Buzz Davis: Can the U.S. live under the rule of law? [from the left-Impeach Obama!]

Capital Times ^ | 5-12-11 | Buzz Davis

[SJackson]

Every mother knows how to investigate a dispute, determine the facts and dispense justice — it’s called raising kids. On a societal level we call it due process and justice. We fought a revolution to place ourselves under the rule of law with due process and justice rather than live under the power whims of kings.

With the assassination of Osama bin Laden, President Barack Obama has reverted back to the rule of a king: “I will kill this one and that one and no one can question me — I have the power.”

President George W. Bush also skipped the rule of law. On Sept. 11 crimes were committed in New York and at the Pentagon. By both international law and our laws, what happened was not an act of war by another nation but criminal acts by a gang. Yet within weeks Bush took the U.S. to war with Afghanistan and within a year Bush took us to war in Iraq. Neither country attacked us. Both were and are illegal wars of aggression.

By our laws, the persons who planned, paid for and conducted the Sept. 11 raids should have been treated as criminals, not combatants. “Criminals” means the police investigate, take statements, apprehend suspects, and provide a case for prosecution to a district attorney who decides whether to take the suspects to court, where a judge and, finally, a jury render justice.

Would you, the reader, support the U.S. going to war with Canada if a group of criminals from Canada destroyed the Empire State Building and killed thousands? Should we drop bombs on Sicily or Colombia because organized gangs of Mafia or drug cartels have spread drug deaths across our land for 40 years?

Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney should have been impeached for their illegal wars, illegal torture and illegal wiretap spying. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, submitted a 60-page list of alleged illegal actions as articles of impeachment to the U.S. House. No action was taken

When Obama took office, he refused to order the investigation of Bush and Cheney for war crimes.

And now Obama himself is a war criminal for doing the same things as Bush and Cheney: illegal wars, torture and spying. The alleged murder of bin Laden is just a continuation of the crime-making.

Our nation is strong enough to impeach Obama and prosecute Bush and Cheney, though it will take years. But I don’t know whether we are strong enough to continue to send our soldiers into the meat grinders called Afghanistan and Iraq, spend trillions we don’t have on war, let our own nation deteriorate and continue to kill and wound millions of people, most of whom are civilians.

Our nation is so corrupt (business, politics and some religious organizations) that we must fight to again try to live under the rule of law. We might as well start at the top with the impeachment of Obama and prosecution of Bush and Cheney. Latin America nations have brought former dictators to justice. Why can’t we?

Buzz Davis, of Stoughton, is a member of Veterans for Peace and a long-time progressive activist. He is a former VISTA volunteer, Army officer, elected official and retired state government planner. dbuzzdavis@aol.com

[PhilosopherStone1000]

“Would you, the reader, support the U.S. going to war with Canada if a group of criminals from Canada destroyed the Empire State Building and killed thousands?”

I would if they did what the Afghans did which was flip us the bird when we requested that Al-Qaeda be turned over to us.

[MileHi]

I’ll go for impeach 0b0z0 for a number of reasons. That said the author is an a$$.

[SJackson]

Nothing to impeach for here, and it goes hand in had with the nonsensical concept of prosecuting GWB and Cheney. But it’s entertaining to see impeachment calls coming from the left.

[SJackson]

Most Americans would. But it’s a non issue, cause if it happened, and it’s not impossible, Canada would not only turn over the perps, they’d find them. The Taliban had an opportunity to avoid war by turning over or giving us access to bin Laden, they said No.

[jtonn]

One minor problem. Congress authorized the use of force against Iraq.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c107:5:./temp/~c107zOEhqn::

[jtonn]

Crap, punctuation destroyed the link. Sigh.

[freedumb2003]

“Would you, the reader, support the U.S. going to war with Canada if a group of criminals from Canada destroyed the Empire State Building and killed thousands?”

There is a Girl Scout troop around the corner that should be able to do the job on Canada, no problem.

[jtonn]

Here’s a pdf of the resolution:

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-107hjres114enr/pdf/BILLS-107hjres114enr.pdf

[freedumb2003]

>>Crap, punctuation destroyed the link. Sigh.<<

Is it “crap(py) punctuation destroyed the link” or “Crap! Punctuation destroyed the link!”?

;)

[albionin]

The author of the piece is forgetting an important distinction. Osama Bin laden was not a citizen of the United States. This is not complicated.

[PhilosopherStone1000]

‘Zactly! We didn’t invade Afghan because we wanted to. We invaded because the Taliban refused to play by international rules.

I’d ask this leftie what happens when countries (other than the US) refuse to play by international rules but that would just make his head explode (though not explode as nicely as a double-tap from a DevGru’s HK516!)