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

A five minute documentary video of the State of the Union protest in Minneapolis on Groundhog’s Day, January 31st, 2006 at which I met Jodin, Dave and D.L. Corvin, now all foundational members of our chapter in Minneapolis. They are the original three at the Federal Building in the video clowning around before the guy with the long straight hair shows up. It was about 12 degrees and blustery cold as those who know the Upper Midwest can relate to.

I read about the protest on the World Can’t Wait web site and can be seen standing closest to Jodin on a “grassy knoll” as he speaks through a megaphone later in the video toward the end of the “Say Goodbye” song overlay:

Drowning Out the Lies

A FAUXNews van came, set up a camera, videotaped the bunch and likely sent the video directly to Homeland Security as it never showed up on television that I heard about.

Condoleezza, Condoleezza, the family made you
You’re so unlike the lady, wraith agenda vile
Is it only ’cause you’re lying about Plame, you?
Or that Condoleezza strangeness in your smile?

Do you smile to hide a guile, Condoleezza?
Smoking gun a mushroom cloud of fantasy?
9/11 secrets have been brought to your doorstep
You just lie there and truth dies there
Are you warm, are you real, Condoleezza?
Or just a cold and lonely kelpie piece of work?

…

Do you smile to hide the treason, Condoleezza?
Human shield facade for tyranny?
Downing Street secrets have been brought to your doorstep
You just lie there and soldiers die there
Apparition, what’s your mission, Condoleezza?
I could swear you are a chimera, Faustian piece of art.

Condoleezza, Condoleezza

The U.S. Supreme Court recently rejected the Bush Administration’s claim that defining Guantanamo Bay detainees as “enemy combatants” justified denying them legal protections and due process as specified under Geneva Convention Accords and Nuremberg Principles.

What isn’t being widely discussed is that this decision makes perfectly clear that the way these detainees have been treated since they were first sent there in early 2002 (Washington Post: January 9, 2002) constitutes a four year trail of systematic war crimes being planned, encouraged, supported and carried out by the President and members of his cabinet, members of the Pentagon’s top brass and on down the military chain of command to individual American soldiers. This in addition to the following Alternet story which reveals that:

A former Nuremberg trials chief prosecutor says there is a case for trying President George W. Bush for the ‘supreme crime against humanity, an illegal war of aggression against a sovereign nation.’:

AlterNet: War on Iraq: Could Bush Be Prosecuted for War Crimes?

While I am thrilled by this recent Supreme Court decision, it is deeply disturbing that the vote wasn’t unanimous. It was 5-3, with Chief Justice Roberts recusing himself due to his involvement in an earlier lower court decision in the same case in which he made clear that his vote would have joined the minority.

We are one “Ken Lay heart attack” away, one “Paul Wellstone plane crash” away from Bush appointing one more radical conservative jurist to the Supreme Court, clearing the way for the American Executive Branch being given a green light to resume enacting and enforcing policies for which German and Japanese soldiers and politicians were indicted, convicted and executed after World War II.

From “The Call” on the first page of the web site of World Can’t Wait–Drive Out the Bush Regime! of which ImpeachforPeace.org is the Minneapolis chapter:

“People look at all this and think of Hitler — and they are right to do so. The Bush regime is setting out to radically remake society very quickly, in a fascist way, and for generations to come. We must act now; the future is in the balance.”

Are you going to act now or stand on the sidelines and watch?

For my birthday in June a friend gave me a wonderful gift: my very first ever remote-controlled airplane. I quickly christened it “The Wellstone” and each and every day since I have gone outdoors with it at least once, twice or even three times to resume my childhood. This Independence Day afternoon was no exception, despite the strong and gusty wind. It should have been no surprise then that it eventually caught an updraft and then a nor’wester, soaring up, up hundreds of feet and away on the way toward Lake Nokomis, or perhaps it had begun seeking clearance for an emergency landing at MSP airport just a bit further south. It was a beautiful sight, flying freely many times higher and farther away than it had ever flown before until, on a dead run, I lost sight of it beyond the treetops. I searched for half an hour over a three city block square through alleys and roadways, looking in yards and in trees and on rooftops, but to no avail.

