Canvassing for impeachment in SF on 9/24 by Carol Wolman

Canvassing for impeachment in SF on 9/24                      by Carol Wolman

My husband and I set up a table at the big SF peace rally on Saturday, September 24th, and collected signatures on a brief letter to Rep. John Conyers, ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, urging him to formally institute impeachment hearings against Bush (and Cheney).  The petition, written by John Bonifaz, Esq., can be printed out from

http://DeepEndNews.com/MEMORANDUM.htm and reads:

MEMORANDUM (FAX signatures to Conyers at: 202) 225-0072) . (sign online at http://www.democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/39 )
To: Rep. John Conyers, Jr
Date: May 23, 2005
RE: The President’s Impeachable Offenses

The release of the Downing Street Memo provides new and compelling evidence that the President of the United States has been actively engaged in a conspiracy to deceive and mislead the United States Congress and the American people about the basis for going to war against Iraq. If true, such conduct constitutes a High Crime under Article II, Section 4 of the United States Constitution: "The President, Vice President, and all civil officers of the United States shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors."

In light of the emergence of the Downing Street Memo, Members of Congress should introduce a Resolution of Inquiry directing the House Judiciary Committee to launch a formal investigation into whether sufficient grounds exist for the House of Representatives to exercise its constitutional power to impeach George W. Bush, President of the United States.

There are 15 signature lines, and we kept four clipboards busy all day, collecting about 500 signatures.  Only time limits, as we explained and discussed with everyone, kept us from getting many more.  We also gave away over 100 blank petitions, as people wanted to have their friends and colleagues sign them and fax them to Conyers.

Once again, this petition proved that it can give people a sense of empowerment, propagate itself, and serve as a good educational tool.  If everyone interested in impeachment would print it out and circulate it, the impeachment movement might take off.

As it is, we were the only ones representing impeachment at the march, although many people carried signs and wore t-shirts stating that the people in the White House should be impeached, tried for crimes, and sent to prison for a long time.  Where were the votetoimpeachBush people?  Where was afterdowningstreet.org?  ImpeachBush.com?  We must get from the web to the street!

Along with the signatures, we gathered a widespread sense of hopelessness and helplessness about affecting the course of events in this country.  The general feeling is that the Republicans have such tight control of Congress, even with all the scandals, that there is no chance of justice being done.  With all the gerrymandering and rigged voting machines, the chance of changing the composition of Congress in the 2006 elections also seems dim to many.

How can we restore to the people the authority that "we the people" hold under the US Constitution?  We must elect an impeachment Congress in 2006.  This means making impeachment the central focus of the 2006 elections.  We can do this- I suggest using http://impeachBush.meetup.com as an organizing tool. 

Impeachment is the peaceful, legal, democratic way to get the criminals out of government.  Power to the people!  Let justice be done!

In the name of the Prince of Peace,  Carol Wolman