Rocky joins call for probe of Bush

Rocky Anderson issued a parting shot to the Bush administration Friday in his final days as Salt Lake City's mayor.

Anderson, whose second mayoral term ends Monday, joined former Congressman George McGovern, perennial presidential candidate Ralph Nader and prominent Americans in submitting a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers on Friday, requesting an investigation and hearings on the abuses of power and violations of the law committed by the Bush administration.

"To embrace the opportunity to discover and disclose the truth, and to provide for the sort of accountability, transparency and openness due to any democratic people, will be an important step toward a national recommitment to the rule of law, a renewal of international respect, and a return to the national values we Americans have always cherished for ourselves and our posterity," the letter reads.

The letter also was signed by American linguist, philosopher, political activist, author and lecturer Noam Chomsky; former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark; former congressmen Andy Jacobs Jr., Paul Findley and James Abourezk; former U.S. military analyst Daniel Ellsberg; Wisconsin politician Tim Carpenter; musician, actor and social activist Harry Belafonte; and political activists Blase and Theresa Bonpane, Mimi Kennedy, Kevin Zeese, John Nichols, Marcus Raskin and Jonathan Kozol.

The letter details alleged misconduct of the Bush administration, saying that the administration has unlawfully authorized the disappearance, kidnapping and torture of people throughout the world; authorized the arrest and confinement of U.S. citizens without charges or legal recourse; engaged in warrantless electronic surveillance of U.S. citizens; conducted an illegal war of aggression against Iraq; egregiously abused the executive power by issuing signing statements that have led to a disregard of federal statutory laws; and disseminated false propaganda to deceive the American people.

The letter also notes the critical role of congressional inquiry in providing a remedy to abuses of power, particularly in light of recent court decisions that have denied judicial recourse for those negatively affected by the administration's policies and practices.

"Because the courts are not providing a means of disclosing or holding the Bush administration accountable for serious violations of the law, it is particularly essential that Congress vigorously assume its constitutional prerogative and duty to thoroughly investigate and disclose the truth about the abuses of power and excesses of President Bush, Vice President Cheney and others in the administration, all of (whom) have caused extreme damage to our country," the letter reads.

The complete text of the letter is available at www.slcgov.com/mayor/documents/conyersletter.pdf.

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