THE HANDSTAND

FEBRUARY 2003



letters from america

War of aggression is crime under Nuremberg Charter - INDICT warmongers NOW
FYA: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,committed citizens can
 change the world:indeed it's the only thing that ever does." — Margaret Mead  

"Almost always the creative dedicated minority has 
made the world  better." — Martin Luther King, Jr.

 “History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of
 social transition was not the strident clamour of the bad people, but the 
appalling silence of the good people.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.


______________________________________________________________________
Onlinejournal.com - Preemptive impeachment - Prof Boyle
{FBOYLE@LAW.UIUC.EDU}.
http://www.onlinejournal.com/Special_Reports/Ramares010403/ramares010403.html
Preemptive impeachment
Law professor stands ready to draft articles for 
any member of the House
By Kéllia Ramares
Online Journal Contributing Editor
While the United States will constantly strive to enlist the support of
the international community, we will not hesitate to act alone, if
necessary, to exercise our right of self defense by acting preemptively
against such terrorists, to prevent them from doing harm against our
people and our country . . . 
—The National Security Strategy of the United States of America
January 4, 2002—"We sentenced Nazi leaders to death for waging a war of
aggression," says International Law Professor Francis A. Boyle of the
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. By contrast, Prof. Boyle 
wants
merely to impeach George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld and John
Ashcroft for their plans to invade Iraq and create a police state in
America.
Boyle is offering his services as counsel, free of charge, to any 
member
of the House of Representatives willing to sponsor articles of
impeachment. He is experienced in this work, having undertaken it in 
1991
for the late Rep. Henry B. Gonzalez (D-TX), in an effort to stop the 
first
Persian Gulf War. It takes only one member to introduce articles of
impeachment. Of course, it will take many more than that to vote for
impeachment, which will culminate in a trial in the Senate. Boyle is
confident that, once the articles are introduced, others, including
Republicans, will co-sponsor them. But we have to convince our
Representatives that impeachment is necessary for the country and
politically safe for them. This non-violent, constitutional process may 
be
our best way of stopping World War III and saving our civil rights.
Grounds for Impeachment
Article II Sec. 4 of the Constitution states that: "The President, Vice
President and all Civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed
from Office on Impeachment for and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or
other high Crimes and Misdemeanors." Boyle says that waging a war of
aggression is a crime under the Nuremberg Charter, Judgment and
Principles. "It's very clear," he adds, "if you read all the press
reports, they are going to devastate Baghdad, a metropolitan area of 5
million people. The Nuremberg Charter clearly says the wanton 
devastation
of a city is a Nuremberg war crime." 
The United States is a party to the Nuremberg Charter, Judgment and
Principles, and thus is constitutionally bound to obey them. "The
Constitution, in Article 6, says that international treaties are the
supreme law of the land here in the United States of America. So all we
would be doing here, in this impeachment campaign," Boyle says, "is
impeaching them for violating international treaties, as incorporated 
into
the United States Constitution, as well as the Constitution itself." 
Bush Cabal Repudiates Nuremberg Principles
We don't have to wait for the devastation of Baghdad to impeach the 
Bush
cabal because they have already repudiated the Nuremberg Charter via 
the
so-called Bush Doctrine of preventive war and pre-emptive attack. "This
doctrine of pre-emptive warfare or pre-emptive attack was rejected 
soundly
in the Nuremberg Judgment, " Boyle says. "The Nuremberg Judgment . . .
rejected this Nazi doctrine of international law of alleged 
self-defense."
The Bush Doctrine, embodied in the National Security Strategy document,
published on the White House web site, is appalling, Boyle says. "It 
reads
like a Nazi planning document prior to the Second World War." 
The Fruit Doesn't Fall Far From the Tree
As Rep. Henry B. Gonzalez explained on the floor of the House in 1991, 
his
articles charged the elder Bush with:
1) Violating the Equal Protection Clause by having minorities and poor
