OPEDNews breaking: Conyers Introduces Censure and Select Committee

[papau]

My thanks to David Swanson! :-) - Also just released Press Release below! :-)

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_david_sw_051220_conyers_introduces_c.htm
December 20, 2005

Conyers Introduces Censure and Select Committee
by David Swanson

http://www.opednews.com

CONYERS INTRODUCES BILLS TO CENSURE BUSH AND CHENEY

CONYERS INTRODUCES BILL TO CREATE A SELECT COMMITTEE TO INVESTIGATE POSSIBLE CRIMES AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING GROUNDS FOR IMPEACHMENT

Congressman John Conyers has introduced three new pieces of legislation aimed at censuring President Bush and Vice President Cheney, and at creating a fact-finding committee that could be a first step toward impeachment.

Ask your Congress Member to support these efforts!
http://capwiz.com/pdamerica/issues/alert/?alertid=8329176&type=co

For more information on these bills, visit http://www.censurebush.org

You'll also find a link to a new letter from Congressman Conyers to President Bush, which you are invited to sign.

The Censure Bush campaign will provide a new focus for town hall meetings about Iraq, approximately 60 of which are scheduled all over the country on January 7th. See:
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/event

GET MORE INFORMATION:
http://www.censurebush.org

CONTACT YOUR CONGRESS MEMBER:
http://capwiz.com/pdamerica/issues/alert/?alertid=8329176&type=co

Please post this link on your website:

http://www.davidswanson.org

The site http://capwiz.com/pdamerica/issues/alert/?alertid=8329176&type=co has a zipcode entry plus a "go" button that registers you on the site so as to send appropiate mail to Congress.

http://capwiz.com/pdamerica/issues/alert/?alertid=8329176

CONYERS INTRODUCES BILLS TO CENSURE BUSH AND CHENEY
CONYERS INTRODUCES BILL TO CREATE A SELECT COMMITTEE TO INVESTIGATE POSSIBLE CRIMES AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING GROUNDS FOR IMPEACHMENT

Ask your Congress Member to support these efforts! Congressman John Conyers has introduced three new pieces of legislation aimed at censuring President Bush and Vice President Cheney, and at creating a fact-finding committee that could be a first step toward impeachment.


For background:
Report produced by the House Judiciary Committee and titled "The Constitution in Crisis: The Downing Street Minutes and Deception, Manipulation, Torture, Retribution, and Cover-ups in the Iraq War."
http://www.house.gov/judiciary_democrats/iraqrept.html
http://www.house.gov/judiciary_democrats/index.html
http://www.housedemocrats.gov/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censure
http://www.censurebush.org/


http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=58359

Press Release (no copyright problems)

Democratic Leaders Urge Speaker to Hold Hearings on President's Authorization of National Security Agency's Activities

12/18/2005 4:49:00 PM


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To: National Desk, Congressional Correspondent

Contact: Brendan Daly or Jennifer Crider, 202-226-7616. both of House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi ; Web: http://democraticleader.house.gov

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 /U.S. Newswire/ -- House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi; House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer; Congressman John Conyers, Ranking Member on the Judiciary Committee; Congressman Henry Waxman, Ranking Member on the Government Reform Committee; and Congresswoman Jane Harman, Ranking Member on the Intelligence Committee, sent a letter to Speaker Hastert last night urging him to join Democrats in establishing an independent panel to hold hearings regarding President Bush authorizing the National Security Agency to conduct unspecified activities.

Below is the text of the letter:

December 17, 2005

The Honorable J. Dennis Hastert

Speaker

United States House of Representatives

H 232 The Capitol

Washington, DC 20515

Dear Mr. Speaker:

In his radio address of December 17, President Bush disclosed that, after September 11, 2001, he authorized the National Security Agency (NSA) to undertake certain unnamed activities designed to prevent additional terrorist attacks. The President argued his action was "fully consistent with my constitutional responsibilities and authorities."

An article in the December 16 issue of the New York Times, "Bush Lets U.S. Spy on Callers Without Courts" has led to the inevitable conclusion that the President was referring to an authorization to allow the NSA to conduct warrantless electronic surveillance of U.S. persons.

Regardless of whether that is true, we believe that the President's statements on the 17th, and the justifiable concern of the American people over the allegations in the Times article, require the House of Representatives to take steps immediately to conduct hearings on the scope of Presidential power in the area of electronic surveillance. These hearings would benefit substantially if an independent panel of Constitutional scholars and experts on the laws affecting intelligence activities was to examine existing statutes, regulations, practices and precedents. We urge that you and the Democratic Leader establish such a panel jointly. The work of this panel would enable the House to make more informed judgments on whether adjustments to those authorities are necessary.

