BS: A Declaration of Impeachment

Subject: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 03 Jul 06 - 10:44 PM

Veterans for Peace has drafted a Declaration of Impeachment using nothing but excerpts from the Declaration of Independence (plus a few words in parentheses). It reads as follows, and should be read at picnics and protests on the Fourth of July.

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…whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

…all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations…design(s) to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

…The history of the present King (George)…is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny…To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

§ He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.

§ He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

§ He has…deprive(ed) us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury…transport(ed) us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences

§ He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us…

§ He is at this time transporting large Armies…to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

§ He has constrained our fellow Citizens…to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

A (President) whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

We, therefore…do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People…solemnly publish and declare, That these…Free and Independent (People)…are Absolved from all Allegiance to the (Bush Administration), and that all political connection between them and (this Administration), is and ought to be totally dissolved…And for the support of this Declaration…we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."

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From http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/12564

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Jul 06 - 10:59 PM

YES...Nicely done...draft by your friends ...."VETERANS FOR PEACE."

Fortunately, their appeal was acted upon eight years ago.

This is more than a little late.

Silly-Willie (can't-keep-it in the pants) was impeached.

There has never before been, a more fitting tribute to a Democratic-Party (Kennedy included) spoke's-hole...than his trial.

If Clinton's mind had been on "the subject at hand" while speaking to Arafat on-the-phone; the Republicans would not be cleaning up Clinton's mess.

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 03 Jul 06 - 11:03 PM

Dear Guest:

Let us know when you are right side up again, and have the courage of your own identity somewhere within reach.

A

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Rapparee
Date: 03 Jul 06 - 11:15 PM

You don't like Clinton do you, GUEST? Of course, that's not the point here.

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: harpmolly
Date: 03 Jul 06 - 11:40 PM

Oooooohhhhh, that's just plain eerie. And he's even named George.

M

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 03 Jul 06 - 11:44 PM

From Eureka, California:

California Greens call for impeachment of Bush and Cheney
7/2/2006

The Green Party of California General Assembly recently approved a resolution calling for the impeachment and consequent removal from office of President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales for violating their constitutional oaths and committing "high crimes and misdemeanors."

Among the alleged violations listed in the resolution are:

+ Ordering warrantless searches and seizures of American citizens' personal communications, without oversight by the legislative or judicial branches of the government;

+ Authorizing and permitting torture against human beings;

+ Depriving American citizens of their constitutional rights regarding unjust imprisonment and speedy and public trials;

+ Launching an "illegal, unjust and undeclared war" against Iraq;

+ Authorizing the use of illegal chemical and radioactive weapons in military campaigns;

+ Intentionally deceiving the American people and the U.S. Congress in providing rationales for the war in Iraq;

+ Approving direct military attacks on civilians, civilian homes and communities in Iraq; and

+ Violating lawful signatory treaties, including the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, the Treaty of Rome and the Geneva Conventions.

The document calls upon the U.S. House of Representatives to initiate impeachment proceedings.

"The governance of our country has entered an era where it has become debilitating to: (t)he worldwide reputation of its citizenry, (h)opeful prospects of building world peace, (p)rospects of material and social resources worldwide being used equally for the betterment of all lives of all living things on earth," the resolution states. "Whereas goals and values of Green Parties worldwide yearn to reverse these debilitating factors within governments and social structures. We purpose (sic) to energize this reversal through the legal means of impeaching those facilitating these debilitating factors."

Copies of the resolution will be sent to California congressional representatives and all members of the House Judiciary Committee.

More information on the Green Party of California and the full text of the impeachment resolution is available at www.cagreens.org.

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 03 Jul 06 - 11:46 PM

From a Marin local newspaper:

Town Council to consider impeachment resolution
Staff Report

The Town Council meets Wednesday to consider a resolution calling for the impeachment of President Bush.

The council also plans to discuss sidewalk repair and appointing an artist in residence.

The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Women's Club at 46 Park Road.

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Hmmmm....road repair, impeachment, staff artist, same ole same ole...


A

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: 282RA
Date: 03 Jul 06 - 11:47 PM

What GUEST means is that Clinton should have attacked Iraq and gotten us into this horrible endless mess years ago so that his butt-buddy Bushie wouldn't be taking the heat. Generous to a fault, that's Dubya.

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 03 Jul 06 - 11:49 PM

ANd from TIME mag, discussing the Berkeley resolution:

Posted Friday, Jun. 30, 2006
Many people may scoff at the decision earlier this week by the Berkeley City Council to put a resolution on the Nov. 7 ballot calling for President Bush and Vice President Cheney to be impeached. After all, 74,000 voters of what is often referred to as The People's Republic of Berkeley can't legally oust the President and Vice President. But Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates thinks his city is simply ahead of its time, as it has often proved to be in the past.

"Things happen in Berkeley that are seen as being quirky," Bates tells TIME. "But what we know is, those ideas that percolate in Berkeley today end up being conventional wisdom in the rest of the country tomorrow." Berkeley, after all, was the first city to start curbside recycling, ban Styrofoam and desegregate its public schools without a court order. Berkeley also took the lead in calling for municipalities to divest from South Africa during the Apartheid era.

Indeed, while Berkeley may be the first city to put an impeachment resolution to its people, numerous city and town councils have already passed such resolutions, including San Francisco, Santa Cruz, and Chapel Hill, N.C. State legislatures in Vermont, California and Illinois all have impeachment resolutions pending. To help raise awareness of the issue, there will be a series of teach-ins across the country this summer and fall, and a new film, "How to Impeach a President," will be screened — all part of the burgeoning impeachment effort called "Constitution Summer," led by a non-partisan coalition of students from the country's top law schools and universities.

