When the Groud Swells; There's a Movement at Foot

[MAX-1]

LiNk (http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/9306)

State Legislators in 2 States Introduce Impeachment Resolutions - More States Expected Soon

State legislators in Illinois and California have introduced resolutions (details below) to initiate impeachment proceedings against President Bush and Vice President Cheney.

The Jefferson Manual of rules for the U.S. House of Representatives allows state legislatures to initiate impeachment proceedings by submitting charges to Congress.

In Vermont, Representative David Zuckerman plans to introduce a similar resolution this week. In Pennsylvania, State Senator Jim Ferlo is collecting signatures on petitions calling for Congress to launch an impeachment inquiry.

Eleven cities and towns have already passed resolutions calling for impeachment. At 9 a.m. on May 1, Ellen Tenney, a small business owner in Rockingham, VT, will lead a delegation presenting a number of these resolutions to House Speaker Dennis Hastert at his office, 235 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, D.C.

In other signs that impeachment is becoming a national movement and cultural phenomenon:

Congresswoman Maxine Waters will speak at a major forum on impeachment at the California Democratic Party Convention in Sacramento on April 29, along with leading Constitutional scholars, impeachment activists, and California Assemblyman Paul Koretz
Zbigniew Brzezinski, the National Security Advisor to President Carter from 1977 to 1981 and a well-known hawk, wrote in the Los Angeles Times that an attack on Iran would be an impeachable offense
The Los Angeles Times urged President Bush to fire Vice President Cheney
Watergate reporter Carl Bernstein, in Vanity Fair, called for a bipartisan investigation of Bush.
60 Minutes broke an explosive story that Saddam's Foreign Minister told the CIA that Iraq had no WMD's, which was conveyed to President Bush by George Tenet in the fall of 2002 - and then deliberately ignored because "the policy was set. The War in Iraq was coming."
Neil Young will release a new album this week containing "Let's Impeach the President," which is creating tremendous buzz in the music world
Red Hot Chili Peppers' bass player Flea called for Bush's impeachment on the band's website
Ed Asner recorded a public service announcement for AfterDowningStreet.org urging Congress to investigate possible crimes
Lord of the Rings star Viggo Mortensen joined a long list of congressional candidates, scholars, and activists as a member of a Citizens Impeachment Commission: http://impeachpac.org/citizens

ILLINOIS:

Three members of the Illinois General Assembly have introduced a bill that urges the General Assembly to submit charges to the U. S. House of Representatives to initiate impeachment proceedings against the President of the United States, George W. Bush, for willfully violating his Oath of Office to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States and if found guilty urges his removal from office and disqualification to hold any other office in the United States. The text of the Illinois bill and information on its status are available here: http://tinyurl.com/nhs3r

The bill takes up the issues of illegal spying, torture, detentions without charge or trial, manipulation of pre-war intelligence, and the leaking of classified information. These are the sponsors:

Rep. Karen A. Yarbrough, phone (217) 782-8120 or (708) 615-1747; fax (708) 615-1745

Rep Sara Feigenholtz , phone (217) 782-8062 or (773) 296-4141; fax (217) 557-7203 or (773) 296-0993

Rep. Eddie Washington phone (217) 558-1012 or (847) 623-0060, fax (847) 623-6078

CALIFORNIA:

California Assemblyman Paul Koretz of Los Angeles (where the LA Times has now called for Cheney's resignation) has submitted amendments to Assembly Joint Resolution No. 39, calling for the impeachment of President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard Cheney. The amendments reference Section 603 of Jefferson's Manual of the Rules of the United States House of Representatives, which allows federal impeachment proceedings to be initiated by joint resolution of a state legislature.

