Downing Street Action NC

Impeachment petition closed, but not forgotten

2009-01-22T18:55:00.001-05:00

The PetitionOnline petition to David Price was just closed to new signatures. Thanks to the signers and all of the impeachment activists. All of the online and paper signatures, several hundred in all, got to Price or his staff. Price was not moved much, but it was a useful educational campaign and North Carolina did its part to push for impeachment proceedings.

Bush, Cheney, and most of their appointees are now out of office, but at least some of them now have to fear prosecution in coming years for their actions. I expect that the members of Congress, such as Price, who refused to act on good evidence of crimes in the Executive Branch will eventually be brought to account, because their lack of concern for the Consitution and our rights is not limited to just the past 8 years. The impeachment movement would be unwise and hypocritical if it lets Obama get away with continuing criminal Bush-Cheney policies (which should probably now be called Bush-Cheney-Reid-Pelosi policies), and I will write more about that in a future post.

Price votes right on war funding and wiretapping

2008-06-23T04:20:00.001-04:00

I was suprised to see in the paper Sunday that Representative David Price voted on the 19th against HR 2642, giving Bush and Cheney $162.5 billion more dollars for the supposed "War on Terror" in Iraq and Afghanistan. The bill even prohibited permanent bases in Iraq, but to end the war, funding has to be cut off, though that might not be why Price voted against the funding. Then on the 20th he voted against HR 6304, the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 (online at thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h.r.06304:), which abets the government's warrantless spying on Americans and immunizes those companies that gave the government access against lawsuits. Unfortunately both bills passed in the House. Butterfield, Watt, and Miller also voted no on the war funding bill and Watt and Miller also voted against the FISA bill, and Jones for whatever reason did not vote.

Price did vote on the 11th to refer Kucinich's H. Res. 1285, Impeaching George W. Bush, President of the United States, of high crimes and misdemeanors. I assume this means referring it to the House Judicial Committee, which probably is a neutral act, but everyone must expect the Committee to bury yet another impeachment bill. With the war funding and FISA bills, Congress bought into Bush-Cheney's crimes once again. The Senate is even more "responsible" in its decisions than the House, so I assume the bills will pass easily, and I think Obama has expressed support for the FISA bill.

One question is whether Price is voting this way because he is coming up for re-election. Either way it is a good trend, but he needs to do more. He is willing to lead on limiting military contractors, but he is more willing to talk about Bush-Cheney's crimes than to take decisive steps to stop them. There is also no reason to think he won't vote to openly support imperialism again, like he did in the summer of 2006 when he voted to endorse Israel's war on Lebanon and villify the resistance to Zionist expansionism.

Rep. Kucinich's articles of impeachment against Bush

2008-06-11T04:10:00.001-04:00

Monday evening Representative Dennis Kucinich read his 35 articles of impeachment to the House live on CSPAN, and they were read into the record by a clerk Tuesday evening. I think the articles are now in the House Judiciary Committee. Scott McClellan will give sworn testimony at a hearing scheduled for the 20th. This is something to press David Price on at his Durham town hall meeting, which is on the 16th at 7pm at the Museum of Life and Science.

The criminal actions of the Bush Administration need to be condemned through impeachment so that the next president will be less likely to follow Bush and Cheney's example and to stop them before they start a war with Iran.

Which side is Rep. Price on regarding wiretapping?

2008-02-18T03:41:00.001-05:00

Whenever Representative Price has been asked to support impeachment he has said that he is very concerned about the Administration's actions and that he is for resistance, but short of impeachment. This past week Price, along with all of the State's Democrats and Republican Walter Jones (only Virginia Foxx voted no), did vote (on H Res 982) to cite White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolton and former White House Counsel Harriet Miers for contempt, because they ignored subpoenas by Congress regarding the alleged politically motivated firings of US attorneys. On the other hand, Price (and Butterfield, Etheridge, McIntyre, Shuler, and Miller) supported HR 5349, which would have extended the Protect America Act of 2007 (I think the final version is on thomas.loc.gov as S 1927) for 21 days. The 21-day extension, which was actually sponsored by the formerly pro-impeachment John Conyers, for domestic wiretapping failed to pass the House and so the program expired over the weekend. My understanding is that investigations begun under the Act can continue, but no new surveillance can be started under that Act, but the government should have no problem doing whatever it is doing if it goes through the existing Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, if it is not doing anything illegal, and companies remain open to lawsuits for betraying their customers to the government.

It looks like Price has bought into the Administration's criminality on this issue.

Of course this week our Republican senators voted against a bill that among other things outlawed waterboarding (this relates to HR 2082, and it passed) and tried to grant immunity to the companies involved in domestic wiretapping (AT&T, Sprint Nextel, and Verizon Communications), by voting yes on S 2248, and no on an amendment to that bill.

Discrediting the Senate

2008-02-15T04:18:00.001-05:00

The N&O reports that the the Senate Ethics Committee"harshly criticized" Senator Larry Craig (R-IL), saying his actions "[constitute] improper conduct reflecting discreditably on the Senate." Craig seems to have acted improperly, but the biggest discredit on the Senate is its refusal to stand up to the Administration. They refuse to support impeachment and really they are about as bad as Bush and Cheney, so of course they do not support punishing the criminal acts they have helped the Administration commit. Consider another item in the news, that the Senate wants to prevent lawsuits against telecommunication companies for collaborating with the government's warrantless spying on Americans. Even the House did not give the companies immunity. On top of all of this, the Congress has not ended this violation of FISA. Don't expect them to do much if an attempt to burn down Congress or some other, more in fashion style of terrorism, is used to install full-blown fascism, which is already practically legal anyway. The 6 members of the Ethics Committee are Chair Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Vice Chair John Cornyn (R-TX), Mark Pryor (D-AR), Ken Salazar (D-CO), Pat Roberts (R-KS), and Isakson (R-GA), and it would be interesting to see how they have voted on the major issues. The Committee's website is ethics.senate.gov.

Bush impeachment bill delayed

2008-01-30T04:18:00.000-05:00

Posted on www.commondreams.org:

Published on Tuesday, January 29, 2008 by The Cleveland Plain Dealer

Kucinich Postpones Bush Impeachment Effort

by Sabrina Eaton

WASHINGTON — After promising to mark President Bush's final State of the Union speech by introducing articles of impeachment against Bush, Cleveland Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich postponed the effort.

Kucinich said Monday that he met with members of the House Judiciary Committee after making last week's impeachment pledge. He said he came away "hopeful there will be an inquiry by the Judiciary Committee."

"I will give them the opportunity to proceed before introducing articles of impeachment," he said in a statement. The committee's spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment.

Last year, Kucinich introduced a measure to impeach Vice President Dick Cheney that has collected 24 co-sponsors. His effort to bring the matter before the full House won support from Republicans who wanted to embarrass House Demo cratic leaders, but eventually was referred to the Judiciary Committee.

Kucinich told The Plain Dealer editorial board last week that nine of the Judiciary Committee's 40 members favor his bid to impeach Cheney.

"I do not believe that there will be an impeachment this year — I don't think that will happen — but I do think that the questions relating to an inquiry of both the president and the vice president are important so that our nation has a real understanding of the effort that was made, a consistent effort, to mislead the people into supporting a war," he said.

Articles of impeachment against Bush on the 28th

2008-01-25T03:16:00.001-05:00

Dennis Kucinich is going to introduce articles of impeachment against Bush on the 28th, when Bush will be giving the State of the Union speech. This is similar to the articles against Cheney the Congressman introduced in November, which the Republicans voted to bring to a vote in the House, but the Democrats (including Rep. Price) won in the end and sent the bill to the House Judiciary, where it languishes. Unfortunately Kucinich is going to officially give up his presidential campaign Friday and faces a fight to retain his seat in the House.

Below is an article from the New York Times, reposted at www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/01/23/6588/

Published on Thursday, January 24, 2008 by the New York Times

Kucinich Starts New Impeachment Drive

by David M. Herszenhorn

Representative Dennis J. Kucinich of Ohio may get excluded from Democratic presidential debates, as he has been recently, but no one can deny him the floor in the House.

And today Mr. Kucinich took to the floor to fire off his latest salvo at the Bush administration: his plans to introduce Articles of Impeachment against President Bush on Jan. 28 - the day of Mr. Bush's State of the Union speech.

Accusing the administration of lying about the need for the war in Iraq, Mr. Kucinich said he did not need to hear the president's assessment. "We know the State of the Union," he declared. "It's a lie."

He also fired a volley at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California
who has maintained that impeaching Mr. Bush is not on the table for Congressional Democrats. "If impeachment is off the table," Mr. Kucinich said, "truth is off the table. If truth is off the table
then this body is living a lie."

Mr. Kucinich introduced Articles of Impeachment against Vice
President Dick Cheney last April and in November, with the surprise help of Republicans seeking to embarrass the Democrats, he nearly succeeded in securing an hour of debate on the House floor. House Democratic leaders blocked that, however, by referring the impeachment effort back to the Judiciary Committee.

Anti-Bush groups have been urging Mr. Kucinich to undertake an
effort to impeach the president.

More confirmation that the Iraq War was begun on lies

2008-01-23T02:00:00.001-05:00

This is more confirmation of what the American public already knows - that Bush and Cheney lied (or made "false statements," at least some of which they were told were false before they made them) to commit a war of aggression, for which they should long since have been impeached. I am still pushing for impeachment and there is still a chance, but the Democratic leadership refuses to consider it and those Democrats who propagandize and vote for the continued occupation of Iraq are guilty too. This article also is further cause to believe that the statement in the Downing Street Minutes of July 23, 2002 (online at www.afterdowningstreet.org) that "the facts and intelligence were being fixed around the policy" of invading Iraq over "the conjunction of terrorism and" weapons of mass destruction meant lying and distorting the truth, and lying to Congress is a felony. If Bush is a felon, and a war criminal, why is he still in office? It says something about the Democrats when the Administration's crimes are so obvious, yet they have refused to impeach, obstruct, or even censure.

Study: False statements preceded war By DOUGLASS K. DANIEL, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 26 minutes ago

A study by two nonprofit journalism organizations found that President Bush and top administration officials issued hundreds of false statements about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks.

The study concluded that the statements "were part of an orchestrated campaign that effectively galvanized public opinion and, in the process, led the nation to war under decidedly false pretenses."

The study was posted Tuesday on the Web site of the Center for Public Integrity, which worked with the Fund for Independence in Journalism.

White House spokesman Scott Stanzel did not comment on the merits of the study Tuesday night but reiterated the administration's position that the world community viewed Iraq's leader, Saddam Hussein, as a threat.

"The actions taken in 2003 were based on the collective judgment of intelligence agencies around the world," Stanzel said.

The study counted 935 false statements in the two-year period. It found that in speeches, briefings, interviews and other venues, Bush and administration officials stated unequivocally on at least 532 occasions that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction or was trying to produce or obtain them or had links to al-Qaida or both.

"It is now beyond dispute that Iraq did not possess any weapons of mass destruction or have meaningful ties to al-Qaida," according to Charles Lewis and Mark Reading-Smith of the Fund for Independence in Journalism staff members, writing an overview of the study. "In short, the Bush administration led the nation to war on the basis of erroneous information that it methodically propagated and that culminated in military action against Iraq on March 19, 2003."

Named in the study along with Bush were top officials of the administration during the period studied: Vice President Dick Cheney, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and White House press secretaries Ari Fleischer and Scott McClellan.

Bush led with 259 false statements, 231 about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and 28 about Iraq's links to al-Qaida, the study found. That was second only to Powell's 244 false statements about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and 10 about Iraq and al-Qaida.

The center said the study was based on a database created with public statements over the two years beginning on Sept. 11, 2001, and information from more than 25 government reports, books, articles, speeches and interviews.

"The cumulative effect of these false statements — amplified by thousands of news stories and broadcasts — was massive, with the media coverage creating an almost impenetrable din for several critical months in the run-up to war," the study concluded.

"Some journalists — indeed, even some entire news organizations — have since acknowledged that their coverage during those prewar months was far too deferential and uncritical. These mea culpas notwithstanding, much of the wall-to-wall media coverage provided additional, 'independent' validation of the Bush administration's false statements about Iraq," it said.

Durham Library room reservations free for non-profit use!

2008-01-18T03:07:00.001-05:00

The County Commissioners voted at the meeting Monday to return to the old policy for non-profit room reservations (free, with a $25 dollar fee if there will be refreshments). This might not apply to the Main Library's Auditorium, and for-profit use still requires a fee. This is a victory for the community, and I think the campaign by the Durham People's Alliance had a lot of influence. The PA was not alone in registering its opposition to the fee, though.

Historic impeachment debate next Tuesday in Carrboro

2008-01-11T03:29:00.001-05:00

For Immediate Release:

January 7, 2008

Contact:

John Heuer, for general, sponsor and interview information

919-933-6589, 919-444-3823

jheuer at coalitionfortheconstitution dot com

Hodding Carter III to moderate historic impeachment debate between Bruce Fein and Michael Tomasky

Conservative Republican and Progressive Journalist will debate Impeachment at the Carrboro Century Center on January 15, 2008 at 7pm. Guess who's arguing for Impeachment?

CARRBORO, N.C.: In the tradition of the Lincoln/Douglas Debates, Coalition for the Constitution will host a Debate on Impeachment between Republican Bruce Fein (pro-impeachment) and Democrat Michael Tomasky (anti-impeachment). The Debate will be held on January 15, 2008 at 7pm, at the Carrboro Century Center and will be moderated by UNC Professor of Leadership and Public Policy, W. Hodding Carter III, and hosted by Orange County Commissioner Moses Carey. Seats are limited so preregistration is suggested at http://coalitionfortheconstitution.com/registration/. The debate will also be webcast on the Coalition for the Constitution web site at http://coalitionfortheconstitution.com.

Impeachment is mentioned six times in the United States Constitution, including most clearly in Article II, section 3 which reads:

"The President, Vice President and all civil officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors."

Recently, privileged resolution HR 799 (HR 333 re-introduced), Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Dick Cheney, was introduced on the floor of the House. Former presidential candidate Joe Biden has also raised the impeachment issue on the campaign trail in connection with a possible war with Iran.

To help the public better understand the pros and cons of impeachment, the organizers have lined up two well-known political pundits to debate and answer those questions. Admission is free and all citizens are encouraged to attend.

Bruce Fein is a lawyer, specializing in constitutional and international law, who served as an associate deputy attorney general under Ronald Reagan. He has recently been a strong advocate for the impeachment of current U.S. vice-president Dick Cheney and President George W Bush. Fein graduated from Harvard Law School in 1972. In March 2007, he founded the American Freedom Agenda with Bob Barr, David Keene and Richard Viguerie. Fein is counsel to Ron Paul's campaign for the 2008 Presidential nomination. One of his most scathing indictments of Dick Cheney appeared in his article for Slate.com entitled, "Impeach Cheney, The Vice President has run utterly amok and must be stopped." http://www.slate.com/id/2169292/

Michael Tomasky, is a progressive journalist who has recently written an article about impeachment, entitled, "The Dumbest Move the Dems Could Make", which has been cited by the Democratic Leadership, and 4 ^th District North Carolina Congressman, David Price, as the reasoning behind their refusal to support impeachment. Tomasky has served as the executive editor of The American Prospect and is the author of Left for Dead: The Life, Death, and Possible Resurrection of Progressive Politics in America (1996), a study of the intellectual collapse of the American left. "Here is a link to his article "The Dumbest Move the Dems could Make ": http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/02/AR2007080201767.html

Hodding Carter III served as Assistant Secretary of State under President Jimmy Carter. For additional information, please visit: http://www.knightcommission.org/about/kciamember/hodding_carter_iii/

Bruce Fein and Michael Tomasky are available for press interviews, starting on January 12^th through the 15^th. Please contact John Heuer for scheduling arrangements. Telephone 919-933-6589 or 919-444-3823 email

jheuer at coalitionfortheconstitution dot com.

Fein v. Tomasky Debate

7 pm, January 15, 2008

Carrboro Century Center

# # #

End

Can we trust New Hampshire's voting machines?

2008-01-10T18:03:00.001-05:00

After the stolen presidential election of 2000 (because the vote counting was stopped) and the probably stolen election of 2004 (in Ohio), I wonder when the media struggles to explain how polls get results wrong. Below is something regarding New Hampshire's primary. There are many problems built into our electoral system that discourage voting, but do we also have to worry that the election will be stolen again this year, or that there will be a shocking "October Surprise" engineered to benefit one side, or even provide a pretext to stop the election (which I hope is unlikely)? If any of this happens, will the losing side and the American public allow it, or will we refuse to allow it, as people in other countries have risen up against their canceled or stolen elections in recent years?

>Please distribute widely, Digg, Blog, reprints, get
this to the media, etc.
>
>A YouTube video from Black Box Voting that you won't
soon forget:
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiiaBqwqkXs
>
>THE CAT THAT CONTROLS NEW HAMPSHIRE ELECTION
PROGRAMMING
>
>John Silvestro and his small private business, LHS
Associates, has exclusive programming contracts for
ALL New Hampshire voting machines, which combined will
count about 81 percent of the vote in the primary. And
as to Super Tuesday and beyond: Silvestro also has the
programming contracts for the states of Connecticut,
Massachusetts, and Vermont.
>
>Silvestro IS the New Hampshire chain of custody in
New England -- Or at least, a very large component in
it.
>
>Last fall, with the help of citizens like you, Black
Box Voting began working on "Chain of Custody"
projects, in which we identified some of the areas of
concern that might affect many jurisdictions at once.
First on the list for the Northeast U.S. is LHS
Associates, a vendor with inside access to every
memory card, as well as to the chips containing the
"brain" of the Diebold optical scan machines.
>
>RARE VIDEO FOOTAGE
>
>In an unusual confluence of available video, we
obtained footage of Silvestro grappling with Harri
Hursti, the master hacker who had his way with the
Diebold optical scans in Leon County, Florida in the
famous exploit that was showcased in the film Hacking
Democracy.
>
>The exact same make, model and version hacked in the
Black Box Voting project in Leon County is used
throughout New Hampshire, where about 45 percent of
elections administrators hand count paper ballots at
the polling place, with the remaining locations all
using the Diebold version 1.94w optical scan machine.
Because the voting machine locations tend to be urban,
this represents about 81 percent of the New Hampshire
voters.
>
>The video shows Harri Hursti testifying on Sept. 19
before the New Hampshire legislature, attempting to
explain significant vulnerabilities requiring urgent
mitigations; throughout his testimony, Silvestro
inserted his own comments, opinions, misstatements and
speculations.
>
>VOTING MACHINE CHECKUP
>
>One area of disagreement between Hursti and Silvestro
was the amount of expertise needed to exploit the
Diebold 1.94w optical scan system. Silvestro claimed
(in a strange contortion of reasoning) that he doesn't
hire very skilled programmers, implying that this
makes New Hampshire elections more secure.
>
>Hursti pointed out that hiring programmers with a
lack of knowledge is generally not considered a
security feature, and also that an average high
schooler can learn to exploit the system in two days
to two weeks.
>
>WE THINK IT DOESN'T TAKE THAT LONG
>
>Black Box Voting purchased a Diebold optical scan
with 1.94w firmware, and chose a computer repair shop
out of the phone book, took it in, grabbed the first
available technician. It took him less than 10 minutes
to zero in on the memory card as a point of critical
vulnerability -- and oh my, did he point out some
other intersting things!
>
>NEW HAMPSHIRE HASN'T UPGRADED SYSTEM SECURITY
>
>Silvestro tries to claim that the security problems
have been fixed in newer editions. Whether or not they
have been, it's a moot point in New Hampshire where
the upgrade is not made unless the Ballot Law
Commission meets, and they have not met for ages.
>
>Silvestro then points to extraordinary measures taken
by other states to enact special procedural
safeguards, but of course none of those were
implemented in New Hampshire either, because the
Ballot Law Commission has not bothered to meet since
March 2006.
>
>IN FACT, NEW HAMPSHIRE HAS NOT IMPLEMENTED
MITIGATIONS FOR KNOWN RISKS
>
>Not only that, they have turned all the programming
over to a sole source private company, taking vote
counting for 81 percent of New Hampshire citizens out
of the public domain.
>
>LHS is not subject to public records requirements, as
the government is, at least, not in New Hampshire. The
control over memory card contents is absolute; when
cards malfunction or get lost, LHS brings the
replacements.
>
>CONTROL OVER THE "BRAINS" OF THE MACHINE: ACCESS TO
THE CHIP
>
>Since LHS maintains the machines, repairs the
machines, and replaces the machines -- often on
Election Day -- when they malfunction, they have
intimate access to the chips, sockets, ports,
communications devices and other electronic
components.
>
>Silvestro stated that the chip has "read only memory"
and cannot be reprogrammed without frying it under
ultraviolet light overnight.
>
>Hursti never had a chance to examine the hardware,
nor have most of the recent university studies had
access. But our friendly neighborhood computer repair
guy differed with Silvestro on the point of plug &
play reprogramming of the guts of the machine.
>
>After I push the button to send this message out to
the media and the citizenry, I'll work on getting a
short YouTube video of the Accuvote checkup by our
local computer repairman. And before you say, "But
wait! He's not a world class expert!" -- That's just
the point.
>
>Our local computer repairman may hit or miss on some
of his analyses. You'll all be able to try your hand
at second guessing him as soon as the next video is
up. But if he hits even one of his ideas for how to
exploit the machine to steal votes, that's all it
takes. From someone who is not, certainly, a world
class hacker or even a hacker at all.
>
>I'll post the link to that in a follow up here:
http://www.bbvforums.org/forums/messages/1954/71200.html?1199744175
, and invite you techs to weigh in.
>
>Please feel free to distribute, reprint or excerpt,
with link to Black Box Voting and the video link
above.
>
>Bev Harris
>Black Box Voting
>bev at blackboxvoting dot org

There's hope (for impeachment) in the Judiciary Committee yet

2007-12-21T04:03:00.001-05:00

There is interest in impeaching Cheney in the House Judiciary Committee (of which NC Rep. Mel Watt is a member) after all. Representative Robert Wexler of Florida recently started a petition for impeachment hearings against Cheney (see www.wexlerwantshearings.com). Within 24 hours more than 30,000 people had signed, and 121,179 after 5 days. Now the goal is 250,000. A recent poll reveals that 54% of Americans are for impeaching Cheney, and I think that will rise when the official voices in Congress and editorial departments begin to highlight his crimes. If I remember right, 49% are for impeaching Bush currently, but I expect all of the top Administration officials are about equally guilty. Unfortunately the head of the Committee, Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, formerly a leader on impeachment in the House, has now cynically fallen in line with Pelosi's line, and was again arguing against it on Democracy Now! Thursday. Maybe he has honestly reevaluated the case and changed his mind about the strategy of impeachment, but I still find his change of heart suspicious. Hopefully Wexler and two others in the Judiciary Committee will be more resolute and successful than Conyers.

Some outlets in the dominant media are refusing to publish an op-ed by Rep. Wexler and two other members of the Committee, Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI). This is from the campaign:

"More on the Media Blackout

The New York Times, Washington Post, LA Times, USA Today, and Boston Globe have all rejected our op ed (though the Miami Herald just put an edited version in its "Letters to the Editor" section). We have heard from the editors of some of these publications and they are telling us that they are getting overwhelmed with phone calls and letters of complaint. (Well done everybody!)

In short - we need to keep the pressure on if this news will spread far beyond the Netroots community."

Here is the original notice from Rep. Wexler's site:

Wexler Calls For Cheney Impeachment Hearings

Congressman Robert Wexler, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, is calling upon Congress to immediately schedule impeachment hearings for Vice President Richard Cheney.

Wexler - "For the sake of history, and in order to be faithful to our Constitutional obligations, the Judiciary Committee must immediately convene impeachment hearings to determine whether the official actions of Vice President Cheney constitute 'High Crimes and Misdemeanors' and require that he be impeached. Each day we fail to act is a validation of the misdeeds of the Vice President and damages the credibility of the Democratic Party."

The full text of the Letter:

As a person who supports holding this Administration accountable for their deceptive actions, you may be interested to know about the recent votes in the House regarding H.Res. 333, "Impeaching Richard B. Cheney, Vice President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors."

I share your belief that Vice President Cheney must answer for his deceptive actions in office, particularly with regard to the preparations for the Iraq war and the revelation of the identity of covert agent Valerie Plame Wilson as part of political retribution against her husband. That is why I voted against the motion to table debate on H.Res. 333. Along with only 85 other Democrats, I opposed tabling the measure and supported beginning immediate debate and a vote on the Cheney impeachment resolution. The vote on tabling the Kucinich resolution was rejected, and the House subsequently voted to refer the matter to the Judiciary Committee.

Vice President Dick Cheney and the Bush Administration have demonstrated a consistent pattern of abusing the law and misleading Congress and the American people. We see the consequences of these actions abroad in Iraq and at home through the violations of our civil liberties. The American people are served well with a legitimate and thorough impeachment inquiry. I will urge the Judiciary Committee to schedule impeachment hearings immediately and not let this issue languish as it has over the last six months.

