The Impeachment Hearing Room: Preparing For The Final Insult Or Assault: Impeachment, Indictment, The Bush Pardons: The 1st Wave (Plus Breaking News From Texas!)

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Preparing For The Final Insult Or Assault: Impeachment, Indictment, The Bush Pardons: The 1st Wave (Plus Breaking News From Texas!)

Posted by ed. dickau at 6:47 AM

Preparing For The Final Insult Or Assault: Impeachment, Indictment, The Bush Pardons: The 1^st Wave (Plus Breaking News From Texas!)

Cheney Arraignment Delayed Yet Again

Just In: Hearing set for Monday to oust judge in Cheney indictment

Houston Chronicle, United States - 2 hours ago

RAYMONDVILLE, Texas — A hearing was set to determine whether or not to disqualify the judge presiding over the cases filed by a South Texas prosecutor against Vice President Dick Cheney, former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and others.

The state Supreme Court's chief justice appointed District Judge Michael Peden of San Antonio to preside over a hearing Monday on a motion to recuse and disqualify Judge J. Manuel Banales.

The hearing is slated for Dec. 1. Last week, a Willacy County grand jury indicted numerous high-level officials including Cheney and state District Judges Janet Leal and Migdalia Lopez on allegations of abuse of power.

The Texas Supreme Court assigned Peden to preside at the hearing, The Herald learned.

The hearing starts at 10 a.m. at the Willacy County Courthouse in Raymondville, the notice that District Clerk Pro-Tem Gloria Puente issued today states.

{Insert} Judge can't run while on bench

Judge Michael Peden, a Republican and one of the 10 civil judges at ... At the time, he was heavily recruited by Specia and 73rd District Judge Andy Mireles

MichaelMoore.com : Newsroom

Nov 25, 2008 ... Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Wallace B. Jefferson has appointedDistrict Judge Michael Peden to determine if District Judge J. Manuel

...

The prosecutor asked that Banales not hear the case. District Attorney Juan Angel Guerra contends Banales has worked closely with state Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., one of the defendants in the case.

Half of the indictments are linked to privately run federal detention centers in the sparsely populated southern Texas county and accuse the public officials of culpability in the alleged abuse of prisoners. The indictment against Cheney alleges that his personal investment in the Vanguard Group, which invests in private prison companies, gives him culpability in alleged prisoner abuse. Lucio is accused of illegally profiting from prison consulting fees.

The other half of the indictments target judges, special prosecutors and the district clerk who played a role in an earlier investigation of Guerra. It accuses them of abusing their powers in investigating Guerra's office.

Charges alleging Guerra extorted money from a bail bond company and used his office for personal business were dismissed in October, but he had already lost the March Democratic primary by then. Guerra has accused Banales of allowing the 2007 indictment against him to languish for more than a year to damage his re-election chances.

Banales appointed a temporary prosecutor to handle the local officials indicted in the case because Guerra has sparred with them for years and would be a witness in their cases.

{End Insert}

Support The Nadler Resolution on Bush Pardons

Resolution Opposing Possible Bush Pardons
By Linda Thieman

Pardons can't interfere with impeachment. But if we allow these pardons, we not only guarantee no federal prosecutions, and not only give Congress an excuse to drop its investigations, but we also establish the precedent that from here ...

Blog for Iowa - http://www.blogforiowa.com/blog

Congress Opposes Bush Pardons Nadler Introduces Resolution ...
By aurion(aurion)
Pardons can't interfere with impeachment. But if we allow these pardons, we not only guarantee no federal prosecutions, and not only give Congress an excuse to drop its investigations, but we also establish the precedent that from here ...
Aurion Mission - http://aurionmission.blogspot.com/

Bush pardons 14 and commutes 2 prison sentences

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081124/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_pardons

WASHINGTON – President George W. Bush has granted pardons to 14 individuals and commuted the prison sentences of two others convicted of misdeeds ranging from drug offenses to tax evasion, from wildlife violations to bank embezzlement, The Associated Press learned Monday.

The new round of White House pardons are Bush's first since March and come less than two months before he will end his presidency. The crimes committed by those on the list also include offenses involving hazardous waste, food stamps, and the theft of government property.

Bush has been stingy during his time in office about handing out such reprieves.

Including these actions, he has granted a total of 171 and eight commutations. That's less than half as many as Presidents Clinton or Reagan issued during their time in office. Both were two-term presidents.

On the latest pardon list were:

_Leslie Owen Collier of Charleston, Mo. She was convicted for unauthorized use of a pesticide and violating the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.

_Milton Kirk Cordes of Rapid City, S.D. Cordes was convicted of conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act, which prohibits importation into the country of wildlife taken in violation of conservation laws.

_Richard Micheal Culpepper of Mahomet, Ill., who was convicted of making false statements to the federal government.

_Brenda Jean Dolenz-Helmer of Fort Worth, Texas, for reporting or helping cover up a crime.

_Andrew Foster Harley of Falls Church, Va. Harley was convicted of wrongful use and distribution of marijuana and cocaine.

_Obie Gene Helton of Rossville, Ga., whose offense was unauthorized acquisition of food stamps.

_Carey C. Hice Sr. of Travelers Rest, S.C., who was convicted of income tax evasion.

_Geneva Yvonne Hogg of Jacksonville, Fla., convicted of bank embezzlement.

_William Hoyle McCright Jr. of Midland, Texas, who was sentenced for making false entries, books, reports or statements to a bank.

_Paul Julian McCurdy of Sulphur, Okla., who was sentenced for misapplication of bank funds.

_Robert Earl Mohon Jr. of Grant, Ala., who was convicted of conspiracy to distribute marijuana.

