August 13, 2008

IMPEACHMENT TOOLKIT: PLZ READ!!! IMPEACHMENT TOWN HALLS !!!!

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Town Hall Crowd Calls for Bush Impeachment
At a lively town hall meeting Sunday, billed as a discussion about “peace and accountability,” emotions directed at U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer ranged from calm to screaming mad. Nearly all of it was about one subject:

Impeachment of President Bush.

Angered by what they view as an immoral war and a corrupt administration, the crowd hammered on the theme of a congressional trial of Bush and wondered whether the controlling Democrats have the spine for it.

“People spilled blood to create this country and get this Constitution,” said Lenore Norrgard, of Northeast Portland. “Impeachment should be at the top of the agenda.”

She, like just about everyone else who used the word, got a thunderous applause from about 250 people who attended the meeting, held at the Hollywood Theater. At least half in the audience wore red T-shirts emblazoned in white with the single word “IMPEACH.”

A handful of speakers were hostile, calling Blumenauer a “coward” for not outright calling for Bush’s impeachment. Some said Bush should be tried for treason. And one, to some applause, said the president should be executed. Most were civil, if blunt.

“Courage is what we expect of our elected officials,” said John Bradach Sr., of Northeast Portland, whose nephew was killed in Iraq. “It’s clear the Democrats in Congress do not have the courage” to cut off federal money that pays for the war in Iraq.

Although impeachment is only a distant possibility — Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has said it’s off the table — it’s clear that the debate over Iraq has shifted toward a discussion of how to hold Bush and, to a lesser degree, Vice President Dick Cheney, to account. In a written preamble to his town hall meetings, Blumenauer said “impeachment 0924 06should be among the options.”

Before the meeting started, Blumenauer signed an oversized document called the “Oregon Declaration of Peace,” in which he pledged: “I will vote ‘no’ on any appropriations bill that will continue U.S. military operations in Iraq.”

Blumenauer cut off comments after about an hour and a half because he had to attend a memorial service of a friend. People in the audience began calling at him to respond to their questions about impeachment.

Bonnie Tinker, of Northeast Portland, one of the last to speak, urged everyone in the audience who favored impeachment to stand. Only a few remained seated. Then people began chanting, “Stand up, Earl!” He remained seated.

“I appreciate the focus, the passion, the determination and the courtesy shown today,” he said. “I’m going to spend some time chewing on what you had to say.”

He said he would post his response later this week on his Web site, an answer that clearly disappointed many in the audience.

© 2007 Oregon Live LLC


41 Comments so far

It takes all small towns and larger cities to get this done. By taking a page out of Samuel Alito’s playbook, by not going for impeachment all at once, we have a better chance to put it back on the table, starting one community/City at a time.



Note* Before voting to put Christians, Muslims or Jews, find out what their views on Israel/Palestine are.

“I appreciate the focus, the passion, the determination and the courtesy shown today,” he said. “I’m going to spend some time chewing on what you had to say.”

ha! I get letters like that all the time from my representatives (Ric “the Cheeseburger Bill” Keller, R, and Mel “RNC Chairman” Martinez, R). “Thank you so much for your interest, blah, blah, blah…please go away now, lady…”

Frosty bunny

3. All the local Reps in San Jose districts are the same. None are responding to an OpEd in the Mercury News last week blasting all three over lack of impeachment support.

4. He documented that the responses all seem to be canned and coordinated from all. Anti - impeachment is really organized.

5. well blumenauer at least knows exactly what his job is, if he takes being a representative of the people in country that is governed by the people seriously - and if he doesnt there is impeachment by other means, as lincoln prudently noted.

  • 6. As described, this meeting is a microcosm of America’s anger at Bush and Congress about where America is headed.
  • 7. Every single member of the House and Senate needs to attend meetings where citizens express their outrage about the war in Iraq and all other American concerns.

