Founding Fathers, Baseball, Apple Pie, and Impeachment

[norml]

February 18, 2006

Founding Fathers, Baseball, Apple Pie, and Impeachment
by David Swanson


http://www.opednews.com

Remarks prepared for February 18th pro-impeachment rally in colonial dress in Charlottesville, Va., home of Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe, and near the home of James Madison.

__________

Impeachment has been part of American culture longer than baseball or apple pie. Only Mom has been around longer than impeachment.

The Scottish take pride in having invented impeachment. The British got it from them, and we got it from the British. Impeachment is in the US Constitution, and was further developed by Thomas Jefferson in the manual of procedural rules that he wrote for the Congress.

The Constitution mentions impeachment six times. It makes clear that impeachment is a power the legislature has over the executive and judicial branches of government. And this power is not an afterthought. It is central to the system of checks and balances that the Constitution created, and which the current administration is well on its way to destroying.

The Constitution opens with this preamble: "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

Then Article One speaks to the powers of the legislature. Article Two addresses the powers of the President. And section 4 of Article Two reads: "The President, Vice President and all civil officers of the United States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors."


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http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_david_sw_060218_founding_fathers_2c_ba.htm

[Blue_Tires]

1. good find!

ttt