I lost a good friend and a mentor yesterday.

With his wife Lynda, Jesse Smith was the co-franchisee of the Arthur Murray Edina studio where I first studied ballroom dance and worked for seven years. His 3 1/2 year struggle with Hodgkins Disease ended in peace yesterday morning at home with family. Jesse is also survived by his young son Dayton and his even younger daughter Elyse, both very early into their educational years.

As professional ballroom competitive partners, Jesse and Lynda were American Nine Dance Champions for consecutive years before they were married, having met when Jesse came to work at the studio Lynda owned as a skinny 19 year-old with immense talent and potential and a radiant, magnetic and extremely good-natured presence.

He was an internationally reknowned coach and judge, known as the gracious “Golden Boy” of Arthur Murray franchisees. He was universally well-liked, well-respected and admired.

For me, more importantly, he was magnanimously generous of spirit, of intelligence, of humor and especially generous of his knowledge and talents, spending countless hours training, teaching and coaching his staff before, during and after regular business hours.

Jesse (far left) with his staff in the winter of 2004:

I have only one e-mail in my mail book from Jesse and it is in response to my e-mail announcement that I was forming a Minneapolis chapter of World Can’t Wait–Drive Out the Bush Regime!, which led to this blog’s creation. Here is Jesse’s e-mail in its entirety:

~~~
Mikael,

I have read your recent e-mail and I applaud your initiative in opposing the hypocrisy of our administration. I hope you had a successful meeting. Have you read the “Memo” article by Jane Mayer in the New Yorker Magazine? It is about the General Counsel of the Navy’s attempts to end the abuses at Gitmo and how he was brushed off by the people in the highest levels of the administration. It is on their website and worth the read. Sounds like you not only bought your new house, but have moved in-that’s great.
Again, good luck with your chapter and keep me informed.

Best,
Jesse
~~~

Jesse taught me a lot. This has become his final message to me. I am passing his gift on to you:

“THE MEMO” by JANE MAYER – How an internal effort to ban the abuse and torture of detainees was thwarted.

It reads, in part:

~~~
The day after (outgoing general counsel of the U. S. Navy Albert J.) Mora’s first meeting with (former head of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service David) Brant, they met again, and Brant showed him parts of the transcript of (detainee) Qahtani’s (Guantanamo Bay) interrogation. Mora was shocked when Brant told him that the abuse wasn’t “rogue activity” but was “rumored to have been authorized at a high level in Washington.” The mood in the room, Mora wrote, was one of “dismay.” He added, “I was under the opinion that the interrogation activities described would be unlawful and unworthy of the military services.” Mora told me, “I was appalled by the whole thing. It was clearly abusive, and it was clearly contrary to everything we were ever taught about American values.”
Mora thinks that the media has focussed (sic) too narrowly on allegations of U.S.-sanctioned torture. As he sees it, the authorization of cruelty is equally pernicious. “To my mind, there’s no moral or practical distinction,” he told me. “If cruelty is no longer declared unlawful, but instead is applied as a matter of policy, it alters the fundamental relationship of man to government. It destroys the whole notion of individual rights. The Constitution recognizes that man has an inherent right, not bestowed by the state or laws, to personal dignity, including the right to be free of cruelty. It applies to all human beings, not just in America—even those designated as ‘unlawful enemy combatants.’ If you make this exception, the whole Constitution crumbles. It’s a transformative issue.”
~~~

“…opposing the hypocrisy of this administration…” is a transformative issue as well. I dedicate and re-commit my ongoing efforts toward this end to the memory of my friend and mentor Jesse Smith.

Eventually I resigned myself to budgeting for the replacement purchase of my plane. I had been thinking about buying one for Dayton anyway. I headed for home up the very alleyway I had first run down as it disappeared. Laying on its back smack dab in the middle of the alley was my plane.

