Articles of impeachment and indictment for high crimes and misdemeanors

During the build-up to the illegal invasion of Iraq, some, particularly in the foreign media, accused Bush of wanting war simply for the sake of war

Prologue

As I was researching and preparing notes for this article, the bombings in London occurred.  In the wake of these tragic events, I became outraged by the number of right-wing warmongers in America who callously exploited these attacks in a vacuous attempt to justify the Bush dictatorship's war against Iraq.

Naturally these hypocrites ignored the fact that those opposed to the illegal invasion of Iraq had already argued that such an invasion would cause America to lose the international support it enjoyed after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center, and INCREASE the potential for terrorism.  Now that these arguments had proven prophetic, it was contemptible to witness the warmongers attempting to distort them for their own advantage.

In several previous Pravda.Ru articles, I discussed my hypothesis that the primary motivating force in the world resides not in the struggle between “good and evil,” but in the competition between various forms of evil.

Saddam Hussein, for example, represented a recognizable form of evil with his overt use of repression, torture and murder.  Yet during the Cold War Hussein's evil was perfectly acceptable to, and even encouraged by, the United States government. Only after Hussein's usefulness to the United States expired did his evil arouse members of the Bush dictatorship, lusting for war and eager to disseminate their lies about Iraq's alleged “weapons of mass destruction,” and Hussein's alleged “connection” to the events of September 11th. 

George W. Bush and his criminal cabal, however, represent a more seductive, and therefore more dangerous, form of evil. This is the evil that deceives people into thinking that by supporting wrongdoing they are somehow supporting righteousness, that waging a war based upon lies somehow encourages peace and honesty, that creating the conditions for terrorism to thrive somehow “combats” terrorism, that promoting oppression somehow supports freedom, and that engaging in immoral and/or criminal conduct somehow makes one a moral person. 

During the build-up to the illegal invasion of Iraq, some, particularly in the foreign media, accused Bush of wanting war simply for the sake of war.  Yet even “mainstream” newspapers that opposed the war dismissed this statement as hyperbole. What these newspapers overlooked in their dismissal, however, were the two psychological characteristics of George W. Bush that make him the exemplar of the seductive brand of evil.

First, he is the epitome of the classic “bullying coward,” always willing to spew bellicose bluster as long as somebody else is doing the fighting and the dying.  From the safety of the White House, one of the most fortified buildings in the world, he recklessly increased the risk to American troops by challenging Iraqi insurgents to “bring it on.”  Yet, during the Vietnamese war, he did not hesitate to use his parent’s wealth and influence to avoid combat duty. 

Second, he is a megalomaniac with delusions of being remembered as an Abraham Lincoln or Franklin Roosevelt, boldly leading the nation through a time of crisis—a crisis which, not surprisingly, he and his minions helped to create.  When British Prime Minister Tony Blair chose to ally himself with Bush's form of evil, it was the innocents in his nation who suffered.  

Although the “high crimes and misdemeanors” committed by George W. Bush and his criminal cartel may never spawn impeachment proceedings or criminal prosecutions, there should, at the very least, be a record of their crimes.  Therefore, I present the "Articles of impeachment and indictment for high crimes and misdemeanors."

Count One
Theft

These articles and indictment hereby charge the following persons - George W. Bush, Jeb Bush, Katherine Harris, The Dishonorable Justices of the United States Supreme Court, and unnamed election officials in the States of Florida and Ohio - with engaging in, encouraging and/or permitting, through act or omission:

1. The theft of the presidential elections of 2000 and 2004, which fraudulently, and in defiance of the will of the American people, placed the Bush dictatorship into power;

2. The illegal occupation of government property known as The White House;

3. The denial of the right to vote based upon the race and/or political disposition of the prospective voter, by illegally purging registered voters in direct contravention of the United States Constitution and the Voting Rights Act of 1965;
 
4. The destruction of democracy by unlawfully placing the nation's government into the hands of a venal oligarchy, also known as the military-industrial complex.
 
Count Two
Treason

These articles and indictment hereby charge the following persons - George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Colin Powell, Donald Rumsfeld, Condoleezza Rice, Karl Rove, John Ashcroft, Paul Wolfowitz, and other conspirators - with engaging in, encouraging, and/or permitting, through act or omission:

1. The September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, to induce in the American populace the fear and hysteria necessary to facilitate the illegal invasion of Iraq;

2. The destruction of the American Constitution, more specifically The Bill of Rights, by exploiting this fear and hysteria to pass illegal and unconstitutional legislation, such as the so-called “Patriot Act”;

3. The illegal enforcement of laws, such as the so-called “Patriot Act,” by placing their “enforcement” into the hands of agencies, such as the FBI and the CIA, with histories of racism, lawbreaking, and human rights violations that have included, but are not limited to, illegal detentions and the encouragement of murder;

4. The destruction of America's “check-and-balance” system to create a neo-fascist dictatorship controlled exclusively by the executive branch of government, with the legislative and judicial branches remaining only as a facade.