    When Congress is in Washington, it’s too easy for them to believe and act as if they’re insulated from those who sent them there — so they need to be bludgeoned time and time again while they’re home. Citizens should make it clear that if their representatives don’t protect America, they won’t be back.

    I like the skywriting graphic for this report on the Common Dreams home page. Maybe the skies over all of America need to have “IMPEACH BUSH” written for everyone to see, over and over again.

  • I’m told that Nancy Pelosi, herself, called Janice Hahn from the Los Angeles City Council and demanded that she NOT co-author an impeachment resolution that Bill Rosendahl had committed to be submitting.

    Also, Eric Garcetti, who at the CDC convention told several of us directly that he would co-author impeachment, suddenly evaporated the next day after (we hear) a call from CA Assembly speaker Fabian Nunez.

    This from people who actually consider themselves potential mayoral candidates. What a joke! Those who REFUSE to take a stand now should ALWAYS have to ANSWER for this–if the democracy they treat so lightly even survives…which is looking less and less likely. ###

  • Impeach them, then haul them into the dock at the Hague and try them for war crimes.

  • LOL Frosty Bunny I get them as well, the latest from Bill Nelson D FL, blah blah thank you for your concerns BUT blah blah…we aren’t going to do a damn thing to stop Bush or his war..blah…blah please feel free to contact me again with any concerns you have…

    It’s a joke and our entire system has become a joke..

  • Anyone who doubts Bush, Cheney, and all their gang of criminals should be staring at the walls of a cell for the rest of their days should check out the videos at this site:

  • mastershake September 24th, 2007 2:49 pm

    Speaking of this. An article on CNN appears saying “Democratic Canidates now courting evangelicals”

    And it just goes to show that they have no backbone. Not only are they not courting their base, the progressive democrats, they’re trying to court the other end of the political spectrum.

    I’m certainly not voting democrat in 2008, and you shouldn’t either. This country is going right in the shitter, and we need it to be on record that Conservative neo-con policies caused the downfall.

  • Frosty bunny September 24th, 2007 2:51 pm

    Kristina, ah another Floridian! Yeah, I’m sure I’ll get that from Nelson when I send my letter complaining about his moveon vote. (Like he has anything to worry about, he’s not up for re-election until 2012!)

  • rtdrury September 24th, 2007 3:13 pm

    They’ve decided they’ll jam eight years of Hillary down our throats to make us feel better.

  • saywhat September 24th, 2007 3:19 pm

    Impeachment, in your dreams.

  • Coyotita September 24th, 2007 3:52 pm

    For the past few days, peace activists in my home town have created opportunities for the “man on the street, (or woman)” to be heard. They have held signs that include IMPEACH BUSH/CHENEY and honk of you agree. Let me tell you that the din that goes on there! This country, yes, a community at a time, is getting the news first-hand from activists that they are not getting from the corporate media that impeachment is called for. This movement is spreading by those who have tired of talking to each other and have the courage and faith in the people to go to busy intersections of their towns at peak traffice times. A couple of hours will do it!

  • Coyotita September 24th, 2007 3:54 pm

    Oh, and the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the local, state, and federal official are handed out and printed on some signs.

  • Kristina40 September 24th, 2007 4:53 pm

    FrostyBunny, I didn’t even bother about the moveon vote with Nelson. Writing to him is a waste of three minutes out of my day. What part of Florida are you in? Panama City here, home of the Bush loving, freedom hating crowd LOL…

  • terryb September 24th, 2007 4:57 pm

    after all this genocidle madman has done, and has still not been impeached, you might as well take impeachment off the table permanently, and strike it from your constitution. what a pharse, and embarrasment to the american political system. no accountability, no democracy= DICTATORSHIP!

  • Coyotita September 24th, 2007 5:37 pm

    Like I was saying:

    “. . . This movement is spreading by those who have tired of talking to each other …”

  • musicmarc September 24th, 2007 6:16 pm

    This is only one small example of the overwhelming sentiment all over this country (except the halls of congress — our representatives) Many people (even those in the know) aren’t even aware that there have been three separate articles of impeachment against Cheney since late April of this year, when Rep Dennis Kucinich (D- Ohio) introduced them. And to date, only 22 of his colleagues have signed on.