Star Tribune Obituary

For an excellent, albeit gentle and somewhat “iceberg tip only” 90 minute glimpse into the Bush Administration’s covert journey from 9/11 through the invasion of Iraq, take the time to view online:

“The Dark Side” from PBS’ Frontline

Much of the focus of this PBS documentary is on the power struggle between those in the CIA with the integrity to stick to the facts and the courage to speak truth to power and the Cheney/Rumsfeld-led push to follow through on their shared desire to tie Saddam to Al Qaeda and 9/11 as well as to manufacture a Sadaam WMD threat in order to justify the invasion and occupation of Iraq. What this story doesn’t make clear is their shared passion, pre-dating 9/11, to gain access to what they consider the Middle East’s strategic resources through Afghanistan, Iraq and possibly eventually the country they flank, Iran:

“The Project for the New American Century.” by William Rivers Ritt

Months into a national propaganda campaign in which PNAC signers Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney as well as then National Security Advisor to the President Condoleeza Rice and then Secretary of State Colin Powell knowingly and willingly used distorted and manufactured Central Intelligence Agency and other security source information in order to convince the country that we must invade Iraq, President George W. Bush spoke these now infamous 16 words to the nation:

“The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.”

A complete transcript of the January, 2003 State of the Union address

President Bush asked the American people and Congress to trust with absolute certainty information that he knew was shaky at best, and in some cases, he, his Vice President and members of his cabinet knew was conclusively false.

2,538 American flag covered coffins, 18,356 physically crippled soldiers, countless emotionally destroyed soldiers and hopelessly damaged families, between 38,822 and 43,251 confirmed dead Iraqi civilian men, women and children (at the very, very least) and completely destroyed post-9/11 international good-will later…

Iraq Coalition Casualty Count

…isn’t it high time to find out why they lied to us, why they lied to Congress, why they lied to the United Nations and why they lied to the world?

If you take a moment to read the short article by Mr. Ritt linked above, he notes that the PNAC group that has siezed control of our country through the bloodless coup d’etat in the Presidential election of 2000, maintained it through the same shadowy means in 2004 and has no intention of surrendering power in 2008 has some stated goals, including to:

* Reposition permanently based forces to Southern Europe, Southeast Asia and the Middle East;
* Modernize U.S. forces, including enhancing our fighter aircraft, submarine and surface fleet capabilities;
* Develop and deploy a global missile defense system, and develop a strategic dominance of space;
* Control the “International Commons” of cyberspace;
* Increase defense spending to a minimum of 3.8 percent of gross domestic product, up from the 3 percent currently spent.

Every one of those things is taking place or has already occurred. “The Dark Side” reveals how they “chilled” the CIA and hints of the transfer of International Intelligence authority from the CIA to their own creation headed by their own people: The Department of Homeland Security, removing one of the strongest checks on their ongoing thrust toward the intended global domination PNAC documents made very clear.

This tightly secretive administration now considers America’s military juggernaut their descretionary personal weapon to utilize toward accomplishing their quest for tightly-controlled world military, economic and political domination.

Despite talk of drawing down the U.S. military presence in Iraq, the construction of permanent bases continues unabated. Every request for more money for “Defense” is rubber-stamped through Congress. Our military budget is $463 billion WITHOUT INCLUDING the $300 billion for the Iraq and Afghan wars and is growing with every budgetary voting session. China is second in the world at $63 billion. The combined military budgets of potential enemy “rogue” states North Korea, Iran, Syria and Cuba is $13 billion. Our military spending is more than all other nations in the world combined, yet virtually none of that spending has done anything to lessen the real threat of a small WMD being transported across our porous borders and being used against American citizens on our soil.

Minnesota Alliance of Peacemakers

They are now slowing turning their rapacious gaze onto a wish to “control the “International Commons” of cyberspace”. We may be one “terrorist attack” away from that happening much more swiftly than we would ever imagine.

Save the Internet

Then again, you may never get a chance to read this post.

In case you missed it. Here it is again:

Stephen Colbert at White House Correspondent’s Dinner

Absolutely brilliant.

