Posted on 03/07/2007 5:32:56 AM PST by Mr. Brightside
Vermont Votes to Impeach Bush/Cheney
John Nichols
Wed Mar 7, 12:36 AM ET
The Nation -- When Vermont Governor Jim Douglas, a Republican with reasonably close ties to President Bush, asked if there was any additional business to be considered at the town meeting he was running in Middlebury, Ellen McKay popped up and proposed the impeachment of Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.
The governor was not amused. As moderator of the annual meeting, he tried to suggest that the proposal to impeach -- along with another proposal to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq -- could not be voted on.
But McKay, a program coordinator at Middlebury College, pressed her case. And it soon became evident that the crowd at the annual meeting shared her desire to hold the president to account.
So Douglas backed down.
"It became clear that no one was going home until they had the chance to discuss the resolutions and vote on them," explained David Rosenberg, a political science professor at Middlebury College. "And being a good politician, he allowed the vote to happen."
By an overwhelming voice vote, Middlebury called for impeachment.
So it has gone this week at town meetings across Vermont, most of which were held Tuesday.
Late Tuesday night, there were confirmed reports that 35 towns had backed impeachment resolutions, and the number was expected to rise.
In one town, Putney, the vote for impeachment was unanimous.
In addition to Governor Douglas's Middlebury, the town of Hartland, which is home to Congressman Peter Welch (news, bio, voting record), backed impeachment. So, too, did Jericho, the home of Gaye Symington, the speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives.
Organizers of the grassroots drive to get town meetings to back impeachment resolutions hope that the overwhelming support the initiative has received will convince Welch to introduce articles of impeachment against Bush and Cheney. That's something the Democratic congressman is resisting, even though his predecessor, Bernie Sanders, signed on last year to a proposal by Michigan Congressman John Conyers (news, bio, voting record) to set up a House committee to look into impeachment.
Vermont activists also want their legislature to approve articles of impeachment and forward them to Congress. But Symington, also a Democrat, has discouraged the initiative, despite the fact that more than 20 representatives have cosponsored an impeachment resolution.
"It's going to be hard for Peter Welch and Gaye Symington to say there's no sentiment for impeachment, now that their own towns have voted for it," says Dan DeWalt, a Newfane, Vermont, town selectman who started the impeachment initiative last year in his town, and who now plans to launch a campaign to pressure Welch and Symington to respect and reflect the will of the people.
It is going to be even harder for Governor Douglas, who just this month spent two nights at the Bush White House, to face his president.
After all, Douglas now lives in a town that is on record in support of Bush's impeachment and trial for high crimes and misdemeanors.
For the record, Middlebury says:
We the people have the power -- and the responsibility -- to remove executives who transgress not just the law, but the rule of law.
The oaths that the President and Vice President take binds them to "preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States." The failure to do so forms a sound basis for articles of impeachment.
The President and Vice President have failed to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution" in the following ways:
1. They have manipulated intelligence and misled the country to justify an immoral, unjust, and unnecessary preemptive war in Iraq.
2. They have directed the government to engage in domestic spying without warrants, in direct contravention of U.S. law.
3. They have conspired to commit the torture of prisoners, in violation of the Federal Torture Act and the Geneva Convention.
4. They have ordered the indefinite detention without legal counsel, without charges and without the opportunity to appear before a civil judicial officer to challenge the detention -- all in violation of U.S. law and the Bill of Rights.
When strong evidence exists of the most serious crimes, we must use impeachment -- or lose the ability of the legislative branch to compel the executive branch to obey the law.
George Bush has led our country to a constitutional crisis, and it is our responsibility to remove him from office.
What's Vermont? ;)
Impeachment is the same as an indictment.
Exactly what law has been broken?
Answer: NONE.
You can't impeach someone for performing actions allowed by their office.
Bill Clinton was impeached for perjury. Lying under oath before a legislative or judicial body, i.e., purjury, is a crime.
White guilt and PC run amok - thats Vermont. And all of it is neatly packaged in quaint little villages with 99.99% white folks who fancy themselves as arbiters of whats right for everyone else. Eff em.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
While reading your description of Putney, I swear I heard Seals and Croft singing, "Summer Breeze."
I vote we keep the state and deport those unAmericans
All those Howard Dean robots should choke on their syrup. Personally I'll never buy another drop of Vermont maple. I'll make do with Aunt Jemima's buttery fake maple syrup.
Vermont votes to overthrow constitution and have parliamentary government.
Can't we arrange a trade with Canada? They get Vermont and we get Alberta?
I've just passed legislation outlawing Vermont forever. The bombing begins in five minutes.
It is starting to soung like a game of Monopoly. I don't think they want Vermont, either.
I was working at IBM doing contract work, was eating at a restaurant on the patio and this thing walked by in a sun dress. A male, this is Vermont, San Fran east. Bernie and Leaky must be overjoyed.
In related news, it was announced that Vermont and Wisconsin have been traded to Canada for Alberta, Saskatchewan, and a province to be named later.
Now that’s funny. I guess the whole “non-binding” thing is becoming popular.
We have towns in Maine that were taken over by the old commune communities. One of them called Unity gets so busy during the marijuana harvest that potato chip vendors can't keep chips on the shelves. The entire town gets the munchies.
What would the good people of Vermont know about black people?
According to the US Census, Vermont is 97% white and a whopping .6% black. Presumably, for Vermonters to care about black people, they'd have to meet one.
Sounds like the hippie dippy Putneyite I used to work with. Did he/she have a full handlebar moustache and tortoise-rim glasses?
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