Impeachment By Spring: Here's The Plan

[rodeodance]

From View message header detail "Democrats.com" <[e-mail]>
Sent Wednesday, November 15, 2006 4:14 am
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Subject Impeachment By Spring: Here's The Plan
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Impeachment By Spring: Here's The Plan

The case for impeaching Bush and Cheney is overwhelming, and 51% of Americans think Democrats should investigate and impeach them.

But Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi insists impeachment is "off the table."

We can put it back "on the table" by mobilizing the 51% majority that supports impeachment into a powerful grassroots lobbying force.

Here is our plan:

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Collect 1 Million Signatures on our Impeachment Petition

In the first 3 days we have collected over 6,000 signatures on our Petition to Impeach Bush and Cheney.

Please sign here

http://www.democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/88

and forward the petition to your friends.

Then print copies of our simplified impeachment petition
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/downloads/petition-4.pdf
and collect signatures from friends, co-workers, and neighbors.

When you're finished collecting, keypunch the email addresses into our form to ask the signers to complete the full petition online
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/petition

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Form 435 Congressional District Impeachment Committees (CDIC)

There are 435 Congressional Districts for the House of Representatives, and we'd like to form Impeachment Committees in each one.

Congressional District Impeachment Committees will:
1. Collect petitions (see above)
2. Write letters and op-eds to local papers
3. Meet directly with Representatives to persuade them to support impeachment
4. Organize Town Hall meetings (see below)

Check to see if someone has already created a CDIC in your Congressional District, otherwise start one yourself
http://www.democrats.com/cdic

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Hold Impeachment Events on December 10: 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

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Pass State and Local Resolutions

Pass impeachment resolutions in your town or city, state, political party, or labor union. Use the petitioning (above) to build a list of local supporters:

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/resolutions

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Be a Media Activist
Work the media for impeachment:

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/media

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Talking Points and Other Resources to Assist You

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/resourcecenter

________________

Audio and Video from Launch of ImpeachForChange in Philadelphia on Veterans Day

Our event was a great success, with outstanding speakers and bloggers.

Here is video:
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



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Forward this message to everyone you know!

......

[rodeodance]

1. I do not think it should have been taken off the table, but instead left

open--do the investigations--let the chips fall where they may.

[William769]

2. I don't believe anybody said there won't be investigations.

[rodeodance]

3. you are right. they did not say that. Yet, it seems many will be Forward

looking--

[elocs]

4. How many Democrats who won last week

ran making the impeachment of Bush one of their top issues? If there was such overwhelming support for it ahead of any investigations, then they should have been shouting it from the housetops, but they didn't did they? I agree with Pelosi that impeachment should be off the table because oversight hearings and investigations will put it back on the table. The American people expect Democrats to do something other than impeachment right out of the gate. Our very own Skinner agrees.

[independentpiney]

5. As much as I want impeachment, I won't sign now

I think Conyers and others have done enough legwork that the formal House investigations aren't going to take as long as Watergate or other earlier ones. With the wealth of research and accumulated evidence here at DU and other places on these internets, it would seem they can skip much of the preliminary work and move right to subpoenas of the key perpetrators.

The formal investigations have to happen before a serious call for impeachment, that's just the way it works. And when they happen corporate media cannot ignore them and will not be able to spin them as a partisan fishing expedition. When the truth is exposed to the American public, they're going to be so outraged nearly every citizen would sign a petition for impeachment. I'll have a little patience for now, Fall is a lovely season for impeachment hearings.

[pat_k]

9. {must investigate} = {don't have a case} = {nullification of powerful case we HAVE}

I've posted the following before, but with all the talk of the need to "set the stage" or "wait and see" or "need to do other things first" these are messages that I think need to be repeated, and repeated, and repeated -- and I hope others help spread the warnings.

_____________________________________________________

A message to Investigations first people

"We must have investigations" says one thing "we don't know enough to impeach." That statement is a lie. We know all we need to know http://journals.democraticunderground.com/Senator/10">right now. It puts us on the fascist's turf ("If the case is simple why are they having all those hearings? They're just blowing hot air. They don't have anything. If they did, they would have impeached already")

Articles and proofs that make it crystal clear to the nation that Bush and Cheney pose an intolerable threat can, and should be, introduced ASAP -- ideally in the 1st session of the new Congress (or as Senator suggests, on January 6th, since it was January 6th, 2001 that our Constitution went into breach when members of Congress failed to stand in judgment of the Florida electors.)

