J Bishop

Sunni: Was there one thing that pushed you over the edge, that led you to say, That's enough—he's got to go!?

J: Hmm ... It was more of a steady progression. The advent and use of so-called National Security Letters, extraordinary renditioning, the creation of the free speech zone—all of these were contributing factors. Plus, he's just a plain embarrassment to our country—and our species!

Sunni: Are you sure he's one of our species? [laughs] He could be a throwback, you know ... a modern day missing link!

J: Actually, to compare Bush to the missing link is an insult to Bigfoot and Sasquatch. What did they ever do to you to deserve that kind of slander?

Sunni: Touché, J! [laughs]

J: But I guess if one straw finally did it, it was the Bush Administration assertion that they can arrest anyone, anywhere, and hold them indefinitely without charges. That kind of injustice cannot stand. The right to trial is enshrined in our Constitution. And for non-citizens, we have various treaties and accords that also guarantee that no one will be held in such a manner. Yet, in the wake of the endless war on terror, these things have been defended by Bush and his supporters as right and just. I just couldn't stand for it any longer.

Sunni: How did you hit upon the idea of creating a web site to raise money so that you could spend more time working at getting Bush out of office? I mean, you've really got to dislike the man to be willing to focus on him as much as you'll be doing.

J: It's true. I do dislike Bush, his administration, and what they stand for. And I'm willing to focus the next few years of my life on holding Bush accountable for the damage he's done, or at least alerting the people to it. I didn't originally want to do anything like this. I preferred to find someone with more knowledge, experience, and money to do it, and just support them. But who? Those who could be great advocates for impeachment either keep a low profile out of fear, or have been marginalized and smeared, and lost effectiveness. No one stood out, no one was saying what needed to be said, doing what needed to be done.

So I thought, Maybe I can do it. But I'm not rich by any stretch of the imagination, and an operation like this requires money. I had read about a college student who started a site where people could buy ads on the front page of the site, the proceeds of which the student would use to fund his college career. I immediately thought, Why can't I do something similar, except with the aim of impeaching Bush? I mean, there are a lot of people in America who think Bush needs to be removed from office, post haste. What if each of them contributed $10 to a fund, to hire someone whose full-time job would be working for the impeachment of the president? That'd be more than enough money to fund a serious impeachment effort, wouldn't it?

I recognize that a lot of people want to do something to impeach or censure Bush, but feel powerless. They don't have the time to be activists, they don't have the money to bankroll huge operations, they don't have the knowledge to be solitary impeachment advocates. They just want someone who will speak for them, get their thoughts and desires out in the open. That's what I want to do! So I started the site, www.HelpMeImpeachBush.com, and now we will see how much an ordinary citizen can do.