Mikael of ImpeachforPeace Empowering citizens to hold our elected (or otherwise in power) servants accountable

Friends of Impeach for Peace

Today I am writing with sad news about Mikael Rudolph, co-founder of ImpeachforPeace. Mikael had been struggling with cancer for some time and passed away last Friday.

Mikael was a talented mime, vaudevillian, and dance teacher. But the side of Mikael that those with Impeach for Peace saw, was that of a political activist. Mikael put great effort into opposing war crimes, resisting our country’s torture policies, advocating for the end of the war in Iraq, and more. Through his efforts at Impeach for Peace, he not only found meaning for his life but also helped others to organize towards a better world. And, if Mikael had done nothing else, this would represent a worthy legacy.

Mikael was a good friend of mine, and I’ll miss him dearly. My favorite memories are of his involvement in Patriots for Corporate Rights. He and several of our common friends satirized the corporate interests of our country in street protests and on radio. This brought Mikael the performer and Mikael the protester together. If you are interested in seeing or hearing some of those moments, you can find them at CorporateRights.org

Mikael’s main political efforts went into Impeach for Peace (ImpeachForPeace.org) and World Can’t Wait (http://WorldCantWait.org) where he held meetings, marched in the street, called radio programs, blogged furiously, organized protests, met with congressional leaders, handed out leaflets and anything else he felt might stir the pot. Mikael spoke of how his activist inspiration was due in part to his mother’s legacy. She had fought for the rights of Japanese Americans interned during WW II.

Details of services being held for Mikael can be found at MikaelTheMime.com. I have included his obituary below.

I know that Mikael would have approved of my making following suggestion. If, in the coming days, the current political state of affairs frustrates you, or inspires you, take the time to act on it. Call or write a congress person, refuse to spend your money with big corporations, join a march–or start one! That’s how I’ll chose to remember and honor Mikael.

Jodin Morey
Cofounder, Impeach for Peace

MIKAEL JONATHAN RUDOLPH, 51, of Minneapolis (native to Bainbridge Island, WA) died peacefully in his home on February 26th following a courageous six-month battle with Therapy Related Acute Myelogenous Leukemia. Mikael was a beloved mime and vaudeville performer well-known to audiences at renaissance and fringe festivals, churches and schools nationwide. He taught swing, salsa and ballroom dance in the Twin Cities and was a political activist who co-founded Impeach For Peace and worked tirelessly with others toward political reform. He is preceded in death by cat Louie, sister Kristi, and parents John and Natalie. He is survived by brother James, nephew Zephyr, nieces Jamila, Rio and Trinity, great-niece Aliyah, cats Ash, Moxie and Jabo, and many friends who love him. Memorials preferred to Visitation Monastery of Minneapolis or RESCU Foundation. Memorial service details to follow at www.mikaelthemime.com <http://www.mikaelthemime.com>.

by Aden Renkai, via Political Wire (thanks Teresa Nielsen Hayden!).

(Source)

This has been floating around the internet and is just too good not to share:

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While suturing a cut on the hand of a 75 year old rancher, who’s hand was caught in the gate while working cattle, the doctor struck up a conversation with the old man. Eventually the topic got around to Palin and her bid.

The old rancher said, “Well, ya know, Palin is a ‘Post Turtle'”.

Not being familiar with the term, the doctor asked him what a ‘post turtle’ was, the old rancher said, “When you’re driving down a country road you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that’s a ‘post turtle”.

The old rancher saw the puzzled look on the doctor’s face so he continued to explain. “You know she didn’t get up there by herself, she doesn’t belong up there, and she doesn’t know what to do while she’s up there, and you just wonder what kind of dummy put her up there to begin with”.

If you believe impeachment hearings to investigate Vice President Richard B. Cheney are warranted there has never been a better time to say so. Sign the impeachment petition at: www.WexlerWantsHearings.com initiated by House Judiciary Committee members Robert Wexler (D-FL), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) TODAY!

