Could It Happen Here, Now, Really?

It's not likely that many Americans will go to the library and check out Gibbon's "The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire". That's a shame because it's becoming more and more apparent that our country, more accurately, we, the citizens of our country, can be seen as exhibiting behavior similar to those which historians have ascribed to the cross section of values and attendant behaviors of the culture and society of the Roman Empire as it began to falter and become vulnerable.

Concentration of power in the hands of the head of state is the most obvious threat. Caesar as God in Roman times.

Cheney/Bush blowing off Congress, using signing statements to declare themselves not bound by laws, declaring almost any document secret, removing from public view, energy task force meetings behind closed doors, cloaking even the names of the participants, packing the Supreme Court to back up almost anything they do, and on and on. These are the examples of playing God in our times.

Serious Constitutional scholars, lawyers and some journalists are now talking about the need to impeach both Cheney and Bush. One author is reminding us that Impeachment is not a constitutional crisis but a cure for a constitutional crisis.

I entitled a recent post to this blog, Changed My Mind. Until recently talk of impeachment was viewed as carping by opponents of Bush, and not realistic. However with the entry into the argument of serious players I hope the general electorate will support the idea.

Bruce Fein, a conservative in the Reagan administration, and who wrote the articles of impeachment against Bill Clinton, takes the view that the behavior and actions of Cheney/Bush are more dangerous than Clinton's, and justify impeachment of both.

You can watch all or part of Fein's and Nichol's(the author I mentioned) interviews with Bill Moyers on several web sites. Try Truthdig.com, Truthout.org, or Alternet.org.

We must not forget history or dismiss it as not being applicable to us because of the too high risk of having to repeat it.

Leanderthal
Lighthouse Keeper