We believe that the President must have the best possible intelligence to protect the American people, but that intelligence must be produced in a manner consistent with our Constitution and our laws, and in a manner that reflects our values as a nation. Our suggestion for hearings and the appointment of an independent panel of experts is fully in keeping with that belief.

We look forward to receiving your response on this important matter.

Sincerely,

Hon. Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Leader

Hon. Steny Hoyer, Democratic Whip

Hon. John Conyers, Ranking Member, Committee on the Judiciary

Hon. Henry Waxman, Ranking Member, Committee on Government Reform

Hon. Jane Harman, Ranking Member, Committee on Intelligence

http://www.usnewswire.com/

[Pam-Moby]

1. I am going to call all senators and reps today

and urge them to vote for impeachment and investigations. Maybe we can support them and it may make a difference. Thanks

[cal04]

2. this is what backbone campaign is sending out

Congressman John Conyers has introduced three new pieces of legislation aimed at censuring President Bush and Vice President Cheney, and at creating a fact-finding committee that could be a first step toward impeachment. The Backbone Campaign has joined with CensureBush.org to translate public sentiments into Congressional action. Urge your Congress Member to join with Congressman Conyers and co-sponsor these three historic bills.

http://censurebush.org

[papau]

3. Excellent - looks like Christmas has already come to my House! :-)

:-)

[thecrow]

4. And if they are impeached, which is unlikely..

then we have Ted Stevens (R-HISOWNREALITY) as president?

[Sadie5]

8. Is Stevens the one with the bridge

in Alaska? The stevens who tried to slip his lust for a bridge into a Defense Bill? What a piece of crap we have to look forward to!

[thecrow]

9. One and the same

That's Ted!! Also he is trying to get the ANWR bill passed by any means possible before this session ends. He is the one featured on TDS as being the nutcase.

[progressoid]

5. Well I'm sure Denny will jump right on this.

[dogfacedboy]

13. Jabba the Hastert is one of Bush's biggest cheer leaders.

I live in his district. Every time I write to him with a concern that flies in the face of the Bushbot Regime, I get a very arrogant response.

[papau]

6. See also this article at the Nation on this topic :-)

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat?bid=1&pid=43981

:-)

[goforit]

7. Yep.....I'll call my repug senators and let them know!!!

[Warren Stupidity]

10. 'bout damn time!

Thank you John Conyers. And thank you, each and every representative that has signed on to this resolution.


Can we have our country back now?

[SoCalDem]

11. It will be "shot down", but I hope there are some dems who will

join him in their own investigation..sanctioned by congress or NOT!! The press will cover it, and they can meet outside the congress if necessary..

yay John!

[papau]

12. Reuters is now reporting: "Senators seek probe of Bush's spying orders

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2005-12-20T184133Z_01_EIC066527_RTRUKOC_0_US-SECURITY-EAVESDROPPING.xml&archived=False

Senators seek probe of Bush's spying orders

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Rebuffing assurances from President George W. Bush, bipartisan members of the U.S. Senate's Intelligence Committee called on Tuesday for an immediate inquiry into his authorization of spying on Americans.

But Vice President Dick Cheney predicted a backlash against critics of the administration's anti-terrorism policies as he forcefully defended a program that critics say may have exceeded Bush's powers.

Republican Sens. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska and Olympia Snowe of Maine joined Democratic Sens. Carl Levin of Michigan, Dianne Feinstein of California and Ron Wyden of Oregon in calling for a joint investigation by the Senate Intelligence and Judiciary Committees into whether the government eavesdropped "without appropriate legal authority."

Several Republican and Democratic lawmakers have raised questions about whether spying on Americans violates the U.S. Constitution and have already backed a plan for a congressional hearing into the program, first revealed by The New York Times last week.

[papau]

14. Brad Blog now has great links up and working

Conyers, House Judiciary Dems Release Massive New Pre-War Intel Report, File Several Resolutions
Resolutions Call for Censure of Bush, Cheney and Creation of 'Select Committee' to Investigate Impeachable Offenses

-- Complete Texts of Resolutions, Links to Report, Petition Campaigns, Conyers Press Release in Full, and More...

Lots of fur flying this morning! The BRAD BLOG attempts to make sense of, and give you the skinny on Conyers' massive new report on the Bush Administration's use/mis-use of Pre-War Intel, and the three Resolutions that have now been filed in the House calling for Censure of George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney, along with a call for the formation of a "Select Committee", fashioned after the Ervin Committee that helped kicked off Watergate, in order to investigate and make recommendations for the possible Impeachment of both the President and Vice-President in the U.S. House Judiciary Committee...

Easy to follow Links and Summaries of Report, Resolutions, Petition Campaigns and Conyers' Press Release and much more:
http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00002179.htm


---
Brad Friedman
THE BRAD BLOG - The uprising continues...
http://www.BradBlog.com
VELVET REVOLUTION - The revolution has begun...
http://www.VelvetRevolution.us