My letter to Nancy Pelosi
I am so totally incensed with this administration's contempt for Congress and the American people, that I wrote this letter to my representative and Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi:
Dear Madam Speaker,
My name is double_ohsteven and I am one of your constituents in San Francisco. First let me say that I am very impressed with everything you have done in Congress, except for one thing. That thing is to say that impeachment is off the table. Perhaps you said that with the knowledge or hope that this administration would provoke the American people to such an extent that impeachment would follow naturally and that the time was not yet ripe. Well, the time is ripe. If we do not stop this president from usurping power and defiling the Constitution, then all future presidents will also be free to usurp power and defile the Constitution. Perhaps an interim step would be to file an inherent contempt citation against Ms. Harriet Miers for refusal to testify before Congress. This will start the ball rolling. She will comply, be jailed, produce evidence that you need or not provide evidence. We won't know until Congress uses its power of checks and balances and exercises its right to punish this crime, which is no less than obstruction of justice.
You may say that impeachment will disrupt the process of government, that there are too many important issues before Congress to take the time for impeachment proceedings.
Democrats can write all the bills they want, and pass them in the House, but the rubber-stamp Republicans will block them in the Senate. Any that get through will be vetoed by the president.
In what way does that constitute working on the important issues facing our country?
"Some say" that the above will expose the Republicans' contempt for common decency and the American people, leading to the election of more Democrats in 08. In a perfect world, that might be true. 40 years ago, that might have been true in this country.
Today, it just makes us Democrats look virtuous but weak. This is the identity that we have been suffering from ever since the Iranian hostage crisis. People know that Democrats have better ideas. People agree with Democrats on almost any issue you can name. But then they vote for Republicans because they crave strength in their government.
We are calling for our Democratic leaders to be virtuous and STRONG.
Start with inherent contempt charges against Harriet Miers. Get those damned investigations unstuck. Use dynamite if you have to. Become resolute and unstoppable.
Once the investigations are unstuck, impeachment will become inevitable. If somehow the investigations, once unstuck, do not reveal crimes and abuses that demand impeachment, then fine. Extremely unlikely, but fine.
I'm sorry as a citizen and patriot that it has come to this, but we did not create this situation.
As the guy said on Moyers' show the other night, impeachment does not provoke a constitutional crisis. Impeachment is the remedy for constitutional crisis.
And we have a constitutional crisis on our hands.
I love my country and its Constitution and I know you do too. It is time to defend them both against the tyranny of despots.
Very truly your constituent,
double_ohsteven
Dear Madam Speaker,
My name is double_ohsteven and I am one of your constituents in San Francisco. First let me say that I am very impressed with everything you have done in Congress, except for one thing. That thing is to say that impeachment is off the table. Perhaps you said that with the knowledge or hope that this administration would provoke the American people to such an extent that impeachment would follow naturally and that the time was not yet ripe. Well, the time is ripe. If we do not stop this president from usurping power and defiling the Constitution, then all future presidents will also be free to usurp power and defile the Constitution. Perhaps an interim step would be to file an inherent contempt citation against Ms. Harriet Miers for refusal to testify before Congress. This will start the ball rolling. She will comply, be jailed, produce evidence that you need or not provide evidence. We won't know until Congress uses its power of checks and balances and exercises its right to punish this crime, which is no less than obstruction of justice.
You may say that impeachment will disrupt the process of government, that there are too many important issues before Congress to take the time for impeachment proceedings.
Democrats can write all the bills they want, and pass them in the House, but the rubber-stamp Republicans will block them in the Senate. Any that get through will be vetoed by the president.
In what way does that constitute working on the important issues facing our country?
"Some say" that the above will expose the Republicans' contempt for common decency and the American people, leading to the election of more Democrats in 08. In a perfect world, that might be true. 40 years ago, that might have been true in this country.
Today, it just makes us Democrats look virtuous but weak. This is the identity that we have been suffering from ever since the Iranian hostage crisis. People know that Democrats have better ideas. People agree with Democrats on almost any issue you can name. But then they vote for Republicans because they crave strength in their government.
We are calling for our Democratic leaders to be virtuous and STRONG.
Start with inherent contempt charges against Harriet Miers. Get those damned investigations unstuck. Use dynamite if you have to. Become resolute and unstoppable.
Once the investigations are unstuck, impeachment will become inevitable. If somehow the investigations, once unstuck, do not reveal crimes and abuses that demand impeachment, then fine. Extremely unlikely, but fine.
I'm sorry as a citizen and patriot that it has come to this, but we did not create this situation.
As the guy said on Moyers' show the other night, impeachment does not provoke a constitutional crisis. Impeachment is the remedy for constitutional crisis.
And we have a constitutional crisis on our hands.
I love my country and its Constitution and I know you do too. It is time to defend them both against the tyranny of despots.
Very truly your constituent,
double_ohsteven