Impeachment and Depression: The Irony

President George W. Bush should be impeached. Blunt eh? It is apparent at this time that “W” has broken the law, both domestically and internationally. Domestically Bush has to answer to the Constitution and Congress. Obviously, the Constitution is a bit out of date, as it does not specify what to do in cases of prolonged, illegitimate wars, i.e. Vietnam and this latest debacle. Yet in a constitutional context, there is leeway, as stated on Article II, section 4, “The President, Vice-President, and all other 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.” The statement of high crimes as misdemeanors is vague, which opens up any occupant of the office to increased scrutiny. In the case of Bush, he can be impeached based on the intelligence debacle before the “Operation Iraqi Freedom” commenced in March 2003.

It is fair to assume that the administration misled the American people about weapons of mass destruction (WMD) that were supposedly in Iraq under the regime of Saddam Hussein. The thing is though, there were not any! This war is a personal vendetta for this president. He will tell the world that Saddam was evil and that he was protecting our oil interests in the Middle East. But in reality, he fucked the situation up even more; countless innocent Iraqis have been killed, the country is in civil war, and almost 3,000 U.S. service men and women have lost their lives. Bush stated today that he would not be rushed to make a decision about Iraq, but I think it is necessary to “rush” it, “W.” He answers to the people, not the wall or whoever the hell he takes advice from.

Internationally, the president should be held accountable on his decision to illegally detain “enemy combatants” at the U.S. Naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Granted, some of these people may very well pose a threat to our national security, as well as countless other nations. But the fact of the matter is that the acts were illegal and in direct violation of the Geneva Conventions. He has also sanctioned the use of our allies to do our dirty work for us, such as sending “enemy combatants” to Jordan and Israel; both countries are not apart of the Geneva accords. They can do whatever the hell they want. I am not saying that some of these terrorists do not deserve it, but again, it is illegal, at least by our standards.

The president has tarnished the name of this once great nation with his personal vendetta of repugnance.

In other news it has been brought to my attention that there is an ongoing battle between the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and family members of those who took anti-depressants and committed suicide. Evidently those between the ages of 18-25 are at risk for suicidal thoughts while on the drugs. The FDA already has a warning out that states adolescents up to the age of 18 are at risk for increased suicidal thoughts while on the drugs. But let us take a step back here and review the milieu of the issue. I understand that people have problems, some of which they have no control over. But the thing is, many people who take anti-depressants are depressed, which includes the risk of suicidal thoughts!

I believe that this is a futile fight for those who want a stronger warning label on anti-depressants. They are simply scaring those who currently are on the drugs as well as those who could potentially use the drugs for a positive outcome in their lives. Think I do not know my head from my ass on this issue? Wrong; I take an anti-depressant, a lovely cocktail of ingredients called Effexor. I am not depressed, I take them for a wicked anxiety issue (I am a tad high strung). I have never had suicidal thoughts while on the drug, which has been for almost 2 years now. Anti-depressants have helped me and countless others. People need to start looking for a scapegoat and deal with the facts of life.