Sure, the slow erosion of our rights and the balance of powers has been going on for decades or maybe even our whole history, but it’s accelerated exponentially these past seven years as shadow president Dick Cheney has been free to pursue his lifelong dream of an unfettered “unitary executive.” And this should be of deathly concern to Orange Juice readers and bloggers of every political stripe.
Remember, the next Administration will inherit all these new extra-constitutional powers the current gang has seized. And I’m quite sure Larry Gilbert will not appreciate President Hillary Clinton eavesdropping on his phone calls and examining his e-mails without a warrant, any more than crimefighter Thomas A. Gordon would enjoy being labeled an “enemy combatant” by President Obama and packed off to jail with no recourse to a fair trial. (Remember, boys, first they came for the Muslims, etc.) I hope Art and Claudio and Sarah come too, ask questions, and write up what they learned (I know Sarah like me is keen for Congress to re-assert its exclusive warmaking powers.)
All that said, here’s the official press release for the event:
Impeachment 101: How Impeachment Serves a Democracy!
A Community Forum
Golden West College
15744 Golden West Street, Huntington Beach, CA 92647
Forum I
7 PM – April 5th (Sat.)League of Women Voters of Orange Coast will be moderating this nonpartisan forum and the Golden West Office of Student Activities is sponsoring. Our leaders must be held accountable but unless the people demand it, it will never happen! When January 20, 2009 arrives the expanded powers and abuses remain in place waiting for McCain, Clinton, or Obama to use!
Our panelists:
Marjorie Cohn is Professor of Law at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law, San Diego, CA; and current president of the National Lawyers Guild. http://www.marjoriecohn.com/,
AND
Stephen Rohde is a constitutional lawyer, lecturer, writer and political activist. He is a past President of both the ACLU of Southern California and the Beverly Hills Bar Association and is a founder of Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace.The question of why impeachment hasn’t happened at his time in history will be explored in depth. Bring your own questions and join this critical discussion. We would love to fill up Forum I (300 seat capacity- free – open to the public) with students and anyone who is concerned about defending and protecting the U.S. Constitution. Please distribute widely!
Contact: Lynda Hernandez, Impeachment 101 Coalition member redwoodsforever@verizon.net
Last thing I want to do is try to sabotage an event that my erstwhile colleagues Karen, Lynda, Susan and Elaine from Huntington Beach Impeach have put so much work into; some of them are still holding out hope for justice this year, but I really feel it’s time to start looking to the next Congress for redress. As I wrote in my new monthly column “The Tipping Point” at the Orange Coast Voice: http://ocvoice.wordpress.com/tipping-point/
…Perhaps this Apr. 5 forum would be the appropriate place to begin figuring out what a program for “Restoring and Strengthening Our Constitution” would look like—a program candidates for the next Congress could sign on to.
“The Tipping Point” welcomes input on this topic from OC Voice readers knowledgeable in the law and the U.S. Constitution, as well as from the distinguished stable of challengers to our own sclerotic Bush-enabler Dana Rohrabacher. Let’s see how much thought and substance Debbie Cook, Tom Lash, and Dan Kalmick put into their anticipated oath to “uphold and defend the Constitution.”
Iraq is only the 800-pound bleeding ulcer of this administration’s crimes, just one part of the larger picture of their systematic evisceration of the Constitution in pursuit of Cheney’s dream of a “unitary executive” dictatorship. Just off the top of my head, the next Congress will need to:
- Restore habeas corpus (by revoking or drastically amending the Military Commissions Act?)
- Make Presidential “signing statements” explicitly illegal; the President must either sign or veto a bill and if he signs he must follow and enforce it.
- Restore the 4th amendment with an updated FISA bill that ensures our privacy, and investigate and prosecute illegal spying on Americans by this administration (the current Congress is actually showing some spine on this lately.)
- Restore the balance of powers so painstakingly crafted by folks like current HBO celebrity John Adams (e.g., automatic dire consequences for defying Congressional subpoenas.)
