The irony of the video being leaked within two weeks of Tax Day has not gone unnoticed. How many times do scenes like this play out in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, etc. and they’re not exposed to the world? If ever there was a time to re-examine one’s role as an American taxpayer, this is it.

The United States spends more on defense than 15 other countries combined. Over half of the federal budget goes towards the military.

2009 Total Outlays (Federal Funds): $2.65 trillion, MILITARY: 54% and $1.45 trillion

Your federal income tax dollars are not going towards roads, schools, bridges, or any kind of meaningful infrastructure. Your tax dollars bail out big banks, pay interest on the national debt, and fund destruction and murder overseas. That’s how empires work.

Obama is NOT going to end these wars.

Congress is NOT going to end these wars.

Protests and rallies are NOT going to end these wars.

The ONLY way these wars will end is if we stop paying for them.

War — what is it good for? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

(Can’t see the video? Click here.)

General Smedley Butler was absolutely right, “War is a Racket.”

“A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of the people. Only a small “inside” group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of the very many. Out of war a few people make huge fortunes.”

Written by a retired U.S. Marine General in the 1930s about WWI, this book is still 100% applicable to what’s happening today. It’s never been about “defending our freedoms” or “spreading democracy” it’s ALWAYS been about making money.

I could rant for hours about why we have no business bombing the hell out of Afghanistan, how our Founding Fathers and Mothers advocated in a non-interventionist foreign policy with no entangling alliances, but this book says it all. Please read it.

I’m ashamed of what this government is doing in the name of the United States of America. To the people of Afghanistan, I’m sorry.

“TO HELL WITH WAR!”
- General Smedley Butler

Sep 10, 1949 – August 20, 2008

As always, I will maintain my skepticism of the official story until I hear otherwise. Either way — she will be missed, and my thoughts go out to her family and friends, as well as the constituents she represented.

Here she is in one of her many great moments, objecting to the official certification of the 2004 election:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdA1skqD0TY

And her objection to the Iraq surge plan:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ss6xe7mv50

“I am going to vomit. Who gave you the right to destroy the Constitution and take Impeachment off the table? Our first, second, fourth, fifth and eight Constitutional amendments are being annihilated. 1 million Iraqis are dead. 5,000 Americans including Cindy Sheehan’s son. We’ve spent over 1 trillion taxpayer dollars on a war that should never have been started. Our constitution is being destroyed, Nancy. Bring back our Constitution… Bring it back (being dragged out of the room)…”

Read his full account here.

My hat’s off to you, Peter! This is what we MUST keep doing. Meeting these people everywhere they turn. (By “these people” I mean everyone who has blood on their hands— whether they’re a politician, reporter, media personality, etc.) Bring your cameras. Get video. Get audio. Ask questions. Demand answers and accountability.

I sometimes get crap from people when I show them videos from my friends with We Are Change, many disagree with their methods. But you know what? At this stage in the game, it’s the right thing to do. What are our other options for being heard at this point?

The time for politeness is long gone. While we sit here and patiently raise our hands waiting to ask our questions— i.e. working within the system— people keep dying. Enough is enough. We must BE THE CHANGE we wish to see.

I encourage everyone to find the closest We Are Change chapter and get involved with them. If there isn’t one around you, start one. Keep track of when politicians are in your area, get tickets, and be there waiting. Ask them the hard questions. Get it on tape. Become their new best friend.

For my Ohio readers, here ya go:

07/30 UPDATE: Looks like we just missed Bush in Cleveland yesterday! Dang. Maybe next time. I’ve set up a Google News RSS feed so I’ll be on top of things next time.

Very intrigued by the recent story of 4 people being arrested in Iowa for trying to make a citizen’s arrest of Karl Rove, I decided to look in the Ohio Revised Code to see what our local laws say about the subject. Indeed we are entitled to make citizen arrests:

2935.04 When any person may arrest

When a felony has been committed, or there is reasonable ground to believe that a felony has been committed, any person without a warrant may arrest another whom he has reasonable cause to believe is guilty of the offense, and detain him until a warrant can be obtained.

2935.06 Private person making arrest

A private person who has made an arrest pursuant to section 2935.04 [see above] of the Revised Code or detention pursuant to section 2935.041 of the Revised Code shall forthwith take the person arrested before the most convenient judge or clerk of a court of record or before a magistrate, or deliver such person to an officer authorized to execute criminal warrants who shall, without unnecessary delay, take such person before the court or magistrate having jurisdiction of the offense. The officer may, but if he does not, the private person shall file or cause to be filed in such court or before such magistrate an affidavit stating the offense for which the person was arrested.

