Folks, today the Vermont State Democratic Party endorsed an impeachment resolution joining California and other states, calling for an investigation into the actions of President George W. Bush and trial for impeachment. Please read below.
-VTfinest
CROSSPOSTED FROM http://www.greenmountaindaily.com/
Will somebody - somebody! - please impeach this guy?
by: brown
April 08, 2006 at 16:14:12 US/Eastern
( - promoted by odum)
At the end of the special Vermont State Democratic Party meeting today there was a lot of cheering and applause - relief that the almost 3-hour meeting was finally at an end, relief that we'd gotten through it with no screaming or name-calling, and relief that we had made a decision that maybe nobody absolutely hated. (maybe?)
After being amended twice, the new version of the Rutland Resolution sailed through on a unanimous voice vote. The most heated discussion from the committee members was in response to a proposed amendment to send a request for impeachment proceedings directly to the US House of Representative - sparing the Vermont House from having to wrestle with it, and abandoning the idea of using Section 603 of the Jefferson Manual to start impeachment from a state legislature.
Once that amendment passed on a (paper ballot) vote of 26 to 17, and it became clear that the Rutland Resolution was done, the discussion moved to additional tweaking of the new version. The second amendment passed instructed the state committee to send this resolution to the clerk of the Vermont House and the clerk of the Vermont Senate for "appropriate action."
I'm personally sorry that we won't be directly and explicitly asking our state legislators to hold the President accountable for his illegal actions. But I'm also glad that the whole idea of impeachment wasn't thrown out as one for the nutballs. The room was full of people - many of whom were not committee members but who are just as much a part of the process - speaking passionately and fervently about "the right thing to do" - people urging courage in the face of Fox News, strength in the face of Republican control, and steadfastness in the belief that our values are worth standing up for.
I hope that this is only one step in the process of bringing George W. Bush to justice.
The following is the orginal version of the Rutland Resolution orginally passed by the Rutland, Vermont town council and later endorsed by 10 county Democratic Parties in Vermont.
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Section 603 of the Manual of the Rules of the U.S. 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 VI of the Constitution is a treaty as part of the "supreme law of the land",
WHEREAS, George W. Bush has acted to strip Americans of their constitutional rights by ordering indefinite detention of citizens, without access to legal counsel, without charge and without opportunity to appear before a civil judicial officer to challenge the detention, based solely on the discretionary 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 (formerly INS) 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 ordered at least thirty times the National Security Agency to intercept and otherwise record international telephone and other signals and communications by American citizens without warrants from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review, duly constituted by Congress in 1978, and designated certain U.S. citizens as "enemy combatants", all in violation of constitutional guarantees of due process, 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 Rutland County Democratic Committee submits that his actions and admissions constitute ample grounds for his impeachment, and that the General Assembly of the State of Vermont 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 County Committee further submits that Articles of Impeachment should charge that George W. Bush has violated his constitutional oath to execute faithfully the office of President and to the best of his ability to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
In all of this George W. Bush has acted in a manner contrary to his trust as President, 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 Vermont and of the United States.
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.
February 28, 2006