By David Swanson
The impeachment movement is gaining traction, and now – over the next two weeks – is the time to push it all the way to success. Over the weekend, supporters of impeachment made “Impeach Cheney” the number 1 video on Youtube. On Friday, for the first time, a polling company asked Americans if they want Cheney impeached. A majority of 54% said Yes, and the poll was reported in the media. Congressman John Conyers even cited it on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday.
On July 4, the day of throwing off King Georges, an Impeach Bush and Cheney petition passed 100,000 signatures! So now we’re raising the bar to 1 million: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/petition Also on July 4, Los Angeles opened an Impeachment Center, and on July 5 Philadelphia held an impeachment forum (here’s the video).
But the date to keep in mind is July 23, 2007. That will be the fifth anniversary of the Downing Street Meeting, the meeting at Number 10 Downing Street at which the head of British intelligence reported that Bush and Cheney were intent on invading Iraq and were going to “fix the intelligence and facts around the policy.” The meeting was recorded in the Downing Street Minutes which were leaked in May 2005. It was then that we launched a coalition and a website at AfterDowningStreet.org in order to move the Congress and the media toward impeachment.
This July 23rd, a Monday, Cindy Sheehan will lead a march from Arlington National Cemetery (gather there at 10 a.m.) to Capitol Hill, to the office of Congressman John Conyers to ask him to move forward with impeachment. We will wear orange that day, a color that has come to stand for nonviolent revolution. We encourage as many people as possible to join us, and if you cannot, to phone Congressman Conyers’ office that day asking him to move forward on impeachment: (202) 225-5126.
Depending on how things go that day, some of us may choose to remain sitting in Conyers’ office reading aloud the U.S. Constitution even at the risk of being arrested. Those not wishing to risk arrest will be able to leave at that point and should not be concerned about taking part. But those willing to go to jail for justice should come and join us in an act of civil disobedience, or stage a sit-in at your congress member’s district office: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/sit
The White House continues to announce its refusal to comply with a growing stack of subpoenas (http://www.democrats.com/subpoenas ), even going so far now as to try to block the testimony of former staffers who claim to be willing to testify. ABC asked Conyers about this Sunday morning, and his reply was (I don’t know any other way to say this) delusional. Conyers cited the recent poll showing public support for impeachment as a reason why the White House should start complying with subpoenas, and then assured ABC (and anyone at the White House who may have been watching) that he did not intend to impeach anyone.
Here’s the problem with that, Chairman Conyers: When you announce that you’re bluffing, the bluff doesn’t work. Impeachment has often worked as a bluff. Nixon left before he was impeached. The Supreme Court reined in Truman before he was impeached. But when you announce ahead of time that you won’t really go all the way to impeachment, nothing short of impeachment has any teeth to it. Remember when you rigged the Iran Contra hearings to avoid impeachment? You got ineffective hearings, a massive cover-up, and electoral defeat. Right now you’re repeating two out of three of those results, and Democratic prospects for November 2008 are looking gloomier by the day. Imagine a labor union announcing that it will never strike. It’s not that you have to strike every week, but when you announce that you never will, you lose all bargaining power. As surely as the sun rises and night falls, Bush and Cheney will not comply with your subpoenas.
On July 23rd, Cindy Sheehan plans to announce her candidacy for Congress, challenging Speaker Nancy Pelosi to represent the 8th District of California. Sheehan’s candidacy is motivated by Pelosi’s actively blocking the impeachment of Cheney and Bush. Sheehan will not run if between now and the 23rd Pelosi backs off and allows her colleagues to make up their own minds on impeachment.
The 23rd in DC is part of a march from Texas to New York. Cindy Sheehan, Rev. Lennox Yearwood, and others are leading a march/drive from Crawford, Texas, to New York City. The march will include stops at the district offices of House Judiciary Committee Members Mel Watt, and Bobby Scott to push them to support impeachment. Their Judiciary Committee colleagues Maxine Waters, Hank Johnson, and Keith Ellison have cosponsored Dennis Kucinich’s articles of impeachment against Cheney, H Res 333.
Below is the route of Cindy’s march and a link for more information and to get involved. Now is the time to get involved in our democracy. Use it or lose it.
July 10 Crawford Tx Houston Tx
July 11 Houston Tx. New Orleans La.
July 12 New Orleans La. Montgomery Al.
July 13 Montgomery Al. Ft. Benning Ga
July 14 Ft. Benning Ga Atlanta Ga.
July 15 Atlanta Ga. Gainsville Ga.
July 16 Ganisville Ga. Clemson SC
July 17 Clemson SC Charlotte NC
July 18 Charlotte NC Greensboro NC
July 19 Greensboro NC Lynchburg VA
July 20 Lynchburg VA Charlottesville VA (rally at 6 p.m.)
July 21 Charlottesville VA Richmond VA
July 22 Richmond VA Arlington VA
July 23 Arlington Cemetery – White House / Capitol
July 23 Washington DC Philadelphia PA
July 24 Philadelphia PA Allentown PA
July 25 Allentown PA New York City NY
July 26 United Nations Action
July 27 Begin to Gather at Central Park
July 28 TBA
July 29 Gathering of Hearts Fest Central Park
http://www.thecampcaseypeaceinstitute.org