"The President and Vice President are trampling on the Constitution," Bates says, summing up the city's collective view of the current Administration. "They're spying on people without warrants. They're arresting people and holding them without the opportunity to a trial. They're participating in a war where they basically lied to the Congress."

A

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 03 Jul 06 - 11:52 PM

Bush, Cheney raising ire in Fairfax
Tad Whitaker

Fairfax officials will vote Wednesday on whether to endorse a local petition calling for the impeachment of President George Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.
Millie Barrett, a 33-year town resident, said she has collected more than 200 signatures since Thursday. Getting the council involved gives the petition legitimacy and makes it more likely to be considered by federal officials, she said.

"I want people to jump on the wagon and do it," she said. "Maybe someone in Congress will listen."

Barrett, 62, said she dove into progressive politics after retiring last July. She said she has signed every anti-Bush petition online, marched in peace rallies and even traveled to Washington, D.C., in September to protest alongside Cindy Sheehan.

"I've never been more upset with the country," she said. "I felt I needed to do more."

Barrett downloaded an impeachment petition that 23 other cities across the nation have adopted and began collecting signatures downtown.

"Most people can't sign it fast enough," she said.

Mayor Susan Brandborg said she is normally against the council discussing federal issues over which it has little sway, but she put the petition on Wednesday's agenda because she strongly believes in impeaching Bush. Brandborg expects a good turnout for the issue because so many people turned out three years ago when the council voted to ignore several provisions of the Patriot Act ...

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 03 Jul 06 - 11:54 PM

The right wing blog sneers:

Here We Go Again: CNN Raises the Specter of Bush Impeachment
Posted by Megan McCormack on June 30, 2006 - 15:45.
Once again, CNN has highlighted calls for the impeachment of President Bush. During the 4PM EDT hour of Thursday's The Situation Room, senior political analyst Bill Schneider reported on the liberal city council of Berkeley, California's decision to place a measure on the November ballot calling for the impeachment of the President and Vice President Cheney. Schneider highlighted the reasons for the city council's decision to go "one step further" than other liberal municipalities, such as those in Vermont, which passed resolutions calling for impeachment :

This week, the Berkeley, California city council went one step further and put an impeachment measure on the November ballot. The grounds? Lying about the case for war in Iraq, torture of detainees and unlawful domestic spying.

And in case you didn't get the point, the piece also showed video of an unidentified councilwoman denouncing Bush:

Unidentified Woman: "He's the worst president in the history of this country."

Schneider's story wasn't the only mention of the Berkeley city council ballot measure. During the 5PM hour, Jack Cafferty included it as part of his Cafferty File segment. Cafferty's question was this:

What does it mean that the citizens of Berkeley, California, will vote on whether to call for the impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Cheney?

To answer Cafferty's question, a liberal city council voting to impeach a Republican president doesn't seem to mean much, except that it gives another opportunity for the mainstream media to bring the issue of impeachment back into the national discourse.

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Well, I wouldn't be TOO confident.

A

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Jul 06 - 11:58 PM

More surprising still: The poll found fully 43% of voters in favor of actually impeaching the President, with just 50% of voters opposed. While only 18% of Republicans surveyed wanted to see Bush impeached, 61% of Democrats and 47% of Independents reported they wanted to see the House move ahead with the Conyers (D-MI) resolution.

The poll, taken March 13-15, [2006] had a 3% margin of error.

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Jul 06 - 11:59 PM

The above is from

www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Poll_ Americans_slightly_favor_plan_to_0316.html

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 03 Jul 06 - 11:59 PM

Oh, and from the current editorial in the Pasadena Weekly:

"Impeachment advocates are widely mobilizing in the US. Over 1,000 letters to the editors of major newspapers have been printed in the past six months asking for impeachment. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette letter writer George Matus says, "I am still enraged over unasked questions about exit polls, touch-screen voting, Iraq, the cost of the new Medicare … who formulated our energy policy, Jack Abramoff, the Downing Street Memos and impeachment."

David Anderson in McMinnville, Ore., pens to The Oregonian, "Where are the members of our congressional delegation now in demanding the current president's actions be investigated to see if impeachment or censure are appropriate actions?"
William Dwyer's letter in the Charleston Gazette says, "Congress will never have the courage to start the impeachment process without a groundswell of outrage from the people."

City councils, boards of supervisors and local and state level Democrat central committees have voted for impeachment. The city of Arcata voted for impeachment on Jan. 6. The city and county of San Francisco voted Yes on Feb. 28. The Sonoma County Democrat Central Committee voted for impeachment on March 16. The townships of Newfane, Brookfield, Dummerston, Marlboro and Putney in Vermont all voted for impeachment the first week of March.

The New Mexico State Democrat Party convention rallied on March 18 for "the impeachment of George Bush and his lawful removal from office." The national Green Party called for impeachment on Jan. 3. Op-ed writers at the St. Petersburg Times, Newsday, Yale Daily News, Barrons, the Detroit Free Press and the Boston Globe have called for impeachment. The San Francisco Bay Guardian, The Nation and Harpers published cover articles calling for impeachment.

As of March 16, 32 members of the US House of Representatives have signed on as co-sponsors to House Resolution 635, which would create a select committee to look into the grounds for recommending President Bush's impeachment.

