A View from the Foothills of Appalachia
By: Doug Fiedor -- December 24, 1998
Just a few short weeks ago, our chance of getting an impeachment through the House of Representatives was said to be virtually zero. Well, as the world now knows, it happened.
Clinton is now the first elected president in American history ever impeached. Forevermore, his designation, his legacy, shall be: "That Impeached President."
Clinton is also a lame-duck president. Therefore, to us at least, he is now that "Impeached Lame-Duck President."
Bill Clinton is also a pathological liar. He lied to his family. He lied to the American people. He had others lie to the American people for him. And he lied to the court while under oath. Even his defenders admit that he lies a lot and committed perjury. Today, no one in their right mind would believe anything he says. Therefore, Clinton is also that "Lying Impeached Lame-Duck President."
How far should we go with this? We could also add: "Communist-loving, Money-Laundering, Justice-Obstructing, Lying, Impeached, Lame-Duck President." But this is getting a bit too long to repeat. There's still a lot more, of course -- but labeling each offense is really unnecessary because we all know Clinton's sins by now.
Each of us, in our own particular way, had a hand in forcing the impeachment. Together, we made history by demanding that our Representatives in the House impeach a corrupt president. And finally, they did it.
But, we're not done. The process is incomplete. He's still in office. So, it's not quite time to rest. Now we have to beat him in the Senate, too. And like many of the Representatives in the House, many Senators want nothing more than to get this inconvenience over with as soon as possible. After all, there's fund-raising to be done, and no money to be gained by them with this impeachment action. Most in the Senate are lazy, pompous asses and do not want to be bothered with their Constitutional duty. They do not wish to study this impeachment any more than they would study a bill up for vote. Rather, they want only to read a summary, have a three hour debate, and be done with it.
And that is the crux of the situation: Most Senators simply do not want to do their duty. Many of them refuse to be pinned down, refuse to make a decision, and do not wish to be accountable. As usual, they do not wish to obey the Constitution. Instead, they're looking for some easy way out. Driven by far-left partisan Democrats like Daschle, Biden & Dodd, some of them also display great hubris, in that they already propose the sentence before even hearing the evidence at trial.
This too must end. Any Senator calling for a penalty before even hearing the evidence at trial must be recused from the jury. We must demand a fair, unbiased trial, with a verdict based only on the evidence presented.
That's where we come in. We cannot allow them to neglect their Constitutional duty. They do not wish to be inconvenienced, but that's just too damn bad. They owe us a trial. Therefore, each and every one of them must be inconvenienced and held accountable for their action on this matter. Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives and the Constitution directs that there now be a full and open trial in the Senate. This is not a popular request, it is a Constitutional directive -- the law of the land. No other action is available to the Senate. Anything else is unconstitutional, an illegal act, dereliction of duty and malfeasance.
Nor should they be allowed to examine evidence in "executive session." This is to be a political, not a criminal, trial. National Security and all other excuses notwithstanding, the body politic -- the American people -- have a right to view all evidence, from any source. Therefore, barring Clinton's instant resignation, all evidence must see the light of day. No matter how scurrilous and lascivious evidence may be, it is, nonetheless, the actions of the President of the United States and the American people have a right to know.
The American people deserve to see a complete and fair trial, with all evidence presented by both sides. Else, how are we do know just how corrupt and depraved this administration actually is? It is only after all is exposed, and available for public discussion, that the vast majority of American people will agree that the Clintons can never again be trusted with a position of honor.
The Constitution directs that the Senate hold a public trial, weigh the evidence presented, and then deliberate. Therein, the Senators become jurors, and nothing more. Therefore, before and during the trial, they are to keep their overactive, egotistical mouths shut, sit at their desks and pay attention to only that which is presented to them.
Our job as citizens, then, is to insure that our public servants follow the rules -- in this case the Constitution -- to the letter. The Constitutional process must not be allowed to be obstructed with conflicting "Senate Rules," either. The Chief Justice must make all procedural decisions, not the Senate by simple vote. We must instruct them so, and continue instructing them until the whole of the trial is completed.
If our Senators do not support a full and public trial, we should not support them -- ever again. In fact, we should work to insure that any Senators obstructing this trial are never elected to any public office again.
Our immediate action, then, is to make that fact crystal clear to all 100 sitting Senators. We need to put them on notice immediately. That requires swift action by all of us.
We are not alone in this fight, of course. Point your browser over to www.freerepublic.com and see how many people are willing to help. There you will find many thousands of Americans involved. But be advised, your action is also needed. Soon.
NOTE: See the December 20 issue of the "Heads Up" newsletter for more on the impeachment trial:
or
http://mmc.cns.net/headsup.html
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