Impeachment: Why and How
By David Swanson
WHY
Many previous presidents and vice presidents have committed one or two of the following crimes. Never before has any approached this total level of assault on the Constitution. If we do not impeach now, we never can again, and the legislative branch will not maintain power over the executive or judicial. We will be unable to end the war, stop global warming, fund education, challenge stolen elections, win elections, or accomplish any of our other goals.
Impeachable Offenses by Bush and Cheney:
Illegal spying in violation of FISA and the Fourth Amendment, openly confessed to, openly promoted in signing statements, known to involve phone calls, phone records, internet use, bank records, and observation of legal nonviolent activities.
Illegal detentions in violation of the Fourth Amendment, International law, U.S. Law, and a recent Supreme Court ruling.
Rounding up of thousands of citizens and legal residents for detention or deportation.
Torture, maintenance of secret camps, and extraordinary rendition, in violation of the Fourth Amendment, International Law, US Law, and openly promoted in signing statement and administration policy papers.
Illegal war – launched illegally under international law, launched in violation of the U.S. Constitution which requires that the Congress declare war, and launched on the basis of feloniously misleading Congress and the American public.
Use of a variety of illegal weapons.
Illegal targeting of civilians, journalists, and hospitals.
Illegal seizure of another nation’s resources.
Illegal use of funds in Iraq that had been appropriated for Afghanistan.
Leaking of classified information in order to mislead the Congress and the public, and in order to punish truth tellers.
Leaking of identity of an undercover agent.
Retribution against whistleblowers.
Use of signing statements to reverse 750 laws passed by Congress.
Production of phony news reports at home and abroad.
Dereliction of duty in neglecting global warming, hurricanes, hunger, AIDS, and warnings of 9-11 attacks.
Facilitating Israel’s attacks on Lebanon.
Obstruction of investigations by 9-11 Commission and Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald.
Stealing elections.
HOW
Read, print, copy, distribute, post on bulletin boards, hand out on sidewalks, these flyers. Realize that you are in a majority, and act like it.
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/12292
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/12293
Wear this T-shirt every single day. Buy it in various colors. Buy some for gifts. Buy some to resell at a profit. You will make a lot of friends and receive a ton of compliments. Talk to people who compliment you on your shirt. Give them a flyer. Tell them about all the following things that they can do.
http://www.wavelengthclothing.com/impeach_bush.html
Get impeachment bumper stickers and yard signs too.
Meet with people in your local area to work on the following. Collect signatures on a petition, and urge your town, city, or county to pass a pro-impeachment resolution and/or to put impeachment on the ballot this November. You’ll be helping them boost voter turnout, and while putting something on the ballot costs a city money, so does leaving Bush president.
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/resourcecenter
Urge your Congress Member to sign H. Res. 635. Even the most hopeless Republican member needs to know what you want of them. Many of them are already refusing to appear at events with Bush or Cheney.
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/resourcecenter
If you live in California, Vermont, or Illinois, lobby your state government to pass the impeachment resolution that has been introduced already, and which will initiate impeachment proceedings in the U.S. House. There is nothing more important than this. If you do not live in one of these states, please help those who do.
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/resourcecenter
Thank Congressman John Conyers for what he is doing:
John.Conyers@mail.house.gov
Urge Nancy Pelosi to back off in her opposition to impeachment, which is based on utterly baseless Republican claims that impeachment is good for Republicans. These polls suggest otherwise.
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/polling
Thank Republican Congressman Ron Paul for speaking out for impeachment, and urge him to do something about it: sign onto Congressman Conyers’ bill or introduce your own articles of impeachment:
rep.paul@mail.house.gov
Contact your friends in other districts, cities, and states, and urge them to act. Help them.
Give every dollar you can spare to a PAC funding pro-impeachment congressional candidates.
http://www.impeachpac.org
Sign up at After Downing Street to stay informed:
http://elandslide.org/elandslide/subscribe_module.cfm?campaign=ads
Get books and DVDs and hold events. Then submit reports on those events, including photos and videos, to After Downing Street, to inspire others.
Here’s a good book and DVD:
http://www.articlesofimpeachment.net
Another good book:
http://www.thiscantbehappening.net
Watch for forthcoming books by Liz Holtzman, by John Nichols, and by Howard Zinn and others.
Write letters to the editor urging impeachment in your own words, and phone radio shows, following revelation of each new piece of evidence of impeachable offenses. There’s one every day.
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/media
Ask your local radio stations to air these public service announcements.
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/psa
Employ the Bush Chain Gang.
http://www.bushchaingang.org
Freeway Blog.
http://freewayblogger28.cf.huffingtonpost.com
Do what they do in civilized nations. Take over your nation’s capital. Come to the impeachment encampment at Camp Democracy.
http://www.campdemocracy.org