Takoma Park Impeach Bush & Cheney

On Thursday morning, May 1 — the 5th anniversary of Bush’s notorious “Mission Accomplished” speech — Michelle Bailey, Hank Prensky, Joy Austin-Lane and I (Thomas Nephew) paid a short visit to Congressman Chris Van Hollen’s local office. Our mission — to bring our Congressman a copy of “A Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq,” and discuss it with his staff.

We met with Van Hollen staff member Julius West in Van Hollen’s Hyattsville office on New Hampshire Avenue. We introduced the plan as a comprehensive legislative agenda calling for a complete exit from Iraq, with no permanent bases, and a “diplomatic offensive” to gain support from countries neighboring Iraq. The plan also calls for aid to Iraqi refugees, health and education benefits for veterans, reforms in the military, and reforms of the political process that has let the Bush administration get away with so many high crimes and misdemeanors — and often identifies specific, pending legislation that will help achieve those goals.

Continue reading ‘Mission accomplished! — “Responsible Plan” dropped off at Van Hollen’s office’

Thursday, May 1 is the fifth anniversary of “Mission Accomplished” - the day George Bush stood on an aircraft carrier declaring major combat operations over in Iraq. Five years later, the costs of war keep mounting and there’s still no end in sight.

In 1994, the Republicans came up with a Contract with America that they worked to implement as soon as they were sworn in. This time around, it will be up to us to make sure that whoever is elected to Congress move briskly to enact the Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq and bring our troops home.

The plan, developed by Darcy Burner, Donna Edwards, and other progressive congressional candidates, calls for a timetable to end the war, for the U.S. to renounce the development of permanent bases in Iraq, and for a “diplomatic offensive” to solve regional issues. It also proposes legislation to avoid future Iraq wars and restore the Constitution, calling for legislation against presidential signing statements, against outsourcing torture, and for facilitating lawsuits against warrantless electronic surveillance. It thus addresses many of the issues listed in last year’s Takoma Park City Council impeachment resolution — including, of course, the fraudulent case for the war. For more on the plan, visit the http://www.responsibleplan.com/ web site.

Please join us to deliver a copy of the Responsible Plan to End the War to Chris Van Hollen..

We will gather as a group at Savory Cafe (7071 Carroll Ave., Takoma Park) around 8:30am on Thursday morning, go over the talking points, take a photo and then deliver the plan to the Congressional office at 9:00AM; that address is:

If you prefer to meet us at the New Hampshire Avenue office at 9am, that’s OK, too, but some of us will be at Savory with cars for those who could use a lift to Van Hollen’s office. The meeting has been arranged in advance, but will be brief, ending before 9:30AM.

Hope you can join us!

5 Years Too Many

Nearly 4,000 US dead…and 30,000 wounded
Between 100,000 and 1,000,000 Iraqis dead…and 4,000,000 displaced
Almost $1,000,000,000,000 spent

0 reasons to be there.

MORE COVERAGE:

U.S. Soldiers Bring Home Stories, Videos of Atrocities
blog.wired.com - 2/17/2008

“With consumer-grade cameras wielded both by soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan and by family members and the media in Washington, expect some harrowing images and testimony to emerge. Should these videos reach enough Americans, they will reignite the smoldering debate over American military conduct that began with the Abu Ghraib photos and the controversies over Guantanamo.”

seacoastonline.com | February 26, 2008

“KENNEBUNKPORT — Calling President George Bush “the worst president in the history of the United States,” Independent U.S. Senate candidate Laurie Dobson stood on the steps of Town Hall Tuesday and called upon the town to indict Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney as war criminals.”

Read full article >>

OpEdNews - Newtown, PA, USA

Rep. Leonard Boswell (D-IA) is the 25th ccosigner of House Resolution 333 on Valentine’s Day, February 14th, joining the rising call for the impeachment of Vice President Richard B. Cheney. ..

go to the article >>

This is good news but we need more sponsors for the Cheney bill and the reps that are working on the Bush Impeachment bill (Wexler, Kucinich and Juciary Committee) need to hear from you…So, please keep your calls coming in and ask others to call.

Call Pelosi, call your reps, call the judiciary committee:

Capitol Hill Switchboard: (202) 224-2131 , (800) 828-0498

http://www.house.gov/stark/survey

IMPEACH ALREADY!!! Aren’t you getting tired of these polls? We should still answer the poll to send the messages to congress in every way we can- YES - IMPEACH! Both Bush AND Cheney!