_Ronald Alan Mohrhoff of Los Angeles, who was convicted for unlawful use of a telephone in a narcotics felony.

_Daniel Figh Pue III of Conroe, Texas, convicted of illegal treatment, storage and disposal of a hazardous waste without a permit.

_Orion Lynn Vick of White Hall, Ark., who was convicted of aiding and abetting the theft of government property.

Bush also commuted the prison sentences of John Edward Forte of North Brunswick, N.J., and James Russell Harris of Detroit, Mich. Both were convicted of cocaine offenses.

Under the Constitution, the president's power to issue pardons is absolute and cannot be overruled.

Some high-profile individuals, such as Michael Milken, are seeking a pardon on securities fraud charges. Two politicians convicted of public corruption — former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Calif., and four-term Democratic Louisiana Gov. Edwin W. Edwards — are asking Bush to shorten their prison terms.

One hot topic of discussion related to pardons is whether Bush might decide to issue pre-emptive pardons before he leaves office to government employees who authorized or engaged in harsh interrogations of suspected terrorists in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Some constitutional scholars and human rights groups want the incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama to investigate possible war crimes.

If Bush were to pardon anyone involved, it would provide protection against criminal charges, particularly for people who were following orders or trying to protect the nation with their actions. But it would also be highly controversial.

At the same time, Obama advisers say there is little — if any — chance that his administration would bring criminal charges.

658 convicts seek Bush's pardon

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=10725869&ch=4226716&src=news

Find presidential pardons in history

http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=presidential+pardons+in+history&fr=fp-today&cs=bz&sado=1

The Constitution of the United States of America - don’t believe ...
By theaxemen
Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be ...
The Axemen's Y2K Blog - http://theaxemen.wordpress.com/

Nadler Responds to the Coming Pardons
By buhdydharma
As a powerful member of Conyer's Judiciary committee, he has been in a critical position regardingimpeachment and has expressed his sympathies with the impeachment movement 'privately' to these constituents....while of course, ...
Docudharma - Front Page - http://www.docudharma.com/

Call It What You Will: Justice Is Justice!

Liberals Are Sharpening The Blades Of Their Guillotines

The Headline On January 19, 2009?
By pumpkincookie
Article II, Section 2 of the US Constitution gives the president “Power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.” A pardon removes both punishment and guilt. ...
Election 2008: UC Denver Political... - http://election2008ucdenver.wordpress.com/

Begin impeachment proceedings vs. Bush
For the last eight years, I have watched the Bush administration abuse its power to the detriment of not only US citizens, but to the entire world.
Opinion/letters To The Editor... - http://nwitimes.com/

What's my favorite mint?
By Kevin J. Maroney(Kevin J. Maroney)
Impeachment and conviction of federal officials is not limited to the time that they are in office. Bush, Cheney, Rove, Rice, Card, Libby, Addington, Rumsfeld, Gonzales, Mukasey, Paulson--they can all beimpeached and convicted even ...
My Life in the Bush of Wombats - http://womzilla.livejournal.com/

This Is Not An Uncommon Sentiment/Idea

Bush Should Go NOW, but...
OpEdNews - Newtown,PA,USA
... hope for impeachment was gone, since the only reason to start it was to get the Republicans to act, to do "THE WALK" to tell Cheney and Bush to leave. ...

Can George W. Bush 'Self-Pardon' Himself?
AlterNet - San Francisco,CA,USA
Would Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, et al., care? Not a bit. After all, given the choice between a trial for high treason and murder (resulting in a possible ...

Charlotte Dennett promised that, if she won her race for attorney general of Vermont in the recent election, she would prosecute George W. Bush for the murder of 4,000 American soldiers and more than 100,000 Iraqi civilians after he left office.

Unfortunately, Dennett did not become Vermont's attorney general. But it is possible (perhaps very possible) that one or more of our other 49 state attorneys general will take up that case after Jan. 20. Hopefully, that AG will appoint -- as Dennett promised to do --famed criminal attorney Vincent Bugliosi (author of The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder) as special prosecutor.

However, there will be no prosecution or trial of George Bush -- or Dick Cheney, or Donald Rumsfeld, or Condoleezza Rice, or any of the others who deliberately deceived America into a war that should never have been waged -- if Bush decides to pardon not only his accomplices in crime but also himself.

We know that a president can pardon anyone, for any reason, and for any federal crime (except in cases of impeachment), not only after a conviction has been handed down in trial, but before any trial has even taken place, indeed before any charges have even been filed -- as Gerald Ford infamously pardoned Richard Nixon for Watergate; as George H. W. Bush pardoned Caspar Weinberger, Elliott Abrams and various CIA officials accused and/or convicted in connection with the Iran-Contra affair; as Bill Clinton pardoned his brother, Roger, for drug trafficking and financier Marc Rich for tax evasion (after Rich's wife made a significant donation to the Clinton Presidential Library); and as current President George W. Bush more recently commuted "Scooter" Libby's prison term.

So -- can Bush do it? Can he pardon himself before leaving office?

More….

Cheney Gonzales Indictments Now In This Man’s Hands! Wallace B. Jefferson

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallace_B._Jefferson

http://www.houston-opinions.com/Tex-Jefferson.html

http://www.texas-opinions.com/Tex-Jefferson-Opinions-Record-Texas-Supreme-Court-Chief-Justice-Wallace-Jefferson.html

http://www.supreme.courts.state.tx.us/court/justice_wjefferson.asp

http://www.blackrepublicancounciloftexas.com/Justice_Wallace_B_Jefferson.html

http://www.wallacejefferson.com/

http://www.wallacejefferson.com/about/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkyHOSGi8lw

http://www.votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=59079