    The importance of this particular meeting (from the above article) is that they got their Representative to come and listen.

    In SanFrancisco, home of the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, we offered a fourth helicopter seat from where the photos of last weeks Beach Impeach Project #3 were taken.
    She declined and did not allow anyone from her office to go in her place. *note to Mrs. Pelosi: that is NOT representation!*

    For more info about the Beach Impeach Projects, and some great photos from each, please visit www.beachimpeach.org

    Impeachment is NOT a waste of time, as so many like to say! Without it… as a quote from Gore Vidal “how eager are you to become slaves?”

  • alirandyabi September 24th, 2007 6:28 pm

    We are the Germans of Hitler’s era, and history will judge us for the actions of our leaders. The consequences will rightly fall on our heads; will the masses care before it’s too late to matter?

  • cyberbrook September 24th, 2007 6:48 pm

    IMPEACH!

  • foreverhippie September 24th, 2007 7:12 pm

    FrostyBunny
    This “ha! I get letters like that all the time from my representatives (Ric “the Cheeseburger Bill” Keller, R, and Mel “RNC Chairman” Martinez, R). “Thank you so much for your interest, blah, blah, blah…please go away now, lady…”

    is want I’ve been saying several years, the Right give you this WC Fields attitude “go away kid, you bother me”; so much for civility and free exchange of ideas.
    The Enlightment no longer holds sway in our thinking or actions.
    We ALL loose.

  • George C. Brown September 24th, 2007 7:13 pm

    Hopefully there will be many other Town Hall meetings with similar results that assault both Democratic and Republican Congresspersons - - to the degree that they will override Speaker Pelosi’s “Off the Table” attitude regarding impeachment. My only suggestion would be that they start off with the impeachment of Dick Cheney first, then within 48 hours start proceedings on the “Shrub.” Enough of Traitors and of Treason!
    George C. Brown
    No further editing necessary.

  • shakker September 24th, 2007 8:25 pm

    Only place impeachment is not a big hit is with the Congress. Please vote in some new Congress members anywhere as these are mostly brain dead.

  • Corefire September 24th, 2007 10:14 pm

    It should be pointed out, in all fairness, that Rep. Blumenauer himself set up this and a number of other similar forums around Portland, stating up front that the issue of impeachment would be discussed at each gathering. I am on his email list, and would have gone to this meeting if I had been in town. He is not a co-sponsor to the Kucinich articles of impeachment (I just checked), but he did ask for these meetings. So I am somewhat hopeful that he will sign on or otherwise “go public” on impeachment.

  • snydly September 24th, 2007 10:32 pm

    IF THEY’RE IN
    VOTE THEM OUT.
    RETURN CONGRESS TO THE PEOPLE.

    AND DO THAT EVERY ELECTION UNTIL YOU GET THE RESULTS YOU WANT.

    IT’S TIME THE AMERICAN VOTERS THREW A TANTRUM.
    HOW ABOUT:
    FOR THE NEXT TEN YEARS, NOBODY GETS MORE THAN ONE
    TERM. ALTERNATE TERMS FOR THE GOOD GUYS.

    AND LET’S GET ON WITH THE WORLD-WIDE BOYCOTT OF EXXON.
    WHY EXXON?
    WE DON’T REMEMBER DAVID AND HIS SLING SHOT BECAUSE HE KNOCKED DOWN THE second-BIGGEST PHILISTINE, DO WE?

    ALSO, TIRED OF THE KILLING?—-STOP SHOPPING. TAKE A NIGHT CLASS INSTEAD. GROW FOOD. MAKE SOMETHING FROM ALL THAT SHHT YOU ALREADY HAVE…HAVE FUN.

