Powerful Letter To Senate Judiciary-"Is It Not A Crime To Mislead & Outright Lie To Congress"?

[kpete]

September 11th Advocates' Open Letter To All Senate Judiciary Committee Members
Submitted by davidswanson on Tue, 2007-07-31 12:37. Impeachment
By Coleen Rowley, Huffington Post
Is it not a crime to mislead and outright lie to the Congress?
...........................

The Bush Administration has repeatedly told us that American troops are fighting to spread democracy in Iraq. Ironically, here in America we seem to be losing the core principles that make us one. Mr. Gonzales' testimony and the Administration's refusal to have key people testify at the hearings, without any accountability, make a mockery of our system of checks and balances. We are supposed to have three equal branches of government: the Executive, Judicial and Legislative. While they are often on opposite sides of an issue, the three branches are to be unified in the maintenance of American civil liberties, not working in concert to covertly undermine and rescind them. Again, no one branch is supposed to have absolute power, nor should any combination of the other two be cowed or manipulated into consensus against the interests of the American people.

And, while we support these inquiries and applaud your patience and attempts to solicit truthful and substantive answers to your questions during all of the Gonzales hearings, it was disconcerting to watch the disdainful contempt that the Attorney General exhibited for the entire process.

Sadder still, it appears that you are becoming unwittingly complicit in your own undoing. It is evident that what we are watching is the U.S. Congress in the process of making itself irrelevant. When the Executive Branch alone is allowed to act without any oversight, or any accountability, then what we will become is a dictatorship. And once all Americans realize that Congress is unable to perform any oversight, whether it is due to lack of will or complicity, you will no longer be needed. Once it becomes apparent that the Executive Branch is not only making the laws but also deciding which laws to follow, the Congress will be just a quaint, unnecessary and useless artifact.

This Administration, aided and abetted by some members of Congress, has repeatedly deceived the American people by allowing the Executive Branch to ignore the rule of law and divisions of power specifically stated in the Constitution. This Administration's "constitutionally and legally challenged" activities include, but are certainly not limited to: taking America into a pre-emptive war on false pretenses, warrantless wiretapping, illegal torture, and the political firing of attorneys. Where are those who took an oath to uphold the Constitution and are supposed to represent us in our government ... our Congress?

....................

The future of our Democracy is in grave danger. It is imperative that you act immediately.

September 11th Advocates--July 26, 2007

Patty Casazza
Monica Gabrielle
Mindy Kleinberg
Lorie Van Auken

[porphyrian]

1. Oh, hell yeah. - n/t

[Richard Steele]

2. K&R

[hisownpetard]

3. "Once it becomes apparent that the Executive Branch is not only

...making the laws but also deciding which laws to follow, the Congress will be just a quaint,
unnecessary and useless artifact."

Oh - you mean, like the Constitution?

[malaise]

4. K & R n/t

[King Coal]

5. It was only about sinking a shaft into some data, that's all.

It was an innocent little talk with Ashcroft about data-mining. Move on, nuttin' to see here.

[endarkenment]

6. the U.S. Congress in the process of making itself irrelevant

Which is why some of us here are strongly critical of our Democratic Party leadership, and why we are baffled by the failure of others here to understand the peril we are in and the wrong course that our leaders appear to be stuck on.

Pelosi starting from 'impeachment is off the table' was an error in judgement of stunning proportions. I am sure that she did not make this call on her own, but instead, and as usual, was advised by the gang of beltway midgets that have turned our once proud and fierce party of the people into the spectacle we now see before us: a political party unwilling and unable to defend its own ideological basis, unwilling and unable to defend our democratic institutions, a party leadership chronically frozen into inactivity and half measures by strategists who seem more interested in maintaining a seat at the table than in changing the disastrous course the ruling party has taken us down over the last 30 years.

Political chess masters? Wizards of political jiu jitsu? They do not even understand what game the other side is playing.

[Summer93]

7. Kick and Recommend

A great post. I admire the work that these people are doing. Keep up the work.

[IChing]

8. k/r

[dkofos]

9. I wish I could co-sign that letter.