will last long after we are gone, what have we got in place?

Since Congress has not curbed these excesses in the past seven-plus years, has allowed the executive to shred and burn the Constitution which it swears to protect and defend; since Congress has not forbade the unilateral cancelling of treaties which, once ratified became part of the law of the land; since Congress seems to allow anything to be covered up by "executive privilege" or claims of national security, we are left with a staggering bunch of legal precedents.

Assuming we have elections in 2008, and assuming that they will not be the fraudulent charades the last few have been, the new President will inherit all these powers intact and functioning. The new "leader" will have legal precedent for using these new powers at will. The dictatorship will have just been passed into new hands.

Can you imagine Clinton or McCain with the powers that Cheney/Bush have usurped? I think the Democratic Party is not about to do anything to curb the Cheney/Bush gang's power grab because they expect to inherit it, to use for their own ends!

Thomas Jefferson said, "The two enemies of the people are criminals and government, so let us tie the second down with the chains of the Constitution so the second will not become the legalized version of the first."

In the past seven plus years, the Congress has carefully allowed the links of those chains to be severed so they can inherit the legalized, criminal version of government that Washington DC has become.

What can We the People do about this?

Thomas Jefferson also said, "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure."

Short of a bloody revolution in which We the People must take to the streets in the face of the dictator's Blackwater mercenaries with almost unlimited firepower, backed by the enormous wealth and power given to their owners from our treasury, and the probable use of whatever military force can be spared from foreign conquests, our recourse is to unite as a people, regardless of "race, creed or national origin," as we once united to drive fascism from European shores, and drive it from our shores.

We must unite and search for people who will put the good of the nation, the good of We the People before personal greed and power. Then, we have to elect them overwhelmingly, not as Democrats or Republicans (They are just part of the same two-backed beast. One back has a "D" on it and the other has an "R" and in between is corporate wealth and power, pulling the strings), but as Independents, as Americans, dedicated to the task of returning the Constitution and Bill of Rights, intact and functioning, to the Halls of Government; dedicated to the repeal of the "Enabling Acts," the mis-named Patriot Act and Military Commissions Act; dedicated to the return of habeas corpus, and the posse comitatus act.

In short, We the People must find members of We the People (not members of the ruling elite). We must find people dedicated to returning to us the Constitutional form of government that once made this country great, and also dedicated to ensuring that this will never again happen to the United States of America.

If we can accomplish this, I'm sure we can then begin to rebuild trust and confidence in the United States throughout the world. That, too will take an enormous amount of effort, but it will be worth it.

Remember, on September 12, 2001 the entire world put its collective arms around us. It would have done anything to help us recover. It would have sought out the perpetrators and brought them to justice. The only thing that destroyed that support is the same thing that has destroyed the United States. The Bush gang and the neocons with their dream of bloody conquest, shock and awe, and world domination. That and, the long-developing establishment of a dictatorship over the American People.

It is We the People, not the Congress, that can bring about this change, for Congress has proven itself part of the problem. The solution has got to come from us, We the People, or we shall surely fail and the forces of wealth, greed and power will take over for many more years.

So the House showed a minor display of responsibility, and Boner decides to walk out- "I'm gonna take my football and go home." Don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way out!
Meanwhile, yesterday, they were holding hearings on use steroids in baseball.. What a sense of priorities they have!
When will they have impeachment hearings?
I suppose that they will demonstrate some vertebrate tendencies by refusing to kowtow to W on the latest FISA dustup. Unless they will be seen as obstructionist -W is like Boner-"Well, now you all are going to make me postpone my trip to Africa..."
Pelosi and Reed and the rest of Congress: PLEASE find your cojones or go borrow some and finally do the right thing. Quit bending over for these criminal bastards. Go home and read the Constitution and remind yourselves what your duties are.