The resolution, in the words of Koretz's press release, "bases the call for impeachment upon the Bush Administration intentionally misleading the Congress and the American people regarding the threat from Iraq in order to justify an unnecessary war that has cost billions of dollars and thousands of lives and casualties; exceeding constitutional authority to wage war by invading Iraq; exceeding constitutional authority by Federalizing the National Guard; conspiring to torture prisoners in violation of the 'Federal Torture Act' and indicating intent to continue such actions; spying on American citizens in violation of the 1978 Foreign Agency Surveillance Act; leaking and covering up the leak of the identity of Valerie Plame Wilson, and holding American citizens without charge or trial."

Koretz submitted amendments gutting AJR No. 39, a resolution unrelated to impeachment, to the Assembly Rules Committee. The Rules Committee may take up the bill this week for referral, allowing him to formally introduce the amended resolution.

AJR 39 is a bill introduced in January by Koretz calling for a moratorium on depleted uranium:
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/bill/asm/ab_0001-0050/ajr_39_bill_20060104_introduced.html

"At both the state and national levels," Koretz said, "we will be paying for the Bush Administration's illegal actions and terrible lack of judgment and competence for decades—not only in the billions of dollars wasted on the war and welfare for the rich, but in the worldwide loss of respect for America and Americans. Bush and Cheney must be impeached and removed from office before they undertake even deadlier misdeeds, such as the use of nuclear weapons. There are no bounds to their willingness to ignore the Constitution and world opinion—we can't afford to wait for the next disaster and hope that we can survive it."

Contact Paul Michael Neuman in Koretz's District Office: phone (310) 285-5490.

NATIONAL MOVEMENT AND RESOURCES:

ImpeachPAC is working with Progressive Democrats of America and local activists to pass similar resolutions around the country, and has created a kit to assist local organizations in the task:

http://www.impeachpac.org/resolutions

"Impeachment activists just hit the trifecta," said ImpeachPAC President Bob Fertik. "From Vermont to Illinois to California, and everywhere in between, Americans want to hold Bush accountable for his well-documented crimes. It's time for Congress to represent the will of the American people and begin impeachment proceedings - before Bush tries to 'wag the elephant' by dropping nuclear bombs on Iran."

"Progressive Democrats of America is excited to see the impeachment movement moving forward at the city, state and national levels," said Tim Carpenter, director of PDA. "These recent state efforts are positive proof that a majority of Americas are ready to take action and impeach President Bush and Vice President Cheney. Now it is time for Congress to step up."

Members of the Citizens Impeachment Commission are available for interviews:

http://impeachpac.org/citizens

Members of After Downing Street are available for interviews:

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/speakers

BASIC STATISTICS

States that have introduced Impeachment Resolutions:

Illinois, California

Resolutions Urging Impeachment Passed By

Towns and Cities:11

State Democratic Parties: 5

Local Democratic Committees: 25

Full list: http://impeachpac.org/resolutions

Funds raised by ImpeachPAC: $63,316 from 1,656 donors

Candidates Endorsed by ImpeachPAC: 3

List: http://impeachpac.org/candidates

Congress Members sponsoring H Res 635: 34

List: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/635

Senators Supporting Censure: 3

List: http://www.democrats.com/senate-censure

Americans Favoring Impeachment: between 26 and 53%

Polls: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/polling

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[Keith]

"When the Groud Swells; There's a ...."

big fart coming. http://members.aol.com/dheitm8612/animated/roflao.gif

[wodinoneeye]

"When the Groud Swells; There's a ...."

big fart coming. http://members.aol.com/dheitm8612/animated/roflao.gif


For politicos who cant be trusted to get potholes filled in their own states and without first taking a poll -- its just more libtard drool....

Didnt they once "introduced resolutions" in California to create a tourist bureau for space aliens??? Only retards think that most "introduced resolutions" these days have anything to do with reality or proper responsibility.


The libtards never got over Bush winning in 2000 and again in 2004.


Heres the Eternal Flame of Libtard Delusions :

http://members.aol.com/dheitm8612/animated/torch.gif


Let us hope that someday when it is finally snuffed out, it will be through Enlightenment instead of Nerve Gas.