Polls show that nearly a majority of Americans favor impeachment. In October, Public Affairs Research found that 50 percent of Americans said that President Bush should be impeached if he lied about the war in Iraq. A Zogby International poll from early November found that 53 percent of Americans say, "If President Bush did not tell the truth about his reasons for going to war with Iraq, Congress should consider holding him accountable through impeachment." A March 16 poll by American Research Group showed that 42 percent of Americans favored impeaching Bush.

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Hmmmmm? 42%...isn't that a bigger number than his approval ratings? I think so, ya...




A

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Bobert
Date: 04 Jul 06 - 12:01 AM

Screw Clionton....

Opps... Too late... Monika got to him first...

Yeah, time is well past when Bush should have to be forcwed into retirement... Should have gone a couple innings ago.... Seems every day is another day where he has been "CAUGHT" doing stuff that is against the law????

Hmmmmm?

Yeah, time for the crook to go...

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Jul 06 - 12:09 AM

NO. It is not time for him to go. It IS time for him to be impeached. Then the piece of shit can go.

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: GUEST,Woody
Date: 04 Jul 06 - 12:40 AM

02/23/06 Also on CSPAN tonight
http://216.239.59.104/search?q=cache:sSQIY4ciKD4J:www.mcradiation.com/blog/+daschle+buchanan&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=7&lr=lang_en
Last night I went down to the Tom McCall Forum at the Schnitzer, featuring Pat Buchanan and Tom Daschle. It was a lot of fun. Buchanan was firing on all cylinders, and he was very funny. As my dad pointed out, he's an old speechwriter so he's well versed in timing and all of that good stuff. There was a portion where the two were debating in a conversation style, asking each other questions. Daschle got rocked back on his heels twice by Buchanan. Buchanan's first question was "So, Tom, if you could do it over again would you have voted for the war?" Daschle gave a bumbling answer that elicited boos and hisses from the audience. Buchanan also asked Daschle if he was willing to call for impeachment based on the NSA surveillance program, and again Daschle stammered and talked in circles.

Overall, Buchanan clearly came out on top at the end of the night. Of course, the event wasn't about winning or losing--it was about having a serious discussion of what is working in our democracy, and what isn't. And even in that, Buchanan did a better job of bringing out some of the flaws in the process today. Buchanan noted how spineless Congress has become as an institution, and how the two parties have failed to articulate a direction for the country that the electorate can embrace.

Daschle was too busy criticizing Bush and "the Republican Congress" to actually step back and admit that the Democrats have some serious problems of their own.

I enjoyed the event, and I'll probably go again in the future.

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 04 Jul 06 - 12:43 AM

On June 6, Jim Bronke of Concord, Penn., addressed the Concord Township board of supervisors:

Township supervisors and friends, I come here today not as a Republican or as a Democrat but as an American citizen concerned for our way of life. I hope that you can view this package not as a political statement but as a plan for the future … Rules of the House of Representatives explicitly allow state and city legislatures to introduce resolutions. Our First Amendment guarantees any citizen, city, or state "to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." This is what I ask you to do with this motion.
Bronke requested that the board consider a motion to request an impeachment inquiry of the president of the United States. When a board supervisor told Bronke that the only path to impeachment was through U.S. senators and representatives, Bronke corrected the supervisor, stating that "there are multiple paths toward impeachment, this is another."

Bronke was absolutely right.


The Concord board is hardly national news. But taken in conjunction with the staggering number of state legislatures and city and town councils across the country that have passed impeachment resolutions, the lack of coverage of the movement is a conspicuous absence in mainstream media.

Illinois, Vermont and California state legislatures have impeachment resolutions pending. The Democratic parties of Vermont, New Hampshire, Alaska, Maine, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, California and Hawaii have all passed resolutions. Then there are the 18 city and town councils that have passed resolutions, with seven more resolutions (including Concord) pending, to say nothing of the 27 local political groups and parties across the country that have adopted impeachment resolutions.

(From ALterNet)

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"A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people."

(From the Declaration of Independence)

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Jul 06 - 12:44 AM

02/23/06

Thank for keeping us up to date.

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Rapparee
Date: 04 Jul 06 - 09:58 AM

When you open the gate, the cows will get out.

Like the line item veto power which the GOP pushed and which Clinton (briefly) had, the Impeachment Gate was (re-)opened by the GOP and now the chickens (to mix metaphors) are coming home to roost.

Sometimes it's better to be King Log and not King Stork. In other words, to let sleeping dogs lie.





(Wow! Animal metaphors all over the place today!)

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Ebbie
Date: 04 Jul 06 - 11:48 AM

Maybe we shouldn't let lying dogs sleep...

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: katlaughing
Date: 04 Jul 06 - 02:37 PM

Thanks for all of the updates. It is encouraging.

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 04 Jul 06 - 08:06 PM

I think King George was a better ruler than the current George Bush

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 05 Jul 06 - 12:19 AM

They didn't declare him mad until it was too late, either.

A

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Jul 06 - 01:51 AM

We're proud to say that our representative is one of the thirty two supporting the Conyers resolution to investigate whether there are grounds for impeachment. That's why we love her so much. We sent her an email congratulating her for her courage.

Bev and Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 05 Jul 06 - 01:06 PM

Town puts Bush on hot seat

Tuesday, July 4, 2006

BY GEORGE KRIMSKY


Copyright © 2006 Republican-American

WASHINGTON, Conn. -- On the eve of Independence Day, a crowd of more than 100 people, some from nearby towns, overwhelmingly voiced their right Monday night to consider the impeachment of President George W. Bush.

With a turnout that surprised even the organizers, most of the speaking residents made it clear they disagreed with two of the three members of the Board of Selectmen who insisted that town meetings are only convened to decide local issues.

