Take Up Cindy Sheehan's Work
Wisconsin State Journal
Friday, June 1, 2007
I appreciated that columnist William Wineke wrote about Cindy Sheehan's "resignation" from the peace movement. She deserves recognition for the sacrifices she's made in waking this country up to the costs of this devastating war.
Wineke may be right that "none of us will ever change the country because of our individual passion," but that shouldn't prevent us from trying. I value peace and nonviolence, and need to live in a world where others do as well. If you are with me on this, take action. Talk to someone about your longing for peace, join an organization, say a prayer, give money, write about it. Do something you've thought about doing but haven't had the guts to do before now.
We all are shaping the world. If we abdicate our roles as citizens, others will make the decision to use our tax dollars to kill.
The lesson I take from Cindy Sheehan is this: We need to take care of ourselves physically and spiritually so we can keep going. And we can't leave it up to anyone else, including people who briefly become celebrities, to do it for us.
- Jean McElhaney, Lone Rock
End The Occupations Of Iraq And Palestine
The Capital Times
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Susan Nossal Madison
Dear Editor: I write in support of Jennifer Loewenstein's call for our elected officials to conduct U.S. foreign policy toward Israel-Palestine in accordance with "the sanctity of human rights, the superiority of democratic government, and the rule of international law."
As in the case of the United States' occupation of Iraq, the Israeli government's occupation of Palestine has led to extreme suffering of those in occupied lands, in the latter case for more than a half-century. As taxpayers, we pay for both occupations, sending more than $2 billion annually to Israel in direct military aid and spending more than $3,000 per second for the Iraq war. As an American Jew, I feel that it is critical that we and our elected public officials work together with others in the U.S. and world community to end these immoral occupations in Iraq and Palestine.
Protest Hits Kagen's Vote To Fund Iraq War
The Capital Times
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Samara Kalk Derby The Capital Times
Seven war protesters set up shop Monday evening in front of the Madison Club to call attention to freshman Democratic U.S. Rep. Steve Kagen's vote in support of continuing the war in Iraq.
Kagen was inside at a fundraiser hosted by fellow U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison.
Protesters handed out slips of paper in the form of a check that asked, "Congressman Kagen: WHY?" The checks were made out to George W. Bush for $95 billion and 00/100 cents.
"For war in Iraq" was on the memo line.
"A few weeks ago he voted to continue to fund the war," said Joy First, who organized the protest.
"The best way to stop the war right now is to end the funding," said First, of the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance. "There is a myth that we continue the funding to support the troops. That's not true. We can leave them there to kill and die or we can bring them home."
Kagen, an Appleton doctor and Democratic political novice, defeated John Gard, the former Republican leader of the state Assembly, in the race to represent the 8th Congressional District.
"The vote a week ago Thursday was not about ending the war, because we don't have enough votes in the House or the Senate to bring an end to our involvement in the religious civil war in Iraq," Kagen said, explaining his vote May 24 to provide the president with $95 billion to continue funding the war in Iraq.
"The vote was about securing the equipment necessary to protect our troops against an incompetent president and his failed policies," Kagen said.
Unlike earlier bills in Congress, the bill Kagen voted for did not include a timetable for troop withdrawal.
Kagen joined with 194 House Republicans and 86 Democrats in voting for it.
By a nearly two-to-one margin, House Democrats - including Wisconsin representatives Baldwin, Gwen Moore and Dave Obey - rejected the bill.
Kagen pointed out that he was with Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., who originally supported the war and later became one of its most vocal opponents, and the 65,000 military veterans in his district "who understand what it means to be forward deployed and in harm's way," he said.
"Simply put: We've done our job, we've removed Saddam (Hussein). It's time to bring our military home," Kagen said.
The protesters were invited in to speak with Kagen, but he was unable to convince them of his point of view.
"He gave us the tired old cliche, the tired old myth, that he had the vote that way in order to support the troops. ... We couldn't buy it. We couldn't accept it," First said.
For his part, Kagen said he's on record as opposing the war by voting three times to bring U.S. involvement in Iraq to an end.
"There's only one person who can end this war today - President Bush. Because we don't have the votes to bring it to an end," Kagen said.
