Top 10 reasons we should impeach Clinton

Published: Wednesday, February 8, 1995

By Alicia Alonso

What follows is fit testimony on today's political leadership, with a focus on the seemingly lame-duck (or just plain lame) president. Here are the top 10 reasons to impeach Bill Clinton:

1) Lack of sanctions against Russia for its sacking of Chechnya. Several days before the fascist Russian president bombed Grozny into oblivion, the Administration forbade Vice President Al Gore from criticizing Russia for its activity in the Chechen countryside. At that time, Clinton could have put forth a stern warning to Boris Yeltsin: stop the genocide or all aid requiring American approval will be withheld. This would have crippled Russia's economy, prompting foreign capital to withdraw from Russia, giving Russian citizens and the Parliament the impetus to protest the destructive campaign no one supports. The nonpresence of the U.S. in challenging this sick invasion has permanently damaged the reputation of the U.S. in the world community.

2). China's continuing Most Favored Nation status. In light of its continued human rights violations, China still receives "most favored nation" trade status. This remains despite the fact that a prominent student leader, jailed for activity promoting social change in China, smuggled a letter to an Amnesty International contact citing forced labor in a prison camp. This hard labor included 14- hour, seven-day work shifts in harsh, dangerous conditions.

Additionally, China was just blasted in a U.S. State Department human rights report for its human rights abuses. Similar charges of forced labor and human rights abuses were leveled against American trade partners Burma and Indonesia. The end run-around linkage of trade status and human rights abuses is an act of disgrace for which we all share responsibility.

3). Mexican aid package. The Mexican economic bailout granted without congressional support is being compared to placing a band-aid on a traumatic wound. The bailout also fails to serve the Mexican people, who are far removed from the corrupt Institutional Revolutionary Party government. Instead, it is widely viewed as a bailout for Wall Street leeches spearheading the movement of U.S. jobs into a Mexican economy, where environmental and labor rights laws either do not exist or are rarely enforced. Chances are that more bailouts will be needed.

4). Lack of presence in the fight to preserve the NEA, NEH, CPG and PBS. Clinton has made no strong statement of support for the endowments, which are under threat of elimination or privatization. These endowments support art groups, cultural institutions and public broadcasting. The minuscule support helps these nonprofit groups sustain infrastructure so that the creative process and disbursement of information can take place. The NEA for example, helps dance companies, who have no chance of functioning as a profit entity, hire choreographers and pay rent for dance studios.

5). Allowing the FDA to prevent consumer protection. The Food and Drug Administration caved in to major lobbyist Monsanto and released rBGH, bovine growth hormone, a genetically engineered hormone which prompts cows to produce more milk. The problem is that rBGH is not a perfect imitation of the natural hormone cows produce internally. As a result, the cow tries to reject the hormone, which results in internal infections and pus in your milk (yummy).

The real crime here is that the FDA refuses to allow labeling so that mothers who don't breast feed may be giving their children hormone and pus-ridden milk. As well, animal rights activists aren't aware if they are supporting factory farming when they buy milk products.

6). Continued denial of Bosnian sovereignty. By perpetuating the arms embargo against Bosnia, a sovereign nation, the Bosnian people remain subject to the bombing of the Serbian military (did Hitler really die?). Congressional Republicans have repeatedly called for the Clinton administration to lift the arms embargo and to take action to open up Sarajevo and protect the Bosnian people.

7). Health care reform? President Clinton's proposal to change health care delivery was a farce. Pushing a pro-corporate complicated health plan, though a single payer health plan was cheaper and available, indicates a lack of concern for America's working people.

8). No protection of academic freedom. With the firing of Jocelyn Elders and the withdrawal of Lani Guinier's nomination for a civil rights post, Clinton demonstrated political cowardice and disrespect for academic freedom. Guinier was engaging in a debate on forms of empowerment and affirmative action. Elders' call for people to understand masturbation as an alternative to unsafe sex is so logical in this day and age that one must wonder why Clinton didn't go to Vietnam.

9). Withdrawal of nomination for ambassador to Panama. A former Carter aid with an extensive record of academic and diplomatic activity was slated to be the next ambassador to Panama, but imperialist Sen. Jesse Helms promised to vote against confirmation based on the fact that the nominee had worked on a pact to give back the Panama Canal. Rather than fight this extremist relic, Clinton withdrew the nomination. Had he challenged Helms on this issue, Clinton could have disgraced the racist senator and prevented him from being an embarrassment to the American people.

1O). Repatriation of Cuban refugees. Clinton decided to move Cuban rafters from Panama to an occupied military base in Cuba, rather than grant them exile in the U.S. The U.S. kisses up to China, Burma, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, but not Cuba. If the Cuban government is so bad, why not let the rafters into Miami?

With this tendency for poor leadership and the propensity to waffle or side with corporate interests, there seems to be a leadership vacuum in the Executive Branch. How unfortunate, for the result is alienation and bitterness. The general public either doesn't vote, falls into racial or class politics or both. How ironic that Bill Clinton uses JFK as a role model! Given the manner in which he has run his presidency, you would think his role model was more akin to Humpty Dumpty.

Alonso is a senior dance student.