Here is an excerpt from: World Can’t Wait Training Project Unleashes Activists
~ by Sunsara Taylor (WCW Advisory Board member)

As published on: Revolution: Voice of the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA

> There was a lot of debate over whether reaching “the mainstream” means
> toning down the message or whether we owe everyone as big a dose of the
> truth as we can bring; over how to draw the line between religion and
> theocracy; over how to argue with people that they cannot rely on the
> Democratic Party to get us out of this mess without insisting that people
> break with the Democrats in order to get involved; and over how to get way
> out there in stirring up massive, unprecedented resistance without
> inadvertently sending the message that “non-radicals need not apply.”

The answers aren’t coming easily, nor or they simple. Conversely, I think the answer is very complex, yet not unattainably so.

Last night I attended a meeting in my new neighborhood in South Minneapolis in which about 500 people jammed into a hot and sticky room designed for about 350 for two full hours. Every chair was occupied, as was much of the open space on the floor. There was someone leaning on nearly every inch of available wall and the two entry ways were full as well with people leaning in to hear and contribute in the Q & A portion. Passions ran as high as the non-air-conditioned room temperature as the moderator had to quiet the crowd and bring order multiple times.

What was the critical topic? Torture? Spying on Americans and the loss of our liberties? Stolen elections and the blatantly racist plot to do so? The threats to internet impartiality and public television and radio? The 9/11 cover-up and Dick Cheney’s apparent complicity in it?

No. The school board has recieved a proposal to utilize the vacant elementary school across the street as an alternative high school.

That’s right… a school re-use debate.

Although I respect the concern of my neighbors with small children and those of us who are worried about this leading to an increase in gang activity in the area, it might seem my neighbors are more concerned about a cigarette being left on the sidewalk in front of their house than they are a cigarette being pushed into the eyeball of an American military detainee in Cuba, Iraq, Afghanistan or in some former gulag in Eastern Europe who was kidnapped and transported years ago by our government and may never be charged, gain access to counsel or see his family nor the light of day again. As much as that insular hypocrisy disgusts me, I am trying to figure out what the key is to this extraordinary turnout last night because I am long past simply reacting and am solidly committed to finding the strategies that will get the White House eradication results we want and that America and the world so desperately need.

Just like the huge turnout for the Immigration rallies earlier this spring across the nation, the key here seems to be that this issue hit home for my neighbors. It was personal. They perceived this issue as being a direct potential threat to their quality of life. Just as many Mexican-Americans fear that family members who have lived in the U.S. for years are going to be torn away from their children and thrown over a freshly-built sixty-foot tall GOP fence back into Mexico, many of my neighbors fear “gang-bangers” attending this “last chance” school are going to rape, pillage, steal and destroy their neighborhood. I am not as interested in the relative reasonableness of these fears as I am in finding out what will work for us to most effectively bring the multiple solid, legitimate reasons for the cheney/Bush Regime removal movement to the forefront of the American consciousness.

Because there is no draft, the Iraq War is still “over there” for most Americans. Torture is “over there”. The rights we are losing seem distantly conceptual to most Americans. American opinion on abortion is widely split. Many still trust that “christian” leaders will have their best interests in mind. Most believe we are actually fighting a “War on Terror”, as if terror is an enemy that can be isolated, attacked and destroyed. We may as well declare war on bullets. Most concerned citizens are trusting that an inevitable “pendulum swing” back to the Democrats will fix things. We know better. So what is going to make this work?

I do not know.

I do believe that nearly every American, if they were to know the total truth about the cheney/Bush Regime’s actions and policies, would be appalled enough to demand they step down, and perhaps face severe criminal prosecution and punishment for their multiple crimes and misdemeanors.

I also believe that from the corporate executive who would agree to the street vendor who would also concur, the avenues to gain their support and participation are as varied as the daily population of a Greenwich Village sidewalk. Because of that, the ways of reaching them may be more of an art than a scientific formula, and there is room in our movement for every type of person and every kind of communication from gentle and personal to loud and radical. The key is for each participant to decide on an audience (or several) that they know and understand and to reach out to that particular group in such a way that the group will be most likely to recieve and accept the message.