Only through hearings can we begin to correct the abuses of Dick Cheney and the Bush Administration; and, if it is determined in these hearings that Vice President Cheney has committed High Crimes and Misdemeanors, he should be impeached and removed from office. It is time for Congress to expose the multitude of misdeeds of the Administration, and I am hopeful that the Judiciary Committee will expeditiously begin an investigation of this matter.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions or concerns. I sincerely appreciate your input and hope that you will feel free to contact me anytime I may be of assistance to you.

With warm regards,

Congressman Robert Wexler

Bill Clinton in Wake County Thursday

2007-12-12T01:47:00.001-05:00

I saw in the Herald-Sun today that President Bill Clinton is going to be at private events to raise money for Hillary Clinton's presidential bid Thursday, at the Brier Creek Country Club. The cost is $1000 dollars per person, or $2300 per person for the cozier reception. It is not exactly comparable, but I notice that the Republicans' event Wednesday at the Hope Valley Country Club for their current two candidates against Rep. Price in next year's election is $15 dollars per person.

Bush and Co., and their enablers (like Hillary Clinton, Pelosi, Reid, Dole, Burr, and very distantly, Reps. Price, Miller, and Etheridge), should be the main targets of protest now, as Rove was at Duke on the third, but should Clinton get off so easily? He committed more acts of aggression around the world than Bush has so far, though Bush's acts are graver. Even worse than Clinton's bombing of a vital medical plant in Sudan, most of the 13 years of sanctions against Iraq were under Clinton's watch. I think the usual estimate is that 1.5 million Iraqis died because of those sanctions, in addition to the sanctions' effect on the health and education of the survivors. There is also what happened in Waco, Texas.

The Clinton and Bush administrations are even more alike in corruption and conspiracy around terrorist attacks in the US if The Secret Life of Bill Clinton, written by a British journalist, is true. That book alleges, among other things, that the Clintons were involved in the drug trade in Arkansas, that Vince Foster was murdered for political reasons (if I recall that part correctly, but it was argued that he was murdered and it was covered up, including by the Kenneth Starr investigation), and that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) knew the Oklahoma City Bombing was going to occur, did not prevent it (possibly they were outfoxed), and have now covered it up. Government complicit in 9/11 would be even worse if true, because of the magnitude and the deliberate exploitation for a predetermined agenda, but both are horrific crimes against the American people and complicit should destroy confidence in the security apparatus of the executive branch. I am less knowledgeable about the resulting security crackdowns in the 90's, but Oklahoma City provided Clinton with his own "Patriot Act" moment. Just as Bush and Co. face potential prosecution for war crimes, Clinton and Co. (and Tony Blair) might also at some point, in their own international court even, at least in a more just world.

Impeachment debate rescheduled to 1/15

2007-12-06T03:58:00.001-05:00

Coalition for the Constitution
243 Flemington Rd,
Chapel Hill, NC 27517-5637
www.impeachbushcheney.net

NEWS AND CALENDAR ALERT: December 3, 2007
More info: John Heuer, [ ] ; Heu93 at aol dot com; Al McSurely, [ ] ;lawyers at mcsurely dot com

Historic Fein-Tomasky Debate on Impeachment Re-Scheduled to January 15, 2008.

The Coalition for the Constitution has re-scheduled the Historic Debate between Republican Constitutional Attorney Bruce Fein and liberal journalist Michael Tomasky until Tuesday, January 15, 2008.

Mr. Fein worked in Pres. Reagan's Justice Department, and helped draft the articles of impeachment against Pres. Clinton. He has always been an advocate for the United States Constitution and, recently, for charging (impeaching) Pres. Bush and V. Pres. Cheney for their multiple violations of it. Bill Moyers featured Fein on his PBS program. http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07132007/profile.html.

His opponent in the debate, liberal journalist Michael Tomasky is the Editor of Guardian America. He recently wrote a much-quoted Washington Post essay that said impeachment is the stupidest thing Democrats could do.

Fein, who has been ill, and the Coalition for the Constitution agreed this morning to re-scheduling the historic debate. W. Hodding Carter III, UNC Professor of Leadership and Public Policy will serve as debate moderator on January 15, 2008.

The historic debate had been set for December 11th at the Chapel Hill Town Hall. But due to the high level of local and regional interest in the Debate, the Coalition for the Constitution has decided to find a larger auditorium and more sponsors. The Debate is modeled after the historic Lincoln-Douglas debates 150 years ago.

Change for the better may be coming on Durham Library room fees

2007-11-28T02:41:00.001-05:00

There are signs that the recently imposed Durham County Library meeting room fees will soon be modified or reduced.

The County Commissioners asked the Library administration to develop a plan for fees in May. Apparently this was initially done to make up for reduced income from overdue book fines, which have also been changed, without any increase in County budgeting. The actual policy was approved by the Commissioners at the September 10th meeting, apparently unanimously. The fees were going to be $50 dollars for non-profit use for up to 4 hours and $100 dollars for more than 4 hours, and double these fees for for-profit use. For-profit use has actually been allowed all along, but it had to be open to the public and I think non-commercial. Some small rooms would stay free, and now there is free space at all of the libraries save Southwest. The new fees do not seem to be popular in the system and, after public complaints, the fees for non-profits were halved. Initially the Library expected to make $30,000 dollars a year from the fees, but now they expect half that, and I think the figure for lost overdue books income was around $240,000 dollars (last year's figure), so the administration is not very concerned about getting extra funds from the fees. The rationale for the fees is now room maintenance. I still think the rooms are pretty clean, but there have been some cleaning issues and recent (and short-lived) floor replacements. The administration doesn't actually know the statistics for room usage, but is in the process of finding out for some short period.

The Durham People's Alliance (www.durhampa.org) has been lobbying against the fees and sent letters to the County Commissioners and Library Board of Trustees a few weeks ago, requesting a public forum on the fees. As a result there was a meeting between PA representatives and "Skip" Auld and Ken Berger Monday afternoon, and the PA is planning to speak at the Board of Trustees meeting on the 11th. Anyone can request to speak at a Board meeting, but the agenda is not posted online. The Board has been asked to make new recommendations to the Commissioners, and the administration seems to want to reduce or eliminate the fees. The sliding scale, based on an organization's budget, which the Library came up with earlier, is considered too much of a hassle to administer. The old refreshments fee might be restored, instead of the fees. It would help if organizations could solicit donations at the meetings, to pay the room fee, which is not currently allowed. The administration seems to be sympathetic, believing that the libraries should be centers in the community and means to increase the availability of information.

Some other issues came up, like future plans and how decisions are made about removing worn or little used books. Apparently the various libraries are behind in going through their collections, and there is more change in the collections than I thought, but that is because these are not academic research libraries.

Two NC impeachment updates

2007-11-22T04:03:00.001-05:00

Bruce Fein vs. Michael Tomasky: A Debate On the Question of Impeachment

When: Tuesday, December 11, 2007 - 7pm

Where: Chapel Hill Town Hall

Who: Bruce Fein versus Michael Tomasky; moderated by Hodding Carter III

Sponsored by the Coalition for the Constitution and the Grassroots Impeachment Movement. Co-Sponsorships available

For more information visit http://impeachbushcheney.net/feintomaskydebate

++++++

We cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home.

—Edward R. Murrow

Rep. Price's reply on impeachment

Below is the reply I received to an email I sent in support of HR 799. I don't have a copy of my message to post, but it was a short email stating some of the crimes I think Cheney and Bush are guilty of committing and my worry that they have set in motion the end of what real democracy we have left, asking what else can be done short of impeachment, and saying that how Price voted on the bill will be at the front of my mind when he is next up for re-election.

Price seems to acknowledge that Cheney most likely has committed impeachable offenses, but he says impeachment would be a diversion and would fail. I can't believe that everything that has turned up since Bush and Cheney gained power is not "an accumulation of evidence of impeachable offenses." Impeachment proceedings should be supported, even if there aren't enough votes, in my opinion. And since the offenses relate to Iraq, national defense, energy policy, etc., I would think impeachment proceedings would support the Democrats' push for reforms, by showing what our current situation really is. Possibly it would severely divide those who don't support Bush and Cheney, but if crimes were committed, and nothing else will resolve them, and prevent the next president from continuing them, what choice is there? I think the idea that impeachment proceedings are intractably slow is a lie, and impeachment is necessary to reveal the Administration's crimes and prevent following administrations from repeating them, so impeachment is very necessary, despite the increasingly late hour. If the Democratic Party as a whole won't do its duty as the opposition, what should be done to pressure them or create an alternative that will act?

November 20, 2007

Dear Mr. [ ]:

Thank you for contacting me in support of impeaching Vice President Cheney.

On November 6, 2007, Rep. Dennis Kucinich offered a privileged resolution on the House floor to impeach Vice President Cheney, H. Res. 799. I voted against a motion to table the resolution, which would have prevented any further activity related to it. After the tabling motion failed by a vote of 162-251, the House approved a motion to refer the resolution to the Judiciary Committee for further consideration, which I supported.

No one is more frustrated with Bush Administration abuses of power than I, and Vice President Cheney has played a significant role in nearly all of them. I continue to adamantly work to shine a bright light on such abuses, and I believe the Democratic Congress has begun to turn the tide on several issues. For instance, the resignation of former Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez was a direct result of congressional investigations into the politically-motivated firings of U.S. Attorneys.

While I understand the reasoning of impeachment advocates, I do not view impeachment as the right course to pursue at present. The machinations of the impeachment process take a significant amount of time, and it is uncertain if they could even be completed before a new administration is inaugurated in January 2009. In addition, impeachment proceedings should only be initiated after the accumulation of significant evidence of impeachable offenses. While I believe the Vice President likely engaged in behavior that could be considered impeachable, such evidence will only be brought to light through the investigations and oversight activities in which House and Senate committees are currently engaged.

Even if articles of impeachment were passed by the House - a questionable assumption - there is currently no chance that the Senate could reach the two-thirds threshold needed to convict and remove. The tradeoffs are therefore enormous. This all-consuming process would prevent nearly all other legislative initiatives from proceeding. It would consume media attention, which we are already struggling to get for our battles on Iraq, children's health coverage, and a progressive energy policy. And it would also have serious political and social consequences, needlessly creating greater national division just as large majorities of the population are forming in support of a new direction abroad and at home.

I will continue to fight against the abuses of the Bush Administration, and to closely monitor the progress of congressional investigations regarding the actions of Administration officials, keeping your concerns in mind. Again, thank you for contacting me, and please continue to keep in touch.

Sincerely,
DAVID PRICE
Member of Congress
PS: Please sign up for periodic updates on issues, events and town hall meetings at http://price.house.gov/contact/email_updates.shtml .
*** MY OFFICE IS USING AN ELECTRONIC MAIL RESPONSE SYSTEM THAT WILL FACILITATE EMAIL COMMUNICATION WITH CONSTITUENTS. PLEASE NOTE, HOWEVER, THAT I CANNOT GUARANTEE THE INTEGRITY OF THE TEXT OF THIS MESSAGE UNLESS IT HAS BEEN SENT TO YOU DIRECTLY FROM MY CONGRESSIONAL EMAIL ACCOUNT: nc04ima at MAIL dot HOUSE dot GOV ***
***PLEASE NOTE - THIS IS A SEND ONLY ACCOUNT. DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE. IF YOU HAVE ADDITIONAL COMMENTS, PLEASE VISIT MY WEB SITE AT http://price.house.gov/contact/contact_form.shtml ***

Update on HR 799 - call Watt!

2007-11-15T18:18:00.001-05:00

I called Mel Watts' Washington office today. The two staffers I spoke to seemed to listen well, but staffers are like that. I was told that the bill will probably be voted on after Thanksgiving. Let's inundate the House Judiciary Committee with comments! I'll have to think about whether to recommend that we should thank Price for his votes. He opposed immediately tabling the bill in the House, but is sending it to the Judiciary Committee anything other than a way to bury it without holding the shovel?

There's still time for the impeachment bill

2007-11-13T23:42:00.001-05:00

Judging by past experience, the impeachment bill is dead, but there is still hope, and there is a local Democrat (Watt) who can be pressured to support it. This message is from the NC Progressive Democrats of America

Impeachment back on the table: The House Judiciary Committee now has the bill introduced by Rep. Kucinich. Impeachment activists are asked to call all members of this committee and ask them to sign on to impeachment and investigate the crimes of Dick Cheney. The bill has been re-introduced as H.R. 799. One member of the Judiciary Committee is Representative Mel Watt from NC Congressional District 12. He is a Democrat. His number is 202-225-1510 – please call and ask him to sign on and investigate HR 799.

Congressional Democrats again bury impeachment legislation

2007-11-13T04:02:00.001-05:00

Last Tuesday, the Democrats in Congress (and of course the Republicans) again attempted to bury impeachment legislation. Are we ready to say yet that most of them are as guilty as Bush, since they have not stopped the War, and Bush-Cheney's other criminal policies, but also do not support impeachment? I might consider something short of impeachment, but they have done little and I don't hear them loudly denoucing Bush-Cheney's crimes, and the media won't clearly say they are criminal. The original bill was H.R. 333, but the vote was on bill House Resolution 799.

The summary of actions, from thomas.loc.gov:

ALL ACTIONS:

11/6/2007 2:35pm:: Considered as privileged matter. (consideration: CR H12783-12786, H12786-12788 ; text of measure as introduced: CR H12783-12785)
11/6/2007 2:54pm:: Mr. Hoyer moved to table the measure.
11/6/2007 4:02pm:: On motion to table the measure Failed by the Yeas and Nays: 162 - 251 (Roll no. 1037). (consideration: CR H12785-12786)
11/6/2007 4:02pm:: Mr. Hoyer moved to refer to Judiciary.
11/6/2007 4:22pm:: The previous question on the motion was agreed to by recorded vote: 218 - 194 (Roll No. 1038). (consideration: CR H12787)
11/6/2007 4:31pm:: On motion to refer Agreed to by recorded vote: 218 - 194 (Roll no. 1039).
11/6/2007:: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

TITLE(S): (italics indicate a title for a portion of a bill)

***NONE***

COSPONSOR(S):

***NONE***

COMMITTEE(S):

Committee/Subcommittee:		Activity:
House Judiciary		Referral

To understand this, see this USA Today article, reprinted on www.commondreams.org. I am amazed that Price and other NC Democrats were against Hoyer's motion to prevent a vote on the bill, if I am understanding the procedures and votes correctly. Yet then Price voted to bury it in the Judiciary Committee, where chair Rep. Conyers has stopped advocating impeachment, now that the Democrats have Congress. As it says below, the bill is not dead, but I assume it is unlikely to come out again, barring something drastic like the occupation of the Capitol steps until they do.

Published on Tuesday, November 6, 2007 by USA Today

House Tied In Knots Over Resolution To Impeach Cheney

Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, is trying to impeach Vice President Cheney for what he describes as "high crimes and misdemeanors" before the invasion of Iraq.

Right after the proposal was read on the House floor this afternoon, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer stepped forwarded and tried to convince lawmakers to table the bill.

"Impeachment is not on our agenda. We have some major priorities. We need to focus on those," Hoyer told Fox News.

Update at 3:39 p.m. ET: We thought that the vote to table was over — the clock said 0:00 — but lawmakers are still switching things around and Kucinich is within a few votes of getting his bill to come up for a vote.

Update at 3:43 p.m. ET: At least 149 Republicans have voted in favor of considering the impeachment resolution. Hoyer's motion, which would have blocked a vote, looks like its going to fail by at least 31 votes.

Update at 3:53 p.m. ET: The 15-minute vote began at 2:53 p.m. ET. It's been an hour, and they're still voting. The tally stands at 170-242 right now. Hoyer needed 218 votes to push the bill off the agenda. He's 72 votes short.

Update at 4:02 p.m. ET: Hoyer's motion failed 251-162. (Roll Call) The House is now voting on whether to vote on whether the resolution should be sent to the Judiciary Committee.

Update at 4:25 p.m. ET: The vote to decide to vote (yes, you read that correctly) just ended. By a 218-194 margin, the House has to vote on whether to send the resolution to the Judiciary Committee. That's happening right now.

Update at 4:30 p.m. ET: Perhaps we should pause to explain. When most Republicans unexpectedly — and on orders of GOP leadership, the AP is reporting — switched sides and voted against tabling the measure, they essentially forced Democrats to keep talking about it on the floor. Tabling the measure would have killed it.

Debate over Cheney's impeachment is in direct opposition to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's wishes. She has repeatedly said an impeachment of Cheney or President Bush is off the table. Thus, failing to table this measure is a essentially a jab in Pelosi's ribs.

"We're going to help them out, to explain themselves," Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, told the AP of the impeachment's supporters. "We're going to give them their day in court."

Update at 4:32 p.m. ET: The House just voted, 218-194, to send the resolution to the Judiciary Committee. That should end today's debate — but it does keep the resolution at least technically alive.

The text of the bill, laying out the charges against Cheney:

Resolved, That Richard B. Cheney, Vice President of the United States, is impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors, and that the following articles of impeachment be exhibited to... (Introduced in House)

HRES 799 IH

110th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. RES. 799

Impeaching Richard B. Cheney, Vice President of the United States, of high crimes and misdemeanors.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

November 6, 2007

Mr. KUCINICH submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

RESOLUTION

Impeaching Richard B. Cheney, Vice President of the United States, of high crimes and misdemeanors.

Resolved

Articles of impeachment exhibited by the House of Representatives of the United States of America in the name of itself and of the people of the United States of America, against Richard B. Cheney, Vice President of the United States of America, in maintenance and support of its impeachment against him for high crimes and misdemeanors.

Article I

In his conduct while Vice President of the United States, Richard B. Cheney, in violation of his constitutional oath to faithfully execute the office of Vice President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has purposely manipulated the intelligence process to deceive the citizens and Congress of the United States by fabricating a threat of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction to justify the use of the United States Armed Forces against the nation of Iraq in a manner damaging to our national security interests, to wit:

(1) Despite all evidence to the contrary, the Vice President actively and systematically sought to deceive the citizens and Congress of the United States about an alleged threat of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction:

(A) `We know they have biological and chemical weapons.' March 17, 2002, Press Conference by Vice President Dick Cheney and His Highness Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince of Bahrain at Shaikh Hamad Palace.

(B) `. . . and we know they are pursuing nuclear weapons.' March 19, 2002, Press Briefing by Vice President Dick Cheney and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in Jerusalem.

(C) `And he is actively pursuing nuclear weapons at this time . . .' March 24, 2002, CNN Late Edition interview with Vice President Cheney.

(D) `We know he's got chemicals and biological and we know he's working on nuclear.' May 19, 2002, NBC Meet the Press interview with Vice President Cheney.

(E) `But we now know that Saddam has resumed his efforts to acquire nuclear weapons . . . Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction. There is no doubt that he is amassing them to use against our friends, against our allies, and against us.' August 26, 2002, Speech of Vice President Cheney at VFW 103rd National Convention.

(F) `Based on intelligence that's becoming available, some of it has been made public, more of it hopefully will be, that he has indeed stepped up his capacity to produce and deliver biological weapons, that he has reconstituted his nuclear program to develop a nuclear weapon, that there are efforts under way inside Iraq to significantly expand his capability.' September 8, 2002, NBC Meet the Press interview with Vice President Cheney.

(G) `He is, in fact, actively and aggressively seeking to acquire nuclear weapons.' September 8, 2002, NBC Meet the Press interview with Vice President Cheney.

(H) `And we believe he has, in fact, reconstituted nuclear weapons.' March 16, 2003, NBC Meet the Press interview with Vice President Cheney.

(2) Preceding the March 2003 invasion of Iraq the Vice President was fully informed that no legitimate evidence existed of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The Vice President pressured the intelligence community to change their findings to enable the deception of the citizens and Congress of the United States.

(A) Vice President Cheney and his Chief of Staff, Lewis Libby, made multiple trips to the CIA in 2002 to question analysts studying Iraq's weapons programs and alleged links to al Qaeda, creating an environment in which analysts felt they were being pressured to make their assessments fit with the Bush administration's policy objectives accounts.

(B) Vice President Cheney sought out unverified and ultimately inaccurate raw intelligence to prove his preconceived beliefs. This strategy of cherry picking was employed to influence the interpretation of the intelligence.

(3) The Vice President's actions corrupted or attempted to corrupt the 2002 National Intelligence Estimate, an intelligence document issued on October 1, 2002, and carefully considered by Congress prior to the October 10, 2002, vote to authorize the use of force. The Vice President's actions prevented the necessary reconciliation of facts for the National Intelligence Estimate which resulted in a high number of dissenting opinions from technical experts in two Federal agencies.

(A) The State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research dissenting view in the October 2002 National Intelligence Estimate stated `Lacking persuasive evidence that Baghdad has launched a coherent effort to reconstitute its nuclear weapons program INR is unwilling to speculate that such an effort began soon after the departure of UN inspectors or to project a timeline for the completion of activities it does not now see happening. As a result INR is unable to predict that Iraq could acquire a nuclear device or weapon.'.

(B) The State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research dissenting view in the October 2002 National Intelligence Estimate also stated that `Finally, the claims of Iraqi pursuit of natural uranium in Africa are, in INR's assessment, highly dubious.'.

(C) The State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research dissenting view in the October 2002 National Intelligence Estimate references a Department of Energy opinion by stating that `INR accepts the judgment of technical experts at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) who have concluded that the tubes Iraq seeks to acquire are poorly suited for use in gas centrifuges to be used for uranium enrichment and finds unpersuasive the arguments advanced by others to make the case that they are intended for that purpose.'.

The Vice President subverted the national security interests of the United States by setting the stage for the loss of more than 3,800 United States service members; the loss of more than 1 million innocent Iraqi citizens since the United States invasion; the loss of approximately $500 billion in war costs which has increased our Federal debt; the loss of military readiness within the United States Armed Services due to overextension, lack of training and lack of equipment; the loss of United States credibility in world affairs; and the decades of likely blowback created by the invasion of Iraq.

In all of this, Vice President Richard B. Cheney has acted in a manner contrary to his trust as Vice President, and subversive of constitutional government, to the prejudice of the cause of law and justice and the manifest injury of the people of the United States. Wherefore, Vice President Richard B. Cheney, by such conduct, is guilty of an impeachable offense warranting removal from office.

Article II

In his conduct while Vice President of the United States, Richard B. Cheney, in violation of his constitutional oath to faithfully execute the office of Vice President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, purposely manipulated the intelligence process to deceive the citizens and Congress of the United States about an alleged relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda in order to justify the use of the United States Armed Forces against the nation of Iraq in a manner damaging to our national security interests, to wit:

(1) Despite all evidence to the contrary, the Vice President actively and systematically sought to deceive the citizens and the Congress of the United States about an alleged relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda:

(A) `His regime has had high-level contacts with Al Qaeda going back a decade and has provided training to Al Qaeda terrorists.' December 2, 2002, Speech of Vice President Cheney at the Air National Guard Senior Leadership Conference.

(B) `His regime aids and protects terrorists, including members of Al Qaeda. He could decide secretly to provide weapons of mass destruction to terrorists for use against us.' January 30, 2003, Speech of Vice President Cheney to 30th Political Action Conference in Arlington, Virginia.

(C) `We know he's out trying once again to produce nuclear weapons and we know that he has a long-standing relationship with various terrorist groups, including the Al Qaeda organization.' March 16, 2003, NBC Meet the Press interview with Vice President Cheney.

(D) `We learned more and more that there was a relationship between Iraq and Al Qaeda that stretched back through most of the decade of the '90s, that it involved training, for example, on biological weapons and chemical weapons . . .' September 14, 2003, NBC Meet the Press interview with Vice President Cheney.

(E) `Al Qaeda had a base of operation there up in Northeastern Iraq where they ran a large poisons factory for attacks against Europeans and U.S. forces.' October 3, 2003, Speech of Vice President Cheney at Bush-Cheney '04 Fundraiser in Iowa.

(F) `He also had an established relationship with Al Qaeda providing training to Al Qaeda members in areas of poisons, gases, and conventional bombs.' October 10, 2003, Speech of Vice President Cheney to the Heritage Foundation.

(G) `Al Qaeda and the Iraqi intelligence services have worked together on a number of occasions.' January 9, 2004, Rocky Mountain News interview with Vice President Cheney.

(H) `I think there's overwhelming evidence that there was a connection between Al Qaeda and the Iraqi Government.' January 22, 2004, NPR: Morning Edition interview with Vice President Cheney.

(I) `First of all, on the question of--of whether or not there was any kind of relationship, there clearly was a relationship. It's been testified to; the evidence is overwhelming.' June 17, 2004, CNBC: Capital Report interview with Vice President Cheney.

(2) Preceding the March 2003 invasion of Iraq the Vice President was fully informed that no credible evidence existed of a working relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda, a fact articulated in several official documents, including:

(A) A classified Presidential Daily Briefing ten days after the September 11, 2001, attacks indicating that the United States intelligence community had no evidence linking Saddam Hussein to the September 11th attacks and that there was `scant credible evidence that Iraq had any significant collaborative ties with Al Qaeda'.

(B) Defense Intelligence Terrorism Summary No. 044-02, issued in February 2002 by the United States Defense Intelligence Agency, which challenged the credibility of information gleaned from captured al Qaeda leader al-Libi. The DIA report also cast significant doubt on the possibility of a Saddam Hussein-al-Qaeda conspiracy: `Saddam's regime is intensely secular and is wary of Islamic revolutionary movements. Moreover, Baghdad is unlikely to provide assistance to a group it cannot control.'.

