When George II blew into New Jersey last week for a bit of money-grubbing on behalf of the state's hapless GOP, his minions charged only five grand for a picture with the prez. That's chimp change compared to what suckers got charged last year at similar events, and a fraction of the dough Team Chimpy charged at the two Republican national conventions. Frankly, I'm surprised they could find anybody addled enough to pay even that much. Considering that Bush's unpopularity did a lot to undercut Doug Forrester's gubernatorial campiagn last year, I'm surprised the boy emperor didn't have to pay people to stand next to him.
When President Bush travels to New Jersey this week to raise money for the state's Republican Party, he'll be entering a political disaster zone.
Not since Watergate have New Jersey Republicans endured such a painful losing streak.
Well if this is a disaster zone, then the GOP survivors seem to be attempting to hide under any debris they can find. With just 2 days remaining before the big bash, we have 2 confirmed attendees out of 146 possible candidates and electeds the State Committee is tracking. Four people are listed as unsure/maybe and now 11 have said no/have a conflict. Maybe the rest of the people forgot to charge their phone or aren't checking their messages.
So if your President were coming to town and you were going to bail, what would be your best excuse to give? Junior has already used the stuck in traffic excuse with this administration. Also, lets see if we can get a few more of these people on the record before they sneak in and out of the back door without their consituents knowing. You can see who's on the record and get contact information by viewing the GOP Report Card. It's also not to early to see where your Congressman is standing going into '08.
Come to the State House in Trenton, Saturday, April 28th, 1-4 pm, where we're spelling out: I - M - P - E - A - C - H! Events like this are happening throughout the USA on National Impeach Day! We're asking everyone who comes to wear blue and help form a human mural of our I-word on the street in front of the capitol. This historic event is to tell our legislature and governor that we want the Resolution to Impeach Bush and Cheney introduced and passed now! We'll have speakers and even a plane towing a banner that gets the message out to thousands more across the state.
The State Police are kindly providing a parking area for 200 cars, and there are additional lots nearby. The rally itself takes place in front of the State House at 125 West State Street, Trenton, New Jersey 08608.
When was the last time you gathered petition signatures and people actually lined up to sign their names? That's what happened at Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School on Thursday after former Congresswoman Elizabeth Holtzman finished presenting the case for Bush and Cheney's impeachment. Holtzman didn't merely say the "I" word, she trumpeted it loud and clear as only a seasoned, passionate prosecutor could. Had her remarks been the closing arguments of a trial, and audience members the jury, an immediate verdict to convict would have been reached without anyone leaving their seats!
Holtzman, a graduate of Harvard Law School, sat on the House Judiciary Committee during the Nixon impeachment hearings, and wrote one of the articles of impeachment. One of the points she stressed was that it took a groundswell of public outrage for Congress to initiate proceedings against him. Bush and Cheney have already egregiously violated their oaths of office and our laws: what further damage to lives and our system of government must they do before this Congress rises up to stop them? As Holtzman writes in her February 12, 2007 article in "The Nation" linked at the end of this diary:
President George W. Bush, modern day reincarnation of Winston Churchill, has just submitted his budget. Senators Lautenberg and Menendez observe:
A preliminary assessment of the president's proposed fiscal year 2008 budget uncovered a series of reckless cuts to programs and services critical to New Jersey families. The budget inexplicably cuts state homeland security grants almost by half. These funds, which help first responders and local governments prepare for and respond to terrorist attacks, are critical for communities with high-risk targets like New Jersey. New Jersey's funding has already been cut dramatically in recent years.
Can one of our Republican lurkers step up and let us know that the war on terror is over? Did Osama bin Laden turn himself in? Because otherwise I don't see how this can be explained.
I am so appreciative of the speech and decisions made by the President yesterday.
NO, Not for the plan, which is ultimately a mistake, and threatens only to put more American lives at risk. A risk which only serves as a long shot attempt to save some sort of legacy of his Presidency other than failure. A risk where he is using the lives of American Soldiers as his chips.
NO, obviously that is not the reason I am appreciative. But at this point, since we all know (well save for some 28 percent), that doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result is the definition of insanity, and using that definition we know our commander-in-cheif is insane, I no longer expect any better of him.
NO, I did not expect him to call out Iran and Syria, essentially trying to provoke them.
NO, even I didn't think the President was that crazy. But it was helpful for us in New Jersey, only in doing so, you help make this even clearer.