Hallelujah! Pelosi and her gang finally got a little spine. They absolutely must tell Bush and his Republican vassals in the House that enough is enough.

i hope the dems stop CAVING IN TO THE REPUBS........HEY PELOSI,REID,SCUHMER,AND RANGEL.........GROW SOME BALLS !!!!!!!! LET THE FISA LAW EXPIRE.....QUESTION..... WHAT WERE WE (USA) DOING BEFORE THE ILLEGAL WIRETAPPING ? I KNOW...GOOD OLD FASHION CIA AND FBI LEGWORK

Too little, too late. Welcome to the USA, the Titanic of nations with
Goober Bush at the helm. We'll all be meeting soon in Davy Jones' locker.

Thanks Claudius, Happy Valentines Day!

Happy birthday Tailcap!

nightslider February 14th, 2008 6:00 pm
I feel like you feel.

Wow! What a nice birthday present I've gotten from the Democrats, I'm 49 today. Thanks for doing your jobs for a change. Keep it up Democrats!

The Republicans are upset the Democrats aren't busily implementing their agenda. Well, Hello, they are supposed to be an opposition party. For the most part the Democrats have collaborated with the Bush agenda so don't complain pugs.

Maybe Congress needs steroids injected into its ass so it finally will have the strength and courage to being impeachment hearings!

"Maybe they should just lock the door behind them and not let them back in." YES!!!!

CNN is droning the expiration of the bill that allowed the Bush administration to "eavesdrop on suspected terrorists." They are forgetting to mention that they are eavesdropping on everybody else too.

As for the Constitution, pay no attention to that man behind the green curtain......

I predict there will be a real revolution if the Democrats get a super-majority as well as the presidency and do nothing about the past seven (or 30) years of Republican bullshit.

All bets will be off - god help us.

"Republicans said Democrats should instead be working on extending a law - set to expire Saturday - allowing the government to eavesdrop on phone calls and e-mails in the United States"

So it's a "Don't pursue old crimes, let's work towards legalizing our new crimes". Stupid.

People have to really see what the Republicans have stood for. Lawlessness, destruction of the environment, tax breaks for the rich....and the list goes on and on. If people that voted Republican would just look at the whole record over the last 5 years, I think that they would have a REAL hard time defending it.

I think I about fainted when I heard the News, that CON-Yer's actually put Pelosie's feet to the fire and voted for the contempt citations,
That f---ing tampx holder needs to pull her plug, and drain all the crap that has accumulated between her ears

This servant of Bush and Co. needs to go; and fast, in the Process take THE OTHER LAME SON OF A BEITCH WITH HER, Harry the do nothing Bobble Headed doll.

Here's hoping that A FORIEGN POWER GOES TO THE WORLD COURT AFTER BUSH leaves OFFICE AND CHARGES HIM WITH CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY, MAKING IT POSSIBLE TO ARREST HIM IF HE TRAVELS OUTSIDE THE COUNTRY, AND YES THAT INCLUDES CHENEY AS WELL.

I WONDER; WONDER, WHEN WAXMAN, WILL TELL PELOSIE TO GO TO HELL AND START PURSUING HIS INDICTMENTS?

Mr.Mondelo

This is exactly how I feel too. I have been lied to and everytime I find out more about what the US has done I feel more amd more like a fool. When I think of the admiration I expressed to others for the US constitution and the concept of equality and civil liberties I believed were the essence of this nation, I feel like an idiot. Now I am dedicated to making every American understand that the US is a force dedicated to conquest and oppression. My postings are dedicated to opposing the US out of a deep sense of betrayal. I hold my teachers responsible for this betrayal and I hold the teachers of today responsible for the crimes this country is committing. I will not be turning back. I will try to spread the ugly truth about the US for the rest of my life.

This isn't about letting the telecoms off the hook. This is about halting the more than twenty law suits brought by private citizens and political dissenters that have been illegally spied on... doing what our Congress is failing to do.

Namely, subpoena, investigate and get to the bottom of what the White House did. How many did they illegally spy on... how often and for how long, EXACTLY? The telecoms can snitch on the White House and help some responsible attorneys bring about some resolve... exercise some of the oversight that our representatives have abrogated.