"This fall, the Democratically controlled Congress intends to put the cost of our involvement in Iraq into the budget and in so doing, convince 60 to 70 Republicans to join us in turning away from Iraq and back after al-Qaida."
Steve Burns of the Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice said it was important to demonstrate outside the fundraiser so people who were coming in to make contributions would have the proper information before writing Kagen a check.
Burns presented Kagen with a "certificate of military ownership of the war" designed by Military Families Speak Out and Veterans For Peace. It read: "In dubious recognition of your vote to continue funding the war in Iraq" and "You bought it, you own it."
The war continues because Congress continues to fund it, Burns said.
"It's not good enough for someone like Kagen to say, 'I'm against the war' and then vote for money to continue the war."
E-mail: skalk@madison.com
Immoral war wastes lives, funds, resources
Of course Congress should end funding for the occupation of Iraq and bring the troops home now. That's what the 2006 election was all about.
Sen. Russ Feingold is right when he says that the way to support our troops is to end the war. This war is illegal because it violates the United Nations charter prohibiting preemptive war. It's immoral because it is based on lies by the Bush-Cheney administration.
Iraq was not a threat to the United States, was not involved in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and had no weapons of mass destruction. This war is unjust because it has killed hundreds of thousands Iraqis and 3,500 U.S. soldiers in pursuit of oil and empire. Why have more of our troops killed and maimed for such a cause?
This occupation is bankrupting us, and making us less secure because the government's own intelligence report says it recruits more terrorists. This occupation wastes billions a month on death and destruction in Iraq. Couldn't we better use those funds to provide health care for all our citizens, fight global warming, and prevent hunger here at home?
Madrid and London had terrorist attacks similar to ours and they responded by tracking down the perpetrators, not by going to war and killing even more innocent people as the U.S. has done in Afghanistan and Iraq.
- Bonnie Block, Madison
Bush, Cheney, Ag All Deserve Impeachment
The Capital Times
Monday, June 11, 2007
Eugene S. Farley, MD Verona
Dear Editor: Thanks to all of you at The Capital Times for the positions you have taken regarding the need to use the impeachment option. The piece by John Nichols ("Gonzales deserves impeachment," May 29) further emphasizes this need.
It is obvious there is no constitutional reason for not impeaching President Bush, Vice President Cheney and Attorney General Gonzales. There are many constitutional reasons for impeaching them. Those who fail to recommend impeachment proceedings ignore or defy the validity of the Constitution of the United States.
For Democracy, We Must Consider Impeachment
The Capital Times
Monday, June 11, 2007
Midge Miller
The United States democracy is in a struggle for its life. A growing number of writers, generals and other opinion leaders are speaking up to inform and encourage an inattentive public to understand and to make a stand to protect our nation from enemies within and without.
In his new book "Nemesis," Chalmers Johnson talks about the momentous decision Great Britain faced after World War II. As its colonies struggled for freedom, Britain understood that it would have to choose between empire and democracy. If it resorted to tactics despotic enough to maintain empire, it would lose its own democracy. Britain chose democracy and humanity, and the British and the world are the better for that choice.
That is our choice today. As our leaders make their thirst for empire clear through one policy after another, our struggle to keep our humanity and democracy becomes the fight of our lives.
The Cheney/Bush administration lied us into an ill-conceived war that has killed far too many of our soldiers and uncounted numbers of Iraqis. The war has multiplied the number of terrorists, armed and seeking revenge.
This administration shamed us before the world and endangered our own soldiers by practicing and condoning torture. They have alienated our friends and infuriated our enemies. They have endangered our economy and damaged the environment.
The tragedies of this war and the numerous violations of our democratic rights are so egregious that we are tempted to believe that the Cheney/Bush administration is the whole problem, fixable by a different team in the White House.
Believing that would be a major mistake. The Cheney/Bush cabal has been so arrogant, extreme and incompetent that many have been prodded awake and found themselves speaking out. But the U.S. has been building empire for a long, long time.
While most Americans have not been aware of it, the U.S. has overtly and covertly been building empire for decades. Rather than establishing colonies like the empires of old, we have killed or overthrown many leaders who did not comply sufficiently with our demands. According to John Perkins, a former self-styled "economic hit man," we have enticed countries into insupportable debt in order to manipulate their economies. We have more than 700 military bases around the world.
