Berkeley votes to impeach Bush

[sabra]

http://orovillemr.com/news/bayarea/ci_3990270

Berkeley votes to impeach Bush

BERKELEY - The People's Republic of Berkeley has done it again.
The liberal, left-leaning city has become the first city in the nation to put a referendum on the Nov. 7 ballot to impeach President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

Anti-war mom Cindy Sheehan and Daniel Ellsberg, a Vietnam whistle-blower who in 1971 released the Pentagon Papers to the New York Times, both spoke in favor of the resolution at Tuesday's City Council meeting.

``Berkeley is a place where things begin,'' said Mayor Tom Bates. ``It was the first place in the nation that called for divestment from South Africa, it was the first city in the nation to have curb cuts for disabled people, we were the first city in the nation to have dog parks and the first city in the nation to really protest the Vietnam War,'' Bates said.

[NV Whino]

1. I'm moving back to Berkeley

just so I can vote to impeach the bastards. Yea, Berkeley!

:applause:

[bluestateguy]

2. And this will accomplish...?

Making people feel good? I don't know...

[Terran1212]

3. expressing dissent is where it all starts...

always

[PurpleChez]

5. Good answer! I am sick and tired of whiny dems

who get all pissy because this or that single action (petition, referrendum, whatever) might have only marginal effects. We're not gonna bring down this entrenched junta overnight, folks! We're not gonna wake up tomorrow and see rethuglican heads up on spikes in front of the white house. Every little bit helps. The pessimism and defeatism you responded to are one reason why the supposed center-left majority has been consistently beaten out by a monolithic right wing that hears the magic word of the month (queer marriage!!!) and rush to the polls like lemmings to elect wingnuts who couldn't care less for them.

[bleever]

15. Another good answer.

:thumbsup:

[Posteritatis]

28. Yeah

It's when people don't bother to move past actions like this that I get pissed off. Symbolic gestures are all well and good, but they're useless if there's no followup.

[PurpleChez]

6. Yeah...fuck it...I'm not voting in November...

the results are uncertain, so why bother?

[architect359]

34. You're kidding, right? eom

[fearthem]

7. Such actions are how trends start!

[bluestateguy]

9. Like all of those town resolutions against the Patriot Act

they were so successful that the Patriot Act was renewed indefinitely.

You want Bush impeached? Then work to elect a Democratic Congress. These town resolutions are a feel good waste of time.

[AndyTiedye]

10. They Get the Word IMPEACHMENT In the News! NOT A Waste of Time

[leesa]

11. Why can't someone do both actions? It calls attention to impeachment and

keeps the dialog alive. Of course the P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act was extended. That is because the US Congress is not working for the good of the American people, same reason they don't impeach. Communities will need to pile on, like Berkeley is doing, until it becomes so painfully obvious to all that the Congress will HAVE to respond.

Do you actually believe that just because you get a Dem majority you're going to get an impeachment?

[stepnw1f]

12. Well Then Watch Others Do It

And wish for the best....:shrug:

[Terran1212]

17. The Democrats that overwhelmingly passed PATRIOT?

just working on your logic here.

[maryallen]

22. Lead, follow, or get out of the way ...

[Pale Blue Dot]

36. Why was it, again, that we can't do both?

I didn't realize the two were mutually exclusive.

[wordpix2]

20. Berkeley did it, some towns in VT did it, it's a growing trend

I hope :applause:

[Doctor_J]

24. no kidding, bsg.

See my post #23

[Duncan Grant]

33. It means more to me than a "West Wing" campaign for the Presidency.

I guess it's just a matter of perspective, no?

edit: subject line

[whistle]

4. Those folks in Berkeley are great!

...they were a pain in the ass for Richard Nixon and I hope and pray they will be a thorn in Dick Cheney's and George Dubya's eyes

[onehandle]

8. How warm and fuzzy.

Meanwhile, I'll work to get a Democratic House to make Impeachment possible.

[NorCalDem]

13. Hehehe.... n/t

[bleever]

14. The Free Speech Movement of the early Sixties was born in Berkeley.

Barbara Lee represents Berkeley and Oakland, and she was the lone vote in the house against a war that went bad.

[IndyOp]

16. I was there for 6.5 years in the late 80's & early 90's - NO action then!

Now I am back in the midwest and Berkeley gets interesting again.

:eyes:

[Moochy]

21. We had action then

Wow did we have action then!

Oh not that kind of action. nevermind. :D

[Posteritatis]

29. It's the Law of Colleges

They get more interesting right after you leave. My own certainly did.

[goclark]

18. Yes! The PEOPLE have spoken nt

[Nothing Without Hope]

19. A number of other towns have passed impeachment resolutions

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x641621

But I haven't heard of another referendum. Should be interesting. Good for Berkeley!

[Doctor_J]

23. What a waste

while the GOP is pruning voter rolls, flooding newsrooms with 4th reich sypathizers, and spying on our phone conversations, this is what our side is doing.

Doomed.

[Patchuli]

26. Shall we join the "other side"

in breaking the law? I say grassroots is where it all begins. What's your suggestions?

[Isere]

25. Hah! I just spent the day there today

and can tell you that they would be well advised to tend to city business instead of national politics!
Potholes, dirty streets, abandoned buildings stand in mute testimony to the failures of the local government to tend to local issues. I love Berkeley but the city government is off in La-La Land.

[Duncan Grant]

35. Oh, bullshit.

How are they "tending" national politics? This is simply a local civic government expressing the values of their community. It seems odd to indict them over this issue, imho.

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

27. The impeachment movement deserves support and...

...could become a reality.

http://www.alternet.org/story/35467

Here's a great piece by playwright, Bill C. Davis that speaks to the importance of it:

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0502-28.htm

[WhiteTara]

30. one more grass roots effort since our state and

federal congress critters have no political courage. If the leaders won't lead it's time to push them out of the way and show them how to be courageous.

[radfringe]

31. anyone know if there were similar

resolutions and of the amount during the Clinton impeachment broohahah? or even during the heyday of the Nixon Watergate Scandal?

[Kenergy]

32. Screw the formalities! I Vote

to put them both in jail !!!!!!!!

[sofa king]

37. Yay! Could they vote to legalize LSD, too?

I had to take a lot of acid to earn the right to tell that joke.