A local columnist responds to my impeachment Op Ed.

[femmedem]

As some of you know, I wrote an Op Ed for my local paper urging our city council to pass a resolution calling for the impeachment of Bush and Cheney. I had a wonderful surprise when I read Bethe Dufresne's column this morning:

To wit, asking the New London City Council to consider a resolution calling for the impeachment of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, as a few local residents have now done, may not be such a wild-eyed, futile idea.

When Ron Suresha and Rick Buell first raised the issue last month, I tended to agree with Councilor Charles Frink, who said the people of New London elected him to make decisions on local issues. Then I read Laura Natusch's fine, fact-based Feb. 17 Op Ed piece in The Day, outlining the historic right and tradition of local governments to petition Congress, and reminding us that in March 2003 New London joined more than 165 cities in passing a resolution opposing the launch of a war in Iraq

...

It's been a long time — way too long — since serious attention was paid to the particular problems besetting American cities. Last fall, two candidates for governor in this state — a Democrat and a Green — tried hard to get voters worked up over this, but they were plowed under by Rell's comfortable charisma.

Rell, unlike Natusch, won't bluntly state the obvious, that Bush's war is causing casualties at home. But at least she recognizes the obvious, which is that we're being dangerously shortchanged — from the pillaging of National Guard units to the abandonment of our cities.

Surely we don't need any more reminders that all politics is global, and that this war — and this president — are local problems.

http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=27fe495b-7bf4-4a99-ab70-7818ab1c9794

The lesson from this--one I continually relearn--is that one action leads to another in ways one can't predict. The people who brought an impeachment resolution to the city council couldn't have predicted that they would move me to write an Op Ed. I couldn't have predicted that my Op Ed would spark a column.

At least in New London, talk of impeachment is now mainstream. Can you ask for a better reason to bring an impeachment resolution to your own city council?

[Vanje]

1. Hats off to you

kickandrecommed

[H2O Man]

2. Well done.

Nominated.

[SaveAmerica]

3. Awesome!! This is what happens when you Never Give Up!

:kick: :kick:

[CTyankee]

4. Hey, femmedem! Good for you!!!

Now, would you work on getting that ferry from NL to Martha's Vineyard reinstated? I need that ferry in July...:toast: :yourock:

[femmedem]

5. I bet I could get a lot more support for my rabble-rousing ideas

if I could pull that off! :hi:

[CTyankee]

11. I'm now taking the RI catamaran ferry from Quonset and it's a

bumpy ride! Maybe I'll have to start going all the way to Woods Hole again...ugh...

Well, keep on rousing the rabble in New London and we'll try to do our part here in New Haven. BTW, can you link me to your OpEd piece. I'd like to save it for some of my own mischief!

[femmedem]

13. Here's my original Op Ed, reposted.

I can't link you to it, because The Day only lets you into the archives for free if you're a subscriber. So here's the full piece--slightly revised since publication. (Thanks, Duppers!)

Councilors, vote to impeach Bush

Last Tuesday, Ron Suresha and Rick Buell presented to the New London City Council a resolution calling for
the impeachment of President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

Before the resolution comes up for a vote, councilors must ask themselves three questions: Have the
President and Vice President committed impeachable offenses? If so, is it appropriate for a city council
to pass a resolution calling for their impeachment? And finally, would such a resolution be in the best
interests of the residents of New London?

The answers to these questions are yes, yes and yes.

First, there is little doubt that Bush and Cheney have violated the Constitution and broken numerous laws.
They have twisted, suppressed and fabricated intelligence in order to drum up support for the Iraq
war. They have authorized torture. They have denied citizens the right of habeas corpus. The President
has admitted to personally ordering the illegal electronic surveillance of American citizens.

Second, U.S. law and tradition makes clear that not only is it appropriate for municipalities to weigh in
on national issues, it’s routine. Clause 3, section 12, Section 819 of the Rules of the House of
Representatives specifically allows local governments to present petitions and requests to Congress. The
Congressional Record shows that municipalities make use of this clause daily.

Since Bush took office, many city councils have voted on issues of national importance. More than four
hundred municipalities have passed resolutions opposing the PATRIOT Act. Two hundred and seventy
five have passed resolutions calling for “immediate” or “rapid and orderly” withdrawal of U.S. troops from
Iraq. In March of 2003, New London became one of over 165 cities which passed resolutions opposing the war
with Iraq before it began.

This tradition predates the Bush/Cheney administration. In 1850, Chicago passed a resolution
condemning the Fugitive Slave Act. Cities passed resolutions both supporting and opposing the Vietnam
War. Cities have called for a nuclear weapons freeze. They have even voted on international affairs, as when
cities across the country condemned South African apartheid.


Third, a resolution calling for the impeachment of Bush and Cheney would be in the city’s best interests
because this Administration’s illegal actions have harmed and continue to harm New London residents.

