A last image for the passing administration…

it was that bad and we didn’t impeach, shame

Senate to Middle Class – “Drop Dead”

Senate to Middle Class: Drop Dead
From Michael Moore

Friday, December 12th, 2008

Friends,

They could have given the loan on the condition that the automakers start building only cars and mass transit that reduce our dependency on oil.

They could have given the loan on the condition that the automakers build cars that reduce global warming.

They could have given the loan on the condition that the automakers withdraw their many lawsuits against state governments in their attempts to not comply with our environmental laws.

They could have given the loan on the condition that the management team which drove these once-great manufacturers into the ground resign and be replaced with a team who understands the transportation needs of the 21st century.

Yes, they could have given the loan for any of these reasons because, in the end, to lose our manufacturing infrastructure and throw 3 million people out of work would be a catastrophe.

But instead, the Senate said, we’ll give you the loan only if the factory workers take a $20 an hour cut in wages, pension and health care. That’s right. After giving BILLIONS to Wall Street hucksters and criminal investment bankers — billions with no strings attached and, as we have since learned, no oversight whatsoever — the Senate decided it is more important to break a union, more important to throw middle class wage earners into the ranks of the working poor than to prevent the total collapse of industrial America.

We have a little more than a month to go of this madness. As I sit here in Michigan today, tens of thousands of hard working, honest, decent Americans do not believe they can make it to January 20th. The malaise here is astounding. Why must they suffer because of the mistakes of every CEO from Roger Smith to Rick Wagoner? Make management and the boards of directors and the shareholders pay for this.

Of course that is heresy to the 31 Republicans who decided to blame the poor, miserable autoworkers for this mess. And our wonderful media complied with their spin on the morning news shows: “UAW Refuses to Give Concessions Killing Auto Bailout Bill.” In fact the UAW has given concession after concession, reduced their benefits, agreed to get rid of the Jobs Bank and agreed to make it harder for their retirees to live from week to week. Yes! That’s what we need to do! It’s the Jobs Bank and the old people who have led the nation to economic ruin!

But even doing all that wasn’t enough to satisfy the bastard Republicans. These Senate vampires wanted blood. Blue collar blood. You see, they weren’t opposed to the bailout because they believed in the free market or capitalism. No, they were opposed to the bailout because they’re opposed to workers making a decent wage. In their rage, they were driven to destroy the backbone of this country, not because the UAW hadn’t given back enough, but because the UAW hadn’t given up.

It appears that the sitting President has been looking for a way to end his reign by one magnanimous act, just like a warlord on his feast day. He will put his finger in the dyke, and the fragile mess of an auto industry will eke through the next few months.

That will give the Senate enough time to demand that the bankers and investment sharks who’ve already swiped nearly half of the $700 billion gift a chance to make the offer of cutting their pay.

Fat chance.

Rep. Baldwin Introduces Bill to Undo and Prosecute Bush-Cheney

Prosecution Is on the Table in Congress:
Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin has just introduced the Executive Branch Accountability Act of 2008, which calls on the next President of the United States to

* Fully investigate Bush/Cheney administration officials 2019 alleged crimes and hold them accountable for any illegal acts.

read more | digg story

Wake Up America! The Folks in the Executive Office Bailing themselves out.

Sign to Impeach – Being Delivered to Pelosi this week

This is an important week.  We need everyone to add their name to the impeachment petition.

Go to Dennis Kucinich’s online petition to add your name by Wednesday, September 9th, 2008

Bugliosi testifies at House Judiciary against Bushent

Kucinich to present impeachment to House Judiciary Committee

Elton Gallegly has responded to impeachment requests that he will keep our views in mind if the issue of impeachment comes before him. Now he has his chance. Read below, this may be exciting news:

Kucinich to Present Impeachment Case to Panel

By Molly K. Hooper, CQ

Democratic leaders have agreed to give Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich a day before the House Judiciary Committee to make his case that President Bush ought to be impeached for allegedly lying to Congress in order to get approval to invade Iraq.

Kucinich, D-Ohio, has introduced three impeachment resolutions — one against Bush, HRes 1258, and two against Vice President Dick Cheney (H Res 333, H Res 799) — all of which have been referred to committee and then ignored.

On Thursday, Kucinich complied with a rule requiring him to give notice before filing another article of impeachment, which he intends to do on July 14. Earlier Thursday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif., said Judiciary Chairman John Conyers Jr. , D-Mich., likely would review the matter before his committee.

Kucinich contends that Pelosi’s blessing demonstrates the desire on Capitol Hill to hold the administration accountable for allegedly lying to Congress.

“When Congress is reminded that a case for war was made based on information that has been categorically proven to be untrue, Congress will then want to reflect on its power and responsibility,” Kucinich said.

But Democratic House leaders downplayed the possibility of actual impeachment proceedings. “It is my expectation that there will be some review of it in the committee,” Pelosi said. “Not necessarily taking up the articles of impeachment, because that would have to be voted on the floor, but to have some hearings on the subject.”

“The chairman may be holding hearings. Whether he holds impeachment hearings would be another question,” Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer , D-Md., said Thursday.

