Columns

Stop the Presses: The GOP Calls for Impeachment

Listen to the voices or our Republican leaders:

"I am completely and utterly perplexed by those who argue that perjury and obstruction of justice are not high crimes and misdemeanors."

— Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

"We're a nation of laws, and that's what this case has always been about to me … He turned the judicial system upside down, every way but loose. He sent his friends to lie for him. He lied for himself."

— Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC)

"Isn't it true that [the federal law on witness tampering] criminalizes anyone who corruptly persuades or engages in misleading conduct with the intent to influence the testimony of any person in an official proceeding?"

— Senator James Inhofe (R-OK)

"I do not believe we can ignore the facts or disregard the Constitution so that the president can be placed above the law."

— Senator Richard Burr (R-NC)

Are these quotes legit? Yes, and they all come from 1999, when the GOP was howling for the impeachment of Bill Clinton.

MoveOn wants to put these quotes in an ad and pay Fox News to run it. The ad will cost $150,000. Donations accepted.

 

 

Bolton Threatens to Violate International Law to Bust US Activists 

The Trump administration continues to threaten to stage an illegal takeover of the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington, DC. Such an act would constitute an unprecedented breach of diplomatic protocol and international law. On April 26, Popular Resistance activist Kevin Zeese sent this message from inside the embattled Embassy building: 

"Yesterday was crucial. People-power was a critical factor in stopping a US intrusion into the embassy. John Bolton claimed we have been asked to leave and should be arrested. This is false. We have not been asked to leave and are violating no laws. 

"Last night, in a video message, the Venezuelan Foreign Minister thanked us for being here and standing in solidarity with the Venezulan people. He said we were in the embassy with the full legal protection of Venezuela. He was proud of us and thankful for our stand. He urged us to stay safe. 

"From various sources and information we believe the government is recalibrating and this weekend is critical. Our presence has turned a triumphant takeover by the coup plotters into a difficult situation. They now realize they are in a lose-lose situation. If they leave us they lose and if they forcibly remove us, the narrative of doing so is also a loss. If they prosecute us, the legitimacy of the coup fraud government will be on trial. The US government and coup plotters will be committing crimes of unlawful entry, trespass, violation of the Vienna Convention and unlawful eviction. We won't be seen as criminals, they will. 

"The short-term key is this weekend. We need to escalate people power. We need people from Saturday afternoon through Sunday. If people can spend the night, that is needed. If people prefer to be outside mthat is needed. 

We will have more on this on PopularResistance.org. We appreciate your support and solidarity." 

 

Now Trump is Taxing War Orphans 

Under Donald Trump's revised 2018 tax reforms, 60 of the country's biggest, richest corporations paid $0 in taxes—twice as many corporate freeloaders as there were in the previous tax year. According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, the big winners included: Amazon, Chevron, Eli Lilly, General Motors, IBM, and Goodyear. Chevron enjoyed a federal tax rate of minus 181 percent. IBM's effective tax rate was reduced to a negative 68 percent! 

The amount of corporate earnings protected from taxation in 2018 hit $79 billion as Trump slashed the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%. Meanwhile, tax loopholes, credits, and rebates allowed the country's biggest businesses to cut their tax liability to zero. The meant $16.4 billion in lost tax revenues. But it gets worse. 

Under Trump Taxes, many companies not only paid nothing but they dinged the Treasury for million-dollar rebates. John Deere's $2.14 billion in potential taxable income was not only erased but the company wound up receiving a check from the IRS for $268 million. The Joint Committee on Taxation estimates Trump's Slack Tax with result in $1.35 trillion in lost revenues over the next decade. Trump promised to erase the $19.9 trillion national debt. Instead, the debt rose a whopping 41.8 percent in the first four months of the current fiscal year. The debt is now so monumental that simply paying the interest on the debt is costing taxpayers $896 million per day! 

Meanwhile thousands of military Gold Star Families who lost loved ones in war are paying thousands of dollars in new taxes. In order to assure maximum benefits, surviving spouses of deceased soldiers have been signing over benefits to their children who's "earnings" were taxed at 12% to 15%. No longer. Under Trump, the "kiddie tax" is now 37%—nearly tripling the IRS grab-back on the children's benefits. 

War orphans are now taxed at a higher rate than billion-dollar corporations. As one Gold Star mother complained: "My kids are owing the government back money that the government gave them because their dad died, and my kids have to pay it back." 

