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.
Yeah, I'm a throwback alright...
I must be wrong then. Sorry for justice not rendered. Once this was a country to look up to. That's all gone now. The Demoncrats live in a false world, and now almost half the US believes in their world. This can only end badly for us all.
"Who cares. They'd vote for anything."
No doubt. I bet a few percent would vote to become a firetruck.
At that moment, I decided that I really, REALLY like this Cheney guy... wish he'd consider running for 2008 :-)
You're not kidding. Last year I had to slowly navigate through some leftovers from the 60's at Coolidge Corner on the way to BC last fall. They started banging my car with their signs when they saw the Healy-Hillman sign in the rear window. I have Senior Citizens and my teenage daughter in the car. I rolled down the window and told the cop I had a 9-iron in the trunk if he didn't want to do his job. He advised me to keep going.
More background: apparently, there was also a "cut and run now" resolution being pushed by none other than Cindy Sheehan that passed in 20 towns.
Text of the resolutions:
Here is the text of each of the two resolutions:
IMPEACHMENT RESOLUTION
Whereas George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney have:
1. deliberately misled the nation about the threat from Iraq in order to justify a war,
2. condoned the torture of prisoners in violation of the Geneva Convention and US law,
3. approved illegal electronic surveillance of American citizens without a warrant, and,
Whereas these actions have undermined our Constitutional system of government, damaged the reputation of America, and threatened our national security,
Therefore, the voters of the town of _____________________ call upon the U.S. House of Representatives to investigate these charges, and if the investigation supports the charges, vote to impeach George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney as provided in the Constitution of the United States of America. This resolution shall be signed by the Town Clerk and forwarded to both the Speaker and the Clerk of the US House of Representatives, and Representative John Conyers of the House Judiciary Committee.
SOLDIERS HOME NOW RESOLUTION
"Shall the voters of the town of ____________________ advise the President, Congress and Vermont’s state and federal office holders that _____________________ and its citizens strongly support the men and women serving in all branches of the United States Armed Forces in Iraq and believe that the best way to support them is to bring each and every one of them home now and take good care of them when they get home."
http://www.vermontguardian.com/local/032007/TownMeetingImpeach.shtml
It is a wonder that a greater percentage of Americans (and the world) aren't totally brainwashed to the Democrats false beliefs. The worlds media and educational systems have been mostly high-jacked by the radical liberal cabals. It is the Soviet model imposed upon the world. Gain control of the media and educational systems and you can control minds and overrun civilizations without firing a shot. I believe Nikita Kruschev outlined the plan for us in great detail. It is playing out masterfully as the brainwashed zombies march toward enslavement like rats following the Pied Piper.
I was calling out to Him for patience and understanding.
No, of course not.
Here's hoping.
Vermont...Canada??? Same same, GI.
Vermont = Quagmire.
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