Count Three
War crimes 

These articles and indictment hereby charge the following persons - George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Colin Powell, Donald Rumsfeld, Condoleezza Rice, Karl Rove, Paul Wolfowitz, Tony Blair and other conspirators - with engaging in, encouraging and/or permitting, through act or omission:

1. The dissemination of lies to the American and British people in order to wage an illegal war designed to profit political cronies and private corporations;

2. The fabrication of evidence and the malicious, intentional and illegal manipulation of “intelligence” information to deceive the American and British people into supporting an illegal war;

3. The attempts to undermine the credibility and/or destroy the reputation of anybody who challenged or questioned these lies or the manipulation of intelligence information, including, but not limited to, the deliberate undermining of national security by illegally, and with malice aforethought, revealing, or causing to be revealed, the name of a CIA operative whose husband had exposed the Bush dictatorship's “State of the Union” lie that Iraq had tried to purchase uranium from the African Nation of Niger;

4. The illegal wiretapping of the offices of United Nations officials who refused to accept the lies of the Bush dictatorship regarding Iraq;

5. The use of war as a first resort, as evidenced by the “Downing Street Memo,” and in direct contradiction to the Bush dictatorship’s assertion that war was “a last resort”;

Count Four
Criminal conversion

These articles and indictment hereby charge the following persons - George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Colin Powell, Donald Rumsfeld, Condoleezza Rice, Karl Rove, Paul Wolfowitz, Tony Blair and other conspirators - with engaging in, encouraging and/or permitting, through act or omission:

1. The illegal conversion of resources lawfully owned by the United States and British governments, and paid for by American and British taxpayers, by using said resources to enhance the profits of private individuals and corporations, including those corporations where one or more of the individuals charged in this indictment, such as Dick Cheney, had and/or has financial interests;

2. The awarding of lucrative “rebuilding” contracts, at taxpayer expense, to corporations where one or more of the individuals charged in these articles and indictment had and/or has financial interests;

3. The unlawful appropriation of American and British troops and military resources to satiate the “bullying cowardice” and megalomania of George W. Bush;

4. The misappropriation of American troops and military resources for cheap political gain.

Is it “Support the Troops” or “Exploit the Troops?”

As stated above, the lives of America's young men and women, and the resources of America's military are currently being exploited for the personal, political and financial gain of the corrupt oligarchs who rule America. This exploitation is possible because America no longer has a military draft, so the warmongers can argue that those who are now fighting in Iraq have voluntarily agreed to be there.

This was not the case several years ago, when America had compulsory military service.  Those who opposed war and/or induction into the military were often taunted with the cry, “America, love it or leave it!”  Today's all-volunteer military, however, now permits the anti-war movement to say to the warmongers and oligarchs, “You wanted war with Iraq.  Now go fight in it!”  

But even though there is a plethora of politicians, celebrities, pundits and everyday people who have applauded the illegal invasion of Iraq, most of them have conspicuously refrained from participating in it.  Bush's own daughters have not supported “daddy's war” by joining the military, and one of the most rabid warmongers of the Bush dictatorship, Dick Cheney, was such a coward that, instead of facing the prospect of combat duty during the Vietnam era, he received five deferments to avoid military service. 

So to counter the growing influence of “the Bush/Cheney School of Bellicose Cowardice,” perhaps it is time for a new form of military conscription, directed towards those who have interpreted “support the troops” to mean “exploit the troops.”  After all, when the illegal invasion of Iraq began, the warmongers vociferously proclaimed that one could not “support the troops” without also supporting the war.  What better way to “support the troops” than to become one of them?  Therefore I propose that the people in the following categories be immediately inducted into military service, sent into combat “with all deliberate speed,” and not relieved of combat duty for the entire duration of the war:

1. All politicians who promoted and/or voted for the Iraqi war, yet avoided military service themselves, as well as their military-age children.  Bush and Cheney would be the first draftees;

2. All celebrities, pundits or other public figures who have avoided military service, but who have used the war and/or the troops for profit, publicity and/or promotional purposes in venues including, but not limited to:  songs, televised specials, newspaper columns, television or radio talk shows, interviews,  sponsorship of pro-war rallies, or simply by taking steps to ensure that their alleged “support of the troops” is public knowledge;

3. All the people who attended pro-war rallies, who voted for George W. Bush, and/or who have “Support the Troops” stickers or ribbons affixed to their vehicles.

