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Oct
18
Chances are that Congresswoman Michele Bachmann will want all the folks who sign the censure petition to be investigated as anti-American. But here it is for those interested.
What exactly is involved in censuring?
Here’s Wikipedia’s explanation, though it’s not that complete.
Here’s a more complete list of links about censure but some are stale – they seem to date back to the impeachment process of President Bill Clinton.
This Hartford Courant column from last month puts censure into context for the present time. It explores Connecticut politicians’ desires to censure CT U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman. Some of the info on censure offered:
A group of prominent Democratic state legislators, state central committee members and local town committee members have introduced a resolution to be voted on tonight in Hartford to censure U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman. Censure is a serious form of discipline that deliberative bodies use to punish or rebuke members of the organization. This resolution calls on the state central committee, of which I am a member, to “publicly censure and repudiate the words and actions” of Sen. Lieberman and to “ask him to resign from the party.”
Such a rebuke should follow a serious breach of the public trust — such as an official convicted of a serious crime. And so, what was Sen. Lieberman’s crime that warrants this censure? He gave a speech at the Republican National Convention praising Republican John McCain and criticizing Democrat Barack Obama. And although this speech caused many Democrats to be justifiably upset, the speech was not a hateful speech nor did it provoke Americans to resort to violence. It was not a speech that could, in some way, be deemed to threaten national security. It offended Connecticut Democrats, however, because Sen. Lieberman is, well, a registered Democrat and because his career was built on many years of support from the party faithful. Lieberman has further angered this group by “actively campaigning” for McCain.
So – was there a serious breach of the public trust? Was it hateful speech? Did it provoke Americans to resort to violence? Is it speech that could be deemed to threaten national security?
But this too is at a state legislative level, not a national, congressional level.
Ohio initiated impeachment proceedings against Mark Dann and that move raised many questions about what is impeachable behavior.
Is Michelle Bachmann’s desire that Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and other Democrats in the U.S. Congress be investigated for anti-American behavior something that you believe is censurable behavior?
I actually have not yet signed the petition. Because I’m not sure. What do people think? I think what she’s said is vile, explicitly and implicitly. Dissent is the raison d’etre of democracy. But to listen to Bachmann, you’d think dissent was a capital crime.
What do you think?
For someone who belongs to a party that does not want to make hate speech a prosecutable offense because it penalizes thought, Bachmann’s charge against people with opinions different from hers is truly nonsensical and hypocritcal.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:55 am October 18th, 2008 in Crime, Culture, Government, Law, Politics, Republicans, Social Issues
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10 Responses to “Website in support of censuring Michele Bachman has +10k names”
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Here’s what I think.
Glad that Ms Bachmann said what she felt. It’s time for truth after an awful long time of untruth. I think she not only embarrassed and disgraced herself in front of American viewers, but she also brought humiliation down on her own district.
But let’s get it all out. The hate, the bile, the bitterness, the division lines. Let’s lay it on the table once and for all and then kick this bizarre and dangerous element to the curb.
No censure. Free speech is guaranteed in America. She wasn’t inciting a riot. If she feels like Democratic leaders need investigated, she has the right to say it.
I detest the wingnuttiness, but America grants liberties to all equally.
I appreciate you saying that – I agree that I’d rather know someone feels that way than have them smile and pretend and be duplicitous. I agree there. I guess it’s the shock of it all to me – that we can be educated and live in this same country and have such a different opinion about the range of attitudes and ideologies we can possess and still be American. This narrowing of who gets included is what I find so appalling, and frightening.
Is exposing it as such part of the answer?
Yes, I strongly believe in every American’s right to express his/her opinion whatever it may be. But in Michele Bachmann’s case, I feel her remarks are dangerously incindiary. She could provoke hate-filled individuals into bloody violence. She should be censured by Congress.
What were the people of Hubert Humphrey’s beloved Minnesota thinking when they elected this nut to Congress.
While we all have the right to express our opinion, in Ms Bachmann’s case she is a Public Servant supposedly reflecting her voters views. This makes what she said unacceptable if her District does not back her up.
When she was elected in 2006, was her recent diatribe what she ran her campaign on?
I think she is mentally un-balanced given her McCarthy attitude speech and ending with a promise to ‘kiss’ Obama if he wins…like she tried with Bush? What kind of person is she?
As I watched that program (Hardball) in which Rep. Bachmann echoed her sentiments on our governing body, tears started to run down my face with the sorrow of seeing a elected official almost rabidly (it looked like foam in the corners of her mouth) spewing such accusations towards a body of our government which I have always held in esteem as our statespersons right or wrong of my opinion, that we as a country in whole have elected to represent our nation. She, I think showed no consideration to her constituents, only her own demented opinion which is better served on a street corner soapbox but not in the halls of Congress. I am not a resident of her district but this is a time to become involved to assure she does not pollute our system of government, so I have tracked down her opponent for re-election (whom by the way is a refreshing opposite of her values) and have volunteered and donated to help assure to keep this psycho away from our statespersons. I recommend that all Americans take proactive actions to thwart the efforts of these zealots to destroy our country as envisioned by the Founding Fathers.
saveourUSA – well said. Bravo.
But don’t worry about Michelle. She’s toast now. As is McCain/Palin. See the Obama rally in 100,000? If you want to get rid of those tears quick, just check this out:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/18/obama-rally-in-st-louis-d_n_135826.html
Well, she is toast. I saw it live yesterday. Mean spirited person she is. I sent her an email to thank her for what she did. I said it two years ago. I said it when she made an embarrasment of her District in MN when she rubbed “W’s” shoulder in January and I have said it all along. This person is really “GOOFFY”.
Ghosts of McCarthyism have invaded the bodies of Bachman and her ilk. It is a sad time to be an American, The party of Lincoln has sunk to an all time lower in fairness and intelligence.
Michele Bachman has a right to say whatever she wants (short of the yelling “FIRE” in a crowded theater scenaio) about whatever she wants … as a private citizen. However, as a public servant she must be held to a higher standard.
She is actually calling on the media, in the tradition of Joe McCarthy, to investigate the members of Congress to ascertain their “Americaness” (my word, not hers) That is absolutely astonishing!
If the people of her district let that ride, shame on them. If we let our Congressional Representatives let that ride, shame on us!
P.S. – As an African American, the racist undertones of her code word laden diatribe were not lost on me.
This woman is a nut case.