NO, the reason I am appreciative is that we here in New Jersey will be able to look back and see, who else is insane? Who else, when their elections come up, will we be able to say:
NO they are as insane as President Bush. We can now be sure that Rep. Jim Saxton (R-03) is insane, and should never be re-elected to represent the people of New Jersey.
NO, even though they are playing political weasels and avoiding outright supporting the President, that Rep. Chris Smith (R-04), Rep. Rodney P. Frelinghuysen (R-11), Rep. E. Scott Garrett (R-05) Rep. Mike Ferguson (R-07) and Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-02)are not representing the people of New Jersey properly and standing up against your this insane policy. One that even if you wanted to support this war, would have to stop and wonder why you were wasting more lives in Iraq, even as you provoke additional enemies.
NO, now it is no longer confusing. You have clarify those representatives that do no share New Jersey's respect for human live and are more concerned with supporting a neocon agenda than representing the people of New Jersey.
And when they come back, asking for our support, New Jersey can look back at this moment for some clarity and just tell them NO!
Violating the Geneva Conventions with human rights abuses, waging an illegal war and lying to the American public about its justifications, violating the U.S. Constitution with illegal wiretapping and domestic spying, detaining suspects indefinitely without any charge, eliminating the writ of habeas corpus -- these are all par for the course in for one of the worst presidencies in American history and are stark reminders of why we, as responsible citizens, must seek the impeachment of George W. Bush.
This Sunday, 10 December, is National Impeachment Day, and events are being scheduled throughout the state and the country. For this, forums and films are being schedule to inform voters about the constitutional violations of the Bush presidency. In Voorhees, for example, at the public library, 3rd floor, on 12/10 at 1:00:
Dave Lindorff, award winning author and investigative reporter for over 33 years, will lead a discussion based on his recent released book , co-authored with Barbara Olshansky, "The Case for Impeachment"
More events are scheduled around the country, including in Wayne, NJ. Scoop, Impeachment News
And, because of his resolution on gay marriage, our now-favorite Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, is also considering introducing an impeachment bill through the NJ state legislature, as a recent email from democrats.com attests:
NJ General Assembly Assistant Majority Leader Reed Gusciora: "You may also be happy to know that I support a New Jersey legislative resolution urging Congress to investigatge grounds for impeachment."
People should begin now to communicate thanks and encouragement to Reed Gusciora, and imploring his help in passing the Resolution to Impeach in the NJ Legislature:
email: AsmGusciora@njleg.org
226 West State Street Trenton NJ 08608
Phone 609.292.0500 FAX 609.633.2179
Hence, if you live in Gusciora's district, please let him know that you support this resolution, and call and write your own legislators to vote for and introduce an impeachment resolution. You can also get impeachment on the ballot in 2007 by following township resolutions (usually involving gathering signatures) for your particular city.
It is absolutely the time to push for investigations and impeachment of the Bush White House, and tomorrow's national impeachment day and the N.J. legislative bill can provide the catalysts for this movement possibly to succeed.
So now Dubya insists that he won't bring our troops home until we have "completed the mission."
I guess he's forgotten that huge "Mission Accomplished" banner hanging on our aircraft carrier as a backdrop for his photo-op in that flyboy suit. How long ago was that?
Gosh, if the mission was "accomplished" the day he played junior birdman, why is it taking so long to bring the troops home?
"From the very day this campaign began, from the very day, Republicans in this race and across the nation spent their whole time talking about something other than what serves the people. And once again the people in New Jersey rejected that strategy. George Bush and Karl Rove can take it and put it in a place where it doesn't show."
It hasn’t gotten much publicity (for obvious reasons) but W. recently paid a stealth visit to Junior’s headquarters.
Curiously enough, NJ's Republican candidate for senator was less than welcoming to the Commander-in-Chief. Check out the video, courtesy of the AFL/CIO and also posted at Daily Kos and Perfectly Wrong:
Here's a flyer I made for a GOTV table in Princeton that BlueJersey folk might enjoy. Please feel free to appropriate it for any use. If you need a high-res file for copying and printing, just e-mail me and I'll send one along as an attachment.
The language of the resolution is taken from both the Center for Constitutional Rights in New York and the After Downing Street Organization. It's tailored for our legislature in New Jersey, but the substance of the text can be used in any state with the "mechanical particulars" adapted to the requirements of each state's process.