(C) A January 2003 British intelligence classified report on Iraq that concluded that `there are no current links between the Iraqi regime and the al-Qaeda network'.

Wherefore, Vice President Richard B. Cheney, by such conduct, is guilty of an impeachable offense warranting removal from office.

Article III

In his conduct while Vice President of the United States, Richard B. Cheney, in violation of his constitutional oath to faithfully execute the office of Vice President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has openly threatened aggression against the Republic of Iran absent any real threat to the United States, and done so with the United States proven capability to carry out such threats, thus undermining the national security of the United States, to wit:

(1) Despite no evidence that Iran has the intention or the capability of attacking the United States and despite the turmoil created by United States invasion of Iraq, the Vice President has openly threatened aggression against Iran as evidenced by the following:

(A) `For our part, the United States is keeping all options on the table in addressing the irresponsible conduct of the regime. And we join other nations in sending that regime a clear message: We will not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon.' March 7, 2006, Speech of Vice President Cheney to American Israel Public Affairs Committee 2006 Policy Conference.

(B) `But we've also made it clear that all options are on the table.' January 24, 2007, CNN Situation Room interview with Vice President Cheney.

(C) `When we--as the President did, for example, recently--deploy another aircraft carrier task force to the Gulf, that sends a very strong signal to everybody in the region that the United States is here to stay, that we clearly have significant capabilities, and that we are working with friends and allies as well as the international organizations to deal with the Iranian threat.' January 29, 2007, Newsweek interview with Vice President Cheney.

(D) `But I've also made the point and the President has made the point that all options are still on the table.' February 24, 2007, Vice President Cheney at Press Briefing with Australian Prime Minister in Sydney, Australia.

(2) The Vice President, who repeatedly and falsely claimed to have had specific, detailed knowledge of Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction capabilities, is no doubt fully aware of evidence that demonstrates Iran poses no real threat to the United States as evidenced by the following:

(A) `I know that what we see in Iran right now is not the industrial capacity you can [use to develop a] bomb.' Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General of International Atomic Energy Agency, February 19, 2007.

(B) Iran indicated its `full readiness and willingness to negotiate on the modality for the resolution of the outstanding issues with the IAEA, subject to the assurances for dealing with the issues in the framework of the Agency, without the interference of the United Nations Security Council'. IAEA Board Report, February 22, 2007.

(C) `. . . so whatever they have, what we have seen today, is not the kind of capacity that would enable them to make bombs.' Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General of International Atomic Energy Agency, February 19, 2007.

(3) The Vice President is fully aware of the actions taken by the United States towards Iran that are further destabilizing the world as evidenced by the following:

(A) The United States has refused to engage in meaningful diplomatic relations with Iran since 2002, rebuffing both bilateral and multilateral offers to dialogue.

(B) The United States is currently engaged in a military buildup in the Middle East that includes the increased presence of the United States Navy in the waters near Iran, significant United States Armed Forces in two nations neighboring to Iran, and the installation of anti-missile technology in the region.

(C) News accounts have indicated that military planners have considered the B61-11, a tactical nuclear weapon, as one of the options to strike underground bunkers in Iran.

(D) The United States has been linked to anti-Iranian organizations that are attempting to destabilize the Iranian Government, in particular the Mujahideen-e Khalq (MEK), even though the State Department has branded it a terrorist organization.

(E) News accounts indicate that United States troops have been ordered into Iran to collect data and establish contact with anti-government groups.

(4) In the last three years the Vice President has repeatedly threatened Iran. However, the Vice President is legally bound by the U.S. Constitution's adherence to international law that prohibits threats of use of force.

(A) Article VI of the United States Constitution states, `This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land.' Any provision of an international treaty ratified by the United States becomes the law of the United States.

(B) The United States is a signatory to the United Nations Charter, a treaty among the nations of the world. Article II, section 4 of the United Nations Charter states, `All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.' The threat of force is illegal.

(C) Article 51 lays out the only exception, `Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations, until the Security Council has taken measures necessary to maintain international peace and security.' Iran has not attacked the United States; therefore any threat against Iran by the United States is illegal.

The Vice President's deception upon the citizens and Congress of the United States that enabled the failed United States invasion of Iraq forcibly altered the rules of diplomacy such that the Vice President's recent belligerent actions towards Iran are destabilizing and counterproductive to the national security of the United States.

Wherefore Richard B. Cheney, by such conduct, warrants impeachment and trial, and removal from office.

Chicago Tribune

Published on Tuesday, November 6, 2007 by The Chicago Tribune

Cheney Impeachment Ready For A Vote: To Table It

by Matthew Hay Brown

It now looks as if Rep. Dennis Kucinich's effort to impeace Vice President Dick Cheney will finally come to a vote today - but not the vote for which supporters have been hoping.

With Democrats averse to opening an intramural debate on an issue that divides their base, party leaders are expected to nip the measure in the bud this afternoon. Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told reporters this morning that he would move to table the measure when Kucinich introduces it.

"[House Speaker Nancy Pelosi] and I have both said impeachment is not on our agenda," Hoyer told reporters. "That does not make a judgment on that issue."

Hoyer's motion appears likely to pass - an outcome that would further alienate an antiwar left already frustrated with a lack of progress by congressional Democrats on changing U.S. policy on Iraq.

"We are in a serious Constitutional crisis," Joseph A. Palermo, a professor of history at California State University, Sacramento, wrote this morning on the Huffington Post. "Democrats were elected to Congress to put the brakes on the Bush-Cheney juggernaut. … [Kucinich's bill] is a long overdue measure coming from a Democrat who has the guts to stand up for the United States Constitution."

Kucinich, who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, has gathered 21 co-sponsors for the articles of impeachment that he first introduced in April. Seeing war with Iran on the horizon, the Ohio congressman now plans to reintroduce the measure this afternoon as a privileged resolution.

Kucinich alleges that Cheney misled Congress and the American public into the war in Iraq, and is trying now to mislead lawmakers and voters into a war with Iran.

"The Vice President is cherry-picking intelligence and selectively using facts in a manner that does not portray the complete picture," Kucinich said today in a statement. "The best option to prevent an unnecessary war with Iran is to impeach the Vice President, the lead cheerleader of the war."

Hoyer did not address the substance of the measure.

"This administration has approximately 12 months, 14 months to go," the Maryland Democrat said. "We have very important issues that we are focusing on: Change of policy in Iraq. Children's health care. Energy independence. Educational access. Investing in health care. Securing our borders and our ports. We have some major priorities. We believe that we need to pursue those policies, focusing on those policies."

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, whose panel has jurisdiction over impeachment proceedings, has described the impeachment effort as a potential disruption.

"If the speaker were to let this thing out of the box, considering the number of legislative issues we have pending," the Michigan Democrat told Fox News, "it could create a split that could affect our productivity for the rest of the Congress."

Of course this is a judgement on the issue, or will be taken that way (which the Republicans want, but I am not bothered by, because the Democratic Party got itself into the mess of betraying its base), and, while the Democrats have made some progress since last year's election, I don't see very much progress on Iraq, etc., and so we need impeachment. I await Price's explanation in response to an email I sent last week.

Loose Change - the Final Cut screening Tuesday

2007-11-12T04:28:00.001-05:00

The third, final, and "substantially different" version of Loose
Change, a documentary on why the official story of 9/11 is fatally
flawed and what may have happened in reality, will be shown at Duke
Tuesday evening, the date having been moved from tonight.

When: Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Time: 8:00pm - 11:00pm
Location: Duke Coffee House & online at LooseChange911.com
Street: Duke's East Campus, Crowell Building, behind Wilson and next to Epworth
City/Town: Durham, NC

Impeachment up for vote this week!

2007-11-04T19:12:00.001-05:00

Below is a summary of Ohio Congressman (and Democratic presidential candidate) Dennis Kucinich's bill in the House of Representatives to begin an impeachment trial of Cheney. I have heard that Tuesday the House will either take the next step, or kill the bill, like the earlier proposals. Contact your representative and show your support for this bill if you agree that Cheney (and Bush) are criminals and cannot be allowed to continue to subvert the rule of law and the Constitution, not to mention possibly start a war with Iran before they leave office, and leave US soldiers to die for imperialist geopolitics and corporate greed in Iraq and elsewhere. The Progressive Democrats of America have a set of flyers about this bill, and there should be lots of updates at www.afterdowningstreet.org.

For those in the 4th Congressional District of NC, you can contact Rep. David Price online at price.house.gov and by phone and mail at:

Washington, D.C.
U.S. House of Representatives
2162 Rayburn Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 202.225.1784
Fax: 202.225.2014

Chapel Hill
88 Vilcom Center
Suite 140
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
Phone: 919.967.7924
Fax: 919.967.8324

Durham
411 W. Chapel Hill Street
NC Mutual Building, 6th Floor
Durham, NC 27701
Phone: 919.688.3004
Fax: 919.688.0940

Raleigh
5400 Trinity Road
Suite 205
Raleigh, NC 27607
Phone: 919.859.5999
Fax: 919.859.5998

In the last primary, I voted for pro-impeachment candidate Kent Kanoy instead of Price. At the moment I can't recall if I voted for someone other than Price in the election. Price is probably the most liberal congressman in North Carolina, for example authoring a bill to bring contractors under control in Iraq, but then he does anti-progressive things like defend Israel's aggression against Lebanon and not even support censuring Bush for his crimes, if I recall his vote correctly. I think I will say his vote on this bill is going to be very influential when I decide who to vote for the next time his seat is open. A few years ago I told John Edwards that he was a warmonger I could not and did not vote for, and I have doubts that he has changed enough that I could vote for him if he is the Democratic candidate for president in '08.

H.RES.333
Title: Impeaching Richard B. Cheney, Vice President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors.
Sponsor: Rep Kucinich, Dennis J. [OH-10] (introduced 4/24/2007) Cosponsors (21)
Latest Major Action: 5/4/2007 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties.

Jump to: Summary, Major Actions, All Actions, Titles, Cosponsors, Committees, Related Bill Details, Amendments

SUMMARY AS OF:
4/24/2007--Introduced.

Impeaches Richard B. Cheney, Vice President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors.

Sets forth articles of impeachment stating that Vice President Cheney: (1) has purposely manipulated the intelligence process to deceive the citizens and Congress of the United States about a threat of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, and about an alleged relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda, to justify the use of the U.S. Armed Forces against Iraq in a manner damaging to U.S. national security interests; and (2) has openly threatened aggression against Iran absent any real threat to the United States, and has done so with the U.S. proven capability to carry out such threats, thus undermining U.S. national security.

MAJOR ACTIONS:

***NONE***

ALL ACTIONS:

4/24/2007:

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

5/4/2007:: Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties.

TITLE(S): (italics indicate a title for a portion of a bill)

***NONE***

COSPONSORS(21), ALPHABETICAL [followed by Cosponsors withdrawn]: (Sort: by date)

Rep Baldwin, Tammy [WI-2] - 8/1/2007	Rep Brady, Robert A. [PA-1] - 7/24/2007
Rep Clarke, Yvette D. [NY-11] - 6/6/2007	Rep Clay, Wm. Lacy [MO-1] - 5/1/2007
Rep Cohen, Steve [TN-9] - 8/4/2007	Rep Ellison, Keith [MN-5] - 6/28/2007
Rep Farr, Sam [CA-17] - 7/12/2007	Rep Filner, Bob [CA-51] - 7/12/2007
Rep Jackson-Lee, Sheila [TX-18] - 8/4/2007	Rep Johnson, Henry C. "Hank," Jr. [GA-4] - 6/28/2007
Rep Kilpatrick, Carolyn C. [MI-13] - 9/7/2007	Rep Lee, Barbara [CA-9] - 6/7/2007
Rep McDermott, Jim [WA-7] - 7/10/2007	Rep Moran, James P. [VA-8] - 7/10/2007
Rep Payne, Donald M. [NJ-10] - 8/1/2007	Rep Schakowsky, Janice D. [IL-9] - 5/1/2007
Rep Towns, Edolphus [NY-10] - 9/27/2007	Rep Waters, Maxine [CA-35] - 6/12/2007
Rep Watson, Diane E. [CA-33] - 10/16/2007	Rep Woolsey, Lynn C. [CA-6] - 6/7/2007
Rep Wynn, Albert Russell [MD-4] - 5/10/2007

COMMITTEE(S):

Committee/Subcommittee:		Activity:
House Judiciary		Referral, In Committee
	Subcommittee on Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties	Referral

RELATED BILL DETAILS:

***NONE***

AMENDMENT(S):

***NONE***

October 10th: What happened to government by the people?

2007-09-30T03:55:00.001-04:00

The next Triangle Socialist Forum discussion, on electoral reform issues, will be Wednesday, October 10th at 7pm at the Chapel Hill Public Library (100 Library Dr.). Why does the political system favor business interests and what can be done to give the public more control and choice? I'm hoping that someone from the Triangle Greens can participate to talk about how the system is rigged against third parties, especially in this state. Possibly Democracy NC, a non-partisan election reform advocacy organization, will take up our invitation, and I also let the Bill of Rights Defense Committees know about the forum. As with the discussion of class in America last month, this is a huge topic and we can only scratch the surface, so we will probably be revisiting this topic again soon.

Another Library fee update

2007-09-20T00:57:00.001-04:00

Apparently the room fees have been changed again. According to an article on the front of the Herald-Sun Metro section Wednesday, the fees are now $25 dollars for non-profit use of larger meeting rooms (but $50 for the Main Library's Auditorium), and double that for for-profit use. I think the rooms covered are the same as what was in the original press release I posted, and there will be free rooms at the Main, East, North, Parkwood, and Stanford L Warren libraries (but not at Southwest). Refreshments are prohibited in the free rooms now. As I said before, I think the County Commissioners need to explain why this is being done and the aim should be to make services as cheap or free as possible for the public. It is an improvement for some relatively large rooms to remain free for use, and the reduced fee is also better. I am posting this on both of my blogs because it is relevant for people in Durham and it affects the impeachment movement in Durham, which meets at a library.

On a different note, I blogged about the new State amphibian a while back (on Durham Spark), and the NC Herpetological Society now has an online poll soliciting opinions on the State frog and salamander, at www.ncherps.org.

Durham Library fee update

2007-09-18T00:52:00.001-04:00

I have received more information about the Durham Library
room fees, which were implemented September 4th. The

Durham People's Alliance contacted the County
Commissioners and the Library Board of Trustees asking
about the policy and why they think fees are necessary.

The PA might do more after its next

coordinating committee meeting later this month. The
Library's advisory Board seems to be in favor of free use, but
the County Commissioners, or some of them, seem to
feel that the fees are needed for expenses associated
with the rooms, and the Commissioners originated this
idea. There might be further changes, and there

was a working meeting on the 4th.

Some rooms are still free. I still think this
is a bad idea and cannot be justified by the charges
to use spaces in the Durham Public Schools, but it is an
improvement to leave smaller spaces free (at least for
now). A press release was sent out August 7th, but
irresponsibly ignored by the media. The part below is on

the room fee:

# # #

News Release

Date: Aug. 7, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Jana A. Alexander

560-0151 or jalexander at durhamcountync dot gov

Durham County Library Policies Change Sept. 4

. . . Meeting Rooms
During the process to create the library's
2007-2008 budget, the Durham Board of County
Commissioners directed the library to implement fees
for meeting rooms. In the past, community

organizations could use meeting rooms free of charge
if they were not serving refreshments. The library
charged a nominal fee of $25 for meeting room use if
the organization served refreshments; the fee was for
facilities maintenance.

Durham County Library will continue providing some
free meeting rooms. However, effective Sept. 4, 2007,
the library will charge nonprofit organizations a flat
rate of $50 for booking one of the library system's
large meeting rooms for up to four hours. The fee for
commercial enterprises and for-profit organizations
will be $100 for meetings that last four hours or
less. There will not be a separate fee for
refreshments.

The meeting spaces that will require a fee include
the Main Library auditorium (capacity 150) and the
meeting rooms at North and East regional libraries
(capacity 100), Parkwood Branch Library (capacity 40),
Southwest Branch Library (capacity 50) and Stanford L.
Warren Branch (capacity 75).

The spaces that will remain available to the community
free of charge include Main Library's third-floor
conference room (capacity 40); and the study/tutoring
rooms at East and North regional libraries (capacity
8), Parkwood Branch Library (capacity 12); and
Stanford L. Warren Branch Library (three rooms, with
capacities of 2, 2 and 6).

"Throughout its history, Durham County Library
facilities have been popular meeting places for a
number of community organizations," said [Skip] Auld. "The
new fee will help us to better maintain our
facilities."

Late breaking information: The City Council seems to
be considering changes to its position (stated in a 2003 resolution) of ignoring
immigration status except for those charged with serious crimes,
but the consensus is said to be to modify it, not repeal it.

This might have come up at the Council meeting earlier in the evening.

Support impeachment Monday in Chapel Hill

2007-08-14T13:46:00.001-04:00

Monday, Aug. 20^th at 2:45; Chelsea Theater

Timberlyne Shopping Center; Chapel Hill;

Near the corner of Weaver Dairy Rd and M. L. K. Boulevard.

Members of GRIM* & guests will meet to prep for an upcoming celebration. Everyone is encouraged to attend and bring friends.

We plan to celebrate the leadership initiative by Our Representative David Price to respond to the White House's stonewalling against every effort of Congress to get accountability. Because the administration has blocked every other avenue, it has become absolutely necessary to

Impeach Cheney & Bush.

At 3:00 we'll start a short walk across Weaver Dairy Rd. to Vilcom Center Drive for a brief 'Pep Rally' @ 3:15.

Several members of GRIM, local elected officials, and human rights activists will meet with Representative Price from 3:30 to 4:00.

After the meeting, we'll all walk back to the shopping center where we will be granted access to the Chelsea Theater to begin the celebration.

PLEASE WEAR AS MUCH ORANGE

AS YOU CAN (symbol of impeachment)

*GRIM—Grass Roots Impeachment Movement— www.impeachbushcheney.net

++++++
We cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home.

—Edward R. Murrow

Upcoming events in August and September

2007-08-05T20:24:00.001-04:00

Here are some upcoming meetings on social justice and impeachment events:

The next Durham Bill of Rights Defense Committee (BORDC) meeting will probably be September 8^th at 3pm, at a library if free space can be found. At the August meeting people brought up Price's vote on the bill that would seem to legalize Bush's illegal domestic wiretapping, anti-torture organizing, impeachment efforts, easily tampered with American voting machines and those who support them (at least Durham has machines with paper ballots), the effort to get NC, along with other states, to award their electoral votes to the presidential candidate who gets the most votes nationally, the Durham library fee, etc. There is lots going on and this was an unusually well-attended meeting, hopefully replicated in September.

The next Durham Impeach Bush-Cheney meetup (online at impeachbush.meetup.com/349/ ) will be at the Parkwood Library on Thursday, August 16^th at 7pm. There is going to be a viewing of Bill Moyers' recent program on impeachment and a work session to type petitions into Excel on Sunday, the 12th, at 2pm.

GRIM (impeachbushcheney.net) is meeting with Rep. Price at I think 2pm on Monday August 20 ^th in Chapel Hill, possibly with a meeting at Cup A Joe beforehand. We are trying to collect 5000 signatures for a new petition and it is going quickly (one person alone got 200 signatures in 200 minutes holding a sign at a civic event in downtown Raleigh recently), but we need more people to circulate the petition. I was told 20 people attending a few events would be enough to reach the goal. We have almost 1000 signatures now, and it is already at 1000 if the earlier petitions, such as www.petitiononline.com/dsmnc/petition.html and its paper version, are included.

NC Stop Torture Now is having several events soon. Saturday, August 11^th from 1-3pm there will be mobile freeway blogging protests at overpasses in Raleigh. Signs and banners will be placed at overpasses and entrances/exits. An anti-torture and anti-war rally or rallies are being organized for the weekend of October 27^th near Aero Contractor's hangar at the Johnston County Airport. There might be an earlier event in Raleigh as well. The next STN monthly meeting will be August 19^th, 2-4pm at the usual Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh location.

The Duke Human Rights Center and several other groups are hosting a half-day conference on extraordinary rendition and Guantánamo at John Hope Franklin Center room 240 (see map.duk.edu for directions) on Wednesday, September 26^th, 12 to 5:30pm. Stephen Grey, the author of a book on the rendition flights, Ghost Plane , Maher Arar, a Canadian who was sent to Syria by the US, where he was tortured, and Ariel Dorfman, author of the foreword to Poems from Guantánamo: The Detainees Speak, will be at the conference (Arar will telecommute, because the Bush Administration still bars him from entering the country, without explanation). Everything will also be streamed live on the Internet and at Duke's Bryan Center, and an audience at the University of Ottawa, in Canada, will also take part.

The Triangle Socialist Forum will discuss rights on the job and fair wages September 1^st at 2:30pm in the usual place at the Chapel Hill Public Library. If there are readings, they will be posted soon, at Durham Spark, but Marx's Value, Price, and Profit, which we looked at last year, is a good work to review, summarizing the theory that monetary value comes from the cost of labor, which is the lowest cost of maintaining a worker and his family. The UN International Labor Organization's standards are another document to look at, to see how many rights the US violates (which is one basis for Hear Our Public Employees' case against the State, for denying public employees the right to collectively bargain).

I think a national anti-war demonstration is being organized in Washington, DC for September 29^th.

Update on the library meeting room fee

2007-07-29T03:37:00.001-04:00

I have heard some more details about the changes in the Durham libraries, and a response by some citizen groups is in the works.

A librarian gave me an unconfirmed rumor that there will be a three day grace period to return books and fines for an overdue book or video will be capped at $5 dollars. Someone else in the know told me that libraries around the country are doing this, because people apparently accumulate fines, and then never use the library again!

There are various explanations for the fee. A librarian told me it was to replace lost revenue. A member of the Library's board of trustees told me that they did not like this decision, but it came straight from the County Commissioners, and is relatively low and seen as half of the for-profit fee. Reportedly Ellen Reckhow proposed it two years ago and it was approved during budget discussions at the Commissioners' meetings in May and June this year. The board member told me the fee is for room upkeep. The rooms aren't that dirty or in need of upgrades I think. Another person with Library connections told me this is not related to the changes in fines, but is purely the County Commissioners trying to raise general revenue for the government. That person expects this policy will fail, because for-profit users won't use the libraries.

The changes are supposed to start September 4th. It looks like the smaller room at Parkwood and even smaller rooms at the North and East branches will continue to be free. The board member said there were some inaccuracies in my earlier account, I think this corrects them (though I doubt the fee is really only for room upkeep), but if anyone with information thinks this is inaccurate, please comment!

I noticed yesterday that (I think) 62 luxuriant marijuana plants were found and destroyed in Durham. I wonder how much those drug surveillance flights cost and what levels of government pay for them. The anti-drug war looks worse for society than the affects of many or all of the major illegal drugs, and money is being spent on this counterproductive policy and wars while services, such as free library services, are being cut or made more costly to the public. My point is, there are plenty of ways to reduce government spending without cutting services that are beneficial or vital to Americans, especially those who aren't wealthy.

Impeachment protest Monday and Library update

2007-07-22T03:24:00.001-04:00

This is an announcement abourt the protest in Chapel Hill at noon Monday. At first I thought this had to do with the July 23rd national day of action on the Downing Street Memos in 2005, which is about the time when I got involved in impeachment campaigning. The media is being invited, so let's make it a big event and make them pay attention to the mass support for impeaching Bush-Cheney!

> > > MONDAY /JULY 23RD AT TWELVE O'CLOCK
> > >
> > > AT FRANKLIN STREET POST OFFICE
> > >
> > > IN CHAPEL HILL
> > >
> > > 300 ORANGE BALLOONS
> > >
> > > WILL BE GIVEN AWAY
> > >
> > > COME AND BRING YOUR SUPPORT FOR IMPEACHMENT
> > >
> > > AND BE SUPPORTED BY THOSE
> > >
> > > AROUND YOU
> > >
> > > IF YOU CAN, WEAR ORANGE ON MONDAY
> > >
> > > JULY 23, A COLOR THAT HAS COME TO STAND FOR
> > >
> > > NONVIOLENT REVOLUTION
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > *
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > MONDAY JULY 23RD CINDY SHEEHAN WILL LEAD A MARCH
> FROM ARLINGTON NATIONAL
> > > CEMETERY (AT 10AM) TO CAPITOL HILL, TO THE
> OFFICE OF CONGRESSMAN JOHN
> > > CONYERS TO ASK HIM TO MOVE FORWARD WITH
> IMPEACHMENT OF THE PRESIDENT, GEORGE
> > > BUSH AND VICE-PRESIDENT DICK CHENEY.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > This event has been accomplished by private
> funds of average people and
> > > businesses tired of the goings on of the
> Government. There will be no
> > > speeches, brochures or requests for funds; just
> people to people. Please
> > > come. Thank you.

> > > CEMETERY (AT 10AM) TO CAPITOL HILL, TO THE
> OFFICE OF CONGRESSMAN JOHN
> > > CONYERS TO ASK HIM TO MOVE FORWARD WITH
> IMPEACHMENT OF THE PRESIDENT, GEORGE
> > > BUSH AND VICE-PRESIDENT DICK CHENEY.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > This event has been accomplished by private
> funds of average people and
> > > businesses tired of the goings on of the
> Government. There will be no
> > > speeches, brochures or requests for funds; just
> people to people. Please
> > > come. Thank you.

