BEYOND IMPEACHMENT
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I was in a dull, dull meeting yesterday; it was hard to stay awake. I noticed a newspaper on the table and I subtley pulled it over and started reading a story about Argentina, where I just spent a few weeks. The point of the story is that the exiled ex-president of Argentina, Isabel Peron-- a hackish tool of the rich and powerful, not to be confused with the popular and populist Eva Peron-- was arrested in Spain after an Argentine judge issued a warrant. The stinking whore had had a leftist student murdered as part of a policy that encouraged right wing death squads.
I love it when the mighty fall and I love it more when they are taken to task for the criminal behavior they are so sure they can commit with impunity. It gave me a thrill the other day when I was watching the History Channel go into the brutal assasination of Caligula in 41AD. After Cassius Chaerea, who Caligula had mocked for being effeminate, stabbed him to death, Caligula's wife was murdered and their infant child had her head smashed in against a stone wall. Now, I don't even wish that on the Bush family. Smashing in an infant's head-- even a Bush-- is a bit much, no matter the heinousness of the criminality of someone like George II or Caligula. But I don't get squeamish about the punishment of those who think they are imbued by a god with the powers of life and death over the people whose interests they are chosen to protect ad enhance. I like trials first, fair ones, not like the ones the Bush Family Crime Syndicate gave Noriega or Saddam Hussein.
One of my favorite moments in history is the trial and execution of Charles I in 1649. (The Treaty of Westphalia, the year before, "guaranteed" immunity for all princes no matter how heinous or tyrannical. Oliver Cromwell showed what that was worth.) This blog is named for the crime with which Charles was charged, one for which there could be no immunity: tyranny-- "the conduct of leaders who destroy law and liberty or who bear command responsibility for the killing of their own people or the plunder of innocent civilians or the torture of prisoners of war." Does it sound a little familiar?
I wish Hitler had been tried. I wish Hirohito and Nixon and Mussolini had been tried. It's a shame Nixon and Hirohito got off scott free and that Hitler got to take his own life. My uncle saw Mussolini hanging by his heels in a Milan gas station; a trial first would have been preferable. Bad leaders need to set examples for future bad leaders. I admit I shed no tears for Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu in 1989. I admit I was overjoyed when Pinochet and Milosevic were arrested and dragged through the courts.
Whether Bush is impeached or not, it is crucial he be brought to trial for his crimes and the crimes of his regime, the way the Argentine generals who imprisoned my friend Amelia and murdered 30,000 people were, and the way Bush kindred souls like Papadopoulos and Pol Pot were. Impeachment would be nice but impeachment is an inherently partisan dilemna. George Bush merits his day in a real court. Cheney too. Their crimes against our country are too great and too premeditated to go uninvestigated and unpunished.
posted by DownWithTyranny @ 9:59 AM
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4 Comments:
This is indeed necessary. The Americans have exhibited enough patience with what the big guys call politics. Politics were never about the reality behind actions. Politics has always been about the image we project. The dead and tortured have no such luxury.
The American people need to stand up and do this for themselves, for the world, and for the victims who have suffered at the hands of this regime who inflicts torture and death as if it were whimsy.
Unless we DO prosecute we send no messages to would be tyrants of the future. We can and we must send the message that we love our country and our liberty, that we love our way of governing and that we will not tolerate petty dictators and tyrants.
Very good post Howie. It is a pet sentiment of mine.
a real court
or Cheney first, please
I've made pretty much the same comment in various places for over a year now but this is the first time I've seen it by the blogger. You're exactly right, this mess should have been cleaned up after Nixon and then again after Reagan, although that might not have been needed once the courts were done with Nixon and crew. We can't afford for some future republican administration to recyle the same cast of neofascists (And I'm looking at you, Dick Cheney and everyone who works in your office) back into public life so they can take up where they left off destroying our democracy. Look at all the Reagan retreads who are currently polluting our government with their presence, and the reason they're doing it today (and doing it even worse) is because they got away with it in the past. And this is something that can start now, pick some of the low-hanging fruit and work your way up, building a case as you go for the ones at the top of the tree. And along the way, educate the American people as to why what they've done is wrong so that (hopefully) there's a chance that someone like Cheney/Bush won't be able to get away with what they've been doing for the past 6 years.
One can only hope that this is why IMPEACHMENT is "off the table". Ms Pelosi may have true criminal charges in mind for when these people are no longer eligible for presidential pardon. SHE may have been paying attention when Bush 41 pardoned the Iran/Contra crew, and intend to send the lot up the river. One can only hope.
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