Xavier Bacerra: Suing and Sowing  

Thanks to our feisty Attorney General Xavier Bacerra, Bloomberg recently identified California as the state that has lodged the greatest number of federal lawsuits against Donald Trump. Bacerra's record shows more than 30 wins against the Trump’s illegal transgressions targeting healthcare, climate change, civil rights, immigrant rights, and more 

In a recent email, Team Bacerra touted the AG's agenda: "When the Administration threatens our people, values, and resources, we’re ready . . . . Whether we’re fighting to save the Affordable Care Act or to protect the air we breathe or water we drink, the health and well-being of Americans nationwide are on the line." 

All well-and-good. But then the email gets to the "ask." 

"Xavier needs you with him in the battles ahead," the note says. It then proceeds to suggest a number of on-line donation options. 

While Bacerra's work is admirable, it seems a bit odd for a state employee to be involved in an independent fund-raising campaign (presumably conducted on state hours from a state office). Are other state employees turning to the public to raise alms to raise alarms? 

On the other hand, this could be a real-world manifestation of the phrase: "working for the public," with the public writing checks to the AG as a way of saying "AOK." At least, in Bacerra's case, we seem to be getting a good return on the investment. 

Supreme Court Judges Courting Summer Jobs? 

And speaking of moonlighting, what's with Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh looking for outside work as a visiting professor at George Mason University? The announcement that Kavanaugh would be hired for a three-year co-teaching gig, beginning on June 5, caused an uproar among GMU students—especially among student survivors of sexual assault. 

Kavanaugh, the infamous beer-barfing barrister, earns about $255,000 as a Supreme Court justice. Under the agreement, Kavanaugh would wind up co-teaching summer classes in Runnymede, England as part of the Antonin Scalia Law School's "summer abroad" program. (His "co-teaching" colleague, Jennifer Mascott, previously served as Kavanaugh's law clerk when he was US Court of Appeals judge.) 

And it's not just Kavanaugh. According to CNN, fellow Trump-appointed SCOTUS conservative Neil Gorsuch will also be off to Italy to co-teach a Scalia Law School summer course that will examine the “historical roots and the modern application of the separation of powers in the national security context.” 

And it's not just conservative justices, either. In 2018, Ruth Bader Ginsberg accepted an invite from the Loyola University Chicago School of Law to participate in its Study Law Abroad program at the University’s John Felice Rome Center in Italy. 

Newsom and the Nukes 

"It's crunch time at the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant," says anti-nuclear activist Harvey "Sluggo" Wasserman. California's last remaining reactor is currently off-line for repairs. Diablo Canyon's aging Unit One reactor—showing signs of cracking from radiation-caused embrittlement, suffering from years of deferred maintenance, and located near an active seismic fault—is recognized as one of the world's most dangerous plants. 

Nuclear watchdogs argue that Diablo should not be allowed to restart, noting that it's not just the reactor that's broken down. 

The reactor is owned and operated by PG&E, a bankrupt company convicted of numerous felonies that have resulted in more than 160 deaths and widespread property damage from pipeline explosions and wildfires. (Not the kind of resume you want for a company in charge of preventing a nuclear meltdown.) 

MoveOn.org is pushing a petition asking Governor Gavin Newsom to order the shutdown of the reactor or, at the very least, to conduct critical structural tests to determine whether it would be safe to reopen the crumbling nuke. The governor can be reached by phone [(916) 445-2841], by fax [(916) 558-3160], or mail (Capitol, Sacramento, CA 95814]. 

Joe's Choice Is Cause to Rejoice 

Good news for our plastic-choked oceans: Trader Joe's has agreed to reduce its contribution to the scourge of unwanted waste by eliminating 1 million pounds of plastic trash each year—mainly by abandoning pre-packaged fruits and styrofoam trays. This follows a Greenpeace campaign that generated 100,000 letters to the company. Now SumOfUs has launched a petition asking Whole Foods to follow suit by banning all single-use plastics. 

An Open and Shut Case 

It was a shock to hear the unexpected news that San Francisco's long-running Beach Blanket Babylon was closing. No more "big hats, big laughs, big fun"? No singing and flinging stinging zingers over a three-octave range? 

Then came another shock: news that Berkeley's Monkey House was going dark. 

The message came from the Chief Monkey, singer-songwriter (and occasional SF Mime Troup lyricist) Ian Marlowe who announced that the famous "hidden cabaret" on University Avenue was pulling the plug. The secret "walk-in" mini-theater would be selling the stage, the lights, the sound equipment, the whole shebang. 

For years, the Monkey House has been a remarkable, unadvertised venue for some of the finest live music in town. It's one of Berkeley's best-kept secrets. In order to attend, you need to know its secret location—and it helps to bring bottles of beer to share. 

This sad story has a happy ending. A follow-up message from Marlowe came alongside the image of a grinning ape. It read: April Fool! 

The Monkey House lives!