Our trade policies favor multinational corporations over the people of countries whose economies are too small to resist U.S. pressure.
As exploited people in these countries discover our manipulations, it should not surprise us that some seek revenge. "Blowback" is the CIA term for chickens coming home to roost. No country is strong enough to repeal the laws of cause and effect.
Quest for empire does not fit our self-image, and many of us long shrank from such stories of exploitation. But we can only change reality by first facing it. It would be tragic to have been so diminished and not learn from the experience.
Democracy is not merely the system of government we happened to be born into, a system that only asks us to vote for leaders from time to time. If democracy means we are a self-governing people, then it means we not only have the right but the responsibility to control the policies and actions of our government.
Many of us have resisted the idea of impeaching Cheney and Bush. But we now realize that by allowing this administration to continue in power, we become a party to: , * Killing Americans and other people in wars of aggression.
* Imprisoning and torturing people.
* Endangering our economy and the environment.
* Neglecting health, education and other needs at home and abroad.
* Eroding our own liberties.
Our Founding Fathers understood the misuse of power and gave us impeachment as a corrective measure. Facing such a disastrous series of wrongheaded policies, if we fail to use it, we signal to future presidents and other leaders that they too can ignore the will and the welfare of the people of our country and the world.
It will be a long time before the rest of the world will trust us again. But impeachment would signal to the world that the people of the U.S. are changing course and wrestling back control of our government. It would be a first step back from the precipice of empire and toward the family of nations that will help us find our way.
Whether or not we can persuade Congress to impeach Cheney and Bush, as self-governing people we must find a way to change our country's policies.
Having observed instances of election fraud by officials in 2000 and 2004, we know that only our vigilance will protect our elections. Having witnessed the mainline media shirk their watchdog role, we are compelled to search for truth from a variety of sources.
Our struggle to renew our humanity and democracy will require time, money, energy and courage. We have much to learn from the Boston Tea Party, the union movement, the civil rights movement, the Vietnam peace movement and democratic groundswells in South and Central America.
* * *
Eternal vigilance is still the price of freedom.
A mother whose son was killed in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, later wrote: "Let us not, as a nation, add to the inhumanity of our times."
Evjue Gift Is A Boost To Clean Government
The Capital Times
Monday, June 25, 2007
Mike McCabe, executive director, Wisconsin Democracy Campaign
Dear Editor: Thanks to The Evjue Foundation for the generous grant of $6,000 in support of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign's efforts to promote public awareness of the role of money in state politics and ultimately win reforms that restore Wisconsin's good name.
With The Evjue foundation's ongoing financial support, we are slowly but ever so surely winning the fight against crooked politics and government corruption.
Impeachment Must Be Used To Stop Bush, Cheney's Insane Goals
The Capital Times
Monday, June 25, 2007
Rev. Dave Steffenson, Madison
It is clear that President Bush and Vice President Cheney have several benchmarks they want to reach before they are forced out of Iraq next year, including: n Complete several permanent U.S. military bases for a "Korea-type" long-term occupation and control over the Iraqi government - now under construction, n Erect a symbol of our ongoing imperial power over them such as a monumental U.S. Embassy - now under construction.
* Make sure that most of the Iraqi oil remains under private corporate control so that their oil must be sold to Western oil cartels rather than used for their own rebuilding - this is about to be enacted.
* Plan to keep an ongoing presence in Iraq - they are now talking about 10 years.
* Attack and militarily destroy Iran's nuclear energy infrastructure, or join with our Israeli clients, to do so - there is every indication that this is just a matter of time as aircraft carriers are now in place.
The elections couldn't halt their madness, the wimpy Congress has caved in almost every way, the new Democratic congressional leaders and candidates are so terrified they might lose that they cringe in denial. So what are the options for stopping these insane goals and getting us out?
Impeachment is the legal equivalent of a recall election at the presidential level. Recall of Bush and Cheney must be started now! It only takes two simple majority votes in the House of Representatives to begin the process and require a deep investigation of the charges.