Ohio is going to be very active in the next few months as the election gets closer. I say it’s time we start exercising our citizen’s arrest rights, what a powerful tool we have that we aren’t using!

That means if any member of the Bush Administration (war crimes, 9/11, etc.), John McCain (FEC violations), or Obama (violating the Logan Act with his Bilderberg attendance) etc. even steps foot in Ohio — we can get them.

Here are a few felonies to start with (and this is only Bush):

It’s time to take matters into our own hands. It’s obvious Congress (with a few notable exceptions) has NO intention of holding the Bush Regime accountable for any of their crimes.

So what say ye, my fellow Ohioans, ready to roll up your sleeves and fill up our prisons?

“At the end of the day, it is the responsibility of the people to govern themselves. We must be willing to hold our civil magistrates accountable to the contract they made with us, which is to uphold constitutional government. It is our duty to “throw off” any system of government that does not secure our liberties and protect our Constitution. And this we have not done.”
- Chuck Baldwin, 2008 Constitution Party Presidential Candidate

“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.”
- Article II, Section IV of the U.S. Constitution

Today at 10am, Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich (the only good Democrat in Congress) will be presenting his case for the impeachment of George W. Bush to the Judiciary Committee. (NO THANKS to Chairman John Conyers Jr., who has stonewalled impeachment efforts for YEARS.)

The six areas to be explored by the hearing are:

1. improper politicization of the Justice Department and the U.S. Attorneys offices, including potential misuse of authority with regard to election and voting controversies;
2. misuse of executive branch authority and the adoption and implementation of the so-called unitary executive theory, including in the areas of presidential signing statements and regulatory authority;
3. misuse of investigatory and detention authority with regard to U.S. citizens and foreign nationals, including questions regarding the legality of the administration’s surveillance, detention, interrogation, and rendition programs;
4. manipulation of intelligence and misuse of war powers, including possible misrepresentations to Congress related thereto;
5. improper retaliation against administration critics, including disclosing information concerning CIA operative Valerie Plame, and obstruction of justice related thereto; and
6. misuse of authority in denying Congress and the American people the ability to oversee and scrutinize conduct within the administration, including through the use of various asserted privileges and immunities.

Pretty easy points to argue! GO KUCINICH — you make me proud to be from Ohio!

Tune in to C-SPAN at 10am and watch it live.

Check out this video from Congressman Kucinich, thanking WE THE PEOPLE for supporting him in his efforts. Seriously– a Congressman thanking the people, what a concept!

I just got in from D.C., back from the Ron Paul Revolution March. My inbox is overflowing and the RSS updates are in the thousands. But PeaceChicken.com comes first!

Before I forget, I want to share a video of my recent confrontation with Ohio Congressman Pat Tiberi.

I saw him at the Delaware County Parade (I was marching with The Liberty Voice) and decided to ask him about the unconstitutional FISA bill which recently passed through the Senate (FYI, Obama voted YES to spy on Americans.) Tiberi’s response? He turned around and started talking to someone else. The Fourth Amendment obviously not a big concern to him. Fortunately I had my Bill of Rights with me and kindly reminded him what it said.

This is Congress. This is who we’re relying on to save this country. They wear flag pins on their suit lapels and march in Fourth of July Parades, but when it comes time to actually stand up and defend the U.S. Constitution — they turn their back.

The good news that THEY are on their way out and WE’RE on our way in. This weekend at the D.C. Revolution March there were thousands of REAL PATRIOTS from across the country who took over Constitution Avenue and spent the day listening to amazing speakers like G. Edward Griffin, Naomi Wolf, Chuck Baldwin, and Ron Paul.

Together we marched against FISA, against the IRS, against the Federal Reserve, against REAL I.D., against the North American Union, against the war, against attacking Iran, against McCain, against Obama, against the false and dividing left/right paradigm, against everything that’s taking our country down. We marched FOR freedom, FOR liberty, FOR the Constitution, FOR the Bill of Rights, FOR limited government, FOR our Founding Fathers, FOR PEACE!

Aside from the obvious highlights, I also easily handed out a few hundred copies of The Liberty Voice and was interviewed by the National Journal Online (hopefully I’ll have a link for that to post soon, as well as my photos.) If you want to see some of the fun, there are lots of videos already uploaded here from fellow-marchers.

