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Latest News
Week of February 13 2006
Impeachment Resolutions A number of cities and state political parties have passed or are considering resolutions supporting impeachment. From California, to Vermont, to North Carolina, impeachment talk is in the air. And the political action committee ImpeachPac has raised over $60,000 for
candidates
who openly support immediate impeachment for both Bush and Cheney.
Meanwhile, the number of cosponsors for Conyers' H. Res. 635 has grown to 23. The bill calls for the creation of "a select committee to investigate the Administration's intent to go to war before congressional authorization, manipulation of pre-war intelligence, encouraging and countenancing torture, retaliating against critics, and to make recommendations regarding grounds for possible impeachment."
Republican Calls for Wiretapping Probe Congresswoman Heather Wilson, a republican and chair of the House Technical and Tactical Intelligence Subcommittee of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, has called for a Congressional inquiry into domestic wiretapping.
In the Senate, Karl Rove has been putting pressure on members of Judiciary Committee, threatening to "blacklist" any senators who vote against the president. Read the article "Rove counting heads on the Senate Judiciary Committee" published in Insight Magazine. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales testified before the committee last week, but in an unprecedented move with voting along party lines, he was not sworn in! Watch video of the hearings on C-SPAN [requires RealPlayer]: Morning Session; Afternoon Session.
In Memory of Coretta Scott King Last week, funeral services were held in Georgia for civil rights leader Coretta Scott King. In keeping with her spirit, speaking truth to power, with Bush sitting right behind him, Rev. Joseph Lowery said:
"She extended Martin's message against poverty, racism and war. She deplored the terror inflicted by our smart bombs on missions. We know now that there were no weapons of mass destruction over there. But Coretta knew, and we know there are weapons of misdirection right down here. Millions without health insurance, poverty abound. For war, billions more, but no more for the poor."
And former President Jimmy Carter went on to say:
"With the civil liberties of husband and wife violated as they became the targets of secret government wiretapping, and other surveillance. And as you know, her harassment from the F.B.I. This commemorative ceremony this morning and this afternoon is no only to acknowledge the great contributions of Coretta and Martin, but to remind us that the struggle for equal rights is not over.
We only have to recall the color of the faces of those in Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi. Those who are most devastated by Katrina to know that there are not yet equal opportunities for all Americans."
Katrina Victims Evicted While Trailers Sit Empty FEMA has cut off funding to pay for hotel rooms for victims of hurricane Katrina and occupants of 4500 rooms were evicted last week. Payment for another 20,000 hotel rooms has been extended for just a week, possibly more. Meanwhile, over 10,000 FEMA trailers sit empty at a makeshift deposit at the Hope Municipal Airport in Arkansas. And with no provision for satellite voting centers, Louisiana residents temporarily displaced because of Katrina are destined to lose their right to vote.
Take Action: Tell Congress to solve the housing crisis and demand Louisiana Governor Blanco to allow satellite voting for displaced residents. Tell her: "If the Bush administration can provide satellite voting to enable Iraqis in the US to vote in Iraq's elections, we can do that for US voters, too.
"
Ex CIA Officer Speaks Out on Case for War Paul Pilar, a retired CIA official who served as National Intelligence Officer for the Near East and South Asia from 2000 to 2005, has written an essay published on Foreign Affairs entitled: Intelligence, Policy, and the War in Iraq.
"In the wake of the Iraq war, it has become clear that official intelligence analysis was not relied on in making even the most significant national security decisions, that intelligence was misused publicly to justify decisions already made, that damaging ill will developed between policymakers and intelligence officers, and that the intelligence community's own work was politicized. As the national intelligence officer responsible for the Middle East from 2000 to 2005, I witnessed all of these disturbing developments."
Take Action: Write a letter to the editor of your favorite newspaper with your thoughts on this essay.
On Cartoon and Riots Democracy Now! provides coverage and debates on the publishing of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed. Watch or read the transcript:
Survey from DCCC: Iraq and Impeachment Missing The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has a survey you can take on their web site. Oddly enough, missing from the options is anything about the war in Iraq or impeachable offenses of the Bush administration. Fortunately, they do provide an option "Other" where you can fill in the blank.
Take Action: Complete the survey and let the organization responsible for recruiting Democrats for the U. S. House of
Representatives know what your priorities are.
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