- Once again become a nation that doesn’t (officially) torture by re-passing the recently vetoed anti-torture legislation, closing Guantánamo, and re-committing to the Geneva Conventions.
There’s certainly much more, and I hope to hear from readers and our Orange Coast candidates. Ultimately maybe we can even achieve that pre-Vietnam Holy Grail where war can only be declared by Congress…
Little did I know that as I wrote that for a March 20 deadline, the authors of the “Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq” were already incorporating at least half those ideas into their own plan. GMTA and all. But of course not all the recent depredations on our beloved founding document are related to the war in Iraq, so I think the Constitution deserves its own Responsible Plan.
Finally, for those of you out there who still hunger for JUSTICE, here is a pleasant Photoshop to warm the cockles of your big, angry hearts! (See you all Saturday!)
I’m pretty sure I’ll be there. I’ll have guests. Maybe we can all do dinner later or coffee before or something. I’ll call you.
SMS
Sounds fun, dinner after. Art? Claudio?
Defend Our Constitution, in HB!
Wow?… is there different Constitution in HB?… if not you have lost your constitution long time ago Vern,… in war on poverty, war on drugs and war on terrorism.
Do you realize Vern that we are committing more crimes against humanity then the people on the picture above?
Do you realize Vern that party change will not remedy?
#3
I think you need to take a closer look at the photo.
SMS
Sarah, #3 misread my headline, misviewed my photo, and the rest of their comments show that they read none of the text.
Obviously a person in a big rush to comment and move on! I’m trying use more discretion as to who deserves a response or not, and I don’t think this person hit that low bar.
“I’m trying use more discretion as to who deserves a response or not, and I don’t think this person hit that low bar.”
The above statement is classical language of a self proclaimed community leader, a socialist, a community tyrant who knows to whom he can respond and who to ignore.
That is perhaps a reason why you do not deserve any constitution in HB.
I believe that you should accompany your article with more contemporary pictures of your government committing atrocity rather than prosecuting them more than half century ago to make your point.
You’re still here!? OK then. I admit I’m being snotty to you, because you jotted off a really thoughtless comment, and you STILL refuse to look at the picture. Can’t you see Bush, Cheney, Feith, everyone there? And what’s your obsession with HB? THis just happens to be where the forum is! DO I have to write like I’m writing for kindergarteners here? (Whoops, there I go again.)
Hey, you care so much about atrocities and so on, you should come Saturday.
Dear Vern, I must admit that now I feel somewhat ignorant.
However, I must maintain that on it face you have failed with your message because majority of people are like me. They are clicking fast and unless there is something to trigger their attention they go to next one.
In my case it was your picture which got my attention. I was under an impression that you are another Claudio Gallegos who use to post profusely Nazi pictures to depict Mayor of Costa Mesa.
Since I consider Mr. Gallegos to be moron mongoloid pinko, I have judged your post by way of an association rather then by its message and heave over reacted.
So I must rethink how to interpret your posting stile and look for a satiric expression.
I respect someone who can admit being wrong, that’s pretty rare these days. Meanwhile I think I’ll re-write the title, and see if I can expand the photo.
Any more of this and we’ll be a mutual fan club! Took only a couple days with Sarah. Say hi if you come Saturday.
Vern,
thanks for the post. Thom Hartmann has agreed to highlight the community forum this Sat. on his show today. I’ll be inviting people from both sides of the aisle and encourage those who are fed up with the two-party system to weigh in as well. With approximately 28% of the population registered to vote as independent or Decline to State combined with those who don’t register at all, that’s a huge percentage of the U.S. population. Looking forward to a robust discussion at Golden West College – free admission and parking! Lynda
Vern,
I think I am free that evening. Teaching in the morning/afternoon.
Keep up the good work!
Larry considered your post until I read that Hillary would be our next president. Sounds like the old headline stating that Thomas Dewey defeated Harry Truman.