A resolution signed by 47 town residents at the conclusion of the meeting, which lasted more than two hours, urged selectmen to convene a special town meeting despite the rejection decision by the majority of the board June 15.

A second resolution, signed by 52 people, including residents from eight other towns, voiced support for a set of "Articles of Impeachment" passed around the room. The out-of-town residents, who were outnumbered by locals, said they came from Woodbury, Southbury, New Milford, Torrington, Litchfield, Plymouth, Warren and Roxbury.

One of them said they wanted to use the Washington decision as a "template" for their towns to take similar actions.

http://www.rep-am.com/story.php?id=9242

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 05 Jul 06 - 08:40 PM

Viewpoint: Impeachment groundswell is growing
By Joe Baker, Senior Editor and Frank Schier, Editor & Publisher        Print this page
George W. Bush
A resolution to impeach President George W. Bush is pending before the Illinois legislature. Similar resolutions await action in the Vermont and California state legislatures.
Democrats in Vermont, New Hampshire, Alaska, Maine, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, California and Hawaii all have passed impeachment resolutions. Seven more state resolutions are pending, and 27 local political groups and parties nationwide have adopted such resolutions, according to an article on AlterNet.org.

Such strong coast-to-coast support for a homeland regime change is really not surprising nor shocking. The evidence is overwhelming. A recent article in Rolling Stone magazine by Robert Kennedy Jr. clearly shows the 2004 election was stolen in Ohio. Besides his general and perhaps purposeful incompetence leading up to the mysterious 9/11 attacks, George W. Bush lied about Weapons of Mass Destruction to lead the country into war in Iraq. While classifying more information as "Secret" than any previous administration, Bush continues today to run illegal wiretaps, approve torture, ignore the Geneva Convention, operate secret prisons overseas, assert military tribunals (recently struck down by the Supreme Court) and violate the separation of powers doctrine by using signing statements to pick and choose congressional legislation.

Most recently, he and his minions launched attack dogs on The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post for exposing his illegal and unconstitutional spying on financial and personal transactions. Previously, in the same primacy-of-secrecy and creditability-attacking spirit, the Bush administration also released the name of CIA operative Valarie Plame, which is a felony, as a political retaliation. See the in-your-face nature of these spurious assaults on the vital principles of "Freedom of the Press," "Freedom of Information" and "The Public's Right to Know" that they truly are.

Author and columnist Ann Coulter is the pin-up girl of the Bush attack dogs. Here's her bilious assault on the widows of the 9-11 attacks who called for further investigations: "I've never seen people enjoying their husbands' deaths so much." Here's another gem from this Bush-supporting pundit: "I think the government should be spying on all Arabs, engaging in torture as a televised spectator sport, dropping daisy cutters wantonly throughout the Middle East and sending liberals to Guantanamo." One wonders what Susan B. Anthony would say about another of Coulter's thoughts: "It would be a much better country if women did not vote."

Further rejecting the traditional American philosophies of an open society and transparent government in the most dangerous way, the Bush administration's neo-con philosophy of pre-emptive attacks has brought back the spectre of nuclear war, particularly in respect to North Korea and Iran. Congress must recapture its war powers and begin proceedings against the Bush/Cheney regime, particularly in light of the new book by Ron Suskind, former reporter for The Wall Street Journal and 1995 Pulitzer Prize winner, The One Percent Doctrine, which shows how massively reactionary Cheney really is, and how he is fully in charge of U.S. foreign policy and more.

A recent Zogby poll asked Americans what would restore their faith and trust in government. The top reply was "personnel changes/impeachment." Polls by Ipsos, Zogby and American Research Group revealed support for impeachment between 43 percent and 53 percent. Among Democrats, the numbers skyrocket to 80-90 percent, while a consistent majority of independents support such a move.

David Swanson of impeachpac.org said: "For impeachment to have anything close to majority support despite opposition by both political parties and almost no positive coverage in the media is remarkable."

Onnesha Roychoudhuri, formerly assistant editor of AlterNet.org, said Dennis Loy Johnson of Melville House Publishing, who worked on a book laying out the legal case for impeachment, told him: "We've had more than one friendly mainstream journalist tell us they pitched a story to their editor and were told: 'Don't even go there.'"

In spite of the media blackout, residents of every state in the union have sent copies of Articles of Impeachment Against George W. Bush to their representatives. Johnson said such groups as Veterans for Peace, Goldstar Families and Republicans for Impeachment have responded. He quipped: "A lot of people were paying more attention in civics class than you think." ...

(From the Times of Rockford, Illinois)

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 05 Jul 06 - 08:42 PM

From NYCIndyMedia of New York:

uly 05, 2006 03:26PM EDT [general.addtranslation] Download Article (PDF)
Impeachment Comes to Main Street USA

7/05 | The Iraq war is out, impeachment is in in the town of Willimantic.

By Ed Adelman

The boos from the crowd in Willimantic, CT were reserved for Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman, who may find himself a man without a party come August 8 for his ardent support for President Bush and the War in Iraq.

Keywords: Analysis, National, Government, War & Peace, Political Theory, Elections, Activism,

So, just how does Impeach Bush play out on Main Street, USA?

One indication was the now famous 21st Annual July 4th Boom Box Parade along Main Street in Willimantic, CT. The 20,000 people of this former mill town in northeastern Connecticut town are a gritty, hardscrabble if economically depressed bunch, but they're also proud, resourceful and open-minded. The Boom Box Parade was born of necessity and civic pride when marching bands were cancelled for budget reasons, forcing an embarrassing postponement of a big parade. The community's creative response: put together a tape of parade music, play it on the local radio station and have marchers and audience bring their radios tuned to the station. Open enrollment--no pre-registration--just show up and march. It became a wonderful, all-American hodgepodge of scout and church groups, hopeful politicians, families looking for something fun to do before a barbecue, immigrant groups, historical groups, local businesses, political groups with a message and anyone with a desire to drive an antique car, tractor or lawn mower down Main Street with thousands cheering.