A Resolution to Impeach President George W. Bush
and Vice President Richard B. Cheney
WHEREAS, George W. Bush subverted the Constitution, its guarantee of a republican form of government, and the constitutional separation of powers by undermining the rightful authority of Congress to declare war, oversee foreign affairs, and make appropriations. He did so by justifying the war with false and misleading statements and deceived the people of the United States as well as Congress. He denied the electorate the right to make an informed choice and thereby undermined democracy; and
WHEREAS, George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney conspired with others to defraud the United States of America by intentionally misleading Congress and the public regarding the threat from Iraq in order to justify a war in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Section 371; and
WHEREAS, George W. Bush, abused his power by failing to take care that the laws were faithfully executed by directing or authorizing the National Security Agency and various other agencies within the intelligence community to conduct electronic surveillance outside of the statutes Congress prescribed as the exclusive means for such surveillance, and to use such information for purposes unknown but unrelated to any lawful function of his office; he also concealed the existence of this unlawful program of electronic surveillance from Congress, the press and the public; and
WHEREAS, George W. Bush has admitted to ordering the National Security Agency to conduct electronic surveillance of American civilians without seeking warrants from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review, duly constituted by Congress in 1978, in violation of Title 50 United States Code, Section 1805; and
WHEREAS, George W. Bush, abused his power by violating the constitutional and international rights of citizens and non-citizens by arbitrarily detaining them indefinitely inside and outside of the United States, without due process, without charges and with limited – if any – access to council or courts. He failed to faithfully execute the laws of the United States by allowing his administration to condone torture, failing to investigate and prosecute high-level officials responsible for torture, and officially refusing to accept the binding nature of a statutory ban on cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment; and
WHEREAS, George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney conspired to commit the torture of prisoners in violation of the “Federal Torture Act” Title 18 United States Code, Section 113C, the UN Torture Convention and the Geneva Convention, which under Article VI of the Constitution are part of the “supreme Law of the Land;” and
WHEREAS, George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney acted to strip American citizens of their constitutional rights by ordering indefinite detention without access to legal counsel, without charge and without the opportunity to appear before a civil judicial officer to challenge the detention, based solely on the discretionary designation by the President of a U.S. citizen as an “enemy combatant,” all in subversion of law; and
WHEREAS, George W. Bush, in his conduct of the Office of the President of the United States, in violation of his constitutional oath to faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, arrogated excessive power to the executive branch in violation of basic constitutional principles of the separation of powers; and
WHEREAS, In all of this George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney acted in a manner contrary to their trust as President and Vice President, subversive of constitutional government to the great prejudice of the cause of law and justice, and to the manifest injury of the people of New Jersey and of the United States of America; and
WHEREAS, Petitions from the country at large may be presented by the Speaker of the House according to Clause 3 of House Rule XII; and
WHEREAS, Jefferson’s Manual Section LIII, 603, states that impeachment may be set in motion by charges transmitted from the legislature of a State;
Be it resolved that George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney, by such conduct, warrant impeachment and trial, and removal from office and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust or profit under the United States;
Be it resolved further, by the Legislature of the State of New Jersey, That our Senators and Representatives in the United States Congress be, and they are hereby, directed to cause to be instituted in the Congress of the United States proper proceedings for the investigation of the activities of the George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney, to the end that they may be impeached and removed from such office;
Be it resolved further, That the Clerk of State of the State of New Jersey be, and is hereby, instructed to certify to each Senator and Representative in the Congress of the United States, and the Clerk of the House of Representatives, under the great seal of the State of New Jersey, a copy of this resolution and its adoption by the legislature of the State of New Jersey. The copies shall be marked with the word “Petition” at the top of the document and contain the original authorizing signature of the President of the Senate and Speaker of the Assembly of New Jersey.
Here in the Garden State, things don’t look so rosy these days. Though our state enjoys life above the national average, there are really disturbing trends that prove we’re moving in the wrong direction. According to the latest census figures, New Jersey ranks first in median household income at $61,700; BUT —
• NJ income was down by 2.8% last year;
• The NJ poverty rate is up by almost 1%, from 7.8 to 8.7% since 2000;
• An estimated 38% of New Jersey homeowners, and 47% of tenants,spend more than 30% of their incomes on housing costs;
• The number of New Jersey people without health care continues to climb, from 14.6 to 15.2%. These numbers are a direct result of Bush policies.
As of September 19, 2006, according to Survey USA, a private company which monitors public opinion for 50 television news organizations, President Bush is disapproved more than approved in 45 states. Only Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska and Texas — barely — approve more than disapprove him. In Rhode Island, 76% disapprove Bush with only 22% supporting him. In New Jersey today 64% disapprove Bush and 32% like what the president's doing. Nationwide Bush has 39% approval against 59% disapproval. If you're fed up with what Bush is doing, you're in the majority by a landslide.
