[ufpj-news] New Year's Resolution: 4 easy steps to impeach Cheney (already signed on by 24 Reps)
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2008 WILL BE THE YEAR A BI-PARTISIAN EFFORT TAKES BACK OUR DEMOCRACY:
*Let’s start with IMPEACHMENT in the form of Resolution 799,*
*which impeaches (charges) Cheney,*
*and is already supported by 24 legislators.*
In this email, you will find one or more ways to support the growing
movement for impeachment and why it should concern both democrats and
republicans:
(Please note, if a web site cannot be accessed, google the theme of the
website.)
*I.* Find out a bit about the history of impeachment and how it works.
*ll*. Find out how to start your own impeachment group. Or go to an
established organization and convince them to start providing the
platform for both listening to people's concerns on impeachment and
educating them about the whys and wherefores of the process. In
Milwaukee, Representative Gwen Moore came to support Resolution 799 for
the impeachment of Cheney with the help of the Peace Action
organization, using the process described below.
*lll.* Individually, you can sign the following petitions, and call your
representatives and senators (right up to Speaker of the House
Nancy Pelosi) to encourage them to support impeachment. (800 numbers are
included below.)
*IV*. Read more about how the corporate media is starting to give voice
to the growing number of Americans who support impeachment.
*I. Impeachment: What is it?*
Though some believe it is too late, Andrew Johnson was impeached in
less than four months.
Impeachment is also a restraining force regarding power: At our
Milwaukee city hall, John Nichols, who has immersed himself in this
subject with his book, _The Genius of Impeachment: The Founders’ _
_Cure for Royalism_, told the story of a – as he described him –
“Kucinich-like” representative who pushed for the impeachment of
President Polk for misleading the American people with false
intelligence concerning the initiation of the Mexican-American War.
Though Polk was never impeached, he did not run for a second term,
even though he had been a popular president. The Kucinich-like
representative? Abraham Lincoln. Using this story as one example,
Nichols revealed how the threat of impeachment, when wielded
wisely, can be a powerful tool against an executive branch that is
abusing its power.
For impeachment (which simply means to be charged), a majority vote
is required in the House of Representatives. (The charges are called The
Articles of Impeachment.) If a majority is reached, the
case is heard in the Senate with the Senate serving as “jury.” A
conviction, which requires a two-thirds vote, results in removal from
office.
Conservative Constitutional Scholar Bruce Fein, who writes a weekly
article for /The Washington Times/ and wrote the first article of
impeachment (the charges) against President Bill Clinton, concurs. “The
founding fathers /expected/ an executive who tried to overreach and
/expected/ the executive would be hampered and curtailed by the
legislative branch (emphasis added) …they [Congress] have basically
renounced – walked away from their responsibility to oversee and check.”
*At Milwaukee’s town hall meeting, John Nichols, writer for The Nation,
stated clearly and with deeply considered insight, “On January 20, 2009,
if George Bush and Dick Cheney are not appropriately held to account,
this Administration will hand off a toolbox with more powers than any
President has ever had, more powers than the founders could have
imagined. That box may be handed to Hillary Clinton or it may be handed
to Mitt Romney or Barack Obama or someone else. But whoever gets it, one
of the things we know about power is that people don’t give away the
tools. The only way we take those tools out of the box is if we sanction
George Bush and Dick Cheney now and say the next president cannot govern
as these men have.”*
As a district that has gotten their representative to support the
Impeachment of Cheney in Resolution 799, we are providing you with a
template of how we proceeded.
In fact, 24 Representatives now support impeachment. *Please work to
secure impeachment of VP Cheney by strongly encouraging your
Representative to vote for Resolution 799 as the first step in
impeachment proceedings.*
*ll. To start an impeachment group in your district,*
*A1.* Look to connect to a group that already exists that might
support or take on the impeachment initiative. (Educate friends,
especially those without access to broader media with the balanced,
bi-partisan Bill Moyers' show—See ll to increase broad support for
impeachment.)
or
*A2.* Go to Meetup.com and list impeachment as a potential meeting
topic and see if you can bring a group together.
*B.* Sponsor viewings of one of Bill Moyer’s most watched shows (Go
to http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07132007/profile.html to watch or
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07132007/transcript4.html
to read) from July 13 , 2007 with John Nichols of The Nation and
Conservative Constitutional Scholar Bruce Fein, who wrote the first
articles of impeachment against Clinton, to learn why they both think
impeachment is important. Discuss the show afterward and invite
people to a future town hall meeting.
*C.* Sponsor a town hall meeting, ideally at a significant place.
(In Milwaukee it was at the city hall.) Invite speakers to explain
why impeachment is important. Have attendees write postcards to
their representative, and their two senators. Provide them with an
action plan to encourage others to support impeachment.
*D.* Sponsor ongoing calling to your representative telling them to
impeach Cheney with Resolution 799 (followed by Bush) and/or visit
your representative with the same message.
E. Come up with your own creative way to push forward the impeachment
effort.
Please spread this far and wide to friends and organizations in other
districts and states, and if you have any other questions or ideas, feel
free to write back at this email address. Thanks for all you do and for
all WE’LL do together in 2008 to reclaim our country’s Constitution!