whites, who were the majority of the soldiers in the Middle East, 
"fight a
war for oil to preserve the lifestyles of the wealthy."
2) Violating "the Constitution, Federal law, and the UN Charter by
bribing, intimidating, and threatening others, including the members of
the UN Security Council, to support belligerent acts against Iraq."
3) Violating the Nuremberg principles by conspiring to engage in a 
massive
war against Iraq that would cause tens of thousands of civilian deaths.
4) Committing "the United States to acts of war without congressional
consent and contrary to the UN Charter and international law." (This
refers to the lack of a formal declaration of war, as required by the
Constitution).
5) Committing crimes against the peace by leading the United States 
into
aggressive war against Iraq, in violation of Article 24 of the UN 
Charter,
the Nuremberg Charter, other international instruments and treaties, 
and
the Constitution of the United States.
Boyle believes that the articles he drafted for Gonzalez' effort to
impeach George H. W. Bush, the father, could still serve as a basis for
impeaching George W. Bush, the son.
Are the People Ready for Another Impeachment?
Impeachment has the advantage of bypassing the U.S. Supreme Court, 
which
illegally installed Bush in the Oval Office. The same "Justices" would
have the final word on legal challenges to constitutional abominations,
such as the USA PATRIOT Act and the Homeland Security Act, both of 
which
the White House rammed through a Congress frightened by the September 
11th
attacks and the as yet unsolved anthrax attacks on Capitol Hill.
But no matter how blatant the violations of constitutional, statutory 
and
international law are, impeachment is still a political process.
Republicans control the Congress and many Democrats, fearful of being
labeled "soft on terrorism" might be unwilling to challenge the Bush
cabal. It would take tremendous public pressure to get a reluctant
Congress to impeach. Still, Boyle thinks he can garner public support 
by
adding an article of impeachment against John Ashcroft.
"We know for a fact that there are Republicans and Democrats and
Independents and Greens, even very conservative Republicans, such as 
Dick
Armey and [Bob] Barr, who are very worried about a police state." Boyle
says that an article against Ashcroft would make clear "that we don't 
want
a police state in the name of an oil empire."
It's Up to Us
Unfortunately for the impeachment campaign, Armey has retired and Barr,
who spoke out against some of the most draconian proposals for what
eventually became the USA PATRIOT Act, was defeated in the Republican
primary. Boyle is still waiting for the one member of Congress willing 
to
introduce articles of impeachment when the 108th Congress convenes on
January 7.
Since Bush has indicated that he is not likely to go to war before the 
end
of January or early February, Boyle thinks we have a month to stop the 
war
by impeaching the chain of command: Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld, along 
with
police state enforcer Ashcroft. Time and the Internet are advantages 
Rep.
Gonzalez did not have in 1991, when the Persian Gulf War was launched 
the
day after he introduced his articles.
Boyle is asking the public to push for impeachment in two ways. First,
contact your own member of Congress to urge him or her to introduce
articles of impeachment, and tell the member that he or she may contact
Prof. Boyle for assistance in drafting the articles. Second, demand
impeachment by engaging in non-violent direct action, in exercise of 
your
First Amendment rights to free speech, peaceable assembly and petition 
for
redress of grievances. Boyle was pleased that 100,000 people marched
around the White House last October 26 to protest the impending war on
Iraq. But he says one million people need to peaceably take to the 
streets
with signs, banners and voices shouting, "Impeach Bush!" 
"The bottom line: it's really up to you and to me to enforce the law 
and
the Constitution against our own government," he says. "We are citizens 
of
the United States of America. We have to act to preserve the republic 
that
we have, to preserve our Constitution, to preserve a rule of law. This 
is
our responsibility as citizens. We simply can't pass the buck and say 
'Oh,
some judge is going to do it somewhere.' It's up to us to keep this
republic."
Copyright © 2003 Kéllia Ramares. For fair use only.
Listen to Kéllia Ramares' full interview of Prof. Francis Boyle
(FBOYLE@LAW.UIUC.EDU) at R.I.S.E. - Radio Internet Story Exchange. 
Also, [
http://www.rise4news.net/impeach.html 