I wouldn't link this to Ukraine's so-called "revolution" a few years ago, which was really just a fight between two different wings of capital, not between different classes, like the revolutions in England, America (I would guess), France, or Russia. Orange is a logical color for impeachment because peaches are an orange color (im-peach). Thus Andy Silver's orange to impeach campaign, which has either spread across the country or been independently duplicated all over.

The Durham Library Situation

I was told by a librarian that one or both of Parkwood's meeting rooms will cost starting in September, and this is a systemwide policy. The fee will be $50 dollars for anything up to 4 hours and $100 dollars over that. The rooms will also be opened up to for-profit activities, though those users will pay double the cost,

Apparently this is part of a longstanding wish by the County Commissioners for changes in the Library system. Overdue book fines will be reduced, for example, by restoring the four-day grace period (which I think is a helpful idea), and the Commissioners introduced the fee to make up for the lost revenue. There is at least some discontent among the librarians.

As I said yesterday, I think this policy discourages citizens from organizing groups and events by depriving those without funds of a very user-friendly and publicly funded meeting space. Taxes are supposed to support the libraries and surely they could have saved some money by making cuts elsewhere if they couldn't increase the Library's appropriation in the budget. I'm glad for-profit users will have to pay more, thus potentially discouraging them from competing with non-profits for the spaces, but at the same time it seems a bit arbitrary and unfair to make them pay double the price. Possibly the small meeting room at Parkwood will stay free, but I predict it will then be hard to book, because that Library is already sometimes very busy. I belong to three groups that meet about monthly in the libraries, two of them at Parkwood, and as I said, I would have to pay for one of those groups.

There is a complaint list, at least at Parkwood, and concerned people can also call, email, or write to the County Commissioners to complain (contact info is on the County Government website and in the League of Women Voters publications at the libraries). The Library had several public meetings earlier in the summer, but as far as I know they did not advertise that this fee was being eyed and I don't know if it was discussed at those events.

Keep the Durham Co. libraries free

2007-07-20T03:20:00.001-04:00

I heard from the Durham BORDC's organizer that using either the auditorium or the upstairs conference room at the Main Library now costs $50 dollars. I also heard that the Parkwood Branch Library will probably charge for the large meeting room (according to one librarian) or possibly both starting in September. It looks like this is a system wide change, but I haven't confirmed that yet.

I think this is a bad idea that conflicts with the traditional concept of a public library that also serves as a community center. I reserve a library meeting room in Durham at least 12 times a year, and it is too costly to pay a fee of $600 dollars a year. This impacts everyone, but especially citizen groups without financial status, the poor, students, and homeless people. Sure there are cheaper or free spaces, but these are mostly private locations with more drawbacks. Church rooms are often very busy, may have a fee, and political meetings might be prohibited. Homes might be too small, lack parking, and are private spaces that people might not want to use for public meetings open to everyone, Southpoint Mall and coffee shops provide meeting spaces, but they are also crowded or busy with through traffic, small, and are more limited than the libraries have been, If this change is to save money, I think it would be more in keeping with the mission of libraries if they saved money instead by not allowing refreshments (the serving of which already has a fee), cutting the lawn less often, etc.

I will provide an update about this when I have more details, but I was told that the Library is taking complaints, so we should send them in (contact information is available at www.durhamcountylibrary.org).

Another longstanding issue, possibly having to do with money, is the way the Library decides which books in its collection to sell.

Cindy Sheehan in Carrboro today

2007-07-19T03:12:00.001-04:00

Cindy Sheehan will be at Weaver Street Market in
Carrboro today (7/19) at noon for an event organized
by the Grass Roots Impeachment Movement.

In the evening (I think at 7pm) the Durham Bush-Cheney
Impeachment Meetup will be meeting for July at the
Parkwood Branch Library in Durham.

____________________________________________________________________________________
Need a vacation? Get great deals
to amazing places on Yahoo! Travel.
http://travel.yahoo.com/

Creeping US fascism? discussion July 21st

2007-07-15T03:04:00.001-04:00

Creeped out by recent US history? How far towards
fascism has the USA gone under Bush-Cheney? Join the
discussion, Saturday, August 21st at 2:30 in the
conference room of the Chapel Hill Public Library. For
more information, including suggested online readings
by Michael Ruppert and R Palme Dutt, see durhamspark.blogspot.com.

An activist from a local Bill of Rights Defense Committee (www.bordc.org)

will attend, and I might have a video to show also,

This is the July meeting of the Triangle Socialist
Forum, a non-partisan group for discussing issues
related to socialist theory and practice and broader
progressive topics.

Durham BORDC meeting Saturday at Stanford Warren

2007-06-23T02:46:00.001-04:00

The Durham Bill of Rights Defense Committee's June meeting is today at 3pm at the Stanford Warren Library, on Fayetteville St. I think the main agenda items will be the ongoing campaign against the NC connection to rendition of prisoners for torture and tabling at July 4th events.

Also, this is the second day of the Friends of the Durham Library's summer booksale. They have a range of books, most going for $1 dollar hardcover and 50 cents paperback. I found most of my Marxist books in the philosophy section and sometimes in the history section, along with books on the histories of the "socialist bloc" countries.

I think the renovations downtown are also being officially unveiled Saturday, with the festivities starting at 10am. It would be nice if the editors of UNC's Daily Tar Heel and others who are hard on Durham's image would take notice. Though we could use some new trees downtown to replace the ones cut for street work.

If the Grass Roots Impeachment Movement meeting Sunday at 5:30 is open to the public, I assume it is announced at www.impeachbushcheney.net.

Protecting and expanding democracy, July 2nd meeting

2007-06-21T02:47:00.000-04:00

The event below, marking July 4th by looking at what has been left undone in the way of democracy and equality since the first US revolution, will involve some discussion of the Bush Administration's crimes, impeachment, and the problems with Congressional leadership, so I am posting it here. The Durham impeachment meetup met earlier Wednesday, mainly discussing whether to demand that Attorney General Gonzalez be impeached. GRIM is meeting this Sunday in Chapel Hill. The Durham Bill of Rights Defense Committee, which is about civil liberties mainly, is meeting Saturday, I think at 3pm at the Southwest Library.

Mark the July 4th national liberation of the USA by
joining a discussion Monday, July 2nd at 7pm at
Internationalist Books in Chapel Hill (405 W. Franklin
St.) about the need for revolutionary political and
economic change to make the country more democratic,
fair, prosperous, and sustainable. How can we remove
Bush and Cheney for their proven crimes? Whose
interests control politics? Is monopoly capitalism
serving most Americans well? How can we live up to
our democratic and progressive ideals?

Now is the time to discuss this, as Bush leads an
an anti-democratic reaction, and at a time when we
celebrate America's revolutionary birthday.

Articles of impeachment to be filed against Cheney by Rep. Kucinich!

2007-04-21T02:04:00.001-04:00

This was posted on the Information Clearing House website (www.informationclearinghouse.info/article17554.htm) and comes the same week as the Vermont Senate overwhelmingly endorsed a resolution for impeaching Bush and Cheney and Gonzales was grilled by Congress members and appears to be on the way out.

Articles of Impeachment To Be Filed On Cheney

By Mary Ann Akers

04/18/07 " Washington Post' --- -- Looks like he's reached his boiling point.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), the most liberal of the Democratic presidential candidates in the primary field, declared in a letter sent to his Democratic House colleagues this morning that he plans to file articles of impeachment against Vice President Dick Cheney.

Kucinich has made ending the war in Iraq the central theme of his campaign. He has even taken aim at the leading Democratic presidential candidates in the field for their votes on authorizing the war.

Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution gives Congress the authority to impeach the president, vice president and "all civil Officers of the United States" for "treason, bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors."

Sources tell the Sleuth that in light of the mass killings at Virginia Tech Monday, Kucinich's impeachment plans have been put on hold. There will be no action this week, they say.

Kucinich's office had no comment on the Congressman's "Dear Colleague" letter -- which apparently was drafted over the weekend, before the school massacre -- or on what the focus of articles of impeachment against Cheney would be.

But Kucinich shouldn't hold his breath on getting anywhere with his impeachment plan. "We'll see a Kucinich Administration before we'll see a Cheney impeachment," quipped one Democratic aide.

Here is the text of his letter, a copy of which was forwarded to the Sleuth:

April 17, 2007

Dear Colleague:

This week I intend to introduce Articles of Impeachment with respect to the conduct of Vice President Cheney. Please have your staff contact my office . . . if you would like to receive a confidential copy of the document prior to its introduction in the House.

Sincerely,

/s/

Dennis J. Kucinich

Member of Congress

letter to Hawaiian legislators on impeachment bill

2007-04-10T15:49:00.001-04:00

This is a message I sent to Hawaii State Senators Clayton Hee (senhee@Capitol.hawaii.gov) and Russell S. Kokubun (senkokubun@Capitol.hawaii.gov ) on the Judiciary and Labor Committee. You can find out more about SCR 83 at www.capitol.hawaii.gov. This is the first time I have done this for other impeachment campaigns, but I should do it more often, if it helps them help all of us.

Dear Senator Hee:

I am writing to ask you to bring Senate Concurrent
Resolution 83, on impeachment, to a vote in your
committee. The text does not seem to be online [actually it is], but
it is probably something I can also recommend that you
vote for. I am a North Carolinian (and a member of
the Grass Roots Impeachment Movement,
www.impeachbushcheney.net ), but I was asked to support
the Hawaiian impeachment movement, and if Hawaii
forces Congress to consider impeachment, it will be
fulfilling the wishes of a majority of Americans. It
will be a while longer before we can get North
Carolina to consider and pass a similar resolution.

This is not a partisan issue and I would be as hard on
a Democrat who commits the same crimes as Bush and
Cheney (and Bill Clinton did, but that is not what
Congress decided to impeach him on). I was as much
for impeachment when Republicans controlled Congress
as I am now that the Democrats are in control. In
North Carolina it is mainly Democrats who support
impeachment, but they are joined by Libertarians,
Greens, other third parties, and, at least nationally,
by some Republicans. We need to send a message that
the Bush Administration's illegal and dangerous
actions will no longer be tolerated, and impeachment
might be required to bring peace to Iraq and prevent
aggression against Iran and anything else the
Administration is planning.

Some of the main reasons that both Bush and Cheney
deserve to be impeached are illegally lying to
Congress to start the Iraq War, illegally spying on
Americans, authorizing torture, and subverting
democracy in other ways, such as through their
excessive secrecy and habitually lying on a variety of
issues. I think they are also guilty of war crimes,
such as crimes against the peace in Iraq and targeting
civilians and journalists. War crimes are also
illegal under American laws. There are other offenses
that might not be illegal, but should be impeachable,
such as corrupt government (serving Big Business, such
as Enron and Halliburton, at the expense of most
Americans), inaction in the Katrina disaster, the
Patriot and Military Commissions acts, anti-unionism,
etc.

I would welcome a reply, although I am not one of your
constituents. Thank you for considering my concerns.

Solidarity with the impeachment campaign in Hawaii

2007-04-08T20:25:00.001-04:00

An impeachment activist from Hawaii has requested the help of people here in getting the Hawaiian legislature to consider an impeachment resolution. If it passes, it will force the US Congress to consider impeachment. We need to contact Hawaiian senators Clayton Hee and Kokubun before this Friday. The email does not include their contact information, but I'm sure it can easily be found through Google or any search engine. This was sent over the GRIM listserve, so I assume it can be publicly posted (let me know otherwise and I will edit out whatever needs to be confidential).

> Subject: URGENT ACTION NEEDED ON Hawaii SCR 83 requesting impeachment
>
> Aloha,
>
> I live way out in Honolulu and I have been fortunate
> enough to suggest and help draft for the Hawaii State
> Senate, Senate Concurrent Resolution 83, requesting
> Congress to commence impeachment proceedings against
> the President and the Vice President of the United
> States.
>
> The deadline for this resolution to make it through
> the Hawaii State Judiciary and Labor Committee is
> Friday the 13th. Senator Clayton Hee is the chair and
> he decides whether or not it will be heard. He has
> waffled a bit on this and is very clearly seeking a
> great deal of attention to be paid to this if he is
> going to hear it. Hence my desperately late letter to
> you to ask people on your list serve to sign a
> petition, call, or write letters to Senator Hee, the
> Vice-Chair Senator Kokubun and the other committee
> members before this thing dies in committee! It might
> actually work here in one of the most liberal states
> in the Union, but its got to get through this
> committee first!
>
> It does not matter that you and those you might be
> able to get to help call or write are not Hawaii
> residents, this Senator (and frankly this issue) needs
> national attention for action to take place.
>
> Below is a proposed draft letter. PLEASE get back to
> me on this ASAP. The local media wants to do a story
> on it too, but only if Sen. Hee agrees to hear the
> resolution. But unless people know about the
> resolution, they wont contact him to ask him to hear
> it...
>
> Dear Senator,
>
> If a state legislature forwards a bill or a resolution
> on impeachment to the Congress of the United States,
> then the Congress must act. I urge you to hear Senate
> Concurrent Resolution 83 before the JDL committee.
> This resolution reflects the sentiment of a growing
> number of people in the State of Hawaii and in the
> nation at large, and the people and the sentiment of
> the people should be heard.
>
> Considering this resolution before your committee can
> only strengthen our democracy by fostering a much
> broader national debate on the importance of holding
> he executive branch of our federal government
> accountable for its actions and will send a strong
> message to future Presidents and Vice-Presidents of
> the United States that they are not above the law.
> Please do not shy away from making the State of Hawaii
> politically relevant on the national level and hear
> SCR 83 before your committee before it's too late!
>
> Thanks for all you do and keep up the good work.
>
> [ML]
> Honolulu, HI

Defending liberty and peace this week

2007-03-20T10:29:00.001-04:00

Below are three notices, about a protest for Sami al-Arian, a hunger striking political prisoner held at Butner, on the 24th, a day of action against the Military Commissions Act Wednesday (local petition on at www.petitiononline.com/stopMCA.petition.html), and an urgent need for calls to Price against war funding. [When I first posted this I forgot to mention, today there were student strikes against the War at UNC and local high schools. Also, NC Stop Torture Now is having a protest and press conference at 2pm on Wednesday (the 21st) at the Legislative building in Raleigh.]

Sami al-Arian

Join Lady Liberty to Free Palestinian Sami Al-Arian, 4 years in Prison 10 AM- noon, March 24 ,off I-85 N at Exit 189
(take exit and turn left onto NC 1103 toward Butner, NE of Durham)

Demonstration will aim to set up on the SW quadrant of the intersection. There is a I-85 service road along the exit ramp to access I-85 going south where parking looks feasible.

Attire: orange jumpsuits, black hoods, orange T-shirts
Needed: Large signs and banners to be visible from I-85
Carpools: Call [ X ]

Mileage for Lady Liberty from Cary: 31 miles, 41 minutes
Durham: 17 miles, 25 minutes
Chapel Hill: 29 miles, 37 minutes

Please come with concerned friends,

Peggy
====================================================
Sami Al-Arian has been a prisoner since February 20, 2003.

Dr. al-Arian, a Palestinian who taught computer science at the University of South Florida, stopped eating Jan. 22 to protest a judge's decision to hold him indefinitely after he refused to testify before a Virginia grand jury. March 17 is the 55th day and he has lost 52 pounds. Officials at the Federal Medical Facility in Butner have told al-Arian that they will begin force feeding if his condition worsens, according to his attorney, Peter Erlinder. Supporters of al-Arian have asked Gonzales to deport al-Arian before his scheduled release from prison in April.

During a six-month trial in 2005, prosecutors labeled al-Arian a leader of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which the United States calls a foreign terrorist organization. The trial ended in an acquittal on some counts and a hung jury on others. Prosecutors and al-Arian had agreed to deportation as a part of the plea deal. Erlinder declined to say where al-Arian would be deported. In a plea bargain last April, al-Arian admitted to conspiring to aid Palestinian Islamic Jihad and was sentenced to nearly five years in prison, although he got credit for the time he had already served. Al-Arian and his attorneys said that the plea deal also exempts him from testifying before a grand jury in Alexandria, Va., which is investigating Islamic charities in northern Virginia.

His five children were all born in the U.S. and the family lived in Raleigh for a period of time. I believe two of his children attended NC State University.

Read http://www.freesamialarian.com/home.htm for more information.

Dear [ X ],

On Wednesday, March 21, join the Bill of Rights Defense Committee and millions of our allies throughout the U.S. in an overwhelming grassroots repudiation of the Military Commissions Act! To ensure this effort's success, the BORDC has teamed up with other organizations including the ACLU, National Religious Campaign Against Torture, the
Presbyterian Church, and Public Citizen, each of which will take responsibility for a day the week of March 19-23.

The Military Commissions Act (MCA):

* Legalizes the President's ability to name anyone in the world an "unlawful enemy combatant" and to detain them indefinitely, denying them basic rights, including due process of law,
* Denies habeas corpus--the right for a detainee to challenge his or her detention before an impartial judge--to anyone who is not a U.S. citizen,
* Allows detainees to be convicted on the basis of secret and hearsay evidence, and testimony gained from the detainee through torture and coercion, and
* Permits the executive branch to ignore the Geneva Conventions.

The Message: Please phone both your Senators and your Representative
and urge them to:

* Co-sponsor legislation restoring habeas corpus and other
fundamental rights abolished by the MCA (see bill numbers below).
* Seek out Republican co-sponsors for legislation restoring habeas corpus.
* Hold hearings on legislation that would repeal key provisions of the MCA.
* Speak out publicly on the importance of a thorough restoration to
our vanishing rights.

Proposed Legislation includes bills to restore or preserve habeas corpus and bills to partially dismantle the Military Commissions Act (MCA).

Bills that take large steps towards dismantling the Military Commissions Act: S. 576 (Sen. Christopher Dodd) and H.R. 1415 (Reps. Jerrold Nadler and Jane Harman), Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007, would not only restore the right of habeas corpus for those detained by the United States, but would also do the following:

* Prohibit testimony gained by torture or coercion,
* Narrow the definition of enemy combatant,
* Reassert the Geneva Conventions,
* Provide for expedited judicial review of Military Commissions Act

Bills that would restore habeas corpus alone:

* S. 185 (Senators Patrick Leahy and Arlen Specter), the Habeas Corpus Restoration Act of 2007, would restore the right of habeas corpus for those detained by the United States.
* H.R. 1416 (Reps. Jerrold Nadler and Jane Harman), Habeas Corpus Restoration Act of 2007 (House version of Senate bill S. 185 above).
* H.R. 267 (Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee), the Military Commissions Habeas Corpus Restoration Act of 2007, would restore the right of habeas corpus for those detained by the United States.
* H.R. 1189 (Rep. David Wu), To Preserve the Right of Habeas Corpus, would restore the right of habeas corpus for all U.S. legal residents.

Make Sure Your Voice is Heard!

* Visit http://bordc.org/threats/mca-call-in.php for talking points and a link to a flyer you can print and distribute.
* On Wednesday, May 17, 2006, call the Capitol switchboard, 202-224-3121, and ask the operator to connect you (24 hours a day) or call your legislators directly (find their Washington office phone numbers at http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/).
* For more information about the MCA, visit
http://www.bordc.org/threats/mca.php.

Please forward this message widely, and don't forget to call your Senators and Representative during the week of March 19-23. You can call more than once!

Thank you for all you do!

The Bill of Rights Defense Committee:
Nancy Talanian, Director
Hope Marston, Organizer, West Region
Mohamed Elgadi, Organizer, East Region
Meredith Gray, Administrator

Price votes to enable the Iraq War

Last Thursday the Supplemental Appropriations bill passed in the House Appropriations Committee, and Price voted for it. It sets a deadline for the War, after which it will be unlawful, but the bill does not cut off funding after that date, so it could continue. The entire House will vote on it this week, so anti-war citizens need to let Price know what we think.

Price's office numbers:

Washington Office
Phone: 202-225-1784
Fax: 202-225-2014

Raleigh
Phone: 919-859-5999
Fax: 919-859-5998

Durham
Phone: 919-688-3004
Fax: 919-688-0940

Chapel Hill
Phone: 919-967-7924
Fax: 919-967-8324

Cooperate against the Bush agenda

2007-03-16T20:09:00.001-04:00

I posted this on my other blog, durhamspark.blogspot.com, and I'm reporting it here because it is related to the impeachment movement. Progressives need to cooperate against the reactionary right, and I think impeachment is a key campaign to unite around. Impeachment is larger than the progressive community, though, and should include Bush opponents on the right who agree that the opposition should cooperate to remove Bush and Cheney. That said, progressives are probably the largest group working for impeachment, possibly along with Libertarians.

As Americans meet this month to protest the Iraq War on the anniversary of its start four years ago, we should look at the links between opposition to the War and other progressive causes, and if there is a root cause of the War that we should organize to change. The unity of these causes was highlighted at the NC NAACP's large Historic Thousands on Jones Street (HK on J) demonstration in Raleigh last month, with its 14-point platform, addressing racial justice, the War, conservation, fair elections, democracy in the workplace, and other progressive campaigns (see www.ncjustice.org ). Over the years, many have called for unity and tried to facilitate it. Nationally, it was behind the Million Worker March in DC in the fall of 2004, attempts at anti-war unity, and the broadened demands of the Millions More March in 2005, a sequel to the Million Man March.

The Bush Administration represents the conservative agenda, in the interests of Big Business, the rich, Christian fundamentalists, and other reactionaries who want to make the current system worse (for the majority of Americans, that is). Who the Administration serves can be seen by considering the origins of its members in the Nixon and Reagan administrations and their positions on corporate boards (especially in the oil industry) when out of office. Consider how they have governed, such as Bush's signing statements saying what Congressional decisions he chooses to consider laws, Cheney's heavily business influenced, and secretive, energy taskforce, the attempt to weaken the Clean Air Act and allow more arsenic contamination of drinking water, war serving the interests of the energy industry, etc. Also consider their tactics, such as lying to Congress and the people on Iraq, harassing and criminalizing activists, retaliating against government critics and whistleblowers, apparently using assassination against opponents in Puerto Rico and overseas, and allegedly fixing elections and aiding or shielding al Qaida and its allies, such as government factions in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

To answer this challenge, we needs a movement representing the populist and democratic agenda, represented at events such as the NC Peace and Justice Coalition's protest tomorrow in Fayetteville. This is a movement that is for upholding the UN Declaration of Human Rights and our Constitution and laws, democracy in the economy, helping the disadvantaged to beat poverty and poor circumstances, healthcare for all, a progressive tax code, protecting the Bill of Rights, giving ordinary people more opportunity to govern themselves, fair trade, fair and just relations with other nations, preserving biodiversity, a livable and humane society, and sustainable development that preserves the environment and our livelihoods. The conservatives are trying to rollback the relatively few progressive gains won in the USA and the world, we should fight for a new program of progress.

At the least, this calls for changes in society, and I would say that to realize these goals we have to remake the government and economy, otherwise there will be little progress on these goals and they will later easily be dismantled. I call this socialism, but regardless of whether people agree or not, progressives and populists must discuss a framework to realize and establish our proposals, and one that is American and fits our country today.

This movement needs to be based on the working class of the USA, which the vast majority of Americans belong to, in one gradation or another. Workers are the people who most benefit from what progressives are fighting for and workers' unions and other groups lead many campaigns on these demands. Workers also have the power to realize these ideals, unlike other progressive sections of society. The Republican Party has been able to frame issues in a way that makes many people vote for politicians who say the 'right' thing in the "Culture War" (for conservatives) but don't do anything about it, while pushing through policies for business that hurt the workers who voted for them. If there were better alternatives, leading more people to participate in politics for the first time, we could beat the Republicans and "centrist" Democrats, and re-frame the political debate in this country.

Another necessary alliance is between the majority white and white-collar campaigns existing now, and activists and communities of color, and those fighting for progress in other countries. If white progressives and the progressive black, Latino, native, and immigrant communities in this State united, we could make great advances politically. Whites need to consult with other communities, consider their desires, and work for more mutual involvement. Other groups should also work towards multi-ethnic organizing, that recognizes the importance of class in politics (and lack of class consciousness among all ethnicities is part of the reason we have Republicans in power today), along with the usual, and just, demand for freedom for oppressed ethnic, cultural, sexual, and other minorities.

We shouldn't be blind to, or afraid to recognize, people in other countries who either agree with us, are potentially allies, or unwittingly help the progressive cause, even if they are not progressive themselves. For example, nationalists (as opposed to those who are causing sectarian splits) in the Middle East are fighting the same enemy as we are, the occupation and oppression of their countries by a US government (or its close allies, such as Israel and Turkey) run by and for the wealthy. On the other hand, we share some priorities with the British Labour Party, such as concern about climate change, but it is aiding the Bush Administration and its leader thinks the West can and should overthrow any government it opposes. This ignores serious conflicts of interest and the wishes of the people of those nations. For example, Saddam Hussein was once a US ally, and Bush and Blair haven't built an Iraqi democratic republic at the point of a gun yet. All opponents of the Administration aren't allies of ours, but some are, whether they mean to be progressive or not. Regarding our international progressive allies, United Electrical union, local 150, representing NC public workers, eloquently argues for internationalism, and has several campaigns that include solidarity between workers from different countries. For example, UE called for workers' and community organizations, and the working class as a whole, to "understand international law, international human rights standards, and international outreach and solidarity as fundamental to their rights and existence inside the United States" in the May/June 2005 International Worker Justice Campaign Bulletin.