  • mike2 September 25th, 2007 12:12 am

    The PRINTED headline in the Oregonian did not read as above “Town Hall Crowd Calls for Bush Impeachment
    but rather, in much more dismissive terms “Impeachment fans goad lawmaker”

    http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1190600759119260.xml&coll=7

    In other words, they are merely fans, and they are doing it to annoy.

    I don’t know if that was exactly the same article or a different report of the same event, but it was a typical cheap shot from the Oregonian.

  • twistoflex September 25th, 2007 2:44 am

    You can’t expect the pols to represent you because they don’t. They represent the people who paid for them.

  • pacplyer September 25th, 2007 4:45 am

    IMPEACH or else, mr representative…

    or then call for special elections to recall your congressmen. Petition the government for redress of grievances (1st Ammendment)

  • herbert r chersonsky September 25th, 2007 9:01 am

    Wow, Words Like Treason Are Now Being Used……

    “Pax Americana”Paper, The World Takeover By The United States, was written in 1997 after the Taliban,”Students”, had decided that they would use Bridas Oil Company of Argentina to build the “Oil Pipeline” through Afghanistan.

    If there is any question that 9/11 involved more than 19 hijakers, those questions should be directed to the visual evidence and eyewitness testimony that was never allowed into testimony at hearings of the 9/11 Commission (An Act of Obstruction of Justice): WTC #7 was obviously a demolition job, the hole in the Pentagon was not made by a Boeing 757, the eight miles of debris from flight #93 does not coincide with the hole in the ground theory, the FBI stating that only 2 cell phone calls originated from flight #93 adds further questions……..

    How can you get an independent investigation when Neo-Conservatives and allied Conservatives are in control of the FBI and have collaborated in the total cover up….

    Are American Citizens Guilty of Treason ? Have the U.S.Congresses failed to “Preserve and Protect the U.S. Constitution”?

    Alan Greenspan said, “We are in Iraq because of the oil!” and he was castrated by the same corporate media that had supported his economic views for decades.

    Over 1 million people are dead or injured in Afghanistan and Iraq and neither country was ever a threat to U.S. Security. Iran is not a threat to our security.

    This has all been a propoganda game played out by thieves and murderers in grey suits who use Christianity as a shield to cover up their “Evil Actions”.

    Impeachment is a kind word for Cheney/Bush.

  • imagineusa September 25th, 2007 9:48 am

    The Democrates are going to keep the Bush train wreck alive because they think its good for 08! They could care less about the death and distruction. I would love to understand why no one has stood-up to Bush, Rep or Dem or even other leaders. America is gone, we are rotting from within. The battle field in Iraq is not were are enemies are. We elected our enemies.

  • duchaspa September 25th, 2007 11:04 am

    One solution would be for all concerned USAers to wear a black armband to work on Thor’s Day (Thor God of War) until the troops come home and maybe the people in Power (Those who declared the war ) are brought to justice.
    The monks are risking their lives every day in Rangoon.
    What are USaters risking ? Why are they asking their reps to be more courageous than them??
    (The principle of RESPONSIBITY of the higher ups in war crimes was affirmed at Nuremberg by mostly American (US and Canada) lawyers and both our Govs agreeed.But now the USA is not part of a World Court it helped create. What is that called??
    .The world watches to see when the USAstaers will march in the streets or wear a black armband to work.)
    Words are cheap ,commitment like grace is costly.(D. Bornhoffer writing in a Nazi prison 1943>

  • 86bushnow September 25th, 2007 11:21 am

    Rep. Blumenauer swore an oath of office- “to uphold and defend The Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic.”

    The oath was not to defend the President, or to defend America, it was to defend The Constitution. Failing to do so is treason. At this point, there is no doubt that the Constitution has been dismantled by Bushco and the bribed/blackmailed/useful-idiots in Congress.