The first step is for the Judiciary Committee to vote impeachment. Our own representative, Tammy Baldwin, now sits on that committee. Then it takes a majority vote of the House, where the Democrats are in the majority. The White House cannot block it with a veto. Cheney's bill of impeachment has already been officially introduced.
Will that stop them? I don't know, but it surely will slow and divert them.
Will it come to a trial in the Senate to remove them? Probably not, because time is short. But it will slow them by occupying their energy, perhaps cause resignations, and begin to get us out of this mess while we uncover the hidden truth about this whole corrupt epoch.
We must demand that Congress start the impeachment process now before the warmongers achieve their lethal benchmarks and fully bankrupt our future! Let's support every effort to demand this.
Vets Frustrated With War
Groups Here Back Troops, But Not Iraq Occupation
The Capital Times
Monday, June 25, 2007
By Ellen Williams-Masson Correspondent for The Capital Times
When Dan Kaufman re-enlisted to fight beside his fellow Marines in Iraq, he didn't expect to fight a battle for civil liberties when he returned home.
"They used the Iraq war and terrorists to take away our freedoms that the military has fought for over the last 300 years," Kaufman said, citing warrantless wiretapping as an example.
"I got back to find out that all these freedoms that I was supposedly going over there to protect, the government is eroding when we come back here."
Kaufman served in the Marine Reserves from 1995 until 2001 and re-enlisted when he heard that his unit was being activated in 2004. As a machine gunner with the 2nd Battalion 24th Marine Regiment from Milwaukee, Kaufman was sent in to help secure Yusifiyah, a town about 25 miles southwest of Baghdad.
Although proud of his unit's accomplishments, Kaufman has become an outspoken critic of the war he believes was based on lies and deceit. He answered questions for a crowd gathered at Vilas Park for a cookout Sunday afternoon sponsored by the Military Families for Peace and the Military Family Compassion Groups.
"It doesn't matter how good the troops do over there because they are being undermined at every turn by the administration," he said. "I found we weren't doing anything to help the country, and we were wasting all of our resources in order to p--- the rest of the world off."
Kaufman said he doesn't speak for other veterans, and he doesn't believe it is unpatriotic to criticize the war.
"The same people that say 'You're not supporting the troops if you don't support the war' are the same people that are cutting their benefits, increasing their tour lengths and not giving them disability when they get back," he said.
Mike Burkhalter of Oregon was stationed in Japan as an Air Force mechanic during the Vietnam War era and said he is "totally frustrated" with the war in Iraq.
"My feeling is, supporting the troops is getting them home," he said.
World War II veteran Don Mix has been inspired by the Iraq war to become politically active for the first time in his life. He urges citizens to "get on the horn" and urge members of Congress and the public to take a stand against the war.
"It's about time somebody started making a stink about all this," he said. "We elected a bunch of Democrats to end the war, and they are sitting on their hands playing politics."
Mix worries about the impact of yet another war on America's future.
"We're spending our young people's lives, and half a trillion dollars of our kids' and grandkids' future - it's just a real tragedy," he said.
Mix and Buzz Davis belong to the Veterans for Peace group in Stoughton. Davis is convinced that the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan were "illegal wars of aggression" in violation of United Nations charter.
"Veterans for Peace came out for impeachment in the spring of 2005, and we'll push for it again on July 4th at a rally on State Street and the (Capitol) Square," Davis said. "I feel that I was duped in the Vietnam War with the arguments, and I have determined that I am not going to be duped a second time."
Retired Army Lt. Colonel Fred Williams was chief of the Madison office of the Military Family Assistance Program that supported military families in the Madison area during the Gulf War.
Williams said he believed in the necessity of the Gulf War at the time but doesn't have similar confidence in the current conflict.
"Frankly, I have serious reservations about why we are there, but I certainly totally support the people that are there," Williams said.
Kaufman, the Marine who signed up for a second stint in order to fight beside his comrades in Iraq, said he wouldn't do it again because he's lost faith.
"It's not that people aren't willing to go fight, it's just that the cause needs to be the right cause," Kaufman said.
"We aren't the good guys just because we are the U.S. In order to be the good guys, you need to do the right thing."