This is a progressive movement, but where possible activists should reach out to people who partially agree, and groups that are split between progress and reaction, such as small business owners and low skill workers hurt by immigrant competition or environmental policies. We should welcome people who partially agree with a progressive platform, such as the left of the Republican Party, and Libertarians (who are often anti-war and pro-impeachment, while also being anti-union and against social welfare). But the backbone of a progressive movement has to be workers, oppressed groups, and the disadvantaged. We won't all agree on every issue, but surely we can create a common platform that we can rally around. We all need to listen to each other and be willing to make sacrifices to create a basis for common action, so our efforts can reinforce each other and present an alternative that will shift us away from the increasingly conservative US and international political climate. Anarchists, autonomists, communists, democrats, greens, liberals, minority nationalists, moderates, populists, republicans, socialists, syndicalists, and activists for progressive causes need to work for principled cooperation for shared goals. Those at the left end of the spectrum should avoid being so ideologically 'purist' that they isolate themselves. Progressive people closer to the "centrist" Democratic Leadership Council (right) end of the spectrum, should think about how well these so-called liberals have done in defending and implementing progressive ideas.

Cooperative action can be expanded further through issue-based coalitions. For example, it might be hard bring socialists and libertarians together to fight for both civil liberties and economic democracy, but they can ally on civil liberties. The issue of economic civil rights can be left to the broad progressive coalition.

How do we establish unity?

We need to organize united fronts locally, by municipality, county, and Congressional district. County and city efforts could be similar to the Durham People's Alliance. To unite the entire State, we need Statewide conferences and communication. Now is the time to make proposals. The NCPJC has justice in its name, and the anti-war movement increases its voice by winning over workers and minority allies, so it could take up this call. The NAACP is already working on this. The Green Party could potentially help craft a progressive platform. Democratic Party groups could help, as long as it is not just for partisan electoral gain and controlling. The Democratic Party has the support of many very progressive people, but unfortunately it is often not very progressive as a group, and becomes less progressive the further ones goes from the grassroots. We will fail if we depend on it or put "anyone but X" before standing for progressive demands. Perhaps an electoral campaign could help organize common cause, but again, it has to be bigger than just electing that candidate, in case he or she loses, and the effort can't be top down and only electoral, if that candidate wins. Next we need to develop a Statewide, and eventually a national, structure. In all of this we need to campaign at the grassroots and in the streets, but we also need a third party that will resolutely take the platform that comes out of this grassroots organization into elections. I don't have all of the answers, but I would ask these groups, what will you do to facilitate united action? I've tried to contribute through uniting Bush opponents in the local impeachment movement and Durham progressives in the People's Alliance, and fostering socialist and communist cooperation in the Triangle Socialist Forum.

We need to work on many issues. I suggest that in addition to ending the Iraq War and defending our current democratic institutions and laws, impeaching Bush and Cheney is a political demand that unites progressives and other opponents of the Bush agenda.

It is up to us, the non-elite (the elite having gotten us into this mess, and the worst elites being those backing Bush), whether we limit ourselves to particular issues and the current options, or fight to change the system. Eventually we will bring the Iraq War to some conclusion, but will we miss the opportunity to end this rotten system, revealed in events like Bush's wars, the Gulf Coast disaster, and Iran/Contra, or will we fight to make it so this is the last time the US government is taken over by and for the benefit of corporate power? As a small step, think of this when you go to the discussions the NCPJC organizes at the Fayetteville demonstration, or on buses to the protest in DC, or at local events.

Contact me, or reply here, to discuss this further.

Latest Administration offenses + upcoming demos

2007-03-16T02:57:00.000-04:00

A lot has happened recently, continuing the Bush Administration's pattern of criminality and contempt for democracy. Libby was indicted and the media actually highlighted calls for Cheney to resign. Then this week the firing of the US attorneys led to calls for Attorney General Gonzales to resign. The Administration has the right to fire the district attorneys he appointed, but this is the first time so many have been removed at once, in the middle of a term, and seemingly because they were not being properly partisan. Now it has been revealed that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed says he was behind the 9/11 attacks, etc. There are many problems with this alleged confession. Even the 9/11 Commission thought his statements in detention were suspect and possibly exaggerated. And he was reportedly tortured, which is how a government gets false confessions from people. Even worse, the media refuses to point out that he is apparently connected to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate, one of many connections between the ISI and 9/11. Given the involvement of US allies and the US government in supporting al Qaida terrorism, I also find it suspect and one-sided that the Sudanese government was just found culpable in the attack on the USS Cole in Yemen.

You can join the effort to stop the Administration's central crime, the Iraq War and the "Global War on Terror" by going to upcoming demonstrations (see the NC Peace & Justice update below). I took out most of the contact information below, in case it is not posted publicly elsewhere; contact me at southplumb at gmail dot com for the info. I might not be able to reply in time for the 3/17 events though.

NC Peace & Justice Update, 3/15/2007

> www.NCpeacejustice.org www.UnitedforPeace.org
>
> Let This Year Mark the Final Four
>
> As the NCAA Basketball Tournament begins and we
> cheer our North Carolina teams on to the Final Four,
> we will also fill Carolina streets and Congress's
> voicemail with urgent calls to make this the Final,
> Fourth anniversary of the Iraq War.
>
> As dozens of people are killed and hundreds wounded
> in Iraq nearly every day, and Congress dithers on
> cutting the funding for the war and setting a
> timetable for withdrawal, thousands of people in
> cities and towns throughout the United States will
> take to the streets to urge Congress and the White
> House to bring all the troops home now and take care
> of them when they get here.
> Please add one of these exciting events to your
> calendar this next week!
>
> North Carolina: 4th Anniversary of the Iraq War
> Events:
>
> March 17: Fayetteville Peace March & Rally: 10:00
> Gather at Community Health Center, 12:00 March,
> 1:00-4:00 Rally at Rowan Street Park.
> ( www.fayetteville-peace-rally.org)
> March 17: Support Military Resisters Rally,
> Greensboro, 11 am Governmental Plaza, Greene St.
> Downtown ( ncwcw.blogspot.com)
>
> March 17: March on the Pentagon, Washington DC
> (Buses from Chapel Hill 919 942-1740
> www.internationalistbook.org; and Charlotte,
> March 19: Vigils in Cities across NC on the 4th
> Anniversary of the War, listed at
>
http://pol.moveon.org/event/events/index.html?action_id=79&id=
>
>
> March 20: Student Walk-Out, Rally, and March, 12:00
> UNC's Pit, Chapel Hill ( www.Chapelhillsds.org),
> Critical Mass Bike Ride Against the War from
> Carrboro Town Commons, 12:30
> March 24: Building Peace Rally in Asheville,
> 2:00-4:00 City Hall ( www.wncpeacecoalition.org).
>
> March 26: Court Date for Students Arrested at Rep.
> David Price's Chapel Hill Office, 9:00 am,
> Hillsborough Court House
> related: March 28: NAACP sponsors the HK on J People
> of Color Legislative Day, Raleigh State Legislature,
> includes Resolution to Bring the Troops Home. Info:
> ncnaacp at gmail dot com
>

> Next Monday will mark the fourth anniversary of the
> war in Iraq. Across the country, MoveOn members and
> allies will join together at candlelight vigils to
> commemorate this day, honor the sacrifices of our
> troops, and voice our stronger-than-ever call to
> bring them home soon and safe.
>
> Event List at:
>
http://pol.moveon.org/event/events/index.html?action_id=79&id=
>
> Fayetteville March and Rally for Peace, Saturday
> March 17, 2007
>
> Holly Near Headlines Rally, Veterans Caravan to
> Arrive in Fayetteville
>
> Singer Holly Near has been to Fayetteville before.
> And she'll be back on March 17, 2007, at the
> Fayetteville peace rally.
>
> In 1971, Holly was part of the legendary FTA tour
> with Donald Sutherland, Jane Fonda, and other stars.
> The troupe presented militantly funny shows of
> antiwar songs and skits to wildly enthusiastic
> audiences of GIs and others near military bases
> around the US and across the Pacific.
>
> "FTA" by the way, stood for "Free The Army" -- among
> some other, less printable versions of the acronym.
> The tour was the basis for an early insurgent
> documentary film by the same name, which was briefly
> released, then suppressed by pressure from high
> places, with the Nixon White House topping the list
> of suspects. (More about Holly at:
> www.hollynear.com)
>
> Holly will be back in Fayetteville on March 17,
> doing a set of her music to headline the fourth
> annual peace march and rally there. She's eager to
> make a return visit to one of the nation's largest
> army posts, to be part of a growing and vocal
> movement to end the Iraq war a movement which now
> represents the sentiments of most US troops as well.
>
> Veterans for Peace will launch a veterans caravan,
> bound for the Gulf Coast, from Fayetteville on March
> 17, where the huge task of recovery and rebuilding
> remains far from being finished. The caravan will
> include representatives from Veterans For Peace,
> Gold Star Families for Peace, Military Families
> Speak Out, Iraq Veterans Against the War, signers of
> the Appeal For Redress, and possibly several war
> resisters. To keep up with Caravan plans: X. Rally info:
> www.fayetteville-peace-rally.org
>
> Please join Holly Near and Veterans for Peace in
> Fayetteville on March 17. And please pass this
> message on.
>
> Rally info: www.fayetteville-peace-rally.org
> The 2007 Fayetteville Peace Program: Pre- March
> Stage Rally Begins @ 10:00 a.m., March @ 12:00,
> Rowan Street Park Program at 1:00 pm (Program also
> online at www.NCpeacejustice.org )
>
> Seeking Volunteers for "Guernica" Performance in
> Fayetteville
>
> We are slotted to perform our 10-12 minute piece
> "Guernica" at the Fayetteville march and rally on
> Sat. the 17th. We have a few people to do it with
> but need about 6 more. If you can come to a
> rehearsal at 1:00 on fri. at the Carrboro town
> commons and are interested in being a part of the
> performance in Fayetteville please get back to us. I
> invite you all to come to the march anyway, which
> solemnly commemorates the 4th year of this unjust
> and illegal war. It starts at noon, though, people
> arrive at the start point at 10:30. We will be
> carrying the Giant Peace Crane and the Green Man.
> Cackalack Thunder will also be there drumming like
> mad.
>
> This Saturday, March 17, March on the Pentagon!
>
> Make plans now to join hundreds of thousands of
> veterans, military families, and peace and
> impeachment activists in a nonviolent march for
> peace and impeachment, beginning at 12:00 at the
> Vietnam War Memorial (23rd Street and Constitution
> Ave. NW) and ending at the Pentagon.
>
> http://www.marchonpentagon.org
>
> At the assembly site, between 8:00 a.m. and 12:30,
> there will be a pre-march People's Assembly.
> Contingents and organizations will be providing
> information displays and literature tables. We will
> be joined by the famous Bread and Puppet Theater.
> There will be children's activities, including
> sign-making for the march, where our children can
> also pick up anti-war balloons. There will be a
> large Impeach Bush tent with impeachment materials
> and a place for impeachment advocates from around
> the country to gather.
>
> Greensboro Troop Surge Protesters Found Guilty
> Protestors Argue "Necessity"; File Immediate Appeal
> For Jury Trial
>
> On March 13, 2007, Seven of the nine protestors
> arrested at a January 11 anit-war demonstration in
> downtown Greensboro were found guilty today of
> impeding traffic; two other protestors will be heard
> on a different date. Upon sentencing by Judge
> Lawrence McSwain the protestors, who argued that the
> seriousness of the situation in Iraq necessitated
> their actions, registered an immediate appeal for a
> jury trial.
>
> On Saturday, March 17, there is a Support Military
> Resisters Rally in Greensboro, 11 am at Governmental
> Plaza, Greene St. Downtown. The honored guest who
> needs and deserves our support is Greensboro
> resident Pvt. Terri Johnson, a local military
> resister. (ncwcw.blogspot.com)
>
> Chapel Hill and Carrboro Events:
> Tuesday March 20: Students for a Democratic Society
> call for a Student Walk-Out, Rally, and March,
> gathering at 12:00 in UNC's Pit (near the student
> union), Chapel Hill ( www.Chapelhillsds.org ). There
> will also be a Critical Mass Bike Ride Against the
> War, leaving from the Carrboro Town Commons at
> 12:30
>
> Monday, March 26 is the Court Date for students
> arrested at Rep. David Price's Chapel Hill Office,
> while protesting continued funding for the war. The
> court hearing is at 9:00 am, at the Hillsborough
> Court House. Please come to show your support!
>

> Asheville Building Peace Rally
>
> Saturday, March 24: 2:00-4:00 City Hall
> ( www.wncpeacecoalition.org).
>
> The Price of War in North Carolina:
>
> As Congress prepares to vote on $100 billion in more
> war spending, NPP brings to the table a new
> state-level publication on what this new price tag
> would mean for your state and congressional
> district. It also shows the number of dead and
> wounded in each state and what the total amount
> spent on the Iraq War could buy your congressional
> district in children's health insurance, affordable
> housing units and new elementary schools.
> http://nationalpriorities.org/morewar
>
> Please Call Congress Today, Tomorrow, Next Week!!!
> Call 1-888-851-1879
>
> Ask to speak to your Representative
>
> Click here to find out who your Representative is
> [link to:
> http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml ]
>
> The election that shifted the balance of power in
> Congress last fall was based on one thing: the
> American people's rejection of the Iraq war and the
> policies behind it. Yet many Democrats, as well as
> Republicans, refuse to heed the will of the American
> people, and Congress is poised to approve another
> $93 billion - or more - in supplemental spending
> that will continue and even expand the war.
>
> The fight to end the war quickly is at a precarious
> point and we need your help. The Democratic
> Leadership announced its plan for Iraq and according
> to early news reports it doesn't go far enough.
>
> Progressives in Congress are standing strong-pushing
> for a swift, responsible exit that brings the troops
> home by the end of 2007. But Dick Cheney and his
> allies in Congress are on an all-out assault-saying
> that Democrats are "undermining the troops" by
> trying to end the war.1 And some Democrats are
> wavering.
>
> Can you call your Representative and tell him or her
> that you want our troops home safely this year? They
> won't vote until next week so we still have time to
> affect the final plan and your call could make all
> the difference.
>
> Other Nonviolent Actions for March, 2007
>
> Stopping the Supplemental War Budget
>
> The National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance is
> supporting and helping to organize a number of
> nonviolent direct action strategies this month to
> stop the supplemental war budget, and to demand that
> Congress do the people's business - as communicated
> to them last fall and in many subsequent polls,
> marches, rallies and actions - end the Iraq war,
> now! We urge you to consider joining us for the
> following:
>
> The Occupation Project - A campaign launched by our
> ally Voices for Creative Nonviolence, in which
> groups across the country are nonviolently occupying
> their Representatives' and Senators' offices,
> demanding an end to the war. Find out more at
> http://vcnv.org/
>
> The Christian Peace Witness - A major ecumenical
> gathering and nonviolent direct action at the White
> House on Friday, March 16. (And you don't have to be
> a Christian or religious to join!) Find out more at
>
http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=action.cpw&item=cpw_organize_locally
>
> Declaration of Peace - To commemorate four years of
> war, as well as demand an end to it, our ally
> Declaration of Peace is organizing actions on March
> 16-19, both in Washington DC and around the country.
> Find out more at http://declarationofpeace.org/
>
> "No Business Before the People's Business!" March 26
> - 29 - The National Campaign for Nonviolent
> Resistance, in coordination with Voices for Creative
> Nonviolence, is organizing several days of
> nonviolent direct action tied to the U.S. Senate's
> consideration of the Iraq War supplemental budget,
> currently expected at the end of March. A variety of
> different nonviolent actions will be organized,
> based on the numbers and intent of those
> participating, as well as on the Senate schedule for
> that week. If you can join us for these days of
> nonviolent actions, March 26 - 29, either as an
> individual or as an affinity group, please contact
> NCNR, as soon
> as possible. We welcome you to participate one day,
> two days, or for the entire week. (And while it is
> impossible to predict timing, the Senate vote on the
> supplemental could happen earlier rather than later,
> so we encourage people who can't be here the whole
> week to make plans to participate earlier in the
> week, if possible.) As noted, our plans will depend
> on who can attend, and time is short, so please let
> us know of your interest asap by contacting NCNR.
>
> "Poll: 58 percent want Iraq withdrawal by 2008 or
> sooner," CNN.com, March 13, 2007
> http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/13/iraq.poll/
>
> *** You are Subscribed to the NC Peace and Justice
> Update List, a weekly online newsletter maintained
> by the Campaign to End the Cycle of Violence, and
> the NC Coalition for Peace and Justice. Visit
> http://www.ncpeacehub.org for more info. This list
> is open to the public to join, but only the CECV
> Secretary can send messages.

PDA impeachment campaign updates

2007-03-07T07:24:00.001-05:00

This is the last of three posts that weren't posted because of a Blogger problem. The others are posted at durhamspark.blogspot.com.

Below is an update I received from the Progressive Democrats of America March 2nd. I'm re-posting it here since it has many useful links. Locally, GRIM is planning an NC impeachment conference in Durham next month and the Durham Impeach Bush Cheney Meetup group (which is meeting at the Parkwood Branch Library in Durham on the 14th at 7pm) has a plan to get the Durham City Council to vote on an impeachment resolution and is planning to lobby Senator Elizabeth Dole.

In related news, there will be a meeting / protest against the War at Price's Chapel Hill office today at 2pm, I believe.

____________________

New Clearinghouse For National Impeachment Effort
I could compile links all day but it may be better for you to check this link for all actions building up to April 28th. There are downloadable flyers and links to actions and events nationwide. We need all of you more now then ever in this push to bring Impeachment into the light. There is no lack of evidence only a lack of outrage! Be sure to read the Campaign Launch Press Release for full details.
http://impeach07.org/

Bush Is Over
You can buy a T-shirt or print out your own signs for free. Please take the time to upload your images to our gallery.
http://www.bushisover.org/spreadit.html

You can also customize your own shirt here
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/customshirt

Join the email list at this link to stay up to date on all A28 events and news
http://www.a28.org/
____________________

March Forth! is a National Day of Action being celebrated in over twenty cities Nationwide. Take part in taking back your country!
http://www.wethepeoplemarch4th.org/

Sunday, March 4, 2007: In Los Angeles Dennis Loo co-editor of "Impeach the President", Progressive Democrats of America and World Can't Wait and Clothing of the American Mind will be hosting a screening of The Bush Crime Commission. We will be screening short segments of the film and discussing key points of the Military Commissions Act. There will be wine, music and information so that we can breathe this all in slowly and march forth as we should!
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/18454
____________________

A Special Invitation from Medea Benjamin
Please join us at this critical moment in D.C. for PDA's Grassroots Leadership Conference March 23-25.
PDA Board Member and Afterdowingstreet co-founder David Swanson will be leading a breakout session on oversight/accountability and impeachment on Saturday at 11:45 am!
http://pdamerica.org/articles/news/2007-02-28-11-38-04-news.php
____________________

Rep. Conyers on New Charges of Administration Misconduct
House Judiciary Committee Chair John Conyers, Jr. (a PDA advisory board member) reacted to dramatic charges from David C. Iglesias, former U.S. Attorney for New Mexico, that he was recently fired because he refused to give in to political pressure from Republicans.
http://pdamerica.org/articles/news/2007-03-01-07-55-09-news.php

Senate Democrats Seek Testimony From Fired Attorneys
The Senate Judiciary Committee this week will send letters to the dismissed attorneys asking for their voluntary testimony, according to fellow Democrat Charles Schumer of New York.
http://impeachforpeace.org/impeach_bush_blog/?p=357

Democrats Want Troops Out of Iraq if Goals Are Not Met
Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives have rallied around legislation that would bring US troops home from Iraq within 6 months if the Iraqi government does not lessen violence there, reports the Associated Press.
http://www.rawstory.com/news/2007/Democrats_want_troops_out_of_Iraq_0301.html
____________________

Run to the Rock
Video of Beach Impeach Project that mysteriously got pulled from YouTube reposted on ifilm
http://www.ifilm.com/profile/james_cavenaugh/video/2827514

Beach Impeach Project
We want this happening in 100 cities.
http://beachimpeach.com/
____________________

Forward This Link to Invite Others to Join
http://pdamerica.org/impeach-wg.php

Contact the Media About Impeachment Coverage
http://capwiz.com/pdamerica/issues/alert/?alertid=9196431&type=ME

Email your Congress Member and Senators Now
http://capwiz.com/pdamerica/issues/alert/?alertid=9209911&type=CO

One-Pager for Lobbying Congress for Peace and Accountability
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/16562

List of Key Committee Chairmen and What We Want From Them
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/investigations

Stop the War Video and Petition
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/16434

Sign the Impeachment Petition
http://www.democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/88

Sign the Impeachment Pledge
http://www.pledgetoimpeach.org

Resources for Organizing Impeachment Events
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/event

Find or Create a Congressional District Impeachment Committee
http://www.democrats.com/cdic

World Can't Wait
http://www.worldcantwait.org/

Minneapolis, Minnesota Impeachment Campaign
http://impeachforpeace.org/

How to Pass a State or City Resolution
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/resolutions

New Mexico Impeachment Campaign
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/nm

Vermont: Impeachment Campaign
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/vt

New Jersey Impeachment Campaign
http://www.impeachthem.com/node/294

North Carolina Impeachment Campaign
http://www.impeachbushcheney.net/

Peace
Matthew Gerbasi
Progressive Democrats of America
Impeachment Working Group National Coordinator

Bush coming to NC this week

2007-02-20T01:53:00.000-05:00

Bush is expected to visit a Novozymes facility in Franklinton, in Franklin Co., this Thursday. The plant manufactures various enzymes used to facilitate chemical reactions, such as the conversion of plant parts into ethanol for fuel. Bush will tour the factory, speal on a panel, and talk about actions being taken to reduce gas consumption by 20% over the next decade. Given his past proposals, this is probably an overly rosey, misleading, and underfunded effort. WRAL's brief February 16th announcement of the planned visit is online at http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/1205690/. I'm sure Bush will be dogged by protesters, and I will post when I hear of definite plans.

Defend liberty, repeal the Military Commissions Act

2007-02-02T14:42:00.000-05:00

The Military Commissions Act of 2006 (text online at
thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c109:4:./temp/~c109IVm4h3:: ),
passed late last year, abolishes habeas corpus for
citizens and non-citizens alike and legalizes torture.

Demand that it be repealed by signing the Durham Bill
of Rights Defense Committee's petition to NC
politicians, online at:

http://www.petitiononline.com/stopMCA/petition.html

There are paper petitions at Internationalist Books,
and soon at The Peoples Channel, the Durham Food
Co-op, and elsewhere. There will be a Durham BORDC branch
meeting Saturday afternoon (there is also a Chapel
Hill BORDC branch).

The text of the petition is:

We oppose the Military Commissions Act of 2006. This
is an unjust law that violates the basic human rights
of citizens and non-citizens. It does away with habeas
corpus rights (to a prompt court hearing to determine
whether one's imprisonment is legal, to know what
charges have been brought, and to have legal counsel).
It also gives the executive branch power to allow
interrogation techniques that violate the Geneva
Conventions and human decency. No one should be
subject to arbitrary arrest or to detention without a
prompt and fair trial, and no one should, under any
circumstances, be subject to torture.

Local vigils today marking 3000th GI death in Iraq

2007-01-01T01:16:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately more American (and Iraqi) deaths are ringing in the New Year. There will be protests January 1st in Raleigh and Chapel Hill. Below is a message with details posted on the NC Peace and Justice Coalition's listserve. May the anti-war movement have many successes this year, so that there is peace, or at least improvement, in Iraq and around the world by this time next winter.

Fw: The US military death total in Iraq has reached 3000, according to www.icasualties.org

A Raleigh vigil will be held at the United Community Church, corner of Wade Avenue and Dixie

Trail, tomorrow, Monday, January 1, 2007, from 6 to 7 pm.

Please bring any old pairs of shoes you may have for the program. We need to be together and

gather strength to fight this illegal occupation and bring our troops home. If you need to contact

me before the vigil my cell is [ ].

A total of 918 US troops died this year so far.

===============================================

Orange County: Let's gather at Peace and Justice Plaza, corner of East Franklin and Henderson

Streets, 5 to 6 PM, January 1, 2007. Take a candle and/or signs. [ ]

Report from the meeting at Price's office in Durham + Price letter on impeachment

2006-12-08T02:58:00.000-05:00

At the meeting with District Liason Tracy Lovett at Rep. Price's Durham office we had two people from the western Triangle and two from Durham. I think we were all late, and I was last, I think at least partly because I publicized the wrong address for the NC Mutual Building. I hope the small size was not because of the address error or full visitor parking spaces (another reason why I was late to the meeting). Basically we were providing comments, since Price was not there. We discussed the Democrats soon having subpoena power in Congress. I asked what Price has done (besides the wiretapping letter to Bush), and will do, to implement the suggestions in the Al Gore speech he praised to us when we met with his January 30th in Chapel Hill. We were not given an answer, but I said that I hope that Price will do more for investigation, and will not be afraid to consider impeachment or censure, if and when Congress 'reveals' the crimes and undercutting of democracy and our liberties by the Bush Administration.