Of the three major candidates it will not be Hillary standing in the victory circle at Del Mar or Santa Anita race track on Nov 4th.
As to the concern about eavsdropping. Are you joking! The Fed’s have been monitoring my phones and emails long before I joined the Orange Juice family. Do I have anything to hide? No! Am I concerned? No! However, the big question. Do I support blanket eavsdropping? Another NO!
We have a major clash in this country between Homeland Security and Freedom that needs to be carefully considered in setting Policy.
If not, we might see the day when children turned in their parents and relatives as happended in the Third Reich.
Mr. Gilbert, what an honor. I thought you were boycotting my posts.
I think you know what I’m saying about the next president. It will no longer be someone you trust as much as Bush (assuming you trusted Bush.) And whoever they are shouldn’t have these extraconstitutional powers.
Your last two paragraphs make a lot of sense, EXCEPT for when you say “Am I concerned? No.” That sticks out like a sore thumb. Of course you, and everyone else SHOULD be concerned if the rest of what you say is true, which it is!
Come Saturday, I bet you’ll have some interesting questions or comments. We need more Republicans there.
Juice brother Vern.
While my focus has been on our Fifth Amendment property rights protection you raise a valid concern as stated in the Fourth Amendment to our Constitution. Namely “the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses and papers and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures” without probable cause.
Perhaps Juice readers are not aware of “the US Central Intelligence Agency opening and photographing nearly a quarter of a million first-class letters without search warrants between 1953 and 1973; 300,000 individuals indexed on CIA computers and CIA files on 7,200 individuals; the US National Security Agency obtaining copies of millions of private telegrams sent to and from the US from 1947 to 1975 without search warrants through an arrangement with three US telegraph companies; and US Army Intelligence keeping files on 100,000 Americans.” You can find the above facts on the web.
There has been great debate on the Federal Wiretap Act in conjunction with our heightened needs for Homeland Security and the involvement of the FISA court.
Check out the 1967 “Berger V New York” case as well as the “Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968” if you want to peel the onion back to see how our courts have responded to this issue.
To use that old expression “we are caught between a rock and a hard place.” Both sides can each make a sound case for their preference.
As to attending on Saturday night I cannot promise anything due to our prior commitments. Thanks for the information and your invite.
“Fifth Amendment property rights protection”
Does that include mandatory HOAs too brother Larry?
Juice brother Larry, thanks for all the history, this is what makes you oldtimers so valuable around here. I did mention that the erosion of our liberties has been going on “for decades if not our entire history.” But that does not make it any less urgent to start pushing back now.
Not sure if you got past my first three paragraphs. But as far as “both sides can each make a sound case for their preference,” I’ll stick with brother Ben Franklin (the Original Blogger) and his formulation “Those who would trade their liberties for a little security deserve neither.”
anon 4:44 pm
Keep hammering me. Hopefully you won’t hit your thumb. For those who might be clueless to this exchange “anon” is referring to homeowner associations, HOA. When we lived in New Jersey 100 years go and when we first moved to CA we did not experience an HOA. Our first exposure was in moving to our second house in Mission Viejo.
I will admit that almost every new housing tract in OC operates with a professional staff who are responsible for maintaining common green belts. Others have tennis courts and pools with others being behind guarded or unguarded entrance gates. Note we do not live in a gated community in our city.
While a homeonwer faithfully pays his mortgage, taxes, principle and interest, you also have a contractural obligation when moving into these neighborhoods.You are handed a thick package of do’s and dont’s also known as CC&R’s. If you fail to pay your quarterly dues they will send you a few letters requesting immediate payment which if ignored opens the door for more drastic measures such as seizing your home. I would hope that any new owner use caution in reading all of the documentation before signing to purchase a new home. Mr. anon has a friend who apparently lost a condo and he is mad. Prop 98 and Prop 99 have zero to do with these type actions.
Sorry that he has chosen to darken this post with an unrelated comment when I am not even the original writer of this story.