Town meeting in Pittsboro tonight, call-in Wednesday, and other updates

Durham has been asked to pass impeachment
resolutions and a vote is coming up.  There is an
article about it in the Monday Herald-Sun (available
online at www.herald-sun.com/durham/4-737104.html).
There will probably be a call-in radio show about
it 7-9am Wednesday on WPTF Raleigh 680 AM, between 1
or 2 GRIM members and Durham City Council member
Eugene Brown, who opposes our local resolutions.  We
could use supportive calls (I think it is a
rightist station) and shows of support for the
Durham resolutions, whether in letters or at the meeting when they
are voted upon. I think the 4th Congressional District
Democrats just passed an impeachment resolution also.  A GRIM website is being created, probably at www.grassrootsimpeachment.org. 

 

Pittsboro town meeting tonight!

Come discuss the case for impeaching Bush and Cheney,
the process, and what citizens can do, Tuesday, May
23rd, 7-9pm at the Superior Courhouse, Pittsboro
Traffic Circle. Featured are local youth activists,
Rev Carrie Bolton, civil rights lawyer Al McSurely,
former Congressional candidate Kent Kanoy, and
singer/songwriter Janet Bratter. Music will be
provided by the local chapter of the Raging Grannies.

This meeting was organized by the non-partisan Grass
Roots Impeachment Movement (organizer of the Carrboro,
Chapel Hill, Durham and Hillsborough impeachment town
meetings).

For more info. visit
http://www.impeachbushcheney.net/#hearings

[You can join GRIM's listserve at
www.impeachbushcheney.net .]
 

impeachment resolutions in Carrboro and Chapel Hill

Below is the text of the two-part impeachment resolution passed by the Carrboro Board of Aldermen sometime recently.  Earlier this month, maybe it was last Tuesday, the Chapel Hill Town Council passed a similar resolution (news article and probably eventually the text posted at www.impeachbushcheney.net).  The progress of House Res. 635 (see also 636 and 637), and other bills in Congress, can be followed by searching  thomas.loc.gov.  I think GRIM will propose a Durham City resolution at a Council working meeting Thursday at 7pm.  David Sokal is leading that effort.  I have been talking to an NC Libertarian Party leader who was planning to submit an impeachment resolution at their convention this month, but some problems took precedence this time.

 

Also, there will be a Pittsboro town meeting later this month, but I can't remember whether it will be May 26th or 23rd, at 7pm.  We are working on a Raleigh meeting for the summer and the NC Green Party wants to organize a town meeting.    

 

The GRIM meeting for May will be this Friday at 7:30pm in Chapel Hill again.  Email me at southplumb at gmail dot com or GRIM for more information.  

 

 

A RESOLUTION CALLING FOR CONGRESSMAN DAVID PRICE TO SUPPORT US HOUSE RESOLUTION 635
 

WHEREAS, George W. Bush has committed high crimes and misdemeanors as he has repeatedly violated the United States Constitution and other laws of the United States, particularly the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and the Torture Convention, which under Article V1 of the constitution is a treaty as part of the "supreme law of the land", and
 

WHEREAS, David Price, upon taking the oath of office to the United States Congress, swore to preserve and defend the Constitution of the United States, and

WHEREAS, The members of the Carrboro Board of Alderman, upon taking the oath of office, each swore to preserve and defend the Constitution of the United States, and
 

NOW THEREFORE, The members of the Carrboro Board of Alderman in order to uphold their oath to defend the Constitution of the United States by supporting House Bill 635 which will create a special committee of the United States Congress to investigate whether the president's misconduct rises to the level of impeachment.

MOTION WAS MADE BY JACQUELYN GIST AND SECONDED BY DAN COLEMAN TO APPROVE THE RESOLUTION CALLING FOR CONGRESSMAN DAVID PRICE TO
SUPPORT U.S. HOUSE RESOLUTION 635.  VOTE: AFFIRMATIVE SIX.  ABSENT: ONE (HAVEN - O'DONNELL)
 

RESOLUTION
 

WHEREAS, Section 603 of the Manual of the Rules of the United States House of Representatives provides for impeachments to be initiated on a motion based on charges transmitted from a state legislature, and
 

WHEREAS, George W. Bush has committed high crimes and misdemeanors as he has repeatedly and intentionally violated the United States Constitution and other laws of the United States, particularly the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and the Torture Convention, which under Article V1 of the constitution is a treaty as part of the "supreme law
of the  land", and
 

WHEREAS, George W. Bush has acted to strip Americans of their constitutional rights by ordering indefinite detention of citizens, without access to legal council, without charge and without opportunity to appear before a civil judicial offer to challenge the detention, based solely on the discretion designation by the President of a U.S. citizen as an enemy combatant", all in subversion of law, and
 

WHEREAS, George W. Bush has ordered and authorized the Attorney General to override judicial orders for the release of detainees under U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services jurisdiction, even though the judicial officer after full hearing has determined that a detainee is held wrongfully by the Government, and
 

WHEREAS, George W. Bush has admitted that he willfully and repeatedly violated the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, and boasted that he would continue to do so, each violation constituting a felony,

NOW THEREFORE, the Town of Carrboro Board of Alderman submits that his actions and admissions constitute ample grounds for his impeachment, and that the General Assembly of the State of North Carolina has good cause for submitting charges to the U.S. House of Representatives under Section 603 as grounds for George W. Bush's impeachment.
 

