As many of you are aware, a classified memo was recently disclosed in Great Britain that I believe has serious ramifications for the integrity of the United States Government. Dubbed the "Downing Street Memo," but actually comprising the minutes of a meeting of Prime Minister Tony Blair and other top British government officials, the memo casts serious doubt on many of the contentions of the Bush Administration in the lead up to the Iraq war. With over 1,600 U.S. servicemen and servicewomen killed in Iraq, the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, and over $200 billion in taxpayer funds going to this war effort, we cannot afford to stand by any longer.
Along with 88 of my colleagues, I wrote to the President requesting answers about this grave matter. Thus far, our search for the truth has been stonewalled and I need your help. ćI believe the American people deserve answers about this matter and should demand directly that the President tell the truth about the memo. To that end, I am asking you to sign on to a letter to the President requesting he answer the questions posed to him by 89 Members of Congress.
I will personally insure that this letter is delivered to the White House.
You can read the letter here and sign on to it below. You and I know the White House is just hoping that this matter will fade away, but in a few short weeks, with our steadfastness, the memo has found its way into leading newspapers and White House press briefings. With your help, we can hold this Administration accountable.
Please pass on this important letter to your friends and colleagues, and ask them to sign as well.
Thank you for your help and support.
John Conyers, Jr.The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States of America
1600 Pennsylvania Ave, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20005
Dear Mr. President:
We the undersigned write because of our concern regarding recent disclosures of a Downing Street Memo in the London Times, comprising the minutes of a meeting of Prime Minister Tony Blair and his top advisers. These minutes indicate that the United States and Great Britain agreed, by the summer of 2002, to attack Iraq, well before the invasion and before you even sought Congressional authority to engage in military action, and that U.S. officials were deliberately manipulating intelligence to justify the war.
Among other things, the British government document quotes a high-ranking British official as stating that by July, 2002, Bush had made up his mind to take military action. Yet, a month later, you stated you were still willing to "look at all options" and that there was "no timetable" for war. Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, flatly stated that "[t]he president has made no such determination that we should go to war with Iraq."
In addition, the origins of the false contention that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction remain a serious and lingering question about the lead up to the war. There is an ongoing debate about whether this was the result of a "massive intelligence failure," in other words a mistake, or the result of intentional and deliberate manipulation of intelligence to justify the case for war. The memo appears to resolve that debate as well, quoting the head of British intelligence as indicating that in the United States "the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy."
As a result of these concerns, we would ask that you respond to the following questions:
1)Do you or anyone in your administration dispute the accuracy of the leaked document?
2) Were arrangements being made, including the recruitment of allies, before you sought Congressional authorization to go to war? Did you or anyone in your Administration obtain Britain's commitment to invade prior to this time?
3) Was there an effort to create an ultimatum about weapons inspectors in order to help with the justification for the war as the minutes indicate?
4) At what point in time did you and Prime Minister Blair first agree it was necessary to invade Iraq?
5) Was there a coordinated effort with the U.S. intelligence community and/or British officials to "fix" the intelligence and facts around the policy as the leaked document states?
These are the same questions 89 Members of Congress, led by Rep. John Conyers, Jr., submitted to you on May 5, 2005. As citizens and taxpayers, we believe it is imperative that our people be able to trust our government and our commander in chief when you make representations and statements regarding our nation engaging in war. As a result, we would ask that you publicly respond to these questions as promptly as possible.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
From: Doink 2005-07-24 21:00:47 star-spangled / mental-mangled...a.k.a.
chimpster is hated by the entire universe. it is
americans that feel the shame to have this
criminal making laws for citizens of the 'divided
states of amerika'. the shame of everyday this
administration destroys human life to line their
own pockets. From: Why Does Bush Hate America? 2005-07-23 20:39:05 is rove/bush regime fascist?
definition
(webster's dictionary)
-----------------------------
fascism: a
political philosophy, movement, or regime that
exercises strong autocratic or dictatorial control
as exemplified by the right wing extremist regime
of benito mussolini and the nazi regime of adolph
hitler.
-----------------------------
all
fascist regimes show the following
characteristics:
1. powerful
and continuing expressions of nationalism. from
the prominent display of flags and bunting to the
ubiquitous lapel pins, the fervor to show
patriotic nationalism, both on the part of the
regime itself and of citizens caught up in its
frenzy, are always obvious. catchy slogans, pride
in the military, and demands for unity are common
themes in expressing this nationalism. it is
usually coupled with a suspicion, bordering on
xenophobia, of foreign countries.
2.
disdain for the importance of human rights. the
regimes themselves view human rights as of little
value and a hindrance to realizing the objectives
of the ruling elite. through clever use of
propaganda, the population is brought to accept
these human rights abuses by marginalizing, even
demonizing, those being targeted -- using secrecy,
denial, and disinformation.
3. national
emergencies/tragedies as a unifying cause (the
reichstag fire in fascist germany, for example).
one common thread among fascist regimes is the use
of national emergencies as a means of diverting
the people's attention from other problems, to
shift blame for failures, and to channel
frustration in controlled directions. the methods
of choice -- relentless propaganda and
disinformation -- are usually effective. active
opponents of these regimes are inevitably labeled
as unpatriotic and dealt with accordingly.