This year, about 20 of us marched behind a banner proclaiming "SAVE THE CONSTITUTION--IMPEACH BUSH," while carrying signs with specifics about Bush the terrorist, the liar, the shredder of habeas corpus, the promoter of fear and hate, etc. etc. Although we also announced that "Peace is Patriotic," we were anxious about our reception on this day, the granddaddy of Red, White and Blue holidays.

We needn't have worried. People in this blue-collar town don't like Bush. We got enthusiastic cheers from old and young, white, black and brown, flag wavers, bikers, students, hippies--Americans, all. Certainly, there were some thumbs down and boos, but far fewer than we expected. Passing by some of the more crowded areas, such as the Town Hall lawn, the ovations and cheers just grew as we passed. Informational flyers were willingly accepted, not just by those cheering, but by others who wanted more information about impeachment, which is making sense to more and more people.

Judging by our Main Street experience, it looks like the people are ready to take this step--they are fed up with lies, the arrogance of power, incompetence and manipulation by corporate interests. We just need the politicians who have the guts to get it rolling.
-----------

Ed Adelman is a special education teacher in Lebanon, CT. He lives in the town of Hampton, CT.

Addendum by Dave Lindorff

More Boos for Lieberman, Cheers for Lamont

There was also plenty of booing along the July 4 parade route in Willimantic, CT. as the state's embattled senior senator, Joe Lieberman, marched past. The New York Times, which reported on the event on page one of its Metro section on July 5, said that while there were a few people who hugged Lieberman or offered to sign his petition to run as an independent candidate in November if he fails to win his party's nomination, most people were booing him, calling him a "traitor" for even contemplating an independent campaign.

Overwhelmingly, the cheering was reportedly reserved for Lieberman's challenger, political novice Ned Lamont, who also attended the parade, accompanied by a float that depicted Lieberman being kissed by President Bush (a reference to an event that took place at the president's last State of the Union address, and which Lamont has made good use of in his ad campaign for the Aug. 8 Democratic Primary.

Lamont, who is focusing his campaign on Lieberman's strong support for Bush's Iraq invasion and for continuing war, is increasingly being considered a possible winner of the state's Democratic primary, which would be a remarkable upset of a senior senator who only six years ago was his party's vice presidential candidate....

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Peace
Date: 05 Jul 06 - 08:50 PM

Is this House Resolution 635?

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 06 Jul 06 - 12:42 AM

H.RES.635
Title: Creating a select committee to investigate the Administration's intent to go to war before congressional authorization, manipulation of pre-war intelligence, encouraging and countenancing torture, retaliating against critics, and to make recommendations regarding grounds for possible impeachment.

Sponsor: Rep Conyers, John, Jr. [MI-14] (introduced 12/18/2005)      Cosponsors (36)
Latest Major Action: 12/18/2005 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Rules.

Creates the Select Committee on Administration Predetermination to Go to War and Manipulation of Intelligence to investigate all relevant government agency actions and decisions relating to the Administration's: (1) intent to go to war before congressional authorization; (2) manipulation of pre-war intelligence; (3) encouragement and countenancing of torture; and (4) retaliation against critics.

Requires the Committee to report to the House of Representatives on: (1) the results of its investigation; and (2) any substantial and credible information which the Committee receives in carrying out its responsibilities that may constitute grounds for possible impeachment.

---

Related, but these various small towns are acting independently.

A

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Peace
Date: 06 Jul 06 - 12:47 AM

Thanks, Amos.

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: CarolC
Date: 06 Jul 06 - 11:30 AM

Democracy is a great thing when it works.

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Jul 06 - 11:40 AM

Amos, Amos, Amos - you and others, what a way to spend time on the fourth.

Very antecdotal to most; I really enjoyed "unidentified woman, 'He is the worst Preseident........" Not that is pretty convincing. I am really, really glad she informed me.

There is always discontent (and the malcontents to express it) everywhere one goes. Has been for 40+ years. Oh, I also liked boberts "....he has broken many laws,...crook.....has to go..."
If this were really true, then why is he still here?

Bush wins! "........50% does not want him impeached........"

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Jul 06 - 11:53 AM

By the way Amos, It is very apparent that you never call out a "GUEST" that agrees with you.

Just in case: malcontent noun
: a discontented person a : one who bears a grudge from a sense of grievance ot thwarted ambition b : one who is in active opposition to an established order or government :

(any order, any government)

And perhaps "a" means a lot here. If the shoe fits............

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: CarolC
Date: 06 Jul 06 - 12:00 PM

Democracy is a great thing, when it works.

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 06 Jul 06 - 04:10 PM

From the small-town press in Litchfield, CT:

WASHINGTON-You could hear a pin drop in the crowded meeting room of Bryan Memorial Town Hall Monday night as Paul Frenkel stood before the audience, which had gathered to discuss a grassroots call for the impeachment of President George W. Bush.

What was it about Mr. Frenkel's remarks that commanded such attention? As part of a cautionary tale about the stifling of the voice of the people, he recalled the silence of his townspeople in Hungary as the Nazis took away his family.
"When they took us away, the majority of citizens were silent. One gypsy lady was crying on the street, she was the only one. ... Why were they silent? Well, because it was not proper [to speak out]."
Urging the crowd to "speak your conscience," Mr. Frenkel was one of more than 120 people from across Litchfield County who came to town hall to voice support for the impeachment of President Bush, and to criticize the town government for refusing to allow an official meeting on the subject.