I presented 50 signatures to the DSM petition on paper, 86 from www.petitiononline.com/dsmnc/petition.html (of which I think about 50 are new), and 35 GRIm collected at the Hillsborough town meeting last July, on paper. I've been circulating the petitions at stores, at a few meetings, and online, rather than more actively circulating it, and it is mostly a one person effort. We will continue to collect signatures.

Below is an email on impeachment I received from Price's office November 29th. I don't remember sending an email though. I think this is not enough, though it could be an improvement, and that the Democrats collectively didn't speak out and vote many times when they should have to oppose Bush's policies.

Dear [southplumb]:

Thank you for contacting me regarding possible grounds for the impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Cheney.

I share your concern about the policies of the Bush administration and understand calls for the House to initiate impeachment proceedings against the President and Vice President. I think it is very likely that, among other things, the President exaggerated intelligence findings to strengthen his case for war in Iraq, that he and/or members of his administration authorized the use of torture, and that he violated federal law by authorizing wiretaps on the communications of U.S. citizens without obtaining the approval of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. I have voiced my opposition to these policies as forcefully as I can, and have pushed for investigations into presidential abuses of power. Unfortunately, congressional oversight of the executive branch has been almost totally lacking over the last six years.

When the 110th Congress convenes next January, under new leadership, I am confident that the situation will fundamentally change. We will have aggressive and extensive committee oversight on the broad range of President Bush's policies, and investigations into the many allegations that he and the Vice-President have abused their authority.

As you may know, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who is expected to be elected Speaker of the House in the next Congress, has indicated that the House will not initiate impeachment proceedings against President Bush at this time. She also made very clear that the House will once again be in the business of holding the executive branch accountable for its actions and policies. Rep. John Conyers, the likely chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has similarly indicated his intention to intensely scrutinize Bush Administration policies and the actions of the President and Vice-President.

Thank you again for contacting me. Please continue to stay in touch on this and other issues of concern.

Sincerely,

DAVID PRICE

Member of Congress

Meeting with Rep. Price's staff about impeachment, December 7th

2006-11-23T00:02:00.000-05:00

There will be a meeting with David Price's Durham
stafd to present petitions and discuss impeachment
December 7th at 4pm at the Mutual Life Building (411
West Main St.). There is visitor parking by the
office. We should meet outside the office 10 minutes
early. This meeting is to find out if Price's
position on holding Bush accountable has become more
active now that the Democrats will control Congress
and after further anti-democratic acts by the Bush
Administration. Updates will be posted at
downingstreetactionnc.blogspot.com. Help
publicizing the meeting is appreciated.

The petition is online at
www.petitiononline.com/dsmnc/petition.html and on
paper at the Durham Food Co-op, The Peoples Channel
studio, and Internationalist Books.

A petition to the Durham City Council is
online at www.petitiononline.com/durimp and one for a

State resolution is at www.petitiononline.com/ncres.

Democrats.com called for impeachment committees to be
set up in all Congressional districts, and there are
now committees in all (?) of the districts in the
Triangle (link from www.impeachbushcheney.net).
Meetup.com impeachment groups are active in Durham

(next meeting November 29th) and Raleigh (soon to ask the

City Council to pass resolutions) and GRIM is planning

events in December and January. There will be a demonstration

in DC January 27th and there will probably be charter buses from the Triangle.

Changes to DSA-NC

2006-11-17T21:14:00.000-05:00

There is now a new mission statement, reflecting my view that impeaching Bush and others is necessary, but that many leading Democrats must answer for their actions (or inactions). Now that the Democrats control Congress, it is definitely their duty to oppose Bush's bad policies, and they will be more to blame when the Federal government (inevitably) betrays democratic principles.

I had hoped that this blog would be a hub for the local impeachment movement, but instead it has been more like a personal impeachment blog. I'm still open to the option of a joint effort. I hope to increase the originality of content, usefulness of commentary, and regularity of postings on Downing Street Action. Thank you to the people who do read and post here. The struggle to hold Bush accountable is mainstream now, through the work of GRIM and other local and national groups.

I changed the official name of the blog. I decided against using After Downing Street, but I didn't get around to changing it here. It's time to stop copying the After Downing Street Coalition's name! It could be time for an entirely new name, but I say keep DSA-NC, because that is the name in circulation and it commemorates the start of our local movement.

The old header is:

This blog grew out of the Chapel Hill, NC meeting on the July 23, 2005 day of action on the Downing Street memos (called by Rep. John Conyers, Jr. and the After Downing Street Coalition). This is a site for discussing and organizing action on the Downing Street memos and the impeachment of Bush & Co in North Carolina.

Meeting at Price's Durham office in December on impeachment

2006-11-16T20:44:00.000-05:00

I'm scheduling a petition delivery meeting with Tracy
Lovett at Rep. Price's Durham office (411 W. Chapel
Hill St, the Mutual Life Building). Thursday,
December 7th or 14th, at 4 or 5pm is available. I
think December 7th would be good, since the After
Downing Street Coalition is calling for impeachment
events for Human Rights Day, on the 10th, and I assume
if we meet at 4pm we could talk longer than at 5pm, if
there is more to say. What do you all think?

There are more signatures on the first petition (online version at

www.petitiononline.com/dsmnc/petition.html) and there is a similar petition

from over the summer to present. The situation in Congress has of course

also changed since the last time we met with Price's staff (in Chapel Hill) and

Bush has pushed further against the Constitution and the Bill of Rights

(for example, with the Military Commissions Act, which can be used against

citizens). As I said, I don't expect a lot from Price on

truly holding Bush accountable, but maybe something has changed, and it is

necessary to show what we think, even if it is not yet enough to move Price to act.

Impeachment events around Human Rights Day, December 10th

2006-11-16T02:20:00.000-05:00

This is another message from David Swanson, of the After Downing Street Coalition, sent Tuesday the 14th. The local Grass Roots Impeachment Movement (www.impeachbushcheney.net ) is already using some of the tactics called for below. The meeting at Rep. Price's office in Durham to present more petitions will probably be around December 10th. It might be on a Thursday in the late afternoon.

Now that the Democrats control Congress impeachment is more likely, but we still face an uphill battle. Rep. Nancy Pelosi and others have already rejected impeachment (or say they do). I think Rep. Brad Miller rejected it (see the post about the CCR video showing in the summer). Price might vote for impeachment, but I'm sure he won't be in the lead on it. If the members of Congress do their Constitutional duty and impeach, it is likely they will be soft on Bush and others, since many Democrats in Congress support some of the illegal and anti-democratic policies pursued by the Bush Administration. For example, many supported the attack on Iraq. The Bush Administration was lying in its case for War, but many Democrats ignored the evidence that Bush was lying and these Democrats wanted "regime change" anyway. Some wanted a UN Security Council seal of approval and a stronger coalition, but they still wanted to wage a war of aggression against a developing country that was not a threat to the USA and did not have weapons of mass destruction or ties to al-Qaida (unlike 'our allies' Pakistan and Saudi Arabia). Many Democratic politicians are still advocating increased force in Afghanistan (instead of in Iraq) and harsh measures, possibly military force, against Iran and the DPRK (meanwhile some Democrats, such as Price and I think Miller, voted for Bush's nuclear deal with India, rewarding India for violating the non-proliferation treaty). The Democrats might be more firm on Bush's signing statements and actions against Congressional oversight - we'll see.

From David Swanson:

Can you modify any elements of this you want to use and send to the largest list you have?

IMPEACHMENT BY SPRING: HERE'S THE PLAN

________________

Plan Events on December 10th, Human Rights and Impeachment Day

December 10 is Human Rights Day, and this year we're making it Human Rights and Impeachment Day. Slogan: "Putting Impeachment on the Table."

We encourage you to organize a town hall forum or rally on this day for the impeachment of Bush and Cheney.

You can create a public listing of your event here. You will be able to communicate with the people who sign up for your event, and to edit the listing for your event, changing or filling in details later.

You can view existing events and sign up to attend one here.

Here is a list of available speakers with their contact info.

Be sure also to invite your Congress Member or newly elected future Congress Member to speak.

Here are resources that will make your event easy and effective.

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/december10

________________

Collect Signatures on Petitions
Collect millions of them, especially in front of your Congress Member's offices. Use this to build local organizations as well as a national list of names.

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/petition

________________

Join a Congressional District Impeachment Committee
Organize locally to lobby your Representative:

http://www.democrats.com/cdic

________________

Pass State and Local Resolutions
Pass impeachment resolutions in your town or city, state, political party, or labor union. Use the petitioning (above) to help make this happen:

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/resolutions

________________

Be a Media Activist
Work the media for impeachment:

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/media

________________

Talking Points and Other Resources to Assist You

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/resourcecenter

________________

Impeachment Conference Call November 13, 2006
81 organizers and activists from across the country took part in a conference call Monday evening to discuss upcoming actions to advance the impeachment of Bush and Cheney. You can listen to the 90-minute call to catch up and get involved. We'll post the transcript and notes ASAP.
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/downloads/impeachcall.mp3

________________

Audio and Video from Philadelphia on Veterans Day
Here is video of our impeachment movement launch:
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/phillyvideo

Here is audio:
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/phillyaudio

________________

We Now Have Shirts With Long Sleeves

http://www.wavelengthclothing.com/impeach_bush.html

________________

Invite the Bush Chain Gang to Your Town
Reduce fear and roadside trash: put them to work.

http://backbonecampaign.org/chaingang.cfm

Impeachment events around Human Rights Day, December 10th

2006-11-16T02:19:00.000-05:00

This is another message from David Swanson, of the After Downing Street Coalition, sent Tuesday the 14th. The local Grass Roots Impeachment Movement ( www.impeachbushcheney.net ) is already using some of the tactics called for below. The meeting at Rep. Price's office in Durham to present more petitions will probably be around December 10th. It might be on a Thursday in the late afternoon.

From David Swanson:

Can you modify any elements of this you want to use and send to the largest list you have?

IMPEACHMENT BY SPRING: HERE'S THE PLAN

________________

Plan Events on December 10th, Human Rights and Impeachment Day

December 10 is Human Rights Day, and this year we're making it Human Rights and Impeachment Day. Slogan: "Putting Impeachment on the Table."

We encourage you to organize a town hall forum or rally on this day for the impeachment of Bush and Cheney.

You can view existing events and sign up to attend one here.

Here is a list of available speakers with their contact info.

Be sure also to invite your Congress Member or newly elected future Congress Member to speak.

Here are resources that will make your event easy and effective.

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/december10

________________

Join a Congressional District Impeachment Committee
Organize locally to lobby your Representative:

http://www.democrats.com/cdic

________________

Be a Media Activist
Work the media for impeachment:

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/media

________________

Talking Points and Other Resources to Assist You

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/resourcecenter

________________

Audio and Video from Philadelphia on Veterans Day
Here is video of our impeachment movement launch:
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/phillyvideo

Here is audio:
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/phillyaudio

________________

We Now Have Shirts With Long Sleeves

http://www.wavelengthclothing.com/impeach_bush.html

________________

Invite the Bush Chain Gang to Your Town
Reduce fear and roadside trash: put them to work.

http://backbonecampaign.org /chaingang.cfm

Invitation to an Impeachment - announcement

2006-11-04T00:41:00.000-05:00

> From: David Swanson [of the After Downing Street Coalition, which I endorse through 2 supporting groups]
> Date: Thu, 2 Nov 2006 23:57:57 -0500
> To: 00David Swanson
> Subject: Invitation to an Impeachment
>
> Invitation to an Impeachment
>
> We're organizing a new campaign for the impeachment
> ofd Bush and Cheney and
> need your input and participation.
>
> We've planned a conference call for 9 p.m. ET on
> Monday, November 13th.
> Conference Dial-in Number: (402) 756-9100
> Participant Access Code: 462356#
> RSVP to [David Swanson]
>
> For those who can make it, we'll also have a
> face-to-face strategy meeting
> on Saturday, November 11th, in Philadelphia, Penn.,
> from 3:00 - 4:00 p.m.
> ET. The meeting will follow a forum at the National
> Constitution Center
> entitled: "Organizing for Impeachment: Announcing a
> Movement". In the first
> hour (1:00 - 2:00 p.m.) speakers will include:
> Elizabeth Holtzman, former
> Congress Member; David Swanson, Co-Founder of
> AfterDowningStreet.org,
> Washington Director of Democrats.com; Tim Carpenter,
> Co-Founder of
> AfterDowningStreet.org, Director of Progressive
> Democrats of America; Jodie
> Evans, Co-Founder of CODE PINK Women for Peace; Bill
> Perry, Delaware Valley
> Veterans For America; Cindy Sheehan, Co-Founder of
> Gold Star Families for
> Peace; and moderator Bob Fertik, President of
> Democrats.com.
> Representatives of other participating organizations
> will attend. From
> 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. we will lead a Blogger Panel to
> discuss the issues we raise
> in the first hour. If you can attend, please sign
> up and get a ticket here:
> http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/impeach
>
> Why are we moving so quickly on impeachment?
>
> GOP scaremongering persuaded Nancy Pelosi to declare
> impeachment "off the
> table." She even pledged there would be no
> impeachment on "60 Minutes."
> But after Election Day - assuming a Democratic
> takeover of the House - we
> are determined to put Impeachment back "on the
> table" over the objections of
> the Republican Party, the GOP-controlled corporate
> media, and cowardly
> Democrats. Pelosi has a 100-day plan to pass
> "positive" legislation, but
> she will get a rude shock when Bush nullifies her
> bills with
> unconstitutional signing statements. With 51
> percent of Americans
> supporting impeachment (according to Newsweek) and
> an election just behind
> us, the moment seems ideal to create the public
> pressure needed to allow
> those Members of Congress who favor impeachment to
> act.
>
> Grounds for impeachment are detailed in our
> petition:
> http://www.democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/88
>
> We are looking for suggestions and proposals for
> changes and additions to
> the following tentative plan:
>
> 1. Declare a mandate for Impeachment based on
> election results, exit polls,
> and local impeachment referenda in CA, IL, WI, and
> VT.
>
> 2. Start a grassroots petition drive to collect 1
> million signatures. (Each
> group keeps the names and contact info it collects,
> as well as Emailing it
> to us to add to the petition, and we pay $0.25 per
> valid Email address.)
> http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/petition
>
> 3. Form Impeachment Committees in 435 Congressional
> Districts to lobby every
> Member of Congress:
> http://www.afterdowningstreet .org/cdic
>
> 4. Hold Town Hall Meetings and rallies on
> impeachment around the country on
> December 10th (Human Rights Day):
> http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/december10
>
> 5. Pass Impeachment resolutions in state
> legislatures, cities, towns,
> unions, political parties:
> http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/resolutions
>
> 6. Expand our Citizens Impeachment Commission to add
> prominent citizens,
> celebrities and bloggers:
> http://impeachpac.org/citizens
>
> If you would like to be listed on the Citizens
> Impeachment Commission or
> want to recommend someone else to include, please
> send that information to
> david [at] davidswanson [dot] org
>
> If you are available to speak at an event on
> December 10th, please let us
> know and tell us what contact info for you can be
> posted publicly and what
> area of the country you can speak in.

Discussion of class, government, and the loss of our rights, Nov. 4th

2006-10-22T18:00:00.000-04:00

There will be a discussion of class, government, and
Marxism, with a focus on the loss of rights in the USA and the new detainee act,
at 4pm Saturday, November 4th, in the downstairs
conference room of the Chapel Hill Public Library.
There will be a speaker from the Durham branch of the
Bill of Rights Defense Committee, a group working to
safeguard our rights under the Constitution and on
related democratic issues. Currently it is focused on
the new Military Commission Act, which abolished habeas
corpus and permits torture and military trials, and can be

used against citizens, as well as foreign prisoners. A

suggested reading is chapter 1 of The State and Revolution,

by Lenin, to discuss how this relates to our current struggles. It is online at
www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1917/staterev/ch01.htm
and www.marx2mao.com.

This is part of the non-partisan Triangle Socialist
Forum, open to anyone interested in discussion. It
was called the Marxist Forum, but members thought
socialist might be a more accessible name to the
general public. Any updates will be posted at
durhamspark.blogspot.com. The next four discussions
will probably be on working class politics, the
national question (focused on whether there is a black
nation, or other nations, within the USA), war and
globalization, and socialism.

Please let other interested groups know about this and let's make it a big meeting!

Short updates

2006-10-10T02:29:00.000-04:00

It sounds like there were hundreds of people at October 5th events across North Carolina. The Durham protest was more modest, with about 12 people, but that might be double the number there for the Impeachment Day protest September 1st. GRIM's new impeachment banner was displayed at the event SDS organized at UNC and at our event, as well as Chapel Hill's Festifall last Sunday. I'm told Festifall was smaller than usual, but the GRIM table had good business. Now we need to maintain the momentum. Unfortunately GRIM, the Triangle regional group, has been less active lately and the most active groups are the Durham and Raleigh (?) Meetup.com groups.

The Durham impeachment Meetup group will meet at 7pm on the 18th at the Parkwood Branch Library. That will probably be changed if Bush is in Greensboro that day for a fundraiser. He is supposed to come between the 16th and 18th.

DIY impeachment - innundate Congress on the 12th

2006-10-04T02:06:00.000-04:00

There seems to be a legal precedent for initiating impeachment through grassroots efforts. It seems like we've been trying this, but numbers would make it more likely to succeed, and this press release proposes a nationwide effort on October 12th.

For more detailed information on the DIY impeachment go to:
http://Impeachforpeace.org/ImpeachNow.html
------------------------------------------------------------
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, OCTOBER 2, 2006, Minneapolis, MN

12 October, 2006 A flood of "Do-It-Yourself Impeachments" inundate the
houses of Congress.

Next Thursday hundreds of thousands of letters demanding Bush's
impeachment are going to be arriving
in the houses of Congress.

Jodin Morey, an organizer for Impeach for Peace (a Minnesota based
impeachment group), researched a method for impeaching the president using
a little known and rarely used part of the Rules of the House of
Representatives that empowers individual citizens to initiate the
impeachment process.

The "Jefferson's Manual" is an interpretive guide to parliamentary
procedure, and is included (along with the Constitution) in the bound
volumes of the Rules of the House of Representatives. It is ratified by
each Congress – including the current one – and has been updated
continuously through the history of our democracy. The section covering
impeachment lists the acceptable vehicles for bringing impeachment motions
to the floor of the House.

Before the House Judiciary Committee can put together the Articles of
Impeachment, someone must initiate the impeachment procedure. Most often,
this occurs when members of the House pass a resolution. Another method
outlined in the manual, however, is for individual citizens to submit a
memorial for impeachment.

After learning this information, Morey found a precedent in an 1830
memorial by Luke Edward Lawless, which had been successful in initiating
the impeachment of Federal Judge James H. Peck. Morey then used this as a
template for their "Do-It-Yourself Impeachment." Now any citizen can
download the DIY Impeachment Memorial and submit it, making it possible
for Americans to do what our representatives have been unwilling to do.
The idea is for so many people to submit the Memorial that it cannot be
ignored.

Impeach for Peace is now certain that it has a legal document that U.S.
House Speaker Dennis Hastert must recognize. The main organizer for the
group, Mikael Rudolph, explains: "He might still toss them all in the
trash, but with House Minority Leader John Conyers also receiving copies,
Hastert can be held accountable by Conyers. Imagine dozens of extra trucks
are called into service to deliver tons of mail to Speaker Hastert and
Congressman Conyers in mid to late October. The DIY Impeachment has been
downloaded over 175,000 times."

The expected media attention surrounding the delivery of these memorials
is being timed strategically to influence the November elections. Rudolph
reasons, "It's like a legal method for voting outside of the scheduled
polling dates. It is incredibly empowering and awakening for individuals
to learn that they can do this." The constitution provides for both the
electoral process and the impeachment process – the latter being necessary
when the elected officials do not honor their oath of office.

According to Rudolph, "Impeachment would lead to the ouster of Cheney,
Rice, Rumsfeld and many others, as they are all equally guilty of war
crimes. In an open impeachment trial, the evidence would come out. It
isn't the only way we'll succeed in impeaching Bush and restoring
democracy, but it is an important avenue."

Contact:

Jodin Morey
Author, DIY Impeachment
Co-founder, ImpeachForPeace.org
jodinwcw at beingism dot org

Details on October 5th events planned throughout the State

2006-10-04T01:57:00.000-04:00

October 5th is really taking off in North Carolina. 12 events are planned in the State (see list below) and only California has more planned! Last week 50 events were planned nationwide, now up to 180. There will be a protest at noon at UNC-Chapel Hill and it sounds like Orange and Wake County will be represented at the Durham protest.

This is an announcement about the Chapel Hill protest at noon on the 5th:

> (Please post this to any and all websites,
> listservs, friends, etc.)
>
> Mass Demonstration - Thursday October 5th, 12 noon
> at the UNC- Chapel Hill
> Pit.
>
> Join UNC Chapel Hill Students for a Democratic
> Society, the Feminist Student
> Union, Student Action with Workers and many others
> for a national day of
> action against war and occupation. Stand up and
> speak out against the war in
> Iraq!
>
> For more information:
>
> Website: http://unc-sds.blogspot.com
> Email: unc.sds at gmail dot com

This is a list of the events planned in North Carolina, other than the ours in Durham, from the NC WCW coordinator:
>
>   Second: People all over the country are responding
> to the call for the Day of Mass Resistance in
> tremendous numbers. Last week there were 50 protests
> planned. After our USA Today ad hit the newstands,
> that number has TRIPLED to over 150. North Carolina
> is #2 in the country in terms of the number of
> protests, with 12 planned statewide, with only
> California having more.
>
>   Last: Here is the list of protests. Be at one. The
> only one that's not listed is Durham, and it should
> be on the website today at www.worldcantwait.org .
>
>   Asheboro, NC  2006-10-05 [edit]
> 4:00 pm until...
> Hwy 64 / Hwy 42 Intersection, BP station corner.
> Rain or Shine!!!
>
> Bring your signs and your outrage!
> Everyone is welcome - we are a diverse group, from
> all walks of life, from 18 to 78! Join us as we
> unite to achieve our common
> goal: DRIVE OUT THE BUSH REGIME!!!
>
> Email us for more information and to share your
> ideas.
>
>
> asheboronc at worldcantwait dot org
>
>   Asheville, NC  2006-10-05 [edit]
> 11:30am
> UNC-Asheville Quad
> The UNCA Socialist Unity League of Students for a
> Democratic Society is holding a Walk-Out of classes,
> a Rally on the Quad, and a March downtown to end the
> war in Iraq.
>
> You can check out our website at
> http://www.digital-10k.com/sul/ for more
> information, and to sign up on our announcements
> list.
> UNCA-SUL at googlegroups dot com
>
>   Chapel Hill, NC  2006-10-05 [edit]
> 12:00 noon
> UNC Chapel Hill in the pit
> unc.sds.gmail.com
>
>   Charlotte, NC  2006-10-05 [edit]
> 6:00 pm until at least 8:00 pm
> The Square, Trade St & Tryon St
> Join us for a rally at The Square in the center of
> uptown Charlotte. Guest speakers and music. See
> http://www.CharlotteAction.org or call (704)
> 492-8527 for updates and more details.
> bringthemonhome at yahoo dot com
>
>   Greensboro, NC  2006-10-05 [edit]
> 6:00 pm
> Corner of Market and Eugene St. downtown
> We will have a permitted march downtown that steps
> off at 6:30pm. Gather at the corner of Market and
> Eugene in the grassy area in front of the
> courthouse. There will be a short rally followed by
> a LOUD but peaceful march through the streets of
> downtown!
>
> We have to show the world that people in Greensboro
> and NC are NOT going along with the Bush regime's
> fascistic program of war, repression, torture,
> spying, bigotry and division! Spread the
> word...unleash the people from "politics as
> usual"...
>
> http://www.geocities.com/nccantwait
> phone: (336) 574-9088
> ncworldcantwait at yahoo dot com
>
>   Greenville, NC  2006-10-05 [edit]
> email for info
> was on greenville blvd
> We didnt get any support so if you want to come with
> us to greesboro then just email me
>
> antiflag33087 at yahoo dot com
>
>   Hickory, Newton, Maiden, Conover, Mountain View,
> Claremont, NC  2006-10-05 [edit]
> 1:00pm-6:30pm
> Barnes and Noble bookstore on Hwy 70 & Startown Rd
> From the "40" exit 126 and head south. On the corner
> of Startown and Hwy 70. If you are unhappy with our
> current situation or would like to see a change
> please come out and show your support. Our goal is
> for 1000 people to show up. If you can't show up at
> 1:00 ... we will be there until 5:00pm. One day of
> work/school will not hurt you... and you will be a
> part of something great!!! If anyone can help us
> organize it would be appreciated.
> nollsgame at gmail dot com
>
>   North Wilkesboro, NC  2006-10-05 [edit]
> 12 o'clock
> Main Street
> We meet on main street, at melodie square and march
> down mainstreet all the way up to Wal-Mart.
> danielhirtler at gmx dot at
>
>   Swananoa, NC  2006-10-05 [edit]
> During the day
> Outside of Gladfelter
> On the sunderland lawn we will be holding time for
> silence, reflection, and a place to be during the
> walkout. Students may walk out at any time during
> the day. The night before we are going to chalk up
> the campus with poems for peace, stories of war, and
> crimes of the Bush Administration.
> socialjustice at warren-wilson dot edu
>
>   UNCG campus, NC  2006-10-05 [edit]
> all day
> all over campus
> 11:05am---Walkout; students that have an 11am class
> are encouraged to go to their class, announce the
> plans for the day, then leave class, inviting
> everyone else (professors included!) to join them.
> We will convene at the Atrium fountain around 11:15
> and begin a day that will hopefully swing this
> apathetic campus back into action!
>
> 11:30am---Staged Bush Crimes, various places around
> campus
>
> 3:30pm---"Happening of Mass Resistance", EUC front
> lawn
>
> 5:00pm---Rush Hour March to Downtown. Assemble at
> Atrium fountain. We'll march from there to downtown
> to join in the Downtown Greensboro march that starts
> at 6.
> lauren_wcw at yahoo dot com
>
>   wilmington, NC  2006-10-05 [edit]
> 12:00 p.m.
> Federal Courthouse Downtown
> We are following our fellow brethren on Oct. 5th to
> end the Bush regime and walk out of school, take off
> of work and meet in downtown Wilmington, NC at the
> Federal Courthouse on Front and Market street at 12
> P.M. to make a statement to our government NO! THIS
> REGIME DOES NOT REPRESENT US! AND WE WILL DRIVE IT
> OUT!
>
> PROTEST THE STREETS OF WILMINGTON IN A PEACEFUL
> DEMONSTRATION
> ocgraysurf at yahoo dot com

>
> NEW LOCAL WEBSITE!
> http://www.geocities.com/nccantwait NC Chapter, The
> World Can't Wait!
> NC events, announcements, and activist
> calendar...check it out today!
>
> http://www.worldcantwait.org  The World Can't
> Wait--Drive Out the Bush Regime!
> National website--check frequently for news,
> updates, downloadable organizing materials and
> more...an invaluable resource!