    Every town needs to call a town hall meeting like this one, then each Congresscritter must be confronted with his oath (on video, uploaded to youtube :)

    If s/he fails to act, this can be used against them in court.

    Likewise, the complicit media needs to feel the heat. Let them know (not just the big networks, but your local ‘public’ radio station as well) that if they do not allow these voices to be heard, then they are complicit in the crimes of this corrupt government. The board members and ranking officers should be faced with losing all of their personal assets. Lying to the people, enabling a fascist takeover is no small crime, and they must pay for their complicity.

    ps- aren’t there any patriotic cops that understand The Constitution? We need these heroic individuals to attend the town hall meetings to arrest the treasonous critters failing to uphold their oaths.

  • anney September 25th, 2007 1:11 pm

    twistoflex

    You can’t expect the pols to represent you because they don’t. They represent the people who paid for them.

    This is the truth in a nutshell. Nothing else would explain American legislators’ refusal to stop Bush’s destruction of America instead of listening to their constituents, who can be fooled into voting for them if they just make the right promises and statements.

  • Boots September 25th, 2007 1:52 pm

    Get Cheney first - then the dumb guy.

  • gardenia September 26th, 2007 4:06 am

    Bush, Cheney, Rice and all of their Administrations should be (1) Impeached, effective, immediately and removed from their positions without any benefits or entitlements from the offices. (2) Charged with purgery for lieing to the US citizens and Congress. (3) Charged with attempted murder for all of the US Military Personnel, US Civilians, our Allies, and innocent Iraqi and Afghanistani people injured during the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars. (3) Charged with First Degree Murder for all of the US Military Personnel, US Civilian, our Allies and innocent Afghanistan and Iraqi people killed. (4) Charged with the deliberate destruction and forced removal of the Afghanistani and Iraqi peoples homelands. (5) Enlisting known felones and various other convicted personnel to serve in Afghanistan and Iraq along with our fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, husbands and wives, sisters and brothers, and receive all of the same military benefits. (6) Remove each Supreme Court Justice who voted that the first election of Bush and Cheney was legal. That is not their job. We should have had another national election. (7) Charge Rumsfeld with Attempted Murder, First Degree Murder, Purgery, Depraved Indifference to the suffering of people who had loved ones injured or killed or missing or tortured. (8) Charge Bush, Cheney, Rice and the Supreme Court Justices with Depraved Indifference to the suffering of people who had loved ones injured or killed or missing or tortured. (9) All of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice and the Supreme Court Justices assets frozen, passport removed, considered a Flight Risk until an organized, detailed investigation is done. This investigation should be made-up of three people from each state and our protectorates and they cannot be or have served in politics locally (town or city), county, state or nationally. It must be a cross-representation of all economic, educational and jobs/careers/professions, including housewives, widows, widowers, retirees. One of the three must be a veteran. One of the three must be a parent or child of 12 years or above (Children 12 years of age or above are smarter than we usually give them credit for. Their minds are not as cluttered with a lot of things. They feel loss and pain too.); a spouse or sibling of a person who has served or is serving now in Afghanistan and/or Iraq. 3/4 of the members must have relatives serving in Iraq. Bush, Cheney, Rice and Rumsfeld should be held in a federal prison before and during the investigation and not a “resort” or their homes or Camp David. If found guilty, they will go to a federal prison for the minimum term that any military personnel would have to serve according to the charges and law or be executed according to the charges and law. Then this should be made into a law so the future people serving in political offices will know that they will be held accountable for their words, actions, and deeds. It is time to make all politicians to take notice that we are not allwoing them to live in luxury off of our hard-earned paychecks and/or retirement and Social Security checks anymore, then lie to us and do as they please. This is a Country “of the people, by the people, for the people. Not of, for or by the lieing, wealthy and powerful politicains. You will be only as powerful as we allow you to be. It is time to start removing all politicians from office who do not have the self-respect, dignity and preserverence to stand-up and fight for what is right for all of the people and/or respect and love our Country. Also, it is time to change the lobbying laws so we will have the appropriate people put in positions who have the necessary knowledge, experience, decision making abilities and skills. Then there will not be anymore “Katrina Type” lack of action people in-charge. No more gift giving, including meals, private jets, sex and drug parties, etc. No more perks. It is time that we take our Country back. Do you want our Country back or not?