Last month, a group of citizens brought a petition to the Board of Selectmen, requesting that a special town meeting be called to discuss and vote on an official resolution calling for the impeachment of the president on charges that he has lied to the American people, illegally spied on civilians and conspired to commit the torture of prisoners, among other allegations. If the town formally backed a call for impeachment, the hope is that it would create a chain reaction process that prompts Congress to act.
The request for a meeting was denied 2 to 1, with Republican Mark Lyon and Democrat Nicholas Solley opposing it on the grounds that such a meeting would be "improper," and noting in particular that town meetings were not the appropriate venue for addressing national issues. Democrat First Selectman Dick Sears voted in favor of holding the meeting.

By law, the board must call a town meeting when a petition signed by 20 or more citizens is brought forward unless the request is deemed "unlawful, frivolous or improper." Prior to the board's decision, the town attorney advised that the petition and its request were legal.

During the unofficial gathering July 3, which one person called a spontaneous coming together of patriots, many attendees were vocal in their criticism of the board's decision. Three empty, overturned chairs were symbolically placed over a table at the head of the hall to signify the board's decision. None of the selectmen was in attendance.
"All of a sudden, someone in government says, 'I can't allow this to happen, no you can't speak'"-this isn't the country I came to. That's what enraged me," said Mr. Frenkel. A survivor of the concentration camps during World War II, Mr. Frenkel also distributed handouts of the Geneva Convention in regards to alleged inhumane treatment of prisoners by the Bush Administration.

Mr. Frenkel continued, telling the audience, "This is not Mr. Solley's hall. This is not Mr. Lyon's hall. This is your hall, this is yours." The room then erupted in applause.

Organizers said they have been in contact with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and are planning to appeal the board's decision. Also, many Washington residents in attendance signed a petition, which will be forwarded to the board, that read, "We respectfully disagree with the actions of the town Selectmen taken to deny calling a town meeting requested on the grounds it was improper, a standard shown to be irrelevant by the opinion of the ACLU and town counsel ... ." The petition goes on to request that a special town meeting be called to discuss backing a call that the impeachment process be initiated.

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 06 Jul 06 - 04:26 PM

From the Marin county local press:

Fairfax council votes to oust Bush and Cheney
Tad Whitaker



Fairfax officials voted unanimously Wednesday night to endorse a local petition calling for the impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.
Only a dozen or so people turned out at the Town Council meeting, but those who did railed against the administration for going to war in Iraq, violating constitutional rights and fouling up a host of other issues.

Those sentiments were shared by all four council members at the meeting. Councilman David Weinsoff is on vacation.

"I'm going for this resolution with all of my heart," Councilwoman Mary Ann Maggiore said.

Fairfax's move follows a similar one in Berkeley, where the City Council voted unanimously last week to spend $10,000 and put an impeachment measure on the Nov. 7 ballot. The Fairfax resolution will not go on the ballot.

Millie Barrett, a 33-year Fairfax resident, spearheaded the local impeachment drive against Bush by collecting hundreds of signatures on a petition because she said she wanted to do something more than just attend peace rallies.

"This is a movement spreading throughout the country," Barrett said.

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 06 Jul 06 - 04:30 PM

Elsewhere in the Connecticut small press:

The defeat in Washington, Conn., has far from deterred the resolution supporters, who held an informal meeting in Town Hall on Monday that attracted about 100 people from Washington and surrounding towns.

The resounding cry was for the impeachment debate — the majority of the resolution supporters are ardent opponents of the war in Iraq — to get a fair public hearing.

We the People organizer Sandra Canning said the large turnout emboldened her group, with a core of about a dozen people, to push forward on this issue. She said they have consulted with the American Civil Liberties Union and hope town leaders will rethink their earlier position.

The next Board of Selectmen meeting is July 13.

The meeting Monday night was "hugely touching and hugely inspiring,'' Canning said. "There is a tremendous human need to be part of this, and as in a revival meeting, people want to testify to how they feel about this issue.''

Though Canning has lived in Washington for only eight years, she said there were third-generation families at the meeting whose roots in the town go back to the 1760s.

"That's a powerful mix,'' Canning said of the group's diversity. "We can't crawl back into our cozy lives.''

Fellow organizer Ken Corner said the consensus of those who attended the meeting was to again try to convince selectmen to allow a special town meeting. Even if there are more town residents who oppose the idea of sending an impeachment resolution to Congress, Cornet said there needs to be a debate.

...


A

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 06 Jul 06 - 04:36 PM

BTW, whoever you are, your post makes no sense. If someone wgrees with you, why would you call them out?

"Hey! You gotta lotta nerve!! I agree with what you said, but who do you think you are, saying that?" LOL

Not exackly logical, if you see what I mean.

In fact, if people speak courteously and intending to communicate, I don't usually "call them out" except by offering alternative thoughts in similar vein. It's when folks get snide or deliberately obtuse or ad hominem that I tend to sharpen my tongue on their stony brains.

A

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Jul 06 - 10:45 PM

Very antecdotal, don't you think?

And while it was not a very good statement, being aware of those who seem to agree with you could demonstrate that you might not be the arrogant and egotistical ass that you come across as.

Meanwhile, Bush wins and will continue to do so as you waste so much time on these insignificant items. ".......only a dozen or so people turned out...." seems to be the consensus all over the US.
A lot of the "stony brain" disease going around both sides of the issue.