Baldwin Must Join The Call To Impeach For Peace
The Capital Times
Friday, June 29, 2007
As we approach the Fourth of July, we think of Independence Day 231 years ago. Our nation broke away from the tyranny of powerful King George of Great Britain.
The 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence took their lives in their hands when they penned their signatures and went to war with England.
Our Constitution is the culmination of the efforts of that courageous and sacrificing generation of men and women. Today that Constitution is being shredded before our eyes by the two leaders of a generation of power-hungry and greedy men and women - President George Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.
Illegal wars of aggression in Iraq and Afghanistan, illegal torture of prisoners and illegal wiretapping of our home communications are each impeachable offenses or acts of treason under our Constitution and our laws.
President Bush and Vice President Cheney are violating their oath of office. They swore to support and defend the Constitution. Our elected congressional representatives swore a similar oath to support and defend the Constitution.
We, the undersigned, ask Rep. Tammy Baldwin to support and defend this cornerstone of our republic! She must demand that impeachment investigations commence against Bush and Cheney. The constitutional remedy for such illegal behavior is impeachment in the House, trial in the Senate and, if judged guilty by a majority of senators, removal from office.
Our Constitution, our basic form of government, must be saved. The rule of law must be restored. This president and vice president have amassed illegal powers, and the crimes they have committed call for justice. Justice can only be provided by the legislative branch using the most powerful tool of a democracy - impeachment.
Impeachment is imperative to prevent the president elected in 2008 from having all the powers the present president has accumulated by lies, fraud and illegal acts. Bush and Cheney must be stopped. They must be stopped now for the benefit of coming generations. They must be stopped before they start another war in Iran or elsewhere.
House Resolution 333, authored by Rep. Dennis Kucinich in April, when passed, will start the impeachment investigation against Vice President Cheney. Eight leaders have had the courage to co-sign HR 333. We demand Tammy Baldwin co-sign and call for the impeachment of Bush and Cheney from the floor of the House day after day until impeachment begins.
Fixty-six men summoned courage in 1776 to sign the Declaration of Independence. We ask each reader, summon your courage to contact Rep. Tammy Baldwin. Demand she co-sign HR 333. Demand she work tirelessly to bring about the impeachment of Bush and Cheney. Tell her it is her duty to this nation and to children unborn to support and defend our Constitution.
Please call her now at 258-9800 or see how to e-mail her at www.tammybaldwin.house.gov.
Each year the wars continue, tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians die in Iraq and Afghanistan. The fastest way to stop these horrible and illegal wars of aggression is to impeach the men who started the wars. We must impeach for peace!
* * *
Join us July 4 at noon on the Capitol Square for the Independence Day Impeach for Peace rally and march. We will gather at the State Street corner. Bring your family and friends. Speak out at the open mike session to save our form of government so we can pass it on to posterity.
More information is at ImpeachWI.org.
This column was submitted by 66 people: From Dane County: Buzz & Kay Davis, Betsy Starkey, Elizabeth Breuer, Allison Sorg, Sarah & Bobbie Fons, Terry & Ron Parisi, Kay & Rollie Weeden, Eric Swenson, Brett Davis, Caroline Werner, Steve Grant & Stephanie Reynolds, Dennis & Karen Coyier, Liz Schmidt, Judy Miner, Ben Manski, Ted Shannon, Paul & Nancy McMahon, David & Nan Cheney, Joy & Steve First, Michael D. Barrett, John Bell, Gene Farley, Steve Grob, Davin & Donna Lazenby, John D. Coover, Sherri Erickson, Mary Beth Schlagheck, Ed Feeny, Alice Jenson, Diane Olsen, Aviva Scherer, Elton Tylenda, E. Janet Plato, Charles & Jean Sweet, Tom Elert, Tom Dean, Donald F. McKeating Jr., Laurel Mark, Chris Schmidt, Cynthia Laitman, Don Mix, Terri Lorenzini, Richard Chamberlin, Midge Miller, Dr. Jay Gold, Sally Stix, Tim Rutter, John Hendrick, Richard S. Russell From Wisconsin: Richard Coogan, Robert J. Johnson, Anita & Zoe Zibton, Tom Boswell & Fran Zell