Public Comment

Becky O’Malley’s March 2 editorial on Seymour Hersh’s New Yorker article asks “Can we do anything to stop this insane plan from here?” Yes, as a matter of fact, there are many things each of us can do right here, right now to stop the Bush Regime’s plans to attack Iran and continue the Iraq war. Here in Berkeley we can live up to our heritage as leaders of progressive social movements. We can write to Congress, occupy offices of congresspeople, work for impeachment, and sue Cheney and Bush. Many people are doing these things; why not join them, take action, have hope, and read on? You’ll be happy you did something. 

A good start is getting Cheney to resign. There are many signs pointing to his imminent resignation—he’s being hounded by the press, he’s fighting with Bush and others in the administration, he’s loosing his mind (New York Times’ Frank Rich said he was cracking up), his heart is weak, and he’s facing a Congressional investigation and protests wherever he goes. Rumsfield, Ashcroft and others who gave the Bush Administration bad press have left. Cheney’s resignation will help stop the war plans. So let’s act quickly to get him out, while Congress and the media are focused on the Libby verdict. 

In February I attended the U.S. v. Libby trial where I saw the prosecution prove that Dick Cheney committed perjury, obstructed justice, and broke the law in directing the outing of covert CIA agent Valerie Plame. Everyone knows Cheney is guilty. Now that Libby has been convicted, DOJ Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald can bring criminal indictments against Cheney if Congress asks him to. Some Congressmembers want to subpoena Fitzgerald and hold hearings on the evidence establishing Cheney’s guilt: Senator Carl Levin, D-Mich., Chair of the Armed Services Committee; Senator Charles Schumer, D-NY; House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.; Congressman Henry Waxman, D-Calif.; Chair of the Government Oversight Committee; Congressman John Conyers, D-Mich., Chair of the House Judiciary Committee; Congressman Maurice Hinchey, D-NY. Hinchey said “ Vice President Cheney, must be held accountable.... This case doesn’t end with Mr. Libby’s conviction. Testimony in the Libby trial made it even clearer that Vice President Cheney played a major role in the outing of [covert CIA operative Valerie Plame] Wilson’s identity. It is time to remove the cloud hanging over Vice President Cheney and the White House that Special Counsel Fitzgerald so aptly described in his closing remarks, and expose all of the lies that led to the outing of Mrs. Wilson’s identity.” Let’s Congress to investigate NOW! Contact Pelosi, Barbara Lee, or any member of Congress and ask them to hold hearings NOW. They can interrogate Cheney and impeach him or force him to resign! 

Additionally, the East Bay group IBC (Impeach Bush-Cheney) is actively working to oust Cheney and Bush. Go to www.impeachbush-cheney.com to get involved. Attend the “We the People” event in Berkeley on March 24 at 7 p.m. at the Unitarian Church, Cedar @Bonita, with Elizabeth De La Vega. 

Peace groups CodePink (www.codepinkalert.org), Creative Voices for Nonviolence and others, regularly occupy Congress members’ offices in the San Francisco Bay Area to request a NO vote on the supplemental appropriation, impeachment, and more. Nancy Pelosi’s office is occupied every Wednesday at noon. Contact CODEPINK Occupation Project, Janet Weil, Bay Area Code Pink, (925) 212-7477, weiljs@yahoo.com 

MoveOn.org has letter writing campaigns to de-fund the war, impeach Cheney and Bush, and more. Join them and spend a little time ending the war and ousting the Bush Crime Mafia. 

Finally, I am lead plaintiff in a class action lawsuit, People of the United States v. Richard B. Cheney and George W. Bush. Everyone, especially those with legal backgrounds, can assist with the lawsuit. Nothing in the Constitution prohibits suing a sitting Vice President and President for harm done to citizens of the United States. The suit includes numerous causes of action, including wrongful death and economic and emotional harm resulting from going to war based on false and misleading intelligence, war profiteering, and trampling constitutional rights. Please contact me at c_papermaster@yahoo.com. 

So take hope, Berkeley. Better still, take action now. You’ll feel so much better if you stand up and do something about the situation. Martin Luther King Jr. said “our lives must be placed on the line if our nation is to survive its own folly. Every man and woman of humane convictions must decide on the protest that best suits his convictions, but we must all protest.” 

Cynthia Papermaster is a Berkeley resident, law librarian, and peace activist. She, her daughter, and their little dog Jimminywinks went to DC for the giant peace Rally on Jan. 27.