Also this weekend, another Patriot, someone I’m very proud to call my friend (and member of We Are Change Ohio) got the chance to ask McCain a very important question, live on CNN, at a recent town hall event in Portsmouth, Ohio.

He said to McCain:

“Can you tell us about your role as president of the ‘New Citizen Project,’ founded in 1994, which served as a chief fund-raising and parent organization to PNAC? And is this one of the factors that has made you so reluctant to support the victims’ family members and first responders who are begging for a new investigation into 9/11?”

Can you guess what McCain’s response was? YOU GOT IT! Once again, another member of Congress responded by not answering the question. He just rambled on about how he was a co-sponsor of the legislation that formed the 9/11 Commission and how great that Commission was (what a joke!!) Are we seeing a trend here?

Meanwhile… the U.S. banking crisis got some fresh momentum on Friday when there was a run on California-based IndyMac bank, resulting in their seizure by the Federal Reserve. That marked the second largest bank failure in U.S. history.

Short on its tails, ready to fail, are federally-chartered and now privately-owned Fanny Mae (AKA Federal National Mortgage Association) and Freddy Mac (AKA Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation), which together guarantee half the mortgages in the country. Of course the Federal Government, Congress, and the Federal Reserve are vehemently denying any problem, but still stand ready and eager to bail them out with OUR TAX DOLLARS (last time I checked, the Constitution said nothing of spending We the People’s tax dollars to save failing businesses.) Which of course won’t work. It’s a band-aid on a blown-off leg. The dollar crash is starting, my friends. Buy some gold and silver (here’s why) then hold on.

Yeah, I know, I have a lot of bad news in this post, sorry. I’m also sorry that I’m not done yet, because Bush has given Israel the thumbs up to attack Iran.

Given our unwavering support of Israel ($6.8 million a DAY, to be precise), of course the U.S. will be by their side in no time. Another attack on a sovereign country that poses no threat is ready to be launched. A third front for our poor soldiers in the Middle East and millions more dead civilians. Another yawn comes from the mouth of mainstream media.

It’s another day in the neighborhood, folks. One by one, the dominoes are falling as predicted. Don’t say you weren’t warned.

How many of these news stories does it take to wake people up and move them to action?

Speaking of the great RP — Some people may wonder how I’ve kept so quiet about the ending of his campaign. Indeed, I was surprised by my eventual calm as well. (I say “eventual” because my close friends know I was anything but calm for about a week.) It’s because I finally realized that Ron Paul’s campaign for President may officially be over, but the messages and principles he taught us continue to live on indefinitely. The millions of us who voted for him are now blessed with a knowledge of what the often-used but little-understood phrase “freedom and liberty” means.

Albert Einstein said:

“Those with the privilege to know, have a duty to act.”

If you’re reading this, I’m guessing you know what’s up. You and I, we MUST continue to carry forth the vision our Founding Fathers [and Mothers] had in mind for this country. That means thinking outside the box. Past this election. Beyond the left/right liberal/conservative paradigm that is perpetuated only to divide us while they continue on with their nefarious plans. United behind liberty, however, we are indivisible and unstoppable.

Keeping all that in mind, I STILL LOVE RON PAUL and always will! He continues to spread the knowledge and messages we’ve all grown to know and love— therefore, WE CONTINUE and THE REVOLUTION continues.

Without further ado, let’s start off the weekend right!

Great video #1: Ron Paul comments on the Federal Reserve’s decision Wednesday to maintain interest rates and raises concerns about inflation. (5 min.)

Next up, Ron Paul’s Floor speech on Iran & foreign policy. (6 min.)

Delivered yesterday, Paul condemns H. Con. Res. 362, the “virtual war resolution” soon to be considered by the House of Representatives. The bill already has 208 co-sponsors, and will likely be voted on after the 4th of July holiday. A related bill is being worked on in the Senate, with 29 Cosponsors. Many of the cosponsors are Democrats.

And finally, now that you’re all pumped up, Dr. Paul cordially requests your presence at the July 12 Revolution March and Rally. (1 min.)

BONUS VIDEO— because I like you. We Are Change Ohio took on John McCain and got covered live on CNN! (10 min.)

Props to my friends Cody, Anthony, Sam, and Brad. Not only did you trojan horse yourself into mainstream media coverage, but you also got a great mention of Blair Gadsby’s hunger strike for 9/11 Truth and how McCain refused to speak with him, even after 16 days of fasting.

PeaceChicken.com salutes Ohio’s own, Congressman Dennis Kucinich, as he introduced 35 Articles of Impeachment against George W. Bush last night on the floor of the House of Representatives. Let us never forget a very important part of the Constitution:

“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.”