Over a hundred and ten thousand online signatures have been gathered in less than a week since Rep. Wexler posted the petition on his campaign website. This despite the original OpEd article: “A Case for Hearings” by the three members of Congress being refused by all major newspapers it was submitted to, including the New York Times and Washington Post, as well as multiple television networks.

This blackout by the Corporate Media led Congressman Wexler to reach out directly to the American people by posting an appeal on YouTube, entitled: “Rep. Wexler Wants Cheney Impeachment Hearings”.

Eight total members of the House Judiciary Committee have either co-signed House Resolution 333 (now H. Res. 799) to impeach Vice President Cheney and/or co-authored this current appeal for impeachment. Co-signers of H. Res. 333 on the HJC include Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN), Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX), Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA), and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA).

Clearly the House Judiciary is on the brink of possibly initiating impeachment hearings with more than one third of its Democratic members publicly committed to supporting impeachment of the Vice President.

A caller to the office of House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr. (D-MI) was told that the current impeachment bill H.R. 799 “is in special discussion”, and that now is the time that we should be calling our Representatives”.

Representative and Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) first introduced H. Res. 333 last April and Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI) just became the 24th co-signer on December 19th.

House Resolution 333 is comprised of three articles, charging that the Vice President “purposely manipulated the intelligence process to deceive the citizens and Congress of the United States by fabricating a threat of Iraq weapons of mass destruction” as well as lying “about an alleged relationship between Iraq and Al Qaeda” among other claims.

Media Matters
Limbaugh: Service members who support U.S. withdrawal are “phony soldiers”

During the September 26 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Rush Limbaugh called service members who advocate U.S. withdrawal from Iraq “phony soldiers.” He made the comment while discussing with a caller a conversation he had with a previous caller, “Mike from Chicago,” who said he “used to be military,” and “believe[s] that we should pull out of Iraq.” Limbaugh told the second caller, whom he identified as “Mike, this one from Olympia, Washington,” that “[t]here’s a lot” that people who favor U.S. withdrawal “don’t understand” and that when asked why the United States should pull out, their only answer is, ” ‘Well, we just gotta bring the troops home.’ … ‘Save the — keeps the troops safe’ or whatever,” adding, “[I]t’s not possible, intellectually, to follow these people.” “Mike” from Olympia replied, “No, it’s not, and what’s really funny is, they never talk to real soldiers. They like to pull these soldiers that come up out of the blue and talk to the media.” Limbaugh interjected, “The phony soldiers.” The caller, who had earlier said, “I am a serving American military, in the Army,” agreed, replying, “The phony soldiers.”

(Original Article)

No matter how much effort I and we of www.ImpeachforPeace.org put into holding the White House and other corrupt officials accountable, each and every veteran or active duty soldier has the authority in the public eye to have twice the effect I or any other ‘justice through impeachment for peace’ activists have regarding Peace and Justice issues around our military in half the time.

As it should be.

How powerful would the anti-war effort have become in a big hurry with Pat Tillman as the nexus along with Cindy Sheehan – bless her Gold Star heart?

If only Pat Tillman hadn’t been hit by enemy fire.
I mean…
If only Pat Tillman hadn’t been hit by friendly fire in a firefight.
I mean…
If only Pat Tillman hadn’t been hit by friendly fire in a firefight that we have found out didn’t actually take place.
I mean…

If only someone hadn’t put three bullets in Pat Tillman’s head from approximately ten yards away (what at least one veteran sniper has written looked very much like a hit and two confirmation shots), he would have been able to keep the appointment with war critic and fellow intellectual Noam Chomsky that his mother has shared was his plan upon being discharged or upon his next leave/furlough (I don’t know the lingo).

Tillman was ready to come home and likely would have emerged as the most potent high profile war and Bush Administration critic as a veteran since… well… since John Kerry.

Is a Court Martial movement the best means by which to pick up Tillman’s weapon of words and action to support and defend the Constitution of the United States from domestic enemies to it? I am not the one to say, but if it is, who will be the one they themselves have been waiting for?

The ‘new’ John Kerry won’t even invoke the First Amendment to keep you from being tazed for asking the wrong questions, thus supporting with his inaction a student being proscribed for asking questions outside the prescribed parameters of a public hearing.