Francis A. Boyle
Law Building
504 E. Pennsylvania Ave.
Champaign, IL 61820 USA
217-333-7954(voice)
217-244-1478(fax)
fboyle@law.uiuc.edu
(personal comments only)


Impeachment Resolution Against President George W. Bush
by
Francis A. Boyle
Professor of Law

January 17, 2003

108nd Congress H.Res.XX

1st Session

Impeaching George Walker Bush, President of the United States,
of high crimes and misdemeanors.

_______________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

January __, 2003

Mr./Ms. Y submitted the following resolution; which was referred
to the Committee on Judiciary.

________________________________________________

A RESOLUTION

Impeaching George Walker Bush, President of the United States,
of high crimes and misdemeanors.

Resolved, That George Walker Bush, President of the United States
is impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors, and that the following
articles of impeachment be exhibited to the Senate:

Articles of impeachment exhibited by the House of Representatives
of the United States of America in the name of itself and of
all of the people of the United States of America, against George
Walker Bush, President of the United States of America, in maintenanceand support of its impeachment against him for high crimes andmisdemeanors.

ARTICLE I

In the conduct of the office of President of the United States,
George Walker Bush, in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully
to execute the office of President of the United States and,
to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the
Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional
duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has attempted
to impose a police state and a military dictatorship upon the
people and Republic of the United States of America by means
of "a long Train of Abuses and Usurpations" against the Constitution
since September 11, 2001. This subversive conduct includes, but
is not limited, to trying to suspend the constitutional Writ of
Habeas Corpus; ramming the totalitarian U.S.A. Patriot Act through
Congress; the mass-round-up and incarceration of foreigners;
kangaroo courts; depriving at least two United States citizens
of their constitutional rights by means of military incarceration;
interference with the constitutional right of defendants in criminal
cases to lawyers; violating and subverting the Posse Comitatus
Act; unlawful and unreasonable searches and seizures; violating
the First Amendments rights of the free exercise of religion,
freedom of speech, peaceable assembly, and to petition the government for redress of grievances; packing the federal judiciary with
hand-picked judges belonging to the totalitarian Federalist Society
and undermining the judicial independence of the Constitution's
Article III federal court system; violating the Third and Fourth
Geneva Conventions and the U.S. War Crimes Act; violating the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial
Discrimination; reinstitution of the infamous "Cointelpro" Program;
violating the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, the Convention
against Torture, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
instituting the totalitarian Total Information Awareness Program;
and establishing a totalitarian Northern Military Command for
the United States of America itself. In all of this George Walker
Bush has acted in a manner contrary to his trust as President
and subversive of constitutional government, to the great prejudice
of the cause of law and justice and to the manifest injury of
the people of the United States.

Wherefore George Walker Bush, by such conduct, warrants impeachment and trial, and removal from office.

ARTICLE II

In the conduct of the office of President of the United States,
George Walker Bush, in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully
to execute the office of President of the United States and,
to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the
Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional
duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has violated
the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution. U.S. soldiers
in the Middle East are overwhelmingly poor White, Black, and
Latino and their military service is based on the coercion of
a system that has denied viable economic opportunities to these
classes of citizens. Under the Constitution, all classes of citizens
are guaranteed equal protection of the laws, and calling on the
poor and minorities to fight a war for oil to preserve the lifestyles
of the wealthy power elite of this country is a denial of the
rights of these soldiers. In all of this George Walker Bush has
acted in a manner contrary to his trust as President and subversive
of constitutional government, to the great prejudice of the cause
of law and justice and to the manifest injury of the people of
the United States.

Wherefore George Walker Bush, by such conduct, warrants impeachment and trial, and removal from office.