- Article II Section IV

If only all members of Congress would be so brave. I especially commend the last three articles which relate to the Bush Administration’s crimes of 9/11.

Of course, while he’s doing his JOB trying to save this country and preserve our Constitution, the rest of Congress pays no attention.

C-SPAN: broadcast June 9th, 2008.

From RawStory:

“Resolved,” Kucinich began, “that President George W. Bush be impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors, and that the following articles of impeachment be exhibited to the United States Senate…

“In his conduct while President of the United States, George W. Bush, in violation of his constitutional oath to faithfully execute the office of president of the United States, and to the best of his ability preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has committed the following abuses of power…”

The first article Kucinich presented, and many that followed, regarded the war in Iraq: “Article 1 – Creating a secret propaganda campaign to manufacture a false case for war against Iraq.”

…Kucinich, a 2004 and 2008 Democratic candidate for the White House, abandoned a prior attempt to begin impeachment proceedings against Bush in January of this year.

In April of 2007, Kucinich presented impeachment articles against Vice President Dick Cheney, but the effort went nowhere. Kucinich exclaimed that “impeachment may well be the only remedy which remains to stop a war of aggression against Iran.”

Here is the full list of articles, and you can also click here to download the full 65-page document (200k):

1. Article I
   Creating a Secret Propaganda Campaign to Manufacture a False Case for War Against Iraq
2. Article II
   Falsely, Systematically, and with Criminal Intent Conflating the Attacks of September 11, 2001, With Misrepresentation of Iraq as a Security Threat as Part of Fraudulent Justification for a War of
   Aggression
3. Article III
   Misleading the American People and Members of Congress to Believe Iraq Possessed Weapons of Mass Destruction, to Manufacture a False Case for War
4. Article IV
   Misleading the American People and Members of Congress to Believe Iraq Posed an Imminent Threat to the United States
5. Article V
   Illegally Misspending Funds to Secretly Begin a War of Aggression
6. Article VI
   Invading Iraq in Violation of the Requirements of HJRes114
7. Article VII
   Invading Iraq Absent a Declaration of War
8. Article VIII
   Invading Iraq, A Sovereign Nation, in Violation of the UN Charter
9. Article IX
   Failing to Provide Troops With Body Armor and Vehicle Armor
10. Article X
    Falsifying Accounts of US Troop Deaths and Injuries for Political Purposes
11. Article XI
    Establishment of Permanent U.S. Military Bases in Iraq
12. Article XII
    Initiating a War Against Iraq for Control of That Nation’s Natural Resources
13. Article XIIII
    Creating a Secret Task Force to Develop Energy and Military Policies With Respect to Iraq and Other Countries
14. Article XIV
    Misprision of a Felony, Misuse and Exposure of Classified Information And Obstruction of Justice in the Matter of Valerie Plame Wilson, Clandestine Agent of the Central Intelligence Agency
15. Article XV
    Providing Immunity from Prosecution for Criminal Contractors in Iraq
16. Article XVI
    Reckless Misspending and Waste of U.S. Tax Dollars in Connection With Iraq and US Contractors
17. Article XVII
    Illegal Detention: Detaining Indefinitely And Without Charge Persons Both U.S. Citizens and Foreign Captives
18. Article XVIII
    Torture: Secretly Authorizing, and Encouraging the Use of Torture Against Captives in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Other Places, as a Matter of Official Policy
19. Article XIX
    Rendition: Kidnapping People and Taking Them Against Their Will to “Black Sites” Located in Other Nations, Including Nations Known to Practice Torture
20. Article XX
    Imprisoning Children
21. Article XXI
    Misleading Congress and the American People About Threats from Iran, and Supporting Terrorist Organizations Within Iran, With the Goal of Overthrowing the Iranian Government
22. Article XXII
    Creating Secret Laws
23. Article XXIII
    Violation of the Posse Comitatus Act
24. Article XXIV
    Spying on American Citizens, Without a Court-Ordered Warrant, in Violation of the Law and the Fourth Amendment
25. Article XXV
    Directing Telecommunications Companies to Create an Illegal and Unconstitutional Database of the Private Telephone Numbers and Emails of American Citizens
26. Article XXVI
    Announcing the Intent to Violate Laws with Signing Statements
27. Article XXVII
    Failing to Comply with Congressional Subpoenas and Instructing Former Employees Not to Comply
28. Article XXVIII
    Tampering with Free and Fair Elections, Corruption of the Administration of Justice
29. Article XXIX
    Conspiracy to Violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965
30. Article XXX
    Misleading Congress and the American People in an Attempt to Destroy Medicare
31. Article XXXI
    Katrina: Failure to Plan for the Predicted Disaster of Hurricane Katrina, Failure to Respond to a Civil Emergency
32. Article XXXII
    Misleading Congress and the American People, Systematically Undermining Efforts to Address Global Climate Change
33. Article XXXIII
    Repeatedly Ignored and Failed to Respond to High Level Intelligence Warnings of Planned Terrorist Attacks in the US, Prior to 9/11
34. Article XXXIV
    Obstruction of the Investigation into the Attacks of September 11, 2001
35. Article XXXV
    Endangering the Health of 9/11 First Responders

