Impeachment: Myths, Facts, and History
More Empty Impeachment Threats from the GOP Right-wingers trembled with glee when Sen. James Inhofe said that President Obama might be impeached for the events in Benghazi. Few rank-and-file Americans understand impeachment or the odds of it happening. It does not mean that the president is fired. Most members of Congress and the media understand what impeachment means, but our schools work very hard to produce politically ignorant citizens. Impeachment means charging a public official with an offense. Impeachment does not mean firing a public official from her/his job. Constitution and Procedures The U.S. Constitution states that: The House of…
The Mother of All Amendments
In the 13 days since Boston’s national nightmare brought us four murdered, 15 amputations and countless hours of medical attention for 282 injured, public reasoning on the origins of the attack and future prevention have predictably been all over the political yard in all the predictable corners. Subsequent events and dialogues have rung out like octaves which could and should inform further debate and offer clarity to some fundamental discourse about our own origins, our national direction and our values as one People. Sadly, though, the barren residua of Newtown, Aurora, Oak Creek, Tucson and countless other tragedies do not…
Tea Party Protests We Can Believe In
On this Monday, April 15th, we will enjoy both the benefits and detriments of the 16th Amendment to the Constitution which has permitted income taxation by Congress for the last 100 years. Also on this day in all 50 states, “grass roots” tax protests of varying authenticity will occur outside post offices, government buildings and town squares as tens of thousands bemoan the annual freedom killing duty that is the timely filing of our returns. Notwithstanding that these protest folks are in apoplexy over the lowest marginal tax rates since Reagan, that the last GOP POTUS turned a $200 billion…
The Postal Service Is Not a GOP Target
Congressional Republicans Just Want You to Think It Is. Unlike most Americans, many members of Congress have actually read the United States Constitution. They know what it would take to abolish the postal service and they do not intend to do it.
Activist Supreme Court Judges Created Their Own Power
The Constitution Does Not Authorize Judicial Review. Our teachers are wrong. The Constitution does not empower the Court to interpret the Constitution. The founders didn’t give that power to anyone. The Court decided that for itself.
Republicans Continue to Suppress the Vote, Even In Iowa
I am an Iowa resident. Recently, our local newspaper reported that Iowa’s Republican Secretary of State wants to purge anyone from voter registration list whose citizenship is questioned. If your name is similar to the name of someone on one of the federal immigration lists or someone whose driver’s license says they are not a citizen, then you have to prove you are a citizen. Of course Democratic legislators, the ACLU, the League of Women Voters and other groups are fighting this, but so far the law is set to go into effect shortly. If you’re wondering just how big…
Rand Paul Ends Confirmation Filibuster, White House Responds
Progressive writers and commentators are tripping over themselves today throughout the blogosphere and social media universe, as they try to reconcile their feelings regarding Republican Senator Rand Paul and his nearly record setting filibuster on the Senate floor, in which he sought to block the confirmation of Paul Brennan to the position CIA Director. Citing what he described as grave concerns over the Obama Administration’s unmanned drone program, which has created numerous political firestorms in recent weeks, Paul stated that he planned to speak as long as he could to draw attention to something he found “very disturbing.” “I will…
Petitioning the Government Doesn’t Guarantee Success
We Americans love our petitions, but too many don’t understand how they work.
A well-written petition, directed to the appropriate target, can be an important tool to create change, but it can’t stand alone.
Something the NRA Doesn’t Want You to Know
Before the recent series of mass-shootings, the common wisdom in political circles was that the American people really didn’t want any new gun control laws and wouldn’t support any new efforts to enact them. The truth is, with all the other major issues our country has dealt with in recent years, gun control was certainly a low priority. While most Americans oppose an outright ban on all guns, the support for other gun control measures has been pretty steady since they started taking opinion polls in the 1930s. While not a complete list of all opinion polls conducted on the…
Dear Mississippi: Give Credit Where It Is Due On 13th Amendment Ratification
Mississippi, you’ll pardon us if this does not look good to the outside world. You know, given your history. Many of you may have followed our January piece regarding Mississippi, its sordid history with the 13th Amendment and our contact with legendary State Senator Hillman Frazier. The gist of it is this: though it symbolically did so in March of 1995, the State of Mississippi - site of some of the nation’s most egregious civil rights atrocities – never officially ratified the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution abolishing slavery. I know, right? History nerds and enthusiasts may appreciate this…
State Legislatures Question Corporate Personhood
This Valentine’s Day, some members of the New Hampshire house likely won’t be receiving much in the way of candies or cards from corporate interests. Next Thursday, members of the statehouse committee on State-Federal Relations and Veterans Affairs will meet to discuss House Concurrent Resolution (HCR) 2, which calls for the state congressional delegation to “encourage and expedite” a Constitutional amendment to address the highly contentious “Citizens United” Supreme Court decision. Calling for a constitutional differentiation between people and corporations, the bill goes on to encourage that the proposed amendment declare once and for all, that: “…money is not speech,…
Myth: “The Second Amendment is to Overthrow the Government.”
In the debate about gun control, many gun enthusiasts argue that the Second Amendment to the Constitution was written, not for the purposes of hunting or even self-defense, but specifically to give people the ability to rise up against the government when they no longer support that government. These gun enthusiasts further hold the reference to the word militia in the Second Amendment refers to the armed populace in general. As such, this militia has the right to own the type of weapons that would be required to overthrow the government if need be. Let’s take a look at exactly what the…
Myth: “President Obama gutted welfare reform by removing the work requirement”
“President Obama gutted welfare reform by removing the work requirement” This falsehood was frequently uttered by Mitt Romney during the 2012 election. Here is what the truth is. At the request of some state governors, Obama allowed states to relax certain regulations in order to increase the number of people who are working. The purpose of this change was to allow states to try new methods to increase employment in their states and get people off of Welfare. Under the new policy, states can now seek a federal waiver from work-participation rules that, among other things, require welfare recipients to engage…
What is the NRA’s Real Goal?
Did you ever wonder if there is a connection between the following two facts? The board of directors of the National Rifle Association consists mainly of gun dealers, gun manufacturers, and others who profit from the multi-billion dollar gun industry. The NRA insists that virtually every crime problem in the country has one solution, more guns, which as it turns out, means more gun sales and even more profits for the gun industry. When President Obama did absolutely nothing about guns and gun violence, the NRA said he was the most anti-gun president in history and screamed “He’s coming to…
The Origins of “So Help Me God” – Swearing in Our Leaders
We’ve all seen our President and other elected leaders take their oaths of office, most often placing their hand on a Bible, settling their oaths finally with the words “So help me God.” Many say, “Aha! So our Founders never meant for separation of church and state!” This is not so. Our Constitution does not require that Presidents or other leaders take oath upon the Bible – nor does it require the repetition of “So help me God.” In fact, the Constitution clearly spells out that oaths are to be duly secular in content. The Presidential oath of office, Article…
Recent Comments