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 06 Jul 06 - 11:50 PM

Well, you're right in one respect. A lot of us humanist types were never prepared to see the country taken over by a dimwitted fascist, and I think it kind of left us surprised.

A

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 07 Jul 06 - 12:15 AM

Impeach Bush

The man was lost and then he was found and now he's more lost than ever -- and he's taking us into the darkness with him. It's time to remove him.

By Garrison Keillor



These are troubling times for all of us who love this country, as surely we all do, even the satirists. You may poke fun at your mother, but if she is belittled by others it burns your bacon. A blowhard French journalist writes a book about America that is full of arrogant stupidity, and you want to let the air out of him and mail him home flat. You hear young people talk about America as if it's all over, and you trust that this is only them talking tough. And then you read the paper and realize the country is led by a man who isn't paying attention, and you hope that somebody will poke him. Or put a sign on his desk that says, "Try Much Harder."

Do we need to impeach him to bring some focus to this man's life? The man was lost and then he was found and now he's more lost than ever, plus being blind. ...

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Jul 06 - 09:38 AM

Amos, first of all, apologies are tendered for any vile statements I may have uttered while not in a contained frame of mind. Although, some were said in a meaningful but not hateful way. I am sure that you do not require my apologies and that is meant as a compliment to you.

A brief summary - I am not surprised that some of my favorites over the years (Garrison is one) speaks out like he does. It is a sign of the times and my age (mid 60's) which I believe is permitting me to notice more the comments of others. I am still engaged in full activities but seem to have more time to reflect. The most bothersome item for me is the media untruths, be it news or talk shows, I give you Randi Rhoades and Shaun Hannity. Don't listen at all now but did for comparative purposes. Both are a stain on our social fabric. Yes, I am a Conservative and yes, I am behind GWB although I cannot be labled a "Bushite" and I have my disagreements with him. AND, I am basically behind the efforts in Iraq. I am of the opinion that the results of this effort will not be accurately discerned for 10 or more years after the cessation of the fighting.

Maybe, just maybe, when that time arrives my plate will be brimming with 'Crow'. I seriously doubt that possibility but one must keep an open mind.

I bid you a good day, somewhat admire your straight line approach but respectfully disagree on your overall outlook.

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 07 Jul 06 - 10:15 AM

Well, thank you Guest, for a courteous and straight message, readily understood.

ALthough (like the majority of US voters) I did not vote for him, I was willing to let Mister Bush show his stuff and get something done. He oscillated wildly between the dumbest and the most obnoxious extremes. His conclusion to invade Afghanistan was, perhaps, justifiable in light of what occurred. But the longn war in Iraq has no justification for its poor conception, it's incompetent analysis of the ground situation, its inept strategic plans, and the uncompensated harm ithas wrought in blood, treasure and repute. The man may, ten years hence, be seen as having done something positive, but I am pretty sure if so it will be sheer luck. On the domestic front he has been disingenuous, doouble-tongued, full of deceit and manipulation, and completely in love with his own photoshoots. Some might say, given the magnitude and thickness of his sins, he deserves to be shot out of hand. I'd be satisfied to see him impeached for the destructive impacts he has had or tried tohave.

A

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 07 Jul 06 - 10:16 AM

By JOHN DISTASO
Senior Political Reporter
Thursday, Jun. 8, 2006

STATE DEMOCRATS did more than listen to rousing speeches at their convention last Saturday at St. Anselm College.

They passed several resolutions — chief among them a call for the impeachment of President George W. Bush because he "has committed high crimes and misdemeanors as he has repeatedly and intentionally violated the United States Constitution and other laws of the United States."

Is that all? No.

Before voting overwhelmingly by a show of hands on that one, there was a strong voice vote to censure the President — a resolution submitted on behalf of one of the keynote speakers, "red meat" Wisconsin Sen. Russell Feingold.

The censure motion contended Bush authorized the illegal wire-tapping of "perhaps more than 1 million Americans."

State Democratic Party Kathy Sullivan acknowledged that the two, taken together, may have been "a bit of overkill," but, she said, "You've got people here who are very angry with George Bush."

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 08 Jul 06 - 01:49 PM

From the Pasadena Press:

"gnoring the call to impeach Bush
By Peter Phillips

f a national movement calling for the impeachment of the president is rapidly emerging and the corporate media are not covering it, is there really a national movement for the impeachment of the president?
Impeachment advocates are widely mobilizing in the US. Over 1,000 letters to the editors of major newspapers have been printed in the past six months asking for impeachment. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette letter writer George Matus says, "I am still enraged over unasked questions about exit polls, touch-screen voting, Iraq, the cost of the new Medicare … who formulated our energy policy, Jack Abramoff, the Downing Street Memos and impeachment."
David Anderson in McMinnville, Ore., pens to The Oregonian, "Where are the members of our congressional delegation now in demanding the current president's actions be investigated to see if impeachment or censure are appropriate actions?"
William Dwyer's letter in the Charleston Gazette says, "Congress will never have the courage to start the impeachment process without a groundswell of outrage from the people."
City councils, boards of supervisors and local and state level Democrat central committees have voted for impeachment. The city of Arcata voted for impeachment on Jan. 6. The city and county of San Francisco voted Yes on Feb. 28. The Sonoma County Democrat Central Committee voted for impeachment on March 16. The townships of Newfane, Brookfield, Dummerston, Marlboro and Putney in Vermont all voted for impeachment the first week of March.
The New Mexico State Democrat Party convention rallied on March 18 for "the impeachment of George Bush and his lawful removal from office." The national Green Party called for impeachment on Jan. 3. Op-ed writers at the St. Petersburg Times, Newsday, Yale Daily News, Barrons, the Detroit Free Press and the Boston Globe have called for impeachment. The San Francisco Bay Guardian, The Nation and Harpers published cover articles calling for impeachment.
As of March 16, 32 members of the US House of Representatives have signed on as co-sponsors to House Resolution 635, which would create a select committee to look into the grounds for recommending President Bush's impeachment.
Polls show that nearly a majority of Americans favor impeachment. In October, Public Affairs Research found that 50 percent of Americans said that President Bush should be impeached if he lied about the war in Iraq. A Zogby International poll from early November found that 53 percent of Americans say, "If President Bush did not tell the truth about his reasons for going to war with Iraq, Congress should consider holding him accountable through impeachment." A March 16 poll by American Research Group showed that 42 percent of Americans favored impeaching Bush.
Despite all this advocacy and sentiment for impeachment, corporate media have yet to cover this emerging mass movement. The Bangor Daily News simply reported on March 17 that former US Attorney General Ramsey Clark has set up the Web site Votetoimpeach.org and that other groups are using the Internet to push impeachment. The Wall Street Journal, on March 16, editorialized about how it is just "the loony left" seeking impeachment, but perhaps some Democrats in Congress will join in feeding on the "bile of the censure/ impeachment brigades."
The corporate media are ignoring the broadening call for impeachment — wishing perhaps it will just go away. Television news and talk shows have mentioned impeachment over 100 times in the past few months, mostly, however, in the context of US Sen. Russ Feingold's censure bill and the lack of broad Democrat support for censure or impeachment. Nothing on television news gives the impression that millions of Americans are calling for the impeachment of Bush and his cohorts.
The Bush administration lied about Iraq, illegally spied on US citizens and continues war crimes in the Middle East. Despite corporate media's inability to hear the demands for impeachment, the groundswell of outrage continues to expand."

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Jul 06 - 06:04 PM

Cindy Sheehan's Other Son Drowns In New Orleans

WASHINGTON, DC—According to White House sources, President Bush is bracing for intensified criticism following Monday's report that the body of Tyler Sheehan, son of outspoken anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan, was recovered from the receding floodwaters in New Orleans.
Enlarge ImageBush Braces As Cindy Sheehan's Other Son Drowns In New Orleans

Although the White House has not released a statement, a firestorm of controversy is expected to follow the death of the dynamic, well-liked young man, who was working on a levee-upkeep crew while completing the EMT-certification training he needed to become a firefighter.

"Tyler was the very picture of an American hero," said Jorge Guiterrez, an Ochsner Hospital orderly present when Sheehan evacuated dozens of patients from its intensive-care unit. "He pulled off-the-clock double shifts moving guys in wheelchairs, guys without arms, guys on dialysis—you name it, he got them on a bus to Baton Rouge."

Before Sheehan moved to New Orleans, he was a struggling coho-salmon fisherman in Oregon's Klamath Basin. However, when the Bush Administration relaxed federal protection of the endangered fish, Sheehan's catch became contaminated with mercury. He gave up fishing and moved to Oakland, CA, where he opened a free clinic, which lost its federal funding in 2002 for giving out oral contraceptives to poor women.

A recent transplant to Louisiana, Sheehan reportedly went above and beyond the call of duty to aid imperiled New Orleans residents, dispensing bottled water and first aid to dazed hurricane survivors between shifts at the breached Canal Street levee.

Sheehan was last seen Sept. 4, hours after he and his levee crew sustained injuries while attempting to shore up storm-weakened levee pilings. According to sources, contaminated water laced with slicks of petroleum from a recently deregulated, poorly fortified refinery ignited, causing third-degree burns among the workers. Survivors recall seeing Tyler, badly injured and without the life jacket and medical kit denied him by recent budget cuts, digging survivors out of the wreckage.

"I don't know how we would have gotten out of there without Tyler," said Dom Ghivarello, Sheehan's crew chief. "Once we got clear of the break, we had no way of getting to high ground without our utility truck, which was requisitioned by the Defense Department last month for use in Iraq. But Tyler threw me his truck keys and went back to help others. That's the last I saw of him."

Sheehan moved to New Orleans in 2004 to take a year off from the University of California at Berkeley, where administrators had temporarily suspended the stem-cell research program in which he was enrolled in hopes of helping to combat his younger sister Ruth's spinal meningitis. Friends report that his public spirit continued in the Big Easy, as he delivered meals to elderly New Orleans residents affected by recent Medicare cuts, and doggedly petitioned the Justice Department for the release of his life partner, Amin Sagheer, who has been detained without charge at Guantanamo Bay for nearly three years.

"He made service to his fellow citizens his number-one priority," Ghivarello said. "He made that vow back in 1998, when his best friend, a developmentally disabled black juvenile, was put to death in Texas for a crime he didn't commit."

Cindy Sheehan was unavailable for comment, as she was busy trying to contact her lone surviving son Teddy, a meteorologist studying global warming with the International Geophysical Foundation in Antarctica, who is believed to be marooned on a 45-square-mile chunk of the shrinking Ross Ice Shelf that broke off Tuesday morning.

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Peace
Date: 08 Jul 06 - 06:20 PM

That's a September 21, 2005 article from The Onion.

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 08 Jul 06 - 06:41 PM

Guest, you should be disgusted with yourself.. Stealing a thread with such garbage.

Have you no decency?


A

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Jul 06 - 06:55 PM

The Onion is Amos's favorite news source.