Whether or not they have the support of the leadership, members can take up the fight to impeach by introducing a set of articles (the most clear and convincing of the numerous charges for which we have all the proofs necessary), and then fighting to have them acted on in the committee (or committees) to which the resolution is assigned.

If they hold committee hearings to discuss the power of the case, and to make that case, fine. But, as I have described above, if they claim hearings are needed to "gather evidence" they undermine the powerful case they already have. If the minority attempts the draw things out with investigation, Dems must resist the efforts and hold fast to the "we know all we need to know" line. If they do otherwise, they undercut their case.

As with any resolution, specifics would be hammered out in committee, the process can, and should, go very fast. Sure it could get drawn out, but there is no reason to believe long is more likely than short.

Once started, the process will unfold the way it unfolds. There are infinite possibilities at each juncture. Hearings to argue the case and present evidence are probable, but may not be part of the process. The threat that Congress is getting serious about impeachment alone could be enough to motivate Bush and Cheney to implement the "exit strategy" offered by resignation, so hearings may not ever necessary.

The price of "putting off" Impeachment could be unimaginable

On September 10, 2001, there were many signs that sanity was returning. The number who believed Florida was stolen had passed 50%. Bush's approval was continuing the steady downward slide that started the day he was inaugurated. A coalition led by Democrats.com that included the National Lawyers Guild and Vincent Bugliosi was about http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2701395&mesg_id=2707042">to announce their "fall offensive" -- a campaign that that included the effort to see Scalia et al. impeached for Bush v. Gore.

Bush's claims to any semblance of legitimacy were crumbling fast.

Then the sun came up on 9/11/2001. In the weeks that followed, the countless people who were horrified by the stolen election and Bush's incredible abuses were silenced in a nation that had seemingly gone mad.

Sanity is once again returning, but we must recognize how fragile the moment is.

The urgency cannot be underestimated. Taking up the fight for impeachment now is a scary thing, but members of Congress must "Just Do It." Any day we could see another terrorist attack; Bush could declare war on Iran or Syria or North Korea or Venezuela or even Haiti; or some completely unforeseen event could make it impossible to rescue our national soul for a long time to come.

[independentpiney]

12. You can not have impeachment without the formality of investigations

It's not a matter of we don't know enough.

[kster]

6. How long will the repubs allow * chenney to drag their party

down, the longer * chenney stay the worst it looks for the Republican party, I wonder if they will do the right thing and DEMAND that * chenney RESIGN. The Repubs would luv it, if the Dems started Impeachment. Let the Repugs start the resignation DEMANDS.

If the Repugs don't, the investigations will turn up so much, that, soon the Dems and the PEOPLE will demand Impeachment.

[mike_c]

7. K&R-- sign the petition!

Do not suffer war criminals remaining in charge of American government!

[Gregorian]

8. Impeachbush,org already has 800,000 signatures.

http://www.impeachbush.org/site/PageServer


Why not just use the ones we already have.

[pat_k]

10. Kick and Recommend for SANITY!!!

Impeachment is the weapon we gave Congress to defend against threats from wihin. When she took it "of the table" on behalf of the Democratic caucus she made it impossible for them to fulfill their oath. If she doesn't put it back on the table, this is the oath she will have to administer (at least it's the one she'll have to administer to the Democratic caucus):

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and be derelict in my duty to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear foreswear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will fail to take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully negligently and faithlessly discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.

[gully]

11. What about the troops coming home?

I wonder if we can prioritize a bit.

[sofa king]

13. Jefferson's Manual

http://www.constitution.org/tj/tj-mpp.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson's_Manual

Seems the most direct way to set the process in motion:

In the House there are various methods of setting an impeachment in motion: by charges made on the floor on the responsibility of a Member or Delegate; by charges preferred by a memorial, which is usually referred to a committee for examination; by a resolution dropped in the hopper by a Member and referred to a committee; by a message from the President; by charges transmitted from the legislature of a State or territory or from a grand jury; or from facts developed and reported by an investigating committee of the House.