A good follow-up action would be to fax in to the House Judiciary members directly telling them your thoughts. Here are their names and fax numbers:

MEMBERS WHO VOTED TO IMPEACH CLINTON FOR ORAL SEX:
Fax them this
Ranking Member: Hon. Lamar Smith (TX) Phone 202-225-4236 . *Fax: 202-225-8628
Hon. James Sensenbrenner (WI) Phone (202) 225-5101
Hon. Howard Coble (NC) Phone (202) 225-3065 . *Fax: (202) 225-8611
Hon. Elton Gallegly (CA) Phone (202) 225-5811 . *Fax (202) 225-1100
Hon. Bob Goodlatte (VA) Phone (202) 225-5431 . *Fax (202) 225-9681
Hon. Steve Chabot (OH) Phone (202) 225-2216 . *(202) 225-3012
Hon. Chris Cannon (UT) Phone (202) 225-7751 . *Fax (202) 225-5629

Others on the Judiciary Committee:

Baldwin (202) 2256942 has supported impeachment hearings.
Berman (202) 2253196
Boucher (202) 2250442
Cohen (202) 2255663
Conyers (202) 2250072
Davis (202) 2269567
Delahunt (202) 2255658
Ellison (202) 2254886
Fenney (202) 2266299
Forbes (202) 2261170
Franks (202) 2256328
Gohmert (202) 2261230
Gutierrez (202) 2257810
Issa (202) 2253303
Jackson Lee (202) 2253317
Johnson (202) 2260961
Jordan (202) 2260577
Keller (202) 2250999
King (202) 2253193
Lofgrin (202) 2253336
Lungren (202) 2261298
Nadler (202) 2256923
Nadler brooklyn 718- 9960039
Pence (202) 2253382
Sanchez (202) 2261012
Schiff (202) 2255828
Scott (202) 2258354
Sherman (202) 2255879
Sutton (202) 2252266
Wasserman Schultz (202) 2262052
Waters (202) 2257854 has supported impeachment hearings.
Watt (202) 2251512
Weiner (202) 2267253
Wexler (202) 2255974 has supported impeachment hearings.

George Bush heckled on July 4th at Monticello

Bush mentions that his birthday was 4th of July weekend, however he didn’t mention it was the day Thomas Jefferson died. Wonder what Jefferson would have thought if he learned what was to happen to the Constitution again this past week.

FISA, Bush, Republicans, and telecom immunity

Found this over at Brian Dennert’s blog at the Star. Certainly puts this issue in a plain and simple manner. I wonder what our local Congressional Representative Elton Gallegly will do to protect our rights now. Any thoughts on his concern for the Constitution?

Bush refuses independent oversight of private contractors

In another incident of Bush Administration refusal to accept accountability or balance of power:
By RICHARD LARDNER
Associated Press Writer

The Army’s march to overhaul its tarnished contracting system has been slowed by an unlikely foe: the White House.

The Office of Management and Budget, President Bush’ administrative arm, has shot down a service plan to add five active-duty generals who would oversee purchasing and monitor contractor performance. The boost in brass was a key recommendation from a blue-ribbon panel that last fall criticized the Army for contracting failures that undermined the war effort in Iraq and Afghanistan, wasted U.S. tax dollars, and sparked dozens of procurement fraud investigations. more

Our tax dollars at work. Isn’t it great some folks got a $600 rebate check this year while the private contractors steal us blind and Bush supports them through actions such as cost-plus contracts? We pay nearly $5.00 per gallon for gas and George Bush gives no-bid cost-plus contracts to his friends and associates. Guess we’re neither.

George Bush claims executive privilege again – EPA dispute

By ERICA WERNER
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush asserted executive privilege Friday to withhold documents from a congressional investigation into whether he pressured the Environmental Protection Agency to weaken decisions on smog and greenhouse gases.

White House officials notified a House committee of the rare assertion about 15 minutes before the committee was to vote on holding the head of the EPA and a White House budget official in contempt of Congress for not providing the documents.

The committee’s chairman, Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., then canceled the vote while expressing skepticism over the privilege claim.

“I have a clear sense that their assertion of this privilege is self-serving and not based on the appropriate law and rules,” Waxman said from the dais of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing room.

“I don’t think we’ve had a situation like this since Richard Nixon was president when the president of the United States may have been involved in acting contrary to law, and the evidence that would determine that question for Congress in exercising our oversight is being blocked by an assertion of executive privilege,” he said. more

McClellan testifies before the House Judiciary Committee

From Salon:

Scott McClellan found himself in an unfamiliar position on Friday. There were reporters hanging on his words, and lights and cameras focused on him, but he was criticizing the Bush administration, not defending it.

McClellan, the former White House press secretary, came back to national attention recently when the contents of his tell-all book, “What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception,” leaked, showing he’d become a strong critic of the Bush administration since he left it in 2006. And because of those criticisms, the House Judiciary Committee called him to testify to see if he could shed any light on certain subjects, especially the leak of the identity of CIA agent Valerie Plame. read more

McClellan before the House Judiciary Committee:

Bruce Fein discusses the implications on The Real News: