Introductions

[Jacob]

Please take a minute to tell us a bit about yourself and to read through what other members have written by way of introduction.

I'll start things off. My name is Jacob and I live in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Before this I was the research director for a foundation working on human rights, environmental, and social justice issues. I left my job a couple of months ago to launch the A28 campaign because with a Democratic majority in Congress I knew it was finally realistic, and because I felt an obligation to try to make it happen. I didn't know how I'd explain to posterity that we had the votes and we had the evidence...but somehow we just couldn't be bothered to do anything about it. That would be a great moral failure and I refuse to be complicit with this administration's crimes.

When I'm not trying to impeach the president I like eating good food and drinking interesting drinks; hiking and biking and kayaking and sailing; traveling to distant lands; exploring the city; reading a lot of books and listening to a lot of music--all pretty standard stuff, I guess.

How about you? Please tell us a little bit about yourself.

Once you've gone through the introductions, you'll probably want to head over to the Forum, which is where most of the conversation takes place.

[Jen]

HI! I'm Jen and I also live in Park Slope. Right now I'm studying policy analysis at
the Wagner School of Public Service at NYU (master's program) and I also am a
member of the Rude Mechanical Orchestra, a radical marching band in NYC. This
blend of practical study and wacky activism I've got going on makes me very
happy-- I think that keeping a sense of FUN in political action is just as important
as understanding the nuts and bolts of how to effect change in American politics.

I'm here for a lot of reasons, but one of the most important inspirations I received
from my public policy professor, who early in the course told us that around the
time of the American Revolution, the words We The People were always capitalized
to reflect the power of public opinion. I think it's high time we reminded our
elected officials of how powerful ordinary citizens can be. It is not acceptable
for a president to violate the Constitution and international law, or to authorize
torture, spying, and an illegal (and horrendously unorganized) war based on lies.
And since the vast majority of Americans agree with me-- with us-- on this,
impeachment doesn't at all seem out of the quesiton to me.

When I'm not studying/playing music at protests/trying to help impeach the
president I like cooking (vegetarian), pissing off NYC drivers while riding my
bicycle around the city, traveling, and doing downright ridiculous things with my
friends. (See attached photo of one particularly productive evening.)

Jacob, if you ever want impeachment-themed cookies (peach tarts?), you have a
small team of bakers at the ready.

[Jacob]

Those are great. Is IMPEACH! too long to spell out on a cookie? On biscotti perhaps?

You could dress up as girl scouts and go door-to-door offering people free IMPEACH! cookies.

[Elaine Brower]

Hello, all! Hope you get to read my message. I just joined and am not sure if I am
appearing as a member.

I am on the Steering Committee of World Can't Wait, Drive Out the Bush Regime,
and a military mom of a returning marine from Iraq. Jacob and I met at the
inception of his brain child and it's going to be a great ride! I have been
trying to drive Bush out of office for 3 years now, and I am so happy to see
impeachment out among the masses. And we will make sure it happens in
2007.

[Jacob]

Hi Elaine! Good to see you here!

[Maggie]

Can we change this?

[Felicia Chavez]

Oh la, impeachniks! (I wonder if we're a market segment yet?)

I'm Felicia, and the girl behind www.ImpeachINK.org Check it out, write some letters to your reps, and pass along any suggestions for improvement.

I grew up in Norther California, and indeed have lived here my entire life. My life is currently about finishing my MBA program (in the final 5 weeks), and working on this impeachment issue, which happens to also be the major theme in my final business plan to earn my degree. Other than that, I meditate lots, hike lots, bounce off walls, and leap over tall buildings.

f.c.

[Maggie]

Felicia do you think we might ever change this?

[Dave Finnigan]

Jacob here is an idea to begin to discuss. Might it make sense when the Democrats win back the White House and take over solid majorities in both houses of Congress and cement a few more governorships for us to go enmasse literally with hats in hand to the United Nations and to the embassies of every country we have wronged and to apologize from the bottom of our hearts? Doesn't it make sense to try our hand at absolute humility and apology now that we know that arrogance and the inability to admit fault in ourselves are not working? What if 1 million American showed up at the UN with our hats in our hands and our heads bowed and big signs saying "We are profoundly sorry for our conduct and we seek the forgiveness of the world."

Just an idea.

I'm 65 and a Berkeley graduate. Was actually tear gassed there in 1970 during my Masters program. We shut down the campus for a month when Nixon bombed Cambodia, and went out to the community to hold teach ins against the (undeclared and illegal) Vietnam war. It may be time for that to come around again.

JugglerforPeace
Dave

[peaceistheanswer]

Sounds like a great idea to me!

Laura

[Maggie]

When did we roll over and stop caring? Was it when they medicated our children? Was it when they shipped our jobs out to China? Was it when our schools taught nothing? Was it with that? Was it with the dumbing down of our schools? Was it with that? Now the corporatists have control. In England at the University of London at Birkbeck College in economics 101 I learnt this. it is a simple thing I balance my checkbook to.and it is this I have to have more money coming in than I have to go out. And now I wonder who got all you MBA's so fucked up you could never put 2 and 2 together? Who got you really fooled you never knew youre arse from youre head? It was never that difficult. It never was. Except at one time greed took place. You thought you could have it all. For a while you might have had.it all. But in the end you really fucked it up so good. And in doing that you lost youre soul but everyday you go to church trying to find it. You cant find it anymore because at sometime all spirituality was sucked out of you. Corporate America sucked it out of you.

[Sherry Christman]

Hello. My name is Sherry Christman. I'm 37 and live in Stowe, PA. I'm a wanderer (not in the physical sense) but metaphorically. I've had almost every job you can think of (and more). Right now I'm in business with my husband, working on my own fledgling business, an avid reader, mother and seeker of truth and peace in the world. I want to see my daughter (who is 9) move into adulthood in a world full of peace, love and acceptance - not war, hatred and biogtry. I've become more and more disgruntled, angry and now I've just had enough. I can no longer sit back and watch what is happening and not speak out or act out. By choosing to sit idle I am killing innocent Iraqi's and American solders and committing many other unspeakable acts around the world and within our own country. Thanks Jacob for starting this forum/social network. It's hard to find people to connect with without getting stares of apathy or words of Rush Limbaugh inspired hate speak spewed in your face. I look forward to getting to know all of you, hopefully meeting some of you in person and for working with you to change the world!! Much peace and love to you all.

[Steve Meiers]

Hi everyone, my name is Steve Meiers. I live in the East Bay near San Francisco, CA.

Like Jacob and everyone else here, I want to IMPEACH the damned liar and war-monger President and his equally corrupt VP, too. It's great to be among so many true patriots, and humans. Where we live today is not the America we were taught about in school. Like my A28 friend Rrose wrote on his page, the Repugnants and the Democrats are no different. They just want us to "think" we have a choice. It's the old "good-cop & bad-cop" interrogation, now with the main event at Guantanamo Bay and smaller showings at a backroom near you and me, worldwide.

Bush and his Junta need to be ejected from office and PROSECUTED for crimes against humanity - ASAP. The world is watching and waiting for America to do the right thing. If we sit on our asses any longer, we only support the evil machine in place now.

There is an action suggested by an artist at bluejayway.net - a 5 minute protest each day - to cleans our system of the toxic Bush virus. We should all be in daily detox for at least 5 minutes. Think of it a Yoga for the governments of Earth.

All that said, what happens when Bush is gone and some lame dems are in? They are just closet Repubs to me, still bent on the military industrial complex as a basis for society. We have to change their direction and restrict corporations from assuming government and human roles in society. It's one thing to provide goods and services, it's another to do it at the expense of humans, societies and the environment. There are some places where free enterprise and capitalism have no place. These should be obvious to all.

Healthcare for profit - WRONG
Medication for profit - WRONG
Private armies - WRONG
Government torture and killing, aka WAR - WRONG
Private water companies - WRONG
Private utilities, aka theft of local resources - WRONG
Private schools, aka apartheid - WRONG
Foreign regime change, aka WAR - WRONG
Pillaging foreign resources by corporations, aka theft - WRONG

There are many other wrongs occurring in the world, pleas feel free to add to my list.

The Bush Junta is the poster child of capitalism run amok. The lies and brutality, the disregard for human rights and suffering inflicted is approaching Hitler's tyrannies.

If we do not hold them accountable, who will? If we do not do this now, we are complicent. If the Democrats do not get on track and PROSECUTE these criminals, the are also criminals.

We have been watching this go on long enough. It has to stop. Please take at least a little action every day.

Thank you for reading.

Steve