David Swanson
In little more than two years President Barack Obama has violated the U.S. Constitution by:
1) Ordering military attacks on sovereign nations without Congressional authorization.
2) Issuing Executive Orders for the extra-judicial assassination of U.S. citizens in violation of guarantees of due process.
3) Presiding over military, paramilitary and intelligence service use of torture in violation of prohibitions against cruel and unusual treatment.
4) Ordering and attempting to assassinate foreign heads of state.
5) Obstructing justice by failing or refusing to investigate credible allegations of torture brought against the previous administration.
President Obama is the current occupant of the throne to the imperial presidency. The first four items above apply to Mr. Obama himself, while the last applies to alleged crimes that occurred during the presidency of George W. Bush, with substantial supporting evidence, that Mr. Obama has neglected to prosecute.
The founders understood the need to disperse concentrations of power and divided layers of restrictions on power between the three branches of government. A review of U.S. military engagements since WWII shows that every president since FDR has exceeded their Constitutional mandates—with Congress' unofficial cooperation. But Presidents Bush and Obama went far beyond their predecessors with Obama's excesses even worse than Bush's.
Obama's unprovoked assault on Libya is where we need to draw the line on executive overreach.
Click here to send a letter to the House Judiciary Committee demanding impeachment proceedings against Mr. Obama.
As the founders understood: Give presidents an inch and they will take a mile, as evidenced by the fact that Mr. Obama has secretly deployed U.S. Special Forces in upwards of 75 sovereign countries.
Congress is not without blame. By appropriating astronomical amounts of money to the so-called 'war on terror'—approaching $4 trillion since the September 11, 2001 attacks—Congress has put the cost of imperialism on the American public's credit card without taking the responsibility of declaring war. Congress has been astute in grandstanding, maneuvering and laying blame, but short on officially declaring itself on matters of life and death.
Click Here to send a letter your Congress member about impeaching President Obama.
Last month Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the Justice Department's review of over 100 previously dismissed claims of U.S. torture of detainees had yielded but two cases meriting a full investigation. Everyone else, including George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld and George Tenant —the high level officials who ordered the torture—go scot free.
If past torturers are not prosecuted, then future torturers will feel free to pursue their despicable trade, knowing that they probably will not be prosecuted either.
Click here to tell Attorney General Holder to honor his oath to uphold the Constitution by investigating the masterminds of torture.
The United Nations, General Barry McCaffrey, Human Rights Watch and many others have all documented U.S. torture. General Taguba, who oversaw the official investigation into detainee abuse at Abu Ghraib said: "There is no longer any doubt as to whether the current administration has committed war crimes. The only question that remains to be answered is whether those who ordered the use of torture will be held to account."
Mr. Holder says it is time to move forward, not look backward. But people cannot be tried for crimes they may commit. It is only possible to try people for crimes they did commit—in the past. So the Attorney General's position is not only nonsensical, it constitutes obstruction of justice.
Click here to tell Attorney General Holder to honor his oath to uphold the Constitution by investigating the masterminds of torture.
Imagine if there were a known terrorist who was suspected in blowing up American buildings and the president and attorney general knew where to find that terrorist but their response was: "Those crimes happened in the past. Forget about it! We need to look forward."
Their heads would roll.
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It is far from time to throw up our hands in despair. The 'Arab Spring' teaches us that even in the most repressive regimes, power resides with the people. Our forebears left us all the tools required to effect changes we seek. It is time to insist that Congress send a strong message to President Obama, President Bush—and all presidents who come after them—that the days of Congress looking the other way while imperial presidents shred the Constitution are over.
Please send a letter to Congress saying enough is enough.
Thank you for all that you do.
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