Impeach Bush  

There seems to be growing murmurings of revolt coming from the US lately, with this week seeing an outburst of people talking about actually taking action against Bush and his cronies rather than simply complaining about their evil deeds (be they rigging elections, invading countries in possession of large amounts of oil or simply sabotaging global efforts to fight climate change).

While efforts like a large group of mayors signing up to meet the Kyoto accords in spite of the US federal goverment's opposition are fairly low key acts of defiance, some people, such as ex-air force colonel Karen Kwiatkowski are pondering the need for more active resistance.

The majority of Iraqis are angry, hurt, underemployed and under extreme stress. Yet most have not rejected or blamed God. Most retain a devotion to a religion, that like most, gathers its believers together, studies great and holy men and women, and attempts to explain human suffering while simultaneously embracing an all powerful God, whose creatures include both beasts of the field and the American enemy. They don’t trust the central government in Baghdad. They judge the American state's intent solely from the American state's actions, never its words.

They are wary of state efforts at law enforcement, and work hard to stay out of its dangerous and lumbering way. They love their country, and have no intention of permanently leaving its future in the hands of either the Americans or beholden U.S. allies in the region, be they of Saudi, Kuwaiti, Turkish or Israeli persuasion.

Some resist passively, some actively. They don’t understand everything that is happening, but most Iraqis have decided to pursue one or more of the countless paths of resistance to the state. Iraqis, like Russians and East Europeans before them, honed these skills under Saddam Hussein, as we hone our skills today in early totalitarian America. All are qualified to resist. None are excluded.

"Liberty" is also a concept George W. Bush favors. He said "liberty" fifteen times in his 2005 inaugural speech, second only to his 25 mentions of "freedom." Bush didn’t specifically advocate the murder, or even the restraint, of the state. On the other hand, perhaps he did. The way ahead is clear. We should promote our Great Leader’s love of liberty and resist, resist, resist!

What form this resistance takes is an interesting question of course. While some people have suggested a military coup, both against Bush and to keep him in power, that way would likely lead to disaster - with Chalmers Johnson's warnings about the fall of the Roman republic indicating the result of this course of action, regardless of who precipitates it.

Paul Craig Roberts is recommending "Americans say "enough!" and remove from office the war criminal who has sullied America’s good name" - but how is that to be accomplished when Bush's party (even if slightly divided) controls all arms of the federal government ?

John Conyers seems to be following Martin Luther's example of brazen defiance, which may actually rouse some people from their slumber.

On Thursday, June 16th, Rep. John Conyers will hold a hearing to investigate and expose the facts revealed by the release of the Downing Street Minutes and the other documents. A variety of witnesses will be called to describe the contents of these documents, and to describe what has been done to Iraq, and to us all, by this administration. Lurking in the corners of the hearing will be a phrase - "High Crime" - that aptly describes what has taken place.

The Conyers hearing will be held on Thursday at 2:30pm EST in room HC-9 in the Capitol Building in Washington DC. This is a small room, so any overflow of public viewers will be directed to the Wasserman Room in the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee.

At 5:00pm EST, a rally will take place in Lafayette Park, at the gates of the White House. Rep. Conyers will speak, along with Ambassador Joseph Wilson and Cindy Sheehan, who lost her son Casey in Iraq in April 2003, as Bush was unfurling his "Mission Accomplished" banner. The hearing and rally have been organized by the After Downing Street coalition, a collection of more than 120 organizations and news outlets that came together for the purpose of nailing the facts of the Downing Street Minutes to the White House door.

That, just before the opening of the rally on Thursday, is exactly what will happen. Several weeks ago, Rep. Conyers published a letter demanding answers from the Bush administration regarding the Minutes. That letter has been signed by more than one hundred Congresspeople, and by nearly a million American citizens. Rep. Conyers will personally deliver this letter and all those signatures to the White House on Thursday.

Jawaharlal Nehru, who with Mahatma Gandhi successfully freed India from British colonial rule, once said, "A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the sound of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance."

Deconsumption is also musing about this topic, with some talk from an ex-administration official about September 11 irregularities as well as Ralph Nader and John Kerry calling for Bush's impeachment (Cheney's as well I hope).

Technorati tags: peak oil