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ONLY THING THAT CAN BE SAVED IS THE REPUBLIC!! In reference to the extremely long post from Wojtek Dworak <[log in to unmask]>, where numerous references were made to our democracy and the will of the people and the public polls that do not support impeachment, I would add the following extremely long comments to a previous post of mine! RE- Impeachment & Signoff - - -(a portion of my previous post)- - - First of all, let me say that I have my own personal opinion about whether President Clinton should be impeached, but my personal opinion doesn't matter in the scheme of things. What matters is that we are a Republic, not a Democracy. For those of you who don't know the difference, here is a short explanation: Only in a Democracy does the majority rule. In a Republic, representatives are elected to conduct the affairs of government using whatever knowledge and ethics they have and their conduct is governed by the Constitution and the laws of the land. The concept that the majority can be wrong has been demonstrated many times in history and the founding fathers recognized this to the point that even the electoral college was created and given the power to override a popular (majority) vote. So it means nothing to me what the polls show one way or the other. The process that is going on is dictated by our Constitution, and I believe it is the most precious (next to the texts brought together in the Bible) document every created. It is not for the people to decide by polls and surveys, it is for Congress to decide as our duly elected representatives. To those that think our country is going to come to a complete standstill and that the outcome is going to affect our health care, I say this. During the serious and severe trials of WWII we lost a president, but the country didn't collapse. Our resilience as a country is much more than most people give credit for. That just shows you what a great country we have and that our forefathers really did create the most fantastic system of government ever on this earth. Will our health care suffer? I don't know, and frankly I don't care. If the Constitutional process is not followed, then I can practically guarantee our health care will eventually suffer, if not in our lifetime, then in our children's. My comments would be exactly the same regardless of who the president was or how great (or awful) he was perceived to be. No one man is responsible for all the changes (for good or bad) that take place during his (or her) administration. Should have absolutely nothing to do with following Constitutional law regardless of where it takes you. Our very freedom to even do what we do on this list depends on the sanctity of that document. - - - Here are my additional thoughts: I used to think as many of you still do that we were a Democracy. This was and can be extremely frustrating. It was only when I truly understood that we are a Republic and understood the significance of why the founding fathers invented that form of government (we were the first and only one that has ever been), that all the frustration and agonizing went away. Our form of government was not created by a majority vote of the people. A few men with an unbelievable dream brought it into existence via our basic Constitution. It was so perfect that more learned men and women than you or I have brought forth only a few additional amendments over the years as times and experience has required. Even with the amendments, it was not a majority vote of the people that adopted them, it was by 2/3 majority of 3/4 of our State Legislatures (where, by the way, we also have the Republic form of government, not a Democracy!). I could even go so far as to say it (the Constitution) may have been divinely inspired. The Constitution does not give the option of censure! It must be amended before we will have that option. If in trying to uphold and comply with our Constitution, the nation is paralyzed for months, then it isn't worth the paper it is written on. Congress has no choice, partisan or non-partisan notwithstanding, but to comply with the Constitutionally mandated process, because the process does matter. Yes, I do most certainly agree that anyone's actions outside the courtroom and grandjury are private matters. But, if a person stands up and takes an oath to "uphold and defend the Constitution and the Laws of the United States of America" or takes another oath to "tell the truth, tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth", and it appears they did not do one or both, then let the chips fall where they may. That includes you and me and them! Finally, we, the people, do not have a vote on impeachment. Majority does not necessarily rule in a Republic. Again, the recorded history of the world shows the wisdom of our forefathers in realizing the majority can sometimes be wrong. The only remedy for the majority is to elect competent representatives with a platform that represents your views, but even then, they can change their minds (politicians do make unfulfilled promises) or be diluted by the checks and balances of having an opposition party to contend with. Can you imagine the chaos that would occur (daily? weekly? monthly?, yearly?) if, we, the people, tried to rule ourselves by majority opinion? Oh, one more thing to challenge your thinking, be you Republican or Democrat, Liberal or Conservative, voter or non-voter, whatever and with respect to bi-partisanship versus partisanship. Would you want all three branches of our government 100% populated by the same party? Even your party? THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IS NOT A DEMOCRACY, IT IS A REPUBLIC, THANK GOD!!!!!! Sorry this was so long. Helps me sleep better at night! Otherwise, stuff just keeps rattling around in my head, and that gets real noisy! Love to all, Darwin