As many Kossacks are already aware, Vermont has partially pulled the trigger on sending an impeachment resolution to the US Congress, via the method described in Jefferson's manual. This action alone moves the State initiated impeachment movement ahead by miles. However, the resolution can go nowhere until both chambers approve it. Though there is at least a decent chance the resolution will pass the House, it is being held up by "off the table" Speaker Gaye Symington, even in light of the turnaround by Senate president protem Peter Shumlin.
So once again, it falls to the citizens of this tiny state to make democracy work.
My little push is below the fold
Thrilled as I was by the swift passage of Senate Resolution JRS032, the Speaker's intransigence reduced this bombshell to a footnote on the local TV news.
Reading the webpage article, I was struck by the similarities in the statements of Speaker Symington, a Democrat, and our wingnut Governor, Jim (fake like a moderate, rule like a neocon) Douglas. So I had to call her on it.
Madame Speaker,
I am writing to strongly urge you to reconsider your position on the impeachment resolution now that it has passed the state Senate.
In light of this event, your stated reasons for your refusal to consider the resolution (namely that there is insufficient time, the issue is not of local importance, and that it will be divisive) carry little weight.
The Senate debate took five minutes.
It strains credibility to maintain the state House cannot afford to spend minutes on this issue.
Impeachment IS a local issue as long as our National Guard troops are being deployed in Iraq, and raises the chances every day that we will lose more of our native sons and daughters to this increasingly hopeless cause.
It is local in that the costs of this endless debacle will continue to be shifted to states in the form of lost productivity and the many hardships that these ever-extending deployments inflict on Vermont families.
It is local in that the men and women coming home someday will exhibit the long term effects of the war. I am talking here mainly about the mental health aspects, in a state that has a serious problem in mental health care already.
It is local in that a large and growing number of Vermont's citizens are demanding action from our elected representatives to do what they can to bring an end to this tragedy.
It strains credibility for you to maintain that this is none of your business.
It is MY business because I am a concerned citizen. That is participatory democracy in its purest form.
You have also stated that the issue will be divisive. The 16-9 tally in the Senate demonstrates that the vote was not purely along party lines. It also demonstrates that a substantial majority of the state Senate (and by extension their constituents), agree with my position.
But none of that should matter. In a democracy, divisiveness is a good and important thing. As long as all sides argue from a point of good faith and respect, issues of all types can move forward. How many votes have you held during your tenure that were unanimous?
It strains credibility to maintain that divisive issues are to be avoided in a state legislature.
Lastly, though I'm unaware if you have stated this publicly, I know you are receiving pressure from our national delegation to keep this resolution from being fairly debated on the House floor.
To this I can only state the obvious. You do not represent the interests of our national congressional representaive and our senators. You represent the people of Vermont. We, the people of this state are rapidly coming to the consenus that the only way to stop the ongoing mayhem in Iraq, the undermining of the Constitution, the bankrupting of the Treasury, and the myriad mischief of George Bush and Dick Cheney can only be halted by the forceful action of impeachment. It was put in the Constitution for just such an eventuality.
Representative Welch, Senators Sanders and Leahy, and yourself were all elected and expected to do the tough work of governance. This is one of those tough chores. As a constituent, I have a right to expect my representation at all levels to withstand pressure from party leadership, lobbying groups, and media distortions as part of the job description. Pressure in a healthy democracy should and must come from the bottom up, never from the top down.
Please reconsider your opinion, and stop standing in the way of this important moment in history.
Thank you for reading.
Maybe it's too strong to say her excuses positions strain credibility, but frankly, I'm sick and tired of being nice to people whose motivation boils down to meekness in the face of tyranny.
Vermont Kossacks, please write to Speaker Symington.
For everyone in a state that has impeachment resolutions in varying states of limbo, take heart, take this letter and morph it to your needs, or take this one from another Kossack upstate:
Madame Speaker Symington,
This morning the Senate passed an impeachment resolution generating international attention for Vermont leadership. The 16-9 vote passed in five minutes. You can no longer credibly claim that "there isn't time" to deal with this issue. Vermonters you represent want this resolution to move through the House immediately. I call on you to rise to the occasion of leadership and represent your people. At the same time, I request my fellow Vermonters to spread the word and call on you with support for impeachment as a sincere act of accountability.