  • anney September 26th, 2007 7:09 am

    Also, confiscate all their funds to apply to the payment of the cost of the war(s) before any citizens’ tax money is used to pay for it…

  • rucognizant September 26th, 2007 8:31 am

    Well from Portland to shining Portland…. Maine - Oregon! Identical response! Allen to Blumenauer! Black Tuesday!
    Today there is a similar march to the 2nd district Rep in Maine’s, Mike Michaud.
    I am NOT going to “waste MY beautiiful mind” ( to quote Barbara Bush) and a gift of a 90o day in late Sept. Maine, scrounging for $ to put diesel fuel in tank, up .25c per gal. from 2 weeks ago to drive to the city to hear the same thing from him. “There is more important business for Congress than Impeaching the President.
    After choking up my last $130 for 50 gal of oil ( who knew it would be 90o a week later..unheard of in coastal Maine,) even though I have already applied for HEAP, I have to limp through without money for food, until Oct 3rd when I get my next meager SS income, $45. 00 of it prespent on a post dated check to bleed & start the furnace. NOW Sens. SNowe & Collins are urging Bush to turn over Fed funds to LIHEAP by the end of Sept. TOO LATE FOR ME! Wonder if they woukd persoinally send me a check for groceries??
    The bottom line….. Bushco is cooking the books on cost of living increase, excluding food, fuel and one other item (?) from the calculation of the cost of living index. SInce food, fuel, utilities,are the ONLY items I can afford to buy from month to month, this makes fora really dreary lifestyle!
    Worse than that they are taking (Stealing) 78 BILLION dollars, from the yearly collected social security, to spend on the military industrial complex, private contacters etc. and replacing them with IOU’s! ( source senior editor of Fortune MAgazine.)
    Kids! You; the steel brained 30 somethings who earn your living defending the Bosses RULES; THAT”S YOUR retirement! You will have to go on defending the RULES until you drop!
    At least I get something! YOU will get nothing, nada! And don’t let the man fool you into a private account, 30-40% will be taken by the bank handling the account! Bush is now going to trot around wasting fuel all over the place to pitch his privitization of SS scam, in a futile effort to protect his “legacy?”
    I guess one reason I am not going to the rally today is that I don’t trust myself not to start screaming and throwing things, and get tasered or thrown in jail; it is a full moon today!

  • rucognizant September 26th, 2007 8:42 am

    Oh & By the Way. last but first in importance.
    Dennis Kucinich has already put forth a bill H Res 333, to impeach Dick Cheney. Only 22 Reps have signed on to it. That’s one basis for these “visits” to the reps. So far they seem to have “more important things to do!”
    I spoke to an old friend inAtlanta yesterday and she ; HAD NO IDEA OF WHO KUCINICH IS! NEVER HEARD OF HIM!
    Kucinich /. Richardson for Pres. VP vote in the primary ad WRITE IN AT THE NOV. ELECTION WHEN CLINTON IS THE NOMINEE!

  • Beach Impeach 5 - Ocean Beach, San Francisco, April 26th, 2008


    Aerial photography by Tom Heinz: www.heinzight.com
    Digital wizardry by Fletcher Oakes: www.fletcho.com
    Click the "Photos" link below for more photos.

    BEACH IMPEACH 5
    "The Constitution Fights Back"
    April 26, 2008
    Ocean Beach, San Francisco, CA

    100-foot tall lettering -- 250-300 outraged citizens


    Brad Newsham is the organizer and originator of the Beach Impeach events and our webmaster is Steve Meiers.
    Contact

    Visit the links below to find out more about these important events.



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