> There was a lot of debate over whether reaching “the mainstream” means toning down the >message or whether we owe everyone as big a dose of the truth as we can bring;

Perhaps “… as big a dose of the truth as they are ready to recieve” on a case-by-case basis to individuals or groups is the most effective option? I am sure that was discussed.

> over how to draw the line between religion and theocracy;

From the christian bible, which is what this regime tries to pretend they are adherents to:

(Religion) Jesus said: “But I, when I am lifted up will draw all of humanity to myself.” ~ John 12:32.

(Theocracy) President McKinley justified an imperialistic annexation in order: “to educate the Filipinos and uplift and Christianize them”.

(Religion) When Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, his disciple Peter attempted to violently defend him and Jesus rebuked Peter, saying: “Put your sword back into its place, for all those who take the sword will die by the sword.” ~ Matthew 26:52

(Theocracy) President George W. Bush gave a glimpse into his true perspective in the week after 9/11 by saying: “This (christian) crusade, this war on terrorism is going to take a while”.

> how to argue with people that they cannot rely on the Democratic Party to get us out of this >mess without insisting that people break with the Democrats in order to get involved;

The vast majority of Americans involved in the peace movement, strongly critical of Bush, frustrated and angry over the direction the cheney/Bush regime is taking us are registered Democrats. It is the most fertile field for allies available to those of us calling for an early end to cheney/Bush control. Not all will heed “The Call”, of course, but almost all will be sympathetic to our rage and will listen to impeachment and other efforts to remove the cabal from the White House:

Here are some talking points to discuss with Democrats who insist on working within the political process, leaning toward “business as usual”:

1). Impeachment is the only legal, political recourse to investigate/hold accountable/prosecute the President of the United States. All other public officials can be held liable in a court of law and/or through the impeachment process.
2). To be impeached, criminality is not a prerequisite, although it makes the job much easier – especially when many of Bush’s admissions of guilt are on the record (NSA spying, support of torture, etc.).
3). Impeachment is simple accountability. No American is above the law. This is the only way to hold Bush accountable within the Democratic system.
4). Do you trust our voting system across the nation? If not, why are you depending on it alone to save us from this disastrous Regime?
4). If Bush isn’t impeached, what will the next President get away with?
5). We won’t get cheney as President. Any impeachment would reveal him to be “double dirty”. Just as Nixon did, the likely result of impeachment hearings starting would be mass resignations for “health” reasons (cheney) or other reasons in the administration.
6). Impeachment is OUR responsibility and it is something WE AS CITIZENS can and must do:

For more evidence and responses to arguments against impeachment/removal of cheney/Bush:

www.ImpeachforPeace.org

> How to get way out there in stirring up massive, unprecedented resistance without inadvertently > sending the message that “non-radicals need not apply.”

Meet them where they are at. Know your audience. Find out “where they live” and talk about the topics that concern them personally. No matter what the topic, it is easy for anyone reasonably informed to tie the discussion back to the fact that this administration considers itself above the law, considers everything in America for sale including the precious blood of our young men and women in service overseas, and that they will do anything and everything they can to consolidate power, control and profit margins into the blood-stained hands of their soul-less corporate cronies and immoral business partners.

Every American is at grave risk. They just need to see it. Our job and our mission is to get that information to them. THEY will remove cheney/Bush. We can’t, but thankfully, we don’t have to do it by ourselves, we just need to inform and recruit.

Does anyone else get just a little bit nauseous when they see someone wearing camouflage as fashion? Does anyone else stop to think what price the wearer DIDN’T pay for the privilege? Does anyone else think of how many of those uniforms have been bloodied, or how many of those sleeves have been separated from the rest of the shirt along with the arm inside it?

I was sickened by the ad shown shown here, and not just because I hate pop-ups in general (got ’em blocked now). “Get the Desert Hat Worn by our Combat Troops in Iraq. Great for the Summer!”

If you wonder what a veteran feels and thinks when he or she sees a civilian walk by adorned with a piece of uniform they once wore, I would recommend asking a veteran:

Veterans for Peace
Veterans for Peace and Justice
Iraq Veterans Against the War

It sickens me.

I am not a veteran, but I am a member of Veterans for Peace. If you are interested, contact them about membership at their website above.