The Town of Carrboro Board of Alderman further submits that Articles of Impeachment should charge that George W. Bush has violated his constitutional oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, by acting in a manner subversive of constitutional government to the great prejudice of the cause of law and justice, and to the manifest injury of the people of the State of North Carolina and the United States of America.
 

WHEREFORE, George W. Bush, by such conduct, warrants impeachment and trial, removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any offices of honor, trust or profit under the United States of America.
 

MOTION WAS MADE BY JACQUELYN GIST AND SECONDED BY JOHN HERRERA TO APPROVE THE SECOND RESOLUTION AND FORWARD IT TO THE STATE DELEGATION.  VOTE: AFFIRMATIVE SIX.  ABSENT: ONE (HAVEN - O'DONNELL)

Thoughts on the radio show

"What's Left" on NC State's radio station last Wednesday focused on impeachment and had several local and national speakers.  Andy Silver, mainly representing www.impeachbushcheney.net and the orangetoimpeach.blogspot.com, and I were in the studio and spoke for the first quarter of the hour. Next David Swanson, of www.afterdowningstreet.org and well-known to activists for impeachment, came on by phone, probably from Washington.  Next Kent Kanoy and then GRIM co-chair John Heuer joined the discussion by phone.  I thought an hour would be a long while to talk, but we barely scratched the surface and didn't lay out a lot of details about impeachment and local actions.  I didn't have a prepared statement or outline written out, but I think it went well.  The hosts expected calls, but maybe we were clear and people agreed with us.  It was especially an honor to be on the same program with Swanson, but that segment was mainly with the hosts.  I heard that the hosts contacted him on short notice and late at night and got a reply in 5 minutes.  Media requests are probably supposed to go through the website rather than by his personal email though (I noticed a reminder about this on After Downing Street around that time).  

 

Lately impeachment discussions often seem to turn to the possibility of an attack on Iran.  At the Durham town meeting much of the discussion was about this.  Reportedly the US and its allies and proxies are already operating in Iran aggressively.  I wouldn't rule out more overt action, and it could be in a way energizing for us, which might be why it is talked about so much (as in, out of the wish that Bush is crazy enough to seriously advocate attacking Iran and thinking that we could stop it this time).  On Iraq the antiwar movement is winning politically, but maybe losing energy or public interest in the three years of struggle to get this far.  The US has been in Iraq for awhile now, so maybe it is becoming less of a pressing issue to people, the same way US forces in Colombia, Haiti, and supporting rightwing dictators are not high-profile or primary struggles for Americans, judging by the activity level.  Stan Goff's argument that the Bush Administration is not insane and has goals that would be hurt by war with Iran makes sense.  There could be war with Iran, but it is probably unlikely before or near 2008, but we should stay vigilant and denounce the current aggressive and hypocritical moves by the Bush Administration.  After all, the current Iraq War came out of the first war with Iraq about 12 years ago. 

 

 

We also discussed Kanoy's campaign some.  Kanoy got more than 2000 votes I think, more than the Democratic challenger to the right of Price, which represented a few percent of the vote.  Lots of people were voting in my southern Durham precinct, so I thought the turnout was unusually high, but host JohnnyK said only a tiny fraction of the electorate turned out this year. 

 

 

Hopefully this will increase support at NCSU, although the spring semester is ending, and support for the planned Raleigh town meeting.  GRIM is hoping to have one of the representatives sponsoring Conyers' H. Res 635 speak at that meeting.  On What's Left we also brought up passing impeachment resolutions.  Carrboro already passed two resolutions without GRIM's involvement.  On the 15th the Chapel Hill Town Council will be asked to pass a similar resolution and on the 18th we might get started in Durham.  There is also a GRIM meeting coming up Friday, May 15th at 7:30pm, again in Chapel Hill.  

 

The radio program will be available in mp3 format at WKNC's website soon, if it isn't already. 

David Swanson on WKNC 88.1FM tonight

The other guests on "What's Left" tonight will be Andy Silver, Kent Kanoy, and David Swanson, of the After Downing Street Coalition (!).  People can also call in.  Can anyone from GRIM tape this?  Hopefully I can get a copy from the station if not. 

Impeachment on 88.1 FM today 7-8pm

I will be a guest on "What's Left," a left student show on every Wednesday evening on NC State's radio station, The Revolution.  Possibly there will also be other speakers and you can probably call-in. I was asked to do this because of the on-going petition and this blog, though the main part of the campaign is now the Grass Roots Impeachment Movement ( www.impeachbushcheney.net).  

 

I briefly looked for the election results online, but the results of the Democratic primary for Price's seat weren't on the Herald-Sun website or a blog a checked.  I didn't do as much today for the campaign or the Kanoy campaign as I had planned.