Hello. FYI, I've sent the below article to a couple of (what I consider to be) cutting-edge journalist/commentators here in the US, with a note asking them to consider incorporateing in one of their columns, commentary considering that these individuals [joining in the below-described lawsuit] are very brave and that media on them will help make violence upon them less likely.
And sugesting that a "hook" (if I understand that journalistic term a-right) for a column, might be the below-described lawsuit as one of many kinds of atempts by American citizens to take concrete steps to stop what seems to amount to a coming atrocity, including the mass demonstrations (that have occurred these past weeks, and are intended to occur in a day or so all over the country not to speak of the world) against this threatened, unprovoked attack [on Iraq, which the lawsuit seeks to stop] by a certain faction of our U.S. Govt, AND including the women and others who take their clothes off and lie prostrate on the ground to show by their naked bodies not only their (and Iraqui citizens') human vulnerability, but also their commitment level (it takes a high comitment to get naked in our somewhat uptight society AND cold!) to justice, AND including the VoteToImpeach effort spearheaded by former Atty-Gen. Ramsey Clark (thank you, Markess, for that post a while back). I'm sure there are plenty of other signs of citizen discontent with Resident Bush's (& Co.) illegal [IMHO] moves, but these are the only ones I've personally read about. Take care, -Lily > http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Anti-War-Lawsuit.html > February 13, 2003 > Lawsuit Challenges Bush Authority on Iraq > By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS > > > Filed at 1:17 p.m. ET > BOSTON (AP) -- A group of U.S. soldiers, parents of > soldiers > and six U.S. House members filed a lawsuit in federal > court > Thursday seeking to stop the president from launching a > war > against Iraq without a declaration of war from Congress. > The lawsuit seeks an immediate injunction against Bush and > Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to prevent them from > launching an invasion of Iraq. > Reps. John Conyers, D-Mich., and the other plaintiffs in > the > lawsuit say a resolution passed by Congress in October did > not > specifically declare war and unlawfully ceded the decision > to > Bush. > Conyers cited an excerpt from Article 1, Section 8 of the > U.S. > Constitution that states, ``Congress shall have power ... > to > declare war.'' > ``Get it? Only Congress,'' Conyers said Thursday at a news > conference in Washington. > John Bonifaz, the Boston attorney who filed the lawsuit, > said > Bush is rushing to war without seeking approval or even a > thorough debate by Congress. > ``We have a message for President Bush today -- read the > Constitution,'' Bonifaz said. > ``The president is not a king,'' he said. ``He does not > have > the power to wage war against another country absent a > declaration of war from Congress.'' > Congress has not formally declared a war since World War > II. > A similar lawsuit filed against Bush's father before the > Gulf > War by 54 members of Congress was denied by a federal > judge in > December 1990. > That judge said he agreed in principle that the president > must > seek congressional authorization for war, but said the > elder > President Bush had not clearly committed to a course of > action. The judge also noted that only about 10 percent of > the > Congress had asked for the injunction -- a percentage he > said > wasn't representative of the entire body. > Bonifaz said this new lawsuit is different because in > addition > to the six members of Congress, soldiers have asked for > the > injunction. > ``They are facing the possibility of death,'' he said. > One of the plaintiffs, Nancy Lessin, said the people > planning > the war aren't facing the possibility their loved ones > will be > killed. She said she has 25-year-old twin stepsons, one of > whom is in the Marines. > ``We'd like to challenge George Bush to send one of his > twins > to war. Then let's have a discussion about whether or not > we > should go to war,'' she said. The president has > 21-year-old > twin daughters. > Bonifaz said several similar lawsuits filed by soldiers > during > the Vietnam War were unsuccessful. But he said those > lawsuits > failed because the courts found Congress had taken > concrete > steps to authorize a war, including appropriating money > and > authorizing the draft. > The other members of Congress named as plaintiffs are: > Dennis > Kucinich, D-Ohio; Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill.; Jim > McDermott, > D-Wash.; Jose Serrano, D-N.Y.; and Sheila Jackson Lee, > D-Texas. > Other plaintiffs include a member of the Massachusetts > National Guard who was recently activated, an Air Force > Reservist from Massachusetts, and a U.S. Marine stationed > in > the Persian Gulf, Bonifaz said. Their identities are not > being > made public, Bonifaz said. > Copyright 2003 The Associated Press > >