*lll. Things you can do individually to support impeachment*
* *
*A*. Sign the petition at:
http://www.impeachbush.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Referendum
*B.* Go to this site and sign on to Rep. WEXLER’S PETITION to call
for the start of impeachment hearings in the House Judiciary
Committee. http://wexlerwantshearings.com/
* C.* Go to this site to ask the WHOLE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE to start
impeachment proceedings:
http://www.democrats.com/topelosiandjudiciary
<http://www.democrats.com/topelosiandjudiciary>
*D.* Contact your local newspaper(s) and tell them you want more
reporting on impeachment.
*E.* And Email
CONG. NANCY PELOSI http://www.speaker.gov/contact/ HARRY REID
http://reid.senate.gov/contact/email_form.cfm
AND JOHN CONYERS
john.c...@mail.house.gov (can’t click – you’ll have to email
him)
TOLL FREE NUMBERS TO CALL PELOSI, CONYERS, REID, WEXLER and your
representative.
800-828-0498, 800-459-1887 or 800-614-2803
telling/ them you want impeachment.
*lV. Cheney Impeachment Cracks Corporate Media*
*A.* Congressman Robert Wexler writes:
"The mainstream media has awakened to this movement and to the
extraordinary support you have given it. Your calls, letters, and
emails have clearly made a difference. Already 140,000 people have
joined us in demanding impeachment hearings for Vice President
Dick Cheney."
Congress is watching, so... Add your name!
http://www.wexlerwantshearings.com
The op-ed posted at that site was originally rejected by corporate
newspapers. Now, the Philadelphia Inquirer has published it, the
Miami Herald has published an edited version, and numerous newspapers
have reported on the growing push for impeachment in the House
Judiciary Committee.
Listen to Rep. Wexler, Bob Fertik, David Swanson, and Dave Lindorff
on a recent online radio show here:
http://www.BlogTalkRadio.com/fpc/2007/12/21/The-Impeachment
<http://www.blogtalkradio.com/fpc/2007/12/21/The-Impeachment>
Ask your local newspapers to publish the op-ed, and ask the
national media to cover impeachment
http://afterdowningstreet.org/node/1084
Learn and do more: http://impeachcheney.org
Start a Cheney Chain E letter by forwarding this Email to everyone
you know and asking them to do the same!
_______________________
>
*> B.* Calling All Lawyers
>
> Are you a lawyer, or do you know one?
>
The American Freedom Campaign wants 1,000 lawyers to co-sign a
letter to House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers and Senate Judiciary
Chairman Patrick Leahy to launch hearings into the possibility that
crimes have been committed by this administration in violation
of the Constitution, federal statutes, and international treaties.
>
The letter does not explicitly call for impeachment hearings, but
says: "We call for the investigations to go where they must,
including into the offices of the President and the Vice President.
Should these hearings demonstrate that laws have in fact been
broken by this administration, we support all such legal and
congressional actions necessary to ensure the survival of our
Constitution and the nation we love.”
>
The first 70 signers include Nan Aron, Marjorie Cohn, *Bruce Fein,* (The
conservative constitutional writer from the above-mentioned Bill Moyers
program), Eva Paterson, Michael Ratner, Vince Warren, Derrick Bell, John
Bonifaz, Erwin Chemerinsky, Mario Cuomo, Elizabeth de la Vega, Aziz
Huq, Jamin Raskin, Herman Schwartz, and Lawrence Velvel.
Lawyers please add your name here: http://tinyurl.com/2wanxq
>
> _______________________
>
> *C.* Join Gore Vidal, Dennis Kucinich, and David Swanson
>
On Sunday, January 6, from 8-10 p.m. ET, you can participate in a
forum on "Separation and Balance of Power" live video streamed at
>
> The Panelists are: * Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich of Ohio, Candidate for
> President of the United States. * David Swanson, Co-founder of
> www.afterdowningstreet.org * Gore Vidal, World renowned author,
> playright and peace activist.
>
This program will will feature live audience participation along
with questions received by email from the viewing audience. If you
are in New Hampshire, please join us live at 540 N. Commercial Street
in Manchester.
>
> _______________________
>
> *D.* Cries for Justice Will Converge on DC on 1/11
>
On December 1st, a former college professor named John Nirenberg
left Boston, Massachusetts, to begin a one-man march to Nancy
Pelosi's office in Washington, D.C., to demand that she restore our
Constitution and lift her ban on the use of its most central
check on abuses of power: impeachment. John plans to arrive in
Washington, D.C., on January 11th, and we should all be there to
welcome him:
>
> Learn More: http://www.marchinmyname.org
>
> _______________________
>
*> E.* What People Are Saying About "Impeach Bush and Cheney" Bracelets
> >
Katherine B. writes: "I just wanted to let you know that I was
thrilled I got the bracelets in time for the Springsteen show in DC.
We (the members of a popular website for Springsteen fans) had a big
pre-party before the show I used the bracelets to help raise
money for our charity, HUNGRY FOR MUSIC which was founded by ESB
guitar player, Nils Lofgren. I had no problem selling them and I
probably could have sold another 25 of them. We ended up raising $500
for the charity. They were a hit and I hope to get one to The
Boss himself when he returns to the US. I wear mine proudly. Thanks again."
>
> GET YOURS: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/bracelet
>
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> >
*G.* Forward this message to everyone you know!
/Informant: D. Metke
/
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