I was tempted, but chose not to write a special post on March 19th regarding the 5-year commemoration of the Iraq war invasion/occupation.

Thinking about it all now, so many powerful songs come to mind, lyrics I could post, videos I could share, books I could quote and recommend. But original thoughts? I feel like I’ve said it all already. My thoughts are still the same, my opinions unwavering. If someone is curious as to what I think about the invasion and occupation of Iraq, I invite you to take a look back at all the anti-war posts I’ve written throughout the years. There are twelve pages worth.

What else can I say? What magical words can I string together that will make people stand up and finally decide they’ve had enough? What else is worth repeating, besides:

May the children and families of all those who have been lost in this senseless and immoral occupation— Americans, Iraqis, soldiers, contractors, and civilians— forgive us for our seemingly ambivalent attitudes and apparent inaction. Know that the deeds of this country’s government do not represent the desires or hearts of this country’s people. War without end? NOT IN MY NAME.

Perhaps I’ll have better luck reaching people by posting the words of one of my heroes, a true champion of PEACE: Congressman Ron Paul. A man who’s been to war. A man who has the wisdom and experience to warrant the attention of every American.

On Five Years in Iraq

Five years ago last week, the US military’s “shock and awe” campaign lit up the Baghdad sky. Five years later, with hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and nearly four thousand Americans dead, we should pause and reflect on just what has been gained and what has been lost.

From the beginning, the march to war was paved with false assumptions and lies. Senior administration officials claimed repeatedly that Iraq was somehow responsible for the attacks of September 11, 2001. They claimed that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. They manipulated the fear of the American people after 9/11 to further a war agenda that they had been planning years before that attack. The mainstream media was complicit in this war propaganda.

Nearly ten years ago, long before 9/11, I requested the time in opposition to the fateful Iraq Liberation Act of 1998, where I then stated on the Floor of the House of Representatives, “I see this piece of legislation as essentially being a declaration of virtual war. It is giving the President tremendous powers to pursue war efforts against a sovereign Nation.” Less than five years later we were invading Iraq.

Five years into the invasion and occupation of Iraq , untold hundreds of thousands of Iraqis are dead; some two million Iraqis have fled the country as refugees; and the Iraqi Christian community – one of the oldest in the world – has been decimated more completely than even under the Ottoman occupation or the rule of Saddam Hussein.

On the US side, nearly four thousand Americans have lost their lives fighting in Iraq and many thousands more are horribly wounded. Our own senior military officers warn that our military is nearly broken by the strain of the Iraq occupation. The Veterans Administration is overwhelmed by the volume of disability claims from Iraq war veterans.

A study by Nobel Prize economist Joseph Stiglitz concludes that the cost of the war in Iraq could be at least $3 trillion. The economic consequences of our enormous expenditure in Iraq are beginning to make themselves known as we fall into recession and possibly worse.

Iraq war supporters claim that the “surge” of additional US troops into Iraq has been a resounding success. I am not so confident. Under the “surge” policy the United States military has trained and equipped with deadly weapons those Iraqi militia members against whom they were fighting just months ago. I fear by arming and equipping opposing militias we are just setting the stage for a more tragic and dangerous explosion of violence, possibly aimed at US troops in Iraq . There is no indication that the Iraqi government has made any political progress whatsoever.

The sooner we withdraw the better. The invasion and continued US occupation has strengthened both Iran and Al-Qaeda in the region. Continuing down the road of a failed policy will only cost more money we do not have and more lives that should not be sacrificed. Interventionism has produced one disaster after another. It is time we return to a non-interventionist foreign policy that emphasizes peaceful trade and travel and no entangling alliances. We can begin by withdrawing from Iraq immediately.

SUPPORT THE TROOPS – END THE WAR NOW.