[MAX-1]

"When the Groud Swells; There's a ...."

big fart coming. http://members.aol.com/dheitm8612/animated/roflao.gifNo no no silly.
That's when the belly swells...

[MAX-1]

NOW WE ADD VERMONT TO THE LIST

LiNk (http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/9389)

Vermont lawmakers to call for Bush impeachment

By Shay Totten | Vermont Guardian

BURLINGTON — A Progressive lawmaker today will introduce a formal resolution in the state Legislature calling on Congress to draft articles of impeachment against Pres. George W. Bush.

Rep. Dave Zuckerman, P-Burlington, claims support from at least a dozen lawmakers, including Democrats, Progressives and one independent, and expects to have more co-signers before handing the resolution into the House clerk later today.

The following legislators have signed onto the resolution as of early Tuesday: Rep. George Cross, D-Winooski; Rep. Winston Dowland, P-Holland; Rep. Michael Fisher, D-Lincoln; Rep. Steve Green, D-Berlin; Rep. Sandy Haas, P-Rochester; Rep. Jason Lorber, D-Burlington; Rep. Jim McCullough, D-Williston; Rep. Chris Pearson, P-Burlington; Rep. Kathy Pellett, D-Chester; Rep. Daryl Pillsbury, I-Brattleboro; Rep. Dexter Randall, P-North Troy; Rep. Ann Seibert, D-Norwich.

The resolution lays out a broad case for impeachment, ranging from wiretapping U.S. citizens to lying about reasons for going to war in Iraq. It is modeled, in part, after recent resolutions approved by county Democratic committees

“We should not get into perpetual impeachment proceedings with every president, and if you disagree with their policies you should work through the democratic process,” said Zuckerman. “However, no president is above the law, and while Republicans used impeachment to carry out a policy disagreement with a president, this is about a president who thinks he’s king. We threw that notion overboard more than 200 years ago.”

Zuckerman, who has been mulling this resolution since February, put it on hold as the session gathered steam and he considered making his own bid for the U.S. House. Then county Democratic committees took up the call, as did several towns.

“I thought it was appropriate to give those grassroots efforts time,” he said.

Zuckerman is relying on the Jefferson Manual of rules for the U.S. House of Representatives that allows state legislatures to initiate impeachment proceedings by submitting charges to Congress.

State Democrats earlier this month sidestepped the Legislature in response to a grassroots effort among various county committees to get lawmakers to initiate such proceedings. Top lawmakers voiced tepid support for legislative action, saying it was coming at a time when too many policy discussions were being made on the budget, health care and transportation.

Speaker Gaye Symington, D-Jericho, said she had not seen Zuckerman’s resolution, but expected it would have to be sent to either the House Government Operations Committee or the House Judiciary Committee before being brought to a full vote.

“If this is based on the county committee language, then the language that I’ve seen in the county committee level would require testimony along the lines of providing due process,” said Symington. “I don’t think it would be appropriate for the Legislature to make sweeping accusations without testimony. We have to uphold the right of due process, even with someone I disagree with as vehemently as I do with Pres. Bush.”

Given the likelihood of the session coming to a close within the next week or so, the resolution may not yield a floor vote.

Jim Barnett, chairman of the Vermont Republican Party, decried the impeachment resolution, calling it a purely partisan maneuver with little, if any, benefit for Vermonters.

"Instead of focusing on the real priorities and needs of the people of Vermont — like affordable health care, property tax relief, college scholarships and good paying jobs — Democrats in the Legislature continue to consume themselves with partisan fantasies of impeaching the president, raising the gas tax, and banning the cropping of dogs' ears."

Zuckerman’s effort comes on the heels of a letter written by Rep. Richard Marek, D-Newfane, which was signed by 56 members of the House, including Symington, and 13 members of the Senate. No Republicans signed the letter.

Marek’s letter, which is being sent to the members of Vermont's congressional delegation, states that many Vermonters believe Pres. Bush violated the law and the U.S. Constitution by holding people as “enemy combatants” or beyond their court-ordered release, by ordering secret wiretaps of phone conversations, and by misleading the public on the reasons for invading Iraq.