Go to the fifth bullet down, “GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY”.

I have heard from people who regularly walk the halls of congress lobbying for impeachment, that our calls of impeachment support do make a big difference.

So, please keep your calls coming in and ask others to call.

Call Pelosi, call your reps, call the judiciary committee:

Capitol Hill Switchboard: (202) 224-2131 , (800) 828-0498

On Saturday, January 12, sixty year-old patriot John Nirenberg walked the final leg of his historic march from Boston to Washington, DC to urge Congress to hold impeachment hearings on Bush and Cheney. We welcome him (and other impeach supporters) to DC with a march to the seat of the original U.S. Constitution at the National Archives. This video includes inspiring speeches from John, David Swanson and Ray McGovern as well as comments from marchers. 31 minutes.

(Click to watch video - please leave comments)

citizensforethics.org | Jan. 29

“The government agency that enforces one of the principal laws aimed at keeping politics out of the civil service has accused the Justice Department of blocking its investigation into alleged politicizing of the department under former Atty. Gen. Alberto R. Gonzales.”

Read the article here >>

cbsnews.com | Jan. 27, 2008

Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, On Foot

Vermonter Who Walks 480 Miles to Deliver Message Of Impeachment Finds Dismay In D.C.

Screen capture showing John on the CBS home page.

Related News:

Poll: Vermont Wants Bush, Cheney Impeached
Nearly Two-Thirds Of State’s Likely Voters Want President, VP Removed Before Term Ends

Publicintegrity.org | Jan/08

President George W. Bush and seven of his administration’s top officials, including Vice President Dick Cheney, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, made at least 935 false statements in the two years following September 11, 2001, about the national security threat posed by Saddam Hussein’s Iraq.

Go to the study >>>

More Coverage:

• Yahoo News (one of top emailed stories)
• thiscantbehappening.net
• Brave New Films: Bush Lies…the Official Tally: 935 and counting

All this week John has been visiting congress members to urge them to start impeachment hearings. He will continue meetings next week and asks us to keep the calls to congress coming. On Wednesday evening we met with him and David Swanson. They both said that our calls and our support are really making an impact.Please view:

• Press Release
• the video from his 1/16 Press Conference
• his blog entries about the last few days of meetings with Representative Peter Welch from his state of Vermont, Wexler and others

Yesterday, we joined John for the final leg of his historic march from Boston to Washington, DC to urge Congress to hold impeachment hearings on Bush and Cheney. It was great meeting John, his wife Allyson and so many other wonderful people who came to the march & rally yesterday. Impeach supporters from many other states as well as the DC area were there. We had a bit of trouble being asked to leave the National Arboretum and some of us were turned away at the Constitution. (this issue is on fire! see links below)

John asked us all to remember that this is not over, being here is just the first part. The second part is carrying this message to congress which he asks us to do and which he intends to do this week and next.

From our citizen media producers: Links to blogs, photos/videos and news coverage as we get them will be added here. So far we have:

• Video documentary of the march (includes inspiring speeches from John, David Swanson and Ray McGovern and comments from marchers. More taped interviews coming soon.)
• Photos by Impeachthem
• Photos by MsArthur
• John’s blog (photos, videos, letter to Nancy Pelosi and journal entries chronicling his march) Be sure to see Allyson’s Archive incident posting.
• National Archives bars/boots wearers of articles of impeachment (includes audio clip)
• “Impeach Bush” t-shirt wearers forced to leave National Archives Constitution Display in DC
  
• Takoma Park’s own Thomas Nephew: Newsrack blog, American Street, photos
• Press Release
  

John’s request of us: John will attempt to meet with Nancy Pelosi and John Conyers this week. John asks that we call their offices and urge them to meet with him and of course to ask them to put impeachment on the table. Capitol Hill Switchboard: (202) 224-2131 , (800) 828-0498.

Update 1/15: John is meeting with Congressman Wexler.

Update 1/14: John is meeting with the Judiciary Committee Staff on Monday. Please call them! (800) 828-0498, (800) 862-5530, (800) 833-6354 - Use this handy list of Judiciary Committee member names. Just ask the operator to connect you to the office of your choice.