We're proud of our American heritage, so we have to wonder what future generations will think as we continue doing nothing when we actually know the truth, that the President and his Vice President knew there were no weapons of mass destruction, and that the White House consciously and deliberately lied in order to put our country to war against Iraq. That violates our Constitution, an impeachable offense.
The United States of America is now plagued with perpetual fear, perpetual war, constant mission creep and increasing cost with no sense in sight. We were told that Iraq, presently sitting on top of two trillion gallons of unrefined crude, would be able to pay its own reconstruction. Three years ago, the Bush administration had that specific proposal before it and failed to pursue it because it was a Democratic idea. This Administration has never vetoed a spending bill and we are going on nine trillion dollars in debt. Think of that number: $9,000,000,000,000.00. Mismanagement is understatement; we're really facing five years of corruption, incompetence, lies and warmongering.
Remember the Downing Street Memo? The memo of a meeting of the British Prime Minister and his ministers documents that the Bush team “fixed” the intelligence on Iraq so it would support the president's mania for war. It’s another violation, another impeachable offense. And the memo was swept under the table. The normal responses by this White House are change the theme and fire anybody who disagrees with its official version. Enough is enough. There are about 118 weeks left of Bush. His gang must be stopped. Honesty, integrity and trust are crucial to the life of our country.
The Bush administration demonstrates consistent contempt for all Americans.
They cut taxes on the richest of us and turn their backs on the people they order to battle. They send our service people to battle without adequate body armor even though they can easily acquire the best body armor. They put our service people on the road to death in Iraq in humvees with no armor. And they issue orders that no pictures can be taken of flag-draped coffins of our troops being shipped into Dover Air Force Base.
They authorized torture in Abu Ghraib and in Guantanamo prisons in violations of the Geneva Convention, the Nuremberg Convention, and the United Nations charter, to all of which our country is a signatory and constitutes the supreme law of our United States.
They initiated programs of wholesale spying on Americans without justification, let alone warrants. It’s another violation, another impeachable offense. We are citizens who have come to the sad conclusion that the present leadership of the United States betrays the people, and the Bush administration must be held to account and investigated for criminal actions and treason against the United States.
The great Thomas Jefferson had the vision to anticipate a time when a Congress is become so corrupt, or bribed, or decadent, that it’s no longer responsible to the needs of the people they are elected to serve. In Jefferson’s Manual of Parliamentary Practices, which is part of the rules of the U.S. House of Representatives, he created a mechanism by which a state legislature can transmit a resolution to impeach to the House of Representatives in Washington, and effectively direct the U.S. House to address the question of an investigation to determine whether to impeach a civil officer of the United States, a judge, or a president.
The evidence proves George Bush and Richard Cheney subvert the Constitution and engage in conspiracy to impose fraud and deceit on the United States.
Our country is in a state of intense crisis. We don’t believe the situation is hopeless. People in New Jersey are can-do people, and it's not too late to save our country. As citizens of our troubled, great, beloved country, we have an obligation to fix it. We can do this in New Jersey.
The bottom line for us all is the fact that success is not guaranteed does not relieve our state of its obligation to do all it possibly can to defend the United States Constitution according to the oath of our officers. We believe our legislators can meet this obligation and offer a true profile in courage. The politicians cannot meet this obligation by themselves. It requires large and vocal support from us. It requires citizenship and devotion to democracy. When treason is committed we are compelled to take action.
If you’re fed up, it’s time to stand up for democracy. It’s time to stop the spinning and focus on winning. Now’s the time to act to save our country. Democracy is your birthright.
Accordingly, people in New Jersey are joined in a campaign to pass our state legislature, A Resolution to Impeach the President and the Vice President. We are one group among several in our state dedicated to removing the Bush administration from power. Our group’s membership is only 75 people, but we have collected hundreds of petitions to impeach, and our members are from all over, from Warwick to Paterson to Princeton to Atlantic City, from Teaneck to Clinton, and as word spreads of our efforts, and as the situation in West Asia and here gets worse, more and more people will join this effort.
We hope concerned patriots will agree to work to restore democracy and reclaim our country. We hope people will contact us. The text of our resolution is taken from a draft by the Center for Constitutional Rights in New York, http://ccr-ny.org and another by http://afterdownings... – http://pdamerica.org – http://impeachbush.t... - and modified to meet the requirements of our legislature.
