The Attorney General Speaks--You Listen
No, not Gonzales. Not Ashcroft, either. I'm talking about the 66th US Attorney General, someone who served a long time ago in an America far, far away... Ramsey Clark.
What’s At Stake?
A message from Ramsey Clark
George W. Bush and his principal officials are the greatest threat to world peace, to human rights, to economic justice, to the Constitution of the United States and the rule of law that the American people and the world at large face today. His personal, unilateral war of aggression has wrecked Iraq, taken 250,000 lives or more, created tensions worldwide and significantly isolated the United States, costing us international friendships, trust, respect and alliances. War of aggression was judged to be “the Supreme International Crime” by the Nuremberg Tribunal.
Proclaiming himself the “Decider,” President Bush insists he decides what is right. He threatens North Korea, Cuba, Syria, Sudan, Venezuela, and most critically at the moment, Iran. The threats themselves violate international law and the U.N. Charter. His threats are made real by his personal record of false claims followed by arbitrary acts including the criminal aggression against and occupation of Iraq with its painful consequences just beginning for Iraq and the world. The additional U.S. military costs approach a trillion dollars and the occupation stretches the limits of U.S. military capacity. Yet he has ordered detailed plans for attacks on Iran that he could order to be executed as early as this summer. He may believe some radical action can save his presidency.
Iran has more than three times the population of Iraq. It was not debilitated by the Gulf War which cost Iraq more than 150,000 lives and destroyed its basic infrastructure. Thirteen years of sanctions, from Hiroshima Day, August 6, 1990 to “Mission Accomplished” Day “ending” the war of aggression against Iraq announced from the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln by President Bush on May 1, 2003, cost Iraq 1 million lives, half children under the age of five. Iraq suffered near total isolation. Without international commerce, or the ability to rebuild, Iraq’s economy was devastated. It suffered physically and psychologically from frequent punitive bombings by U.S. aircraft throughout the sanctions period. Iran’s economy and power fueled by its oil, grew steadily through all these years.
Nothing could unify Iran like a military strike against it by the U.S. Few acts could better convince Muslims worldwide that George Bush is on a crusade against them. Iran with its long border with Iraq could radically alter political alignments and the level of conflict in Iraq and serve as an open conduit for fighters from many nations. Violence could spread from Egypt to neighboring Pakistan and beyond.
The Geneva Conventions prohibit assaults on “inherently dangerous” facilities, which would threaten civilian populations. Nuclear power plants are the prime example. Iran has a right to develop such plants. The Shah had ambitious plans 30 years ago, well financed and advanced, to construct nuclear plants across Iran to replace depleting oil reserves. Iran is six years or more away from the ability to build nuclear warheads if that is its purpose. The U.S. could incinerate Iran with a single launch from its worldwide land, sea and air nuclear missile capacity in place and alert today. Iran knows this. Surely it is better to seek to stop threatening and start seeking better relations and understanding with Iran and other nations that may be hostile.
Aside from the criminal nature of an attack on Iran, further aggressions by George Bush could put the United States in a rapid decline in international standing, economically and military on the defense, globally and at home.
This is only to suggest what might happen if George Bush remains President. The immediate question is whether We, the People of the United States of America, believe the future of our country is a spectator sport, or whether we will be players.
Will we let George Bush decide the fate of the nation?
Have his judgment and actions been acceptable?
With thirty-two months remaining in his Presidency, George Bush can inflict greater, even devastating injury on our people and the poor of the rest of the planet. He has squandered the largest federal surplus in history and created the largest national debt with his determination to be a War President and his ambition to enrich the rich.
He continues increasing military expenditures including the unlawful development of a new generation of nuclear weapons and a “Star Wars” shield for the U.S., insuring an arms race and increasing the probability of war.
His threats against other governments have strengthened opposition to the U.S. throughout the Muslim world, Latin American, former Soviet Union bloc countries, China, Africa and even West Europe.
President Bush’s tax cuts and “Free Trade” pressures have accelerated the concentration of wealth in oligarchies at home and abroad and further impoverished the poor. Nearly 1/3 of his tax cuts have gone to the top one percent of the population. When his estate tax cuts take hold the top one percent of the population will receive 40% of his tax cuts.
The number of billionaires is increasing rapidly while incomes of workers and the poor decline and organized labor continue to decline. And tax cuts combined with increased military expenditures and increasing deficits in balance of payments which make the U.S. the largest debtor nation are compelling cuts in federal expenditures for health care, education, social security, Medicare, humanitarian foreign aid and other needed programs for the poor. The real income of college graduates fell more than 5% from 2000 to 2004 under President Bush, eroding the middle class while concentrating wealth in the few. The richest ten percent of the population received more than half of all his tax cuts benefits.
But the concentration of wealth is accelerating most rapidly in the top 1/100th of one percent, about 30,000 individuals. The rise in income of these very rich has been astronomical. Just look at the growing number of billionaires and the bonuses and stock options of corporate CEO’s.
President Bush’s contempt for human rights and civil liberties is unprecedented in the American Presidency. He is not only above international law, he is above the Bill of Rights. He can arrest and detain people worldwide, including U.S. citizens, as enemy combatants. He condones torture. He wiretaps U.S. citizens and foreigners alike without court approval. Proclamations concerning his Presidential powers by his Attorneys General, Ashcroft and Gonzales, have stunned the international community. Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo now symbolize U.S. regard for human dignity. Yet George Bush proclaims himself the champion of freedom and democracy!
Katrina is only one measure of the incompetence and indifference of the Bush Administration. Secretary of State Rice has acknowledged thousands of mistakes in Iraq without acknowledging the greatest mistake: the unilateral criminal invasion and occupation.
President Bush adheres ideologically to the belief that global warming is not caused in major part by the ever increasing human consumption of oil and other hydrocarbons.
He believes he can bully the world into accepting his way and the American people into accepting his decisions as right. For him, his ideology is truth. He professed to believe, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. Because Iraq was "evil," and the U.S. is free and democratic, he believes Iraq should be controlled by the U.S. Iran is racing to develop nuclear weapons in his view, because of its dangerous hatred for freedom and democracy and must be stopped by force now. His truth translated into force has done more to damage freedom and democracy at home and abroad than all the “evil empires” he threatens. For him, his tax cuts, free trade policies and deficits benefited the poor and lower income groups most, if not in dollars, because his ideology holds that when the oligarchy rule, all will fare better.
The imperative need is action now. We cannot risk delay.
If the American people fail to impeach George Bush and his principal officials for his war of aggression, the world can only see the American people as either powerless, or supportive of it. If he is charged only, or primarily, with misleading, or lying to the American people, the world can only believe the American people will accept mass murder if it is not lied about.
Why should any other nation refrain from Wars of Aggression against oil rich states and others unable to defend themselves if they believe they can win and get away with it, while the U.S. proceeds with impunity with its threats and attacks?
Impeachment is essential to the integrity of constitutional government. It is the most urgent duty of the American people. We have the power to cause impeachment, if we have the will. Do your part now! Participate and contribute to the Constitutional Crusade to Impeach George Bush. Click here to make a donation.
Ramsey Clark
May 3, 2006
