Who, What, When, Where and Why

Dazed and confused by too much "Breaking News" that isn’t, the daily onslaught of up-to-the minute disaster coverage and opposing view opinion pieces? All-news all-the-time is designed to keep you coming back for more, but too much of what passes as journalism today is about TV personalities and corporate profits, creating an illusion that we are up-to-the-minute well informed - but telling us very little of the ‘who, what, when, where and why’ of the story.

We must demand good journalism from our news sources. For my buck, I choose National Public Radio. NPR provides in-depth analysis of important local, national and international stories. It’s balanced, informative and relaxing - without blaring commercials. Another favorite news source of mine is the internet. I can find the story there and research it online for myself - but I realize that’s not everyone’s cup of tea. And I’m a huge fan of PBS, where 'The News Hour with Jim Lehrer' provides informed, balanced reporting – again, without blaring commercials. Plus, many local newspapers still do a great job of keeping us informed. Real journalism.

It's up to us, as individuals, to choose how much or how little real news we need on a daily basis and it's crucial to protect the variety of independent news sources providing unbiased, investigative reporting. Without it, we’ll get only pictures and opinions, packaged to maximize profits and benefit corporations - not individuals. Quality journalism is critical to our freedom.

Impeachment Is Always On The Table

Bush and Cheney have asserted their unchecked power long enough and it's time - past time - for Congress to show it's collective nerve and begin formal hearings on the impeachment of George Bush and Dick Cheney. Nancy Pelosi is wrong. Impeachment is always on the table - impeachment is the duty of Congress. Impeachment is a tool given to us by our founding fathers to keep the Executive Branch in check - to remind them they are not kings. Bush and Cheney have established an Executive Branch that doesn't respect the rule of law and if they are not impeached, they will have established a precedent to allow every future administration to operate outside the law - and Congress will have allowed it to happen.

The following excerpt is from a recent edition of Bill Moyers Journal (July 13, 2007), the topic of discussion was IMPEACHMENT and his guests were Bruce Fein and John Nichols.

JOHN NICHOLS: . . . .On January 20th, 2009, if George Bush and Dick Cheney are not appropriately held to account this administration will hand off a toolbox with more powers than any president has ever had, more powers than the founders could have imagined. And that box may be handed to Hillary Clinton or it may be handed to Mitt Romney or Barack Obama or someone else. But whoever gets it, one of the things we know about power is that people don't give away the tools. They don't give them up. The only way we take tools out of that box is if we sanction George Bush and Dick Cheney now and say the next president cannot govern as these men have.

You can find the full text of the show here: http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07132007/transcript2.html

You can watch the show here: http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07132007/watch.html

You can read a history of impeachment here: http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07132007/impeachment.html