Anti-Bush Administration protests Thursday

2006-10-02T01:35:00.000-04:00

There will be a vigil against the Bush
Administration's illegal and immoral policies and
demanding that Bush and Cheney be impeached, Thursday,
October 5th, 5-6pm at the intersection of Highways 54
and 55 in Durham. The Durham Impeachment Meetup
(www.meetup.com) and the Grass Roots Impeachment
Movement ( www.impeachbushcheney.net) organized the
protest as part of the World Can't Wait
(www.worldcantwait.org ) national day of action. I think our state

is near the top in having many October 5th actions planned.
Please bring signs. For more information email southplumb at gmail dot com and
check for updates at downingstreetactionnc.blogspot.com.

I think the UNC chapter of SDS will have a rally and
march from the Pit on the 5th, but I don't know the
details yet.

There is an impeachment petition to Rep. Price online
at www.petitiononline.com/dsmnc/petition.html (and on
paper at the Durham Food Co-op, The Peoples Channel
office, and Internationalist Books). A new petition
to the Durham City Council is online at
www.petitiononline.com/durimp.

I'm trying to set up another meeting with Rep. Price
or his staff this month to deliver more petitions.

Reportback from the Durham teach-in

2006-07-28T03:04:00.000-04:00

Thursday evening GRIM hosting a showing of the Center for
Constitutional Rights' "How to Impeach A President" and discussion
(the CCR campaign is online at www.articlesofimpeachment.net). The
video was very general and referred to a new book by the CCR. I
missed the name of the first section of the show, but others were 2.
Focus your arguments, 3. Make a strong case (here or in a section
called Article 2 the video outlined some major grounds for
impeachment: lying about Iraq having a connection to 9/11 and having
weapons of mass destruction, torture of prisoners, rendition to third
countries for torture, and signing statements saying that Bush does
not have to follow laws passed by Comgress and ratified by Bush. Next
was 4. Don't be deterred, which argued that we should start with Bush
but that his whole administration is tainted. It also pointed out
that Nixon "crushed McGovern" in the 1972 presidential election, with
61% of the vote, yet he was later impeached by a House that was only
55% Democratic. 5. Take action outlined several steps citizens can
take for impeachment: write to your representatives, pass resolutions
in civic groups and governments, which works best concurrently with
petitioning, take the CCR up on its offer to send a free copy of its
impeachment book to your representative, host video showings and
discussions, write to your newspaper, etc.

Next we had a very good discussion, although I have some concerns
about some of what was said. The first question was about people judt
not wanting to hear this and avoiding hearing about the Bush
Administration's crimes. The conversation then turned to the issue of
complicity of the Administration in 9/11, with some people believing
that is relevant and others wanting that discussion to be separate
from reasons for impeachment. I think more people might have believed
it was relevant that that it wasn't, but I'm not sure. Next there was
some talk of our resolutions. I wanted to point out that Mayor Bell
appears not to have contacted Price on this, that the Durham County
Commissioners might bee more receptive, and I wanted to ask what our
chances might be with the State Legislature.

It shouldn't be surprising, but is very disappointing, that it seems
like elected Democrats are more opposed to impeachment than
Republicans! Rep. Miller told people who came from Greensboro that
the Democrats should be more noble than the Republicans and this seems
to be the consensus! I think he also told them (or was it Mel Watt,
who had almost the same line?) that the impeachment of Clinton was a
terrible crisis that should not be repeated (people here mentioned the
fact that the House only spent 3 days on it and the Senate spent 1
month and that Gingrich did worse). This is terrible reasoning,
showing that they excuse the crimes and offenses that the Bush
Administration appears to be committing. Some defenders of democracy!
They also could be afraid of impeachment being used against them (but
Andy said look at the polls) and it was suggested that some were being
quiet since the Voting Rights Act was up for renewal.

There was some talk of other impeachment methods. Fitzgerald was
mentioned, but pundits say he is not political. A special prosecutor
would have to be appointed by Bush (see his response to the letter
Price co-sponsored on the NSA spying). Many people seemed to think
there would be investigations and subpoenas if the Democrats win a
majority this fall. Someone said it was all over if the Democrats
didn't win. In a way this is true, but I felt like pointing out that
grassroots pressure works regardless of what party is in power.
People power has caused many governments to fall (for example,
Bolivia, the Philippines, Ukraine, etc.). It would be easier with the
Democrats in control, but it is defeatism to pin our hopes on them and
I think the Democrats will still avoid it, and when they do it, they
will avoid the big issues. That is what happened in some ways with
the Nixon and since Congress now is as guilty as the Bush
Administration on some things, they will want to disturb things as
little as possible (at which point I think it will be our role to
build the grassroots pressure).

There was a question about how to unify our efforts. I think holding
a Piedmont wide or State conference at some point would be a good
idea. There are supposed to be lots of groups, but I've only heard of
GRIM, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Kernersville, and Charlotte efforts
dedicated to impeachment.

We discussed the possibility of election fraud. Our state is well off
with voter verified paper balloting, but it is one of only 12 states,
and they aren't the most important ones. There are problems in Ohio,
Florida, Pennsylvania, and California. On the other hand, people said
the Republicans would accuse the Democrats of cheating if the
Democrats win this year. It was said that special elections and local
politics point to Democratic gains.

We ended returning to the issue of how to bring up these issues with
people. It was suggested that we focus on things like the costs of
Bush's crimes (it could like to gas costs too I think). At some point
someone said, 'Do you want a liar in office?' As scheduled at 8:30
the meeting ended, but most people stayed to continue discussion over
refreshments.

In all there were 14 people, including 5 who carpooled from Greensboro
(through three dangerous downpours). The Indy publicity brought out
three new people (though the website mentioned in the ad is a .org,
not .com). There is a range of opinion within the impeachment
movement, from Democratic Party-centered to non-centered, as can be
seen above. We collected some more petition signatures and
strategized some.

Teach-in on impeachment Thursday in southern Durham

2006-07-26T02:53:00.000-04:00

Below is a notice about an upcoming event and general actions. Also, I would like to point out that Rep. Price voted for H. Res. 921 (online at thomas.loc.gov), which supports Israeli aggression in Lebanon and lays the basis for a US war with Syria or Iran. This is an example of how the US has a bipartisan problem, although right now the Bush Administration is at the main expression of it. If you want to read more of what I have to say about this, see durhamspark.blogspot.com.

The Grass Roots Impeachment Movement (GRIM)
(www.grassrootsimpeachment.org ) is hosting a video
showing and discussion, Thursday, July 27th, 7-8:30pm,
at the Peace Covenant Church in southern Durham on
Highway 54 just east of Fayetteville Rd. (601 E.
Highway 54). The video, "How to Impeach a President"
is by the Center for Constitutional Rights (for more
information see www.articlesofimpeachment.net).

You can sign the local petition for impeachment online
at www.petitiononline.com/dsmnc/petition.html or at
Durham Food Co-op or Internationalist Books
(updates at downingstreetactionnc.blogspot.com). New
signatures will probably be presented to Price or
his staff in September. They also might be useful for
lobbying the Durham City Council, which won't vote on
a proposed impeachment resolution at this point,
allegedly because it wouldn't be passed unanimously.

Some other ways to encourage the impeachment of Bush
and Cheney are by asking local governments to pass
resolutions (Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and Orange County
have already done this), asking the State Legislature
to submit articles of impeachment to Congress, getting
civic groups to pass resolutions, writing to
newspapers, attending upcoming events, and wearing
orange for impeachment on Fridays (see
orangetoimpeach.blogspot.com ).

Raleigh meeting and July 4th flyer draft

2006-06-30T02:01:00.000-04:00

Raleigh town meeting

The Raleigh town meeting was earlier tonight, 7-9pm. I arrived near the end and counted about 48 people. Ajamu Dillahunt had to cancel, so the speakers were Al McSurely and Stan Goff. A former NC (?) Secretary of Labor and a candidate for the State Supreme Court came also. It was probably mostly an older crowd, but there were also young people. The group was mostly or all white though, which I assume doesn't reflect the racial makeup of Raleigh. This time we got a video recording of the event, and I think the filmers want to put it on Orange County's cable access channel, The Peoples Channel. GRIM, the Bill of Rights Defense Committee (BORDC), Stan, and the Green Party tabled. The September 30th impeachment rally in Charlotte (1-6pm in Freedom Park) is being organized by the Action Center for Justice, Charlotte Coalition for Peace & Justice, Charlotte CodePink, Charlotte NOW, Freedom Group, and the NC Green Party. It will feature speakers Nadia McCaffery, David Swanson, Ann Wright, Jacek Teller, Tim Pluta, and Bill Grass, along with performers the Bellyfull, Hardcore Lounge, Peter Moore, and Michael Sharpe. I heard that there was a regional impeachment meet-up yesterday in Winston-Salem, so maybe the Winston-Salem meeting isn't July 26th. July 18th at 7pm at the Durham Main Library there will be a presentation about the reasons to doubt the truthfulness of the official account of 9/11. GRIM should have a regular meeting coming up in early July, but it doesn't look like anything has been set up. We need to organize and advertise regular meetings to build the group I think.

July 19th day of action

After the meeting I spoke with Andy Silver and he suggested that we organize a local event for the July 19th day of action on impeachment (see www.articlesofimpeachment.net/). So far there are two events announced in this State, in Charlotte and Stokesdale. I could easily reserve a space in Durham or elsewhere for this and help with publicity. If GRIM gets behind this we could have several events throughout the Triangle. So far we don't have any events planned for July and another event in Durham would be good for building the impeachment movement here. I assume we will have more town meetings in the fall, especially to reach students. As Al said at the Raleigh meeting, we will continue to organize and have meetings regardless of what happens in the midterm elections (one point of discussion was whether the Democrats will gain seats in Congress and whether there will be electoral fraud by Republicans like in the apparently stolen elections of 2000 and 2004).

July 4th flyering campaign

Below is a draft flyer for July 4th impeachment publicity. Comments? This is a Durham-specific flyer and will need to be chaged now that the Raleigh meeting has passed. Since the upcoming events are all out of this area, having some local July 19th events would be a good way to further emphasize that this is a local movement. Andy suggested that we need to work more on Etheridge. I focus on Price since I live in his distrcit, but it would be great if my petition and other materials were adapted to lobby other Congress members (or local officials like the Durham City Council). If you want the Word version of this, email me at southplumb at gmail dot com.

Impeach Bush and Cheney!

Their crimes:

Violation of Americans' civil rights.
Warrantless wiretapping and surveillance.
Misleading Congress and the public to justify the occupation of Iraq.
Authorizing war crimes and torture in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere.
Undermining Congressional and court oversight.

What can regular citizens do?

- Attend the Raleigh town meeting on impeachment June 29^th, 7-9pm at 3313 Wade Avenue, the Charlotte teach-in July 19^th, the regional meeting in Winston-Salem July 28th, or the regional rally in Charlotte September 30 ^th.

- Sign the petition to Rep. Price (online at www.petitiononline.com/dsmnc/petition.html and at the Durham Food Co-op, Internationalist Books, and The People's Channel) and write to Price to support House Resolution 635 (online at thomas.loc.gov).

- Ask the Durham City Council, County Commissioners, and State Legislature to pass impeachment resolutions (contact info. at www.lwvodc.org/Contents.html).

- Ask civic groups you belong to to pass resolutions.

- Advocate impeachment in letters to newspapers.

- Wear orange on Fridays (campaign blog: orangetoimpeach.blogspot.com).

For more information about the non-partisan effort in the Triangle see:

www.grassrootsimpeachment.com , www.impeachbushcheney.net, and downingstreetactionnc.blogspot.com

Mark July 4^th by joining the movement to reclaim our democracy!

Raleigh impeachment meeting Thursday, June 29th

2006-06-27T02:47:00.000-04:00

Information about the next impeachment town meeting is below. I thought this was in July. Maybe the Winston-Salem event is in July. There will be a rally or other large event in Charlotte in late September I think.

> 3313 Wade Avenue, Raleigh, NC
> See impeachbushcheney.net for map
> Thursday, June 29, 2006
> 7:00PM
>
> Public Discussion
> Featuring
> NC Justice Center Activist Ajamu Dillahunt
> Special Forces Veteran Stan Goff
> Civil Rights Attorney Al McSurely
> Singer/songwriter Janet Bratter
> The Raging Grannies
>
> IMPEACH BUSH and CHENEY
>
> Sponsored by:
> NC Grassroots Impeachment Movement
> http://www.impeachbushcheney.net/#hearings
> 929-3316

July 4th project + radio coverage of the Pittsboro event

2006-06-17T02:20:00.000-04:00

July 4th is a revolutionary, democratic, and civil rights holiday, so advocating impeachment of a criminal and unjust leader is a good way to mark and resconsecrate that day. Also, July 19th is an impeachment day of action and July 23rd is the anniversary of the Downing Street Miknutes, one of the 8 DSM. GRIM is planning to table in Carrboro and possibly elsewhere on July 4th, and I'm plan to suggest a publicity campaign. One part would be a flyer listing some of the reasons impeachment is necessary (the Iraq War, war crimes and violations of international law, and violations of Americans' civil rights), upcoming events, and how to join the effort. Ways to help include attending the July 29th event in Raleigh and other events, (in Durham) writing to Mayor Bell, the City Council, and the County Commissioners in support of local impeachment resolutions (the Orange County County government and governments in Raleigh also haven't passed resolutions yet), writing to State legislators (since they can influence Congress directly according to a previously obscure rule), writing to newspapers, getting groups to pass resolutions, wearing orange on Fridays, and signing and circulating the impeachment petition ( www.petitiononline.com/dsmnc/petition.html, available on paper at the Durham Food Co-op, Internationalist Books, The People's Channel (?), and the Friday peace vigil in Chapel Hill), hopefully to be delivered to Price or his office again later in the summer. Do people have other ideas for campaigns or things to include in a flyer?

The update about Pittsboro is that at 7:30pm Wednesday there was a segment on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's (?) Radio One about the Pittsboro town meeting! I think it is online at www.cbc.ca/dispatches . Wow, international coverage!

Article on the Pittsboro town meeting

2006-06-15T02:20:00.000-04:00

Below is an update (from www.impeachbushcheney.net/article2.htm) about the last town meeting, held in Pittsboro in May. The Raleigh town meeting will be July 29th and a meeting is being planned in Winston-Salem. GRIM now has its own website, www.grassrootsimpeachment.org (www.impeachbushcheney.net is a separate site associated with GRIM, like this blog).

Impeach Bush rally held in Pittsboro

By Cara McDonough, Chatham News
May 25, 2006

Normally the Superior Courtroom in Pittsboro is reserved for issues of a serious nature.

Last Tuesday night was no different.

Only the crowd expressed their message not only with passionate speeches and statistics, but harmonicas, guitars and a group of singers known as the Raging Grannies.

(The name speaks for itself).

The North Carolina Grassroots Impeachment Movement, which has already won support with the Chapel Hill and Carrboro town councils, brought their cause to Pittsboro last week.

The group supports activist groups across the county that are standing up to the current administration.

Outside the court room visitors could grab fact sheets and bumper stickers being handed out by Wes Hare of Chapel Hill's Peace is Patriotic group.

The rally, which drew about 50 people, included entertainment from singer-songwriter Janet Bratter as well as the Chapel Hill group The Raging Grannies.

Bratter began the evening with her song, "Little Boys With Poison Toys."

The Raging Grannies next took the stand, singing several tunes, most notably their famous impeachment song to the tune of "I've Been Working on the Railroad."

"We are calling for impeachment, all the live-long day/We are calling for impeachment just to send those crooks away," they sang, wearing flowered hats, and accompanied by a kazoo.

But though amusing at times, the rally was a serious call to action.

Chatham's own Rev. Carrie Bolton, in her first public engagement since suffering a stroke eight months ago, told the crowd that "we need to stop all the lying."

"Mr. Bush, take your seat in the corner and let someone else take over," she said to the those in attendance, who expressed their agreement vocally and with a standing ovation. "What this administration has been about is destruction, destruction."

Kent Kanoy, who ran unsuccessfully against incumbent David Price in the primary race for the 4th District U.S. Congressional seat, said he ran on a platform for impeachment and is now urging Price to do the same.

Kanoy said that he ran for office because the cause was great enough that he felt he had to do something.

"I tossed my hat in the ring. I've never held political office in my life. I'm not a political activist," he said.

He also read a letter he sent to Price soon after the primary election, encouraging the current house representative to stand up to the Bush administration.

Attorney Al McSurely, who recently accepted an award from the NAACP for his civil rights work, spoke about the importance of the grassroots mission.

"We're talking about high crimes and misdemeanors," he said. "The case for impeaching Bush and Cheney is clear."

He said he believed 60-70 percent of the American people would agree to impeachment.

"Impeach means to charge. That's what we want to do. It's not as bad as everyone thinks it is," McSurely said.

Waiting until the next presidential election just isn't an option, he said.

"January 2009 is what some people want to do. January 2009 to clean up this mess – no," McSurely said. "This is a crisis and we have to do something. We can't wait."

For more information on the grassroots movement visit www.impeachbushcheney.net .

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

2006-05-23T02:59:00.000-04:00

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

2006-05-17T01:17:00.000-04:00

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

2006-05-09T02:22:00.000-04:00

"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

2006-05-03T17:22:00.000-04:00

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

2006-05-03T01:57:00.000-04:00

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.

Reportback about the latest town meeting

2006-04-28T02:30:00.000-04:00

The town meeting went pretty well and I've heard that
it could have been the best one yet in terms of
discussion and interest. There might have been around
60 people, up from 55 at the Hillsborough event, but
less than the Auditorium's capacity. Did anyone make
an exact count? I thought there were around 30 when I
got there, but later there were more people and I
might have underestimated. The crowd was somewhat
diverse, but mostly white and there were few people
under 30. GRIM, the Durham and Orange Co. BORDC's,
Kent Kanoy, and Stan Goff tabled.

Thanks to Joan, also representing the Durham Bill of
Rights Defense Committee, and John for moderating
(Joan moderated during the first half and John did so
for the second half). The meeting started with three
songs by the Raging Grannies, including one on
impeachment and the one saying "I'm going to let it
shine." Stan spoke first, linking the case for
impeachment to the Iraq War and from there to social
issues such as the huge and predominantly black US
prison population. He also pointed out Democratic
Party cooperation with Bush and the need to exert
pressure on both parties. Al McSurely spoke next and
talked about strategy and GRIM's list of impeachment
objections and answers, from the objection that
getting rid of Bush gives us Cheney to the argument
that working for impeachment detracts fron other
causes. Rev. Curtis Gatewood spoke about the
hypocrisy of "Bush Christians" (unfortunately none
came) and also linked impeachment to working class
issues and poverty.

There was time for several questions and comments.
There was some back and forth discussion, especially
about whether Iran will be attacked overtly and how
this could be sold to the public. We could have
talked for a while, but the Library was close to
closing. Kanoy was invited to speak briefly. Bowser,
a former Durham official and candidate for sheriff
this year, attended. I plan to write more here on
what was said later.

I'll write about the process of organizing this later,
since it could be useful for future events. I don't
think any of the media we contacted attended this time
and we don't have a recording. It could have been
better organized, since some decisions were made at
the start of the meeting and it started late, and the
publicity was good but could be better. There also
might have been conflicting election related events.
At the earliest we could have a second Durham event in
June without being too much in a rush. In the future
it would be good to have women speakers represented,
but I wasn't able to find anyone this time.

What are other people's impressions of or comments
about the meeting?

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com

Durham town meeting on impeaching Bush and Cheney Thursday

2006-04-25T23:52:00.000-04:00

Come discuss the case for impeaching Bush and Cheney,
the process, and what citizens can do, Thursday, April
27th, 7-9pm in the Auditorium (to the right at the
entrance) of the Durham Main Library (300 North
Roxboro St.). Featured are NC NAACP 2nd Vice Pres.
Rev. Curtis Gatewood, civil rights lawyer Al McSurely,
Raleigh activist and author Stan Goff, and the Raging
Grannies.

This meeting was organized by the non-partisan Grass
Roots Impeachment Movement and follows the format of
the previous Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and Hillsborough
town meetings. The next GRIM meeting might be around
May 19th. A formal organizing meeting was last Friday
in Chapel Hill, though the group has been around since
the beginning of the year under that name. Pittsboro
and Raleigh town meetings are being planned (and we
could use help). You can contact me by commenting here
or emailing me at southplumb@gmail.com.

www.davidpricewatch.org and www.impeachbushcheney.net
are also useful local sites and GRIM's new listserve
is grim@impeachbushcheney.net. The petition to Price
is still available online at
www.petitiononline.com/dsmnc/petition.html and on
paper in various places. There is also a campaign to
have people wear orange for impeachment on Fridays
(see orangetoimpeach.blogspot.com).

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam
protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com

Four impeachment events this week

2006-03-21T23:40:00.000-05:00

There are four opportunities to push for impeaching Bush and Cheney this week. The Grass Roots Impeachment Movement's third town meeting on impeachment was tonight in Hillsborough (sorry about the late notice). A debate between Price and pro-impeachment Democratic challenger Kent Kanoy (his campaign site is www.kanoy4congress.org) or a town meeting is being organized in Fearrington in Chatham County and we are organizing a first Durham town meeting.

TUE 3/21. NOW Is the Time To Talk Impeachment.

Orange County Courthouse, 106 E Margaret Ln, Hillsborough Public Discussion. Kay Kelley Mersereau, MC, Civil Rights Attorney Al McSurely, Michelle A. Laws - Chapel Hill Native, retired IBM’er Richard O. Houpana, ,Music by the Raging Grannies, & John Heuer…Sponsored by: Orange County Peace Coalition (OCPC) Questions/comments- Wes Hare, co-chair OCPC (929-3316, jhhare at earthlink dot net) or michael_pollock at yahoo dot com.

Price is holding two town meetings this week to hear from his constituents. The Cary meeting was this evening (but I might be wrong about the date) 7-8:30pm at the Cary Town Hall and the other is on the 23rd, at the same time, at Durham's Southern High School. More information is probably on Price's website.

Also, don't forget to sport something orange on Fridays for impeachment (a new campaign is starting up, see orangetoimpeach.blogspot.com for more information)!

A quick update

2006-03-10T01:48:00.000-05:00

The impeachment town meeting at the Chapel Hill Town Hall February 28th went well and had about 150 participants. There were some issues about the format to improve for next time. Kent Kanoy, the pro-impeachment challenger to Price, attended. The weekend before Price released the letter to Bush he co-sponsored with Rep. Loefgren. The letter asked for a special counsel to investigate the legality of the NSA wiretapping. It was almost immediately rejected, and the Administration said the source of the leak should be the object of investigation. That letter was the main topic at the second meeting we had with Price (I'll post details about that and possibly the letter in question later on).

There will be a town meeting in Hillsborough March 21st at 7pm. We are trying to set up a meeting in downtown Durham for April. Possibly impeachment could be part of International Workers' Day/May Day events this year.

There might be a plannning meeting soon, possibly in Cary.

We might get a proper website soon. In the meantime, David Price Watch's impeachment section might be opened soon (that website is www.davidpricewatch.org).

A side project is a discussion of setting a day when people can wear a certain color or symbol for impeachment every week.