In addition these individuals would be required to perform combat duty regardless of:

1. Age (except for those under eighteen)
2. Gender
3. Social Status
4. Disability
5. Martial status

Of course a military draft this equitable has never, and probably will never, occur, because, as the late British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli once observed, “[C]ourage is the rarest of all qualities to be found in public life.” 

Disraeli's words also reveal why it is unlikely that impeachment or criminal proceedings will ever address the crimes committed by the Bush dictatorship.  Bush enjoys almost fanatical support from a powerful voting bloc collectively called the “Christian right,” but more accurately described as “the pseudo-Christians.”  These are the individuals or organizations that exploit Christianity for profit or political gain while ignoring everything Christianity stands for.  They claim that George W. Bush is a “moral” man, and see no dichotomy between his warmongering lies, avarice, and cowardice and the truth, selflessness and courage embodied by Jesus Christ, who is also known as the “Prince of Peace.”  To these pseudo-Christians “morality” is narrowly confined to issues regarding human sexuality.  Therefore, while lying about an affair with a White House intern is an impeachable offense, lying to promote an illegal war is not.

Ironically, these pseudo-Christians are often at the forefront of the battles to prevent the removal of Ten Commandments displays from government property.  Yet, in their dogma, defending the physical location of a symbol apparently must absolve them and those they support from honoring what the symbol represents. 

George W. Bush, for example, in his corrupt political career, has easily broken at least half of these commandments:

1. Thou shalt not kill.  While governor of Texas, Bush executed over one hundred and fifty people, routinely denying DNA tests that could have potentially exonerated one or more of these inmates. This death toll is in addition to the thousands of civilian casualties and military deaths he caused in Iraq.

2. Thou shalt not steal.  Bush and his co-conspirators stole the elections of 2000 and 2004, as well as billions in tax dollars to benefit private companies now profiting from the Iraqi war.

3. Thou shalt not bear false witness. In order to commit his crimes, Bush bore false witness by deceitfully proclaiming that war was a last resort, by manipulating intelligence information, and by lying about the reasons for invading Iraq.

4. Thou shalt not covet.  Bush and his co-conspirators coveted Iraqi oil as well as the profits and political windfall war would bring.

5. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.  Bush does this every time he professes to be “religious” “Christian,” “moral,” or “pro-life.”

So, to appease the “pseudo-Christians,” perhaps a compromise could be reached whereby the Ten Commandments would be replaced with the following “Bush Commandments”:

1. There is no “International Law,” only the concept that “might makes right.”

2. Only those who lose wars can be war criminals, even when the “winners” have engaged in similar misconduct.

3. There are no human rights you are bound to respect, since only one's enemies can violate human rights. 

4. Always tell the populace that wars are being waged to promote democracy and freedom. Keep the truth to yourself.

5. Whenever troops are overseas purportedly fighting for this democracy and freedom, take the opportunity to undermine freedom and democracy at home.

6. Always condemn the evils of racial bigotry, religious intolerance, injustice, oppression and torture when utilized by your foes, but embrace these evils when they serve your own purposes.

7. Always preserve the illusion of democracy, even though you know it doesn't exist.

8. Always remember that the flag is a better blindfold than the truth.

9. Always remember that being “pro-life” should not inhibit you from killing people for ego or profit.

10. Always remember to sow the seeds of hatred and divisiveness while professing to “Love Thy Neighbor.”

Epilogue

At one point during his distinguished career, Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, looked at the America of his day and said, “I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever.” 

Today Jefferson would not only tremble for his country, but for the world, in the realization that God apparently continued to slumber while George W. Bush and his minions illegally seized the most powerful office on earth, then abused the authority of that office to eviscerate the Bill of Rights and to deceive the nation into spending billions of tax dollars, and sacrificing thousands of lives, for a war based upon nothing but lies, all with the acquiescence of the United States Congress and the Courts, and with scarcely a murmur of outrage from the American people, even though it is they who suffer the most from his crimes.

For the sake of humanity I hope God wakes up soon!
 
David R. Hoffman
Legal Editor of Pravda.Ru