Some of this harm is financial. According to www.costofwar.com, New London’s financial share of the
cost of the Iraq war through March 2007 is 42.4 million dollars. Worse, the federal government pays
for this war by cutting social programs such as home heating assistance and children’s health insurance.
Gov. M. Jodi Rell has said, “These cuts interfere with the fundamental responsibility of government to
safeguard the lives of its citizens…The cuts to these programs place extraordinary burdens on the states.”

Some harm is life-threatening—particularly for New London residents stationed in Iraq.

Some harm is less tangible. Local peace activists and dissidents, for example, have no protection against
illegal domestic spying.

Finally, before voting, councilors should consider that we are all witnesses to the historic and ongoing
crimes of the Bush/Cheney administration. Are we to turn away? Is it somebody else’s responsibility to
intercede? Or do we have an obligation to say, as forcefully and in as many ways as possible, that we
will not tolerate illegal wars, we will not tolerate indefinite detentions, we will not tolerate the
erosion of civil liberties and the unchecked power of the executive branch?

Last Tuesday, one councilor said that although he believes this is the worst Administration in history,
if he were to vote for impeachment, some of his constituents would feel betrayed. But one cannot
betray U.S. citizens by defending the Constitution.

The New London City Council will be acting appropriately, patriotically and in the best interests
of both New London and the country by calling for the impeachment of Bush and Cheney. I urge city
councilors to pass this resolution—and I urge their constituents to support them.

[TheBaldyMan]

16. that is a brilliant piece of writing

k&r

[Duppers]

21. Congratulations, femmedem

Brilliant, femmedem!

:bounce: :applause: :bounce:



:yourock:



(The only thing I did was correct the www.costofwar.com link, that's all.)

[DemReadingDU]

24. Congratulations, thank you for sharing!

[myrna minx]

6. Good work! K&R.

:kick:

[blogslut]

7. cool

n/t

[tavalon]

8. Well done!

Kicked and recommended!

[JNelson6563]

9. You go girl!!

Bravo! Well done! :applause:

Julie

[Madspirit]

10. Excellent!! k&r n/t

[pat_k]

12. "one action leads to another in ways one can't predict"

Absolutely!

The smallest act -- even just talking to a neighbor -- can have ripple effects that we never see. The tiny seed a person plants could be the one that grows into a giant redwood. A little sappy (sorry, couldn't resist) but nonetheless true.

Liberals tend to be great self-flagellators. We kick ourselves for not doing more. Many end up doing nothing because they believe the little they're willing/able to do is "nothing" compared to what activist X is doing. We are also great pessimists. We ask people to come join our long and thankless struggle, a message that is more likely to drive people away than enlist them.

The reality is that change is never linear. Transformation begins invisibility -- across fences, around tables, in small pockets of activity. No one can see it all, or predict when some critical mass or tipping point will be reached. Sure, it might be a long way out, but it could be right around the corner.

Since we can never know the full effect of our actions, when we do something, be it large or small, we should feel good about it! We can feel part of the victories because we ARE part of the victories. (And if we feel good about even the smallest action, we're more likely to do more. See how that works?)

[EFerrari]

14. 'Way to go!

:toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast:

[lebkuchen]

15. kudos

Impeachment talk hasn't hit Stars & Stripes yet, but I hope it will eventually.

You're a part of a chain reaction, one which will eventually remove the looming cloud that Bush has brought over our country.

[EVDebs]

17. Now if only CT would impeach Lieberman nt

[LynzM]

18. Nicely done!!

Could your LTTE work in the Willimantic Chronicle, as well, with some tweaking? I'd love to see it up here, too!

:hi: neighbor!

[femmedem]

22. Hi LynzM.

Are you from Willimantic? I love Willi! The food coop...the peace and justice group...the Thursday night festivals...And I just heard about the grand opening of the Wrench in the Works Collective community space/socal justice center this weekend at 861 Main Street.

I don't know anything about Willimantic's local government. Has anyone tried to get a city impeachment resolution passed? Without that, unfortunately, I don't think my op ed would be right for the Chronicle.

Info on DIY impeachment resolutions here: http://impeachpac.org/resolutions

I bet at Wrench in the Works today you could find a few dozen people willing to make this happen.

Edit to add: PM me if you'd like more info on how to make a peace resolution happen in your city. If there's enough interest, I'll start a new thread.

[Kurovski]

19. K&R.

Thank you for speaking out.

[femmedem]

20. Thank, everyone, for all the kind words and R's.

I'd like everyone to know that it isn't at all hard to bring a resolution to your city council for consideration. You don't have to write the resolution yourself; there are sample resolutions online. Even if you think your city will in no way pass such a resolution, it gives you an excuse to write a letter to the editor. It gets people talking.

[focusfan]

23. i don't look for the sorry thing to be impeached

it would suprise the crap out of me if he got impeached.i
think he will have war with Iran he will get his way on
everything. America will go to Hell in a hand basket.unless he
is stopped it comes down to this is Bush's Oil money.