But in light of today’s news, I wonder if this is the reason why President Obama is extending secret service protection for Dick Cheney. Vice Presidents do not get extended secret service protection after leaving office.  But as the blogger at Gawker speculates, “…so Obama is protecting Cheney from someone. Or maybe he is protecting all of us from Dick Cheney?”

Martinez, 44, has been in the Army for 23 years and is an alum of Eastern Illinois University. He has been accustomed to being in high profile and hot spots, having recently served in Iraq and Afghanistan and on the personal staff of Dick Cheney and Hillary Rodham Clinton.

This man embodies what we can accomplish with education, dedication, and perseverance. The Army was so confident in Lt. Col. Martinez’s abilities that he was assigned to The Old Guard before his cancer treatment was completed. Aside from the ceremonial tasks, this regiment will provide security and medical care for the millions who are expected to gather on the Mall on Tuesday.

Photo Credit: Army Lt. Col. Jamie Martinez 01/16/09, AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari

The Democratic Congressional Leadership remains opposed to impeachment because they want to wait it out and feel that such action would be divisive. Back in January, Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL) asked the Judiciary Committee to hold hearings on Kuchinich’s impeachment articles against Vice President Dick Cheney, who many argue is the brains behind this fiasco. Only 17 Democrats in Congress supported this back in January, and only two of those were members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus: Reps. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) and Luis Gutierrez (D-IL).

I think that impeachment should be on the table. We must hold President Bush and his cronies accountable for the war, the lies, the outrageous injustices in detention centers, etc.

Today a majority of congressional representatives voted to refer the 35 articles of impeachment to the Judiciary Committee. All of the Democrats who were in Congress voted for the referral as did 24 Republicans. Right now it will be up to the Judiciary Committee to follow up with hearings should they decide to pursue any real action. There are two Latinos on the House Judiciary Committee: Congresswoman Linda Sanchez and Congressman Luis Gutierrez. I encourage you to take action by calling and/or writing to both Reps. Sanchez and Gutierrez and voicing support for them to continue with the impeachment process, especially if you are sick and tired of Bush and Company’s stranglehold on a failed foreign policy that will cost us for years to come in tax dollars, a weakened currency, and a tarnished global reputation.

Honorable Luis Gutierrez
2367 Rayburn Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-8203

Honorable Linda T. Sanchez
1007 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-6676

While I was away, I did notice that none of the Latinos in Congress had the cojones to back Dennis Kucinich’s effort to impeach Dick Cheney, despite broad public support for such a measure. If Bill Clinton can get impeached for perjury and obstruction of justice relating to his personal affairs with Monica Lewinsky and Paula Jones, why does Dick Cheney get a pass for lying about events leading to the war in Iraq? Some of the blacks in Congress had the balls to support this such as Maxine Waters, Sheila Jackson Lee, Hank Johnson, and Diane Watson, but why didn’t we see Joe Baca, the Sanchez sisters, Xavier Becerra, or any of the other Latinos jumping on this? Maybe someone with some influence with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus will read this and offer some insight.

I also found this article over the weekend regarding black political power in Los Angeles. Although the percentage of African-Americans has declined in the Los Angeles area, relative to the growing Latino population, it seems that their political influence is still strong. So much for the myth that Latinos were encroaching on their gains, huh? I believe that Latinos can learn from the networks and civic tradition of blacks in America to create something for the better. Just looking at the willingness of some of the African-American members of congress who put themselves on the line to impeach Dick Cheney says something about their political will to stand up and fight.