councilor.org
| Source | Dan Scanlan |
| Date | 04/07/04/20:12 |
| U.S. Representative Henry Gonsalez (Democrat, Texas), introducing
articles of impeachment against George H. W. Bush. (Could it be used today by U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich without alteration?) January 16, 1991 Mr Speaker, it is with great sadness, yet great conviction, that I introduce today a Resolution of Impeachment of President Bush. At a time when our nation is deeply divided over the question of war, we find ourselves on the brink of a world war of such magnitude that our minds cannot fully comprehend the destruction which is allowed to be leveled. The position we are in is a direct result of the actions of one man and the reaction to another. The Iraqi people are as opposed to war as are the American people, the difference is that the Iraqi people have no choice but to support their country's leader, but the American people not only have the right to oppose and speak out in disagreement with their President, but they have the responsibility to do so if our democracy is to be preserved. Today I exercise this constitutional right and responsibility to speak out in opposition to war in the Middle East and in support of removal of our nation's chief executive. When I took the oath of office earlier this month, as I had numerous times before, I swore to uphold The Constitution. The President's oath was the same - to uphold the Constitution of The United States. We did not pledge an oath of allegiance to the President, but to The Constitution which is the highest law of the land. The Constitution provides for removal of the President when he has committed high crimes and misdemeanors, including violations of the principles of The Constitution. President Bush has violated these principles. My resolution has five articles of impeachment. First, the President has violated the equal protection clause of The Constitution. Our soldiers in the Middle East are overwhelmingly poor white, black, and Mexican American. They may be volunteers technically, but their volunteerism is based on the coercion of a system that has denied violable economic opportunities to these classes of citizens. Under The Constitution all classes of citizens are guaranteed equal protection, and calling on the poor and minorities to fight a war for oil to preserve the lifestyles of the wealthy is a denial of the rights of these soldiers. Article II states that the President has violated the 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. It is clear that the President paid off members of the U.N. Security Council in return for their votes in support of war against Iraq. The debt of Egypt was forgiven; a $140 million loan to China was agreed to; the Soviet Union was promise $7 billion in aid; Colombia was promised assistance to its armed forces; Zaire was promised military assistance and partial forgiveness of it's debt; Saudi Arabia was promised $12 billion in arms; Yemen was threatened with the termination of support; and the U.S. finally paid off $187 million of its debt to the United Nations after the vote the President sought was made. The vote was bought, and it will be paid for with the lives of black and Mexican-Americans. Article III states that the President has conspired to engage in a massive war against Iraq employing methods of mass destruction that will result in the killing of tens of thousands of civilians, many of whom will be children. No civilian lives have yet been lost, that we know of, but when we start using the weapons of mass destruction that are in place for this war, there is no doubt that thousands of innocent civilians will lose their lives. As killings occur, the principles laid down in the Nuremburg trial will be applicable. Their deaths will not only be a moral outrage, but they will constitute a violation of international law. Article IV states that the President has committed the United States to acts of war without congressional consent and contrary to the United Nations Charter and international law. From August, 1991, through January.1991, 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 a declaration of war, 500,000 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 views of Constitution had declared that he will go to war regardless of the views of Congress and the American people. Congress abdicated its responsibility, but the President violated the Constitution. I am dismayed with the Congressional leadership, but I am frightened by the President's unwillingness to uphold his oath of office in protecting and preserving the Constitution. Article V states that the President had 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, other international instruments and treaties, and the Constitution of the United States. Again, there is a violation of law by a President who, believing he is king, decides for the country - unilaterally - that war is the answer. Mr. Speaker, it is sad day for our country, and it will be an even sadder day once the fighting begins. President Bush must be stopped - a divided Congress, reflecting a divided country, is no way to conduct a war. The preservation of lives is at stake, and the preservation of our country - our democracy - is at stake, as well. I urge my Colleagues to support this Resolution, and stand up to the President on behalf of the soldiers who will die, the civilians who will be massacred, and the Constitution that will be destroyed if this country goes to war in the Middle East. Henry Gonzales, U.S. Representative, Texas |