ARTICLE III

In the conduct of the office of President of the United States,
George Walker Bush, in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully
to execute the office of President of the United States and,
to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the
Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional
duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has violated
the U.S. Constitution, federal law, and the United Nations Charter
by bribing, intimidating and threatening others, including the
members of the United Nations Security Council, to support belligerent
acts against Iraq. In all of this George Walker Bush has acted
in a manner contrary to his trust as President and subversive
of constitutional government, to the great prejudice of the cause
of law and justice and to the manifest injury of the people of
the United States.

Wherefore George Walker Bush, by such conduct, warrants impeachment
and trial, and removal from office.

ARTICLE IV

In the conduct of the office of President of the United States,
George Walker Bush, in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully
to execute the office of President of the United States and,
to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the
Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional
duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has prepared,
planned, and conspired to engage in a massive war and catastrophic
aggression against Iraq by employing methods of mass destruction
that will result in the killing of hundreds of thousands of civilians,
many of whom will be children. This planning includes the threatened
use of nuclear weapons, and the use of such indiscriminate weapons
and massive killings by aerial bombardment, or otherwise, of
civilians, violates the Hague Regulations on land warfare, the
rules of customary international law set forth in the Hague Rules
of Air Warfare, the Four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and Protocol
I thereto, the Nuremberg Charter, Judgment, and Principles, the
Genocide Convention, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
and U.S. Army Field Manual 27-10 (1956). In all of this George
Walker Bush has acted in a manner contrary to his trust as President
and subversive of constitutional government, to the great prejudice
of the cause of law and justice and to the manifest injury of
the people of the United States.

Wherefore George Walker Bush, by such conduct, warrants impeachment and trial, and removal from office.

ARTICLE V

In the conduct of the office of President of the United States,
George Walker Bush, in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully
to execute the office of President of the United States and,
to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the
Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional
duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has committed
the United States to acts of war without congressional consent
and contrary to the United Nations Charter and international
law. From September, 2001 through January, 2003, the President
embarked on a course of action that systematically eliminated
every option for peaceful resolution of the Persian Gulf crisis.
Once the President approached Congress for consent to war, tens
of thousands of American soldiers' lives were in jeopardy - rendering
any substantive debate by Congress meaningless. The President
has not received a Declaration of War by Congress, and in contravention
of the written word, the spirit, and the intent of the U.S. Constitution
has declared that he will go to war regardless of the views of
the American people. In failing to seek and obtain a Declaration
of War, George Walker Bush has acted in a manner contrary to
his trust as President and subversive of constitutional government,
to the great prejudice of the cause of law and justice and to
the manifest injury of the people of the United States.

Wherefore George Walker Bush, by such conduct, warrants impeachment and trial, and removal from office.

ARTICLE VI

In the conduct of the office of President of the United States,
George Walker Bush, in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully
to execute the office of President of the United States and,
to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the
Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional
duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has planned,
prepared, and conspired to commit crimes against the peace by
leading the United States into aggressive war against Iraq in
violation of Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter, the
Nuremberg Charter, Judgment, and Principles, the Kellogg-Brand
Pact, U.S. Army Field Manual 27-10 (1956), numerous other international
treaties and agreements, and the Constitution of the United States.
In all of this George Walker Bush has acted in a manner contrary
to his trust as President and subversive of constitutional government,
to the great prejudice of the cause of law and justice and to
the manifest injury of the people of the United States.

Wherefore George Walker Bush, by such conduct, warrants impeachment and trial, and removal from office.

(In memory of Congressman Henry B. Gonzalez - R.I.P. - and H.
Res. 86, 102nd Cong., 1st Sess., Jan. 16, 1991.)