Meeting with Price today

2006-02-21T01:58:00.000-05:00

I apologize for the short notice - the meeting with Price is actually 3:15-4pm, not at 3:30 (though people could arrive late, if they can't come earlier) on Tuesday at his Chapel Hill office. I think Price mainly wants to talk about the NSA surveillance (heset up this meeting), which he seems to see as Bush'smost impeachable crime. He co-sponsored H.Res. 643 about this and he signed on to a letter written byRep. Conyers.

There will be a pre-meeting at 2:15 at Cup A Joe'sacross Weaver Dairy Rd. from Price's office to preparefor the meeting and discuss anything we didn't go overSaturday. Updates will be placed here and maybe also atwww.davidpricewatch.org.

Soon there will be a group meeting, possibly thisweekend, with Kent Kanoy, a Democrat challenging Pricefrom the left, to decide about the non-partisan Grass Roots Impeachment Movement's stance on his candidacy.

The Chapel Hill town meeting on the case forimpeachment will be on the 28th (with outreach tospecific Democratic candidates from other districtsand challengers to Price, etc.) and we hope toorganize a town meeting in Durham in March, maybe atthe Hayti Heritage Center, and possibly other actions.Price is having town meetings in Cary and Durham (Ithink on the 21st) next week. Possibly later in theyear there will be public actions. Another issue toorganize around is phone company participation in thewarrantless surveillance.

We will have a presence at the SURGE Conference thisweekend at NCCU and the March 18th anti-war demonstration in Fayetteville through Peace 1st.

Meeting Saturday and a second meeting with Price is Tuesday afternoon

2006-02-17T02:22:00.000-05:00

The impeachment campaign strategy meeting is thisSaturday (February 18th) at 3:30 at Durham's SouthwestLibrary (3605 Shannon Rd., off MLK Parkway near theold South Square, which is on University Dr.). Themeeting room is at the entrance to the Library, on theright.

Al McSurely's suggested agenda below basically seemsgood for that meeting. We could also discuss a draftresolution for groups to sign (and one is probablygoing to be circulated in Orange County tonight).

Also, Rep. Price invited us to meet with him nextTuesday at his office in Chapel Hill, 3:30-4:15pm, onhis work around the NSA warrantless domesticsurveillance, and that is set up.

Proposed Agenda:

1. Report on meeting in Carrboro, meeting in ChapelHill on the 28th,meeting with Price, and outreach in Durham. (15mins.)
2. Selecting Steering Committee for GRIM, includingwho can deal withmedia. Possibly a one-page informational flier aboutGRIM, how toContact us, and a local Website?. (15 mins.)
3. Next Steps? 30 mins.
a. Any Democratic Primary candidates?
b. Follow-up with Price, possible actions, etc.
c. Outreach to Republicans?
d. Constitutional Lawyers organized with anad in, say,Independent?
e. Letter from GRIM to local politicians,asking them theirposition on Impeachment?
f. Mass Meeting in Durham? In Raleigh? InNorthernChatham? In Hillsborough?
4. Adjournment 4:45 p.m.

Email from District Director Rose Auman:

As he discussed with you in the January 30th meeting,Rep. Price returned to DC in early February to determine with his colleagues the most effective wayto address his and the nation\'s serious concerns aboutthe President\'s authorization of NSA wiretapping of UScitizens without approval from the FISA Court.

He asked that I e-mail those who left their contactinformation to let you know that he and several otherDemocrats in the House will be sending a letter to theAdministration requesting the appointment of a specialcounsel to investigate the charges that thewiretapping program was in violation of the law andthe Constitution.

He will be in the Chapel Hill office on Tuesdayafternoon, February 21, and could meet with you totalk more about this if you\'d like: 3:15-4:00 p.m.would be good. Just let me know. Thanks.

Rose Auman
District Director
U. S. Rep. David Price
5400 Trinity Road, Suite 205
Raleigh, NC 27607

(919)859-5999 (voice)
(919)859-5998 (fax)
Website: http://price.house.govYou may sign up for Rep. Price\'s e-mail updates athttp://price.house.gov/Forms/EmailSignup/

Our work for peace must begin within the private worldof each of us . . .
Dag Hammarskjold

Price's commitments on impeachment and upcoming events

2006-02-10T02:16:00.000-05:00

Below is more about the meeting with Price last week, what has been going on since then, and a meeting on February 18th at 3:30 at the Southwest Library in Durham.

The Price Meeting

January 30th 12 of us, mostly from Orange County, but also representing Durham and Raleigh, met with Congressman Price, his District Director, and the director of his Chapel Hill office (where the meeting took place). I think we met for over an hour (it was supposed to be for about 45 minutes, before another anti-war group's meeting).

I introduced the Downing Street Memos petition and gave Price copies of the 8 Downing Street memos with important parts marked, Bonifaz's memo on impeachment, a short DSM summary from http://www.afterdowningstreet.com/, a longer summary from Rolling Stone magazine's blog, and an article on impeachment by Elizabeth Holtzman (reprinted at http://www.commondreams.org/). Then John Heuerpresented a petition focusing on Rep. Conyers' legislation, which was circulated at the Carrboro Town Hall meeting mainly.

Price was supportive and listened to us. We asked him to support investigation of the Downing Street Memos and NSA spying revelation as evidence of impeachable crimes, to support Rep. Conyers' three Resolutions, and to ask the Senate to finish and release the Phase II report on how the faulty Iraq intelligence was used. Price thinks Bush is the worst president, undermining the Constitution, arrogant, and takes "plenary power for the Presidency." Price said that the Downing Street Memos are like a "smoking gun" to me at the end of the meeting. He seems to be most concerned about illegal domestic surveillance.

He focused on "appropriate means" though, and what he sees as practicality. Price was impressed by Al Gore's recent speech (December 16th, online at www.afterdowningstreet.org./?q\u003dnode/6827), which advocated a special counsel (Price also advocated an independent commission like the 9/11 Commission, but I would be wary of advocating using that group), whistleblower protections, opposing the Patriot Act until there are more safeguards, comprehensive Congressional hearings, and that companies stop cooperating with warrantless searches. Price committed to supporting or introducing legislation for a counsel or independent commission to gather evidence on impeachable crimes.

Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-MI) recently introduced Resolutions to censure Bush (Resolution 636) and Cheney (Resolution 637) and to create a select committee that will report on the necessity of impeachment (Resolution 635). Price is basically opposed to this (but not definitely opposed), saying it is unlikely to work and pointing out how otherrecent impeachments occurred. He also pointed out that this would be the first impeachment of more than one person at a time. The current co-sponsors were all or mostly from the Congressional Black Caucus and Al McSurely asked Price to be the first Southern white Democrat to join them. There are now 23 co-sponsors I think.

Our group asked Price to take the lead in organizing by publicly advocating impeachment and energizing the public. Price feels mobilization is our role, his role being work in Washington, and that we should "shame" Congress into being more of a check on the Executive.

Price might not realize the potential level of Congressional support for investigation of Bush crimes (for example, the number of supporters of Barbara Lee's (D-CA) DSM related Resolution last year, including a Republican co-sponsor and two Republicans who did not vote against it, for whatever reason.

We will continue circulating the Downing Street memos petition (and welcome help in reaching more people, especially Raleigh). Information: downingstreetactionnc.blogspot.com and online at www.petitiononline.com/dsmnc/petition.html.

GRIM

The day after the Price meeting there was a meeting in Carrboro on the campaign. The Orange County Peace Coalition advocated creating the Grass Roots Impeachment Movement organizing committee, to work throughout the District. February 28th there will be a town meeting on impeachment at the Chapel Hill Town Hall. This is the last month for people to register to run against Price in the election this year, and people are still talking about getting Cynthia Brown or someone else to challenge Price on impeachment and the War.

Upcoming Durham Meeting

There will be a meeting Saturday, February 18th in Durham at the Southwest Library (3605 Shannon Rd., near the old South Square Mall, now a Super Target) at 3:30. The meeting is to discuss what we have done so far, the organization of GRIM, outreach, the town meeting in Chapel Hill on the 28th, demonstrations and protests, and organizing Durham events, such as a town meeting. Republicans, Democrats, communists, Greens, Libertarians, anarchists, independents, socialists, and anyone who wants to defend the Constitution and impeach leaders who violate the law and democratic principles should come.

The new David Price Watch website (www.davidpricewatch.org) will have an impeachment section with updates and petition(s).

Below are two rough press releases by Wes Hare. I think more was going to be added to the final release by others.

First Press Release:

Over 140 voters from the 4th Congressional District met at Carrboro Town Hall last Friday to discuss the Case for Impeachment of Bush/Cheney. The citizens overwhelmingly endorsed two proposals at the close of the meeting: (1) Request that Cong. David Price sign on the House Resolution 635, introduced by Rep. John Conyers to establish a bi-partisan committee with subpoena powers to investigate possible crimes of Bush as the first step toward impeaching him; and (2) Seriously consider running a candidate against Cong. Price if he does not assert more leadership about impeachment of Pres. Bush.

On Monday afternoon, a dozen members of this group met with Cong. Price and asked him to be the first white southern Congressperson to endorse the Impeachment Investigation Bill. He said no. He said he was going to look for other approaches that would be more reasonable to middle America.

On Tuesday, Wes Hare, co-chair of the Orange County Peace Coalition, A coalition of eleven anti-war, religious and humanitarian organizations in Orange County, announced that he was going to ask the Coalition to create a Grass Roots Impeachment Movement (GRIM) Organizing Committee, that would coordinate efforts to hold community forums in Orange county and reach out to the other areas throughout the 4th Congressional District on the constitutional crisis that Bush and Cheney have created. GRIM could also support possible candidates to to run in the Democratic Primary in early May for the seat now held by Price.

The last time Price was challenged within his own Party was during the Presidential Primary year of2000. About 63,000 people voted in that primary. This Congressional District is composed of all of Durham and Orange Counties, and the top half of Wake County and a couple of precincts in northern Chatham County.

Second Press Release:

For More Information call Wes Hare or Al McSurely.

Chapel Hill, 8 February 2006: Wes Hare, co-chair of the Orange County Peace Coalition, announced theformation today of the Grass Roots ImpeachmentMovement (GRIM) Organizing Committee. Hare said, “We welcome Republicans, Democrats, Independents and all patriots who take our constitutional heritage seriously.” The Peace Coalition, which includes eleven anti-war, religious and humanitarian organizations in Orange County, sponsored a forum on “The Case for Impeachment” in Carrboro in late January attended by over 140 people. Another Forum is scheduled for the Chapel Hill Town Hall on Tuesday, February 28th at 7 p.m.

“Several Republican Senators are now aggressively questioning Pres. Bush’s obviously unconstitutional spying on American citizens,” Harenoted. Sen. Specter’s Hearings will continue, he noted, and they will make the case for impeachment nationally. “But we believe ordinary citizens at the grassroots level have a responsibility to become well-informed on these illegal actions of Bush and Cheney.”

A dozen voters met with Cong. David Price last week to ask him to become the first white southerner to join the call for a Congressional Committee to investigate Pres. Bush’s possible high crimes and misdemeanors. Cong. Price declined to become a co-sponsor of Cong. John Conyers' bill. It now has over 10 co-sponsors, and it is growing everyday. But Price did promise the group to work closely with other Representatives in exploring several parallel initiatives. Price joined with Cong. Mel Watt at a Durham meeting the same afternoon. In response to Prof. Chuck Stone’s impromptu straw poll, over half of the predominantly Black audience raised their hands when he asked how many were for impeachment.

“Depending on Price’s actions,” Hare said, “GRIM may support a candidate to run in the Democratic Primary in early May for his Congressional seat.”Candidates must file by noon on February 28th. Seven hours later, Hare said, “We will continue beating the drum for impeachment in the Chapel Hill Town Hall.”

Price was last challenged in the Democratic Primary in 2000, a Presidential Primary year. About 63,000 people voted in the 4th Congressional District, which is composed of Durham and Orange Counties, and the top half of Wake County and a couple of precincts in northern Chatham County.

Meeting Tuesday (today)

2006-01-31T01:56:00.000-05:00

We decided to call for a meeting today (Tuesday, the 31st) at 4pm at Weaver Street Market to prepare a press release on the meeting with Price and a plan for activities in February, leading up to the Chapel Hill Town Hall meeting on February 28th and the filing deadline for the House election. I suggested that future meetings be outside of Carrboro and later in the evenings.

The Price meeting went well and we were given over an hour to speak. There were 12 of us, including at least one person each from Raleigh and Durham, the rest being Orange County residents. Office director David Russell and District Director Rose Auman were also at the meeting. Price is especially concerned about domestic surveillance I think, and he supports Al Gore's recent proposals. Price committed to supporting or leading efforts for a special prosecutor or independent committee to gather evidence, but he is unlikely to support Rep. Conyer's legislation to create a select committee on impeachable offenses. He also is reluctant to publicly support impeachment, and says that it is our job to mobilize the grassroots by ourselves, it seemed. There is more to say about the Price meeting, but I'll wait to see what comes up at the meeting to highlight.

Also, right now on CSPAN (channel 60 where I am) there is (or just was) a good panel discussion or conference, "Iraq, Impeachment, and the Bush Administration," with David Swanson (After Downing Street Coalition), Kevin Zeese (Democracy Rising), Ramsey Clark (Vote to Impeach), and a woman panelist I didn't recognize. The panel was held on the 30th, so hopefully it will be rebroadcast at a better time.

Price meeting time changed and updates

2006-01-29T02:27:00.000-05:00

The meeting with Representative Price Monday about impeaching Bush and the War was moved from 3:30 to1:30 pm because of a change in Price's schedule. Itwill be at the Chapel Hill office off Weaver Dairy Road in northern Chapel Hill.

We were planning to meet outside before hand, but now there will be a meeting at 11:45am at Weaver Street Market in downtown Carrboro. The meeting will be to plan our presentation and to form a steering committee for post-meeting organizing. We coud still meet outside before hand and I will try to be early in case people don't see this update.

One estimate I heard of the number of people at the impeachment town meeting in Carrboro last Friday was 140, overflowing the 70-75 person room we used. I think Raleigh News & Observer wrote about it Friday and it was in the Chapel Hill Herald. Community radio was there. Price's Chapel Hill office director and District Director Rose Auman were there (and saw the strong support for running a candidate opposing Price on impeachment and the Iraq War). Lots of signatures were collected on a petition for support of Rep. John Conyers' Resolutions, but I didn't circulate our petition much. There will be another meeting Saturday, February 28th at the Chapel Hill Town Hall.

Anyone else have comments about the meeting?

Town hall meeting and the meeting with Price coming up

2006-01-22T01:48:00.000-05:00

The petition for investigation of impeachable offenses (especially what is in the 8 Downing Street memos) will be presented to Rep. David Price on the 30th. Thursday, the 26th, at 7pm there will be a meeting at Internationalist Books (405 W Franklin St. in Chapel Hill) to plan the meeting with Price and our strategy for an ongoing and broader grassroots effort for impeachment. There's lots of pay parking and free parking at UNC or probably in a lot on Rosemary St. near the Internationalist. The petition is online at www.petitiononline.com/dsmnc/petition.html and paper copy locations are mentioned on this blog.

On the limited demand for Price to support investigation of the Downing Street memos he has already shown some support, though he failed to co-sponsor an actual Resolution in committee (the Barbara Lee Resolution of Inquiry). This issue appeals most to the left, but some on the right are talking about impeachment, especially after the revelation of the NSA's most likely illegal domestic surveillance. Price signed on to a letter asking for answers about the NSA spying. I think this is also an election year for Price, so he should be paying more attention to his constitutents and the door is open for someone to run against him if he isn't. Recent polls show that about half of Americans are open to impeaching Bush over lying for the Iraq War (50%) or the domestic spying scandal (52%), this just has to be translated into action in Congress or mass protests that force Bush to resign. If Congress can't impeach Bush it could at least censure him (there is a Resolution to do thatover the NSA spying currently) and be more critical about supporting the Administration.

Friday at 7pm is the Triangle town meeting on Bush impeachment at the Carrboro City Hall (301 W. Main St.), organized by the Orange County Peace Committee and Downing Street Action NC (our group). It will explain impeachment and plan a grassroots strategy. Featured guests and speakers are former Carrboro Alderman Diana McDuffee, UNC Law Professor Emeritus Dan Pollitt, civil rights attorney Al McSurely, Carrboro community activist Lucy Lewis, and NCCU's Bel Canto Singers.

The Price meeting is Monday, January 30th, 3:30 to probably 4 at the Chapel Hill office, 88 VilcomCenter, Suite 140, which is in north Chapel Hill off of Weaver Dairy Road near the MLK/Airport Rd.intersection (on the north side of Weaver Dairy Rd.) by the Timberlyne shopping center. Suite 140 is on the west side of the complex and there is free parking. We could meet at 3 or 3:10 outside so people who can't go to the Thursday meeting can hear the meeting plan and share information.

Note about petition circulation: The petition should be available at Internationalist Books and The People's Channel (on the wall) in Chapel Hill and at The Regulator Bookstore (free literature section) and Durham Food Co-op (posted) in Durham. There is not one at The Know Bookstore currently. It is also sometimes available at the Friday peace vigil in Chapel Hill.

No meeting with Price today and update

2006-01-06T12:57:00.000-05:00

No one seems dead set on meeting with Rep. Price today and we need more time to prepare, so we won't meet today. This was probably the only chance this month, but hopefully it won't be too long before there is another chance (at the same time, more time means more signatures). Do we need to meet again to discuss strategy, since the situation has changed since October and more people have joined the steering committee? The meeting yesterday evening focused on the Triangle town meeting. I found a summary of the DSM we might want to give to Price.

The meeting set the impeachment town meeting for Friday, January 27th, at the Carrboro Town Hall. It will focus on the process of impeachment and what we should do. It might be part of a series of events or actions. The Orange County Peace Coalition is working on this also.

Planning Meeting January 5

2006-01-05T01:55:00.000-05:00

There will be a meeting today to plan a Triangle town meeting and a possible Friday meeting with Price at 7pm at Weaver Street Market (I think the address is 101 East Weaver Street) in downtown Carrboro. Meet at the end of the Market in the direction of Chapel Hill. There is lots of free parking and I think several bus routes go by Weaver Street.

Someone reserved the Carrboro Town Hall for the event on the evening of the 27th. Dan Pollitt, Emeritus of the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Law, is a confirmed speaker. We have been discussing having a panel format covering the various potentially impeachable offenses of the Bush Administration. The panel could include expert speakers on different issues and local politicians, such as Price, like the format of the town meeting about the Iraq War in Chapel Hill late last year.

This Friday at 2pm Price has time to meet with us in Chapel Hill, so we also need to decide about that.

Impeachment Town Hall Meeting

2005-12-27T01:55:00.000-05:00

We are working on organizing a town meeting about impeachment (possibly also on the Iraq War) as part of a national call by the After Downing Street Coalition (www.afterdowningstreet.org). They want the meetings to be held January 7th if possible, but I don't know if we can organize something that quickly. It will be in Durham or Chapel Hill (I haven't heard of anyone working on this already) and we plan to invite Price. Leave a comment or email us if you have ideas for where to hold the event, when, and what the format should be. Later in the week we might have a more concrete plan to announce.

Reportback from the Meeting

2005-12-21T01:49:00.000-05:00

Thursday, December 15 at about 4:30 3 of us (more had planned to come, but it must have been at a bad time) met with Rep. David Price's Chapel Hill staffperson David Russell and District Director Rose Auman (who did most of the talking for her side). We started late but were given 30-45 minutes to talk (!).

We are on the waitlist for a January meeting. What time works for people who want to come and should we change our plan (see October meeting notes)?

We introduced ourselves and presented the petition and explained where it was circulated. We thanked them for Price's support for Conyers' DSM letter, Price's co-sponsorship of Kucinich's White House Iraq Group Resolution (which failed in early November), and other work in Congress.

The conversation shifted to Iraq and we said as> individuals that we think Congress is moving too slowly to end the occupation of Iraq, after going to war for the wrong reasons.

Back to the petitions, Rose read from a sample> letter> on impeachment. They seem to have read the DSM, or some of them. The letter summarizes the situation, including the quote about fixing facts for war and it summarizes the Conyers letter. Then it focuses on the future - that the Iraq War was planned badly and without enough support and so now we need a "realistic plan" to develop "Iraqi security forces" and "international cooperation," to end the occupation someday. The main statements are that Price "understands" our concerns about Bush, but believes "the available evidence of his actions to date" don't "fit the constitutional definition of an impeachable offense." He thinks resorting to impeachment hastily, even if he "vehemently" opposes many Bush policies, is "too dangerous and unpredictable [a] path." He opposed impeaching Clinton for the same reason. He asks readers to "stay in touch with me regarding your perspective" and he "will continue to fight the misguided policies of the Bush Administration."

I went in to more detail about the DSM, mentioning the After Downing Street Coalition's talking points: that the War was planned before Bush claimed to be trying to proceed diplomatically, that letting Bush move money appropriated by Congress to bombing Iraq to provoke a cause for war is unconstitutional and on the road to tyranny, that lying to Congress is a felony, etc. Then I pointed out the poll results showing that growing numbers of Americans think Bush lied and that growing numbers, 50% as of October, thought Bush should be impeached if he did lie for war. We emphasized that we are not as far from the public pulse as it might seem from the media and that this is about more than partisanship. I noted that President Ford gave a looser definition of an impeachable offense.

Later we talked about what could be done on the Barbara Lee Resolution, which was slightly bipartisan and almost succeeded (I should have emphasized that more), etc. It could be resurrected by a large vote in the House, but that was considered unlikely. They don't think Price can talk to Senators about the Senate Intelligence Committee report, since we don't have a Democratic senator. I emphasized that if Price can't (yet) support impeachment, what about possibly bipartisan fact finding, which could even exonerate Bush somehow. We didn't press them on this, but I think we should find out why Price didn't support Lee's Resolution and if he can do anything.

They were given a blank petition (so they might read this blog now), old and new talking points from afterdowningstreet.org, the Bonifaz memo to Conyers, and another DSM summary from that site.

At the October meeting we decided not to focus on war crimes and other impeachable crimes (such as charges by former US Attorney General Ramsey Clark and the National Lawyers' Guild) - should we change this, since Price thinks impeachment is not warranted, or would that decrease his attention to us? I think we should not give up if Price repeats what his aides said, but what should our next step be? There might be another meeting before we meet with Price, on the petition or on a general lobbying strategy.

Triangle Free Press decided not to carry an article about the meeting next month but we are trying to get letters published in the Independent Weekly and other local papers. There has already been one letter in the Durham Herald-Sun (in late October). Thanks to a notice in the Independent, there have been several more signatures to the petition online (and maybe on paper as well) and interest in joining the campaign. It would be good to keep up the pressure by individually contacting Price and writing to newspapers. Would a press release be useful in the future?

We will probably advertise the next meeting online.

Do people have suggestions about strategy? The revelation of NSA spying on citizens strengthens our case, as does the bipartisan outrage. What can we do about this?

Let's build a movement for impeachment!

Meeting Thursday, December 15th, at 4:30 in Chape Hill

2005-12-14T00:18:00.000-05:00

We have a meeting scheduled with Price's Chapel Hill office staffperson, David Russell. The meeting will be Thursday, December 15 at 4:30, unless there is a last minute change. We plan to meet outside at about 4:10 for last minute planning. Below is the office address and phone number. There is supposed to be ample free parking there.

What the steering group planned on bringing and what we will say is one the blog below (or contact michael_pollock at yahoo). We probably won't hand over the petitions at this meeting. Let me know if you want to receive steering committee emails.

There is also a Moveon.org meeting at Price's office in Durham Wednesday at I think 11 am about ending the Iraq occupation.

There are now current petitions at The Peoples Channel office on Elliot Rd. in Chapel Hill and at The Know Bookstore on Fayetteville St. in Durham.

I hope to see some of you Thursday!

David Russell
US CONGRESSMAN DAVID PRICE (D-4)
88 Vilcom Center, Suite 140
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
919.967.7924
919.967.8324 fax
Dave.Russell@mail.house.gov
www.price.house.gov

A two meeting strategy?

2005-11-29T23:37:00.000-05:00

I still haven't heard back from everyone on the sort of steering committee set up in October, but most people I have talked to seem to be willing to meet with Chapel Hill staffperson Dave Russell since Representative Price won't be available soon. I am trying to set up a meeting and we can try to meet with Price later on. I think we should save the petitions for a meeting with Price, unless we expect to get a lot more between the two meetings.

Publicizing the campaign in newspapers would help gather signatures, as well as leaving petitions at friendly locations. I wrote a letter to the Durham Herald-Sun before the October 27th meeting we had, but I haven't sent anything to other local newspapers. I've already sent emails to several local listserves. The petition is online at http://www.petitiononline.com/dsmnc/petition.html and the campaign blog is http://downingstreetactionnc.blogspot.com. Current versions of the petition should be at Internationalist Books and The Peoples Channel in Chapel Hill and at theDurham Food Co-op. I will probably leave new copies at The Know Bookstore in Durham soon. When I'm at the Monday and Friday peace vigils in Chapel Hill I have the petition available. I see the campaign as being about the useof pre-War intelligence and the conduct of the War,especially as revealed in the DSM, and whether these,or other potential crimes, would be reason to impeach Bush and others.