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Fein: Slightings of impeachment show how far we’ve gone in our constitutional ignorance

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kpete Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Nov-14-07 03:03 PM
Original message
Fein: Slightings of impeachment show how far we’ve gone in our constitutional ignorance
Finally, when Fein is asked to respond to comments about impeachment being a distraction, he got noticeable perturbed and responded with the following:

“It is not only constructive it is obligatory you’ll notice every one in the congress of the US every officer of the US under article 6 of our constitution takes an oath, an oath to defend and protect the constitution of the US which includes a clause which says the pres and vp will be removed from office for high crimes and misdemeanors - impeachable offenses the constitution says nothing about loyalty to the democratic party like worrying about the democratic retention of power in congress the constitution is silent there is no obligation certainly no unflagging obligation to subordinate the constitution. The idea that the constitutional enforcement and protection and defense of the document is a divergence is preposterous on its face without the constitution all these other issues would be meaningless we wouldn’t have a rule of law we’d be returning to a monarch like executive branch, government by executive edict and these comments and slightings of impeachment show how far we’ve gone in our constitutional ignorance and failure to recognize what keeps a country free and democratic.”

http://www.therealnews.com/web/index.php?thisdataswitch=0&thisid=588&thisview=item
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LSparkle Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Nov-14-07 03:06 PM
Response to Original message
1. I agree with him -- impeachment itself is NOT politically unpopular
There was only a backlash when the Repugs used it for POLITICAL purposes. (Sorry, but lying about a bj is not a high crime or a misdemeanor, even if Paula Jones thought it kept her from having her "day in court.")
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MrCoffee Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Nov-14-07 03:22 PM
Response to Reply #1
6. what are you talking about?
the OP quoted the guy who WROTE the Articles against Clinton...are you agreeing with the guy who thought lying about a BJ is an impeachable offense?
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magellan Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Nov-15-07 01:07 AM
Response to Reply #6
10. He also thinks Cheney should be impeached
That's what Fein was talking about at the OP's link -- the inane argument some put forward that impeachment at this point would only be a distraction.
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AndyA Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Nov-14-07 03:07 PM
Response to Original message
2. Thank you! That's what I've believed and been saying all along.
Impeachment is not an option.

Impeachment is MANDATORY if high crimes and misdemeanors have been committed, and the only way to know that is to investigate through the use of the impeachment process.
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mmonk Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Nov-14-07 03:07 PM
Response to Original message
3. That's pretty much it.
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MrCoffee Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Nov-14-07 03:08 PM
Response to Original message
4. Fein is an impeachment junkie, always looking for a fix
every time i read something from him, all i can think is "way to find your niche, bro".
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redqueen Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Nov-14-07 03:09 PM
Response to Original message
5. *waits for someone to say the oath doesn't really mean that*
:popcorn:
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bonito Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Nov-14-07 09:58 PM
Response to Original message
7. K&R!
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Faryn Balyncd Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Nov-14-07 10:50 PM
Response to Original message
8. Bruce Fein supported Democratic victory in 2006, & founded the American Freedom Agenda to RESTORE...
Edited on Wed Nov-14-07 11:23 PM by charles t






. . . civil liberties, habeas corpus, and the rule of law.




Here are the 10 objectives of the American Freedom Agenda:





- Prohibit military commissions whose verdicts are suspect except in places of active hostilities where a battlefield tribunal is necessary to obtain fresh testimony or to prevent anarchy;

- Prohibit the use of secret evidence or evidence obtained by torture or coercion in military or civilian tribunals;

- Prohibit the detention of American citizens as unlawful enemy combatants without proof of criminal activity on the President’s say-so;

- Restore habeas corpus for alleged alien enemy combatants, i.e., non-citizens who have allegedly participated in active hostilities against the United States, to protect the innocent;

- Prohibit the National Security Agency from intercepting phone conversations or emails or breaking and entering homes on the President’s say-so in violation of federal law;

- Empower the House of Representatives and the Senate collectively to challenge in the Supreme Court the constitutionality of signing statements that declare the intent of the President to disregard duly enacted provisions of bills he has signed into law because he maintains they are unconstitutional;

- Prohibit the executive from invoking the state secrets privilege to deny justice to victims of constitutional violations perpetrated by government officers or agents; and, establish legislative-executive committees in the House and Senate to adjudicate the withholding of information from Congress based on executive privilege that obstructs oversight and government in the sunshine;

- Prohibit the President from kidnapping, detaining, and torturing persons abroad in collaboration with foreign governments;

- Amend the Espionage Act to permit journalists to report on classified national security matters without fear of prosecution; and;

- Prohibit the listing of individuals or organizations with a presence in the United States as global terrorists or global terrorist organizations based on secret evidence.


. . . . . http://www.americanfreedomagenda.org/





The conservative American Freedom Agenda is a parallel organization to the progressive American Freedom Campaign founded by Naomi Wolf, the ACLU, MoveOn, Amnesty International and others.

(The 10 point agenda of both the American Freedom Campaign & of the American Freedom Agenda are virtually identical, and focus on issues which have, until recently, been valued by Americans left & right.

In 2007, however, every Democratic candidate has indicated support for the principles of the American Freedom Campaign, while no Republican candidate besides Ron Paul has endorsed the American Freedom Agenda, and most Republican candidates specifically repudiate these principles.)









Bruce Fein was 1 of several prominent conservatives who contributed articles to the Washington Monthly "Time For Us to Go" article in October, 2006, in which these disaffected Republicans urged Democratic victory in 2006.




(Fein is a constitutional lawyer who was part of the Reagan Department of Justice.)








. . . . . . . . . Meanwhile, the right wing propaganda machine keeps repeating the false assertion that it is "only" the left wing of the Democratic base that wants to hold the president & vice president responsible, and restore civil liberties and constitutional governance.



(And the "Mainstream Media", as usual . . . . . )





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trashcanistanista Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Nov-15-07 01:00 AM
Response to Reply #8
9. He also testified for Russ Fiengold along
with John Dean during the censure hearing where Russ stood alone. For that, he should be commended and repected. He is on the right side of the impeachment issue as is Dean.
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AntiFascist Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Nov-15-07 05:14 PM
Response to Original message
11. K&R n/t
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