Speaking Truth To Power

Most of you who come here and humor me as I spout my ill-informed pissant drivel are far ahead of me on the front of communicating your desires, nay, your demands to your governmental representatives. This no doubt includes signing various petitions to have your local Pols redress the foibles and failings of our mid-level government in applying the Rule of Law to our National Misleaders.

Well, one of the petitions I signed along the way apparently generated a “response” from my Congressman John Olver, a gentleman who has represented our district well and fairly for lo these many years, and who I generally hold in high regard.

The good news is that I got a response.

The bad news is that it was bullshit (skip to the bottom if I’m boring you):

ﾠThank you for contacting me with your support for the impeachment of President
George W. Bush and/or Vice President Richard B. Cheney.ﾠ
I appreciate learning your views.ﾠ
In 2002, I voted against the resolution to use military force against Iraq because I
did not believe that President Bush presented ample evidence that Iraq posed a
threat to our nation's security.ﾠ
It has now become clear that Iraq did not possess weapons of mass destruction and
that the Bush Administration manipulated intelligence to gain support for the
war.During the 109th Congress, I cosponsored H.Res.635, a resolution that would have
created a select committee to investigate the Administration's intent to go to war
before congressional authorization, manipulation of prewar intelligence, encouraging
and countenancing torture, retaliating against critics, and to make recommendations
regarding grounds for possible impeachment.ﾠ
H.Res.635 was not voted on during the 109th Congress.This Congress, Representative
Dennis Kucinich has introduced H.Res.333 to impeach Vice President Cheney for high
crimes and misdemeanors.ﾠ
H.Res.333 states that the Vice President purposely manipulated the intelligence
process to deceive the citizens and Congress about a threat of Iraqi weapons of mass
destruction and about an alleged relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda in order to
justify the use of the U.S. Armed Forces against Iraq in a manner damaging to our
national security interests.While I feel the same outrage and distrust clearly felt
by those who want to launch impeachment proceedings against the Vice President and
President, I believe that the 67 Senate votes constitutionally required to remove
either of them from office cannot be achieved in the 110th Congress.ﾠ
I want an end to the war in Iraq and a robust reassertion of Congress s coequal
authority in decisionmaking and ensuring compliance with federal law, and I believe
that a significant change of U.S. policy can be achieved by repeatedly challenging
the President legislatively on Iraq and other matters, even without a vetoproof
majority.ﾠ
With growing bipartisan support for legislative efforts to draw down U.S. military
forces in Iraq, there will be repeated opportunities to enact legislative reversals
of President Bush s disastrous foreign policy.ﾠ
It is also critical that the 110th Congress spend time on other issues, like
reforming immigration, improving education, expanding and improving health care
coverage, curbing global warming and restoring and strengthening civil liberties.ﾠ
With close majorityminority ratios in both the House and the Senate, some
bipartisanship is also probably necessary to address these challenges, and I support
doing what is necessary to achieve successes in these areas.I have and will continue
to support investigations to hold the Bush administration accountable for its
conduct.ﾠ
I want many of President Bush s policies to be permanently reversed, and you can be
assured that I will work to achieve that end in the shortest amount of time
possible.Again, thank you for contacting me.ﾠ
Please continue to let me know your thoughts on matters of concern to you.
Sincerely, John W. Olver

The crop job somehow resulted from the cut-and-paste process, which only serves to obscure the Good Senator’s obfuscations. You aren’t missing much; basically it says “I feel your pain,” and here are my excuses for ignoring your wishes. Lots of crap about having important business to attend to, which wouldn’t bother me if I thought our Democracy was going to be here in ten years, and that we could clean up the mess later.

So I wrote back to The Man, spilled my guts and let him know that his ass is on the line:

“Congressman Olver,

I believe the Constitution is clear on this point: Given probable cause, the House Leaders SHALL institute impeachment proceedings against Administration officials who seem to have broken the law.

I can’t think of a more blatant or egregious breach of trust or dismissal of both Domestic and International Law than that of our current misAdministration’s genocidal machinations in the Arab World. The out-and-out lies and subordination of facts in pursuit of regional dominance is a clear breach of International Law and an affront to every thinking American, and is at the root of why “they” hate us: We The People are failing to hold our elected leaders accountable for their High Crimes and Misdemeanors.

I, Sir, intend to hold YOU fully accountable for the actions of the government of which you are a part and expect you to DEMAND impeachment of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. I’m not interested in your pablum about the “important business” before your chamber in service to the American people; please tell me what business you think is more important than defending our Constitution against the potentially fatal attacks levied by the criminals you’re defending by your silence.

Most of the local folks I’ve talked to in recent months feel similarly, and ALL OF US VOTE.

A reply from you including your pledge to support Impeachment proceedings is the only thing which will give me and my community of friends any reason to vote for your continued tenure in the future.

Resolutely,

(Name Deleted for Blogonymity Purposes)”

So just as I hit the “send” button and get that warm, useful glow, I noticed this at the bottom of Congoman’s letter:

“Due to technological constraints, this email address cannot receive replies.ﾠ If you have questions about the validity of this message, please call my Washington, DC office at 202/2255335.ﾠ”

Shit. Guess I’m gonna hafta bang one out on the Smith Corona and strap it to a turtle. Or maybe call that number. My money’s on it being answered by a Fuck-u-bot.