The Consequences of Failing to Impeach: By guest blogger, Jim Stoops

Last Saturday, I ran into my friend, Jim Stoops, (photo) at the rally in favor of impeachment and of getting out of Iraq. As we talked, he mentioned he had written an article about the consequences of failing to impeach and agreed to send it to me to post.

On April 7, Jim was my guest blogger, posting Foreign Policy Fantasy Insanity, subtitled “Why the Bush Administration will invade Iran, or déjà vu all over again.”

Given the recent speeches by Bush and Cheney threatening Iran, Jim comments last April may very well be prescient. Here Jim offers his careful research and analysis of the consequences of failing to impeach. It will be a small consolation if impeachment doesn’t occur and Jim is right… again.

The Consequences of Failing to Impeach

by Jim Stoops

The clear intention of the framers of the Constitution was to use impeachment as the method of preventing, restricting or punishing a president for abuses of power. Impeachment is listed in Article 1, sections 2 and 3, and in Article 2, section 4, six times in all. Impeachment is not an after thought! It is not just a right of Congress; it is the duty of Congress to control a runaway president or other civil officer, especially in the Executive Branch in order to maintain the Balance of Power essential to our democracy.

We are in a constitutional crisis that only impeachment can remedy. What Congress is saying is, "You have harmed the republic, but we won't hold you accountable." The rule of law is lost and the downfall of the republic must surely follow. Whether or not one thinks impeachment does not have the needed votes; to not make the attempt is a tragic betrayal of the public trust and an abuse of the Constitution.

What message does this inaction send to the American people? That a variety of heinous and violent crimes have been committed with no attempt at justice. What are we to think? That crime pays? That Congress chooses to ignore the intention of the Founding Fathers?

Following is a list of the consequences of failing to impeach the culprits that should start with Dick Cheney and the passing of H.R. 333.

1. The continued evisceration of the heart of the Constitution, (the Bill of Rights), especially amendments 1, 4, 5, 6, and 8 by the Patriot Act.

2. The continued illegal wiretapping of Americans without a warrant.

3. The continued suspension of habeas corpus protection via the Military Commissions Act and the loss of 800 years of jurisprudence.

4. The continued erosion of the Posse Comitatus Act and Insurrection Act that prevented the use of military force against the American people.

5. The continued erosion of the Separation of Powers by challenging the validity of Congressional legislation via presidential "signing statements", (over 800 times so far), more than all other presidents combined.

6. The continued blurring of the line between church and state, violating the 1st amendment.

7. The continued illegal and immoral preemptive attacks on sovereign nations of no threat to us on the basis of lies and deceptions and will lead to an air attack on Iran that will further destabilize the Middle East and create a global military disaster.

8. The continued killing, maiming and psychological damaging of large numbers of civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan and American troops.

9. The continued torture, detention and extraordinary rendition (kidnapping and shipping suspected terrorists to states known to torture).

10. The continued violation of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the inevitable escalation of nuclear weapons that will follow.

11. The continued failure to repair the damage to people and property caused by Hurricane Katrina.

12. The continued serious damage to our economy and the health, education and welfare of our people in order to support illegal wars and unnecessarily burdening our descendants for decades to come.

13. The continued attacks on science and the ignoring of scientific principles, especially regarding global warming, climate change and stem cell research.

14. The continued use of illegal weapons such as cluster bombs, depleted uranium, white phosphorus, land mines and a new form of napalm.

15. The continued willingness to violate the law to punish those who would expose their lies and deceptions as in the case of Valerie Plame and Joe Wilson.

16. The continued politicization and corruption of the federal judicial system.

17. The continued incompetence and ignoring of warnings in failing to prevent the World Trade Center disaster of 9-11-01 or to investigate afterward.

18. The continued expansion of presidential power using economic force via Executive Orders 13364 and 13438, blocking property of citizens who threaten efforts in Iraq and any person committing an act threatening the peace or stability of Iraq.

19. The continued development of draconian measures like National Security Presidential Directive 51 (Continuity of Federal Government) that prescribes continuity of the current administration giving the president more power to declare martial law and the incentive to do so prior to a presidential election, which can be postponed indefinitely.

20. The continued increase in terrorists, terrorism and anti-American sentiment and hatred around the world, increasing the likelihood of another catastrophic 9/11-type event.

21. The continued violations of International Laws, including the Geneva Convention, the UN Declaration of Human Rights, UN Security Council Resolutions, the Nuremberg Principles, the Kyoto Protocols and the Montreal Accords.

(photo of Jim from Jim)