“These questions raise, both individually and in their totality, issues of the gravest national importance,” the letter states. “Fundamental standards of due process require that such allegations not simply be accepted as true; however, they also cannot and should not be ignored.”

Obtaining “objective answers to these questions is increasingly critical to sustaining public faith in our constitutional system of government and in its requirement for accountability by every president,” it states.

Six Vermont towns passed resolutions on Town Meeting Day calling for Bush’s impeachment.

That was followed by, at last count, at least eight Democratic county committees. The state Democratic Party Committee also has endorsed a measure that asks the Republican-controlled U.S. House to pass articles of impeachment against Bush for misleading the nation on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction and engaging in illegal wiretapping, among other charges.

On May 1, Vermont’s effort moves to the nation’s capital when Vermonters plan to hand deliver their petitions to House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-IL.

The members of Vermont’s congressional delegation, who are not enthusiastic about impeachment, do support hearings that could lead to possible censure.

[Turambar]

took them long enough

[MAX-1]

took them long enoughNo doubt.

Thank goodness Jefferson thought of almost everything. Little did he know that obscurity can be a Godsend to the American people. What good is a House of Representatives when they place their Representational responsibilities as party affiliation over the people's desires? Yep, Jefferson even imagined that. Long live the Republic, for which it stands.

Now, the question is/will be, how to hold those in the Legislation accountable for their complicity to allowing this to happen in the first place.

I mean, sure. At some point they(Congress) must wake up and realize that the charade has an end. Those that fail to do so and continue to back the illegality of the actions of the Administration are just as guilty. At some point, America must draw a line, and she will, but when and where will that line be drawn?

Most certainly not at torture. We don't torture, or do we?
Most certainly not at wire taps. We don't do that, or do we?
Most certainly not at leaking classified ID, operations, information, intelligence; We don't do that, or do we?
Most certainly not at indiscriminate jailing of Americans for an indeterminate time and at an undisclosed location and most certainly not without fair and legal representation. By goodness we don't do that, or do we?
Most certainly not at picking evidence to support a claim to wage a war, only to have been informed three years later that the evidence that was picked was cooked. We don't do that, or do we?
Oh yea, what war?
And the Patriot Act, designed to act on patriots that speak out against the system.

Their charade depends upon the ability that the American people have deftly displayed; Apathy.

And so Jefferson gave a voice to the people of the Republic, that if the House of Representatives fail at being representative of the people they are elected to represent, then the people of the state may wage their own grievances at elected officials, and bypass the House of Representatives, all together.

This IS history in the making.

[MarkDuffy]

This should be good, Max. Using Section 603 of Jefferson's Manual (http://www.c-span.org/guide/congress/glossary/jefferso.htm)

NOTE: Sec. 603 (http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=109_cong_house_rules_manual&docid=hruletx-57.pdf). Inception of impeachment proceedings in the House. This refers to Jefferson's Manual-the House uses it as a supplement to its
standing rules.>>
In the House there are various methods of setting an impeachment in motion:

[...] by charges transmitted from the legislature of a State (III, 2469) (link (http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/3/1/235828/9378))

In other news...

Karl Rove went & testilied again. Then Fitzgerald met with the Grand Jury. I hear that Fitzgerald has only met with the Grand Jury once before & that resulted in the five Indictments of Scooter Libby.

Ambassador Wilson might just get his "Karl Rove frog-marched out of the White House in handcuffs" but I seriously doubt if it will be that dramatic. I still do not trust Fitzgerald as being a Patriot.

The desperate GOP has taken over the floundering bushtanic & installed new White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten to right the ship. One of the very first things he did was to fire Rove from policy & title and send him back to what Rove does best. Illegal/Immoral Dirty Tricks & Treason. They also fired cheney as president (bush never was). Rove will go quietly.

I also expect Rummy to resign soon...