I’m not one to incorporate the standard language of machismo which dominates modern political discourse into my own political analyses, but Kean Jr.’s actions are proving him to be, for lack of a better term, downright cowardly. For the entire election season, Kean Jr. has made excuse after excuse not to attend debates – from the recent League of Women Voters one to the first debate in June, when he was arguing he had to cast a vote in the state senate – and actually, heaven forbid, discuss substantive issues rather than make often baseless charges.
We were supposed to get a phone call last night from a Home News Tribune reporter who wanted our reaction to the "presidential address" during The Path to 9/11.
Well, we never did hear from him. Some people came over for chips and margaritas while we watched the Pretender-in-Chief chaw his way through the same nonsense he’s been gumming for the past four years. Then there were kids to put to bed and rest to be gotten — it was, after all, the start of another working week.
Though I’ve written in the past about my own experiences during 9/11, I didn’t feel any urge to go over them again yesterday. At first I thought I was simply numbed by the flood of corrupt banalities pouring out of the television, and the anchor-people with that look of concern seemingly sprayed onto their faces like paint.
But watching King George break into the middle of an ideologically twisted "docudrama" about 9/11 made me realize what I was feeling. I watched the president of the United States, the man who had said he was no longer concerned about catching the man who devised the 9/11 attacks, talk about how a bloody snipe hunt in Baghdad was in fact the cornerstone of the war on terror. For George W. Bush, it was another chance to sell his snake oil — that’s all. It was like watching a salesman break into a funeral oration to sell telephone cards.
Maybe you think something crucial happened five years ago on September 11 — something that forever changed our society and the way we view our world.
But we now know that for George W. Bush and his cronies, it was just another political day. And I can think of no more damning thing to say about them.
I wrote briefly over at Mid-Term Madness about Republican incumbent Senator George Allen's recent racist remarks towards a young man with dark skin. Apparently, in Allen's world, everyone who is darker than Beige number 5 is not really an American. To make matters worse, the term was actually French slang and, drum roll, Mr. Allen has a French Tunisian mother. So he knew full well what he was saying and what it referred to. He just thought he was sly enough for the entire world not to know.
As the events continue to unfold - and I'm still not positive that the use of a racial slur will hurt him among some of the Republican base in Virginia - it's dawned on me that this is actually becoming a trend in Republican circles.
(Thank you Airman Ware for your service. Our thoughts and prayers are with your family at this difficult time. - promoted by njdem)
As Glassboro Airman Carl Ware Jr. was laid to rest yesterday, questions began swiriling about the exact nature of his death.
Airman Ware's parents have suggested the shot to the chest that killed their son in Iraq wasn't fired by the enemy, rather by someone on his base, possibly a fellow soldier or security contractor.
Military officers in Hawaii (were Airman Ware was stationed) told the family they were investigating the shooting to try to determine if it was accidental or deliberate.
Officials at Hickam Air Force Base in Honolulu did not confirm or deny the family’s account other than to say his death did not happen in combat, and that it was being investigated.
As chaos swept Iraq after the American invasion in 2003, the Pentagon began its effort to rebuild the Iraqi police with a mere dozen advisers. Overmatched from the start, one was sent to train a 4,000-officer unit to guard power plants and other utilities. A second to advise 500 commanders in Baghdad. Another to organize a border patrol for the entire country.
Three years later, the police are a battered and dysfunctional force that has helped bring Iraq to the brink of civil war. Police units stand accused of operating death squads for powerful political groups or simple profit. Citizens, deeply distrustful of the force, are setting up their own neighborhood security squads. Killings of police officers are rampant, with at least 547 slain this year, roughly as many as Iraqi and American soldiers combined, records show.
The police, initially envisioned by the Bush administration as a cornerstone in a new democracy, have instead become part of Iraq's grim constellation of shadowy commandos, ruthless political militias and other armed groups. Iraq's new prime minister and senior American officials now say that the country's future — and the ability of America to withdraw its troops — rests in large measure on whether the police can be reformed and rogue groups reined in.
Like so much that has defined the course of the war, the realities on the ground in Iraq did not match the planning in Washington. An examination of the American effort to train a police force in Iraq, drawn from interviews with several dozen American and Iraqi officials, internal police reports and visits to Iraqi police stations and training camps, reveals a cascading series of misjudgments by White House and Pentagon officials, who repeatedly underestimated the role the United States would need to play in rebuilding the police and generally maintaining order.
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