FROM DR. AND MRS.JAMES ROGERS :
As Methodists, as human rights advocates, as advocates of freedom of speech and advocates of equality with regard to our foreign policies, we are appalled at the warmongering of George Bush and his cohorts.
Mr. Bush is not a leader. he is a follower and uninformed. He isn't even smart enough
to come up with his own dumb comic book, cowboy rhetoric as in "axis of evil." The man who did, David Frum, has written a not-so-lovely book about him. An article in the St. Petersburg Times l-8-03 says "With the exception of Karl Rove, Frum views Bush as surrounded by genial lieutenants - few of whom impressed the author with their intellectual power. He says Bush is often glib - he would refer to environmentalists as 'green-green-lima-beans." Frum also describes Bush as "often uncurious and as a result ill informed" on some matters that Frum does not specify. He also said that Bush in private is not the easy, genial man as he shows in public. In other words he has a dual personality, one for the public and the other for those working for him.

Well, isn't that interesting? So the man is as many of us suspect a camelian. Let us say that we voted for him and are sorely disappointed that we did.

We do not believe the president really is concerned about other humans. If he did he would be searching for peace, not war against Iraq, people who have already been bombed back to the Stone Age by his father, a country that was beautiful and its women were free, with equal rights. And they have been bombed regularly ever since, with inhumane sanctions recogized as that by most of the rest of the world with the exception of the rogue state of Israel, an illegal and brutal military occupier.

Saddam Hussein is again hyped to be the most evil man in the universe (has he yet be on the cover of Time where once Kadafy was accused of holding that honor?). Saddam Hussein has not been guilty of killing nearly the number of people Israel has killed with impunity, including our own sailors on the USS Liberty, a crime not just against the U.S. but against the men serving the U.S. who have never been honored because the culprit was Israel and Johnson was in charge and bought out.

In the book "Body of Secrets" Johnson is quoted as having said that Israel could sink that ship for all he cared but he would not expose his ally, Israel. The man should be removed from Arlington and his body hanged in a public square as a traitor.

Bush is also very influenced by the voting power of the fundamentalist Christian Zionists who are without question dangerous people. Their television and radio stations are propaganda machines, pushing for war, unconcerned about the disruption of young families, young students, all facing death or severe injuries and for what?

Oil? No. Weapons of mass destruction? No. For what? The rogue state of Israel whose claws reach deeply into the pockets of our elected officials with threats and money. Israel, the country with weapons of mass destruction including nuclear weaponry for which their own man was put kidnapped and put into solitary confinement in Israel for daring to talk about it. Israel, a country that refuses to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and refuses inspections. Israel that has occupied several Arab countries illegally and is run by Eastern European Jews who have no ties to the Middle East except as greedy criminals.  
War is ugly. Charlie Rangel and John Conyers, both congressmen are to be congratulated - they are, by the way, being attacked by the Washington based Janet Paschal's America (not sure of the spelling), a woman who has all the likings of a Tokyo Rose, a virtual propaganda machine of hatred and racism against all Arabs and Muslims and apparently does not give a whit for Arab Christians in Palestine and in Iraq. She is pushing for war and against anyone who calls in and disagrees with the Bush policies of warmongering.
Her radio talk show number is 1-800-343-9282. People should call this program and let her know that Israel is not the only country in the Middle East and what Israel is doing with the aid of our hard earned tax dollars we desperately need here is criminal, genocidal and evil. And that a war against Iraq that endangers the already malnourished people and particularly children injured by our sanctions is equally evil.

If Bush is really a Christian he will be willing to sit and talk with his perceived enemies
and make concessions. He is unwilling because he is either a warmonger who cares little for anything but his own greedy goals or he is so sadly misinformed that he is a threat to peace and security. He certainly is no peace maker.

All of us need to continue to call Washington at 202-456-1111 and express our outrage at the war buildup and threats to our young people whose lives are already being torn apart by being shipped off to places in the Middle East. Education, family life torn apart, perhaps never to be put back together. Remember too, that Iraq had nothing to do with 9-11, the pilots were all from Saudi Arabia.
from
Dr. and Mrs.James Rogers