If your government orders you to violate international law, what is the honorable thing to do?

“On June 7th, 2006, U.S. Army First Lieutenant Ehren Watada became the first commissioned officer to publicly announce his opposition to the Iraq war and his intent to refuse to deploy with his unit to Iraq.”

God bless America, and may God bless Lt. Watada in his courageous stand against this illegal and immoral war of aggression against Iraq.

Here is his published statement:

Opposing war in Iraq my duty as American
By First Lt. Ehren Watada
Posted on: Sunday, June 18, 2006 in The Honolulu Advertiser

My name is Ehren Watada. I am a U.S. Army commissioned officer. Currently, I am awaiting charges for refusal to participate in the illegal war and occupation in Iraq.

I was born and raised in Hawai’i. As a child, my family instilled in me a moral sense of right, wrong and giving of one’s self. As a young man, I worked my way through college, appreciating the value of earning my own education. I haven’t always lived a perfect life, but I have tried to live it to the best of my ability.

When I decided to be military officer, I chose to lead by example and put the needs of others before myself. Joining the Army is a choice I will never regret: My decision to reject unlawful and immoral orders in spite of the danger, has taught me the true meaning of sacrifice. I hope that my example shows other soldiers that they, too, have the freedom and the duty to choose right over wrong.

In March 2003, I joined the military because I felt the pull of duty, service and patriotism. This was coming off of the tragic terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Upon enlisting, I did not believe an invasion of Iraq was fully justified but I believed the president’s claims should be given the benefit of the doubt. I was willing to fight terrorism —- but always within the extent of the law. At that time, I never imagined that our leader could betray the trust of the people over something as serious as war.

Since I learned of my coming deployment last year, I wanted to know everything about war —- its history, its effects, and of course, this particular one.

The books and articles I read would change my views forever. They exposed in detail the president’s deliberate manipulation to initiate this war. Recent reports show us that this war is a debacle of enormous proportions and that there never was any just cause. I felt as though our lives were being wasted for nothing.

My mind and my moral compass were in turmoil. For me, the turning point came in January 2006. It was not the startling revelations of U.S. Rep. Jack Murtha that swayed me. Nor was it the countless articles written by veterans, former officials, nongovernment agencies and journalists exposing the criminality of the war. Instead, I as a leader could no longer stand the pain and suffering of so many soldiers, families, and Iraqis on the basis of a lie.

I wanted to be there for my fellow troops. But the best way is not to add to the death and destruction. It is to help oppose this unlawful war and end it so that all soldiers can come home.

Never in my life did I ever imagine I would have to disobey my president. But I have come to the conclusion that participation in this war is not only immoral but a breach of American and international law. Article VI of the U.S. Constitution makes all international treaties the law of the land. Therefore, the invasion and the continued fight against an indigenous insurgency are unlawful because they violate Article 2 of the U.N. Charter, U.N. General Assembly Resolution 3314, and the Nuremberg Tribunal Charter prohibiting wars of aggression.
The Congressional Authorization of Force against Iraq has no bearing because its basic premises are untrue. Furthermore, there is vast evidence of numerous violations of international conventions by occupation forces and occupier-trained forces. Though I may never be punished for these crimes, I must as an officer of honor and integrity refuse to take part in them.

1st Lt. Ehren Watada was born and raised in Honolulu. He wrote this commentary for The Advertiser.

In a recent interview, American hero Daniel Ellsberg, who helped to bring Richard Nixon to justice, called President Bush a dictator and warned that the “next 9/11” will be our “Reichstag Fire”, possibly leading to the demise of Democracy in America.

Ellsberg says Bush is a Dictator

This is an exceptionally informed perspective coming from a longtime veteran of the battle to save democracy in America and a signer of “The Call” from World Can’t Wait–Drive Out the Bush Regime!:

World Can’t Wait–Drive Out the Bush Regime!

When will the “next 9/11”, our “Reichstag Fire” occur? Will it be timed to affect the November elections or will it be later? What will the reaction be from those of us who are already anticipating it? What should it be?

~ Mikael