This legislation will halt our last avenue of redress... in light of the fact that our government is broken.

Poor Bush has to cancel his whirlwind photo-op. I wonder if he thinks he'll be remembered for helping Africa, in the way that Reagan and Nixon are erroneously lionized for bringing down the iron curtain and bamboo curtain, respectively. Poor Bush wants a legacy too... >sniff<

Congress has something far more important than FISA or Meiers/Bolton. Namely, finding out if Roger Clemens used steroids. NYtimes front page.

Jail 'em all. The Nazi bastards.

The time to attack is when they're in retreat. ;-)

IMPEACH BUSH & CHENEY! Bring charges against Rice, Powell, Yoo, Addington, Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld, Gonzalez, Myers-- the lot of 'em. Bring Justice back to America.

I thought I would throw up last night watching snippets of our so-called representatives so seriously and thoroughly investigating...this or that sports scandal. I felt like I was in a looking-glass world. Baseball steroids? Football videos? I just wanted to scream.

Talk about fiddling while Rome burns.

Maybe they should just lock the door behind them and not let them back in.

Peregrine,
If you as I, believe that 9-11 was an inside job,I have some
info that you'll find informative. e-mail me at jerryc-1939@msn.com

The question we must demand answers to is "How has your decision on (what ever issue) inspired, engendered, supported the trust we have placed in you to keep us, the public, informed and apprised of the actions of our governments, agencies, appointees and elected representatives?" Odds are there are damned few who could or wold attempt an answer to this essential question. Trust is THE central tenet of a successful and free democracy.

Just because it doesn't realy mean anything doesn't mean it isn't important. There's word that the Senate wiretap bill will be allowed to die in congress rather than bring it to a vote.

The president is yelping about how he is now powerless to prevent an "enemy attack" asa result. Beware of false flag incidents in the planning. Still 11 months till these mad people can be legally retired. May our republic recover from Bush-Clinton-Bush-Reagan-Carter-Nixon-Johnson.

Finally, the Democrats in the House took one tiny step for mankind. Good for the Dems! To Speaker Pelosi and the rest of the members who voted for the contempt citations, I say congratulations and thank you for listening to your constituents and for seeking to restore some semblance of constitutional propriety and enforcement of the laws of this country. Now Don't Back Down. Again. Ever.

If Bush and Cheney and Mukesey continue to defy the Constitution and to refuse to abide by and/or enforce the laws, impeach them. And Don't Back Down. Again. Ever.

What underlies all these arguments, all these petty fights between "our" Congress and this administration is the single, unassailable fact: unless this Congress orders articles of impeachment brought against this president and this entire administration, America will continue to slide to a fully fascist state.
As quoted a few days ago:
""There is a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can't take part; you can't even passively take part, and you've got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you've got to make it stop. And you've got to indicate to the people who run it, to the people who own it, that unless you're free, the machine will be prevented from working at all!" — Mario Savio.
It is time for the American people to STAND UP.

ya got to realize the country has at least since the murder of JFK been run by this cabal that run the drugs guns gamboling prostitution etc.allied with expanding corporate personhood have come under the microscope of the free speech internet with exponentially increasing computer power having given "the people " the power of analysis to see into all these state frauds/like the physics of free fall showing 9/11/01 events in NYC to be controlled demolitions isn't going to go away//this doubling now every year of the power of the CPU becomes the overwhelming society changing force in ways that were difficult for the original perpetrators to have foreseen//a lot of old crimes are going to be visible in the web of ever more powerful expert systems

MRFORD

Obama did vote, Clinton did not. Look at

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm...

for the tally. See all the Dems who voted Yea. Graham and Clinton were the two non-voting Senators. I'm proud to say that my two Senators here in NJ voted Nay. Only 28 Dems and the great Bernie Sanders of VT voted Nay.