Just received this e-mail. Please read, to really find out where congress stands on the BIG I

I just got off the phone with my friend, Barbara Cummings, who along with 50 other activists, including Cindy Sheehan, Ann Wright, Rev. Yearwood, David Swanson and Ray McGovern, was arrested for not leaving Congressman John Conyer's office today.

Just three days ago, in San Diego, Conyers met with a group of progressive leaders, including myself. He asked if there was even one timid voice who would plead for caution - to defer impeachment if it meant a different result down further. To our unanimous call to begin impeachment proceeding immediately, Conyers said that if we brought him 3 more Congress members, he could begin an investigation. Someone asked him, "What about Kucinich's bill, H Res 333? It has 13 co-sponsors!" Conyers replied, "This is something different."

I didn't know what to make of it, so I called Dennis Kucinich. He didn't know what Conyers was talking about either, but reassured me that I could definitely tell Conyers that he would back him on impeachment. But of course Conyers already knew that.

John Conyers was very receptive to me when he heard that I'd run against Darrell Issa. He told me that he was meeting with Cindy Sheehan on Monday and he seemed sincerely pleased with the idea. I called my friend Barbara in Washington to reassure her that the meeting on Monday was going to be positive.

But I was wrong. Just released from jail, Rev. Yearwood told me on the phone that the decision to arrest the 50 people in Conyer's office after their disappointing meeting with him, came from Conyers himself. Close to 400 people had been crowding the hall outside his office and it was learned that six members of Congress had requested that the Capitol police disburse them. "We can't rely on the politicians," Yearwood said, sounding weary. "But today I saw the people rising up."

So what are we supposed to make of it when someone we held in such high esteem, who is probably the only one in a position to put the brakes on this out-of-control administration, betrays us?

During her birthday celebration at Camp Casey two weeks ago, Cindy Sheehan told us that Conyers personally told her that it was more important to get a Democrat in office in 2008 than to end the war in Iraq. Today, according to Barbara Cummings, he said, "So I'm supposed to risk my reputation for Cindy and this CIA guy?" (reference to Ray McGovern).

Last April, Dennis Kucinich introduced H. Res. 333 - Impeaching Richard B. Cheney, Vice President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors. With 13 co-sponsors, the resolution has been referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties. But without a positive referral from the Judiciary Committee, which is chaired by John Conyers, the only way the resolution can reach the floor of the House is with the approval of the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.

Based on Conyers' actions today, the Kucinich resolution is doomed to remain in committee indefinitely. Meanwhile, Rome burns.

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Again, we are being told what we want to hear, but in reality, nothing will happen.

Curious, how many people attacking John Conyers in that group are even from Michagan, and specifically the district HE REPRESENTS?

Perhaps instead of specifically attacking one of the most PROGRESSIVE CONGRESSMAN in the country, they should be going after their OWN representatives

Three years ago Conyers was calling for impeachment, where was Cindy Sheehan then, heck she wasn't even a Democrat until after her son was killed in Iraq.

I am for impeachment, but it isn't going to happen unless Pelosi puts it back on the table. Laying this as Conyers fault is not fair

Pelosi can bring it to the floor, but the RW will just say that she has a hidden agenda to become President herself, since she is third in line.
So, to keep that argument away from the RW, the only way to proceed with Impeachment hearings is to get a positive endorsement from the committee that Conyers chairs.
So he tells us in San Diego what we want to hear, knowing that he can push through legislation to begin the process, but doesn't.
He's as much to blame as everyone else in Congress with the ability to actually do something.

Why aren't these people going after their own congressmen? If they change their representative's minds, then impeachment will happen!

I live in a district that is represented by Duncan Hunter.
No amount of protesting will ever change this bu_t-wads mind.

With this guy, the chimp-in-chief can do nothing illegal!

of the American people with that maneuver. Keep it up cause it really seems to be on the mark.

:sarcasm:

I never doubted that for a moment.

Our "goverment" is proving to be more and more a "figment of our imagination" every day. I can't even find the words to say how disgusted I am with our elected Democrats.

TC

They are NOT DOING THEIR JOBS.

Their job is NOT to get re-elected. It's to defend the Constitution and protect the interests of the American people. And they ARE NOT DOING THAT.

Nowhere in the Constitution does it say anything about "...unless it is politically inadvisable to do so..."

Conyers and Pelosi, by their lack of action given the evidence that shows high crimes have been committed, are protecting and aiding and abetting those criminals.

They've taken in the armed bank robber and are hiding him from the authorities. They're criminals.

Short-circuiting the committee debate was a brutal and specious trick used by the Republicans when they had control of the House. Republicans prevented Democrats from airing their views and concerns, a right which was given to them by their constituents under the Constitution, under the basic precepts of our democracy.

Their voices and points of view were not considered. The corrupt Republicans made sure the capabilities to shape legislation fell to only a few Republicans, perhaps under the direct tutelage of Bush and Rover.

Why, even my 10th grade Civics teacher taught us one of the most important processes for our democracy was the process of going through committees. It is vital to our nation for our representatives to argue over bills, the wording of bills, the amendments to bills.

Blackmailing or bullying Democrats into shutting down committee debate is the worst thing impeachment fanatics can do.

Just the opposite, we want his committee to debate and vote on Kucinich's bill, H Res 333, and give it a positive referral (i.e. vote for it) to send it to the floor.

insanity.

It's not justice that Conyers is searching for.