4. the supremacy of the military/avid
militarism. ruling elites always identify closely
with the military and the industrial
infrastructure that supports it. a
disproportionate share of national resources are
allocated to the military, even when domestic
needs are acute. the military is seen as an
expression of nationalism, and is used whenever
possible to -ssert national goals, intimidate
other nations, and increase the power and prestige
of the ruling elite.
5. rampant sexism.
beyond the simple fact that the political elite
and the national culture are male-dominated, these
regimes inevitably view women as second-cl-ss
citizens. they are adamantly anti-abortion and
also homophobic. these attitudes are usually
codified in draconian laws that enjoy strong
support by the orthodox religion of the country,
thus lending the regime cover for its abuses.
6. a controlled m-ss media. under some
fascist regimes, the m-ss media are under control
and can be relied upon not to stray far from the
party line. other regimes exercise more subtle
power to ensure media orthodoxy. methods included
the control of licensing and access to resources,
economic pressure, appeals to patriotism, and
implied threats. the leaders of the m-ss media are
often politically compatible with the power elite.
the result is usually successful in keeping the
general public unaware of the regime's excesses.
7. obsession with national security.
inevitably, a national security apparatus is under
direct control of the ruling elite. it is usually
an instrument of oppression, operating in secret
and beyond any constraints. its actions are
justified under the rubric of protecting
“national security,” and questioning its
activities is portrayed as unpatriotic or even
treasonous.
8. religion and ruling elite
tied together. most fascist regimes attach
themselves to the predominant religion of the
country and choose to portray themselves as
militant defenders of that religion. the fact that
the ruling elite's behavior is incompatible with
the precepts of the religion is generally swept
under the rug. propaganda keeps up the illusion
that the ruling elites were defenders of the faith
and opponents of the “godless.” a perception
is manufactured that opposing the power elite was
tantamount to an attack on religion.
9.
power of corporations protected. although the
personal life of ordinary citizens is under strong
control, the ability of large corporations to
operate in relative freedom is not compromised.
the ruling elite see the corporate structure as a
way not only to ensure military production but
also as an additional means of social control.
members of the economic elite are often pampered
by the political elite to ensure a continued
mutuality of interests, especially in the
repression of the ordinary citizen.
10.
power of labor suppressed or eliminated. since
organized labor is seen as the one power center
that could challenge the political hegemony of the
autocracy and their corporate allies, it is
inevitably crushed or made powerless. the poor
form an undercl-ss, viewed with suspicion or
outright contempt.
11. disdain and
suppression of intellectuals and the arts.
intellectuals and the inherent freedom of ideas
and expression -ssociated with them are anathema
to fascist regimes. intellectual and academic
freedom are considered subversive to national
security and the patriotic ideal. universities are
tightly controlled; politically unreliable faculty
har-ssed or eliminated. unorthodox ideas or
expressions of dissent are strongly attacked,
silenced, or crushed. to a fascist regime, art and
literature should serve the national interest or
they have no right to exist.
12.
obsession with crime and punishment. fascist
regimes maintain draconian systems of criminal
justice with huge prison populations. the police
are often glorified and have almost unchecked
power, leading to rampant abuse. “normal” and
political crime are often merged into trumped-up
criminal charges and sometimes used against
political opponents of the regime. fear, and
hatred, of criminals or “traitors” is often
promoted among the population as an excuse for
more police power.
13. rampant cronyism
and corruption. those in business circles and
close to the power elite often use their position
to enrich themselves. this corruption works both
ways: the power elite receive financial gifts and
property from the economic elite, who in turn gain
the benefit of government favoritism. members of
the power elite are in a position to obtain vast
wealth from other sources as well. for example, by
stealing national resources. with the national
security apparatus under control and the media
muzzled, this corruption is largely unconstrained
and not well understood by the general population.
14. fraudulent elections. elections are
usually bogus. when actual elections with
candidates are held, they are usually perverted by
the power elite to get the desired result. common
methods include maintaining control of the
election machinery, intimidating and
disenfranchising opposition voters, destroying or
disallowing legal votes, and, as a last resort,
turning to a judiciary beholden to the power
elite.
----------------------------
ba
sed on his disreputable record, this fascist
currently in the white house does indeed hate
america. he, with his lies, is personally
responsible for the deaths of our soldiers and
iraqi citizens in iraq.
i hope that i am
alive when the son of a b.itch dies! on that day,
i will sing and dance and rejoice!
From: Tamela L Long 2005-06-28 12:54:30 necessary for mr bush to answer for e.f.t.a
also.the numberg charter and social security.how
can a person claim to be a president and send
american jobs abroad? limit second citizenship for
many americans and continue to turn their head as
they watch a place once called america drop back
to 1929? bankruptcy bill? in what way with this
bill is any american going to live? why open
borders when we are at re:war? everything with the
exception of wages has gone up? how can a
president claim to be for the people when his
actions are againist the people of this nation?